S 2 T RAVELS TO THE E A S T. 
greateft defenders ; and if a Chriftian fhould hap- 
pen to kill one of them, he would endanger his 
fafety. Thofe who own a houfe where Storks have 
netted, are fuppofed to receive great b lettings 
from heaven, and to be free front ail misfortunes. 
A nett of them is etteemed by a bigoted Turk, 
more than a field full of Sheep and Camels. 
The i ft of March in the afternoon, I viewed 
the dock-yard in Smyrna, as they were about laying- 
down a Swedifh Ihip. This is a miferable place, 
built by the Turks, where fltips can be laid over to 
clean them, but a middling veftel will not be hove 
down for lefs than 150 to 200 piafters. The 
place over which we went and returned took 
up my attention more than the dock : It confifted 
of a pretty fpacious field, which, as well as I can 
guefs, may contain little more than one acre. I be- 
held this field was a new world, or a new enlargement 
of the inhabited world ; it may be difficult to find 
a place which fo clearly proves the decrcafe of the 
fea, as this : Here I could plainly fee a dried bot- 
tom of the fea, which confifted of clay fill’d with fhells 
and all forts of fea-infects ; around its extremities, on 
. the former flrore, lay all forts of pebble-ftones, 
which the fea had thrown up. Here no plants had 
yet had time to root, and be changed into mould ; 
but I am perfuaded that within a few years one may 
walk here as in a garden, fetch fruit out of a vine- 
yard, or mow a corn-field. Towards the latter a 
good beginning was already made by the Turks at 
the weft-end of the place, where a little ftrip'e was 
fown with barley, which grew freely. The place 
on which Smyrna is built hath had the like origin 
and appearance, with its gardens, vineyards and 
corn-land : I could never have found any thing more 
agreeable than our Swedifh arrow-headed grafs 
(Tviglochin 
