montory of rock two miles from the sea, and viewed from the lofty
ground by which we approached it, the buildings had a most striking
effect, with the dark blue sea for a background and the lofty rock of
Samotraki looming in the distance, whilst the still more remote
mountains of Roumelia closed in the picture. As for the island of
Samotraki, it must have been created solely for the benefit of artists
and admirers of the picturesque, for it is fit for nothing else. It is
high and barren, a congeries of gigantic precipices and ridges. I
suppose one can land upon it somewhere, for people live on it who are
said to be arrant pirates; but as one passes by it at sea, its
interminable ribs of grey rock, with the waves lashing against them,
are dreary-looking in the extreme; and it is only when far distant that
it becomes a beautiful object.

I sent in my servant as ambassador to explain that the first cousin,
once removed, of the Emperor of all the Franks was at the gate, and to
show the letter of the Greek patriarch. Incontinently the agoumenos made
his appearance at the porch with many expressions of welcome and
goodwill. I believe it was longer than the days of his life since a
Frank had entered the convent, and I doubt whether he had ever seen one
before, for he looked so disappointed when he found that I had no tail
or horns, and barring his glorious long beard, that I was so little
different from himself. We made many speeches to each other, he in
heathen Greek and I in English, seasoned with innumerable bows,
gesticulations, and temenah; after which I jumped off my mule and we
entered the precincts of the monastery, attended by a long train of
bearded fathers who came out to stare at me.

The monastery of Caracalla covers about one acre of ground; it is
surrounded with a high strong wall, over which appear roofs and domes;
and on the left of the great square tower, near the gate, a range of
rooms, built of wood, project over the battlements as at the monastery
of St Laura. Within is a large irregular court-yard, in the centre of
which stands the church, and several little chapels or rooms fitted up
as places of worship are scattered about in different parts of the
building among the chambers inhabited by the monks. I found that this
was the uniform arrangement in all the monasteries of Mount Athos and in
nearly all Greek monasteries in the Levant. This monastery was founded
by Caracallos, a Roman: who he was, or when