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were miraculously discovered here, is, in the centre, covered with a rich cloth, and surrounded with a silver balustrade. Water is drawn from a sacred well in silver buckets. It is the place where the Grand Seignior is crowned, or rather girded, for in that the ceremony of his entering upon office, chiefly consists.

After the manner of those who have worn the sword from the days when Saul was made king over Israel, the Sultan has taken of the fields "even the best of them, for himself and for his servants." The seraglio, or the Sultan's private quarters, which includes an hundred and fifty acres, occupies the situation of the ancient Byzantium. It forms a lesser triangle at the vertex or angle of the city which projects into the water. You should understand however that this is to be distinguished from the harem, or women's quarters, and includes the mint, barracks for some thousand body guards, and other public buildings. You may judge of the number of its inmates, (some say there are ten thousand,) from the provision made for it in the time of Tournefort, which would compare with that furnished for the household of king Solomon. This was forty thousand cords of wood and forty thousand beeves, besides two hundred muttons daily, one hundred lambs or goats, ten veals, two hundred hens, two hundred pair of pullets and fifty green geese. The principal gate, or Ottoman Porte,* is on the land side, near the church of St. Sophia. Foreign ambassadors, when admitted to an audience of the Sultan, pass in by this gate, through several extensive courts quite to the seat of

* A different explanation of this term has been given by Thornton, who supposes that it refers to the Grand Vizier, as the door of communication between the Sultan and the rest of mankind.

majesty. If you have the curiosity to enter, you will find Tournefort, Dr. Clarke or Hobhouse, ready to conduct you.

CHAPTER XI.

THE SUBURBS AND VICINITY.

Principal quarters of the Rayahs-Galata-Tophana-Navy yard and prison-Pera-Scutari--The Bosphorus-Buyuk-dere—Valley of sweet waters-Belgrade-Aspect of the surrounding country-Fanar-Baktchesi-Princes' Islands-Population.

Constantinople, March 12, 1827.

CONTINUING Our survey of the city, let me now direct your attention to some other localities. The new Armenian quarter is about midway of the Marmora side, near the Yeni, or new gate. The former centre of these people, was, I believe, more in the direction of the castle of the Seven Towers. The Fanar, or principal Greek quarter, is on the harbor side, two thirds of the distance from the Seraglio point. Ballat-kui the Jewish quarter, is higher up the harbor than the Fanar. In Chas-kui and its vicinity, directly across the harbor, this people are perhaps still more numerous. They also inhabit several villages on the Bosphorus.

A little within the entrance of the harbor, on the north side over against the Seraglio, is the suburb of Galata. This is the seat of all the foreign commerce. Close by the shore, lie all the larger vessels, often with their bows projecting over the land. The small vessels of the country, discharge their cargoes on the

opposite side, just above the Seraglio. The chain which defended the harbor against the Turkish gallies, when the city was taken from the Greeks in 1453, was stretched across from Galata, to the Seraglio quarter. Mahomet however, possessed himself of it, by drawing his smaller gallies over land from the Bosphorus, behind the hill on which Galata, Pera and Tophana are situated, to the upper part of the golden horn. The wall by which Galata was then defended, still remains, and also the citadel or tower of Anastasius. You ascend this by about an hundred and fifty steps, to a small room at the top. It now serves for a watch tower, from whence the alarm of fire is given by beating a wooden drum. I have entered repeatedly, paying only a few paras for the prospect and a dish of coffee, which the keeper stands ready to prepare. Since the destruction of the Janissaries' tower on the opposite high ground of Constantinople, this affords the best view of the city.

Adjoining Galata on the north, as you begin to ascend the Bosphorus, is Tophana, or the cannon foundry, as it is commonly called. At present however, it is only an arsenal for cannon, the modern foundry being opposite the mosque of Ejoub, on the harbor, above Chas-kui. Between Galata and Chas-kui are the navy yard and Ters-hane, or arsenal. Here the Capudan Pasha or admiral, has his palace, and reigns almost supreme. During the absence of the fleet on service, you may always see here half a dozen ships of the line, no longer sea worthy. Ship-building is carried on here extensively, but the vessels are often launched along the Asiatic coast of the Black Sea, and afterwards floated down the Bosphorus, to be

fitted up at the navy yard. Within the walls of Tershane, is the prison of the bagnio. In this are hundreds of poor wretches confined for trifling offences, or some slight suspicion of the government, and not unfrequently at the request of the Jewish President or Armenian and Greek Patriarchs. Prisoners of war are usually shut up here. All the inmates are chained two and two, and employed in the most laborious services. Here, amidst all their sufferings from sickness, stripes and labor by day, our brethren, the Jewish Christians, still continue at midnight, to "pray and sing praises unto God."

On the hill above Tophana and Galata, and forming with them one continuous city, is Pera. A vast Turkish cemetery-one of the favorite walks of the people, occupies the side between it and the navy yard. In Pera, are the palaces of the Foreign Ambassadors, and the dwelling houses of most of the Frank merchants. Here and in Galata, all the Franks reside, with the exception of a few of lesser note in Tophana. An hundred years since, some of the Ambassadors had their palaces in Constantinople, but at present no Frank is suffered to remain there, or out of the curve of the Golden Horn.

Scutari, is the great Asiatic suburb. The population of this, and indeed a great part of the inhabitants of the Frank suburbs, are Turks intermingled with their three great classes of subjects. The strength of the current which sets from the Black Sea into the Marmora, at the rate of several miles an hour, increases the labor of communication between Europe and Asia. As you cross over, you pass a tower on a little island, not far from the Scutari point, which has

been called Leander's tower. It derives its appellation from an oriental story, bearing a slight resemblance to that of the lover of Abydos.

The Bosphorus on both of its sides, and especially the European, is for more than half of its extent, a constant succession, not merely of villages, but of dwellings. Just above Tophana is one of the light and airy summer palaces of the sultan. Others belonging to himself, his relatives and different officers of the court, are interspersed along the shore, among the dusky dwellings of his subjects. As you approach the Black Sea, the white washed castles and batteries take the places of these kiosks, and the shores become less populous.

Most of the foreign Ambassadors and merchants, have their summer residences at Buyuk-dere on the European side of the canal, twelve miles or two thirds of the distance from Constantinople to the Black Sea. The Russian ambassador has no palace in Pera, but stops with his chancellor there when he has occasion to be in town. The French and English ambassadors, with several of their respective countrymen, have latterly resided at Therapia, a village on the same side, just below Buyuk-dere.

The banks of the Bosphorus are high, with vineyards and gardens, often rising above the houses. But you want a more glowing pen than mine to describe its lovely scenery; or the surpassing beauty of the wide semi-circular city which seems to embosom you, on approaching its entrance from the Marmora, or the celebrated Turkish cemeteries without Scutari and Constantinople, and the Armenian burying ground on the borders of Pera. My object is to give you merely an outline of the picture, and leave it for others to add its rich and variegated coloring.

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