Goodisson, William: A historical and topographical essay upon the islands of Corfu, Leucadia, Cephalonia, Ithaka and Zante: with remarks upon the character manners and customs of the Ionian Greeks : descriptions of the scenery and remains of antiquity discovered therein, and reflections upon the Cyclopian ruins, illustrated by maps and sketches (London: Thomas and George Underwood, 1822)

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Between this island, (Scoglio di Vido, as it is usually
called,) and the town, there is good anchorage for
the largest ships. Towards the land side are chains
of outworks and forts extending from the city to the
lake Chalichiopolo. In addition to, and beyond
these, the French constructed strong lines, defended
by bastions and redoubts at intervals, with a deep
wet ditch extending from the suburb of Castrades
almost across the isthmus. In the construction of
this defence, they lost five hundred men from
sickness. Upon the whole, if the works were
properly repaired and garrisoned, Corfu might be
considered impregnable, should it ever become ne-
cessary to render it so.
The town is, in proportion to its size, one of
the meanest in construction of any in the Medi-
terranean. The streets are miserably dirty, narrow
lanes, which, upon the occupation of the place by
the British, were nearly impassable from the offal of
butchers’ stalls, and litter of the venders of vegetables,
who had been allowed to establish themselves pro-
miscuously throughout the town. There are but
two streets which might be considered habitable,
(besides that which fronts the esplanade,) by a
person used to the comfort and cleanliness of a well
regulated European town. These are parallel
with the two centre main streets, one at each side,
and in one is the church of St. Speridion. The
houses are built in the Venetian manner, the lower-
most story supporting the rest upon pilasters con-