but on leaving, after this Golden Visit, they seized my interpreter the
moment he took his purse out, tore it away from him took all he had
saying, "they should never see such a man again" and returned him the
empty purse. He fortunately had been prepared for such an attack and had
a proper sum and no more in his purse, but had it not been for this
sagacity, I might have lost all the money I had with me. Our dinner at
Graviousken was capital, he had wine for us; fingers were again in
requisition, and we were obliged to eat of twenty-six dishes, each
brought separately on the table, one after the other, which you had no
sooner begun to think good, than it was immediately snatched away and
disappeared. After having given to my old Greek some presents of silks
for his wife, and caps for his daughters, we returned to Smyrna, where I
found H.M.S. _Cyrene_, Captn. Grace, and soon after arrived
Clifford in the _Euryalus_, who most kindly gave me an opportunity
of seeing a great deal of other countries by an order to visit the coast
of Syria, &c. &c.

'Oct. 24, 1825.--We passed thro' the Straits of Scio, and on the 25th
anchored at Scala Nova. I shall not trouble you with nautical details,
as all my remarks, bearings, soundings, &c., which I have carefully
taken in this voyage I keep in a distinct remark-book. It is a small
town, governed by an Aga, situated on an elevated promontory, with a
small island and fort off the point, bad shelter for a winter anchorage.
Scala Nova had much interest to me, as I was completely able to
appreciate the conduct of the Captain Pacha with regard to his pitiful
attempt on the island of Samos, which is distant about twenty miles.
This Pacha had 100,000 men at Scala Nova, with a sufficient number of
boats and transports to convey them, and about eighty sail of men of war
to protect them. Yet he made the attempt to land 3000 men, which I
myself was a witness, and they nearly all perished by the musketry of