A Collection of Curious Travels and Voyages, Volume 2 · Body of volume 2 · Chapter 3 – Chapter 4
CHAP. III.
An Account of a Journey by Land from Mount Athos to Conſtantinople, wherein the Gold and Silver Mines of Macedonia, together with many Antiquities and Natural Rarities, are deſcrib'd.
LEaving Mount Athos, we travelled in two days to Saloniki, formerly called Theſſalonica, and in two days more we reach'd Siderocapſa, the Chryſites of the Ancients, where now the Turks, and many other Nations, work the rich Oars, which afford yearly a very conſiderable Treaſure, and make the place much frequented and reſorted to. 'Tis ſituated amongſt the Valleys, at the foot of high Mountains, and yields monthly to the Grand Signior for his ſhare only above 18000 Gold Ducats, and ſometimes 30000 clear of all Disburſements. There are about Five or Six hundred Furnaces diſpers'd up and down theſe Mountains, which abound with great varieties of Pyrites, Marchaſites, and other Oars, which they work in a different manner from the Germans and Spaniards: Their Furnaces and Work-houſes are all placed on the ſides of Rivolets, for all their Bellows play with Wheels turn'd by Streams of Water. The white Soot of the Chimneys is called Spodus and Pompholix, as it differs in colour, of which above ten pounds may be gathered every week. They ſeparate the Lead from the Gold and Silver by particular fuſions, then the Silver from the Gold by Aqua fortis: Out of the Gold they coyn their Ducats, which are very flexible, and eſteem'd the pureſt Gold in the World, always clean and reſplendent.
From theſe metallick Mountains we ſaw Mount Athos, and great part of Macedonia, which appear'd hilly. I obſerv'd here two Serpents never ſeen before by me; the Greeks called them Sapidi or Sapiti, which comes near to Seps or Sips. The Inhabitants of Syderocapſa gather abundance of the Rhus or Sumach, which they uſe in preparing their Skins, and tanning their Leather, which the Aegyptians do with the Pods of their Acacia, the Natolians with the Cups of the Acorns of a Dwarf-Oak called Eſculus, the Illyrians with a black Myrtle (perhaps the Rhus Myrtifolia) the French with Oak bark, the Leſbians and Phrygians with the bark of the Picea.
The Workmen uſe ſeveral Machines in working and drawing up the Oars, according as the Veins lye: Theſe Works employ above 6000 men.
In a Lake near Syderocapſa I took notice of ſeveral Fiſhes, as one called Laros by the Natives, becauſe the Gulls feed much upon it, by the Latines Gania, by the French Mouatte, by thoſe of Diepe and Newport, Mauue. Another called Claria, by thoſe of Lyons, Lotte; by the Pariſians Barbotte. Alſo the Liparis, the Perch, young Mullets, &c.
In the adjacent Country there are Fallow Deer, Buffalo's, Wild Boar, Goats, Red Deer, and our Roe Deer, Porcupines, Urchins, Wolfs, Foxes, Hares; the Chamois or Rupicapra; the Tragelaphus different from the Hippelaphus.
Leaving Syderocapſa, we ſpent two days in getting to Cavalla, anciently called Boucephala, whereas we might have gone by Sea in half a day: In this Journey we ſaw the River Strymon, and on it Swans, and other Birds like Pelecans: At the mouth of this River are ſeen the Remains of a place called by the Natives Chryſopolis, tho' Pliny puts it not far from Chalcedon. We ſaw Ceres the Cranon of the Ancients; afterwards Tricala, and ſo by the ſide of the Mountain Deſpota, through a great Plain to Philippi, near which are many Villages and ſeveral Mines. We obſerv'd hereabouts Miſſeltoe on the Oak, as alſo in many other places of Macedonia, where they make Bird-lime. The Ground is very much over-run with the Paliurus and Rhamnus.
The Ruins of Philippi are about two days Journey from Trica or Tricala, and Philippi ſcarce three more from Philippolis. Theſe were great Roads in the time of the Roman Empire, now heaps of Rubbiſh, and Sepulchres of Marble with Inſcriptions. The Iſle of Taſſo is but ſix hours diſtant, and from thence this great quantity of white Marble might have eaſily been fetch'd. The Magnificence of Philippi may be gueſs'd at from the number of theſe noble Monuments and Inſcriptions, from the fair Amphitheatre ſtill entire with its Marble Seats: 'Tis not oval, as thoſe at Otricholi and Rome, but ſpherical, as thoſe at Verona and Niſmes: There are alſo Dorick and Ionick Pillars, with many Statues belonging to the Temple of Divus Claudius. At Cavalla or Boucephala there are ſtill great Ciſterns of hardned Cement (as at Baiae) and Aquaeducts.
Departing from Cavalla, we paſs'd by Mount Haemus, over the River Neſus, and came to Bouron on the Salt-Lake of Biſto, near a moiſt Plain, full of Cytiſus, Halimus, &c. as about Philippi. Here are taken great quantity of Dace or Dare, which they pickle as we do Herrings, as alſo ſmoak and dry them. The Fiſhing on this Lake is very conſiderable, for from hence they ſupply many diſtant places. About ſix hours from Bouron we came to Commercina, where they ſell great variety of Proviſions; from thence we went to Cypſella, where they make Alum by gently calcining the Stone, and letting it diſſolve afterwards in the Air by the Dews and Rains, and then boyling and cryſtallizing the impregnated Water. In this Journey we ſaw many old Roman Highways pav'd with great Stones.
We paſſed the Mariſca (of old Hebrus) in a Ferry, and came to Vire; here they waſh ſome Gold out of the Sand, but are often forced to uſe Quickſilver in the ſeparation. The Water of Hebrus is very cold in the middle of Summer, and the Banks are ſet with Tamarisks; King's-fiſhers build their Neſts in holes on the ſides, they make them of the Bones and Scales of little Fiſhes. The Natives hereabouts often leave their Habitations to work in Harveſt time: Their Sickles differ from ours, and their Corn is not threſh'd but trodden with Cattel. In this Journey we found great variety and plenty of Jaſpars and Chalcedony.
The Thracians and Macedonians gather all the Galls or Excreſcencies on the Turpentine Trees, which they ſell at Pruſa, for the dying of Silks. This Country abounds much with Tortoiſes, for the Greeks never eat nor deſtroy their, unleſs they catch them in their Gardens or Plantations of Cotton and Seſamum.
We left the Road of Gallipoli on the right, and came to Rodeſto (the old Perinthus) from thence we left Heraclea on the left, and paſt Selibria, a days Journey diſtant from Conſtantinople. The Honey of Heraclea is ſaid to be pernicious, perhaps becauſe the Country abounds with the Chamaeleon niger (a ſort of Carlina) to whoſe Root adheres a very venomous Excreſcence called Ixia, which may affect the Bees that feed on that Plant.
I found hereabouts a milky Plant (perhaps an Apocynum) with the leaves and flower of a Nerion, or the purple Lyſimachia.
Thrace is an open Country without Trees, like Picardy, the great Plains are divided here and there with Ridges and little Hills: About three miles before we came to Conſtantinople, we paſs'd two long Wood-Bridges that run over the Salt-Marſhes, upon which are many Boats and Mills with eight Wings or Arms: On theſe Lakes there is a great Fiſhery, as alſo on the Propontis, for the Oriental People (as other Nations of old) are more delighted with the Fiſh Diet than with that of Quadrupeds or Birds. This may be one reaſon why the Books of the Ancients treat more of Fiſh than of Fowl, or any other Animals.
CHAP. IV.
The Ways of Fiſhing on the Propontis, the Boſphorus, and Helleſpont; as alſo of the Fiſhes taken. By M. Belon.
THESE Seas abound extreamly with Fiſh, that paſs between the Euxine and Mediterranean, into which abundance of great freſh Rivers empty themſelves: The Streights and Shoars are full of little Wood-Cottages (wherein the Fiſhermen watch and obſerve the ſeveral Shoals) and great variety of Nets, both looſe and faſtened to Poles, of ſeveral figures, for the taking both of great and ſmall frys: There is alſo the Hook and Bait-fiſhing up and down with long Lines; the Train and Hand-Nets, &c.
Beſides all theſe ways, they practiſe another manner of fiſhing by lighted Torches in dark calm nights, whereby they find the great Fiſhes aſleep, and ſtrike them very ſilently with ſharp Tridents and hooked Engines: This they find the moſt convenient for taking the greater ſorts of Fiſh, which often break their Nets and Lines.
The common Fiſhes of theſe Streights are, the Tunny and the Pelamis, Macrel, Scads, Giltheads, Mullets, Gurnards, Sheathfiſh, Swordfiſh, the Dolphin different from our Porpeſs, the Wolf-fiſh, Lampreys, the Muraena, Sphyrena, Melanurus, Salpa, Sargus, Moena, Atherina, Exocaetus which ſerve for Baits to catch Congers, Celerinus, Sardina, Polypus, Loligo, Erythrinus, &c.
The Garus, ſo common in the Shops of Conſtantinople, is prepared here only out of the Sanies or Ichor of the ſalted Inteſtines of the Macrel and Scads. The red Cavear is not made of the Eggs or Roe of the Sturgeon, but out of the Cyprinus. (Q. Whether the Author means the Bream or Carp.)