Travels in Turkey, Asia Minor, Syria, and across the desert into Egypt ...

SYRIA, EGYPT, GERMANY, &C. 317
the island, and is embellished by rows of fine
cypress-trees.
In
passing through the avenues leading to these gardens,
the traveller
is delighted by the grateful odours which are constantly exhaled and
perfume the surrounding atmosphere.
In the course of our ride we saw an abundance of the terebin-
tha trees, from which the turpentine is collected by a process simi-
lar to that employed in procuring the gum mastic. Except that
the bark of the trunk is more rough and irregular, this tree has so
great a resemblance to the ash, that I was induced, on reflection,
to think myself deceived when I supposed the latter tree to growon
the islands we had precedently visited. We passed several spots
of ground abounding in fullers' earth and potters' clay ; and were
led, by every thing we had observed, to consider a great portion
of the island of Scio as abounding in useful and valuable productions.
It is certainly over peopled in proportion to its extent, and
to the resources of its soil; but this circumstance operating as a
powerful stimulus to industry, the lands susceptible of improvement
are cultivated with the utmost labour and perseverance.
It
is probable that the freedom the inhabitants enjoy induces them to
prefer Scio' to the other islands. Its population
has been over-rated
by those who have computed it at upwards of seventy thousand
souls : from the most accurate information I could collect, it does
not exceed fifty thousand, of whom the great majority are Greeks,
with two thousand Turks, one thousand Catholics, and a few
Jews.
The town of Scio is of a moderate extent, and contains several
fine stone edifices, built by the Genoese at the time they were in
possession of the island. They also constructed a fortress, which
is at present in a ruinous condition. The houses of the principal
inhabitants are as elegant in their structure and external decorations
as they are handsomely furnished within. The island supplies a
variety of variegated marbles of different colours, which are
wrought into columns, pavements of floors, door jambs, lintels,
&c. The Genoese houses are tiled, with a sloping roof; but those
of a more modern construction arc surmounted by flat terraces.
The streets in general are narrow, paved, 'have a raised footway,
and are kept tolerably clean, considering
that Scio is within the limits
of the Turkish dominions. The bazars are well supplied; but
the articles they contain are sold at rather an exorbitant price. Scio
carries on an extensive trade with Legfldrm and several other ports
of the Mediterranean. Its manufactures consist of silk and satin