Page:Travels & discoveries in the Levant (1865) Vol. 1.djvu/158

130 must have served the purpose of watch-towers for the garrison.

Leake and other travellers have supposed Chigiri to be the Cenchreæ of Stephanus Byzantius.

The mountains round this place have rather a bad reputation for robbers; and it was here that Captain Spratt, R.N., while engaged with a brother officer in making the Hydrographical Survey, was suprised by three armed ruffians, from whom, by great presence of mind, however, he succeeded in escaping.

From Chigri we went to Alexandria Troas, passing by a place called Lisgyar, where are hot springs. Here are ruins of some baths built of grouted masonry, and probably of the late Roman period. A small bronze mouse, now in the collection of Mr. Frank Calvert, was found here. From the nearness of this spot to the Sminthium, the seat of the worship of Apollo Sminthius, there can hardly be a doubt that this mouse was dedicated to that deity, who on a coin of Alexandria Troas is represented holding a mouse in his hand. This place is marked on the Admiralty chart, No. 1608, "Hot Springs," but without a name. Pococke notices the spot, and says that the baths are sulphuric. Here he saw a colossal draped female figure in white marble, the head broken off.$59$

On our arrival at Alexandria Troas, the weather was so bad that we did not dismount, and could only take a passing glance at the stately Roman remains. I could hear of no inscriptions or sculpture here. The principal ruin is a large edifice with many arches, in a very noble style. It is built of large