as I afterwards learnt, for fully three weeks
from the period of my visit.

Pushing on up the steep declivity, covered
with short grass, I fell into a sheep-track,
winding towards the western side of the
peninsula and encircling the base of a large
conical tumulus, apparently artificial. Behind
this I found a small hollow, presenting a
precise miniature of the Valley of Rocks at
Lynton. The huge masses of stone that
started abruptly from the soil were clothed
with luxuriant ivy upon their southern sides,
and a few stunted fig-trees grew, here and
there, from their crevices. A large arched
cavern in one of the rocks afforded a retreat
for grazing cattle, and evidence that the
hand of man had been busy on that spot in
former times. Remains of foundations and
other masonry were scattered about among
huge tumuli; and, had it been Dr. Macpherson's
fate to be stationed at Sinope, I have
little doubt that valuable discoveries would
have rewarded his exploratory zeal. Vainly
wishing for time to dig myself, I followed the
sheep-track through the valley, and emerged
upon the table-land above; where, an expanse
of short grass diversified by stunted shrubs
and occasional masses of stone, formed the
sum total of the prospect. Towards the centre
of this little plain, there is a marsh often
abounding in wild duck; and, in autumn and
early winter, a north-west wind never fails to
bring flocks of bustard, to be eagerly
contended for by the native sportsmen. During
my ride, I saw nothing but a few larks creeping
along the ground, in mortal terror of
four or five enormous hawks that were
wheeling overhead in search of prey. The
springs which feed the marsh find their
outlet to the sea in little winding rivulets.
Each of these rivulets is a very Nile to its
locality; and, while the steeper sides of the
ravines are covered with olive-trees, and
dotted with houses, the sheltered levels
between them teem with the results of
cultivation, and afford a striking contrast to
the sterile land above. Near the brow of
the hill upon the western side, a considerable
space of ground is covered by fragments
of foundation walls, which indicates that
a town, or at least some building of great
magnitude, must formerly have existed there.
At present there is nothing standing but a
ruined Turkish tomb, with no trace of an
inscription, and built of a different stone from
the most ancient remains in its vicinity.

A road different from that by which I had
ascended the hill led me into the Greek
quarter, through a little suburb occupied by
Armenians, and through an Armenian cemetery,
seemingly of great antiquity. Nearly
every modern tombstone had engraved upon
it a measuring wand and a balance, whether
as emblems of trade or of justice I cannot
say. On one I observed a sculptured group
that struck me as very curious. It
represented two elephants raised upon their hind
legs, with a naked human figure standing
between them, and grasping one of them
with each outstretched hand. The elephants
were not made to stand higher than the man;
but their trunks were unmistakeable: and,
in spite of their unnatural position, their
general proportions were tolerably accurate.
The piece of stone on which this group was
sculptured bore no inscription; was broken
off just below the figures, and was lying upon
the ground; so that its connection with the
Armenian cemetery was possibly accidental;
and it may be one of the Roman fragments
which are so abundantly scattered in the
neighbourhood.

On board ship, the next morning, a
magnificent dish of green figs tended greatly to
increase my respect for the locality; and
told that the steward, like myself, had been
investigating the peculiarities of Sinope.
After doing them ample justice, I once more
proceeded to the shore, and turned my steps
towards the castle. On my way I passed
through the street of silversmiths; inspected
their little stock of rings and bracelets, and
gossiped with one man, who told me that such
trinkets, of his workmanship, had been sent
to the English Padishah. All these men had
heaps of Roman coins, mostly of silver, dug
up in the vicinity; and they had also a few
engraved gems, for which an exorbitant price
was asked. It seems that an ancient gem
engraved with anything that fancy can
pervert into the figure of a boy, is much valued
among the Turks, and is worn as a charm by
childless women. After leaving the shops,
what was once a street between dwelling
houses, but is now only a path among heaps
of ruins, led me to the castle. Of the houses
destroyed by the Russian fire, some twenty
or thirty have been rebuilt, and stand in
their staring newness, among decapitated
minarets, crumbling walls, charred timbers,
and scattered stones. The castle itself
escaped injury, although a fine fig-tree in one
of the courts was cut clean off by a round
shot at about six feet from the ground. The
walls stand as time has left them, and present
many varieties of masonry. At many points,
pieces of sculptured marble have been built
in, during repairs by Turkish architects. Many
must have formed portions of Roman palaces,
or of temples to Roman gods. Bulls' heads,
groups of exquisite finish, friezes, capitals,
shafts, are all of frequent occurrence;
and some pieces of rough marble look as
if their sculptured sides were turned
inwards. The shafts are all laid horizontally;
some parallel to the course of the wall,
some at right angles to it, with their ends
projecting. Such Turkish repairs must all
be referred to an early period of Mahometan
occupation; inasmuch as decay of more
recent date is left to pursue its natural
course. This applies not only to buildings of
foreign origin, but also to their own structures:
to a once famous Mussulman college,