The modern Greeks bear a great resemblance to the descriptions which have been transmitted of the ancient inhabitants of the country, in their bodily appearance, dress, diet, and tempers. There is a national likeness observable among them all, but the islanders are of a darker complexion, and a stronger make, than those of the main land. Their countenances are such as may be supposed to have served for models to their ancient sculptors; and the young men particularly are distin guished by a degree of beauty which would be consider ed as too effeminate among those of the same age in more northern climates. Their eyes are large and dark, their eye-brows arched, their complexions brown, but clear, and their cheeks and lips tinged with bright ver milion colour. Their faces are a regular oval, and their features perfectly proportioned, except that their ears are ratite' larger than usual. Their hair is dark and long, but shaved off in the forepart of the crown and sides of the face. Beards are worn only by the clergy and persons of authority, but all of diem wear thin long black mustachios on the upper lip. Their necks are long, hut broad, and well set, their chests wide and open, their shoulders strong, hut their waists rather slender, and their legs large, but well made. Their stature is above the middle size. and their form muscu lar and round, but not corpulent. The women are in ferior to the men, both in lace and figure ; and though they have the same kind of features, yet their eyes are languid and their complexions pale, their whole persons loose and flaccid, their height rather low, and their forms, as they advance a little in life, fat and unwieldy. Those of the better class are very careful to improve their beauty by paints and washes ; but they often lay on their colouring substances to a very unnatural de gree.
The dress of the modern Greeks bears a near resem blance to that of the ToOts. The under garments are a cotton shirt, cotton drawers, a vest and jacket of silk or stuff, a pair of large loose trowsers drawn up a little above the ancle, and a short sock. Over these are worn large shawls, often richly ornamented, wrapped round the loins, in one corner of which the poorer people fre quently conceal their money, and a loose gown or pelisse, with wide sleeves, which, in the presence of a superior, they wrap modestly about their persons, concealing their hands with the sleeves, and resting their chins on their bosoms. The wealthy individuals have pelisses of cloth lined with fur for winter, and who wear purses, which, together with handkerchiefs, watches, snuff boxes, papers, they carry in their bosom between the folds of the vests, and count it a mark of distinction to have this part of their dress full and distended. They may wear any colour except green, which is appropriat ed to the descendants of Mahomet, and, instead of a turban, they have a large calpac. The common people seldom use a gown, and have their trowsers so short as to leave their legs bare below the knee. The sailors have nothing but a jacket ; and in summer wear the Alba nian red scull•cap. The dress of the females bears some resemblance to that of European women, and con sists of a vest fitting close to the bosom, but becoming larger and wider below the waist ; a gown flowing off loosely behind, with long wide sleeves turned up at the wrist ; a ribbon or other girdle under the bosom, a rich shawl, as a zone, wrapped once round the body, resting loosely on the hips, and fastened before with a large plate, or tied in a spreading knot. The dress of the
richer females is loaded with gold and silver II immings, bracelets of precious stones, and strings of gold coins round their necks. The young women have their hair hanging clown the back, loose or prated, combed over the forehead and the shies of the cheeks, and a little red cap, with a gold tassel studded with sequins, on the one side of the crown. When they go abroad, they are muffled up in a wrapping-cloak, with a long veil, but in their private apartments they have their feet naked, and their bodies thinly clothed, as the temperature of the weather may admit. Their toe-nails and finger•tops are stained of a rosy colour, and their eye-lashes with black. No change as to fashion takes place in their chess, but their habits are esteemed entirely in propor tion to the price which they cost. The most universal part of Grecian dress, which is also worn by all the in habitants of the Levant, Mahometans or Christians, males or females, and the sale of which forms a principal arti cle of Grecian commerce, is the ancient Pelasgic bon net, shaped like a scalp, which the natives of Greece are said to have worn ever since they were known as a people. The Greeks wear it simply as a hat ; the Turks surround it with a turban ; and the women adorn it with a handkerchief, tassels, and fringes.
The diet of the modern Greeks, even in the higher ranks of society, is very poor and comfortless. Fowls newly killed, and therefore tough, thoogh boiled down to rags, heaped together in a large plate, form a princi pal dish at dinner. The table is a low stool, and the guests are seated round it on cushions. A long, coarse, narrow towel is spread over the knees of the party at table ; and the master of the house, stripping his arms bare, by turning up the sleeves of his tonic, serves out the soup and meal, tearing the poultry and butcher meat into pieces with his fingers, which the guests eat in the same style. If knives and spoons are used, they are never changed, and one dish only is placed on the table at the same time. Brandy is handed to the com pany before they sit down to table, and a single glass of wine is presented to each along with the desert. Dur ing the time of dinner the room is filled with a multi tude of visitors, meaner dependants, and even slaves, who do not partake of the repast, but sit and converse together behind the party at table ; and after dinner an itinerant songster pushes through the crowd to a con spicuous place in the apartment, and accompanies with his lyre some miserable recitative, suited to the occasion, or some common love-ditty, repeated again and again with little melody or expression. When the meal is concluded, a maid-servant sweeps the carpet; and the master and mistress of the house, seating themselves at the upper end of the divan or couch (which is univer sally placed in the form of the Greek letter IL) the rest of the company are marshalled on either side in two lines, according to the rules of precedence. When all are thus seated cross legged, a little pewter basin is placed before each person who had partaken of the meal, and all wash their hands and mouth with a lather of soap ; the same having been done also before eating. Tobacco pipes arc then brought in, and female visitants ar riving, the mistress of the house retires with the women who are present, to receive these new guests in another apartment.