LEECH GATHERERS. 287 



of Asia Minor, even the oldest ; but, until Sir 

 Charles Fellows visited it in 1842, little was 

 known of it beyond its existence. That gentle- 

 man has over-estimated its population in reck- 

 oning the number of inhabitants at above twenty 

 thousand. The number stated to us as the 

 average by several intelligent inhabitants of the 

 place, viz. eight thousand, is probably much 

 nearer the mark. Among them are numerous 

 Armenians, and many Greeks. The houses are 

 mostly built of wood. The streets are narrow and 

 have channels of running water which serve as 

 sewers. There are two mosques, one of which has 

 a very beautiful minaret, and two large khans. 

 In that in whicli we lodged we met some Italian 

 leech -gatherers, old acquaintances, who had been 

 at Xanthus, during the winter — intelligent, un- 

 principled fellows, fertile in plans for defraud- 

 ing the revenue, of whicli they told us many 

 with great glee, trusting to our honour. In a 

 strange and far land, the well-known visage of 

 a knave is sometimes pleasanter and more wel- 

 come than the unknown face of an honest man. 

 The Bazaars were extensive and full of goods, 

 and buyers and sellers. Most of the larger 

 houses in the town have gardens attached, filled 



