56 



JOURNEY THROUGH MAINA, 



towns of Laconia, and as the Greeks pronounce the B like our V, the 

 name given it by Ptolemy is the same with that now used, except the 

 feminine termination.. 



We had been very desirous of pursuing our survey of Maina to 

 Cape Matapan, and visiting the situation of the ancient Taenarus. 

 We found that from Vitulo the rOad by land was impassable even for 

 mules, and the country round Taenarus in so disturbed a state that 

 none of the chiefs could undertake to conduct us thither in safety. 

 There are, as we were told, considerable remains of an ancient city on 

 Cape Grosso, agreeing, as far as we could ascertain the distances, 

 with Pausanias' description of Csenepolis. Cape Matapan, theTaena- 

 rian promontory, is south of Cape Grosso. Of the ancient cave and 

 temples there we could get no consistent accounts. We abandoned 

 with great reluctance our farther researches, and resolved to proceed 

 from hence to Marathonisi, the modern capital of Maina. 



April 17. — We left Vitulo early in the morning attended by an 

 escort of sixteen Mainiots, and proceeded eastward towards Maratho- 

 nisi, leaving the sea-port behind us. A very steep and rugged road 

 descends into the little glen below Vitulo, and continues winding 

 along the banks of the torrent for several miles, shut in by rocky and 

 wooded precipices. Emerging from these defiles we came to a more 

 open and fertile tract of country, covered with groves of oak and a few 

 scattered villages. The chief at whose house we had been at Vitulo 

 was in one of these, and our guards gave him notice of our arrival by 

 a discharge of all their rifles. Their salute was answered from the 

 village by a similar discharge, and the Capitano issued immediately 

 with about sixteen armed followers, and welcomed us in the plain. 

 He then with this additional escort went forwards with us to Mara- 

 thonisi. We had come about ten miles, and had nearly the same 

 distance to proceed. The country grew more open and better culti- 

 vated, as we approached the eastern shore of Maina. We came in 

 about an hour within sight of the sea, and then in a north-east direc- 

 tion pursued our journey through several villages, in one of which 

 was a square Venetian fortress, until we arrived at Marathonisi. 



