Transcribe Ward, Henry Augustus. Letter to Selden, Susan Ward (1855-08-26)

Arriving at </s Athens wed > Smyrna we debarqued and staid there 5 days waiting for a return steamer from </u Constantinople >. We found Smyrna very - - pleasant & interesting containing the costumes & languages of all nations and a population of 170,000 of which nearly 2/3 are females many of whom are perfectly beautiful and speak </u Greek > with the utmost fluency. From hence we sailed west through the </u Archipelago > to </u Malta > where I had this time one day on shore which I spent very foolishly in seeing the rocks & fossils instead of the town. Passing up past </u Sicily > and through the </u Straits of Boniface >, we reached </u Marseilles > & were soon in </u Paris > . I am now nicely settled at my old rom. 39 Rue l'Enfer, and am busily engaged in reading & study to commence following the lectures in October.My room is small but neat & pleasant. and I have a choice library of French & English scientific books. My bible & the nice copy of Shakespeare which dear Grandpa gave me. I have a few acquaintances in the city but am most of my time alone, Charlie rooms in a neighboring street & we drop in & see each - other almost every day, There a good many young Americans in this part of the city but they are in general I am sorry to say even more frivolous dissolute than the Parisians themselves. I have however near me an old college mate )Arthur Mitchell) whom I passed on the Nile