They have proved, that as in every other point he was the most close and happy delineator of nature, so here he has still copied her most faithfully, and has taken his descriptions from scenes actually existing, and which must have been familiar to his eyes. In order that this may be proved to the reader's satisfaction as far as it is possible, without an actual inspection of the country, I purpose first to lay before him all the general and most striking features in the Homeric chorography, and then to illustrate them by a continued reference to modern travellers and antiquarians. It will be seen then from the Iliad that the Greeks, having arrived on the coast of the Hellespont, and effected a landing, drew up their vessels in several rows on the shore of a small bay confined between two promontories. Πολλὸν γάρ ῥ ̓ ἀπάνευθε μάχης ειρύατο νῆες Elsewhere he states, that Achilles was posted at one extremity of the line, and Ajax at the other. (0.224. A. 7.) He nowhere names the two promontories which enclosed the bay and the armament of the Greeks: but all writers, both ancient and modern, agree in the supposition that these are the capes Rhoteum and Sigeum, between which tradition attached to different spots the names of Naustathmus, the port of the Greeks, and the camp of the Greeks. (Strab. XIII. p. 595.) According to Pliny, the distance from headland to headland was thirty stadia. (V. 33.) Strabo reckoned sixty stadia from Rhoteum to Sigeum, and the tomb of Achilles close to the latter; (loc. cit.) and these distances agree sufficiently well with actual measurements *. Considerable changes, however, have taken place during the lapse of so many ages in the appearance of the coast. The promontories remain; but the bay has been completely filled up by the deposit of rivers and the accumulation of sand and soil, and the shore now presents scarcely any indenture between the headlands: but we are assured by Choiseul Gouffier, and others, who have explored the ground, that there is satisfactory proof of the sea having advanced formerly some way into the land in this direction a. The next great feature to be examined in the Homeric topography, is the poet's account of the rivers which flowed in the vicinity of Troy, and discharged their waters into the Hellespont. These are the Xanthus, or Scamander, and the Simois, whose junction is expressly alluded to. (Il. E. 774.) ̓Αλλ ̓ ὅτε δὴ Τροίην ίξον, ποταμώ τε ῥέοντε, y Le Chevalier was not correct in charging Strabo with inaccuracy in his statement of this distance. He supposes that Strabo spoke of cape Rhoeteum, whereas he, no doubt, meant the town, which is some way from it. z Note to the French Strabo, tom. IV. p. 170. a Voyage Pittoresque, tom. II. p. 216. Col. Leake's Sketch to explain the supposed alteration in the coast and rivers of Troy. Asia Minor, p. 273. And again, (Z. 2.) where it is said, that the conflict between the Greeks and Trojans took place in the plain between the two rivers. Πολλὰ δ ̓ ἄρ ̓ ἔνθα καὶ ἔνθ ̓ ἔθυσε μάχη πεδίοιο, Μεσσηγύς Σιμόεντος, ἰδὲ Ξάνθοιο ροάων. One of the first questions then to be considered, in reconciling the topography of ancient Troy with the existing state of the country, is this: Are there two streams answering to Homer's description, which unite in a plain at a short distance from the sea, and fall into it between the Rhotean and Sigean promontories? To this question it certainly appears, from recent observations, that we must reply in the negative. There are two streams which water the plain, supposed to be that of Troy, but they do not meet, except in some marshes formed principally by the Mendere, the larger of the two, which seems to have no exit into the Hellespont; while the smaller river partly flows into these stagnant pools, and partly into the sea near the Sigean cape. It appears, however, from Strabo, or rather from Demetrius, whom he quotes, that when he wrote, the junction did take place; for he says, "The Sca"mander and Simois advance, the one towards Si 66 66 geum, the other towards Rhoteum, and after unit ing their streams a little above New Ilium, fall "into the sea near Sigeum, where they form what "is called the Stomalimne." (XIII. p. 597. Cf. p. 595.) Pliny also, when he speaks of the Palæscamander, evidently leads to the notion that the channel of that river had undergone a material alteration. b Choiseul Gouffier. (V.32.) The observations of travellers afford likewise evidence of great changes having taken place in regard to the course of these streams; and it is said that the ancient common channel is yet to be traced under the name of Mendere, near the point of Kum-kale. The ancients themselves were aware of considerable alterations having taken place along the whole line of coast; for Histiæa, of Alexandria Troas, a lady who had written much on the Iliad, affirmed, that the whole distance between New Ilium and the sea, which Strabo estimates at twelve stadia, had been formed by alluvial deposit; (XIII. p. 598.) and recent researches prove that this distance is now nearly double. The great question, however, after all, respecting the two rivers alluded to, and on which the whole inquiry may be said to turn, is, which is the Scamander and which the Simois of Homer? If we refer for the solution of this question to Demetrius of Scepsis, who, from his knowledge of the Trojan district, appears to have been best qualified to decide upon it, we shall find, that he looked upon the river now called Mendere as corresponding with the Scamander of Homer, a supposition which certainly derives support from the similarity of the two names; while he considered the Simois to be the stream now called Giumbrek-sou, which unites with the Mendere near the site of Paleo Aktshi, supposed to represent the Pagus Iliensium, and which Demetrius himself identified with ancient Troy. But it has been rightly observed by those modern writers who have bestowed their attention on the subject, that the simi larity of names is not a convincing reason in itself, since they have often been known to vary; and that after all we must refer to the original account, where we find the characteristics of the two rivers described in a manner which must eventually settle the whole question, as far as regards their identity. A reference to the Iliad itself is the more necessary, as Demetrius does not appear to have satisfactorily explained, even to himself, certain doubts and difficulties which naturally arose from comparing his system of topography with that suggested by the perusal of the poet. Now it appears from more than one passage that the Simois, according to Homer, had its source in mount Ida; Ενθ' ἔβαλ ̓ ̓Ανθεμίωνος υἱὸν Τελαμώνιος Αἴας IL. A. 475. Δὴ τότε μητιόωντο Ποσειδάων καὶ ̓Απόλλων and though in the latter passage the same thing is affirmed of the Scamander, it will be seen elsewhere, that the sources of that river are so plainly described as situated close to the city of Troy, that they never could be said to rise in the main chain, unless Troy itself was placed there likewise. When speaking of the pursuit of Hector by Achilles beneath its walls, he says, |