Transcribe Ward, Henry A. Letter to Orton, James (1855-07-25)

part of Syria at present on account of the Bedouins. We however were just on the point of making a circuit to Damascus, by way of the sea & Bezront, when we recd. a letter from Mr Wadsworth requesting us to return to Paris at once & stay no longer in the hot climate. We accordingly crossed in a day to Toffat (the ancient Joppa) & returned to Marseille by a steamer which followed the ^eastern & northern^ coast of the Mediteranean to Smyrna stopping at all of the parts of & some of the islands. At Smyrna we stopped a week but could not stir out of the town on account of Brigands. What do you think of that Orton? A city in Africa Minor of 170,000 inhabitants (2/3 of them females!) all of them kept close within the wall because for sooth there are 25 robbers in the hills around who take people and keep them until they are ransomed with a heavy sum! From Smyrna we passed through the Archipelago & south of Sicily to Malta from there up, passing through the straits of Bonifacio, to Marseille. I collected shells, sponges & c. all along this trip, & most splendid fossils at Malta which we packed at Marseille & sent with our other boxes to New York having first insured them for the sum of $1000. 2/3 of their value. It is rather singular to me that the riches & collection which I ever made (for I made nearly all this) was made at a season of my life where I had become quite satisfied of & disgusted with the non-scientific character of the generality at least of <.u specimen hunting >. I was pleased in finding a package of letters at Marseille, & delighted to