The telescope. (Columbia, S.C.) 1815-1818, June 11, 1816, Image 2
iuc >tica, \ r.r.f.cd mt;ch of the Mouuug in smgli.
in walking up and down the gallery, or in
l.ilkinj; with hU friend* who called upon him**-'
Not Ix'ini: engastcd in commeicc, and i/illucnced
; ethap* by his.iiatortol tfo.idityj l?? rarely uutt
r jil. the house i and I do nut re col lac t to have
rveh him mordthaa five or nix time* beyond the
{?atcs of flte area oT hi* dwelling. Ills lady
?hiring a part ol the morning <iit learning to read
nuil write theUomaic with a young mau who of
ficiated an pedagogue j tho mode of instruction
not differing .much from .that common elsewhere,
T' c dinner hour of the family was usuall y be
tween twelve nnd'one, but from compliance to
tin they delayed it till two o'clock. Summoned
lo'thu dining-room, a female domestic, in the ti
llage eiHhc oast, presented to each person In sue
t Chsiun a large basin with soap, and poured te
alii water u|k>ii the hands from a bray-en ewer.
Thin finished we vented ourselves at the table*
which was simply a circular pewter tray-, still
called traju xa, placed upun a stool, and without
? loth or other apjHMid&'/e. 'lite dinner consist
cii yencrullv ol ten or twelve dishes* presented
??invilv at the table by an Albanian servant clad
in his national costume. 'Hie dishes afforded
miiihs though nut meat variety ? and the enu
mei-atiim of those at one dinner, mav suffice an a
general example of the common style of this re
uast in a Oreek family of the hightr class:?fust
a dish of boiled rice flavored with lemon juice $
then n plate of mutton boiled to rars j another
plat** of mutton cooked with s|>inacn or onions,
and rich sauces; a turkish dish composed of
jfiu ce-meat with vegetables* made into balls; ano
w Turkish dish*'which appears as aVarge flat
irisiM?>he outside of a rich and greasy pa?te, the
"""all (|iiaHOHed of eggs and vegetables, with a
, \l "d uiuilAtf meat: follow ing this, a plate
vd rue wiu, Trydth ravins and almonds, boil
?;ake* made of flowi*elet balls, a dish of thin
tunes hi lieu of these* s*. and h.mey ? or some
rnflee and eggs j and tho rake, made of flour,
?.esert of grapes, raibins,anuchesftn\?hcd bv a
the presence of strangers the family wo>?t fur
eat in connnon from the dishes succei*v*v%
brought to the table | and, even with separate
Tjlates beforf them, this was frequently dune.?
1 lie thin wine of the country was drunk during
the repast > but neither in eatini* or drinking is
it common for the Greeks to intlulce in exccs*.
?*v
TJjo dlnner-tray removed, the basin and ew
<-v were again carried round?a practice which
is ?elilom omitted even among the inferior clas
hes in this country*. After an Interval of a few
minute*, n glass of liquor and coffee was handed
to us, and n Turkish pipe presented to any one
*.vho desired it. In summer a shqrt tlcsta is ge
nerally taken at this hour, hut now it was not
couhittcred necessary. After passing an hour
or two on tho couches of the apartment, some
Tihiterrt generally arrived, and the fondly moved
to the larger room before described. These vi
sitors were Greeks of the city, some of them re
'ations, and others friends of the family, who
did not come on formal invitation, but in an un
reserved way, to pass some part of the evening
in conversation. This mode of society is com
mon in loanninii, and, but that the women take
li!tle part in it, might be considered extremely
Jrieasant. When a visiter enters tho apartment*,
ic salutes, and is saluted, bv the right hand
plated on the heart, a method1 of address at once
Dimple and dignified. Seated on the couch,
sweetmeats. coffee, and a pipe are presented to
fidm j and these form in fact, the onlv requisiti
on! of the visiter! from their hosts. The 0recks
scarely less fond of smoking than the Turks;
chlboukl, or long Turkish pipe, is indispen
Jiiasono of their daily luxuries f and alinost
every Individual carrioe about with him a small
bag of tobacco* from tyhirh to draw its supplies.
It must be noticed tliat the Turkish tobacco in
general, and in particular that of 8yria, Is inf^,
less hartfh than the American, probably lest nar
cotic also 5 aud in this, as well ns in the greater
elegance and cojnfort of the pipe* ihere are ino
tives to the usage of smoking which we do not
in Kuglund equally posxess.
This evening society at the houfie of our host,
was a source both of pleasure and information
to us. Tho lively and social temper of the
Greeks, and their eagerness for intercourse with
European travellers, brought a great number to
see us, and we formed acquaintance here with'
many of tltc principal merchants, and most of
the literary characters of the city. And at the
liead of tho latter class was Athanasius Psalida,
the master of the academy of Ioannina. Tho
writings and repute of tlifs Greek have before
been mentioned and he does not allow his talents
to lie hidden from those around him. In l*atin,
Greek, French, Italian, German or IUjss, he is
continually pouring out a flood of conversation
on every tonic that can come before him, but
with on obvious predilection for such topics as
have relation to the arts, the literature, and the
?^orr of his own country, which he never fails
o identify with the ancient Greece. His bias
on this subject is openly and at once displayed.
Rcarre hail I been live minutes with him, before
he began to complain of the ingratitude of Kuro
pcan oationrt, in not repaying to the Greeks of
this day the benefits theyltad derived from their
ancestor*. " What should we have been but
for the arts, the instruction, tlie example of the
Grecian worthies ? The modern descendants
of these men had the same capacity for becoming
great, and opportunity and some slight aid alone,
were wanting to enalileHhem to show their qua
lities and to take their place among nations. It
might hsppen (and he spoke this with some sar
castic asperity) that they should one day come
to reclaim whit had been plundered from them
uftheir ancient treasures." This topic of the
ingratitude of civilized Kurope towards their
country, is a favorite one with every Greek, saw
thev dwell upon it even to tediousnea* with eve
ry utrannrer who will afford his ear to them.
WAWhMi' "~**^
A'J \nflrcnticc t?i lli? WimlMr Chair M.kiiwfouiMU
?A Ia4 fWni the country would bepirferred.
/pplyte ; JOHN LOVE
' * ?Z . nm'finnoH\ ?" j
ACCOUNT QP TUB M\MMOTH CAVfc.
This itamente cave, now thi property of Mr.
Wilkins, of I>xingtoo, and of Mr. EfeOrttiu
of Philadelphia* ia situated on the eastsidoof
Often river, in Warren county, Kc Mucky, a
bout 120 miles S. W. from Lexington, end ooout
10 mili't from the great road leading to Nash
ville. Tho mouth of the cave Is situated in a
valley, which declines' gradually freni the lofty
bank's of the river tt'a level with its eurfice^
This situation of the cave gives some plausibil
ity to the position* that it has once been the bed
of a subterraneous stream t an idea suggested
by its conformity to the bea of a rivnr, and bv
many articles which have been found within it.
Our conductor-having ordered a servant to
accompany us with a torch, we approached the
entiancetothe region below; the mouth has
the appearance of a pit, of about 70 feet cir
cumference, and 50 feet in depth, to thebottom
of which we descended by a curious path, lead
ing round the side of the pit. From hence we
advanced through a passage way, becoming
more narrow and low at every step, till we got
to the door, about CO yards distant) this had hi
ther more width and less height than a common
houso door, though the space it occupicd had
been rendered much larger than its original,
since the extensive manufactory of sslt petre
here, for the purpose of introducing s pair of ox
en into the main body of the cave. From the
door we advanced S<H) yards through the nar
row passage, the first part of which was so low
as to render it necessary to stoop, but :t gradu
ally became higher and wider as we proceeded.
On entering the cave our conductor pulled from
under some rubbish, parts of a human skeleton,
which had been taken from six or seven feet be
low the surface of the earth, and from under
some largo rocks of sufficient magnitude to re
quire several men to removo them. Prom this
gloomy scene we again turned to behold the
cave, now becoming spneious and lofty ; the
bottom of which preserved a gradual descent
for some distance, while the top continued in a
horizontal direction. Here the scone was cat
PWF*<?d to fill the beholder with awe and aston
torch sea, OH* cave was now so wide that the I
shaded glimmering light on it*
ojkmI in darkness. BeitflVJ >v**,?ct"?Hy ?n, I
tl>e naked eye could extend, we*&!!!,
through the obscurity of the glooin, tne
massive sided of solid rock, stretching in a regu.
lar line, and preserving a uniform distance m>m
50 to 70 feet wide, while they united with the
top frpm 30 to 50 feet above our heads, in the
figure of a wide, but pretty uniform arch* Af
ter advancing 600 yards from the mouth, with
out any material alteration in the appearance of
the cave, we came to the pWtce wh*re the work*
men were collecting the salt petto, ?|Hhxa
number of torches wero burning around them,
which rendered this part of Che cave dMinctlv
visible. Directly over our heads tlie top sud
denly became 8 or 10 feet higher thin the com
mon'level \ the aides appeared more rough and
uneven with large projecting masses oT rock \
over one of these appeared an aperture in the
side, to which we ascended by meant of a lad
der ? this we found to be another care, IftftMR
ingfrom th&main one In a direction nearly pt
right angles, from CO to 30 or 40 feet wide, and
from 15 to 20 high. The top had the Nfgpe regu
lar even surface a* the.other. and waa nearly aa
smooth as a plastered ceiling* wf itch, (bfing
lime stone) it also resembled it in color. Thro4
this branch which is called the haunted cham
ber, we proceeded 750 yards | the bottom was I
sometimes covered with large masses of rock,
and aometlmaa With Smaller stones, which ren
dered, the passage rough and troublesome j at
othor times wo could walk for tomo distance on
a smooth plain aurfsce. In many places the wa
ter wa?continually dropping from the top, and I
had formed petrified pillars, at they 9re called,]
of various sixes > one of them in particular was
of ten feet in diameter. A number of pillars|
partly formed, were visible, declining gradual
ly from the top, till they reached a correspond'
ing elevation on the bottom, when the two trus
ses united, would become larger by Continual I
petrifactions, and gradually covered with an e
ven surface, till at length no trace wf their u
nion could be discerned. At the distance of |
750 yards from the mouth of the room, we per
ceived a fissure two or three feet wide, in the |
side of the cave* evidently formed by the seve
rance of the solid rock, a convexity on one side
lietng opposite to a corresponding concavity on
the other. We penetrated through this narrow I
passage for some distance* descending as we ad.
vanced 80 or 30 perpendicular feet, and found
ourselves in another cave, 650 yarns long. On
examining my commute, 1 perceived tho direc
tion of this lower chamber to carry it beneath
the one we had Just quitted J a circumstance
which explained the hollow sound from our f?et
in one part of the haunted chamber. After tra
versing this lower chamber, In our passage back,
we passed into another cavern, branching from
this, which we presumed to be about 200 yards
long. At night was approaching we quitted the
cacva determining to pass the greater part of the |
next day in exploring tho main passage.
Accordingly the next morning we again en
tered the cave, providing ourselves with two
torch#* Instead of one 1 ft provision highly ne
cessary for those remote passages, from whose
gloomy borne, without the assistance of light,
no traveller would ever return. We advanced
000 yards, or little more than half a mile, in the
principal passage, having determined to explore
the right branches as We advanced, and tht left
ones as wo returned. At this distance wo per
calved another opening,' at whose mouth were
large ma* sea of broken rock, through which we
wound for some distance t this passsge was ft
bouti*?ciieet wide, and eight high, and ev
ly formed In aome great convulsion of nature,
which rent the massy foundation of the moun
tain. The cave into which this passage introdu-1
red vs. waa calltd the devils chamber | it con
formed in width to tho cavern we had previously
sxplored.fcut wa? Only frflft
high t afWaliuMUtancoit
*^hich an opening jji the'rook
and we found ourselves iir .. ^
cave, after a steep descent of forty, |terpendlcu<
lar feet. This cave wst>2C0 paces 101%, *t
which di*tanco was a m r|>*!>idicular excavation
of a hundred feet below the bottom of the eavf,
farming a reservoir for a small stream of pure
water, enteringit through an opcrturo in the twp
of at least fifty Toott formed by the fulling of
large masses of roei. We stood awhile hover
ing on the e<l)|e of t)>f ? precipico emieJiVer
ing to throw a ray of light from ouf two torched
o?. its gloomy bottom, which we at least perceiv
ed with much difflcnlty. We had previously
ascertained it to be very deep* from the length
of time which elapsed before a stone would reach
its bottom. From this we retriscod our steps t<>
the great cave, and entered another branch cal
led tne sick chamber, which w*e so very tow as
to prevent our proceeding in it more than '100
or 200 paces. This branch was supposed, how*
ever, to bo nearly a mile long,but i presumo the
distance much exaggerated. We again pursued
our way in the great cave which preserved an a
verage'height of about thirty feet, and a width
of forty or fiftv.?From the sick room we advan
ced in the main cave eleven hundred and twen
ty-five yards, where were the mouths of two ca
verns, Branching to the right and left, and situa
ted at a distance from the mouth of the cave, of
twenty-twohundred and forty yards. Prom the
cross roads to tho end of the main cavern, was
onlv n distance of 200 paces.
Tii us the whole distance from the mouth of the
principal cave to its termination was 2580 yards,
a distance something short of a mile and a half,
but one which before I paced it, was considered
little short of four miles. In returning we en
tered the left cross rosd and advancing in it
mime ilUtnnr*. hut an uiiav?iii urn floor, rn.
vered with piles of broken rock and loose stone**
that it was almost impossible to ascertain the
distance bj paces. The cave ooon became so
low as to require our stooping and we entered
one of the numerous aperturesi which the sides
of the cave presented to us. Here wet climbed
Ortcen or twenty feet thraugh a ttnall opening
over our heads, stepping on the projecting rocks
till we found ourselves In another lofty and
spacious cave extending both to tlie right and
left. We took the leftliand apartment, leaving |
the mark of an arrow o?the' rdck, pointing to
theanerture thwwih *M?Hwe had ascended
ihm. oie vovc, to prevent our mistaking for that,
^fod otter opening of a similar appear
? _JWf cave appeared not to be very exton
perceive no apertures resem
others.,: On the bottom we*5
s of considerable magnize,
... ?
from ttsii1 deptkf
a hund
ance
inn tJir.rock. In.
. one of the latter kind Ure threw a stone which
appeared to roll for a considerable distance.
Here was a passage into whicn in all probability
light was for tlie first timo admitted. Here we
found ourselves several hundred feet below the
surface of the earth* and perhaps two miles from
the mouth of the cave, with immense bodies of
! rock hanging over our heads, apparently threat
ening to break from tHcir connecting mass and
lie in shattering ruins on the rocka Inflow t what
a motion whoio surface at every step varied like
tlie ocean in a storm ; a hill of rocks on one side
and a culph on the other | a silence never inter
rupt etlby the sound of human footatvp. or even
by the flit of the bat, or the croak of tne sullen
owl whose gloomy natures haunt the eternal cal
vities of silence, and of death t no, nor by tho
bursting crash of the thunderbolt, when it breaks
from the storm and shivers the massy foundati
ons of the mountain.
It was now five hours since we entered the
cave i intending to explore tlie different branch
ca as we returned, we Had previously sent the
boy to tlie house for our dinners, atiu with him
wont one of tlie two lamps. Tired with the fa
tiguee of the morning, we paused to rest over
tins last cavity, while our guide proceeded with
the remaining lamp to explore the distance be
yond it'. The receding lamp shot at times, a
transitory ray thro* scragged crevice*, but at:
length left to the genius of darkness his, till
now, undisputed empire. A considerable time
elapsed ami our guide gave no indications of re
turn i at length a loutt noise like rocks falling
into a caVern, broke upon our cars, and then a
gain it subsided into a ucad silence. If our guide
should have fallen, and extinguished the lamp |
the idea was replete with danuerj to advance a
quarter of a mile h the dark without falling
uown a prccipice was highly improbable, but to
pursae the right passage amid ao many others,
through the small apertures winding in every di
rection,wss utterly impossible, and little iirota
bility was there that we should be found uy the
servants, at least under twenty-four hours, so
numerous were the caverns avounil urt that they
might have sought a wfek without exploring
them all. 'Iliese reflections ^r^atTwigth re
lieved by the glimmering of mTapproaching light,
and we soon had the pleasure ol seeing our guide
return in safety.
Two hourt had elapsed since the boy left us,
and we determined to return ourselves for re
freshment*. In tlds remote and gloomy chain
ber I was not a little surprised to find piles of
stone, placed in a regular order, evidently and
unquestionably by human hands. Our guide
said they were found there when the cave was
fivst visited i a fact in itself so probable as to
require but little authority to sup|>ort It. Few
people ever venture so far and those few men
unaccustomed to labor and governed by motives
of curiosity t the expanse of time and labor
woufd be sufficient to deter tHfem, even if there
had been an object for their construction. Tbeir
only use to such visltora waa to servo ns land
marks, but this was rendered unnecessary by
pointing tho Image of an arrow to the proper
passage, while the same otyect would have neen
answered by a pile of one twentieth of their
sire. In ntokt parts of the cavf, even the most
remote, #tre round great numbers of small
hau once nao tneir auoue in tt?< gloomy-rejp
on? i a circumstance not Itbrnrol >fe when \r
consMertho extreme salubrity c* eatmojphor?
and tk* ill variable mild neat of (I temperature
alike Oniufluenced by thewintrlblait, or sum
mcr'a sun. In the cavo wcro\U0 exccllen
wprings Ofthe purest water. 80 W was th
atmosphere that after having adiWcd in th
tare i quarter of a mile, oar l&mpVumt twic?
as bright, arid a* clear a* when wo b tie red, ant
on approaching the mouth of the cavto quittim
iti the air neemed misty t?while thelmosphen
oil tho hilt which ^tys extremely drjand plea
sant, when confi'ai^BI with that wihad jus
quitted, aecme<M<> affortl difficulty iirespirati
on. In the cay* wei-e also found anUa whicl
supported the Idea of a Hver one havb tracec
itscourao through thwwj numerous antics.?
Tiieir present length Indeed presents ojlifficul
tv. but I noticed at tho termination of iery ca
vorn, it had the appearance of having kit clo
scd up by tlie falling of rocks in torae cokulsior
of nature. '*? \
Foreign anil Domestic Noi
Accounts frortt Paris are up to the !5thWi
?from Ktigland to the 1.1th. No mfcrial
chanjic has taken place in the political ouU
tion of Europe since our last advices.?fflPat
Vienna, March 30.?Tlie last news fronlrur
key informs us. that the Ottoman Porte fdtpd ?
It refuses to ncicnowlcdge the independureo'
the Ionian Isles. Wc can no longer, tM? bi
surprised at the little interest which thoHvar
shows, in seconding the claims of the FglWi
respoctinic continental places. It will ^rhanj
Im? necessary that they emplov fore* Tne
state mnfrrnncea, by order of the Pperor*
now turn upon a most important nartfamcly,
whether it is advantageous or not for >*<ria to
create a Navy, to protect, with an aiW force,
its flag and commerce in the Adriatif
tiled the En
weather, in
n, to ply to
London, Jlpril 13?The Pari* pap/*ar?
rived yesteraay contain* report of/5proceed
imrsin the Chamber of DenutiesonMoay last.
Tlie session wu a most violent ori f"c .P? *
sident was so brow beaten, that r quittc?l tho
chair, and the assembly undergo strongest
marks-of agitation. *M. LalneJHe chairman
of the Chamber of Deputies, teipred his resig
nation to the l?ng In conseque* of the abovo
storm. On^lie 8th, however, htook his sear,
an usu?>? **nd a letter from the D? de Richlicu,
wpi read, in whteh the King re sited, and it*
*iost commanded. M* Lalne U etain his sta
tion at least till the difcusstom in the Budget
were closed. ,
Tho alarms excited by the ic,esses of the
Harbary Powers in tho Mediti ancan, spread
rapidly. A motion was mad In the French
Chamber of Peers on the Oth, * an address to
the King, praying him to ordells Minister for
Foreign Affkirs, to write totHseveral Courts
of Europe, to demand them to spcct the flagn
of foreign nations, and pat an i! to the reduc
ing of Christians to slavery, lis proportion
was well received, and will beliortly discus
sed in the Peers.
On the 9th of November lasti trial came on
in the Admiralty Court, Doc r's Commons,
London, wherein the owners n a vessel from
one of the Yorkshire river pos, were the ap
rellants, and Mr. John Mount! i, of the Angel
nn, in Boston, and others, wire the respoh
dents. The cause arose out of i e circumstance
of Mr. Mountain** vessel, the J^ins, qfthatport,
and a vessel of the appellants, " ~
gineer, beinfr obliged by advt
prosecuting theirvoyage to lot ?
windward j and in one of theincourses it be
came evident that they would cine in contact,
unless one of them Mr* up ?d pal (tout on
a differenttack. Neither or thjm being dispo
sed to haul to wind, the vessel as hid been
foreseen, ran foul ol each other, 8c tho Enfrineer
was overwelmed in the shock, a*d immediately
sunk } allowing jost time onoutfl to her crew to
save themselves on board the Join*. When the
surviving vessel reached Lowing, she wasjeized
by the Court of Admiralty, on ihe couto*Ek pf
the master of the Engineer, to Abide A trial
the case, which trial came on4lje day wo menti
oned?nearly a year after the accident. Tho
case resolveil itself into an iriqUiry as to the
tacks on which the vessels w^re sailing j ami
(udgment was pronounced In favor of the John* t
the Court of Admiralty declaring, that the ves
sel on the starboard tack has a rami to keep her
wind, and tho vessel on-the lirobard tack is
bound to bear tip or heave about to avoid danger,
or must lie answeiUble for any Injury the vessel
on the starboard tack may sustain by their com
ing in contact. We understand that the deci
sion is important, and requires to be promulga
ted for the information ofmasters of vessels ge
nerally. The expenses attending the trial have
been more than .1001. to the parties, besides the
loss of one of the vestals, and tho long detention
of the other.
(From ttiftffciMinKven ng P<nt, Apr'l 11.}
Trinertn Charlotte?\n a letter from Pari#,
dated the 4th inst. Inserted in a leading mini*
lerial paper of Monday, we observe the follow
ing curious passage I M, Bonald, the author of
Political legislation, and Member of the Cham
ber of Deputies sent the day before yesterday aa
article to the Journal dee Debata, which tl.e
Censeui'Very prudently suppressed?the pur
port of it was against the right of succession in
the female branch of the regal family of Great
Britain. The author affirmed that an adherent?
to such a system would create an inevitable con
vulsion in Europe. It isperhsps toberegiet*
ted that the absurd speculation of this man was
not permitted to see the day." We forbear en ?
tering. into any comment on this very Strang*
piece of intelligence, but It will, we conceive,
occasion much speculation. J
The following, fVotn a London paper, al*i
seems somewhat unaccountable t " The Princft
of Coburg has ordered (fOgwy horses to bo p":|