T HE V E N 
824 
mentioned by Ttohmy ^r^i Straho 
Hills whereon the Town ftands, from Eajt w boutb. 
From thence to the Promontory winding 
about to the IVeJiern Point. Mens Mmtas, now called 
the Brothers, from the two highell: Points. Here is 
iSdefd a little Gap, being the Mouth of the Bay, but 
thence Hills begin to rife again to ]oyn loMoimt Stpy- 
lus Of this Entrance 1 flaall have Occafion again to 
fpeak when I part hence. But as to the reft, thee 
Mountains are not fo near, but that tney leave fruitfu 
Fields round about between the Bay and tnem, well 
planted with Olive-yards, Vineyards^ and Corn Fields 
amonn them ; and from the Town to Mount Stpylus 
is a Valley of four or more Miles in Length, and near a 
Mile broad in fome Places, which with the Gardens 
about the Town.s, and the Town itfelf, drink up two 
pretty Streams of good Water, one Northward 
from the Mountain Sipylus, and the other Southward^ 
from Mount Mimas, which join together North-Eajl of 
the Town, and what it fpareth, which is but little, the 
Sea receiveth at the Psorth-TVofl-Endo or the Town, Fnat 
which cometh Northwards from Mount Sypilus, is a 
confiderable Stream, dnveth feven Miills, and hath A.- 
bundance of Fifli in it. The other, coming from 
Mount Mimas, is the greateft Part brought to the Town 
in Aquteduefts, two of which are well built, with^ ^tone^ 
Arches croffing the Valley or deep Fofs, which itfelf 
hath dug between two Hills, whereof the Northernmoji 
is where Old Smyrna flood, now only a Caftle. The 
reft of the Water is divided amongft the Gardens. 
Smyrna is a Place of great Antiquity, and is reputed 
to have had the Amazon Smyrna for it Foundrefs. They 
therefore ftamped their Money with the Figure of her 
Head. I got fevera! Pieces of them, very rare, and faw 
many more in the Cabinet of an ingenious Merchant 
there, Mr. Falkener, who defigns his Colledtion for the 
Univerfity of Oxford. One fmall one hath her Head 
crowned with Towers, and her two-edged Hatchet on 
her Shoulder, almoft worn out with Age, and about it 
are thefe Letters, x m y p n a, on the other Side the Prow 
of a Ship, and thefe, XMYPNAiiiN. From another I 
faw of the Emprefs Eranquillina, is to be feen her whole 
Habit, which is thus : Her Head is crowned with a 
Tower, as before, her two-edged Axe upon her Shoul- 
der, holding a Temple in her Right-hand, perhaps re- 
ferring to fome Temple Eranquillina had built, in a 
fhort Veft down to her Knees, and Buskins half Way 
her Legs. There is fomething alfo ftie holds in her 
Left-hand, befides her Axe, which perhaps is her Bow. 
In another fhe is dreifed in the Habit of Elercuks. 
Of the ancient Situation and Beauty of this Place, 
Strabo giveth the beft and fhorteft Account. Thence, 
fiith he, ('deferibing it Northward from Ephefus) is ano- 
ther Bay, in which is Old Smyrna, twenty Stadia, or 
two Miles and half from the New. When the Lydians 
had deftroyed Smyrna, the Country thereabouts was only 
adorned with Villages for four hundred Years together ; 
after which, Aniigonus reftored it, and after him, Lyfi- 
machus. At this Day it is, of all the Afian Cities, moil 
beautiful. Part of it is built upon the Mountain, but 
the greater Part on the Plain to the Haven, unto the 
Temple of the Mother of the Gods, and to the Gymnafmm. 
The Streets are moll excellently built, and as much as 
poflible, reduced into Right Angles, all paved with 
Stone. It hath great and fquare Portico’s both in the 
higher and lower Parts of the City. There is a Libra- 
ry, and iht Homerion, which is a fquare Portico, with a 
Temple containing his Statue •, for the Smyrnoites are 
very zealous for the Nativity of Homer amongft them, 
and have a Brafs Piece of Money called by his Name, 
J^merion. The River Meles runneth by the Walls. 
There is a Haven on the other Side of the City, which 
may be ftiut up at Pleafure. Thus far Strabo. 
The Old Smyrna that was in his Time, in all Proba- 
of this that is now, and Wefl 
of the Caftle-hill ; for there are fome Steps of Heaps of 
^ones atd in fome Order, as if a Wall had been there. 
Tni^^w Smyrna, but the Old one of our Times, with- 
out Doubt, took up all the Hill the old Caftle ffandeth 
■ on and then adjoining to it, down to a Point running 
o T’r Travels Book III. 
into the Bay Southwards, and of the Plain much more 
North-EaA than the Smyrna of our Times j but 
North, I believe, not much more, if fo much ; for 
turning into Frank-ftreet, is a V/all which feemeth to be 
Part of the ancient Walls of the City, although the 
Mouth of the River AA/a is Juft without the prefent 
Buildings 5 which is not far, and might eafily be turned 
thither, if nearer to the Walls formerly. Along this 
Wall, from the Sea, you come to the Foundation of a 
great Building of hew’d Stone they were then demolifh-* 
ing, which might have been the Sybils Temple, the 
great Mother of the Gods. 
After difcoLirfing largely of the Antiquities that ftili 
remain here, and of the State of the ancient Chriftian 
Church of Smyrna, he proceeds thus. The Greeks that 
are here have but two Churches, yet they are numerous, 
this Place being the Seat of their Metropolitan. But 
befides them, here is a great Number of Chriftians of 
all Nations, Sefts and Languages. The Latin Church 
hath a Monaftery of Francifeans ; the Armenians have 
one Church ; but the Englifh, which are the moft con- 
fiderable Number next the Greeks and Armenians, have 
only a Chapel in the Conful’s Houfe, which is a Shame, 
confidering the great V/ealth they heap up here beyond 
all the reft : Yet they commonly excel them in their 
Paftor j for I efteem a good Englifh Prieft an Evange- 
lift, if compared with any of the reft. The Hollan- 
ders, I believe next to the Englifh, are more numerous 
than any Nation of the Franks, and take no more Care, 
as I could learn, of their Religious Worfhip. But as 
to Trade, none ftrive to outvy each other fo much as 
the Englifh and Hollanders, whereof Smyrna and Aleppo 
are now the chief Places in the Levant. The Trade 
was formerly pretty well divided between them ; but 
fince their War with the French ^ the Englifh have much 
the greater Part of it. 
The chief Commerce confifts in raw and PerJianSiWis, 
Grograms, both in Yarn and alfo woven, brought to 
this Scale by the Ferjians and Armenians, and much 
Cotton, raw and made in Yarn, iAc. which groweth 
all about thefe Countries, and the Iflands of the Archi- 
pelago, being brought by the Greeks and Turks to be 
fold here. The Englifh Fadtory confifts of fourfeore or 
an hundred Perfons, moft of them younger Sons to 
Gentlemen, who give three or four hundred Pounds to 
fome great Merchant of the Levant Company, and 
bind their Sons Apprentices for feven Years, three 
whereof they ferve at London, to underftand their Maf- 
ters Concerns, and then their Mafters are obliged to 
fend them to negotiate in thefe Parts, and to find them 
Bufinefs, out of vvhich they are allowed a certain Sum 
per Cent, where by their Induftry in Traffick for them- 
felves, alfo upon good Gains, but little Lofs, they 
live genteelly, become rich, and get great Eftates in 
a fliort Time, if they will be but indifferent good Huf- 
bands, and careful of their own and their Owners Bufinefs. 
The Officers allowed over them by the ’King and the 
Levant Company, are a Conful, a Chancellor, a Trea- 
surer, a Divine, and a Phyfician. The Conful is allow- 
ed by the Levant Company, three thoufand Dollars a 
Year Salary, and five hundred of Gratuity, befides other 
Perquifites and honeft Ways, whereby he may get much 
more. His Office is to maintain the Privileges grant- 
ed by the Grand Signior to the Englifh NN\or\, againft 
the Injuries and Infolencies of the encroaching Turks, 
inftead of an Ambaffador to decide all Differences that 
happen between Faffor and Fadtor, to fee that no In- 
jury be done by any of the Fadfory to the Turks, and 
to punifli Delinquents : So that he doth, in Effedt, go- 
vern the Bufinefs of the whole Fadtory there, but yet 
from his Sentence, there may be an Appeal made to 
the Ambaffador. Mc.Ricant was then Conful, who 
writ the State and Policy of the Ottoman Empire, and 
a Treatife of the Greek Church, an Appendix to the 
Turki(h Hiftory down to his Time, and alfo an Account 
of the feven Churches of Afia. He was very obliging 
to us, amongft other Favours, in diredling and in- 
forming us, concerning thefe Parts. Their Chap- 
lain is allowed five hundred Dollars a Year Salary by 
the Levant Company. He hath befides, a Warehoiife 
allowed 
