324 ATHENS. 
the mills near to the city ! ; and those who have 
visited Troas know very well that a channel thus 
diverted, for a single Turkish mill, is sufficient to 
carry off a torrent of water not less potent than 
was the stream of the llissus*. In the simple 
narrative of De la Guilletiere we have therefore 
sufficient evidence to justify a conclusion, 
although in opposition to Chandler, that the 
antient writers by whom the llissus is mentioned 
did not fall "into local absurdities and untruths 3 ." 
in their descriptions of that river: neither is 
there any thing more justly reprehensible in 
literary matters, than the very common pro- 
pensity to depreciate the accuracy of Poets and 
Historians, whenever a difficulty occurs in 
reconciling their statements with existing 
appearances 4 . 
0) " Le Didascalos nous dit, que c'estoit la faute des moulins, et 
que la riviere d" lUissus estoit presentement couple en tant de canaux, 
qu'elle ne pouvoit fournir assez d'eau pour bien moudre le bled." 
Ibid. p. 236. 
(2) See Gelfs Topography of Troy, p. 48. Land. 1804. 
(3) See Chandler's Travels in Greece, vol. II. p. 79, Or/. 1776. 
(4) PLATO (in Phtfd. torn. III. p. 229.) mentions the pure and limpid 
waters of the llissus, but as. this passage of that author is expressly 
alluded to by Mr. Walpole, in his MS. Journal, when writing upon the 
same subject, his observations will now be added, as strongly support- 
ing the opinion already gi^n. " Neither wood nor water seem to 
have abounded in Attica. I did not meet a stream of any magnitude 
(excepting 
