700 NICKSAR, ANCIENT NEA-CiESARIA, 
Switzerland; a remembrance which had never been awakened in 
me before, by any landscape of the East: and it may not be 
irrelevant to recollect here, that it was from Cerazunt, on this 
shore of the Euxine, that Lucullus transplanted cherry-trees into 
Italy; and thence, in little more than a century after, they first 
embellished the gardens of Great Britain. Besides its numerous 
rills, a beautiful full stream rolls through this loveliest valley of 
ancient Pontus. Two o’clock brought us to the town of 
Nicksar, supposed to have been once the important city of Nea- 
Csesaria. Here the houses begin to change the Asiatic style of 
terraced roofs, for a sort of European tiling; but the solid, and 
extensively embattled walls and towers, with the citadel and 
other remains which crown the summit of a hill to the north, and 
overlook the present town, all proclaim its former consequence 
and splendour. On entering the post-house, I found it one of 
the best in the track ; and saw, on every side, multitudes of dirty 
sluggards in the privileged colour of their prophet. At Kara- 
Hissar, I had first observed the degraded adoption of the green 
turban, the mark of the holy race, sitting upon some of the 
filthiest brows in sight; and now it was evident to me, that the 
nearer I approached the capital of the great Turkish empire, the 
more numerous were the tribe, the lower their rank, and the 
more debased their self-arrogant idleness. In Persia, the pro¬ 
phet’s colour may be called the cloak of visionary indolence; 
here, it is the cap of liberty for every knavish imposition, or 
immoveable state of laziness. Nicksar is particularly noted for 
its knives, and other iron tools. Its distance from Iss-Cossar is 
called eight hours ; we made it in six, and I should suppose over 
a stretch of twenty-four miles. 
November 18th. — Left our menzil at eight o’clock this morn- 
