History of Greece (Volume 4); I. Legendary Greece. II. Grecian History to the Reign of Peisistratus at Athens (Paperback)

Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: Axius, the Erig6n, the Haliakm6n and the Peneius respectively. All four, moreover, though of high level above the sea, are yet for the most part of distinguished fertility, especially the plains of Tettovo, of Bitolia, and Thessaly. The fat- rich land to the east of Pindus and Skardus is described as forming a marked contrast with the light calcareous soil of the Albanian plains and valleys on the western side. The basins of Bitolia and of the Haliakm6n, with the mountains around and adjoining, were possessed by the original Macedonians; that of Tettovo, on the north, by a portion of the Pseonians. Among the four, Thessaly is the most spacious; yet the two comprised in the primitive seats of the Macedonians, both of them very considerable in magnitude, formed a territory better calculated to nourish and to generate a considerable population than the less favoured home, and smaller breadth of valley and plain, occupied by Epirots or Illyrians. Abundance of corn easily raised, of pasture for cattle, and of new fertile land open to cultivation, would suffice to increase the numbers of hardy villagers, indifferent to luxury as well as to accumulation, and exempt from that oppressive extortion of rulers which now harasses the same fine regions1. 1 For the general physical character of the region, both east and west of Skardus, continued by Pindus, see the valuable chapter of Grise- bach's Travels aljove referred to (Reisen, vol. ii. ch. xiii. p. 125-130; c. xiv. p. 175; c. xvi. p. 214-216; c. xvii. p. 244, 245). Respecting the plains comprised in the ancient Pelagonia, see also the Journal of the younger Pouqueville, in his progress from Travnik in Bosnia to Janina. He remarks, in the two days' march from Pre- lepe (Prilip) through Bitolia to Fiorina, " Dans cette route on parcou...