The apostle Paul and his companions sailed across the Ægean Sea from Troas, in a northwesterly direction, passing the storied isles of Tenedos and Imbros; anchored for the first night off Samothracia, "the Thracian Samos," a rocky island near the coast of Thrace; and the next day passed northward of Thasos, and anchored in the harbor of Neapolis, on the border of Thrace. They did not remain at the seaport, but pressed inland to the larger city, which was to be memorable as the first foothold of the gospel in Europe. In the European part of the second missionary journey we notice eight places visited by the apostle. 1. _Philippi_ (Acts 16:12-40). This was an ancient town, enlarged and renamed by Philip, the father of Alexander the Great. Near it was fought the great battle between Augustus and Antony on one side, and Brutus and Cassius on the other, in which the hope of a Roman republic perished, and the empire was ushered in. It had been made a _colony_; that is, a branch of Rome itself, and enjoyed certain privileges of self-government, so that its magistrates bore Roman titles, as noticed by Luke. Here Lydia, the first convert in Europe, was baptized, and a church was planted; Paul and Silas were scourged and imprisoned, and set free by divine power; the jailer was brought to Christ; and the officials of the city were made to tremble at having inflicted violence upon citizens of Rome. 2. _Amphipolis_ was 33 miles southwest of Philippi, and 3 miles from the Ægean Sea. It was a town of ancient fame; but, in Paul's time, decayed in population; and, having no synagogue or Jewish population, was not yet made a field of his labors. After a delay of only a day, he journeyed on still further westward. (Acts 17:1.) 3. _Apollonia_ was 30 miles from Amphipolis, and an important city; but for some reason Paul did not choose to labor in its vicinity, and remained there but a day. (Acts 17:1.) 4. _Thessalonica_ (Acts 17:1-9) was the capital of the entire province, and 40 miles from the preceding station. It was named after a sister of Alexander the Great, and had many historic associations. An arch is still standing, and was doubtless seen by the apostle, which commemorated the victory at Philippi. There was a large Jewish population, and a synagogue, in which Paul preached for three sabbaths. He succeeded in founding a church, mostly of Gentiles, to which he soon after wrote his two earliest epistles, First and Second Thessalonians. But the Jews excited a riot, and the apostles were compelled to leave the city by night. Thessalonica, now called _Saloniki_, is still the second city of European Turkey, and contains 80,000 inhabitants.