Read to Chap 15th of Gillies history of Greece - viz the events consequent on the conspiracy of Cocqra - at one o' clock took leave of Athens - looking for the last time on the remains of the ancient city of Minerva - passing along the dusty road to the Piereus sought but in vain for any vestiges of monuments that might have escaped notice on my entrance -

In half an hour was on the quay of the Peireus - went round the port along the foundations of the strong wall that once surrounded it - it cannot yet shew the bustle and activity that once animated it, but it much risen from the stupor that it was in 40 years ago when Chateaubriand visited it now are anchored here several vessels of war and steamers of different nations with Greek barques or small trading craft from the coast and neighbouring islands - there the point describes it as a solitude, without a single vessel of any kind - its trade is yet small - Attica is sterile as it always was, affording few or no productions for an extensive trade -

Near the point that looks towards Salamine went to the remains of the tomb of Themistocles, which are on the very brink and washed by the waters of the sea - there are others graves they are of english seamen - buried from the ships of war that we visited the Piereus within the last few years - on the promontory that forms the port are extensive remains of quarries and excavations - executed by the labour of the slaves of the ancient Atheniens -

Set sail from the Piercus - the decks and cabin crowded with passengers of all nations - the former mostly with Greeks - the latter has a majority of English and among them the party from our hotel - the wind was high and the sea rough very few at the supper table - was rather squeamish myself, but tried to overcome it by eating - would not answer - so turned into my berth quite sick - which put me in mind of the steam trip accross the channel from Dublin in company with Miss Caroline - who hope by this time has arrived back to comfort our dear parents and sister -

Slept little all night - rolling ship - hard berth and sick stomach drive away soft-sleep -just

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Before breakfast went to hear the military band play before the Kings apartments for the building is too plain to be call'd a palace - took passage in the austrian steamer for Smyrna - to start tomorrow evening from the Piercus at 5 O' clock, grow rather tried Athens - find it a very dusty place let no one come here for amusement for study and reflection it is most suited - read Athenian history most of the day -

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This is Sunday - the service is all over in the churches by 8 o' clock in the morning - and are closed for the rest of the day - so that greek prayers are short - there is good singing at the Russian Consuls church went there after breakfast found that closed likewise -

After dinner went to an assembly of the archiphilogical society which hold their meetings among the ruins of the Parthenon - a Suavan was reading a address on some scientific subject in Greek - the audience while numerous and select were seated on marble ruins of delicate whiteness - there was a fair share of the fair sex - some of whom were the wives and the daughters of the foreign ministers - a young lady a daughter of Marco Botzaris - rather delicate looking and dressed in a greek fez - she is maid of honour to King Othos queen - thought her very interesting as the daughter of a brave man who died for the liberty of his country

Yesterday at 12 O' clock felt a slight shock of an earthquake - was sitting alone reading at the time, those in the lower rooms in the house did not observe it - but Mr. Eaton who was at Eleusis at the time and sketching a figure among the ruins felt it accompanied with a slight rumbling noise -

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As the weather is warm have given up any further excursions in the country so must leave Greece without seeing Corinth. Thebes and other celebrated places all within 60 miles of Athens - in the evening walked out with the English gentlemen to find the groves of the Academy and retreat of Plato - we wandered accross fields and olive groves without knowing where we where - entering a narrow lane enquired at a little farm house - but could not make ourselves understood - the people spoke nothing but greek -

Leaving the house I was the foremost to reenter the narrow road - along which was advancing a party of gentlemen on prancing steeds - the first that came up where one of them in a greek dress Fez and Fustinelle - the other in plain clothes whom I addressed - Monsieur est celle a si vous plait, le bosquet del acadamie - he stopped his horse and replied - le bosquet est au pied della pettite colline ou est l'eglise - then the gentleman in the greek dress spoke and pointing says, par la, par la -

The rest of the party passed on rather briskly - was rather dusk and just observed that some of them were military - my companions coming up enquired what the King had said as the first in the greek dress was the young King of Greece, and the other that I addressed was his brother - both were very civil and was glad I spoke to them -

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Breakfasted at the usual hour of nine and remained most of the morning in doors - after twelve took my book and wandered to the Pnyx of Themistocles - found goats grazing where the Athenian orators used to stand - sat down and took a pencil sketch of the temple of Jupiter Olympus and the gate of Adrian - have almost lost my sketching talents for want of practice -

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Started early this morning on horseback for Eleusis - which is some 12 miles distant from Athens and lies on the Saronic Gulf - oposite the southern end of the island of Salamis - and was anciently of great celebrity for the temple of Ceres - said to be the largest of ancient Greece - the modern road passes the vale of Athens and enters the defile of Mount Corylladus between the mountain is romantically situated Daphne - a ruined convent which was the scene of some hot work between the turks and greeks some years back - there are marble capitals - and other pieces used in the building (which is of the time of the Greek emperors) the remains of a temple once existing nearby -

Leaving this came to a defile where are architectural ruins and nicheses cut in the rock - for votive offerings, in the old pagan worship - the end of the vale opens on the sea and afords an interesting view of the Salamis the plain of Treisian - and the mountains of the isthmus - along the sea shore where the road runs are the tracks of the old causeway cut in the rock - along which the procession parssed from the temple of Athens to celebrate the Eleusian mysteries - particulars of which ceremony have not been explained by historians -

After passing a number of ruins and among them the monument or tomb of Stratone which must have been a beautifull edifice - stopped at the a poor looking house where wine, coffee, and tobacco are sold - Eleusis is now an ill built village - composed of low stone huts with flat mud roofs - the harbour the mole of which was once covered with marble is now a ruin, contained two small fishing boats at anchor - the foundations of the old acropolis remain - and a venetian castle 18 hundred years younger is also in ruins - the arches of an acqueduct are here and these standing on the plain - this is the spot where Ceres first introduced the cultivation of wheat among mankind - it is now harvest time and the plain smiles under the golden crop - nature decays not for production endure, but means do not -

The temple of the Goddess - the largest in Greece and capable of containing 30,000 people is now a little mountain of broken columns frieses and capitals - all of the whitest pentilican marble - the little huts of the peasants all contain more or less pieces of it - the statues that have been found are all in mutilated condition - that of the goddess was taken to England some 40 years ago - but without a head - what a picture of fallen grandeur does Eleusis present - religion, language and the arts lost or changed - the woman ugly and the man lasy the place at times subject to fevers -

Magnara some 15 miles further much the same as Eleusis - returned to Athens in the afternoon under a scorching sun - at our hotel have arrived three English gentlemen and one American Mr. Eaton of Baltimore - have made a tour of 2 months all round Greece in vessel charted at Malta -

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These are both holidays at Athens the first is King Othos coronation day - and the second the feast of Constantine and Helena - spent most of these days in reading the ancient history of Greece -

In the evening in addition to the fashionable promenade where the beaux and a few of the belles of Athens go to look at one another visited the Pynx or hill near the Acropolis where the Athenians in old times held their public meetings and listened to the addresses of their orators on the top of the rock which is level there is a sort of throne shaped out of the rock - here a tutor had assembled some dozen of his pupils - one of whom was mounted on the elevation and repeating an oration - being in modern greek could not understand him, but the youth seemed little inspired with the fire of eloquence, which his position was no doubt chosen to effect -

The adjoining rooms in my hotel are occupied by Princess Catacuzene from Moldavia - accompanied by Countess Cerutti these ladies have been making the tour of Greece in company with the brothers of the princess - they are very lively laughing and talking constantly we eat in the same saloon but not at the same table - the countess is a young lady and dark hair and shining Italian eyes - indeed she is quite handsome - could scarcely keep my eyes from off her which at first she did not seem to like - but is more gracious since - she sits reading on the sofa and more I look more I admire her - have been trying for a day past to muster courage enough to speak to her - but what a damper comes over my pleasures in anticipation - found this morning they were packing trunks to depart to Constantinople - returning from one of my long walks found the princess and suite had departed - and the beautifull countess never I am to see again

Ascended the Hill of the museum - spent several hours reading in the shade of the ruined monument of Philopappus - a roman senator and consul who retired to Athens from active life and erected this monument - of white marble and lofty - it has stood sixteen centuries - but it now totters and another century or less will level it to the earth -

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