Christ, her attachment to the superstitious forms became gradually weakened, until at length she left them altogether.  The mistress one day said to her, I observe you do not keep the fast-days, nor cross yourself before eating, nor kiss the pictures.  No, replied the child, I am convinced that making the outward sign of the cross cannot purify the heart from sin; and as to meat and drink, I read in the Scriptures, that it is not that which goeth into the mouth that defiles the man.

15_th_.—­Visited the schools under the direction of Jonas King, of the Boston mission.  He has an academy for young men, and a school for mutual instruction, containing together 150.  I think the mode of Scripture lessons particularly efficient.  The instruction given in the schools at Athens seems more complete than in any we have visited during the journey.  J.K. has service in modern Greek three times on First-days, at which some of the young men attend, along with other Greeks, but not many.

During our stay in this city we visited many Greek families, and distributed among them religious tracts and portions of the Holy Scriptures, and exhorted them to the observance of their religious duties, often calling their attention to those points in which their own practices are at variance with the doctrine of Holy Scripture.

The ancient ruins are exceedingly grand, and raise mingled feelings in the heart not easily described, but tending to humble the pride of human greatness.  We saw the Temple of Theseus, the prison of Socrates, the famous Temple of Minerva; but the spot that most nearly interested us was Mars Hill, whose rocky mount was in view from lodgings, where we sat and conversed together of the Apostle Paul preaching the true God; and in the sweet stillness which covered our spirits, earnestly desired that the pure Gospel might again be freely preached and received throughout this interesting but desolated country.

There are not more than sixty really good houses built in the town; but, including great and small, there may be 1500 dwellings.  It is settled that Athens shall be the seat of the Greek government; and the young king, Otho, laid the foundation-stone of the new palace in his last visit to this place.

18_th_.—­Being anxious to get to Patras in time to sail by an English packet to Corfu, we set off for the port.  J. Hill met us, to see us embark in a boat for Kalimichi.  The Greek sailors have a superstition against sailing at any time but in the night; but after being deceived by one captain, we prevailed, on another to set sail [in the daytime], in the full hope of reaching Kalimichi the same evening.  A favorable gale wafted us on for some time, but a slight storm coming on, the cowardly captain ran us into a creek, and kept us tossing all the night in his open boat.  About eight o’clock the next morning we were favored to reach Kalimichi in safety, where we procured mules and reached Corinth to dinner.