ANCIENT COLONIA. 
695 
move. This is the general appearance of things at most post- 
houses ; where a meal per day, for Tatars, travellers, and food 
for the horses, are ordered at a regulated price. But here, as 
in other places, I had seen how little these compacts are attended 
to; and hourly I heard the grumbling of my conductors, alike 
unavailing against their short commons and lengthened stay. 
The old tyrant of the scene, when he saw me occupied in writ¬ 
ing during their obstreporous repast, shaking his head at me, 
solemnly observed, “ that he knew the Frangies who came into 
the dominions of the Grand Seignior were all spies ! Indeed, he 
had it from the best authority, that the king of Frangistan had 
told the Sultan, he was made acquainted with every city, moun¬ 
tain, and river in Turkey, and if he chose to come with his 
army, he knew the whole country better than his highness did, 
or all his people put together. But God is great! (added the 
wizard.) We have our swords and daggers, and care not what 
you know about us !” 
Koyla-Hissar is supposed by D’Anville to have been the 
ancient Colonia. It is romantically situated at the extremity of 
an immense mountain-chasm; and its houses scattered about 
over the rocky sides in the most picturesque groups, mingling 
with the varied forms of thickly umbrageous trees. Thirty Ma- 
homedan and five Armenian families compose its inhabitants. 
The mountain which bounds it to the east, as I have observed 
before, is nearly perpendicular. Its surface is of sandy rock, 
marked by a path, seemingly impracticable to even the wild 
goats; but there being no other means of descending from that 
point into the glen, by it we had been forced to find our way to 
this kindless menzil. I mentioned having passed the ruins of the 
castle called Koyla-Hissar, still standing on the summit of the 
