REMARKS ON PARTS OF GREECli 



339 



cultivated with barley. From Eleusis to jNIegara, a distance of 

 four hours, the road traverses first a low height, until the 

 country of ]\Iegara soon appears with the town on two small 

 eminences, about two miles from the sea ; here are few vestiges of 

 antiquity ; but it appears, that as at Athens, long walls connected the 

 port with the town. The nearest road to the Isthmus is along the 

 sea-shore, and the Scironian rocks, rugged and difficult ; the Turks 

 have here established a Dervent or guard-house, to prevent contraband 

 commerce in the Morea, and no one is allowed to pass without an ex- 

 press order from the Pasha of Tripolizza. The ordinary route from 

 Megara, is along the north side of the mountain, which forms the 

 first barrier to the Isthmus, until it joins the grand line of com- 

 munication from the jNIorea, with the northern provinces of Greece. 

 Here is a Dervent, and hence the road traverses the mountain, 

 through a high irregular broken country, continually descending until 

 it meets the low, though uneven ground of the Isthmus. From 

 Eleusis is a road into Boeotia two hours across the plain to the north, 

 then through a part of Mount Parnes ; beyond is the plain of 

 Eleutherae ; and here the road from Eleusis joins the ordinary route 

 from Athens by Phyle into Boeotia. 



Boeotia consists for the most part of the extensive plain enclosed 

 by Citha^ron, Helicon, Parnassus, and the mountainous country of 

 the Locrians on the sea of Eubciea. This plain is intersected by low 

 ridges of a bare and rocky soil, so that Boeotia may be sub-divided 

 into the plains of Platasa, Leuctra, Thebes, Lebadea, and Ch;firongea. 

 The well-watered plains of Chfcronaea and Lebadea, and the land 

 bordering on the Lake Copais are chiefly sown with rice, cotton, and 

 doura, and a small proportion of tobacco ; the other districts with 

 wheat and barley. The soil of Boeotia is rich and productive, and 

 from Thebes, the unworthy representative of the ancient capital, a 

 considerable quantity of grain is annually exported. 



Boeotia is well supplied with water by the numerous springs from 

 the mountains, besides its rivers, which notwithstanding as in otiier 

 l)arts of Greece, they are small inconsiderable streams, are more 



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