CHAPTER XII. 
SYRA. 
I took passage in the Austrian steamer from the Pirseus to 
Syra. The decks were crowded with Greek, Italian, and 
French merchants, and a fair show of English tourists, on their 
way to the various ports of the Levant. I was a good deal 
surprised upon getting into conversation with a Greek to hear 
him quote the “ Isles of Greece” from beginning to end ; and 
still more surprised to find that he was the redoubtable Pro¬ 
fessor Castanis of rhetorical memory, whom I had heard lec¬ 
ture fifteen years before in Louisville, Kentucky. He carried 
a hook in his hand, written by himself, containing his portrait 
in full Greek costume; so being both in the scribbling line, 
and somewhat known to each other, and moreover in the same 
reduced circumstances, we were very good friends and went 
to a very had hotel in Syra, kept by a Greek, where we got 
exceedingly small and rather cheap accommodations. I did 
not remain long there, however ; for having a letter of intro¬ 
duction from Mr. Hill to Evangelides, the American Vice 
Consul, he provided me with much better quarters in his own 
house, contrary to every assurance on my part that I was 
very comfortable at the Greek hotel. Evangelides is not only 
the most hospitable, enthusiastic, and obliging consul imagin¬ 
able, but the very perfection of a Greek gentleman; dashing, 
off-hand, and intelligent, with a touch of wild romance in his 
character that renders it a real pleasure to become acquainted 
with him. He speaks English uncommonly well, and is thor¬ 
oughly versed in all the Oriental languages. The history of 
Evangelides is a romance. His father was a Klepht , or mount¬ 
ain robber, of which he is rather proud; for it is considered 
