4 days

Mr. Hamilton, in his interesting work on Asia Minor (vol. i. 244), gives an account of his journey along the coast to Tripolis. In order to obviate the difficulties arising from the ignorance of the natives, he engaged a tatar, or chavass, at Trebizond. The following is an abstract of his journey: —

1. After leaving the town, the road descends to the sea-shore, a little short of the ruined ch. of Santa Sophia. 3 m. from Trebizond a small stream is crossed, and the low hills are ascended by a road overhanging the sea. In 2 h. the river Gera is crossed by a high bridge near a small village of the same name: the country on all sides is highly cultivated. The Calanoma Dere Sú is crossed by another high stone bridge of 2 arches. Beyond this, after proceeding along the beach for ½ m., is Platana, situated in a delightful valley, a small town, said to contain 140 Greek and about 20 Turkish houses. Its position is near the centre of an open bay, which forms the winter anchorage of Trebizond. Mr. Hamilton here secured a konak in the café on the beach. The old Greek ch. of St. Michael, in the early Byzantine style, with some curious paintings on the altar-screen, is well worth a visit. Platana is supposed to stand near the site of the Hermonassa of Strabo and Arrian.

2. Leaving Platana, the road or path proceeds along the coast, a bank of myrtles generally intervening between the road and the sea. In about an hour the low promontory of Zeitoun Bouroun is passed, beyond which the scenery increases in beauty, and several bold and rocky promontories run into the sea between the road and Cape Yoros. After passing round a point of imperfectly columnar basalt, the ruined fort of Akjah Kaléh, placed on a rocky promontory, is reached. It is half-way between Platana and Cape Yoros, and is supposed to occupy the site of ancient Cordyle. It has a small open roadstead. The attempt of the Russians to seize this fort some years since is said to have caused them considerable loss. The peasants along this coast always carry arms, precisely as they did in the time of Xenophon.Proceeding along the shore, and passing Mersin, a single house upon the beach, we approach Cape Yoros, described by Mr. Hamilton as a mass of amygdaloid trap. 4½ h. from Platana, Inji Liman, a little bay E. of the cape, and the point called Kutehuk Mersin are passed. The hill, which forms the western extremity of the bay of Trebizond, presents a fine specimen of fan-shaped columnar basalt. Leaving Cape Yoros, the route lies S.W., crossing the Iskeféh Dereh Sú, flowing from a deep valley, containing many pointed hills, covered with wood. Passing the ruined castle of Gellita Kaleh, built on the brink of a ravine covered with rhododendrons and azaleas, we descend into another plain, watered by a large river, formed by the junction of 2 streams from different valleys, and making a bend to the E. before entering the sea — a peculiarity observed in many other rivers along these shores, and attributed by Mr. Hamilton to the prevalence of N.W. winds, which throw up a bar or sandbank along the beach, and turn the stream towards the E. We now cross a ridge of hills, pass the Kerasoun Dereh Sú, which marks the site of the Cerasus of Xenophon, and proceed by the village of Fol and the deserted factory of Kerteh Khana to Bayak Liman, a large straggling house with a bazar attached to it, which forms the resting place for the second night. It is 9 h. from Platana.

3. Leaving this place, we cross the Aksa Dereh Sú by a covered wooden bridge like those of Switzerland, and soon pass Cape Kaléhjik and its ruined castle. The road beyond this, though passing through the most beautiful scenery, is carried along a narrow wall on the side of a hill sloping rapidly to the sea, several hundred feet below, and which the vegetation that grows over it makes it dangerous to pass without dismounting. After passing Cape Kereli and the ruined castle of Kereli Kaléh, which marks the site of the ancient Coralla, we cross the Aüjenesin Dereh Sú, flowing through a highly-cultivated plain. Beyond, we descend to the sea-shore, and cross the Chaousli Dereh Sú, beyond which is the village of Elehen, situated in a fertile plain, and supposed to mark the site of ancient Philocalea. Beyond this village we cross the Kara Bouroun Chai a large river issuing from a wooded valley, and soon obtain a fine view of the bold head-land of Kara Bouroun. Soon after this we pass the ruins of Goolak Kaléh, on an insulated rock near the beach, and cross 2 considerable streams, the Baba Dereh Sú and the Bazar Chai, surrounded by rice-fields. We now enter the plain formed by the detritus brought down by the deep and rapid river Tireboli Sú, which is crossed by a ferry-boat. The town of Tireboli is embosomed in wooded hills overhanging the sea. Mr. Hamilton rested here for the third night, and took up his quarters in the Konak of the governor, for which he had to pay his followers a handsome bakshish. Tireboli contains a ruined castle, with some rudely carved stones over the gateway, and the remains of a small Byzantine church. It also contains a bath, 4 mosques, and a Greek church. It doubtless occupies the site of ancient Tripolis, which Tournefort erroneously placed at Kerasunt. The modern town stands on 3 rocky headlands with 3 intervening bays, and from which the ancient city probably derived its name. About 10 m. distant is a remarkable rock on a lofty hill, called Petra Kaléh, or the Rock Castle, the apartments of which are all said to be cut out of the solid rock. 2½, m. from Tireboli are some remains of ancient silver-mines, supposed by Mr. Hamilton to be the Argyria of the ancients. The ore occurs in a white felspathic rock in a state of decomposition. The mines have been neglected for many years, but they are said to be rich in silver.

4. The governor having informed Mr. Hamilton that the road to Kerasunt was impracticable for baggage-horses, and recommended him to go by sea (which, with a favourable wind, is an affair of only 3 or 4 h.), he adopted his advice and gave up his intention of proceeding by land. The boat in which he performed the voyage was flat-bottomed. Before rounding Cape Zefréh, they passed a small harbour to the E. of the point called Kaik Liman, which probably marks the site of Zephyrium. From Cape Zefréh they stretched across the bay to Kerasunt, bearing W., ½ S. About 2 m. farther they passed outside a rocky islet, which Mr. Hamilton supposes to be the Philyreis lnsula of the Argonauts, and beyond it they landed on an island called Kerasunt Ada, the Insula Aretias of Apollonius Rhodius, celebrated for the temple of Mars, erected by two Amazonian queens. It is between 3 and 4 m. from Kerasunt. See Rte. 54.