EUBCEA. 



EUBCEA. 



970 



land, with some interruptions, along the west coast as far as Cape 

 Politika : within these limits is Mount Khandhili, near the coast, and 

 another mountain 2694 feet high. Between Cape Politika and Chalcis, 

 and extending several miles inland, is the fertile plain of Chalcis, 

 bounded on the north and north-east by the high mountains which 

 extend to the eastern coast. The centre of this mountain mass is 

 Delphi, already mentioned, and it contains several other elevations 

 which are between 4000 and 5000 feet. South of the narrow channel 

 on which Chalcis is situated there is a tract of lowland along the Bay 

 of Vathia, backed by the range of Mount Vathia (3821 feet), which 

 appears to be separated by a depression from the group of Delphi, 

 and forms part of the south-east boundary of the plain of Chalcis. 

 Farther south, and near the west coast, there is also the plain of 

 Aliveri. The rest of the island south of Aliveri, along the west coast, 

 and the whole of the eastern coast from the plain of Mandhoudi, 

 appears to be mountainous. The southern extremity of the island 

 is filled by the mass of Mount Elias (4748 feet), which presents to 

 the Archipelago an iron-bound and dangerous coast. 



To the southward the plains are generally cultivated with corn and 

 olives, but those to the northward, called the Plains of Histiaea, are 

 more particularly devoted to the vine, from which a light red wine is 

 made, which is the common beverage of the Greeks, and forms a 

 staple article of trade. The wine is kept in pig-skins, well coated 

 with resin, which communicates its unpleasant flavour to the contents. 

 A deleterious ardent spirit is distilled from the husks of the grapes. 

 Cotton ia also planted more to the northward. 



The passage between Thessaly and Eubcea, called the Trikiri 

 Channel, from the town of that name at the eastern entrance to the 

 Gulf of Volo, is about four miles in average width ; the narrowest 

 part, which is towards the western extreme, is not quite one mile and 

 a half : the depth of water is regular, steep from both shores, and 

 decreasing gradually from about fifty fathoms at the entrance to thirty 

 fathoms towards the western end of Negropont, off which lie some 

 small rocky islands called Lithada Islands. Passing these islands, and 

 turning to the southward, is the Gulf of Talanda so called from the 

 town of that name on the Boeotian shore. A remarkable feature in 

 this part of the channel is the amazing depth of water under Mount 

 Telethrius, where for about twelve or fifteen miles there is no bottom 

 with 220 fathoms within half a mile of the shore ; but from this point 

 the water shoals gradually towards Chalcis. Towards the north-west 

 extremity of this shore there is a very safe and excellent harbour, 

 called Port Ghialtrn, or Port Kalos. There are two villages on its 

 shores, Ghialtra to the westward and Elypsos to the eastward : near 

 the latter are some ancient remains and beautifully-sculptured frag- 

 ments of white marble. 



In the southern part of the channel there are many islands along 

 the Eubcean shore, which offer good anchorage, more especially 

 among the Petalion Islands, which abound in rabbits, but possess only 

 one spring of fresh water. The bed of this part of the channel is. 

 level, but compared with the northern part it is shallow ; the general 

 depth/is from 35 to 40 fathoms. 



The eastern side of Eubcca is a continuation of rocky coast, the 

 high land descending precipitously to the shore with few interruptions 

 of level ground, and this only, as already mentioned, towards the 

 northern part of the island. In the bight between capes Doro and 

 Octonia, it is an unbroken line of precipitous shore, in which it is 

 scarcely possible to find a ravine sufficiently wide to haul a boat up. 

 Fragments of wreck are found at the height of 80 feet perpendicular, 

 washed up by the heavy sea which a north-east wind throws into this 

 1 >ay. These winds, which always blow very strong, are called by the 

 Greeks ' melteni,' probably a corruption of ' mal tienipo.' In addition 

 to this, the Dardanelles current, preserving the course communicated 

 to it by the direction of that strait, sets strong to the south-west into 

 this bay, and renders it a most dangerous coast; no vessel once 

 embayed here can escape destruction. The current being deflected to 

 the southward sweeps round Cape Doro, frequently at the rate of 

 3 miles an hour. Port Petries is the only refuge which this coast 

 offers, and so little has hitherto been known of this shore that even 

 this shelter has only recently been discovered. The village of Kumi, 

 in the bay of that name, ia populous, and being celebrated for its 

 wine, has considerable trade in that article by the small caiques, which 

 however are always obliged to be hauled up on the beach for safety. 



Immediately opposite Chalcis the land rises suddenly to hills of 

 considerable height, beyond which lie the plains of Thebes, which 

 town ia distant about four hours, or 12 miles. The breadth of the 

 Euripua is here diminished by a rock in mid-channel, on which a fort 

 is built, dividing it into two channels : that towards the main, though 

 rather the broader, is only practicable for email boats, as there is not 

 more than 3 feet of water at any time. Between the rock and the 

 walls of Chalcis is a distance of 33 feet, and the least depth at the 

 liighest water is 7 feet. It is here that the extraordinary tides take 

 place for which the Euripua was formerly BO noted : at times the 

 water runs as much as 8 miles an hour, with a fall under the bridge 

 of about one foot and a half; but what is most singular, is the fact 

 that vessels lying 150 yards from the bridge are not in the least 

 :ifIW;t<;d by this rapid. It remains but a short time in a quiescent 

 Htate, changing its direction in a few minutes, and almost immediately 

 resuming its velocity, which is generally from 4 to 5 miles an hour 



either way, its greatest rapidity 'being however always to the south- 

 ward. The results of three months' observation, in which the above 

 phsenomena were noted, afforded no sufficient data for reducing them 

 to any regularity. 



In and about Chalcis fragments of antiquity may be seen forming 

 parts of the walls of houses, in common with the grosser materials, 

 like diamonds set in lead. They are generally of white marble, 

 beautifully chiselled ; but in no place can any buildiug be traced, or 

 vestiges of walls. The pieces of columns are generally of the Corinthian 

 order, fluted. On Chalcis Island there is the appearance of a rude 

 wall traversing the island ; and on the mainland, at the southern 

 shore of the channel, between the two ports, where the land rises to 

 about 400 feet, are the remains of Cyclopean walls of very high 

 antiquity. The blocks of stone, which are very massive, rude and 

 irregular, but fitting closely, are of limestone, and in construction the 

 walls resemble those of Mycense. This is most probably the ancient 

 Aulis\ though there may have been houses at a less elevation and 

 nearer the shore more convenient for commerce, the ascent to these 

 ruins being steep and difficult. 



The site of Eretria, next to Chalcis the most powerful city in 

 ancient Euboaa, is near the west coast, a little south of Chalcis. Of 

 the walls which surrounded it, the towers, a theatre, and some other 

 buildings, there are still considerable remains. Near its site is the 

 village of Nea Eretria, which' occupies the site of the New Eretris, 

 built after the destruction of the olden city B.C. 490. 



Coin of Eretria. 

 British Museum. Actual Size. Silver. Weight, 86/j grains. 



The mountains of Eubcea are said to contain copper, and the 

 marble quarries near Karystos have long been famous. (Strabo, 

 p. 446.) The soil, favoured by the diversities of climate which such 

 a variety of elevation affords, is capable of yielding the productions 

 of tropical as well as of more northern regions, and of supporting an 

 infinitely larger population than now occupies the land. Corn is 

 raised in considerable quantities for the supply of the adjacent main- 

 land as well as the island itself. The chief product however is wine. 

 Cotton, wool, &c., are also exported. The island abounds in sheep of 

 an excellent breed ; but bullocks are scarce, and bred principally for 

 agricultural purposes. Of late years agriculture has been consider- 

 ably improved, chiefly owing to the exertions of a few English and 

 other foreign settlers. In the mountains are abundance of wild boars 

 and deer, and the plains are overrun with hares and rabbits. Among 

 the trees are the olive, oak, fir, chestnut, walnut, mulberry, and 

 oriental plane. In the whole island there is not a stream deserving 

 the name of a river into which the smallest boat could enter, and the 

 inhabitants generally supply themselves with water from wells. 



The only towns are CHALCIS, Karystos at the south-end of the 

 island, Kumi at its eastern extremity, and Xerochori, the ancient 

 Histiaea, at the northern end ; all except Chalcis small and unim- 

 portant places. 



The villages are few, and, for the most part, wretchedly poor as well 

 as small places. They generally stand at some distance from the 

 beach, and on an elevation so as to be difficult of access. 



Among other remains of the former greatness of the island may be 

 mentioned an aqueduct, apparently of Venetian construction, which 

 commencing at the foot of Mount Delphi winds its way to within 

 half a mile of Chalcis, and forms a very picturesque object. Though 

 it no longer conveys water, it is by no means in a ruinous condition. 



On th"> summit of Mount Elias (the Ocheof Strabo) are the remains 

 of an ancient temple, consisting of rude unornamented blocks of 

 limestone, and columns of the same material ; and antiquarian 

 remains still exist in various other places. 



The first inhabitants of this island were probably a Pelasgic race, 

 which is said to have occupied, before the historical times, most of 

 the islands of the ^Egean Sea. The Dryopes from Mount CEta were 

 said to have founded Carystus and Styra (Herodotus, viii. 46 ; 

 Thucyd. vii. 57) ; and the Athenians founded Chalcis and Eretria, 

 before the siege of Troy. Homer (' Iliad,' ii. 530) calls the inhabit- 

 ants of Euboea by the name Abantes, and mentions them as having 

 taken a distinguished part in the expedition against Troy. The 

 Hestiseots were said to be a colony of the Perrhoebi, a Pelasgic tribe ; 

 but the Athenians appear to have been from a very remote epoch the 

 principal colonisers of Eubooa. At the dawn of the historical times 

 we find Chalcis and Eretria, two independent but allied towns, which 

 had advanced to a high state of prosperity, holding dominion over 

 the islands of Andros, Teuos, and Ceos, and sending colonies to the 

 coasts of Macedonia and Thrace, as well as to the shores of Italy and 

 Sicily. Naxus, the first Greek settlement in Sicily, and Cuma, one 

 of the oldest in Italy, were colonies of Chalcis. Eretria and Chalcis 

 however quarrelled,"aml Thucydides (i. 15) mentions the war between 



