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"We then rode through the Olympian valley, thickly overgrown with vines, and watered by a mountain stream, and around the walls of Castle Hill, built in the massive Byzantine style, and came to an old burial-ground deeply shaded with cypresses and venerable trees. The tombs

were ornamented with large turbans and swords, and some with the round crowned hats of Dervishes, telling both of the warlike and fanatical spirit of those olden times. Passing this, and winding through the ruined streets, we at length arrived at the house of our Protestant friend, Baron Bedros. After an excellent dinner in native style, I bade the family a friendly farewell, and received also their cordial salaams at parting, and then set out on my return journey, accompanied only by a Surigi, or Turkish guide, to lead the way. We came down directly upon the plain, and passed along a well-shaded road, through thousands of acres of mulberry trees, and fields of corn and wheat, and pasturage for cattle. At length we reached a village entirely destroyed by the earthquake and deserted by its inhabitants. A large number of storks, however, had taken possession, and built their nests among the ruins. Here I am joined by a Turk as travelling companion, and we gallop together on our way. The road is well made, and in sections paved or macadamised, but there are no bridges, and we must ford all the streams, some of which are deep and dangerous. There are caffee stations every few miles, at which it is the custom of the country to stop and refresh with coffee and chibouques. But this was not sufficient for my Turkish friend. He carried his long pipe with him, and filled it and smoked on horseback as we rode along, which seemed to me decidedly the pursuit of plea

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sure under difficulties. We climbed up the hill-side, and enjoyed a combined view of the mountain, city, and plain on the one side, and a valley of vineyards, olive groves and fig trees stretching to the sea on the other, while the clear sunlight was resting on the whole landscape, like a picture before us. It was a scene of beauty I shall long remember. The old Turk exclaimed, 'Guzel tchok, guzel chelibi,' 'Pretty, very pretty, sir!' and drew a long puff from his pipe with peculiar delight that this was the land of the Moslems. Descending thence along a winding road, in two hours we reached Gimleck, and set sail on board the Turkish steamer again for Constantinople.— Sincerely yours, C. N. R."

CHAPTER XIII.

VISIT TO GREECE.

It was the intention of Mr Righter on leaving the United States to visit Greece, on his way to the East, for the purpose of ascertaining the condition of that country in respect to the Bible, and to prepare the way for its supply. But, as has been already mentioned, on reaching Malta, he determined to defer his visit on account of the prevalence of the cholera at Athens, and because he had acquired much of the information that he desired. This visit he made the next autumn, leaving Constantinople for Athens, October 1, 1855.

In a letter to the secretary of the American Bible Society, he gives the following account of his voyage and his visit at Athens :

"ATHENS, October 20, 1855.

*MY DEAR FRIEND,-Feeling that I had too long neglected Greece, in consequence of the superior importance of Constantinople as a centre of operations, I determined on the 1st of October to make a short visit to

Athens, in behalf of the Bible cause. On my way, I called at Smyrna, while our steamer was remaining a few hours in port. I found the work there going forward with increasing interest. Three depôts are established for the

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sale and distribution of the Scriptures:-The mission depository in a large square opposite the great mosque of the city; they sell many Arabic Bibles to caravans from the interior, and have much demand for the ArmenoTurkish Testament: the depôt of the Church Missionary Society, under the direction of the Rev. Mr Walters, in the business part of the town; they sell many Turkish, Modern Greek, and Græco-Turkish Scriptures: and the depôt of the British and Foreign Bible Society, containing Bibles and Testaments in all the languages of the East, and used as a magazine for supplying the interior stations. In addition to these agencies, it is thought that a colporteur is much needed to supply the sailors in the port, and to sell and distribute the Scriptures from house to house.

"A private gentleman, Mr Richard Van Lennep, has recently had printed 1000 copies of the Gospel of John, in Greek with Roman characters, for the benefit of the islanders who speak the Greek, but do not understand the Greek letters. More than 200 of these have already been circulated at his own expense. I also learned an interesting incident with regard to the Bible at ancient Thyatira, one of the seven churches of Asia, where a new Evangelical church has lately been organised. Considerable opposition was excited against the Protestants on the part of some bigoted Greeks, and they devised the following plan at once to crush the infant church. They sent to Smyrna, and bought a large Bible, and presented it to a Turk, the chief man of the village, that he might publicly condemn the book in which the Protestants believed. He began to read in the New Testament, and instead of finding anything to condemn, pronounced it all good. He

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OPENINGS FOR THE BIBLE.

became more and more interested, and invited a number of Turks to listen to the reading of the gospel. All gave it their approbation, and the Christians were triumphantly sustained. It is hoped that a good work may spring up among the Turks there, through the defeat of this wicked device of the Evil One.

"Thence I proceeded on the voyage to Athens. We were unfortunately detained six days in quarantine, at the Piræus, as a case of cholera was reported to have occurred at Smyrna, while our steamer was lying in the harbour.

"Immediately after my arrival in the city I called upon Dr King, and had a full interview with him in regard to the Athens edition of the modern Greek Testament, and the prospects of the Bible cause in Greece. He informs me that the edition is very well received, though the style is somewhat elevated for the common people in the country.

"Dr King considers it a most favourable time, at present, to make a new effort in distributing the Bible among the Greeks. The bishops and priests have lost their old prejudice against the Scriptures, the government are entirely well disposed, and the people ready to receive the Word of Life. He has a class of eight theological students, devoted, pious young men; four of whom are anxious to spend their vacation as colporteurs, travelling in Macedonia, Thessaly, and Albania, to sell and distribute the Bible. This seemed to me a most excellent enterprise, but I did not feel authorised to warrant the expense of three or four hundred dollars, without first referring the matter to our committee at New York. Also, the doctor is very desirous that a new Bible and Religious Book Depository be opened in the central street of the city, on the plan of that at Constantinople, which would also be a

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