ETHNOLOGY OF THE PRESENT DAY. 187 



body, which is the object of the figure referred to. Fig. T, a dervise doing 

 penance ; with a rosary on which are ninety-nine coral beads. 



The Greeks. 



The Kingdom of Greece extends in a southerly direction from the mouth 

 of the Aspro and the Gulf of Zeitoun ; projects into the Ionian and the 

 iEgean Seas, with numerous and deep indentations and many high pi*o- 

 montories and jagged peninsulas ; is surrounded by a scattered group of 

 islands of a semi-volcanic character ; and divided by the deeply cutting 

 Gulf of Lepanto into two grand divisions, Livadia and the Morea. Since 

 the 7th of May, 1832, after bloody struggles with the Turks, it has formed 

 an independent kingdom. The inhabitants are Greeks and Albanians, 

 and of foreigners chiefly French and Germans. " The Greek,'' says 

 G. Bruckner, '• whose ancient classic beauty has been somewhat defaced 

 by intermixture with Slavonians and Albanians, but who notwithstanding 

 possesses a vigorous, well-moulded, characteristic figure, is more frivolous 

 than the Spaniard, resembling him, however, in temperament, as well as in 

 frugality and fondness for independence, in heroic endurance, in spirit and 

 wit, and in perfidiousness and his fondness for civil disputes. His education, 

 like his civilization, has, until the present time, been of no high character, as 

 the inhabitants of the coast were corrupted Avhilst the mountaineers and the 

 warlike Mainotes of the Morea were still rude." The nation adhere to the 

 Greek religion, and now have their own independent spiritual government. 

 The modern Greek language is called the Romaica or Aplo- Hellenic^ and 

 the nation still denominate themselves Romai (Romans) from the Roman 

 Empire of the East. The universal higher dialect, i. e. the more improved 

 language of letters and the churches, and that used in conversation by 

 educated persons, particularly in Constantinople, diff'ers less from the 

 classic Greek than the numerous vulgar dialects, as, for example, the 

 modern Volo Doric, the Zagoran (a remnant of the Doric), the Cretan or 

 Candiote, and the Epirean. In Constantinople, in the vicinity of Mount 

 Athos, and on the Islands of Paros and Nicaria, the purest language is 

 spoken ; in Cyprus, it has still retained a great deal of the ancient Greek, 

 but is very much deteriorated ; in Corfu, the Greek has been pushed into the 

 interior of the country by the Venetian dialect ; and the Mainotes in what 

 was formerly Sparta, from whom a colony in Corsica is descended, speak a 

 miserable and corrupt Greek. The dress of the men {pL 1, fig. 2) bears 

 much resemblance to the Turkish costume ; they have, however, mostly laid 

 aside the turban, and adopted the fur cap or the fez in its stead ; the soldiers, 

 especially, wearing the latter {pi. 13, fig. V\ a cap of red felt with a large 

 blue tassel. 



Rouging, and coloring the eyebrows black, is yet a universal practice 

 among the women. They display bad taste in their attire, overload them- 

 selves with finery, and at the same time attach but little importance to 

 neatness or symmetrical disposition of their dress. Females, even now, 



359 



