DEPARTURE FROM FINICA. 
481 
discover. The door faced the sea, and in front of it was the pedi- 
ment of a single column ; the others might have been carried away 
to be employed in the erection of the fort. The side of the hill 
was covered with tombs which had been broken open in search of 
treasure. The inscriptions were in Greek characters, but most of 
them totally illegible. The scene must have been very beautiful 
when the small temple was uninjured, and the sarcophagi were 
probably shaded by lofty trees ; at present the brow is nearly 
naked, except where a few stunted shrubs find nourishment in the 
crevices of the rock. 
We next visited the vale below, where the soil was a black loam, 
on which the myrtle and oleander grew in the greatest luxuriance, 
but instead of the rich fields of grain which might be produced, 
were the country in tranquillity and properly protected, so far as 
I went inland, I could perceive nothing but a coarse grass except 
on the banks of the stream, where rushes grew. 
July 29. — On the evening of the 26th of June we quitted the 
Bay of Finica, and kept close to the shore, to have the benefit of the 
land breeze. We passed Rhodes on the 2d instant, and Scarpanto 
on the 4th, between which and Gozo, we found the passage to be 
much wider than is laid down in Heather's chart, and the latter 
a much larger island. On the 5th we sailed along Candia in a 
smooth sea, being protected by it from the N. W. wind which 
prevailed. The snow still lay on the summits of the mountains, 
whence squalls came down occasionally, with considerable vio- 
lence. On the 7 th we lost sight of Candia, and the Captain perse- 
vered in running south, although we made but little westing, and 
there was every appearance of a gale of wind setting in from the 
VOL. III. ^ Q 
