FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   419   420   421   422   423   424   425   426   427   428   429   430   431   432   433   434   435   436   437   438   439   440   441   442   443  
>>  
light. I had fortunately a wax taper with me, which I cut into several pieces and gave to my fellow-passengers. On the following morning I inquired about the regulations of the quarantine--they were very bad and very dear. A small room, quite empty, cost three drachmas (2s. 3d.) a-day; board, five drachmas (3s. 9d.); very small separate portions, sixty or seventy leptas (6d. or 7d.); the attendance, that is, the superintendence of the guardian, two drachmas a-day; the supply of water, fifteen leptas daily; the physician, a drachma; and another drachma on leaving, for which he inspects the whole party, and examines the state of their health. Several other things were to be had at a similar price, and every article of furniture has to be hired. I cannot understand how it is that the government pays so little attention to institutions which are established for sanitary purposes and which the poor cannot avoid. They must suffer more privation here than at home; they cannot have any hot meals, for the landlord, who is not restricted in his prices, charges five or six times the value. Several artizans who had come by the vessel were put into the same room with a servant-girl. These people had no hot food the twelve days; they lived entirely upon bread, cheese, and dried figs. The girl, after a few days, begged me to let her come into my room, as the people had not behaved properly to her. In what a position the poor girl would have been placed if there had not happened to be a woman among the passengers, or if I had refused to receive her! Are such arrangements worthy of a public institution? Why are there not a few rooms fitted up at the expense of government for the poor? Why cannot they have a plain hot meal once in the day for a moderate price? The poor surely suffer enough by not being able to earn anything for so long a time, without being deprived of their hard earnings in such a shameful manner! On the second day the court-yard was opened, and we were permitted to walk about in an inclosed space a hundred and fifty paces wide, on the sea-shore. The view was very beautiful; the whole of the Cyclades lay before us: small, mountainous islands, mostly uninhabited and covered over with woods. Probably they were formerly a part of the mainland, and were separated by some violent convulsion of nature. On the fourth day our range was extended, we were allowed to walk as far as the hills surrounding t
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   419   420   421   422   423   424   425   426   427   428   429   430   431   432   433   434   435   436   437   438   439   440   441   442   443  
>>  



Top keywords:

drachmas

 

passengers

 

drachma

 

government

 

Several

 

suffer

 
people
 
leptas
 

institution

 

surrounding


fitted

 
moderate
 

begged

 

public

 
expense
 

arrangements

 

refused

 
allowed
 

surely

 

happened


receive

 

properly

 

extended

 
worthy
 

position

 
behaved
 

Cyclades

 

mountainous

 

nature

 

beautiful


islands

 

convulsion

 

Probably

 

mainland

 

uninhabited

 

violent

 

covered

 

deprived

 

fourth

 

earnings


separated
 

shameful

 

manner

 

inclosed

 

hundred

 

permitted

 

opened

 

restricted

 

attendance

 

superintendence