The rich ladies and nobles of Greece have fine young slaves to wait
upon them, and amuse them by singing or dancing. These slaves are
bought from the Tartars, who steal them from Russia, Circassia, or
Georgia, and are taken great care of, being taught to embroider, sing,
dance, and deport themselves with elegance and grace. Their masters or
mistresses scarcely ever sell them, but when they are tired of them,
either give them to a friend, or set them free. When they do sell
them, it is as a punishment for some crime, or for being useless.

There are numerous brigands, or thieves, in Greece, who are divided
into bands, and rob with the utmost impunity. They manage to hide
themselves very artfully in the roads where they expect to meet
travellers, doubling their bodies up behind stones and bushes, or else
lying flat on their faces on the ground, when they suddenly all start
up and surround any unfortunate individual who may happen to pass that
way. There are also honest, industrious people in Greece; and among
them are the guides, men who show strangers over the curious portions
of the cities for a trifling sum of money; and there are the cabmen of
Athens, who are usually very intelligent and well-informed; there are
a number of cabs in Athens.

The Greek houses have only one story; but there are generally large
gardens, carefully tended, attached to them. The climate is generally
mild, but not so much so as formerly, on account of the cutting down
of the forests. The spring and autumn are delightful; but the summer
is too hot, and the winter is almost a succession of storm and rain.
The earth is extremely fertile, and produces corn, wine, and fruits,
besides the honey and figs you like so much. The people manufacture
silks and cottons, and export quantities of small raisins, which grow