836 T H E V E N o T’i T ravels Book III, 
them with great Variety of all Sorts. The Trade is 
much greater here than at Candia, it lying fo convenient 
for the Morea^ Italy ^ and other Places. Tht French have 
a great Trade for Oil, Wool, Wax, Cheefe, and feve» 
ral other Commodities, having a Conful and two Mer- 
chants. The Venetians have alfo a Conful, but moft of 
their Oil is fhipped off from Suda, to which Place it is 
brought from Retimo and other Places thereabout. All 
great Ships come to an Anchor at a Place called St. To- 
doro, being two fmall I (lets, about five Miles to theWeft 
of the Port of Canea. There is very good Anchorage, 
and a fmall Fort to defend them. On one Wand, not- 
withflanding it fee ms to be all Scone, and is very low, 
there are feveral Fountains of good frefh Water. 
No Greeks live within the City. They have a new 
Town built to the South, about half a Mile off, where 
are two long Streets very commodious, and here they 
enjoy entire Liberty •, their Churches are open, and the 
Bifhop hath a very pleafanc Houfe, living in good 
Efteem. Clofe to this Town runs a pleafanc River, 
wfokh is feldom dry *, there are like wife feveral pleafant 
Gardens well ftockt with all Sorts of delicious Fruits. 
The Turks have alfo fome Gardens here, but they muff 
retire into the City an Hour before Sun-fer, Winter and 
Summer, or eife muft remain out all Night, the Gates 
being then fliut, and a ftridl Watch kept about the 
Walls. The Turks of this Place are generally very 
rich, and incline to Trade, giving all Encouragement 
to have Merchants come and refide amongft them. There 
was an Englifi Merchant here, one Mr. Trenchard, who 
was recommended to the French Conful to have his Af- 
fiftance, but in a little Time he grew weary of the 
Place. 
Here they keep their Oil in great Veffels called Tini^ 
which are fquare and made of Wood, fome will hold 
twenty Tuns. They have a fpecial Regard to preferve 
the Efteem of their Oil, nor will they force a Merchant 
ro take any longer than it comes clear, not mixing the 
Bottoms, as in fome Parts they will, by taking a hol- 
low Cane, and putting it to the Bottom, by blowing 
through which they raife the Foot of the Oil, fo that 
thick and thin goes together. Here they fell the Foot 
of the Oil at an under Price, and this ferves to make 
Sope. Moft Parts of Turkey have an Efteem for Caned 
Oil above others. Some will have it to be the better for 
that the Trees are all fo young j others impute it to their 
Care in the making, for here they gather ail their Olives, 
whereas in the Morea^ they thrafh them down with 
Poles. The Wines are generally efteemed above all 
others. The red Mufeadine they call here Leattico, 
it is a richer Wine than Tent at Cadiz, and much more 
pleafant ; 1 have feen it fold at fifteen Gallon, for half 
a Dollar. White Mufeadine is not fo good, as that of 
Luxuria in Ceffalonia. Some are of Opinion, that in 
the War, the true Mufeadine Grape was loft ; on the 
Mountains, there are fmaller Sorts of Wines, fo as a 
Man may have what Sort he pleafes. 
All Sorts of Provifions are very plentiful, but in the 
Summer-time the Mutton hath generally a bad Tafte, 
which proceeds from their Feeding on fome Herb on the 
Mountains. Here are Fowls of all Sorts in Abundance, 
but efpecially a Bird called Beccha figgo, which is al- 
moft a Lump of Fat 5 they are valued about four for an 
Afper, or eight for a Penny. Turtle-Doves and Quails 
are very plentiful. Their Beef is fmall, but very fweet. 
Of Fruits there is no Sort but what they have. I never 
faw larger Pears than are brought from the Mountains, 
being a Sort of Sugar Pear. The Mufk Melons are 
very good, but their Water Melons are fingular, Sala- 
ting there is all the Year of all Sorts ; no Place is 
efteemed to have larger and .Endive and Carduus 
than there are here. I have feen Sugar Canes of a great 
Height, full as good as what are brought from Grand 
Cairo. There are Abundance of Simples which are 
bought here for France and Italy. 
Some fay the Reafon why no venemous Thing will 
live on this Ifland, is the Quantity of Dittamo that grows 
here. Others fay it has only been fince St. Paul fet 
Foot upon the Eland. Moft of the Candiotes pretend 
to have great Knowledge in Simples. The Women are 
experienced Dodtreffes. One I have Reafon to fay was 
very fkilful, fhe having in a little Time wrought a great 
Cure upon me ; for by Accident a Bullet having paft 
through my Leg, I applied myfelf to her, and in fif- 
teen Days fhe cured it. She did not allow me to eat 
any Flefh till it was perfectly well. They have feveral 
Antidotes againft the Plague, but they had not the Ef- 
fe6l they pretend to, for feveral of the Dodtreffes were 
fwept away by that Difeafe 5 but moft certain it is, that 
after St, John Baptift’s Day it did here abate, as they 
always obferve it to do in moft of thefe Eaftern Parts. 
There are feveral other Places that have had the 
Name of Cities, which are now Heaps of Ruins j many 
hundred ftately Palaces there were, that now have only 
fome Walls, and thofe moftly fallen down. The Can- 
diots keep their Habit, that is, the Women •, but the 
Men are dreffed alia Turcheffa, efpecially the better Sort. 
They are as ignorant of the Antiquity of their Country, 
as the Mereotes, that have been above 200 Years in 
Slavery. There is no Latin Church upon the whole 
Ifland, as I was inform’d, but what is fhut up, or con- 
verted to the Turks Ufe. Before the Turks conquered 
this Ifland, there were above a Million of Souls, whereas 
now there are not 80,000, of which not above 30,000 
Turks, on the whole Ifland. 
The Iflets, which the Venetians have about the Ifland 
of Candia, are Carabufa to the Weft End of the Ifland, 
about fix Miles from the Main, having a very good 
Port between the Iflec and the main Land : The 
Caftle is very ftrong, mounting about eighty Guns. In 
the late War it withftood feveral Affaults, but lying 
fo far from any confiderable City, the Ttirks did not fo 
much Mind it as they did Suda, Here is a Gar- 
rifon of Venetian Soldiers, and a Proveditore, who 
is under the Inquifitore at Suda, In Time of Peace 
with the Turks, they have a continual Trade and very 
good Correfpondence with them, having all Sorts of 
Provifions at very reafonable Rates. 
Spina Longa lies about forty Miles to the Eaft of 
the City of Candia, at the Entrance of a great Bay. 
The Iflet is not above a Mile and a half about j it has 
a very good Fortification round it, befides it is fteep all 
round, fo as an Enemy cannot well Land. It is not 
above a Mile from a Point of land, where the Turks 
raifed a Battery, and continued for a Week to batter 
the Caftle, but to little Purpofe, for moft of their Dwel- 
lings are in Caves under Ground. Here and at Cara- 
bufa there is no Water but what is brought them by 
Shipping, or what they fave in great Cifterns and Jarrs. 
Here is alfo a Proveditore, and a Garrifon of Venetian 
Soldiers. 
Suda lies In a great Bay, about thirty Miles from Re- 
timo, Weft, twelve Miles from Canea, and nine from 
the Bottom of the Bay South-Eaft, having the Land to 
the South about a Mile, on the North North-weft, not 
above half a Mile diftant. This Ifland is about 
two Miles in Circumference, not above fifty Foot above 
Water at the higheft Part, being all rocky and fteep. To 
the South-weft lies 9. long Rock about ten Foot above 
Water, and not above twenty from the Ifland ; againft 
it is the Entrance up to the Caftle, very fteep and wind- 
ing, having two Gates and a ftrong Counterfearp, be- 
fore you pafs into the main Caftle. The Wall about 
the Ifland is low but very thick. 
To the Weft is a Mount, called II Marteningo, about 
thirty Foot high, and three hundred in Circumference, 
very ftrongly built with fmall Stone and Mortar, which 
has above 1000 Shot in it. They are fo faft in, that 
it would endanger its falling, if they fhould be pulled 
out. The Fortifications of the Caftle are quite round, 
the Iflet, wherein, and upon the Marteningo, are about 
120 Guns planted. The Turks have feveral Times at- 
tempted to take this Place, and to that Purpofe, in 
the Year, 1659, they built fix Caftles, three on each 
Side of the Bay, from whence they continued to bat- 
ter it, and fecured the Harbour fo as no Ship or Gaily 
could come to bring them Succour, but what in the 
Night fmall Veffels would adventure to get in. 
In the Year 1665, the Captain Bafha attempted to 
reduce it j he came with forty five Gallies, but durft 
not 
