I T H 



S83 



J U D 



single monk, who subsisted on alms. In Vathi and 

 elsewhere, the inhabitants dance before their houses on 

 the evening of religious festivals ; an 1 a modern travel- 

 ler inform? us, that he saw the figure of one dance, said 

 to have been first used by the youths and virgins of 

 Delo*, commemorating the return of Theseus from his 

 expedition to the Cretan Labyrinth, though it has now 

 lost much of that intricacy supposed to illustrate its 

 winding*. No regular inns are to be seen in Vathi, 

 but a place of entertainment has been recently esta- 

 blished for mariners. About fifty vessels of all deno- 

 minations belong to the port, which trade to every part 

 of the Mediterranean ; yet the only exports are about 

 500,000 pounds of currants, which were formerly car- 

 ried to the London market ; an inconsiderable quantity 

 of grain ; arid a little wine, in appearance and flavour 

 somewhat intermediate between port and claret, but 

 which is reputed the best of all produced in the Ionian 

 isles. The manners of the inhabitants of Vathi are en- 

 gaging and polite, and strangers are received with 

 ranch hospitality. Mot of tlum are able to converse 

 in Greek and Italian. They can speak French with 

 almost equal fluency. The towns next in size to Vathi 

 eera to be Oxoai, where there is a school, a* well as in 

 the former, under the inspection of the proto-papas, or 

 head priest, and Anoai, which its inhabitant* are de- 

 erting for the village of Chioni. 



While this island was in the hands of the Venetians, 

 its government was vested in a Cephalonian nobleman, 

 elected by the council of Argostoli, the chief town. Al- 

 though not lucrative, the appointment was an object 

 of ambition among the Cephalonian*. and never be- 

 atowed on any one who had not previously filled the 

 highet office* ; and he was replaced annually. His 

 authority was limited chiefly to matter* of police ; he 

 had to make report* on what proceeding* were necea- 

 sary tb the proveditore of Cepnalonia, whose instruc- 

 tion* be was bound to observe. By the later regula- 

 tion* of the Ionian republic, no native of the island 

 can be named ; and the governor is changed every se- 

 cond year. He U entitled to a residence in the pa- 

 lac?, and it as*i*ted by a secretary and other public of- 

 \ . ' ~ . 



vestige* whatever remain to prove the ancient 

 celebrity of Ithaca. Its situation and natural aspect ut- 

 terly preclude it from having ever been of any political 

 importance ; it even seems to have been totally desert- 

 ed ; for, according to tome authors, it was twice colo- 

 nised from Cepnalonia in modem times ; and on one 

 occasion, the Venetian* granted as much land to each 

 ettler a* hi* circonutance* would enable him to culti- 

 vate. 



-. erthele**, late travellers affirm, that the descrip- 

 tive part* ef the Odyney, relative to Ithaca, must have 

 been made by Homer on the very spot, for they think 

 that they can be actually recognised. Foundation* 

 lately discovered on the hill of Aito, on the narrow 

 isthmus above alluded to, are apparently those of a 

 city of the highest antiquity. Some of the stones form- 

 ing the vestigrs of the w-.lU, are of very large dimen- 

 sion*, and their arrangement i* Mich a* exclusively l>e- 

 long* to the earliest period*. A modern author re- 

 mark*, that the city on the hill of Aito was situated 

 " upon an i*thmu, but in the time <>t I ! r it cer- 

 tainly wa* known by the name of the island." It has 

 been usually affirmed, however, though without any 

 other grounds than mere conjecture, that Vathi occu- 

 pies the she of the ancient Ithaca. The foundations 

 yet visible on the hill of Aito, it ia supposed, may cor. 

 6 



respond with the description given of the house of Judaism. 

 Ulysses, which, from its position, commanded a view Judaa. 

 of the opposite sides of the island. A second city, "~Y~^ 

 supposed Alalcomene, mentioned by Plutarch, is said 

 to have stood between Port Polls and Frichies, on a 

 neck of land, cut as narrow as the isthmus of Aito. 

 Not tar from Oxoai, there is a rock called Homer's 

 School, which preserves the vestiges of very ancient 

 masonry, and has had niches, which probably have 

 contained native offerings. When it received this name 

 is unknown ; but it is recorded, that several cities having 

 disputed the honour of giving birth to Homer, Adri- 

 an consulted an oracle, by which Ithaca was named. 

 The most conspicuous antiquities now extant, are such 

 tombs or sarcophagi as are usually found near the re- 

 mains of the oldest cities in other parts of the Grecian 

 territories, though so simple and void of ornament, as 

 to preclude any opinion being formed regarding their 

 real sera. Coins and medals also are frequently dug up 

 here, but those having the name of Ithaca itself are 

 rare ; and, according to the inhabitants, are found only 

 between the ruins on the hill of Aito and Porto Molo. 

 M. Hosset describes several of these, which he says 

 have evidently been struck in commemoration of Ulys- 

 ses. Yet notwithstanding all that has been written 

 regarding Ithaca, the antiquities now extant may be- 

 long to a period long posterior to that in which Homer 

 ha* laid the scenes of his poetry ; while they may still 

 l>e very old. Traditions are not wanting in the island of 

 Ithaca regarding Ulysses, and there are even indivi- 

 duals among the inhabitant", who are believed to be his 

 descendants East Long. 21' 40', North Lat. 33 47'. (V) 

 JUDAISM. See Jews. 



.11 UiF.A, a district of Asia Minor, which is described Extent and 

 both by ancient and modern geographers under a girnt boundanei. 

 variety of names, ami with grent diversities of c\tent. 

 In the most extensive application of the n.mir, it 

 comprehends the whole country possessed by the Jews, 

 or people of Israel ; and included, therefore, very dif- 

 ferent portions of territory, at difTeient period* of their 

 history. Upon the conquest of the roui.try by Joshua, 

 it was divided into twelve portions according to the 

 number of the trilies of Israel ; and a general view of 

 their respective allotments (though the intermediate 

 boundaries cannot be very precisely ascertained), in v 

 convey tome idea of its extent at that period. The p . tr5 ,j on , 

 portion of the tribe of Judah comprised all the country ofihctwelve 

 between Edam, or Idumea, on the south, the Me (liter- trilx-r. 

 ranean on the we.!, tin- S.ilt S'-a on the e.i-t, a, d an 

 imaginary line on the north, from the northtrn extre- 

 mity of tile Salt-Sea to the Mediterranean. The por. 

 lion of Simeon was included within that of Judah, and 

 formed the south-west corner of the country, compre- 

 hending, the towns of Kcrsaba, Gerar. I' ipoa, Gaza, 

 Aicalon, and Azotus The portion of 1 : nj.iuim was 

 situated to the north of Judah, near the centre of the 

 kingdom, bounded on the east by the river Jordan, 

 and containing part of Jerusalem, Jericho, Bethel. Kama, 

 &c. The portion of Dan lay to the north-west of Ju- 

 d ,h, lietween that of Benjamin and the Mediterranean, 

 reaching at far north as the latter, and containing Ac- 

 caron and Jamnia. The portion of Kpl.r.iiin streti lied 

 along the northern limits of I) n and IILI j..min, be- 

 tween the river Jordan on t'le east, and the Mediterra- 

 nean sea on the west, containing Sychem, Joppa, Lyd- 

 da, Gazara, &c The portion .ilf tribe of Ma- 



nasseh was situated north of Ephraim, between the 

 river Jordan and the Mediterranean, reaching a* far 

 north M Dora, at the foot of Mount Carmel. The por- 



