s too small for the battle-field of such armies as were
engaged on the occasion. It is bounded on the north by a low hill,
separating it from the plain of Baias, and it is possible that Alexander
may have made choice of this position, leaving the unwieldy forces of
Darius to attack him from the plain. His advantage would be greater, on
account of the long, narrow form of the ground, which would prevent him
from being engaged with more than a small portion of the Persian army, at
one time. The plain is now roseate with blooming oleanders, but almost
entirely uncultivated. About midway there are the remains of an ancient
quay jutting into the sea.

Soon after leaving the field of Issus, we reached the town of Baias, which
is pleasantly situated on the shore, at the mouth of a river whose course
through the plain is marked with rows of tall poplar trees. The walls of
the town, and the white dome and minaret of its mosque, rose dazzlingly
against the dark blue of the sea, and the purple stretch of the mountains
of Karamania. A single palm lifted its crest in the foreground. We
dismounted for breakfast under the shade of an old bridge which crosses
the river. It was a charming spot, the banks above and below being
overhung with oleander, white rose, honeysuckle and clematis. The two
guardsmen finished the remaining half of our Turcoman cheese, and almost
exhausted our supply of bread. I gave one of them a cigar, which he was at
a loss how to smoke, until our muleteer showed him.

Baias was celebrated fifty years ago, as the residence of the robber
chief, Kutchuk Ali, who, for a long time, braved the authority of the
Porte itself. He was in the habit of levying a yearly tribute on the
caravan to Mecca, and the better to enforce his claims, often suspended
two or three of his captives at the gates of the town, a day or two before
the caravan arrived. Several expeditions were sent against him, but he
always succeeded in bribing the commanders, who, on their return to
Constantinople, made such representations that Kutchuk Ali, instead of
being punished, received one dignity after another, until finally he
attained the rank of a Pasha of two tails. This emboldened him to commit
enormities too great to be overlooked, and in 1812 Baias was taken, and
the atrocious nest of land-pirates broken up.

I knew that the town had been sacked on this occasion, but was not
prepared to find such a complete picture of desolation. The place is