GREECE. 



695 



called the Gibraltar of the Archipelago. 

 The town is meanly built, and dirty. 

 Population, 12,000. In the neighbor- 

 hood are the ruins of Jlrgos, Jilycence, 

 TyrinthuSi and Trcczene. The Cyclo- 

 pean walls, found in the vicinity of these 

 places, composed of large blocks of stone, 

 are of a remote, but unknown antiquity. 



Tripolitza, capital of Arcadia, was 

 the residence of the Turkish authorities, 

 and the capital of the Morea, previous 

 to the revolution ; but its mosques, its 

 seraglio, and castle, have been destroyed, 

 and its population reduced to 2,000 or 

 J ,500 souls. In the vicinity are the ruins 

 of Tcgcea and Megalopolis, ancient capi- 

 tals of Arcadia, and of JMantinea, cele- 

 brated for the victory gained by Epaminondas over the Spartans. 



J\Iistra, or Misitras, the capital of Laconia, was reduced to a heap of ruins by the Egyptian 

 forces during the revolution. It is picturesquely situated at the foot of mount Taygetus, and 

 its citadel is still standing. The population does not exceed 2,000 sculs. The ruins of Sparta 



Sparta, now Mistra. 



are in its vicinity. Monembasia, or ^apol! di Mahasin, important for its port and its fortifi- 

 cations, is noted ior its excellent wines, called JNInlmsey. 



Modon, in the_ nomos of ^Jessenia, is a small town, but has a good harbor, and is strondy 

 iortified. A ear ,t ,s the vdlage of Jfavarino, in ^vhose harbor the Turco-E^yptian fleet was 

 destroyed by the combined Russian, English, and French fleet, in 1827. Calamata, in the 

 same provmce, has hardly risen from its ruins, since the desolating campaign of the Egyptians 

 in the Morea. Coron, which is also situated in Messenia, has a good harbor, and is sfronHv 

 lortined. 



Pijrgos, like Calamata, ii beginning to r-rover from u--. Inte desolation. Nmr it are the rums 



