152 TRAVELS IN THE EIGHTIES. 



feet above the blue JEgean. Five huge monasteries 

 are passed, resembling each a mediaeval fortress, 

 placed like an eagle's nest among the vast precipices 

 and rocky gorges of the mountain, and altogether 

 one is impressed with the belief that Mr. Towzer's 

 remark in his " Highlands of Turkey " is nothing 

 removed from the literal truth, that the scenery on 

 Mount Athos is scarcely equalled, and certainly not 

 surpassed, by any in Europe. On landing out of a 

 boat full of black-robed, hairy, and very much un- 

 washed monks, I had to deliver up my Turkish pass- 

 port to a Turkish officer, who promised to give it 

 back in an hour ; but next morning I found he had 

 gone to Karies, whither I followed on a mule, to 

 deliver my letter to the Grand Council of the Mo- 

 nastic Eepublic a ride of four hours over the back- 

 bone of the promontory, disclosing grand views of 

 Imbros, Lemnos, and Samothrace, all mountainous 

 islands. 



At Karies I presented myself immediately before 

 the Holy Synod, and probably committed many 

 ludicrous mistakes in Eastern etiquette. I found 

 only a few members of the council present, who con- 

 sisted of ten or twelve very venerable-looking old 

 men, only one of whom knew any words of any Euro- 

 pean language but Greek. All wore the longest and 

 whitest of beards. After inscribing my name in the 

 visitors' book, where the only other English visitors' 

 names were those of Canon Farrar, Dr. Magrath, 

 Messrs. Eiley and Owen, and Dr. Lansdell, a large tray 



