CHAPTER III.

ADANA, MESSIS, AND THE AMANUS.

Plain once a vast Marsh—Look-out Mounds—Vineyards near Adana—The Seihoun (Sarus)—Ancient Bridge—Its History—Prosperity of Adana—Visit to the Wali—How the right of Petition in Turkey is suppressed—Unhealthiness during Summer—A Mining Engineer in the Ottoman Service—The Old Gold Mines of Philip II. and Alexander the Great—A Coal-mine at the Port of Ayass—Why so few Public Works succeed in Turkey—The Bishop of Adana—The Congregation—Character of the Bishop—An Improving Pasha—Exports of Cilicia—Tobacco Culture Disappearing—Why—Foreign Wheat and Cotton Seed degenerates in Cilicia—Advances to Cultivators—Risk in making them—Canals needed—Railway planned, but not made—Fine Port of Ayass—Scanty Population—No Trees on Plain—Turkish Population losing Ground—Christians rising—Great Transfer of Land from Muslim to Christian throughout the Interior—Slavery not Common—Brigandage diminished—Bridge of Adana—Deep and Violent Current of the Sarus—Personal Beauty and Fine Physique of the People—The Olou Jamaa—Great Plain—Nour Dagh—Bridge of Messis—Two of its Arches destroyed—Otter’s Account of it in 1736—Great Inundations—Ruins of Mopsuestia—Inscriptions—Border Fortresses—Ilan Kalesi—Kourt Kalesi—Extreme Beauty and Fertility of the Plain—Circassian Settlers and their Villages—Giamli Keui—Legend of Ilan Kalesi 48-75