Life of Lord Byron, Vol. 6: With His Letters and JournalsMoore, Thomas
General
Life of Lord Byron, Vol. 6: With His Letters and Journals
Moore, Thomas
Byron, George Gordon Byron, Baron, 1788-1824; Poets, English -- 19th century -- Biography
"Here Lord Byron is right, and I have no hesitation in confessing
that I was wrong. But I was wrong only in the letter of my remark,
not in the spirit of it. Any _thing_ thrown into the stream on the
European bank would be swept into the Archipelago, because, after
arriving so near the Asiatic-shore as to be almost, if not quite,
within a man's depth, it would be again floated off from the coast by
the current that is dashed from the Asiatic promontory. But this
would not affect a swimmer, who, being so near the land, would of
course, if he could not actually walk to it, reach it by a slight
effort.
"Lord Byron adds, in his P.S. 'The strait is, however, not
extraordinarily wide, even where it broadens above and below the
forts.' From this statement I must venture to express my dissent,
with diffidence indeed, but with diffidence diminished by the ease
with which the fact may be established. The strait is widened so
considerably above the forts by the Bay of Maytos, and the bay
opposite to it on the Asiatic coast, that the distance to be passed
by a swimmer in crossing higher up would be, in my poor judgment, too
great for any one to accomplish from Asia to Europe, having such a
current to stem.
"I conclude by expressing it as my humble opinion that no one is
bound to believe in the possibility of Leander's exploit, till the
passage has been performed by a swimmer, at least from Asia to
Europe. The sceptic is even entitled to exact, as the condition of
his belief, that the strait be crossed, as Leander crossed it, both
ways within at most fourteen hours.
"W. TURNER."
MR. MILLINGEN'S ACCOUNT OF THE CONSULTATION.
_Referred to in_ vol. vi. p. 209.
As the account given by Mr. Millingen of this consultation differs
totally from that of Dr. Bruno, it is fit that the reader should have
it in Mr. Millingen's own words:--
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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