SMYRNA, a city and seaport of Natolia in Asia ,Minor, situated towards the northern part of a pen insula upon a long and winding gulf of the same name, which is capable of containing the largest navy in- the world. The town is about lour miles round. It presents a front of a mile long to the water, and w hen approached by sea, it resembles a capacious amphitheatre, with the ruins of an ancient castle crowning its summit. The interior of the city, how ever, disappoints the expectations thus raised. The streets are narrow, dirty, and ill-paved, and the ba zaars are in no respect handsome. Two caravanse rails with quadrangles within have a showy appear ance from the cupolas which cover them. The shops are arched over, and have a handsome appearance, notwithstanding the gloom which the houses wear; those along the shore have gardens attached to them, at the foot of which are summerhouses overhanging the sea. The castle of Smyrna. which was probably built by the Genoese, occupies a large hill at the cast side of the city, and about three-fourths of a mile in circumference. There are no appearances of its hav ing been very magnificent, the remains of a very thick and strong wall, being very like that which surround ed the city.
There is now scarcely a trace of those once splen did edifices which rendered Smyrna one of the finest cities of Asia Minor. The foundations of the theatre still appear on the slope of the hill. On the gateway of the castle is a fine, though mutilated colossal sta tue, supposed to be that of the Amazon Smyrna. There are marks of an extensive aqueduct, but its antiquity is doubted.
The river Aides which is here from 50 to 100 yards wide, waters an extensive and fertile plain behind the city, covered with numberless olive trees. This city is subject to earthquakes, and it has often suffered from the plague, which, in 1814, carried off above 50,000 of the inhabitants.
The bay of Smyrna affords excellent anchorage, and the water is so deep, that sloops of considerable burthen can anchor close to the wharf.
Smyrna carries on an extensive trade with Europe on the one hand, and Asia on the other. Of all the Asiatic nations the Armenians carry on the greatest trade with this city, and the caravans from Persia are principally composed of them. The European ship ping regulate their motions by the periods at which these caravans arrive and depart, in order that they may supply the Asiatics with the merchandise of the west, and may reload their own vessels with the goods of Asia. The English carry on the greatest trade with Smyrna, and are most esteemed. The French trade is carried on chiefly from Marseilles, and the Italian trade from Leghorn. The exports from Smyr na are coffee, cotton, wool, camel and goat's hair, currants, wax, soap, pearls, and lapis lazuli, precious stones, opium, rhubarb, amber, musk, and gums. The imports from Europe are piastres, cloth, silken stuffs, paper, cochineal, argol, indigo, sugar, lead, tin, glass, spices, dyewoods, &c.
The whole town is a continual bazaar, abounding with the best commodities of Europe and Asia. In 1790, 1791, and 1792, the exports to London were 779,610, and the imports thence to Smyrna, L848,240.
The inhabitants of Smyrna are generally estimated at 100,000, and are composed as follows:— The governor is appointed by the Porte. He de cides the civil matters of the city; but in criminal ca ses he is subject to the cacti who is judge of the dis trict. In the neighbourhood of Smyrna, there are some very fine villages, such as Bournabat, Cukli reiah, Bugiah, and Sadig, to which the more opulent inhabitants resort in summer. East Long.27° 4' 45'', North Lat. 38° 29'.