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diff --git a/old/51879-0.txt b/old/51879-0.txt deleted file mode 100644 index ee06418..0000000 --- a/old/51879-0.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,11912 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg eBook, The City of the Sultan; and Domestic Manners -of the Turks, in 1836, Vol. II (of 2), by Miss (Julia) Pardoe - - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and most -other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions -whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of -the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at -www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you'll have -to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this ebook. - - - - -Title: The City of the Sultan; and Domestic Manners of the Turks, in 1836, Vol. II (of 2) - - -Author: Miss (Julia) Pardoe - - - -Release Date: April 29, 2016 [eBook #51879] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: UTF-8 - - -***START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE CITY OF THE SULTAN; AND -DOMESTIC MANNERS OF THE TURKS, IN 1836, VOL. II (OF 2)*** - - -E-text prepared by Julia Miller, Turgut Dincer, and the Online Distributed -Proofreading Team (http://www.pgdp.net) from page images generously made -available by Internet Archive/American Libraries -(https://archive.org/details/americana) - - - -Note: Project Gutenberg also has an HTML version of this - file which includes the original illustrations. - See 51879-h.htm or 51879-h.zip: - (http://www.gutenberg.org/files/51879/51879-h/51879-h.htm) - or - (http://www.gutenberg.org/files/51879/51879-h.zip) - - Images of the original pages are available through - Internet Archive/American Libraries. See - https://archive.org/details/cityofsultanandd02pardiala - - Project Gutenberg has the other volume of this work. - Volume I: see http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/51878 - - -Transcriber's note: - - Text enclosed by underscores is in italics (_italics_). - - A carat character is used to denote superscription. A - single character following the carat is superscripted - (example: G^t). Multiple superscripted characters are - enclosed by curly brackets (example: Lith^{rs}). - - The part of List of Illustrations in Vol. I. related - to Vol. II. is moved to Vol. II. for completenes and - consistency. - - - - - -THE CITY OF THE SULTAN; AND DOMESTIC MANNERS OF THE TURKS, IN 1836. - - -[Illustration: Miss Pardoe del. - -Day & Haghe Lith^{rs}. to the King. - -YÈRÈ BATAN SERAÏ - -_Henry Colburn 12 G^t. Marlborough St. 1837_] - - - - -THE CITY OF THE SULTAN; AND DOMESTIC MANNERS OF THE TURKS, IN 1836. - -by - -MISS PARDOE, - -Author of “Traits and Traditions of Portugal.” - - -[Illustration: TOWER OF GALATA.] - - -In Two Volumes. - -VOL. II. - - - - - - - -London: -Henry Colburn, Publisher, -Great Marlborough Street. -1837. - -London: -P. Shoberl, Jun., Leicester Street, Leicester Square. - - - - -CONTENTS OF THE SECOND VOLUME. - - - CHAPTER I. - - Departure for Broussa—Rocky Coast—Moudania—The Custom - House—Translation of the word _Backshich_—The Archbishop of - Broussa—The Boatman’s House—The Dead and the - Living—Laughable Cavalcade—Dense Mists—Fine - Country—Flowers, Birds, and Butterflies—The Coffee Hut—The - Turkish Woman—Broussa in the Distance—The Dried-up - Fountain—Immense Plains—Bohemian Gipsies—Mountain - Streams—Turkish Washerwomen—Fine Old Wall—The Jews’ - Quarter—The Turkish Kiosk—Oriental Curiosity—A Dream of - Home Page 1 - - - CHAPTER II. - - Ancient Gate—Greek Inscriptions—Mausoleum of Sultan - Orcan—Monkish Chronicle—The Turbedar Hanoum—Inverted - Columns—Painted Pillars—Splendid Marbles—Tombs of the - Imperial Family—The Greek Cross—The Sultan’s - Beard—Mausoleum of Sultan Ali Osman—Monastic Vaults—Ruined - Chapel—Remains of a Greek Palace—Bassi Relievi—Ruined - Fountains—Ancient Fosse—Dense Vegetation—Noble - Prospect—Roman Aqueduct—Valley of the Source—Picturesque - Groups—Coffee-Kiosks—Absence of Pretension among the - Turks—The Tale Teller—Traveller’s Khan—Sick Birds—Roman - Bridge—Armenian Mother 21 - - - CHAPTER III. - - Orientalism of Broussa—Costume of the Men—Plain - Women—Turbans and Yashmacs—Facility of Ingress to the - Mosques—Oulou Jamè—Polite Imam—Eastern Quasimodo—Ascent of - the Minaret—The Charshee—Travelling Hyperboles—Silk - Bazàr—Silk Merchants Khan—Fountains of Broussa—Broussa and - Lisbon—The Baths—Wild Flowers—Tzekerghè—Mosque of Sultan - Mourad—Madhouse—Court of the Mosque—Singular - Fountain—Mausoleum of Sultan Mourad—Golden Gate—Local - Legend—The Tomb-house—More Vandalism—Ancient - Turban—Comfortable Cemeteries—Subterranean Vault—Great - Bath—Hot Spring—Baths and Bathers—Miraculous - Baths—Armenian Doctress—Situation of Tzekerghè—Storks and - Tortoises—Turkish Cheltenham 38 - - - CHAPTER IV. - - Difficulty of Access to the Chapel of the Howling - Dervishes—Invitation to Visit their Harem—The Chapel—Sects - and Trades—Entrance of the Dervishes—Costume—The - Prayer—Turning Dervishes—Fanatical Suffering—Groans and - Howls—Difficulty of Description—Sectarian Ceremony—Music - versus Madness—Tekiè of the Turning Dervishes 60 - - - CHAPTER V. - - Loquacious Barber—Unthrifty Travellers—Mount Olympus—Early - Rising—Aspect of the Country at Dawn—Peasants and - Travellers—Fine View—Peculiarity of Oriental Cities—Stunted - Minarets—Plains and Precipices—Halting-Place—Difficulty of - Ascending the Mountain—Change of Scenery—Repast in the - Desart—Civil Guide—Appearance of the Mount—Snows and - Sunshine—Fatiguing Pilgrimage—Dense Mists—Intense - Cold—Flitting Landscape—The Chibouk—The Giant’s Grave—The - Roofless Hut—Lake of Appollonia—The Wilderness—Dangerous - Descent—Philosophic Guide—Storm among the Mountains—The - Guide at Fault—Happy Discovery—Tempest 72 - - - CHAPTER VI. - - The Armenian Quarter of Broussa—Catholics and - Schismatics—Armenian Church—Ugly Saints—Burial Place of the - Bishops—Cloisters—Public School—Mode of Rearing the Silk - Worms—Difference between the European and the Asiatic - Systems—Colour and Quantity of the Produce—Appearance of the - Mulberry Woods 90 - - - CHAPTER VII. - - The Cadi’s Wife—Singular Custom—Haïsè Hanoum—The - Odalique—The Cadi—Noisy Enjoyment—Lying in - State—Cachemires—Costume—Unbounded Hospitality of the - Wealthy Turks—The Dancing Girl—Saïryn Hanoum—Contrast 96 - - - CHAPTER VIII. - - Tzèkerghè—Bustling Departure—Turkish _Patois_—Waiting Maids - and Serving Men—Characteristic Cavalcade—Chapter of - Accidents—Train of Camels—Halt of the Caravan—Violent - Storm—Archbishop of Broussa—The Old - Palace—Reception-Room—Priestly Humility—Greek - Priests—Worldly and Monastic Clergy—Morals of the - Papas—Asiatic Pebbles—Moudania—Idleness of the - Inhabitants—Decay of the Town—Policy of the Turkish - Government—Departure for Constantinople 106 - - - CHAPTER IX. - - Death in the Revel—Marriage of the Princess Mihirmàh—The - Imperial Victim—The First Lover—Court Cabal—Policy of the - Seraskier—The Second Suitor—The Miniature—The Last - Gift—Interview between the Sultan and Mustapha Pasha 118 - - - CHAPTER X. - - Yenekeui—The Festival of Fire—Commemorative - Observance—Fondness of the Orientals for - Illumination—Frequency of Fires in Constantinople—Dangerous - Customs—Fire Guard—The Seraskier’s Tower—Disagreeable - Alarum—Namik Pasha—The Festival - Localized—Veronica—Bonfires—Therapia and - Buyukdèrè—Singular Effect of Light—The Armenian Heroine—A - Wild Dream 134 - - - CHAPTER XI. - - A Chapter on Caïques—The Sultan’s Barge—Princes and - Pashas—The Pasha’s Wife—The Admiralty Barge—The Fruit - Caïque—The Embassy Barge—The Omnibus Caïque—Turkish - Boatmen—The Caïque of Azmè Bey—Pleasant Memories—The - Chevalier Hassuna de Ghies—Natural Politeness of the - Turks—Turkey and Russia—Sultan Mahmoud—Confusion of - Tongues—Arif Bey—Imperial Present—The Fruit of - Constantinople—The Two Banners—The Harem—Azimè Hanoum 143 - - - CHAPTER XII. - - The Bosphorus in Summer—The Tower of Galata—Mosque of - Topphannè—Summer Palace of the Grand Vizier—Seraï of the - Princess Salihè—Seraïs and Salemliks—Palace of Azmè - Sultane—Turkish Music—Token Flowers—Palace of the Princess - Mihirmàh—The Hill of the Thousand Nightingales—Turkish, - Greek, and Armenian Houses—Cleanliness of the Orientals—The - Armenians—Cemetery of Isari—The Castle of Europe—Mahomet - and the Greeks—Village of Mirgheun—The Haunted Chapel of St. - Nicholas—Palace of Prince Calimachi—Imperial Jealousy—Death - of Calimachi—The Bosphorus by Moonlight—Love of the - Orientals for Flowers—Depth of the Channel—An Imperial - Brig—Turkish Justice—Fortunes of the Turkish Fleet—Sudden - Transitions—Influence of Russian Sophistry—The Sultan’s - Physicians—Naval Appointments—Rigid Discipline—The Penalty - of Disobedience—The Death Banquet—Tahir Pasha—Radical - Remedy—Vice of the Turkish System of Government—Unkiar - Skelessi—A Mill and a Manufactory—Pic Nics—Arabian - Encampment—Bedouin Beauty—Poetical Locality 158 - - - CHAPTER XIII. - - Facts and Fictions—Female Execution at Constantinople—Crime - of the Condemned—Tale of the Merchant’s Wife—The Call to - Prayer—The Discovery—The Mother and Son—The - Hiding-Place—The Capture—The Trial—A Night Scene in the - Harem—The Morrow—Mercifulness of the Turks towards their - Women 183 - - - CHAPTER XIV. - - Political Position of the Turks—Religion of the - Osmanlis—Absence of Vice among the Lower Orders—Defect of - Turkish Character—European Supineness—Policy of - Russia—England and France—A Turkish Comment on England—The - Government and the People—Common Virtue—Great Men—Turks of - the Provinces—European Misconceptions 198 - - - CHAPTER XV. - - Death in a Princely Harem—The Fair Georgian—Distinction of - Circassian and Georgian Beauty—The Saloon—Sentiment of the - Harem—Courteous Reception—Domestic Economy of the - Establishment—The Young Circassian—Emin Bey—Singular Custom - of the Turks—The Buyuk Hanoum—The Female Dwarf—_Naïveté_ of - the Turkish Ladies—The Forbidden Door—The Sultan’s - Chamber—The Female Renegade—Penalty of Apostacy—Musical - Ceremony—Frank Ladies and True Believers—A Turkish - Luncheon—Devlehäi Hanoum—Old Wives _versus_ Young Ones—The - Parting Gift—The Araba—The Public Walk—Fondness of the - Orientals for Fine Scenery—The Oak Wood 211 - - - CHAPTER XVI. - - Military Festival—Turkish Ladies—Female Curiosity—Eastern - Coquetry—A Few Words on the Turkish _Fèz_—The Imperial Horse - Guards—Disaffection of the Imperial Guard—False Alarms—The - Procession—The Troops at Pera—Imitative Talent of the - Turks—Disappointment 231 - - - CHAPTER XVII. - - Turkish Ladies “At Home”—The Asiatic Sweet Waters—Holy - Ground—The Glen of the Valley—Hand Mirrors—Holyday - Groups—Courtesy of the Oriental Females to Strangers—The - Beautiful Devotee—The Pasha’s Wife—A Guard of Honour—Change - of Scene—Fortress of Mahomet—Amiability of the Turkish - Character 242 - - - CHAPTER XVIII. - - The Reiss Effendi—Devlehäi Hanoum—The Fair Circassian—The - Pasha—Ceremonious Observances of the Harem—An - Interview—Namik Pasha _versus_ Nourri Effendi—Imperial - Decorations—The Diploma—Turkish Gallantry—The Chibouks—The - Salemliek—The Garden—Holy Horror—The Kiosk—The - Breakfast—A Party in the Harem—Nèsibè Hanoum—The - Yashmac—The Masquerade—Turkish Compliments—The Slave and - the Fruit Merchant—Departure from the Palace 262 - - - CHAPTER XIX. - - Imperial Gratitude—The Freed Woman—A Female - Cœlebs—Hussein the Watchmaker—Golden Dreams—Arabas and - Arabajhes—Maternal Regrets—A Matrimonial - Excursion—Difficult Position—The _Sèkèljhes_—A Young - Husband—The Emir—The Officer of the Guard—The Emir’s - Daughter—First Love—Ballad Singing—A - Salutation—Moonlight—Rejected Addresses—Ruse de Guerre—The - Arrest—A Lover’s Defence—Munificence of the Seraskier Pasha 278 - - - CHAPTER XX. - - Turkish Madhouses—Surveillance of Sultan - Mahmoud—Self-Elected Saints—Lunatic Establishment of - Solimaniè—The Mad Father—The Apostate—The Sultan’s - Juggler—Slave Market—Charshee 293 - - - CHAPTER XXI. - - The Castle of Europe—The Traitor’s Gate—The Officer of the - Guard—Military Scruples—The State Prison—The Tower of - Blood—The Janissaries’ Tower—_Cachots - Forcès_—Guard-room—The Bow-string—Frightful Death—The - Signal Gun—The Grand Armoury—Flourishing State of the - Establishment—A Dialogue—The Barracks of the Imperial - Guard—The Persian Kiosk—Courts and Cloisters—The - Kitchen—The Regimental School—A Coming Storm—The - Tempest—Dangerous Passage—Turkish Terror—Kind-hearted - Caïquejhe—Fortunate Escape 302 - - - CHAPTER XXII. - - The Plague—Spread of the Pestilence—The Greek - Victim—Self-Devotion—Death of the Plague Smitten—The - Widow’s Walk—Plague Encampments—The Infected Family—The - Greek Girl and her Lover—Non-Conductors—Plague - Perpetuators—Vultures—Melancholy Concomitants of the - Pestilence—Carelessness of the Turks—The Pasha of - Broussa—Rashness of the Poorer Classes—Universality of the - Disease in the Capital 317 - - - CHAPTER XXIII. - - A Greek Marriage—The Day before the Bridal—The Wedding - Garments—Cachemires—Ceremony of Reception—The Golden - Tresses—Early Hours of the Greek Church—Love of the Greek - Women for Finery—The Bridal Procession—The Marriage—The - Nuptial Crowns—Greek Funerals 338 - - - CHAPTER XXIV. - - The Fèz Manufactory—Singular Scene—A Turk at Prayers—Pretty - Girls—Progress of Turkish Industry—Mustapha Effendi—Process - of Manufactures—Omer Effendi and the Arabs—Avanis Aga, the - Armenian—The Fraud Discovered—The Imperial - Apartments—Departure for the Seraï-Bournou—The Outer - Court—The Orta Kapoussi—The Pestle and Mortar of the - Ulémas—The Garden of Delight—The Column of - Theodosius—Arrival of the Sultan—Ancient Greek - Inscriptions—Confused Impression—The Diamond—Memories of - Sultan Selim 348 - - - CHAPTER XXV. - - Social Condition of the Eastern Jews—Parallel between the - Jews of Europe and the Levant—Cruelty of the Turkish Children - to Jews—A Singular Custom—Religious Strictness of the - Jews—National Administration—The House of Naim Zornana of - Galata—Costume of the Jewish Women—Hebrew Hospitality 361 - - - CHAPTER XXVI. - - Hospitality of the Armenians—An Impromptu Visit—The - Bride—Costly Costume—Turkish Taste—Kind Reception—Domestic - Etiquette of the Schismatic Armenians—Armenian Sarafs—The - National Characteristics 373 - - - CHAPTER XXVII. - - Season-Changes at Constantinople—Twilight—The Palace - Garden—Mariaritza, the Athenian—A Love-tale by - Moonlight—The Greek Girl’s Song—The Palace of - Beglierbey—Interior Decorations—The Bath—The Terraces—The - Lake of the Swans—The Air Bath—The Emperor’s Vase—The - Gilded Kiosk—A Disappointment 384 - - - CHAPTER XXVIII. - - The Bosphorus in Mist—The Ferdinando - Primo—Embarkation—Tardy Passengers—The Black Sea—The - Turkish Woman—Varna—Visit to the Pasha—Rustem Bey—Mustapha - Najib Pasha—Turkish Gallantry—The Lines—Sunset - Landscape—Bulgarian Colonies—Discomforts of a Deck Passage 402 - - - CHAPTER XXIX. - - The Danube—Cossack Guard—Moldavian - Musquitoes—Tultzin—Galatz—Plague-Conductors—Prussian - Officer—Excursion to Silistria—Amateur Boatmen—Wretched - Hamlet—The Lame Baron—The Salute—Silistrian Peasants—A - Pic-Nic in the Wilds—The Tortoise—Canoes of the Danube—The - Moldavian State-Barge—Picturesque Boatmen—The Water - Party—Painful Politeness—Visit of the Hospodar—Suite of His - Highness—Princely Panic—The Pannonia 414 - - - CHAPTER XXX. - - Hirsova—Russian Relics—Town of Silistria—Bravery of the - Turks—Village of Turtuki—Group of Pelicans—Glorious - Sunset—Ruschuk—Cheapness of Provisions—The Wallachian - Coast—Bulgaria—Dense Fog—Orava—Roman Bath—Green - Frogs—Widdin—Kalifet—Scala Glavoda—Custom House - Officers—Disembarkation—Wallachian Mountains—A Landscape - Sketch—Costume of the Servian Peasantry—The Village - Belle—Primitive Carriages—The Porte de Fer—The - Crucifix—Magnificent Scenery—Fine Ores 427 - - - CHAPTER XXXI. - - Orsova—Castle of the Pass—Turkish Guard—Quarantaine - Ground—Village of Tekia—Awkward Mistake—Pretty Woman—Gay - Dress—A Visiter—Servian Cottagers—A Discovery—Departure—A - Volunteer—Receiving House—A Forced March—The - Grave-Yard—The Quarantaine—A Welcome to Captivity—A Verbal - Coinage—Pleasant Quarters—M. le Directeur—The - Restaurant—Pleasant Announcement—Paternal Care of the - Austrian Authorities—The Health-Inventory—The Guardsman’s - Sword—Medical Visits—Intellectual Amusements—A Friendly - Warning 443 - - - CHAPTER XXXII. - - The Last Day of Captivity—Quarantaine Enclosure—Baths of - Mahadia—Landscape Scenery—Peasantry of Hungary—Their - Costume—Trajan’s Road—Hungarian Village—The Mountain - Pass—The Baths—A Disappointment—The - Health-Inventory—Inland Journey—New Road 458 - - - CHAPTER XXXIII. - - Departure from Orsova—Daybreak—The Mountain-pass—Village of - Plauwischewitza—Austrian Engineers—Literary Popularity—The - Rapids—Sunday in Hungary—Drinkova—Holy day - Groups—Alibec—Voilovitch—Panchova—River-Shoals—Wild - Fowl—Semlin—Fortress of Belgrade—Streets of Semlin—Greek - Church—Castle of Hunyady—Imperial Barge—Agreeable - Escort—Yusuf Pacha—Belgrade—Prince - Milosch—Plague-Preventers—General Milosch—Servian - Ladies—Turk-Town—Ruined Dwellings—The Fortress—Osman - Bey—Gate of the Tower—Fearless Tower—Rapid Decay of the - Fortifications—Sclavonian Garden—Vintage-Feast—Sclavonian - Vintage-Song 471 - - - CHAPTER XXXIV. - - Carlowitz—Peterwarradin—Bridge of Boats—Neusatz—The - Journey of Life—The Chevalier Peitrich—Austrian - Officers—The Hungarian Poet—Illok—The Ancient Surnium—Peel - Tower—Intense Cold—Flat - Shores—Mohasch—Földvar—Pesth—German Postillion—A Few Last - Words 492 - - -ILLUSTRATIONS. - - PAGE - - Yèrè Batan Seraï _Frontispiece._ - - Tower of Galata _Vignette Title-page._ - - Ruins of the Imperial Palace 28 - - Roman Bridge at Broussa 36 - - Roof of Oulou Jamè from the Garden of the Greek Church 40 - - Turkish Mausoleum 53 - - The Seraglio Point 159 - - Part of the Valley of Guiuk-Suy 244 - - Castle of Mahomet 256 - - Column of Theodosius 358 - - View near Fanaraki, in Asia 406 - - -THE CITY OF THE SULTAN. - - - - -CHAPTER I. - - - Departure for Broussa—Rocky Coast—Moudania—The Custom - House—Translation of the word _Backshich_—The Archbishop of - Broussa—The Boatman’s House—The Dead and the - Living—Laughable Cavalcade—Dense Mists—Fine - Country—Flowers, Birds, and Butterflies—The Coffee Hut—The - Turkish Woman—Broussa in the Distance—The Dried-up - Fountain—Immense Plains—Bohemian Gipsies—Mountain - Streams—Turkish Washerwomen—Fine Old Wall—The Jews’ - Quarter—The Turkish Kiosk—Oriental Curiosity—A Dream of - Home. - -Having decided on visiting Broussa, we hired an island caïque with four -stout rowers, and provided ourselves with plenty of coats and cloaks, a -basket of provisions, and a few volumes of French classics; and thus we -set sail from the Golden Horn on the last day of May, leaving Stamboul -all splendour and sunshine. - -A brisk northerly wind carried us rapidly out into the Propontis; all -sails were set; my father and myself comfortably established among “the -wraps,” our Greek servant ensconced between two baskets, the steersman -squatted upon the poop of the boat grinning applause, and revealing in -his satisfaction a set of teeth as white as ivory; and, ere long, -excepting this last, our attendant, and myself, every soul on board was -asleep. - -In less than two hours, Stamboul had vanished like a vision, and could -only be traced by the line of heavy mist which skirted the horizon. The -coast of Asia Minor was darkening as we advanced, wearing the dense -drapery of vapour woven by the excessive heat—the mountain chain, -fantastic in outline, stretched far as the eye could reach, and we had -already left behind us the two quaint rocks which form so peculiar an -object from the heights above Constantinople. But here the wind failed -us altogether; the slumbering caïquejhes were awakened, the oars were -plied, and we moved over the Sea of Marmora, of which I had such -horrible memories, from the night of pain and peril that I had passed -upon it on my way to Turkey, as though we had been traversing a lake. - -Twilight darkened over us thus; and then a light breeze tempted us again -to set the sails, and we glided along smoothly, skirting the rocky coast -until we reached the point opposite Broussa; which, sloping rapidly -downwards to the beach, suddenly revealed to us the glorious moon, that -was rising broad and red immediately on our track, and tracing a line -of light along the ripple which gleamed like gold. - -After having sated myself with the bright moon, the myriad stars, and -the mysterious mountains, at whose base the waves had hollowed caverns, -through which they dashed with a noise like thunder, and once or twice -almost deluded me into a belief that I could distinguish the sound of -human voices issuing from their depths, I at length yielded to the -excessive fatigue that overpowered me; and, wrapping myself closely in -my mantle, I stretched myself along the bottom of the caïque, and did -not again awaken until the boatmen announced our arrival at Moudania. - -It was an hour past midnight, and not a sound came to us from the town. -A score of Arabian barks were anchored off the shore, whose seaward -houses overhang the water; the white minarets of the mosques were in -strong relief upon the tall, dark, thickly-wooded mountains which rose -immediately behind them, and whence the song of the nightingales swept -sweetly and sadly over the ripple; and had we not been drenched with the -heavy dew that had fallen during the night, I should have been quite -satisfied to remain until daylight in the caïque, which soon entered a -little creek in the centre of the town. - -But, previously to casting anchor, we were obliged to pull considerably -higher up the gulf in order to show ourselves at the Custom House, and -to exhibit our Teskarè, or Turkish passport, as well as to submit our -two travelling portmanteaux, and our provision-hamper, to the inspection -of the examining officer. After a vast deal of knocking and calling, an -individual was at length awakened, who came yawning into the caïque with -a paper-lantern in his hand, and his eyes only half open; and who, after -looking drowsily about him, murmured out “_backschish_,” and prepared to -depart; upon which a few piastres were given to him, and he returned on -shore. - -The word backshich is the first of which a traveller learns the meaning -in Turkey; it signifies fee, or present. The Pasha receives backshich -for procuring a place or a pension for some petitioner; then, of course, -it is a present, and precisely as unwelcome as it is unexpected: the boy -who picks up your glove or your whip, as you ride along the street, -demands backshich—he must be fee’d for his civility. Nothing is to be -done in the country without backshich. - -On entering the creek we despatched the servant and one of the -caïquejhes to the house of the Greek Archbishop of Broussa, to whom we -had brought a letter, and who had removed to the coast for the benefit -of sea-bathing; but his Holiness was from home, and there was -consequently no ingress for us. In this dilemma, for hotels there are -none, we had no alternative but to accept for a few hours the -hospitality of one of the boatmen, until we could procure horses to -carry us on to Broussa; and we consequently made our debût in Asia Minor -in an apartment up two flights of rickety stairs, walled with mud, and -shivering under our footsteps. But it suffices to state that the -caïquejhe was a Greek, for it to be understood at once by every Eastern -traveller that the house was cleanly to perfection; and our reception by -the hostess, even at that untoward hour, courteous and attentive. - -Before the servant had brought the luggage up stairs, my father, worn -out by fatigue, was sound asleep upon the divan; and, when the attendant -had withdrawn, I also gladly prepared myself for the enjoyment of a few -hours’ repose; and, casting off my shoes, and winding a shawl about my -head, I took possession of the opposite side of the sofa, and should -soon have followed his example, when I was aroused by the light foot of -the caïquejhe’s wife in the apartment, who, opening a small chest, cast -over me a sheet and coverlet as white as snow, and then retired as -quietly as she came. - -But that sheet and coverlet changed the whole tide of my feelings—the -chest in which they had been kept was of cypress wood—they were -strongly impregnated with its odour—I was exhausted by fatigue and -excitement—and a thousand visions of death and the grave came over me -in the half dreamy state in which I lay, that by no means added to my -comfort. - -With a morbidity of imagination to which I am unhappily subject, I -followed up at length one fantastic and gloomy image, until I began to -believe myself in a state of semi-existence, habiting with the dead; but -the delusion was brief, for I was soon as disagreeably convinced that my -affair was at present altogether with the living. I had been warned that -Broussa was as celebrated for its bugs as for its baths, but I had never -contemplated such martyrdom at Moudania! I sprang from the sofa, shook -my habit with all my strength, and then, folding my fur pelisse for a -pillow, I stretched myself on the carpet, and left the luxuries of the -cushioned divan to my father; who, fortunately for him, proved to be a -sounder sleeper than myself. - -At five o’clock, the horses came to the door; and after partaking -sparingly of the provisions which we had brought with us, we drank a cup -of excellent coffee, prepared by our hostess, and descended to the -street; where my European saddle, by no means a common sight at -Moudania, had collected a crowd of idlers. - -Had Cruikshank been by when we started, we should assuredly not have -escaped his pungent pencil. My father led the van, mounted on a -high-peaked country saddle, with a saddle-cloth of tarnished embroidery, -and a pair of shovel stirrups; I followed, perched above a coarse -woollen blanket, with my habit tucked up to preserve it from the stream -of filth that was sluggishly making its way through the street; after me -came our Greek servant, sitting upon a pile of cloaks and great coats, -holding his pipe in one hand, and his umbrella in the other; and he was -succeeded in his turn by the serudjhe who had charge of our luggage, and -who rode between the portmanteaux, balancing the provision basket before -him, dressed in a huge black turban, ample drawers of white cotton, and -a vest of Broussa silk. The procession was completed by three attendants -on foot, the owners of the horses; and thus we defiled through the -narrow and dirty streets of Moudania, on our way to the ancient capital -of the Ottoman Empire. - -For a time the mists were so dense that, although we had the sea-sand -beneath the hoofs of our horses, we could not distinguish the water; -and, as we turned suddenly to the right, and traversed a vineyard all -alive with labourers, the vapours were rolling off the sides of the -hills immediately in front of us. Feathered even to their summits with -trees, they appeared to rest against the thick folds of heavy white mist -in which they had been enveloped during the night, and presented the -most fantastic shapes. I never traversed a more lovely country; -vineyards were succeeded by mulberry plantations and olive groves, -gardens of cucumber plants, beet-root, and melons, stretches of rich -corn land, and immense plains, hemmed in by gigantic mountains, of which -the unredeemed portions were a perfect garden. - -I have spoken, in my little work on Portugal, of the beauty of the wild -flowers in that country, but I found that those of Asia even transcended -them. Delicate flowing shrubs, herbs of delicious perfume, and blossoms -of every dye, were about our path: the bright lilac-coloured gum-cistus, -with a drop of gold in its centre—the snowy privet, with its scented -cone—the wild hollyhock—the bindweed, as transparent and as variously -coloured as in an European parterre—the mallow, with its pale petals of -pink and white—the turquoise, as blue as a summer sky, and as large as -a field-daisy—the foxglove, springing from amid the rocky masses by the -wayside, like virtue struggling with adversity, and seeming doubly -beautiful from the contrast; the bright yellow blossom which owes to its -constantly vibrating petals the vulgar name of “woman’s tongue”—the -sweet-scented purple starch-flower—wild roses, woodbine, and, above -all, the passion-flower, somewhat smaller than that cultivated in -Europe, but retaining perfectly its pale tints and graceful character, -were mingled with a thousand others that were new to me. - -Upon one spot on this plain I saw the richest clump of vegetation that I -ever met with in my life, it was a small mound near the road-side, -covered with dwarf aloes and arum; I made one of the seridjhes tear up a -plant of the latter for me to examine, and it was perfectly gigantic; -the blossom measured eighteen inches from the base of the calyx to the -extremity of the petal; the colour was a deep, rich ruby, and the stem -was five or six feet in height. I need scarcely add that the stench -which it emitted was intolerable, and we were obliged to rub our hands -with wild chamomile to rid ourselves of it. - -The butterflies were small, sober-coloured, and scarce; but the birds -which surrounded us were various and interesting—the bulfinch, the -elegant black-cap, the nightingale, making the air vocal; and the -cuckoo, whose sharp, quick note cut shrilly through the sweet song with -which it could not assimilate—the skylark, revelling in light, and -drinking in the sunshine—the partridge, half hidden amid the corn, or -winging its way along the valley, kept us constant company; while the -majestic storks sailed over our heads, with their long thin legs folded -back, and their long thin necks stretched forward, steering themselves -by their feet; or remained, gravely standing near the road-side, eyeing -us as we passed with all the confidence of impunity. - -After rising a tolerably steep hill, we descended into a plain of vast -extent, through which brawled a rapid river crossed by a bridge of -considerable span, wherein a herd of buffaloes were cooling themselves; -some lying on their sides wallowing in the mud, and others standing up -to their noses in water, and defying the fierce beams of a sun under -which we were almost fainting. As I pulled up for an instant to observe -them, a kingfisher darted from a clump of underwood overhanging the -bank, glittering in the light, and looking as though it had pilfered the -rainbow. - -Having passed the plain, we again descended, and stopped mid-way of the -mountain before a little hut of withered boughs, tenanted by a -superb-looking Turk, who dispensed coffee and pipes to travellers; -beside the hut a handsome fountain of white granite poured forth a -copious stream of sparkling rock water: and on the other side of the -road a very fine walnut tree overshadowed a bank covered with grass. -Upon this bank the servant spread our mat; and, having removed the large -flapping hats of leg-horn which we wore, we revelled in the dense shade -and refreshing coolness; nor were we the only individuals to whom they -had proved welcome, for a portion of the space was already occupied by a -Turkish woman, whose husband was in the coffee-hut, and who accepted -readily a part of our luncheon, although she could not partake of it -with us, the presence of my father preventing the removal of her -yashmac. I felt glad that she received the offer in the spirit in which -it was made, for the Turks are so universally hospitable that my -obligations to them on this score are weighty; and, singularly enough, -this was the first occasion on which I had ever had an opportunity of -returning the compliment. - -We lingered on this sweet spot nearly an hour, and then, continuing our -descent, and crossing a little stream at its foot, we clomb a lofty -mountain, whence we looked down upon a scene of surpassing beauty. -Before us towered a chain of rocks, whose peaks were clothed with snow; -and beneath us spread a valley dotted with mulberry and walnut trees, -green with corn and vineyards, and gay with scattered villages. At the -base of the highest mountain lay Broussa, and even in the distance we -could distinguish the gleaming out of the white buildings from among the -dense foliage which embosomed them. - -From this point a new feature of beauty was added to the landscape: -fountains rose on all sides, the overflowing of whose basins had -frequently worn a deep channel across the road, where the waters rushed -glittering and brawling along. With the form of one of these fountains I -was particularly struck; it was evidently of considerable antiquity, and -was overshadowed by a majestic lime-tree, whose long branches stretched -far across the road; but its source was dried, and it was rapidly -falling to decay. - -I hesitated for an instant whether I should sketch the fountain, or -again lend to it for an instant the voice that it had lost. I decided on -the latter alternative—and, seating myself upon the edge of the basin, -I hastily scratched the following stanzas in my note-book. - - - THE DRIED-UP FOUNTAIN. - - The emblem of a heart o’er-tried, - I stand amid the waste; - My sparkling source has long been dried; - And the worn pilgrim, to whose ear - My gushing stream was once so dear, - Passes me by in haste. - - No wild bird dips its weary wing - In my pure waters now; - No blushing flowers in beauty spring, - Fed by the gentle dews, that erst - Taught each fair blossom how to burst - With a yet brighter glow. - - The nightingale responds no more - Since my glad sound was hushed, - As she was wont to do of yore, - To the continuous flow, which oft, - When leaves were rife, and winds were soft, - Like her own music gushed. - - Still wave the lime-boughs, whose sweet shade - Was o’er my waters cast, - When high in Heaven the sunbeams played; - But o’er my dried-up basin now - Vainly is spread each leafy bough; - It but recalls the past— - - And thus the human heart no less, - In its young ardent years, - Pours forth its gushing tenderness - Freely, as though time could not fling - A gloom around each lovely thing, - And turn its smiles to tears. - - And thus, like me, it too must prove - How soon the spell goes by; - How falsehood follows fast on love, - Treachery on trust, and guile on truth; - Until the heart, so full in youth, - In age is waste and dry. - - Worn heart, and dried-up fount—for ye - The world is fair in vain; - Birds sing, boughs wave, and winds are free; - But song, nor shade, nor breath, can more - Your joyful gush of life restore— - It will not flow again! - -A great stretch of road, after we had passed the exhausted fountain, -traversed another of those immense plains for which this part of the -country is celebrated. No monotony, however, renders them irksome to the -traveller; on the contrary, they are characteristic and various in the -extreme. Gigantic walnut trees, laden with fruit; fig trees, almost -bending beneath their own produce; little wildernesses of gum cistus, -carpeting the earth with their petals; woods of mulberry trees; -stretches of dwarf oak, with here and there timber of larger size -overtopping them; grass land, gay with tents, pitched for the -accommodation of those who guard the droves of horses grazing in their -vicinity; camels browzing on the young shoots of the forest trees; herds -of buffaloes, with their flat and crescent-shaped horns folding -backward, and their coarse and scantily-covered hides caked with the mud -in which they have been wallowing; and flocks of goats as wild and as -agile as the chamois, keep the eye and the imagination alike employed. - -Now and then a native traveller, mounted on his high-peaked saddle, with -a brace of silver-mounted pistols and a yataghan peeping from amid the -folds of the shawl that binds his waist; his ample turban descending low -upon his brow, and his yellow boots resting upon a pair of shovel -stirrups; his velvet jacket slung at his back, and the long pendent -sleeves of his striped silk robe hanging to his bridle-rein, passes you -by. His horse is, nine times out of ten, scarcely one remove from a -pony, but it can go like the wind; and, as it tosses its well-formed -head, expands its eager nostril, and scours along with its long tail -streaming in the wind, you are immediately reminded that both the animal -and his rider are, although remotely, of Tartar origin. Of course, the -horse has his charm against the Evil Eye, as well as his master; and, -moreover, perhaps, his brow-band, or breeching, prettily embroidered -with small cowries, and his saddle-cloth gay with the tarnished glories -of past splendour. - -At times you are met by a party of Greek serudjhes returning to Moudania -with a band of hired horses, which, although they have probably tired -the patience and wearied the whip of their strange riders, are now -racing along amid the shouts and laughter of their owners, as though -they were engaged in a steeple-chase. A cloud of dust in the distance -heralds the approach of a train of rudely-shaped waggons, frequently -formed of wicker-work, drawn by oxen or buffaloes, and generally laden -with tobacco; while, nearer the city, gangs of donkeys, carrying -neatly-packed piles of mulberry boughs for the use of the silk-worms, -which form the staple trade of the neighbourhood, complete the moving -picture. - -The river which traverses the plain is spanned by a bridge of five -beautifully-formed arches. When we passed, it was so shrunken that an -active leaper might have cleared it at a bound; but the current was -frightfully rapid, and the channel, heaped with flints and sand, had -evidently been insufficient to contain its volume during the winter, as -the land, for a wide space on either side, bore traces of having been -flooded. - -On the edge of the plain stands the fountain of Adzim Tzèsmèssi, -overshadowed by three fine maple trees, and in itself exceedingly -picturesque. A rudely-constructed kiosk, raised a couple of steps from -the ground, and surrounded by seats, protects the small basin of granite -into which the water rises, and whence it afterwards escapes by pipes -into two exterior reservoirs: that which is shaded by the maples being -reserved for the use of travellers, and the other for the supply of -cattle. - -Here, of course, we found a caféjhe, surrounded by a group of smokers; -and procured some excellent coffee and cherries. - -During our halt, a party of Bohemian gipsies, on their way to the coast, -stopped to refresh themselves and their donkeys at the mountain spring; -they were about thirty in number, and the men were remarkably tall and -well-looking, but formidable enough, with their pistols and yataghans -peeping from their girdles; they had two or three sickly, weary children -in their train, who appeared half dead with heat and toil; and half a -dozen withered old women, who might have sat for the originals of -Macbeth’s witches, they were so “grim and grisly;” but there was one -female among them, a dark-eyed, rosy-lipped maiden of sixteen, or -thereabouts, who was the perfection of loveliness. For a while she stood -apart, but, as the rest of the tribe, attracted by my riding-dress, -clustered about me, and assailed me by questions to which I was utterly -unable to reply, she at length took courage and joined the party. As her -wild and timid glance wandered from me to her companions, I found that -it invariably rested upon one individual, and I had little difficulty in -filling up the romance suggested by her earnest looks. Nor was I -deceived; for when the tribe moved away, the bridle of her donkey was -held by the tall, sunburnt youth to whom she had attracted my attention; -and as they passed the stream, he did not relinquish it though he trod -knee-deep in water, when he might have traversed the little bridge -without wetting the soles of his feet; but in recompense of his -devotion, he feasted, as he went, on the smiles of his fair mistress, -and the cherries which I had poured into her lap. After their departure, -I made a hasty sketch of the fountain, and then quitted with reluctance -a spot so redolent of beauty. - -The plain at this point appeared to be set in one uninterrupted -frame-work of mountains—the river ran shimmering and sparkling through -its centre—the mulberry and walnut trees were scattered thickly over -its entire surface—the clouds, as they flitted by, created a thousand -beautiful varieties of light and shade; and the soft wind that sighed -through the maple leaves almost made me forget my fatigue. - -What rills of water we passed through after we left the plain! Every -quarter of a mile we encountered a fountain; and for upwards of a league -we rode through the heart of a mulberry plantation, fringed with noble -walnut trees. At some of the fountains, groups of women were washing; -and it was amusing to see them hastily huddling on their yashmacs as -they remarked the approach of our party. In many cases, the water which -escaped from the basins provided for it, ran rippling along the road, -and covering the whole surface for a considerable distance, ere it -buried itself among the long grass that skirted the plantation. The -mulberry wood was succeeded by gardens; and the rich, rank vegetation -reminded me strongly of Portugal, than which I never saw any country -more similar. - -At a short distance from Broussa, a fine old wall, based on the living -rock, rose in its stern hoary decay immediately before our path; -clusters of mouldering towers, half overgrown with parasites, from among -which gleamed out the modern and many-gabled palace of some Turkish -noble, all apparently growing out of its grey remains, varied the -outline; nor did we lose sight of them until, on reaching the gate of -the city, we turned sharply to the right, in order to escape the Jews’ -quarter; and, on arriving in that appropriated to the Greeks, took -possession of a furnished house, which had been prepared for us by the -polite attention of Mr. Z——, an Armenian merchant, to whom we had a -letter: when, on approaching the window, I found that the view was -bounded by the same old wall, crowned by a charming kiosk, with its -trelliced terrace and domed temple, overhung with roses; while the rock, -and even the wall itself, were thickly covered with wild vines, trailing -their long branches like garlands; flowering rock-plants in abundance, -and white jessamine and other parasites, rooted in the garden above, and -mingling their blossoms with those which Nature alone had planted. - -A stately Turk was seated at the open window of the kiosk, smoking his -chibouk, and attended by his pipe-bearer; who, when he had satisfied his -own curiosity, slowly withdrew, and was shortly replaced by a female, -closely veiled, and followed by a couple of slaves. I fell asleep on -the sofa without obtaining a glimpse of her face; and, on awaking, found -that she had departed in her turn, and that a party of solemn-looking -Musselmauns had established themselves in the temple from which they -could overlook the whole of our apartment, where they were smoking, and -drinking large goblets of water. - -I do not know when the party broke up, as I retreated to the other side -of the house, and took possession of a room whose windows looked into a -court enclosed by high walls painted in fresco, and containing two -pretty fountains, whose ceaseless murmurings soon lulled me once more to -sleep. A fine lime tree threw its shade far into the apartment—a female -voice was singing in the distance—and as I cast myself on the divan, -and closed my eyes, a feeling of luxury crept over me which influenced -my dreams.—— - -No wonder that my visions were of home, and of the best of mothers!—I -was in her arms—on her heart. - -My first hour’s dream at Broussa was worth a waking day! - - - - -CHAPTER II. - - - Ancient Gate—Greek Inscriptions—Mausoleum of Sultan - Orcan—Monkish Chronicle—The Turbedar Hanoum—Inverted - Columns—Painted Pillars—Splendid Marbles—Tombs of the - Imperial Family—The Greek Cross—The Sultan’s Beard—Mausoleum - of Sultan Ali Osman—Monastic Vaults—Ruined Chapel—Remains of - a Greek Palace—Bassi Relievi—Ruined Fountains—Ancient - Fosse—Dense Vegetation—Noble Prospect—Roman Aqueduct—Valley - of the Source—Picturesque Groups—Coffee-Kiosks—Absence of - Pretension among the Turks—The Tale Teller—Traveller’s - Khan—Sick Birds—Roman Bridge—Armenian Mother. - - -At an early hour on the following morning we started, accompanied by a -guide, and our own servant who acted as Dragoman, to visit such objects -of interest as might exist in the immediate vicinity of the city; and -after climbing the hill on which the ancient wall is based, and passing -through a fine old gate, in whose neighbourhood we remarked several -Greek inscriptions that had apparently been displaced at the capture of -the city, as one or two of them are inverted, we found ourselves in -front of the Mausoleum of Sultan Orcan. - -This sovereign, who was the son of Othman, the first Turkish Emperor, -took Broussa, (which was at the time the capital of Bithinia) in the -year 1350; and, according to an old monkish chronicle which I consulted -on the spot, “He found three towers filled with the treasures of these -kings, which they had been amassing from the first building of the city; -gold and silver in ingots and in coins; pearls and jewels, among which -were twelve precious stones unique in value; furniture and dresses -wrought in gold and silver; crowns of great price filled with gold and -pearls; saddles, pantaloons, and swords worked with gold, and pearls, -and jewels—forming altogether the lading of seven hundred camels, all -of which he despatched to his native country. This done, he collected -together all the young children: some he caused to lie on their stomachs -upon the earth, where he trampled them beneath the feet of horses; -others he flung into the river; and others again he exposed naked to the -sun, where they died of thirst. Many mothers stifled their children, -rather than deliver them over to the barbarian. It would be difficult to -describe the torments inflicted on the Bishops, the Priesthood, and the -monks; some were drowned, some burnt, some dragged by horses, &c. &c.” - -“This monarch,” pursues the historian, “was brave, luxurious, and -generous; and was the husband of Kilikia, the Princess of Caramania; he -was wounded at the taking of Broussa, and died in consequence a few days -afterwards, having reigned twenty-two years.” - -It was the tomb of this “generous” conqueror which we were about to -invade; and, while the guide was absent in search of the Turbedar -Hanoum, or Holy Woman, who had charge of the keys, I amused myself by -examining the exterior entrance of the building, or rather of that -portion of it now converted into an Imperial Mausoleum. - -The open porch, with its deeply projecting roof painted in fresco, is -supported by two pillars of coarse old Byzantine architecture, and -composed of delicately-veined white marble. This porch gives admittance -only to the Court of the Tomb-house, and presents a spectacle probably -unique, and so characteristic of the progress of the fine arts in this -country, that it deserves especial mention. The pillars to which I have -alluded as supporting the porch are reversed; the sculptured capitals -rest on the earth, and a plaistered summit has been supplied, gaudily -painted in blue and yellow; while the pillars themselves are only just -beginning, thanks to time and weather, to reveal the material of which -they are composed, through their decaying coat of whitewash! - -When a frightful old woman, huddled up in a scarf of coarse white -cotton, at length made her appearance, key in hand, and admitted us to -the Inner Court, a second anomaly nearly as startling as the first -presented itself. The enclosure was thickly planted with young trees, -among which a pomegranate, gorgeous in its livery of green and scarlet, -was the most conspicuous; and a sparkling fountain was pouring forth its -copious stream of clear cool water into a marble reservoir; while the -long flexile branches of a wild vine were gracefully wreathed across the -entrance of the Mausoleum. But here again the hand of barbarism had been -at work; and the four slender Ionic columns of gray marble which support -the porch, had undergone the same melancholy process of painting, and -their capitals were decorated with a wreath of many-coloured foliage! - -Little did such an exhibition of modern Vandalism prepare me for the -splendid coup-d’œil that awaited me within. The Mausoleum is a portion -of an ancient Greek monastery, dismantled by Sultan Orcan at the capture -of the city; and is supposed to have been a private chapel in which the -Emperor was accustomed to perform his devotions. It is of an oval form; -and, previously to a fire which partially destroyed it a few years -since, was entirely lined with rich marbles. Those now deficient have -been replaced by paint and stucco, in precisely the same taste as that -which operated on the exterior; but, as their number is comparatively -small, the general effect is not greatly marred. - -Sultan Orcan, with his wife Kilikia, two of his Odaliques, and seventeen -of his children, occupy the centre of the floor; whose fine mosaic -pavement has been covered throughout the whole space thus appropriated -with a mass of coarse plaister, raised about a foot from the floor, and -supporting the Sarcophagi. That of the Sultan himself is overlaid with a -costly cachemire shawl, above which are spread two richly embroidered -handkerchiefs in crimson and green, worked with gold; while the turban -at its head is decorated with a third, wrought in beautiful arabesques, -and by far the most splendid thing of the kind that I ever saw, Those of -the Sultanas and their children are simply painted of the sacred green, -and totally unornamented; the first instance of such a marked -distinction that I had yet met with in the country. - -At the upper end of the chapel, three rows of marble seats, arranged -amphitheatrically, occupy the extremity of the oval immediately opposite -to the altar, and are surmounted by a centre seat, supposed to have been -that from which the monarch was accustomed to hear the mass, while his -nobles placed themselves on the benches at his feet. The lofty dome is -supported by six gigantic square pillars of masonry, and the marbles -that line the walls are inserted with considerable taste. In one of the -side arches a cross still remains, which was introduced among the -mosaics by the Greeks; but a second, of much larger dimensions, which -surmounted their altar, has been destroyed, and the space that it -occupied coarsely covered with plaister. - -On the left-hand side of the Imperial Sarcophagus hangs a small wooden -case, shaped like a bird-cage, and covered with green silk, containing -the Sultan’s beard!—the precious relic of five centuries! - -The Mausoleum of Sultan Ali Osman, the son of Orcan, which occupies the -other wing of the building, contains no object of particular interest; -the Hall of Sepulchre is similar in material and in arrangement, save -that the Sarcophagi of his wives and children are simply whitewashed. -The modern Emperors have been more gallant; and many a deceased Sultana -sleeps the last sleep at Constantinople, covered with shawls which, -during the rage for cachemeres in Paris, would have killed half the -_élégantes_ with envy. - -From the Mausoleum of Sultan Ali Osman, we passed into the vaults of the -Monastery, and through a subterranean cloister, supported by pillars; -whence we clambered by a crazy ladder into what had evidently been the -Chapel of the Monastery. Fragments of frescoes still remain about the -dilapidated altar, and on the screen of the Sanctuary—here it is a head -without a body, and there a pair of legs without either—on one side a -half-effaced inscription in old Monkish Latin; and on the other a -cluster of wild flowers, concealing the ruin against which they lean. -Several of the arches of the chapel still remain, and are very -gracefully formed, but the whole scene is one of melancholy: the only -portions of the building which are perfect are the tombs of the Ottoman -Emperors; all that yet bears the trace of Christianity is stamped with -ruin. - -We next visited the remains of the Palace of the ancient Greek Emperors, -whose dilapidated gateway is flanked by the mouldering remains of two -_bassi relievi_; and the fragments of two fountains of white marble, -whose waters, unrestrained by the mutilated basins into which they -poured themselves, have worn a narrow channel beside the road, where -they rush along, sparkling in the sunshine. The capital of one of the -columns which once graced them still remains nearly entire, and is of -that elegant stalactite-like architecture peculiar to the Arabs, and -quite unknown in Europe. Having passed the gate, we entered a small -court, thickly planted with ancient mulberry trees, and containing the -remains of some of the Imperial offices; whence a second door admitted -us into a wide enclosure, now converted into a nursery-garden, full of -vigorous vegetation. - -Passing onward, we crossed, by a few unsteady planks, a portion of the -ancient fosse, and found ourselves upon the wall overhanging the city, -surrounded by the group of mouldering and ivy-grown towers that I had -remarked on my journey, and which I found to be the remains of the -Palace. - -[Illustration: RUINS OF THE IMPERIAL PALACE.] - -Nothing more magnificent can be imagined than the view from this height. -The wide plain through which we had travelled from the coast lay spread -out before us, dotted over its whole surface with mulberry and olive -trees—the river ran rushing in the light among the dense -vegetation—far as the eye could reach, lofty mountains, purpled by the -distance, shut in the prospect—while, immediately beneath us, Broussa -lay mapped out in all its extent, the sober-coloured buildings -overshadowed by lofty trees; and the three hundred and eighty mosques of -the city scattered in the most picturesque irregularity along the side -of the mountains, and on the skirts of the valley. The palace of a Pasha -was close beside us, and behind us rose the lofty chain of land which -veiled the lordly summit of Mount Olympus; while over all laughed the -bluest and the brightest sky that imagination can picture. - -Beyond this, and this was of course the result of situation, and in -itself independent of other interest, the remains of the Imperial Palace -are altogether destitute of attraction; its decay is too far advanced, -or rather its destruction is too absolute, to present a single charm to -the most determined ruin-hunter in the world. - -About a mile higher up the mountain stand the remains of a Roman -aqueduct; half a dozen mouldering towers of colossal dimensions rise -hoar and gray against the sky, and at their feet rushes along the -pellucid water that supplies the fountains of the city. A narrow channel -formed of stone, and full to overflowing, guides the course of the -stream, which escapes from the heart of the mountain at the point where -it hems in the gayest and the greenest valley that ever fairy revelled -in by moonlight. The channel skirts this valley, until it again passes -beneath the living rock, and pours itself into the reservoirs of -Broussa—but it is less of the mountain stream, or of the fine old Roman -remains, that I desire to speak, than of the lovely glen to which I have -just alluded. - -This fair spot is the “Sweet Waters” of Broussa; and as we chanced to -visit it for the first time on a Turkish Sunday, its effect was -considerably heightened. Surrounded by lofty mountains, overtopped by -mouldering ruins, shaded by stately trees, and fresh with springing -verdure, its aspect was yet further gladdened by groups of happy idlers -in their holyday costume, seated on their mats along the margin of the -source, or lounging beneath the shade of two rudely constructed -coffee-kiosks; one of which, built immediately beside the spring, and -resting against the rock whence it issued, was shaded from the north -wind by a small but elegant mosque, whose tall minaret was reflected in -the clear stream; while the other, erected beneath the shade of two -majestic maples, seemed to contend the prize of coolness and comfort -with its neighbour. From one ridge of rock an elegant kiosk overhung the -valley; while from another a cherry tree, laden with fruit, tempted the -hand with its clustering riches. - -Altogether, I never beheld a more lovely scene; and the last touch of -beauty was given by the distant view of a Turkish cemetery, which clomb -the side of the mountain, and whose grave-stones were shaded by clumps -of the dark, silent cypress, relieved here and there by a stately walnut -tree, with its bright leaves dancing in the wind. The groups that were -scattered over the valley were eminently picturesque: there was the -_employé_ with his ill-cut frock-coat and unbecoming _fèz_—the Emir, -with his ample green turban, and his vest and drawers of snowy -cotton—the Tatar, clad in crimson, wrought with gold, his waist bound -with a leathern belt, and his legs protected by Albanian gaiters—the -Ulema, with a white shawl twisted about his brow, and a brass ink-bottle -thrust into his girdle—the Turning Dervish, with his high cap of gray -felt, and his pelisse of green cloth—the Greek serudjhe, with a black -shawl twined round his _fèz_, his jacket slung at his back, his -gaily-striped vest confined by a shawl about his waist, his full -trowsers fastened at the knee, and his legs bare—the Armenian, with his -tall calpac and flowing robe—all sitting in groups, smoking their -chibouks, sipping their coffee, and drinking huge draughts of the cold -rock-water, from goblets of crystal as clear and sparkling as the -liquid which they contained. - -At the coffee-kiosk of the source, groups were engaged in conversation, -without any regard to rank or situation in life. The Turks are perfectly -destitute of that _morgue_ which renders European society a constant -state of warfare against intrusion. Every individual is “eligible” in -Turkey—no one loses _caste_ from the contact of unprivileged -associates—the hour of relaxation puts all men on a level; and the Bey -sits down quietly by the caïquejhe, and the Effendi takes his place near -the fisherman, as unmoved by the difference of their relative condition, -as though they had been born to the same fortune. - -There is something beautiful and touching in this utter absence of -self-appreciation; and the young noble rises from the mat which he has -shared with the old artisan, as uncontaminated by the contact as though -he had been partaking the gilded cushions of a Pasha. But, ready as I am -to admire this state of things, I am well aware that it could not exist -with us; the lower orders of Turkey and the lower orders of Europe are -composed of totally different elements. The poor man of the East is -intuitively urbane, courteous, and dignified—he is never betrayed into -forgetfulness, either of himself or of his neighbour—he never knows, -although he was bred in a hut, that he may not die in a palace—and -with this possibility before his eyes, he always acts as though the hour -of his metathesis were at hand. - -It is probably from this feeling that an Osmanli smiles when he hears a -Frank vaunting himself on his high blood; and that he replies tersely -and gravely to the boast that “every Turk is born noble.” - -No greater proof of the superiority of the working classes of Turkey -over those of Europe can be adduced, than the tranquillity of the Empire -under a government destitute alike of head, heart, and hand—a -government whose hollowness, weakness, and venality, will admit of no -argument—whose elements are chicane, treachery, and egotism—and which -would be unable to govern any other people upon earth even for a -twelvemonth. Perhaps the great secret of this dignified docility is to -be found in the high religious feeling which is universal among the -Turks, and to which I have made allusion elsewhere. Should my judgment -on this point be erroneous, however, it is certain that the character of -the mass in Turkey must be moulded by principles and impulses, in -themselves both respectable and praiseworthy, to produce so powerful a -moral effect. - -At the maple-tree kiosk the crowd was greater, for there one of the -itinerant Improvvisatori, or Eastern story-tellers, was amusing his -hearers with a history, which, judging from its length, and the patience -with which it was heard to an end, ought to have been exceedingly -interesting. But no sound of boisterous merriment arose amid the grave -and bearded auditors; once or twice, a low chuckle, and a denser cloud -of smoke emitted from the chibouk, gave slight indications of amusement: -but that was all; every thing was as quiet, as orderly, and as -well-conducted, as though every individual of the party had been under -priestly surveillance. On quitting the Valley of the Source, we visited -the Tekiè of the Turning Dervishes, with its two fine fountains and its -elegant chapel; and then proceeded to one of the public Khans, or -Caravanserais, in which are lodged all travelling merchants, and such -strangers as have not the opportunity of procuring private houses during -their residence in Broussa. The building was inconvenient, ill-built, -and confined in size, being a very inefficient substitute for one which -was destroyed a few years ago by fire in its immediate vicinity; but its -court was adorned with a very handsome fountain richly ornamented, -beneath whose projecting roof the inhabitants of the Khan congregate to -smoke and converse. - -A small erection just within one of the gates of the court attracted my -attention, from the circumstance of its roof being occupied by three -eagles; two of them about half fledged, and the other evidently sick. I -inquired the meaning of this location, and learnt that the little -edifice was appropriated to the use of such wild birds as the hunters -and peasants chanced to meet during their rambles among the mountains, -and which were suffering either from disease, desertion, or injury. -Being carefully transported hither, they are fed, and attended to until -they voluntarily take wing, and return to their rocky haunts. The -present patients were two eaglets, which had been abandoned in the nest, -and a wounded bird, which, without assistance, must have died from -starvation. Such a trait of national character is well worthy of -mention. - -Upon the roof of a mosque about a hundred yards from the house which we -occupied, a couple of storks had made their nest, and, at the time of -our visit, were carefully tending their young, apparently quite -indifferent to all the noise and clamour going on immediately beneath. -The Turks repay the confidence thus reposed in them with an almost -superstitious reverence for these feathered children of the wilderness; -and the destruction of a bird of this species would be sure to draw down -upon the aggressor the displeasure, if not the vengeance, of every -neighbouring Musselmaun. - -I must not omit to mention the covered bridge; a curious Roman remain -in the Armenian quarter of the city, forming a street across a rapid -torrent, which, falling from the mountain, pours itself into the plain. -It is entirely tenanted by silk weavers, and its numerous windows are so -patched and built up as to render it extremely picturesque. Its single -arch is finely formed, and from a distance it is a very attractive -object; but it is rapidly falling to decay. - -[Illustration: ROMAN BRIDGE AT BROUSSA.] - -I sketched it from the window of an Armenian house; overlooked in my -employment by a sweet young woman, who held upon her knees her dying -infant—her first-born son. As the Orientals believe every Frank, -whether male or female, to be skilled in the healing art, she never -ceased her prayer, during the whole of my stay under her roof, that I -would restore her child to health. I shall never think of the Roman -bridge at Broussa but the weeping image of the young Armenian mother -will be associated with it in my memory. - - - - -CHAPTER III. - - - Orientalism of Broussa—Costume of the Men—Plain - Women—Turbans and Yashmacs—Facility of Ingress to the - Mosques—Oulou Jamè—Polite Imam—Eastern Quasimodo—Ascent of - the Minaret—The Charshee—Travelling Hyperboles—Silk - Bazàr—Silk Merchants’ Khan—Fountains of Broussa—Broussa and - Lisbon—The Baths—Wild Flowers—Tzekerghè—Mosque of Sultan - Mourad—Madhouse—Court of the Mosque—Singular - Fountain—Mausoleum of Sultan Mourad—Golden Gate—Local - Legend—The Tomb-house—More Vandalism—Ancient - Turban—Comfortable Cemeteries—Subterranean Vault Great - Bath—Hot Spring—Baths and Bathers—Miraculous Baths—Armenian - Doctress—Situation of Tzekerghè—Storks and Tortoises—Turkish - Cheltenham. - - -The city of Broussa is infinitely more oriental in its aspect than -Stamboul; scarcely a Frank is to be seen in the streets; no French -shops, glittering with gilded timepieces and porcelain tea-services, jar -upon your associations; not a Greek woman stirs abroad without flinging -a long white veil over her gaudy turban, and concealing her gay coloured -dress beneath a ferdijhe; while the Turks themselves almost look like -men of another nation. - -I do not believe that, excepting in the palace of the Pasha, there are a -hundred _fèz_-wearing Osmanlis in the whole city. Such turbans! -mountains of muslin, and volumes of cachemire; Sultan Mahmoud would -infallibly faint at the sight of them; worn, as many of them are, -falling upon one shoulder, and confined by a string in consequence of -their great weight. Such watches! the size, and almost the shape, of -oranges—such ample drawers of white cotton, and flowing garments of -striped silk, and girdles of shawl! The women, meanwhile, except such as -belonged to quite the lower orders, were almost invisible; I scarcely -encountered one Turkish woman of condition in my walks, and those who -passed in the arabas kept the latticed windows so closely shut, despite -the heat, that it was impossible to get a glimpse of them. The men were -a much finer race than those of Constantinople; I rarely met a Turk who -was not extremely handsome, and much above the middle height; while the -few women whom I _did_ see were proportionably unattractive. - -There is not a greater difference in the mode of wearing the turban by -the one sex at Broussa, than in that of wearing the yashmac by the -other. In Constantinople it is bound over the mouth, and in most -instances over the lower part of the nose, and concealed upon the -shoulders by the feridjhe. In Asia, on the contrary, it is simply -fastened, in most cases, under the chin, and is flung over the mantle, -hanging-down the back like a curtain. In the capital, the yashmac is -made of fine thin muslin, through which the painted handkerchief, and -the diamond pins that confine it, can be distinctly seen; and arranged -with a coquetry perfectly wonderful. At Broussa it is composed of thick -cambric, and bound so tightly about the head that it looks like a -shroud. - -One circumstance particularly struck me at Broussa—I allude to the -facility of visiting the mosques. While those of Stamboul are almost a -sealed volume to the general traveller, he may purchase ingress to every -mosque in Broussa for a few piastres; and well do many of them deserve a -visit. That of Oulou Jamè, situated in the heart of the city, is the -finest and most spacious of the whole. Its roof is formed by twenty -graceful domes, of which the centre one is open to the light, being -simply covered with iron net-work. Beneath this dome is placed a fine -fountain of white marble, whose capacious outer basin, filled with fine -tench, is fed from a lesser one, whence the water is flung into the air, -and falls back with a cool monotonous murmur, prolonged and softened by -the echoes of the vast edifice. The effect of this stately fountain, the -first that I had yet seen within a mosque, was extremely beautiful; its -pure pale gleam contrasting powerfully with the deep frescoes of the -walls, and the gaudily-coloured prayer-carpets strown at intervals over -the matting which covered the pavement. The pulpit, with its heavily -screened stair, was of inlaid wood; and the whole building remarkable -rather for its fine proportions and elegant fountain than for the -richness of its details. The scrolls containing the name of Allah, and -those of the four Prophets, were boldly and beautifully executed; and -the arched recess at the eastern end of the temple painted with some -taste. - -[Illustration: Miss Pardoe del. - -Day & Haghe Lith^{rs}. to the King. - -THE ROOF OF OULOU JAMÈ, FROM THE GARDEN OF THE GREEK CHURCH. - -_Henry Colburn, 13 G^t. Marlborough S^t. 1837._] - -The High Priest was reading from the Koràn when we entered, with his -green turban and pelisse deposited on the carpet beside him. His -utterance was rapid and monotonous, and accompanied by a short, quick -motion of the body extremely disagreeable to the spectator. As we -approached close to him, he suddenly discontinued reading, and examined -us with the most minute attention; after which he resumed his lecture, -and took no further notice of our intrusion. In one corner we passed a -man sound asleep—in another, a woman on her knees before the name of -Allah in earnest prayer, with the palms of her hands turned upwards. On -one carpet an Imam was praying, surrounded by half a dozen youths, -apparently students of the medresch attached to the mosque; while on -every side parties of True Believers were squatted down before their low -reading desks, studying their daily portion of the Koràn. - -The Imam who accompanied us in our tour of the mosque was so indulgent -as even to allow me to retain my shoes, alleging that they were so light -as to be mere slippers, and that consequently it was unnecessary to put -them off; and on my expressing a wish to ascend one of the minarets, the -keeper was sent for to open the door and accompany me; nor shall I -easily forget the object who obeyed the summons. - -His brow girt with the turban of sacred green—his distorted body -enclosed within a dark wrapping vest of cotton—and his short, crooked -legs covered with gaiters of coarse cloth—moved forward a humped and -barefooted dwarf with a long gristled beard, whose thin skinny fingers -grasped a pole much higher than himself; and who, after eyeing us with -attention for a moment with a glance as keen and hungry as that of a -wolf, sidled up close to the servant, and growling out “_backshich_,” -with an interrogative accent, began to fumble amid the folds of his -garment for the key of the tower; and at length withdrew it with a grin, -which made his enormous mouth appear to extend across the whole of his -wrinkled and bearded countenance. As I looked at him I thought of -Quasimodo—the monster of Nôtre Dame could scarcely have been more -frightful! - -Having carefully concealed his pole behind a pile of carpets, and flung -back the narrow door of the minaret, this Turkish Quasimodo led the way -up a flight of broken and dangerous stone steps, in perfect darkness, -consoling himself for the exertion which we had thus entailed on him by -an occasional fiend-like chuckle, when he observed any hesitation or -delay on the part of those who followed him; and a low murmured commune -with himself, in which the word _backshich_ was peculiarly audible. - -The stair terminated at a small door opening on the narrow gallery, -whence the _muezzin_ calls The Faithful to prayers. The burst of light -on the opening of this door was almost painful; nor is the sensation -experienced when standing within the gallery altogether one of comfort. -The height is so great, the fence so low, and the gallery itself so -narrow, that a feeling of dizziness partially incapacitates the -unaccustomed spectator from enjoying to its full extent the glories of -the scene that is spread out before him, and which embraces not only the -wide plain seen from the ruins of the Imperial Palace, but the whole -chain of mountains that hem it in. - -After a great deal of stumbling, slipping, and scrambling, we again -found ourselves beside the fountain of Oulou Jamè; and, on leaving the -mosque, remarked with some surprise that its minarets are painted in -fresco on the outside, to about one-fourth of their height. - -Having presented Quasimodo with a _backshich_, which sent him halting -away with a second hideous grin, we proceeded to the Charshee, which is -of considerable extent. As it chanced to be Sunday, the stalls usually -occupied by Armenian and Greek merchants were closed; but many a Hassan, -an Abdallah, and a Soleiman was squatted upon his carpet, with his wares -temptingly arranged around him, his long beard falling to his girdle, -his chibouk lying on the carpet beside him, and his slippers resting -against its edge. Here, a green-turbaned descendant of the Prophet, with -half a dozen ells of shawl twisted about his head, dark fiery eyes, and -a beard as white as snow, pointed silently as we passed to his embossed -silver pistols, his richly-wrought yataghans, and his velvet-sheathed -and gilded scimitars. There, a keen-looking Dervish, with his broad flat -girdle buckled with a clasp of agate, and his gray cap pulled low upon -his forehead, extended towards us one of his neatly-turned ivory -perfume-boxes. - -While examining his merchandize we might have been inclined to believe -that we could purchase of him perpetual youth, and imperishable beauty. -He had dyes, and washes, and pastes, and powders—essences, and oils, -and incenses, and perfumed woods—amulets, and chaplets, and -consecrated bracelets, and holy rings; all set forth with an order and -precision worthy of their high qualities. A little further on, a -solemn-looking individual presided over a miniature representation of -Araby the Blest—Spices were piled around him pyramidically, or confined -in crystal vases, according to their nature and costliness: there were -sacks of cloves, heaps of mace, piles of ginger, mountains of nutmegs, -hampers of allspice, baskets of pepper, faggots of cinnamon, and many -others less commonly known. Opposite the spice-merchant was the gay -stall of the slipper-maker, with its gaudy glories of purple, crimson, -and yellow—its purple for the Jew, its crimson for the Armenian, and -its yellow for the Turk. I purchased a pair of slippers of the true -Musselmaun colour, for which I paid about twice as much as their value, -being a Frank; and we then continued our walk. - -Not far from the slipper-merchant, on the platform in front of one of -the closed shops, sat a ragged Turk, surrounded by flowers of a pale -lilac colour, which emitted a delicious odour. While I was purchasing -some, I inquired whence they came, and learnt that they were wild -auriculas from Mount Olympus. I paid twice the price demanded for them, -and bore them off. How knew I but that the seed might have been sown by -Venus herself? - -I had been told, previously to my leaving England, and indeed before I -had an idea of visiting Turkey, that the stalls of the sweetmeat venders -resembled fairy-palaces built of coloured spars; and this too by an -individual who had resided a few weeks at Constantinople. I can only -say, that with every disposition to do ample justice to all I saw, my -own ideas of enchantment are much nearer realization at Grange’s or -Farrance’s. The Turks do not understand that nicety of arrangement which -produces so much effect in our metropolitan shops; and with the -exception of the perfume and silk merchants, and perhaps one or two -others, they are singularly slovenly in the disposition of their -merchandize. - -The sweetmeat-venders have a row of glass jars along the front of their -stalls, some filled with dried and candied fruits, others with sherbet -cakes, and others with different descriptions of coloured and perfumed -sugar; while the scented pastes, of which the Orientals are so fond, are -cut up into squares with scissors, and spread out upon sheets of paper; -or perforated with twine, and hung from the frame-work of the shops like -huge sausages. I confess that my imaginings of fairy-land extended -considerably beyond this. The merchandize itself, however, is far from -contemptible; and we found that of the Charshee of Broussa even more -highly perfumed than what we had purchased at Constantinople. - -From the Charshee we passed into the silk-bazàr, which was almost -entirely closed, three-fourths of the merchants being Armenians; but -among those who were at their posts, we selected one magnificent looking -Turk, who spread out before us a pile of satin scarfs, used by the -ladies of the country for binding up their hair after the bath; the -brightest crimson and the deepest orange appeared to be the favourite -mixture, and were strongly recommended; but their texture was so -extremely coarse, and their price so exorbitant, that we declined -becoming purchasers. - -On leaving the silk bazàr we proceeded to the silk merchants’ Khan, a -solid quadrangular building, having a fine stone fountain in the centre -of the paved court, the most respectable establishment of the kind -throughout the city, where their number amounts to twenty. Above the -great gate, the wrought stone cornice is curiously decorated with a -wreath of mosaic, formed of porcelain, as brightly blue as turquoise, -which has a very pretty and cheerful effect. - -The number of fountains in Broussa must at least double that of the -mosques, which amount to three hundred and eighty seven. You scarcely -turn the corner of a street that is not occupied by a fountain, and it -is by no means uncommon to have three and even four in sight at the same -time, without calculating that all the good houses have each one or more -in their courts or gardens; no kiosk being considered complete without -its basin and its little _jet d’eau_. Yet, notwithstanding this -profusion of water, many of the streets are disgustingly dirty, not an -effort being made to remove the filth which accumulates from the habit -indulged in by the inhabitants of sweeping every thing to the fronts of -their houses. Indeed, setting aside the costume and the language, -Broussa and its neighbourhood are a second edition of Lisbon; nearly the -same dirt, the same bullock-cars, and luggage-mules, and rattle from -morning to night within the city; the same blue sky, sparkling water, -dense vegetation, bright flowers, and lofty trees without; the golden -Tagus of the one being replaced by the magnificent plain of the other. - -After having returned home and changed our dress, we mounted our horses, -and started to see the Baths. Nothing can be more beautiful than the -road which conducts to them. Immediately on passing the gate of the -city, you wind round the foot of the mountain, and descend into the -village of Mouradiè; having the small mosque of Sultan Mourad on your -right, and in front of you, the lofty chain of land along which you are -to travel. After traversing the village, you turn abruptly to the left, -and by a gentle ascent, climb to about one-third the height of the -mountain; having on one hand the nearly perpendicular rock, and on the -other a rapid and almost unprotected descent, clothed with vines and -mulberry trees, whence the plain stretches away into the distance. The -road, as I have described, hangs on the side of the mountain, and is -fringed with wild flowers and shrubs: having the aspect of a garden; the -white lilac, the privette, the pomegranate, the rose, the woodbine, the -ruby-coloured arum, and the yellow broom, are in profusion; and it is -with compunction that you guide your horse among them when turning off -the narrow pathway at the encounter of a chance passenger; while the -perfume which fills the air, and the song of the nightingales among the -mulberry trees, complete the charm of the picture. - -By this delightful road you reach the village of Tzèkerghè, in which the -Baths are situated. It possesses a very handsome mosque, which was -originally a Greek monastery. The exterior of the Temple is very -handsome, the whole facade being adorned with a peristyle of white -marble, and the great entrance approached by a noble flight of steps. -The interior is, as usual, painted in scrolls, and lighted by pendent -lamps, but is not remarkable for either beauty or magnificence. The -arrangement of the cloisters and the refectory of the monks is very -curious, being all situated above the chapel, and opening from a long -gallery, surmounting the peristyle. To this portion of the building we -ascended by a decaying flight of stone steps, many of whose missing -stairs had been replaced by fragments of sculptured columns: and found -the gallery tenanted by a solitary old lunatic, who, squatted upon a -ragged mat, was devouring voraciously a cake of black soft bread, such -as is used by the poorest of the population. The monastic cells have -been converted into receptacles for deranged persons, but this poor old -man was now their only occupant. We threw him some small pieces of -money, which he clutched with a delight as great as his surprise, -murmuring the name of Allah, and apparently as happy as a child. - -The court of the mosque is shaded by three magnificent plantain trees, -and the fountain which faces the peristyle is remarkable from its basin -containing cold water, and its pipes pouring forth warm. As the pipe is -connected with the basin, the phenomenon is startling, although the -effect is very simply produced when once its cause is investigated, the -fountain being fed by two distinct springs; the hot spring being built -in, and forced into the pipes; and the cold one being suffered to fill -the basin, whence it runs off in another direction. - -Near the mosque stands the Mausoleum of Sultan Mourad I., whose court is -enclosed by a heavy gate, said to be formed of one of the precious -metals cased with iron; and the country people have a tradition that -previously to his death, the Sultan desired that should the Empire ever -suffer from poverty, this gate might be melted down, when the reigning -monarch would become more rich than any of his predecessors. Be this as -it may, and it is sufficiently paradoxical, the gate has originally been -richly gilded, though much of the ornamental work is now worn away; and -it is probably to this circumstance that it owes its reputation. - -Of an equally questionable nature is the legend relating to the name of -the village, which signifies in English, Grasshopper—a fact accounted -for by the peasantry in the following manner. - -Sultan Mourad, during the time that the Christian monastery was -undergoing conversion into a Mohammedan mosque, was one day sitting -within the peristyle, when a grasshopper sprang upon him, which he -adroitly caught in his hand; where he still held it, when a Dervish -approached, who, after having made his obeisance, began to importune the -pious Sultan for some indulgence to his order; and was answered that if -he could tell, without hesitation or error, what was grasped by the -monarch, the favour should be granted. The wily Dervish, knowing that -the mountain abounded with grasshoppers, and that nothing was more -probable than that one of these might have jumped upon the Sultan, -immediately replied: “Though the ambition of a vile insect should lead -it to spring from the earth of which it is an inhabitant, into the face -of the sunshine, as though it were rather a denizen of the air, it -suffices that the Imperial hand be outstretched, to arrest its -arrogance. Happy is it, therefore, both for the rebel who would fain -build up a sun of glory for himself, of a ray stolen from the hâlo which -surrounds the forehead of the Emperor of the World; and for the -tzèkerghè, that, springing from its leafy obscurity, dares to rest upon -the hem of the sacred garment, when the Sultan (Merciful as he is -Mighty!) refrains from crushing in his grasp the reptile which he holds. -Favourite of Allah! Lord of the Earth! Is my boon granted?” - -“It is, Dervish:”—said the Sultan, opening his hand as he spoke, and -thus suffering the insect to escape: “And that the memory of thy -conference with Sultan Mourad may not be lost, and that the reputation -of thy quick wit and subtle policy may endure to after ages, I name this -spot, Tzèkerghè——and let none dare to give it another appellation.” - -[Illustration: Miss Pardoe del. - -Day & Haghe Lith^{rs}. to the King. - -TURKISH MAUSOLEUM. - -_Henry Colburn, 13 G^t. Marlborough S^t. 1837._] - -We were obliged to exert all our best efforts, in order to induce the -Imam, who had charge of the Imperial Mausoleum, to allow us to enter. We -were compelled to declare our country, our reasons for visiting Asia, -and our purpose in desiring to see the tomb of a True Believer, when we -were ourselves Infidels. Having satisfactorily replied to all these -categories, we were, however, finally gratified by an assent; and the -tall, stately Imam rose from the wayside bank upon which he had been -sitting, and, applying a huge key to the gate of which I have already -spoken, admitted us to the Court of the Tomb. - -This edifice, which was erected by the Sultan himself, is beautifully -proportioned, and paved with polished marble; the dome is supported by -twelve stately columns of the same material, six of them having -Byzantine, and six, Corinthian Capitals, but the whole number are now -painted a bright green, having a broad scarlet stripe at their base! I -inquired the cause of this Vandalism, hoping, as the colour chosen was a -sacred one, that some religious reason might be adduced, which, however -insufficient to excuse the profanation, might at least tend to palliate -it: but I failed in my object; they had simply been painted to make them -prettier; and the same cause had operated similarly upon the gigantic -wax candles, that stood at the extremities of the Imperial Sarcophagus, -and which were clad in the same livery. - -A goodly collection of wives and children share the Mausoleum with -Sultan Mourad, who is covered with splendid shawls, and at the head of -whose tomb, protected by a handkerchief of gold tissue, towers one of -the stately turbans of the ancient costume. As it was the first that I -had seen, I examined it attentively; and am only astonished how the -cobweb-like muslin was ever woven into such minute and intricate folds. -At the head of the Sarcophagus, on a marble pedestal (painted like the -others!) stood a copper vessel inlaid with silver, and filled with -wheat—the symbol of abundance; and at its foot was suspended a plough; -while lamps and ostrich eggs were festooned among the columns. - -The light fell in patches upon the marble floor, or quivered as the wind -swept through the plantain trees, throwing fantastic shadows over the -tombs; and I left the Mausoleum of Sultan Mourad, more than ever -convinced that no people upon earth have succeeded better than the Turks -in robbing death of all its terrors, and diffusing an atmosphere of -cheerfulness and comfort about the last resting-places of the departed. - -The Sarcophagus, as I have already stated, is universally based on a -mass of masonry about a foot in height, covered with plaister, and -whitewashed. I inquired why this portion of the tomb was not built of -marble, when in many cases the floors, and even the walls of the -mausoleum were formed of that material; and was assured by the Imam that -it was from a religious superstition, which he was, nevertheless, unable -to explain. - -Beneath this stone-work an iron grating veils the entrance of the -subterranean in which the body of the Sultan is deposited; the -sarcophagus being a mere empty case of wood, overlaid by a covering of -baize or cloth, concealed in its turn by shawls and embroidered -handkerchiefs. No one is permitted to enter this subterranean, which can -generally be approached also by an exterior door opening into the court -of the tomb-house, save the reigning monarch, the Turks looking with -horror on all desecration of the dead, and neither bribes nor entreaties -being sufficient to tempt them to a violation of the sacred trust -confided to them. - -On quitting the mausoleum we proceeded to the principal bath; where, -leaving the gentlemen comfortably seated under the shade of a maple tree -near the entrance, I went in alone. The appearance of the outer hall was -most singular; the raised gallery was tenanted, throughout its whole -extent, with Turkish and Greek women, eating, sleeping, and gossipping, -or busied in the arrangement of their toilette; while, suspended from -the transverse beams of the ceiling, swung a score of little hammocks, -in which lay as many infants. How the children of the country can, at so -tender an age, endure the sulphurous and suffocating atmosphere of the -bath is wonderful, but they not only do not suffer, but actually appear -to enjoy it. - -Passing from this hall, which was of considerable extent, I entered the -cooling-room, in which the bathers were braiding their hair, or sleeping -upon the heated floor: and opening a door at the upper end, I walked -into the bath-room. Here I found between forty and fifty women, whom for -the first moment I could scarcely distinguish through the dense steam, -arising from a marble basin that occupied the centre of the floor, and -which was about a hundred feet in circumference. - -The natural spring that supplies this basin is so hot that it requires -considerable habit to enable an individual to support its warmth, when -the doors of the bath are closed. The effect which it produced on me was -most disagreeable; the combined heat and smell of the water were -overpowering; but the scene was altogether so extraordinary, that I -compelled myself to endure the annoyance for a few minutes, in order to -form an accurate idea of an establishment of which I had heard so much. - -The spring, escaping from a neighbouring mountain, is forced by pipes -into the bathing-hall, where it pours its principal volume into the -main basin, part of the stream being diverted from its channel in order -to feed the lesser tanks of the private rooms; from the basin it escapes -by a sluice at the lower end, and thus the body of water is constantly -renewed. When I entered, several of the bathers were up to their chins -in the basin, their long dark tresses floating on the surface of the -water; others, resting upon a step which brought the water only to their -knees, were lying upon the edge of the tank, while their attendants were -pouring the hot stream over them from metal basins; some, seated on low -stools, were receiving the mineralized fluid after the fashion of a -shower bath; while one, lying all her length upon the heated marble of -the floor—so heated that I could scarcely apply my open palm to it -without suffering—was sleeping as tranquilly as though she had been -extended upon a bed of down. - -The hot springs of Broussa are numerous, but vary considerably in their -degrees of temperature; those which are frequented by persons labouring -under chronic diseases are much warmer than those used by ordinary -patients. The most powerful spring boils an egg perfectly hard in two -minutes; while there are others that are not more than blood heat. They -are all highly mineralized, and that which feeds the large basin of the -public hall is strongly impregnated with sulphur. - -My appearance in the bath did not create the slightest sensation among -the bathers. The few whom I encountered on my way moved aside to enable -me to pass, and uttered the usual salutation; while those who were more -busily engaged simply suspended their operations for a moment, and -resumed them as soon as their curiosity was gratified. - -I afterwards visited the “Miraculous Bath,” of which it is asserted that -a person in a dying state, who will submit to pass a night in complete -solitude on the margin of the basin, will rise in the morning perfectly -restored to health, whatever may have been the nature of the disease: -but, unfortunately, I could not find any one who had experienced, or -even witnessed, a cure of the kind, though many had heard of them in -numbers. As an equivalent, however, an old, ugly, red-haired Armenian -woman was pointed out to me, who is a celebrated doctress, and who had -just succeeded in sending home a credulous elderly gentleman to die in -Constantinople, who came to Broussa in a state of indisposition, and -left it, thanks to the nostrums of this ancient sybil, without a hope of -recovery. - -Many of the houses in the village are furnished with hot springs; and -although they are, generally speaking, of mean appearance, and in a -dilapidated condition, they produce very high rents during the season; -and are usually let to Greek families of distinction, or to Europeans. - -The situation of Tzèkerghè is eminently beautiful, and the air is balmy -and elastic; the magnificent plain is spread out beneath it; it is -backed by lofty mountains; and it is in itself a perfect bower of -fig-trees, plantains, and maples. The nightingales sing throughout the -whole of the day—the rush of water into the valley feeds a score of -fountains, which keep up a perpetual murmur; open kiosks are raised -along the hill side, some of them traversed by a running stream; storks -build in the tall trees; tortoises and land turtles crawl among the high -grass and the wild flowers; and altogether I know not a prettier spot -than that which is occupied by the village of Tzèkerghè—the rural -Cheltenham of Turkey. - - - - -CHAPTER IV. - - - Difficulty of Access to the Chapel of the Howling - Dervishes—Invitation to Visit their Harem—The Chapel—Sects - and Trades—Entrance of the Dervishes—Costume—The - Prayer—Turning Dervishes—Fanatical Suffering—Groans and - Howls—Difficulty of Description—Sectarian Ceremony—Music - versus Madness—Tekiè of the Turning Dervishes. - - -Of all the religious ceremonies of the East, those of the different -sects of Dervishes are the most extraordinary, and, generally speaking, -the most difficult of access. The Turning Dervishes alone freely admit -foreigners, and even provide a latticed gallery for the use of the -women: while their chapels are usually so situated as to enable the -passer-by to witness all that is going on within. The more stern and -bigoted sects, on the contrary, permit none but Mussulmauns to intrude -upon their mysteries, and build their chapels in obscure places, in -order to prevent the intrusion of Christians. - -I had heard much of the Howling Dervishes, and had made many -unsuccessful attempts at Constantinople to penetrate into their Tekiè; -but they are so jealous of strangers that I was unwillingly compelled -to give up all idea of accomplishing my object, when, on arriving at -Broussa, and finding how comparatively easy it was to gain admittance to -the mosques, I resolved to renew my endeavours. But I found that even -here many difficulties were to be overcome; difficulties which, of -myself, I never could have surmounted; when, having fortunately made the -acquaintance of a gentleman who was known to the High Priest, and who -had already witnessed their service, I prevailed on him to exert his -influence for me, in which he fortunately succeeded. - -On arriving at the Tekiè, we found that the service had not yet -commenced, and we accordingly seated ourselves on a stone bench in the -little outer court, to await the gathering of the fraternity. While we -remained there, one of the principal Dervishes approached us, and -offered, should I desire it, to admit me into the interior of the harem -to visit the women; but, as the ceremonies were shortly to commence in -the chapel, and I was already suffering extremely from the heat, I -declined to profit by the indulgence. - -The chapel, which was up stairs, was approached by an open entrance, -having on the left hand a small apartment whose latticed windows looked -into this place of mystery; and into this room we were admitted, after -having taken off our shoes; while a couple of youths were stationed -within the gallery of the chapel itself, in order to prevent the crowd -from impeding our view. - -A large square apartment surrounded by a low gallery, and ornamented -like the mosques, with written passages from the Koràn; upon whose walls -were suspended battle-axes, tambourines, and half a dozen small Arabian -drums; and whose arched recess was shaded by three banners of the sacred -green, and overlaid with a rich crimson rug, formed the chapel of the -Howling Dervishes. Within the niche, framed and glazed, were suspended -the names of the Prophets, a huge chaplet, and a green scarf; and on -each side a small portion of the gallery was railed off for the -convenience of a few individuals of rank. One of these was already -occupied by a solemn-looking Turk, in a frock-coat and _fèz_, -doubtlessly one of the sect, who had withdrawn from the public exercise -of his religion. - -I know not whether I have elsewhere noticed that every Musselmaun, -however high his rank, has a trade and a peculiar faith—thus the Sultan -is a Turning Dervish and a Tooth-pick maker—and I have consequently no -doubt but the Turk in question had an individual interest in the -ceremonial. He was accompanied by a child of about six years of age, -dressed precisely like himself, and attended by a black slave. I was -more confirmed in my opinion relative to the father by watching the -gestures of the son, who imitated every motion of the Dervishes during -the service with the most perfect exactness, and who was accommodated -with a rug near the seat of the High Priest. - -The throng which pressed into the chapel was immense, and the heat most -oppressive; while the youths who guarded our windows were kept in -constant action by the strenuous efforts made by the crowd to occupy the -vacant space. I never saw a finer set of men—such bright black eyes, -fine foreheads, and sparkling teeth. - -At length a low chanting commenced in the court, and a train of -Dervishes, headed by the High Priest, slowly ascended to the chapel. -They had no peculiar costume, save the chief himself, who wore a -magnificent green turban with a white crown, and a cloak of -olive-coloured cloth. He was a pale, delicate-looking man of about one -or two-and-twenty, whose father had been dead a couple of years; when, -as the dignity is hereditary throughout all the sects of the Dervishes, -he had succeeded to the painful honours of the crimson rug. There was -something melancholy in seeing this sickly youth lead the nine fanatics -who followed him to the upper end of the chapel, to commence their -agonizing rites; and as he stepped upon the rug, with the palms of his -hands turned upwards, and the attendant Dervishes cast themselves on the -earth, and laid their foreheads in the dust, I felt a thrill of pity for -the ill-judged zeal and blind delusion which was rapidly wearing him to -the grave. - -One of the causes adduced by this sect of their disinclination to admit -Christians to their worship is the frequent recurrence of the name of -Allah in their orizons, which should never be uttered in an atmosphere -polluted by the breath of a Giaour. I presume that, in our case, their -consciences were quieted by the intervention of the wooden lattices, and -the reflection that we were not actually within the chapel. - -The prayer was long and solemn; not a sound was audible, save the low -monotonous chant of the High Priest, and the deep responses of his -followers, who, ere it ended, had increased in number to about fifty. At -its close, the whole of the Dervishes formed a ring round the chapel, -and one of the elders, of whom there were four, spread in the recess a -fine tiger skin, upon which the High Priest took his place; and then, -turning his face towards Mecca, and murmuring a low prayer, to which the -rest replied by stifled groans, he invested himself with the green scarf -which I have already mentioned, and, resuming his seat upon the rug, -commenced a species of chant, which was echoed by the whole fraternity: -every individual swinging himself slowly to and fro, as he sat with his -feet doubled under him upon the floor. Every moment added to their -numbers, and each on his arrival cast off his slippers at the entrance, -and advanced barefooted to the place of the High Priest; where, after -praying silently for a moment with outstretched palms, he stroked down -his beard, and, bending on one knee, pressed the hand of his leader to -his lips and forehead, and then took up a position in the ring; which -ultimately became so thronged that the individuals who composed it -pressed closely upon each other, and, as they swung slowly to and fro, -appeared to move in one dense mass. - -The ceremony was at this point, when the Chief of the Turning Dervishes, -accompanied by his two principal Priests, arrived to assist at the -service of his fellow-Dervish. The chant ceased as they entered the -chapel; the youthful leader of the Howling Dervishes bent down in his -turn, and pressed the hand of his visitor to his lips, while the stately -guest kissed the cheek of the pale stripling who passed forward to greet -his companions, and after conducting them to the place of honour, seated -himself beside them. - -The chanting was then resumed, and after a time increased in quickness; -while at intervals, as the name of Allah was pronounced, some solitary -individual uttered a howl, which I can compare to nothing but the cry of -a wild beast. - -Things had progressed thus far, when suddenly a strong voice shouted, -“Allah Il Allah!” and a powerful man sprang from the floor, as though he -had been struck in the heart, fell forward upon his head, and by a -violent spasm rolled over, and lay flat upon his back, with his arms -crossed on his breast, and his whole frame as rigid as though he had -stiffened into death. His turban had fallen off, and the one long lock -of hair pendent from the centre of his head was scattered over the -floor—his mouth was slightly open, and his eyes fixed—in short, the -convulsion was a terrific one; and it was not before the lapse of -several minutes that two of the fraternity, who hastened to his -assistance, succeeded in unclasping his hands, and changing his -position. Having ultimately raised him from the floor, still in a state -of insensibility, they carried him to the crimson rug, and laid him at -the feet of the High Priest, who stroked down his beard, and laid his -right hand upon his breast; they then continued to use all their efforts -to produce re-animation; and having ultimately succeeded, they seated -him once more in his place, and left him to recover himself as he might. - -The howling still continued at intervals, and as the chanting and the -motion increased in violence, these miserable fanatics appeared to -become maddened by their exertions; when, at a certain point of the -ceremony, four of the fraternity, who had green scarfs flung over their -left shoulders, advanced, one by one, to the seat of the High Priest, -and there slowly, and with much parade, transferred them first to their -necks, and afterwards to their waists, and ultimately took their stand, -two on each side of the _mihrab_, or recess. - -After the lapse of a short interval the High Priest rose and advanced -into the centre of the ring, where he took possession of a carpet that -had been spread for him, having immediately behind him two of the -assistant priests; and they then commenced a prayer, the effect of which -was thrilling. The young chief delivered a sentence in a clear, -melodious voice, and paused; when the whole fraternity responded by a -long groan: again and again this was repeated, only interrupted from -time to time by some wild, fiendish howl, the individual who uttered it -tossing back his head, and flinging his arms into the air with the -gesture of a maniac. - -To this prayer succeeded another low sustained wail, during whose -continuance the priests collected the turbans, pelisses, cloaks, -pistols, and yataghans of the Dervishes, who, springing to their feet, -stood in a circle about their chief; and then commenced the painful -portion of their service. The measure of the chant was regulated by the -High Priest, who clapped his hands from time to time to increase its -speed: himself and his four green-girdled assistants uttering the words -of the prayer, while the fraternity, rocking themselves to and fro, kept -up one continual groan, rising and falling with the voices of the choir. -Howl succeeded to howl, as the exhaustion consequent on this violent -bodily exertion began to produce its effect; until at length strong men -fell on the earth on all sides like children, shrieking and groaning in -their agony—some struggling to free themselves from the grasp of those -who endeavoured to restrain them, and others trembling in all their -limbs, and sobbing out their anguish like infants. - -I never witnessed such a scene; nor should I have conceived it possible -for human beings to have gratuitously subjected themselves to the agony -which these misguided wretches visibly endured. The chanting ceased -suddenly at given intervals, but not so the groans; for the speed with -which they were uttered, and the violence of motion by which they were -accompanied, became finally so great, that several seconds frequently -elapsed before the miserable beings could check either the one or the -other, and many of them fell into convulsions with the effort. - -The more I write on the subject of this extraordinary and disgusting -exhibition, the more I feel the utter impossibility of conveying by -words a correct idea of it; from a long sustained groan, and a slow, -heaving, wave-like motion, it grew into a hoarse sobbing, and a quick -jerk, which I can compare to nothing that it more resembles than the -rapid action of a pair of bellows; the cheeks and foreheads of the -actors became pale, their eyes dim, and white foam gathered about their -mouths—in short, the scene resembled rather the orgies of a band of -demons than an offering of worship to a GOD of peace and love! - -At this period of the ceremony, the muffled flutes used by the Turning -Dervishes were heard, accompanied by the low sound of the small Arabian -drums; and a majestic-looking man, clad entirely in white, with a black -girdle, rose, at a signal from his chief, and commenced his evolutions. -His example was speedily followed by two more of the fraternity; the -chanting ceased, but the circle of Howling Dervishes continued their -short groans to the accompaniment of the music, and the spectacle thus -produced was most extraordinary. Such an occurrence had not taken place -for an immense time, and arose from the anxiety of each sect to impress -our party in their favour, which they were desirous of doing when they -had once been induced to admit us. - -To this exhibition succeeded one as striking of its kind; the -tambourines and drums were divided among the fraternity; the latter were -all beat by youths, who formed a second, or inner circle, and in the -midst of whom stood the High Priest, striking a pair of cymbals. Groans, -howls, and yells, such as may haunt the ear of the midnight traveller in -the wilderness, filled up the diapason; while the struggles of the -convulsion-smitten, and their wild shrieks, completed the horror of the -scene. It was impossible to bear it longer; and we hurried from the -latticed apartment just as three more tottering wretches were falling to -the earth, howling out the sacred name of Allah, in tones better suited -to a Satanic invocation! - -On the morrow we visited the elegant chapel of the Turning Dervishes, -where a carpet was politely spread for us by order of the High Priest; -and we once more witnessed their service, which was far more picturesque -at Broussa than at Pera, owing to the beauty of the building and the -numbers of the fraternity. However extraordinary and unmeaning their -ceremonies may appear to strangers, they have this great advantage over -the other sect, that they are neither ridiculous nor disgusting. The -most perfect order, the most touching solemnity, and the most beautiful -cleanliness, are their leading characteristics; and it is impossible for -any unprejudiced person to quit their Tekiè, without feeling at least as -much respect as pity for the Turning Dervishes. - - - - -CHAPTER V. - - - Loquacious Barber—Unthrifty Travellers—Mount Olympus—Early - Rising—Aspect of the Country at Dawn—Peasants and - Travellers—Fine View—Peculiarity of Oriental Cities—Stunted - Minarets—Plains and Precipices—Halting-Place—Difficulty of - Ascending the Mountain—Change of Scenery—Repast in the - Desart—Civil Guide—Appearance of the Mount—Snows and - Sunshine—Fatiguing Pilgrimage—Dense Mists—Intense - Cold—Flitting Landscape—The Chibouk—The Giant’s Grave—The - Roofless Hut—Lake of Appollonia—The Wilderness—Dangerous - Descent—Philosophic Guide—Storm among the Mountains—The - Guide at Fault—Happy Discovery—Tempest. - - -I remember to have heard an anecdote of a facetious barber, who, while -operating upon the chin of a customer, commenced catechising his victim -on the subject of his foreign travel. - -“You are an army gentleman, I believe, Sir; pray were you in Egypt?” -“Yes.” “Really! then perhaps you saw the Pyramids?” “Yes.” “Travelled a -little in Greece, perhaps, Sir?” “A little.” “Pleasant place, Greece, -I’ve been told; Athens, and all that. I dare say you fought in the -Peninsula?” “Once or twice.” “Charming country, Spain, I’ve heard, Sir; -indeed I’ve read Gil Blas, which gives one a very pretty notion of it. -Plenty of oranges in Portugal, Sir?” “Plenty.” “Vastly nice, indeed, -quite a favourite fruit of mine. Did you ever serve in the East or West -Indies, Sir?” “In both.” “Really! why you’re quite a traveller. Of -course, Sir, you’ve seen Paris?” “Never.” “Never seen Paris, Sir!” -exclaimed the man of suds and small-talk: “never visited the French -metropolis! why, dear me, Sir, you have seen nothing!” - -In like manner, he who travels to the East—who feasts with Pashas in -Europe, and eats pillauf with Beys in Asia—who peeps into -palaces—glides in his swift caïque along the channel of the -Bosphorus—overruns all Turkey, and half Egypt, and returns home without -smoking a pipe on the summit of Mount Olympus, has, according to the -declaration of the natives, “seen nothing.” - -Of course it was out of the question that I should add to the number of -these unthrifty travellers; and accordingly on the morning of the 11th -of June (at least two months too soon), the horses were at the door at -four o’clock; and, shaking off my sleepiness as well as I could, I set -forward, accompanied by a Greek gentleman, with whose charming family we -had formed a friendship, and who was himself well calculated by his -scientific acquirements to enhance the enjoyment of the expedition, our -servant, and a guide, for the dwelling of the Gods. - -The morning was yet gray; the mists were hanging in wreaths about the -mountains, and draping them in ermine; the dew was lying heavily on the -dense vegetation; a few straggling peasants passed us on the outskirts -of the sleeping city, some bearing scythes upon their shoulders, affixed -to straight poles about eight feet in length—or carrying round spades -of wood—or driving before them the animals who were to return laden -with mulberry branches for the nurture of the silk-worms which are -reared in millions at Broussa. The number of individuals constantly -employed in providing food for these insects must be very great, as we -have counted upwards of two hundred horses, mules, and donkeys, bearing -closely-packed loads of boughs, passing in one day beneath our windows -from the same gate of the city; and, as the immense plain is covered -with trees, which are each year cut closely down to the trunk, the -consumption may be imagined. - -A little beyond the city we passed a mule-litter, closely covered with -scarlet cloth, guided by two men, and followed by three Turkish -gentlemen on horseback, attended by their servants, bound on some -mountain pilgrimage; but we had not proceeded above half a league, ere, -with the exception of a string of mules laden with timber, which -occasionally crossed our path, we had the wilderness to ourselves. - -The ascent commences, immediately on leaving the city, which on this -side is bounded by a deep ditch or fosse, into which two mountain -torrents, boiling and bellowing down from the neighbouring heights, pour -their flashing waters. A narrow pathway, so narrow that two -saddle-horses cannot pass in it, traverses a dense wood of dwarf oak and -hazel, clothing the hill-side, above whose stunted summits we looked -down upon the plain, and the minarets of Broussa. - -A sudden turn in the road conducted us rapidly upwards, freed us from -the hazel wood, and plunged us among masses of rock, over which our -horses slid and stumbled, until we reached the foot of the next range of -heights. Here the landscape began to grow in beauty; behind us was the -city fenced with mountains, mapped out in all its extent, and as -remarkable as that of Constantinople for the extraordinary and beautiful -admixture of buildings and foliage, which I never remember to have seen -elsewhere. - -Every habitation possessing, if not its garden, at least its one tall -tree, beneath whose boughs the family congregate during the warm hours, -the appearance of an Eastern city, as you look down upon it from any -neighbouring height, is entirely devoid of that monotony which renders -the roofs and chimneys of an European town so utterly uninteresting. It -looks as though the houses had grown up gradually in the midst of a -thick grove, and the eye lingers without weariness on the scene, where -the glittering casements, touched by the sunlight, flash through the -clustering leaves, and the wind heaves aside the more flexile branches -to reveal a stately portal, or a graceful kiosk. From the spot on which -we now stood, we saw Broussa to great advantage. The most striking -object was the spacious mosque of Oulou-Jamè piercing through the -morning mists in spectral whiteness—the stunted minarets, looking like -caricatures of those light, slender, fairy-moulded creations which shoot -so loftily into the blue heaven at Stamboul; minarets that have -sacrificed their grace to the south wind, which blows so violently at -Broussa as frequently to unroof the more lofty buildings; and whose -ill-proportioned cupolas of lead complete the pictorial ruin, and give -them the appearance of bulky wax candles, surmounted by metal -extinguishers. A small space beyond ran the gleaming river, sparkling -along its bed of white pebbles—the wilderness of mulberry trees -spreading over the green carpet of the plain—and away, afar off, the -range of mountains purpling in the distance, and crowned with clouds! - -Beside us, not half a foot from our horse’s hoof, we had a sheer -precipice clothed with dwarf-oak and spruce, and we heard, although we -could not see, the tumbling waters of a torrent which roared and rushed -along the bottom of the gulph. Beyond the precipice, towered a lordly -mountain, upon whose crest were pillowed dense masses of fleecy vapour; -while stately fir trees draped it with a thousand tints. Before us rose -masses of rock, through which we had to make our way: and from every -crevice sprang a forest tree, whose gnarled and knotted roots were -washed by a rushing stream, which was flung up like spray as our horses -splashed through it. We next reached a patch of soft fresh turf; maple -and ash trees overshadowed it; wild artichokes and violets were strown -in every direction; the rich ruby-coloured arum hung its long dank -leaves over the narrow channel, through which glided a pigmy stream -almost hidden by the rank vegetation; the little yellow hearts’-ease was -dotted over the banks; the ringdoves were cooing amid the leaves; and -the grasshopper, as green and almost as bright as an emerald, was -springing from flower to flower. It is a place of pause for the -traveller, and it deserves to be so. There can scarcely be a lovelier in -the world! One or two fragments of cold grey rock pierced through the -rich grass, as if to enhance its beauty, and afforded a resting-place, -whence we looked round upon the masses of mountain scenery by which we -were surrounded; and few, I should imagine, would fail to profit by this -opportunity of temporary rest, when they contemplated the far extent of -wild and difficult country through which they were to travel. - -Let none venture the ascent of Mount Olympus who have not the head and -the hand equally steady; who are incapable not only of standing upon the -“giddy brink,” but also of riding along it when the road is scarcely a -foot in width, and the precipice some hundreds in depth; and where the -only path is a torrent-chafed channel, or a line of rock piled in -ledges, and slippery with water; for assuredly, to all such, _le jeu ne -vaudra pas la chandelle_, as it is impossible to imagine ways less -calculated to calm the nerves, or to re-assure the timid. You urge your -horse up a flat stone, as high and as large as a billiard table, and -splash he descends on the other side up to his girths in mud: now you -ride up a bank to escape collision with a string of timber-laden mules, -and in descending you are stumbling and scrambling among the roots of -trees, which twirl and twist among the vegetation like huge snakes; at -one moment you are almost knocked off your saddle by a forest-bough that -you have not room to avoid, and the next you are up to your knees in a -torrent which he refuses to leap. Assuredly the Gods never wished to -receive company. - -As the ascent became more difficult, the whole face of the landscape -changed: lofty firs shot upwards against the clear sky, while rocks -fantastically piled, and looking like the ruins of a lordly city, were -scattered over a plain which we skirted in turning the elbow of the -next range of heights. Here and there, a tree that had been smitten by -the thunder reared aloft its white and leafless branches, while its -shivered trunk looked like a mass of charcoal. Eagles and vultures -soared above our heads; innumerable cuckoos called to each other among -the rocks: at intervals the low growl of a bear was heard in the -distance; and altogether, a more savage scene can scarcely be imagined. - -A fine fir-wood succeeded, which terminated in a small plain intersected -by a sparkling trout-stream, whose waters formed a thousand pigmy -cascades as they tumbled over the rocky fragments that choked their -channel. Here we spread our morning meal, cooling our delicate Greek -wine in the waters of Mount Olympus, and seating ourselves upon the -fresh turf which was enamelled with violets and wild hyacinths. At this -spot travellers usually leave their horses, and proceed to the summit of -the mountain on foot; but our good cheer, our soft words, and, above -all, the promise of an increased _backshish_, so won upon our guide, -that he consented to let his horses’ knees and our necks share the same -risk, and to proceed as much further as might be practicable for the -animals. - -What a breakfast we made! My intelligent Greek friend already talking of -his mineralogical expectations; I decorating my riding-habit with -lovely wild flowers; the portly Turk paying marked attention to the hard -eggs and _caviare_, and the servant passing to and fro the stream with -glasses of cool wine, sparkling like liquid topaz. - -Before us towered the mountain, whose every creek and crevice was heaped -with snow, while one dense mass of vapour hung upon its brow like a -knightly plume. From the summit of the mount the snow had disappeared, -but the white slate-stone of which it is composed gleamed out beneath -the sunshine with a glare that was almost dazzling. The sides of the -rock are clothed with juniper, which, from the continual pressure of the -snow, is dwarfed and stunted, and rather crawls along the earth than -springs from it; and whose berries produce a singular and beautiful -effect on the masses beneath which they are concealed, by giving to them -a pink tinge that has almost the effect of art. Yet, nevertheless, I -could not forbear casting a glance of anxiety at the towering height, -which all its majesty and magnificence failed to dispel. I had been told -that in the month of June it would be impossible for a female to ascend -to the summit—I had already left behind me six long leagues of the -wilderness—two more of perpetual and difficult ascent were before -me—but I remembered my prowess in the Desart of the Chartreux, and I -resolved to persevere. - -Our hamper was repacked, our bridles were re-adjusted, and, fording the -little stream, we once more set forward upon our “high emprize;” and -after scrambling through acres of juniper, sliding over ledges of rock, -and riding through nine torrents, we at length found ourselves at the -foot of the almost perpendicular mountain. - -It was a magnificent spectacle! The mid-day sun was shining upon the -eternal snows, which, yielding partially and reluctantly to its beams, -were melting into a thousand pigmy streams that glittered and glided -among the juniper bushes; the highest peak of the mount, crowned by its -diadem of vapour, rose proudly against the blue sky; the ragged ridges -of the chain, tempest-riven and bare, hung over the snow-filled gulphs, -into which the grasp of centuries had hurled portions of their own -stupendous mass; and not a sound was audible save the brawling of the -torrents in the lower lands, or the wind sweeping at intervals round the -rocky point. - -When I dismounted, and flung my bridle to the guide, I felt as though I -had gained another year of life! - -Never shall I forget the fatigue of that ascent!—a weary league over -the gnarled roots of the juniper plants, and loose stones which -treacherously failed beneath our feet, and frequently lost us six steps -for the one that we thought to gain. But at length we stood upon the -edge of the rock; we had clomb the ascent, and were looking down upon -the mountains that we had traversed in the morning;, as though into a -valley; but our task was not yet ended: the loftiest peak, the seat of -Jupiter, yet towered above us, and seemed to mock our efforts. Between -that peak, and the spot on which we stood, there was a deep hollow, to -be descended on our side, and again mounted on the other: the rock was -edged with snow many feet in depth; our feet sank among the loose -stones; the cold was piercing; and to add to our discomfort, the vapours -were rising from the valley beyond the mountain in one dense mass which -resembled the concentrated smoke of a burning world. - -The effect was sublimely awful! Fold upon fold—shade darkening over -shade—nothing was to be seen but the cold, gray, clinging vapour which -hung against the mountain, as if to curtain the space beyond. It was -frightful to stand upon the edge of the precipice, and to mark the -working of that mysterious cloud—fancy ran riot in looking on it—its -superhuman extent—its unearthly, impalpable texture—its everchanging -form—its deep, dense tint—my brain reeled with watching its shifting -wonders; and had not my companion withdrawn me from the brink, I should -have sunk down from sheer mental exhaustion. - -We had been warned not to linger when on the mountain, and after the -lapse of a few moments we again toiled on. At intervals the vapour -rolled back, and gave us glimpses of hills, and valleys, and woods, and -streams, far below us; but it was like the production of a fairy-wand, -for while we yet looked upon them they were lost: another heavy fold of -mist rose from the chasm, and again all was chaos. - -At length the chibouk was lighted. We stood upon the Grave of the Giant; -upon the highest point of Mount Olympus—beside the roofless hut, built -for the shelter of the storm-overtaken traveller, and so ingeniously -sunk beneath the surface as to form a well, in which such a shower of -rain as commonly falls in the neighbourhood of the mountain, would go -nigh to drown the hapless wanderer who might trust to the treacherous -asylum. - -Behind us all was vapour: before us stretched away the mountain-chain -across which we had travelled: while far, far in the distance, and -almost blent with the horizon, we distinguished the blue Lake of -Apollonia. While we yet looked, we saw the mists gathering about our own -path; curling up from the swampy patches between the hills; rolling -along the rocky channel of the torrents: draping the broad branches of -the dark firs; clinging to the mountain sides—we had no time to lose. -We were not travellers on a highway; we had neither finger-posts nor -landmarks—all is so nearly alike in the wilderness: one pile of cold -gray rock looms out from amid the mists shaped so like its neighbour; -one rushing torrent brawls over its stony bed so like another: one -stretch of forest darkens the mountain side with a gloom so similar to -that which shadows the opposite height, that we thought it well to avoid -the gathering of the vapours, if we did not wish to sleep in the desart. - -To return by the way that we had ascended was out of the question; for -we had walked upwards of a league along the summit of the mountain, -after having gained the height. The other face of the rock presented a -much shorter road, but, as it was extremely dangerous, we held a council -to decide on which we should venture—the fatigue and loss of time, or -the possibility of accident. We were already travel-worn and foot-sore, -but not caring to confess even to each other that it was the exertion -from which we shrank, we both talked very sagely of the danger of delay, -with the mists gathering so rapidly about us; and decided, as a matter -of prudence, on descending the precipice. - -I have already mentioned the mountain-ridge that projected over the -gulph, and whose jagged and storm-riven outline bore testimony to the -ravages of time and tempest; while the huge fragments of fallen rock -which heaved up their dark masses from among the accumulated snows -beneath, broke the smooth surface, and betrayed the depth of the -precipice. - -This was the point on which we fixed for our descent: my companion, who -was an accomplished sportsman, and accustomed to the dizzy mountains of -the East, led the way; and, as he assured me that nothing but nerve was -required to ensure success, I followed without hesitation. Seating -ourselves, therefore, upon the summit of the mountain, we slid gently -down to a narrow ledge of rock, just sufficiently wide to afford us -footing; and clinging to the stones which jutted out from the natural -wall on the one side, and carefully avoiding to look towards the -precipice on the other, we slowly made our way to a second descent -similar to the first. This hazardous exploit, thrice repeated, carried -us through the most difficult portion of our undertaking, as the rock -then projected sufficiently towards the base to enable us to step from -stone to stone, until we arrived at the edge of the snow. - -As we could form no calculation of its depth, we did not venture to -traverse it, which would have shortened the distance very considerably; -but skirting the gulph, where it was not more than mid-way to our knees, -we at length arrived in a patch of swampy land, inundated by the melting -of the mountain snows, and scattered over with rocks, many of them -split asunder, as though they had suffered from the wrath of Vulcan in -one of his stormy moods. Our wet and weary feet next carried us up a -slight ascent, to a stretch of land as brilliant and as sweet as a -flower-garden. Were I to enumerate all the blossoms that I saw growing -wild on this spot, the next page of my book would resemble a -floricultural catalogue; and tired as I was, I could not pass them by -without gathering a bouquet which would have done no disgrace to an -English parterre. - -In half an hour more we entered the grassy nook where we had left our -horses; and the recompense of our prowess from the guide when we pointed -out to him the spot whence we had descended was a look of contemptuous -pity, accompanied by the remark that we were “two mad Franks!” - -We had scarcely taken a hasty glass of wine, and mounted our horses, -when two loud claps of thunder, following close upon each other, rattled -along the mountain-tops, and enforced on us the necessity of speed. But, -alas! there was no possibility of travelling at more than a foot’s-pace -between Mount Olympus and Broussa; all that we could do, therefore, was -to commence our homeward journey without a moment’s delay, and trust to -our lucky stars, both for finding our way, and for getting home dry. On -we pressed accordingly, “over bank, bush, and scaur;” but in half an -hour we were so completely enveloped in mist that we could not see each -other. The guide still moved steadily on, however, like a man who is -sure of his path; and I felt no misgivings until, on arriving in the dry -bed of a torrent from which the stream had been diverted by some -convulsion of nature, he suddenly ceased the wild monotonous melody with -which he had favoured us for a considerable time, and, turning round in -his saddle, remarked quietly: “We are lost.” - -For an instant no one replied. We had each anticipated the probability -of such an occurrence, but it was not the less disagreeable when it came -to pass. What was to be done? First, the guide was convinced that he had -borne too much to the right, and accordingly we all turned our horses in -the other direction; when being close upon a wall of rock that loomed -out from the vapour like some bristling fortress, he admitted that this -could not be the way, and that consequently he must have inclined too -much to the left. We performed a fresh evolution with equal success: the -man was fairly bewildered; and meanwhile the vapour was spreading -thicker and faster about us. - -At length my companion suggested the expediency of shouting aloud, that -in the event of any shepherd or goatherd being in the neighbourhood, we -might procure assistance and information. Shout, accordingly, we did, at -the very pitch of our lungs; but the mists were so dense that they -stifled the voice, and we were ourselves conscious that we could not be -heard at any great distance. After the suspense of a long, weary -half-hour, we had just abandoned all hope of help, when a huge dog came -bounding out of the vapour, barking furiously, but to us his voice was -music, as it assured us of the vicinity of some mountaineer; at the same -moment the mists broke partially away, and the guide, uttering an -exclamation of joy, suddenly descended a steep bank, and we found -ourselves on the skirts of the fir wood, and in the mule-track which we -had followed in the morning. - -We had scarcely congratulated each other on the termination of our -dilemma, and the partial dispersion of the vapours, when a jagged line -of serpent-like lightning ran shimmering through the broad flash that -lit up for a second the whole wild scene amid which we were moving; and -at the same instant, the loudest and the longest peal broke from the sky -to which I ever listened; rock after rock caught up the sound, and flung -it back, until the wizard thunder rattled in fainter echoes down into -the plain. - -It was an awful moment! The terrified animals stood suddenly still, and -trembled with affright; but we had no time to waste upon alarm, for, as -if conjured by that awful crash, and the wild light by which it was -accompanied, down came the imprisoned waters from the mass of vapour -that hung above us. I can scarcely call it rain; it was as though a -sluice had been let loose upon us, and in an instant we were drenched. -Every mountain stream grew suddenly into a torrent—every wayside -fountain, (and there were many in the forest formed of the hollow trunks -of trees,) overflowed its basin—the branches against which we brushed -in our passage, scattered the huge drops from their leaves—large stones -fell rattling down the sides of the mountain—in short it was as wild a -storm as ever inspired the pencil of Salvator Rosa; and its solemnity -was deepened by the twilight gloom of the clinging and changeful -vapours. - -We arrived at Broussa both wet and weary, having been thirteen hours on -the road; but, despite all that I suffered, I would not have lost the -sublime spectacle on which I gazed from the summit of Mount Olympus, for -the enjoyment of a month of luxurious ease. Well might Howitt exclaim, -in the gushing out of his pious and poetical nature:— - - “Praise be to GOD for the mountains!” - - - - -CHAPTER VI. - - - The Armenian Quarter of Broussa—Catholics and - Schismatics—Armenian Church—Ugly Saints—Burial Place of the - Bishops—Cloisters—Public School—Mode of Rearing the Silk - Worms—Difference between the European and the Asiatic - Systems—Colour and Quantity of the Produce—Appearance of the - Mulberry Woods. - - -It is a singular fact, that although the Armenian quarter of Broussa -contains upwards of a thousand houses which are all inhabited, the -number of Catholic families does not amount to fifty; their place of -worship is consequently small, and unworthy of description, being merely -the chapel attached to a private house, while the Schismatic Church is -proportionably handsome. The difference of faith between the two sects -hangs upon a single point—the Schismatics deny the double nature of -Christ, and are accordingly denounced as heretics by their more orthodox -brethren; although they worship the same profusion of Saints—weep over -the wounds of the same blessed martyrs—and build altars to the same -Virgin under all her multitudinous designations. - -The Armenian Church of Broussa is very elegant. The altar, which extends -along its whole width, is of white marble, highly polished, and divided -into three compartments, merely separated from the aisles by a simple -railing, and is arranged with considerable taste; the sacerdotal plate -being interspersed with vases of white lilies. The roof is supported by -ten fine columns, and the floor covered, like that of a mosque, with -rich carpets. - -The Saints, whose portraits adorn the walls, (which are covered with -Dutch tiles to the height of the latticed gallery,) have been most -cruelly treated. I never beheld “the human face divine” so caricatured! -A tale is somewhere told of a susceptible young Italian, who became -enamoured of the Madonna that adorned his oratory; he might kneel before -the whole saintly community of the Armenian Church of Broussa, without a -quickening pulse—they would haunt the dreams of an artist like the -nightmare! At the base of the pictures, crosses of white marble are -incrusted in the masonry, curiously inlaid with coloured stones; and a -portable altar, whose plate was enriched with fine turquoises, stood in -the centre of the aisle, surmounted by a hideous St. Joseph, glaring out -in his ugliness from beneath a drapery of silver muslin. - -The church is surrounded on three sides by a noble covered cloister, -lined with marble, partially carpeted, and furnished with an altar at -each extremity. That on the right hand is the burial place of the -Bishops, who lie beneath slabs of marble, elaborately carved; the left -hand cloister, into which flows a noble fountain, serves as a sacristy; -and the third, situated at the extreme end of the church, is decorated -with a dingy Virgin, and a congregation of Saints in very tattered -condition, to whom their votaries offer the tribute of lighted tapers, -whose numerous remains were scattered about in their immediate vicinity. -The women’s gallery is handsome and spacious, and is partially -overlooked by the windows of the Bishop’s Palace; a fine building -erected a year ago at an immense expence. - -From the church we passed into the public school, where three hundred -boys were conning their tasks under the superintendence of a single -master. Though we were perfectly unexpected, we did not hear a whisper; -every boy was in his place; and the venerable Dominie, with a beard as -white as snow, and a head which would have been a study for a painter, -rose as we entered, and courteously invited us to take our seats upon -the comfortable sofa that occupied the upper end of the hall. The most -beautiful cleanliness pervaded the whole establishment; and the boarded -floor was rubbed as bright by the constant friction of six hundred -little naked feet, as though it had been waxed. - -The number of Turkish children now receiving their education in Broussa -we could not ascertain, as they are divided among the different mosques; -but the Greek Rector, who, in the absence of the Archbishop, interested -himself in our comfort and amusement, told me that they had but fifty in -their school, although the Greek population of Broussa is tolerably -numerous. There is, however, a second description of free-school or -college, attached to the Greek and Armenian Churches, wherein the pupils -advance a step in their studies, and prepare themselves for the -Priesthood, and for commercial pursuits. - -Our next object of inquiry was the mode of feeding the silk-worms, which -produce in the neighbourhood of Broussa an extraordinary quantity of -silk. We accordingly visited the establishment of a Frenchman, who -exports the raw material to Europe. I was struck by the colour of the -silk, which was of a dingy white; and learnt that, despite all the -efforts of the feeders, they seldom succeeded in producing any other -tint, although the worms are themselves of different qualities and -colours, varying from a dead white to a dark brown, and are fed with the -leaves of both the red and the white mulberry indiscriminately. The most -experienced feeders, however, give a decided preference to the wild -white mulberry, of which most of the plantations about Broussa are -formed. The silk, when first spun, is of a clear, silvery, brilliant -tint; but submersion in the highly mineralized water of the -neighbourhood robs it of its gleam, and reduces it to the dead, dingy -colour I have mentioned; and I was assured that in some hundreds of -pounds weight of silk, not more than two or three could be met with of -yellow. - -The Asiatic method of rearing the worm is totally different from that of -Europe, and, according to the account given to me, much more profitable -in its results, as well as simple in its process. The insect has a -natural dislike to being handled, which is inevitable where it is fed -day by day, and the withered leaves of the previous morning cleared -away; the discomfort produced by the touch rendering the worm lethargic, -and retarding its growth. The Asiatics never approach it with the hand: -when it is hatched, the floor of the apartment is covered with layers of -mulberry branches to about three or four inches in depth; and upon these -the insects are laid, and suffered to feed undisturbed until their first -sleep, when they are covered by a fresh supply of boughs similar to the -first, through which they eat their way, and upon which they subsist -until their next change. This operation is repeated four times, always -at the period when the worm casts its skin; and on the first appearance -of an inclination to spin, boughs of oak, of about four feet in length, -stripped of their lower leaves, and planted, if I may so express it, in -close ranks in the bed of mulberry branches, form a pigmy forest in -which the insects establish themselves, and wherein they produce their -silk. Every crevice of the apartment is carefully stopped to prevent the -admission of air, and a fire of charcoal ashes is kept up constantly -throughout the day and night. - -Whether the mode of feeding operates on the colour of the silk, I could -not ascertain, though it struck me that the experiment would be worth -trying; but meanwhile it appears to be certain that it greatly increases -its quantity, and diminishes the labour of the feeders. There is -scarcely a house in the neighbourhood of Broussa which does not contain -several apartments filled with silk worms, whose produce is disposed of -to the spinners, of whom there are a considerable number in the city; -and the far-spreading mulberry woods assume in the height of summer the -appearance of stretches of locust-blighted landscape, every tree being -left a branchless trunk without a sign of foliage. - - - - -CHAPTER VII. - - - The Cadi’s Wife—Singular Custom—Haïsè Hanoum—The - Odalique—The Cadi—Noisy Enjoyment—Lying in - State—Cachemires—Costume—Unbounded Hospitality of the - Wealthy Turks—The Dancing Girl—Saïryn Hanoum—Contrast. - - -The wife of the Cadi of Tzèkerghè having given birth to her first-born -son, I received an invitation to visit her the same evening, which I -accepted, although not without some surprise; and, on expressing my -astonishment at her subjecting herself to the intrusion of guests at -such a period, I learnt that it is universally the custom, among the -wives of the wealthy Turks, to receive company during seven days after -the birth of the first son, until midnight; on which occasion they -display the most valuable portions of their _trousseau_. - -Haïsè Hanoum was a young creature of sixteen, very pretty, and very -stupid, who, individually, created no great interest; but she had a -rival in the harem, a sweet girl of twelve years of age, with the face -of an angel, and the grace of a sylph; who, if the gossipry of the -neighbourhood may be relied upon, was no especial favourite with her -companion, whose dullness yet left her discrimination enough to be -jealous of the superior attractions of the gazel-eyed Odalique. The Cadi -himself had reached his eightieth year, and his silver beard would -rather have distinguished him as the grandsire than as the husband of -these two beautiful young creatures. - -I entered the house at eight o’clock in the evening; and, having -traversed the marble court, whose fountain poured forth its limpid -waters beneath the shade of a venerable fig tree, I passed along the -latticed terrace of the harem, to the Hanoum’s apartment. Long before I -reached it, I was deafened with the noise which issued from its open -door; the voices of the singing-women—the rattle of the -tambourines—the laughter of the guests—the shouts of the attendant -slaves—the clatter of the coffee and sherbet cups—I could scarcely -believe that I was about to be ushered into a sick-chamber! At length, -the three attendants who had lighted me upstairs, made way for me -through the crowd of women who thronged the entrance of the apartment, -and one of the most extraordinary scenes presented itself upon which it -has ever been my fate to look. - -Directly opposite to the door stood the bed of the Hanoum; the curtains -had been withdrawn, and a temporary canopy formed of cachemire shawls -arranged in festoons, and linked together with bathing scarfs of gold -and silver tissue: and, as the lady was possessed of fifty, which could -not all be arranged with proper effect in so limited a space, a silk -cord had been stretched along the ceiling to the opposite extremity of -the apartment, over which the costly drapery was continued. Fastened to -the shawls were head-dresses of coloured gauze, flowered or striped with -gold and silver, whence depended oranges, lemons, and candied fruits. -Two coverlets of wadded pink satin were folded at the bed’s foot; and a -sheet of striped crape hung to the floor, where it terminated in a deep -fringe of gold. - -The infant lay upon a cushion of white satin, richly embroidered with -coloured silks, and trimmed like the sheet; and was itself a mass of -gold brocade and diamonds. But the young mother principally attracted my -attention. As I entered, she was flinging over her child a small -coverlet of crimson velvet, most gorgeously wrought with gold; and as -the sleeves of her striped silk antery and gauze chemisette fell back to -the elbow, her white and dimpled arms circled by bracelets of -brilliants, and her small hand glittering with jewelled rings, were -revealed in all their beauty. Her dark hair was braided in twenty or -thirty small plaits, that fell far below her waist, as she leant -against a cushion similar to that on which she had pillowed her infant. -Her throat was encircled by several rows of immense pearls, whence -depended a diamond star, resting upon her bosom; her chemisette was -delicately edged by a gold beading, and met at the bottom of her bust, -where her vest was confined by a costly shawl. Her head-dress, of blue -gauze worked with silver, was studded with diamond sprays, and -ornamented with a fringe of large gold coins, which fell upon her -shoulders, and almost concealed her brilliant earrings. Her satin antery -was of the most lively colours, and her salva were of pale pink silk, -sprinkled with silver spots. A glass vase of white lilies rested against -her pillow, and a fan of peacocks’ feathers, and a painted handkerchief, -lay beside her. Previously to her confinement, she had plucked out the -whole of her eyebrows, and had replaced them by two stripes of black -dye, raised about an inch higher upon the forehead. This is a common -habit with the Turkish women on great occasions; and they no where -display more coquetry or more decided bad taste than in the arrangement -of their eyebrows, which they paint in all kinds of fantastic shapes; -sometimes making them meet across the nose, and sometimes raising them -at the outer point to the temples! I have seen many a pretty woman -destroyed by this whim. - -I was conducted with great ceremony to the sofa, when I had saluted the -Hanoum, and uttered my “Mashallah” as I leant over the infant; which, -poor little thing! was almost smothered in finery; and, having taken my -seat, I had time to contemplate the singular scene around me. - -I have alluded elsewhere to the facility with which the working classes -of Turkey obtain access into the houses of the wealthy. On every -occasion of rejoicing, the door is open to all; it is the sofa only -which is sacred; but the poor share in all the enjoyments of the -festival; the coffee and sherbet is served to them, if not with the same -ceremony, at least with the same welcome, as to the prouder guests; they -listen to the music—they mingle in the conversation—they join in the -gaiety—and they are never made to feel that their lot is cast in a more -lowly rank than that of their entertainer. - -On the present occasion the floor was thronged. Mothers were there with -their infants at their breasts, for whose entire costume you would not -have given fifty piastres; and whose sunburnt arms and naked feet bore -testimony to a life of toil. A group of children were huddled together -at the bed’s foot; a throng of singing women occupied the extreme end of -the apartment; the mother of the young wife sat beside the pillow of her -child, dressed in a vest and trowsers of white, with a large -handkerchief of painted muslin flung loosely over her turban; the lovely -little Odalique, totally unheeded, squatted on the ground at my feet; -half a dozen stately Hanoums were seated on the crimson velvet sofa, -leaning against its gorgeous cushions, and some of them engaged with the -chibouk. But the most attractive object in the apartment was the -dancing-girl, who occupied the centre of the floor. - -I have rarely beheld any thing more beautiful; and, with the exception -of the daughter of the Scodra Pasha, I had seen no woman in the country -who could be compared with her. On my entrance she had been beating the -tambourine; and as, out of respect for the Frank visitor, the music was -momentarily suspended, she remained in the attitude she had assumed when -she first caught sight of me. Her arms were raised above her head, and -her open sleeves fell back almost to her shoulder; her delicate little -feet were bare, and only partially revealed beneath the large loose -trowsers of dark silk; a chemisette of gauze, richly fringed, relieved -the sombre tint of her tightly-fitting antery, and a shawl of the most -glowing colours bound her slender waist; her head-dress was nearly -similar to that worn in the Imperial Seraïs—a painted handkerchief was -folded round her forehead, whose deep fringe fell low upon her cheeks; -part of her long hair was dishevelled, and spread wide upon the summit -of her head, and the rest, formed into innumerable little plaits, was -looped about her shoulders. A large bunch of white lilies drooped -gracefully above her right ear, and her figure was bent slightly -backward, in the easiest attitude in the world. - -She was assuredly very lovely; but it was not genuine oriental beauty. -Her large, full eyes were as blue and bright as a summer sky, when the -heavens are full of sunshine; her nose was _à la Roxalane_; and she had -a pretty pout about her little cherry-coloured lips, worth half a dozen -smiles. - -I could not help expressing my surprise at the style of her _coïffure_, -as I had never before seen it so worn, except in the Imperial Palaces; -when I was informed that the Sultan, having accidentally seen her -mother, who far exceeded the daughter in beauty, became so enthralled by -her extreme loveliness as to make her an inmate of his harem, where she -still remains. - -When I had seated myself, the dancer suddenly suffered her arms to fall -by her side, and flinging the tambourine to one of the singing women, -she clapped her hands, and a couple of slaves entered with coffee. One -bore a large silver salver, from which depended a napkin of gold tissue, -richly fringed, with the tiny cups of glittering porcelain, and the -silver coffee-holders neatly arranged upon its surface; and the other -carried a weighty sherbet-vase of wrought silver, shaped as classically -as that of Hebe herself. - -I never saw any woman so light or so graceful as that lovely -dancing-girl. She had the spring of a sylph, and the foot of a fawn. As -she presented the coffee, she laid her hand first upon her lips and then -upon her head, with an elegance which I have seldom seen equalled; and -then bounding back into her place, she twirled the tambourine in the air -with the playfulness of a child; and, having denoted the measure, -returned it to one of the women, who immediately commenced a wild chant, -half song and half recitative, which was at times caught up in chorus by -the others, and at times wailed out by the dancer only, as she regulated -the movements of her willow-like figure to the modulations of the music. -The Turkish women dance very little with the feet; it is the grace and -art displayed in the carriage of the body and arms which form the -perfection of their dancing; the rapid snapping of the fingers, -meanwhile, producing the effect of castanets. - -Even at the risk of making a portrait gallery of my chapter, I must -mention the magnificent Saïryn Hanoum, who shortly afterwards entered -the apartment. She was in the autumn of her beauty, for she must have -been eight or nine and twenty, at which period the women of the East -begin to decline. But what an autumn! Could you only have clipped the -wings of Time for the future, you would not have wished her to be a day -younger. She was dark, very dark: almost a Bohemian in complexion; but -you saw the rich blood coursing along her veins, through the clear skin; -her eyes were like the storm-cloud, from which the lightning flashes at -intervals; her hair was as black as midnight; her teeth were dazzling: -and her brow—it was a brow which should have been circled by a diadem, -for it was already stamped with Nature’s own regality. She was tall, -even stately; and the dignity of her step accorded well with the fire of -her dark eye, and the proud expression that sat upon her lip, and -dilated her thin delicate nostril. Her costume was as striking as her -person; and, had she studied during a century how best to enhance her -beauty, she could never have more perfectly succeeded. Her vest and -trowsers were of the most snowy muslin; she wore neither diamond nor -pearl; but the handkerchief was fastened about her head with a chain of -large gold coins, which being threaded upon a silken cord, formed a -fringe that rested upon her forehead; and a necklace of the same -material fell low upon her bosom. The Turkish women of rank have -universally very sweet voices—her’s was music. - -On glancing back upon what I have written, I fear that much of it may -be condemned as hyperbole, or at best as exaggeration. I only wish that -they who are sceptical could look for an instant upon Saïryn -Hanoum—they would confess that I have done her less than justice. - -_En révanche_, the floor was crowded with withered old women and stupid -children: the atmosphere was impregnated with onions, tobacco, and -garlic; and the noise was deafening! The singing women shouted at -intervals at the very pitch of their voices; the infants cried with -weariness and fright; the impatient guests demanded coffee and sherbet -as unceremoniously as though they had been at a public kiosk, and much -more rapidly than they could be supplied; and the ringing rattle of the -tambourine kept up a running accompaniment of discord. - -Altogether the scene was a most extraordinary one; and I compelled -myself to remain a couple of hours the guest of Haïsè Hanoum in order to -contemplate it at my leisure. The same ceremonies, the same amusements, -and the same noise, continued until midnight, during the whole of the -seven days; when the harem doors were once more shut against such -general intrusion, and the young mother left to enjoy the repose which -she required. - - - - -CHAPTER VIII. - - - Tzèkerghè—Bustling Departure—Turkish _Patois_—Waiting Maids - and Serving Men—Characteristic Cavalcade—Chapter of - Accidents—Train of Camels—Halt of the Caravan—Violent - Storm—Archbishop of Broussa—The Old - Palace—Reception-Room—Priestly Humility—Greek - Priests—Worldly and Monastic Clergy—Morals of the - Papas—Asiatic Pebbles—Moudania—Idleness of the - Inhabitants—Decay of the Town—Policy of the Turkish - Government—Departure for Constantinople. - - -When we had exhausted the “lions” of Broussa, we removed to Tzèkerghè -for the benefit of the Baths; and, after having enjoyed for a few weeks -all the luxury of sulphuric vapour, we prepared for our return to the -capital. - -The confusion incident on our departure from the village was most -amusing; and, as our party was a numerous one, we were all on foot by -three o’clock in the morning. Serudjhes were shouting and quarrelling -about missing bridles, and ill-poised paniers: Greek servants, supreme -in their knowledge of the Asiatic Turkish, which is a species of -_patois_ almost unintelligible even to Constantinopolitan Turks, were -hectoring and finding fault; waiting-maids were screaming in defence of -bandboxes and dressing-cases; and all the inhabitants of the hamlet were -looking on, and favouring us with their comments. The morning -salutations were drowsy enough, for there are few things more dreary -than a daybreak dialogue; the perfumed coffee was swallowed almost in -silence; and at length the procession set forth. - -Nothing could be more characteristic than the appearance of our caravan, -as we wound down the mountain path—bullock cars laden with luggage -creaked and rattled over the rocky road; led horses carrying bedding and -provisions were scattered along the wayside; and thirteen mounted -individuals, as ill-assorted to the eye as can well be imagined, -completed the party. Two Greek ladies, mounted _en cavalier_, one -wearing an ample white turban, and both having their feet enveloped in -shawls: three men servants perched on the top of great coats and cloaks, -and armed with chibouks and umbrellas; two Greek _femmes de chambre_, -mounted like their mistresses; my father, myself, and three gentlemen, -with our English, Viennese, and Tartar saddles; altogether formed a -spectacle which would not have passed unobserved in the West. - -My own horse, a powerful animal, that went like the wind, was almost -blinded by crimson and gold tassels; a Turkish inhabitant of Tzèkerghè -having insisted on replacing the ill-conditioned bridle provided by the -post-master with the elaborate head gear of his own animal; while my -saddle was girt over a flaming horse-cloth of blue and scarlet. Some of -the party were less fortunate, both as regarded their horses and -accoutrements; but, once upon the road, our spirits rose with the bright -sun which was beginning to light up the glorious scene around us; and, -when we had descended into the plain, and passed the romantic fountain -of Adzem Tzèsmèssi, the most energetic among us were soon galloping -right and left among the trees, gathering the wild hollyhocks, and -scattering, as we passed, the yellow blossoms of the barberry bushes. - -Our enjoyment was not uninterrupted, however, for the whole journey was -a chapter of accidents; one servant lost her turban; another her -umbrella; a third rode a lazy hack, that lay down with her three times -during the day; while, to complete the list of misfortunes, a young -Austrian gentleman, resolving that our departure from Broussa should be -signalized by some _éclat_, with a want of reflection which he -afterwards bitterly repented, threw a rocket among the burning tobacco -that he flung from his chibouk by the wayside, which exploded with a -violence that unhorsed one lady of the party, and left us for some time -in doubt whether she had not paid the penalty of his folly with her -life. - -There was a general halt as soon as it could be effected, for several of -the animals were almost unmanageable from fright; when all those -domestic remedies were applied which could be commanded at such a -moment, in order to recover the sufferer from the deadly faint into -which she had fallen; and, after the delay of about half an hour, when -the serudjhe had duly emptied a bottle of water on the spot where the -accident had taken place, in order to prevent its recurrence, the -unfortunate lady was with considerable difficulty lifted once more upon -her horse; and, with an attendant at her bridle-rein, resumed her -journey. - -Nor did our misadventures end here; for, just before we entered the town -of Moudania, a gentleman, who was riding along with my father and -myself, fell back a few paces to discharge his travelling pistols, when -one of them burst in his hand nearly the whole length of the barrel, but -fortunately without doing him any injury. - -During our journey across the principal plain, we came in contact with a -caravan, which had made a temporary halt by the wayside. It consisted -of between forty and fifty camels, attended by their drivers, and -accompanied by half a dozen formidable-looking dogs. I never -encountered anything more picturesque. Some of the animals were browsing -on the young shoots of the dwarf oak; others were standing lazily with -their long necks bent downwards, and their eyes closed; while the more -weary among them were lying on the earth, as though sinking under the -weight of their burthens. Their drivers, a wild, ferocious-looking -horde, were resting beneath the shade of some cloaks which they had -stretched across the bushes, and smoking their chibouks; leaving the -care of the drove to their watchful dogs. We uttered the brief but -earnest salutation of the wilderness as we passed; and, then urging on -our horses, the halt of the caravan was soon a distant object in the -landscape. - -A violent storm had been slowly gathering throughout the day; and we had -scarcely taken possession of the house which had been secured for us at -Moudania, when it burst over the town. The mountains of the opposite -coast were covered with dense vapours, the sea beat violently against -the houses that fringed the shore, the thunder rattled in long continued -peals among the heights, the lightning danced along the foam-crested -billows, and the narrow street became the channel of a torrent. - -The rain had only partially abated when a priest was announced, who bore -to my father and myself an invitation from the Archbishop, to whom our -arrival had been already made known; and, weary as we were, we resolved -to avail ourselves of it, accompanied by a gentleman and lady of the -party, who were kind enough to offer themselves as interpreters. - -The old palace, with its noble flights of marble stairs, and paintings -in arabesque, delighted me; and there was a solemn twilight throughout -the whole suite of apartments along which we passed, lined with -serious-looking papas in attendance on His Holiness, that pleased me far -better, travel-worn and weary as I was, than the gaud and glitter so -usual in the residences of high personages in the East. - -The Archbishop himself met us at the head of the last staircase; and, -when we had kissed his hand, he led us forward to his reception-room; a -vast sombre-looking apartment, richly painted and carved; surrounded on -three sides by a divan of purple cloth, and provided with a second and -lower sofa, for the convenience of those among the clergy to whom he -gave audience. The expression of his countenance was intellectual rather -than handsome, and he was singularly graceful in his movements; his -flowing beard was beginning to show traces of age; but his clear quick -eye and his placid brow almost belied the inference. He seemed eager to -obtain political information; and was much interested in the insight -which we were enabled to give him of the institutions and manufactures -of England. His library was extremely limited, and entirely theological; -and his knowledge was evidently rather the result of his shrewd sense -and great natural talents than the effect of education. I never -regretted more sincerely than on this occasion my ignorance of the Greek -language; for the necessity of an interpreter deadens the wit and -destroys the interest of a dialogue like that in which we were soon -engaged; and many a remark or sentiment, that would pass current in -common conversation, becomes mere impertinence and folly, when twice -expressed. - -Nothing could exceed the courtesy of our reception; and even the sweet, -weak, milkless tea which was served to us, was kindly meant, as it was -supposed to be in the English style; although individually I suffered -severely from the mistake. But I was considerably amused by observing -that the chibouks of the gentlemen, and the tea of the ladies, were both -handed round by the young priests of the Archbishop’s household; who -obeyed the clapping of his hands as instantaneously, and much more -meekly, than an English footman answers the bell of his mistress. - -Devoted from their birth to the service of the Church, the Greek Priests -are educated in obedience and humility, and have all learnt to obey ere -they are placed in a situation to command. Having taken orders, they -are in some degree the masters of their actions, from the fact that -there are two distinct classes of clergy, and that they are at liberty -to make their own selection. The first, called the monastic clergy, -cannot marry, but, entirely devoted to the duties of their profession, -are eligible to fill its highest dignities; while the second, or worldly -clergy, who are fettered by no restriction of the kind, cannot rise -beyond the rank of rectors or parish priests. These latter are -distinguished by the black handkerchief bound about their caps, which is -never worn by the monastic order. - -It will be easily understood that the number of married priests is very -limited. Few men sacrifice their ambition to their affections, -particularly among the Greeks, who are all essentially ambitious; and to -many of whom the road to advancement is so frequently made straight by -intrigue and cabal. Added to this consideration, the ideas and practice -of morality among the Greek clergy being notoriously more lax than -altogether accords with the holiness of their profession, they prefer -the equivocal liberty of celibacy; while, in the few instances wherein -they make their fortunes subservient to their domestic comfort, they -universally select the most beautiful women of their nation; as there -scarcely exists a family who would refuse their daughter to a priest, -should he demand her for his wife. - -After having passed two pleasant hours with the amiable Prelate, and -reluctantly declined his polite invitation to avail ourselves of his -table during our detention at Moudania, we returned home, only to -witness the renewed gathering of the storm-clouds, and to listen to the -dash of the billows against the foundations of the house. - -One little incident alone served to divert us for a time from our ennui. -The waiting maid of the lady whom I have mentioned as having been thrown -from her horse during the journey to the coast, had profited by our -arrival at Moudania to get herself exorcised by a priest; so terrified -had she been at the accident of her mistress, which she attributed -entirely to the influence of the Evil Eye. Secure in the impunity that -she had thus purchased for a few piastres, she was pursuing her -avocations somewhat more vivaciously than her wont, when she fell from -the top of the stairs to the bottom, with a force which shook the frail -wooden tenement to its foundations. Merriment succeeded to our alarm, -however, when, on raising herself from the floor, she began to exclaim -vehemently against the inefficacy of the ceremony that she had so lately -undergone; nor was our amusement diminished when, in reply to our -raillery, she declared that, even if she _had_ thrown away her money, -she was in no worse plight than her lady, who had paid much more dearly -for the same privilege before she left Broussa, though it had availed -her still less. Shouts of laughter followed the announcement of this -hitherto carefully-guarded secret; and I do not think that I shall ever -hear of an Exorcist again, without having before my eyes the portly -person of Madame ——, extended on the earth; and a party of routed -equestrians galloping hither and thither over the vast plain of Broussa, -wherever their affrighted horses were for the first few minutes disposed -to carry them. - -The following day was less unfavourable, but the wind was so high and -the sky so wild that no boat could put to sea. In this dilemma, we -amused ourselves by wandering along the beach, and collecting jaspers, -agates, and pebbles: and in making a tour of the town, which is -miserable enough, and stamped with all the marks of premature decay. - -The inhabitants of Moudania are celebrated for their slothfulness. The -town is seated on the edge of a gulf, which would alone suffice to the -sustenance of the whole of its population; and they are the worst -fishermen in Turkey. The surrounding country is fertile and rich: Nature -has been lavish in her gifts, and yet their agriculture is conducted in -the most slovenly and inefficient manner. It is a continual struggle -between the luxuriance of the soil, and the idleness of the husbandman; -and, fortunately for the latter, Nature, after all, has the best of it, -for the lofty hills are feathered to their very summits with vegetation: -olive trees and vines clothe the valleys; sparkling streams descend from -the mountains; rich pasturages afford sustenance to the numerous flocks; -and goodly forest trees provide fuel for their owners. But Moudania and -its environs instantly reminded me of Cowper’s expressive line:— - - “God made the country, but man made the town,” - -for man, left to himself, never more fully displayed his insufficiency -than here. The commerce in oil is very considerable, not less than a -hundred and fifty thousand okes being produced yearly—silk-worms are -reared in almost every house in the place—wine is plentiful—and there -is a continual intercourse with the European coast—and yet, -notwithstanding all these advantages, Moudania is falling to decay. In -vain has the Turkish Government, with a consideration and good policy by -which it is not usually distinguished, lightened, and indeed almost -entirely removed, all the local imposts; the same slowly progressing -ruin still wears its way. On every side the houses are perishing for -want of repair, the streets are encumbered with filth, the shops are -almost empty, and the whole town is in a state of stagnation. The -departure of half a dozen caïques for Constantinople suffices to bring -all the inhabitants to their windows, or to the beach; and, had you not -already received proof to the contrary, you would then imagine by the -shouting, running, and confusion, that the population of Moudania was -one of the most energetic under heaven; but when once the sails are set -and the boats departed, the crowd separates lazily, the noise dies away, -and the genius of desolation once more broods over the perishing little -town. - -In this miserable place we were detained three days; and on the morning -of the fourth, our party embarked on board three of their beautiful -boats, and bade adieu, probably for ever, to the shores of Moudania. - - - - -CHAPTER IX. - - - Death in the Revel—Marriage of the Princess Mihirmàh—The - Imperial Victim—The First Lover—Court Cabal—Policy of the - Seraskier—The Second Suitor—The Miniature—The Last - Gift—Interview between the Sultan and Mustapha Pasha. - - -It is strange how often events, which to the crowd appear redolent of -joy and happiness, are to the principal actors replete with heartburning -and misery—how what is a pageant to the many may be a penance to the -few—and how the triumphant acclaim of the multitude may be hollowly -echoed back in bitterness from the depths of a bereaved and stricken -spirit. The price of greatness must be paid, even although it should be -in the coinage of despair, wrung slowly, through a long life, like -blood-drops from the heart; and it is well for the shouting, -holyday-seeking crowd, that the gaunt spectre of reality is not -permitted, like the skeleton of the Egyptian banquets, to take its seat -at the feast, and startle them into a knowledge of the heavy price paid -for the “funeral-baked meats” of their empoisoned revel! - -Only a few weeks had elapsed since Constantinople had held a general -holyday; since her joy had been written in characters of fire; and her -tens of thousands had collected together like one vast family, to -celebrate the same happy event. Who that looked around and about him -during the marriage festivities of the Imperial Bride of Saïd Pasha—the -young, the fair, the high-born maiden, descended from a long-line of -Emperors, “born in the purple,” and on whom no sunbeam had been suffered -to rest, lest it should mar the brightness of her beauty—Who could have -guessed, amid the flashing of jewels, the echo of compliments, and the -lavish congratulation by which he was surrounded, that the idol to whom -all this incense was offered up was already lying shivered at the foot -of the altar on which it had been reared?—That the roses of the bridal -wreath had fallen leaf by leaf, withered by the burning of the brow they -cinctured?—and that the victim of an Empire’s holyday was seated -heart-stricken and despairing in her latticed apartment, weeping hot -tears over her compulsatory sacrifice? - -And yet thus it was:—even I myself, when the rumour reached me, that -had the Princess been free to chuse from among the many who sighed for, -without venturing to aspire to her hand, she would have made another -selection—even I, remembering only that she was an Oriental, and -forgetting that she was also a woman, never doubted for an instant that -she would resign herself to her fate with true Turkish philosophy, and -find consolation for a passing disappointment in the gaud and glitter of -her new state. But it was not so: the arrow had been driven home, and -the wound was mortal! - -Two long years had elapsed since the Sultan had announced to her his -intention of bestowing her hand on Mustapha Pasha of Adrianople; and she -had received with indifference the intimation of a resolve which made -the heart of the Sultana-Mother throb with maternal pride. But ere long -the fair Princess herself learnt to believe that her constellation had -been a happy one; and to listen with smiling attention to the flattering -accounts which the ladies of the Imperial Harem failed not to pour into -her willing ears of the Pasha’s wealth, influence, and great personal -beauty. The singing-women improvised in his honour, with all the -gorgeous hyperbole of the East—the massaldjhes[1] told tales of his -wisdom and valour that brought a brighter light to the dark eyes of -their listener—and ultimately the Sultan forwarded to his daughter a -miniature likeness of her intended bridegroom. - -Then it was that the Princess became convinced that the personal -qualifications of the Pasha had been by no means exaggerated even by -his most partial chroniclers; and the young beauty sat for hours amid -her embroidered cushions, silently gazing on the portrait which she held -in her hand, and marvelling whether she should look as fair in the eyes -of her destined lord as he already seemed in her own. She was not long -to remain in doubt; for the Pasha, to whom his good fortune had been -communicated by his Imperial Master, obeyed the summons that called him -to the capital, and forwarded to his high-born mistress his first costly -offering. - -The heart of the Princess beat high. He was in Stamboul! The wife of the -meanest _camal_[2] might look on him as his shadow fell upon her in the -streets of the city; while she, his affianced bride, could only picture -him to her fancy by gazing on the cold inanimate ivory. She turned from -the diamonds that her slaves had officiously displayed upon the sofa on -which she sat; they came from him, it was true, but they told no tale of -love—they were the offering of ceremony—the tribute of the honoured -Pasha to his honouring bride—they had pleased her fancy, but they had -not touched her heart. - -Night spread her sable robe upon the waters—the channel lay hushed, -for the soft wind failed to disturb the ripple over which it lightly -skimmed—the Sultana-mother and the affianced Princess were dwelling -in the gilded saloons of the Asiatic Harem—in the fairy palace of -Beglierbey, and the slaves had long been hushed in sleep—and it was -at this still hour that the dark-eyed daughter of the Sultan, who -had been leaning against the lattices of an open window, listening -to the nightingales, and weaving sweet fancies into a graceful web -of thought, turned from the casement to seek the rest which she had -hitherto neglected to secure; when as she moved away, a sound of distant -oars fell on her ear, and with a vague feeling of curiosity she paused -and listened. - -A solitary caïque neared the palace, and stopped beneath the terrace of -the Harem: there was no moon; and the clear stars, which were dropped in -silver over the purple mantle of the sky, did not betray the secret of -the bold midnight visiter. The Princess bent her ear eagerly against the -lattice: her brow flushed, and her breath came quick—her heart had not -deceived her—it was indeed the Pasha; and soon a soft strain of music -swelled upon the air; and words of passion blending with the melody, -taught her that this was his first spirit-offering to his bright young -love. - -Oh! how, as she stood beside the casement, did she sigh for moonlight, -when, despite the envious lattices, she might have looked upon her -princely lover, and written his image on her heart! But the song -ceased, and the caïque slowly dropped down with the current, and she -scarcely knew, when she at length withdrew to the innermost recesses of -her chamber, whether all had not been a dream. - -Time passed on, and the wish of the fair Princess was accomplished. She -had looked upon the Pasha, as his gilded boat passed lingeringly beneath -the Imperial terrace—she had seen him as his proud steed curvetted -gracefully under the palace windows—she had beheld him by the light of -a bright moon when no eye save her’s was on him, and his low, soft -accents came sweetly to her ear on the evening wind—and she had learnt -to love him with all the fervour of a first affection. Now, indeed, she -valued every gift which came to her from him, not because he made the -world pay tribute to charm her fancy, but because he had first seen and -approved the offering. - -And the Pasha learned that he was loved—the rose withering in the hot -sun amid the lattice-work of the Princess’s window—the long lock of -dark hair waving in the wind beside it—the little flower which -sometimes fell into the water beside the caïque during his midnight and -solitary visit, told him the tale that he most wished to hear. It is -even said that on one occasion he actually beheld by accident the face -of his betrothed wife: be this as it may, however, it is certain that -Mustapha Pasha returned to his Pashalik at Adrianople with his mind and -thoughts full of the Princess Mihirmàh, and with little taste for the -delay which was yet to take place ere his marriage. - -The departure of the Pasha was the signal for court intrigue and court -cabal, for the determination of the Sultan had spread dismay among the -most influential of the nobles, who could ill brook the prospect of so -dangerous a rival near the throne as the powerful and popular Mustapha -Pasha. At the head of this party was the Seraskier, whose influence over -the Sultan had long been unbounded, whose wealth had purchased friends, -and whose favour had silenced enemies. He it was who first taught the -light of Imperial favour to shine on Halil Pasha, who had originally -been a groom in his own stables; and who ultimately determined Mahmoud -to receive his _protégé_ as the husband of his eldest daughter; a subtle -stroke of policy which secured to him a firm adherent, knit to his cause -by every bond of self-interest and gratitude; for the husband of the -Princess Salihè was the adopted son of the Seraskier, the object of his -munificence, and the sharer in his fortunes. - -Thus, in lieu of a rival, whom his connexion with the Imperial family -might have rendered dangerous, the old and wily courtier secured a new -and influential ally, prompt to adopt his views and to further his -ambition. The proposed marriage of the younger Princess involved the -same risks, and demanded the same precautions; and it was consequently -not without emotion that the Seraskier learnt from the lips of the -Sultan that Mustapha Pasha was to be the new bridegroom. - -He smiled as he heard it, and uttered the usual empty and meaningless -compliment of congratulation; but his heart obeyed not the prompting of -his words; and, as he left the Presence, he vowed a voiceless vow, that -with the help of Allah, the Governor of Adrianople should never be the -husband of the Princess Mihirmàh; for the more he reflected on the -subject, the more he felt the necessity of exerting all his energies to -prevent the domestication of Mustapha Pasha at court. - -Young and handsome, he would be all powerful with his Imperial bride. -Wealthy and high-spirited, he would neither from necessity nor -inclination be amenable to his own dictation. Proverbially amiable, and -chivalrously generous, he was already the idol of his province, and -would soon become that of the capital; while his grasp of intellect and -soundness of judgment, would render it equally impossible to degrade him -into a dupe, or to use him as a tool. - -Thus, then, the experienced courtier, whose career has been perhaps -without parallel in Turkish history—whose beard has grown grey under -the shadow of the Imperial throne—who has seen a hundred favourites -rise into greatness, flourish for a brief season, and finally leave -their dishonoured heads to bleach beneath a fierce sun, impaled above -the fatal Orta Kapoussi, or Middle Gate of the Seraglio, or niched in -gory grandeur beside the gilded entrance of the Sublime Porte; who -throughout his long career has never failed in any important undertaking -—the experienced courtier at once decided that Mustapha Pasha must not -be permitted to fill a station, which would invest him with the -privelege of thwarting his own plans, or of opposing his own party.[3] - -Every Bey of the Imperial Household was in the interest of the -Seraskier. It could not well be otherwise; for, during the long years of -unchecked prosperity and unfailing favour which I have described, it -will be readily conceived that there was not an individual among them -who was not indebted to him for some benefit, which could be repaid only -by devotion to his wishes. - -Nor were there wanting many among the Pashas themselves who were easily -taught to look with distrust and suspicion on the threatened rivalry of -the young and high-spirited Mustapha; and who readily enlisted in the -adverse party. Suffice it that the intrigue prospered: the Sultan first -insisted—then wavered—and finally, driven, despite himself, to a -compromise with the nobles in immediate contact with his person, -ultimately proposed the extraordinary expedient to which I have already -alluded; and with a weakness of purpose for which it were difficult to -account in a despotic monarch, determined to cast the obloquy of -irresolution from his own shoulders by leaving the fortunes of his -daughter in the hands of Fate—that blind divinity in whom the Turks put -such implicit trust, and on whom they philosophically fling the odium of -every untoward circumstance. - -One stipulation he, however, made; that the name of Mustapha Pasha -should be among the seven chosen ones from whom the _felech_ of the -Princess was to select her a husband; and, having thus quieted his -Imperial conscience, he made his _namaz_ with all proper solemnity, ere -he calmly drew from beneath his prayer-carpet the name of Mohammed Saïd -Pasha! - -But the affections cannot change so lightly as the will; and when it was -announced to the young Princess that she was to receive a new suitor, -and to banish all memory of him whom she had so long learnt to love, she -sank beneath the tidings; and rejected the consolations which were -officiously poured forth by her attendants. The Sultana-mother wept and -entreated; but for the first time her tears and her entreaties were -alike vain: the Princess only turned aside in despairing silence, or -bade them leave her to die alone, since death was all that remained to -her. Hours passed away; hours of dull, aching anguish that wrung and -withered her young heart; and they brought her food, but she put it -aside with loathing—and darkness came; but it yielded no rest to her; -and on the morrow her dim eyes and haggard cheek so terrified the -Sultana that she at once decided on communicating to her Imperial -partner the effect of his decision. - -The Sultan came, and used every blandishment that could win, and every -threat that could terrify; but he failed to wrench the young fond heart -from its allegiance. The same trite commonplaces which rise -instinctively to the lips of all domestic despots, be they Christians or -Islamites, were duly set forth; but love spurns at argument; and the -Princess only replied by falling senseless into the arms of her slaves. -Days of suffering followed, during which she lay like a blighted flower -upon her cushions; hoping one moment against reason; and the next -resigning herself without a struggle to the deepest anguish of despair. - -Time wore on, and at length she learnt that her destined husband had -arrived in the capital! Then came the gifts of the new suitor, and the -ceremonies of the betrothal; and she knew and felt that there was indeed -no longer any hope. The conviction was too much for her young strength; -and the courtiers were pouring forth their offerings, and the Pashas of -the provinces were pressing forward with their congratulations, while -the victim of state policy was lying on a sick bed, surrounded by tears -and lamentations. - -And thus they decked her for the bridal, and carried her forth in her -gilded carriage to her new home; and she submitted passively, for she -knew that it was in vain to oppose her destiny. But when the proud and -happy Saïd Pasha had borne her in his arms to the state saloon of the -harem, preceded by dancing-girls, and fair slaves glittering with -jewels, and swinging censers of costly incense upon her path, and had -seated her on the brocaded divan only to throw himself at her feet, and -to vow himself to an existence of fond and grateful obedience to her -every wish; then did the woman-heart of the Princess flash forth as she -sternly commanded him to leave her. The Pasha obeyed not; he believed -this coldness to be only a caprice of his Imperial bride, and he lost -himself in all the lover-like hyperbole which he doubted not would be -expected from him. - -But the young bridegroom was not long suffered to be deluded by so -flattering a deceit, for the reply of the Princess to his protestations -was too direct and convincing, to admit of his indulging the faintest -doubt of his misfortune. Around her neck she wore a slight chain, -wrought in dark silk, similar to those to which the Turkish ladies -commonly attach an amulet; and for all answer she withdrew this chain, -and revealed to the heart-stricken Pasha the portrait of her first -suitor. - -“It was the Sultan’s gift;” she said firmly, “I was told that he was to -be my husband, and they taught me to love him—I loved him ere I knew -that such a being as Saïd Pasha lived—I shall love him so long as this -heart has power to beat against his likeness. I will not deceive you; I -can look on you only with loathing: my fate is sealed; I shall soon lie -in the tomb of my fathers. Inshallàh—I trust in God—life is not -eternal, and the broken heart ceases at last to suffer.” - -Saïd Pasha had triumphed: he had won an Imperial bride; but he was a -blighted man. He had seen Mustapha Pasha ride in the marriage train -which did honour to his own nuptials; but a few hours only had elapsed -ere he envied his discomfited rival the comparative happiness of -freedom. - -That rival was, however, far from being reconciled to his fate, -irrevocable as it was. He forgot that he had lost a proud bride in the -memory of her youth, her beauty, and her affection. He lingered near her -regal dwelling at midnight to catch the reflection of a taper through -the lattices of one of its many windows, trusting that he might chance -to look upon the light which beamed on her. His marriage gift was the -most costly of all that glittered in her _trousseau_—and he saw the -different Pashas who had been called to court to swell the pageant, -depart to their provinces, without possessing the courage to follow -their example. - -Many wondered why Mustapha Pasha, who was supreme at Adrianople, -remained in comparative subserviency at Stamboul; and all whispered -mysteriously of the change which had come over his nature. He was still -urbane and courteous, with a gracious word and a ready smile for all; -but the words came less freely, and the smiles were fainter, and even -wore at times a tinge of bitterness. - -It was about three weeks subsequent to the Imperial marriage that an -Armenian jeweller completed one of the most costly brilliant ornaments -which had ever been seen, even in the Bezenstein of Constantinople. A -mass of immense diamonds were clustered together in its centre in the -form of a taper, at whose extremity a flame was burning brightly; and -this device was surrounded by a wreath of ivy leaves, amid which a moth -was nestled, mounted upon an elastic spring, that at the slightest -motion threw the insect upon the flame. - -This noble jewel was, immediately on its completion, carried to the -palace of Mustapha Pasha, whence it was transported to the harem of the -Princess by a trusty messenger. No written Word accompanied the gift—it -told its own tale—and four-and-twenty hours had not elapsed from the -time in which the “mourning bride” clasped it in her turban, ere it was -intimated to Mustapha Pasha that he had the permission of his Sublime -Highness to return to his Pashalik with all convenient speed. - -On the morrow he requested his parting audience of the Sultan, when -Mahmoud, probably regretting, as he looked upon the noble-minded -Mustapha, the wrong which he had been compelled to do him, prevented him -as he was in the act of kissing his foot, and, extending towards him his -Imperial hand, said blandly:—“Forget the past—it was not the will of -Allah that my intention in your favour should be fulfilled; but bear -with you my assurance that the esteem which I have long felt for you is -undiminished. Your presence is required at Adrianople—I am perfectly -content with your government—and two years hence I shall recall you to -Stamboul, to bestow on you the hand of my youngest daughter.” - -The Pasha relinquished his hold of the Imperial fingers: the blood -mounted to his brow, and settled there, and the tone was proud, even to -haughtiness, with which he answered: “I obey the orders of your -Highness: by tomorrow’s dawn I shall be on my way to my Pashalik; while -I have life I will do my duty to my Sultan and to my province; but I -shall never again aspire to make the happiness of an Imperial -Princess—were I ten times more worthy than I am, still should I be no -meet husband for a Sultan’s daughter. May the blessing of Allah rest on -the representative of the Prophet; and may the hour not be far distant -when Mustapha Pasha may lay down in the service of his sovereign a life -which has now become valueless!” - -The high-hearted noble departed from the court, bearing with him the -memory of his passion and of his wrong. The Seraskier sought to console -the disappointed bridegroom by heaping upon him the most munificent -gifts; and the Princess, in the solitude of her harem, yet wastes her -hours in tears, gazing upon the portrait of her lost lover, and -imploring of the Prophet an early deliverance from the anguish of a -breaking heart. - - - - -CHAPTER X. - - - Yenekeui—The Festival of Fire—Commemorative - Observance—Fondness of the Orientals for - Illumination—Frequency of Fires in Constantinople—Dangerous - Customs—Fire Guard—The Seraskier’s Tower—Disagreeable - Alarum—Namik Pasha—The Festival - Localized—Veronica—Bonfires—Therapia and Buyukdèrè—Singular - Effect of Light—The Armenian Heroine—A Wild Dream. - - -Shortly after our return from Broussa, we took possession of a house -which we had rented for the summer at Yenekeui, and we had only been -established there a few days when we had an opportunity of witnessing -one of the most ancient of the Greek commemorative usages,—the -“Festival of Fire”—instituted in memory of the second capture of -Constantinople by the Cæsars. - -Some years ago the Greek quarter of the city was illuminated on this -anniversary, as well as the villages occupied principally by their -nation: but the Turks no longer permit this demonstration of rejoicing, -as well from jealousy of its subject, as from the danger attendant on -all such manifestations in a city where fires are so frequent, and the -nature of the buildings so unfortunately calculated to encourage the -evil. - -For my own part, after having passed a few nights in Constantinople, -both in Turkish and Greek houses, I was only surprised that the -frightful conflagrations which so frequently occur do not take place -every week instead of ten or twelve times a-year. Like the husbandman -who plants his vines, and sows his grain at the base of a volcano, -apparently unconscious or careless that the next eruption may lay waste -his lands, and negative his labour, the inhabitants of Stamboul appear -never to reflect that fire is one of their deadliest enemies, but wander -over their wooden dwellings with their lighted chibouks, or their -unsnuffed candles; as heedlessly as though both were innoxious: while -their attendants traverse carpeted and curtained apartments, carrying -fragments of live coal between their iron pincers to supply the pipes. - -Nor is this all. The Tandour is a fire-conductor of the first class: the -wooden frame that covers the charcoal ashes is frequently very slight, -and the silken draperies which veil it are generally lined with cotton, -and not infrequently wadded with the same inflammable material. The -effect of the Tandour is highly soporific; and it consequently occurs -that persons who fall asleep under its influence, by some sudden -movement overturn the frame-work, when their own clothes as well as the -coverings of the Tandour come in contact with the hidden fire: the -chintz-covered sofas are ready to feed the flame, and the natural -consequence ensues. - -Still more dangerous is the system of drying linen during the winter, -which is universal throughout the city. A frame, formed of wooden laths, -about three feet high, and shaped like a beehive, is placed above a -small brazier, filled with heated charcoal; and the linen is flung over -this frame, one garment above another, where it gradually dries. But -should the laundress omit to remove the lower portions of it directly -that they are free from damp, they ignite, and the whole becomes one -burning mass. - -That in a country where fires are so frequent, such reckless usages -should be persisted in by individuals, or permitted by the authorities, -appears incredible; while they account if not satisfactorily, at least -fully, for the constant recurrence of the evil. Nor can you, even should -you desire to do so, remain in ignorance of the calamity whenever it -occurs; for you are constantly awakened in the night by the heavy -strokes of an iron-pointed pike upon the rough pavement of the streets, -and you hear the deep voice of the fire-guard announce the quarter -where the flames have broken out. - -As there is a regular sentinel, relieved every second hour, on the -look-out for fires in the upper gallery of the Seraskier’s Tower, which -is like a glass lantern, having windows on all sides; every -conflagration, however unimportant, is instantly announced by the -patroles appointed to the different quarters of the city; and thus a -week rarely passes in which you are not startled by the boding cry of -the guard—“Fire at Scutari—a—” “Fire at Galata—a”—Up go all the -windows of the neighbourhood; and, when the locality of the accident is -ascertained, those who have property or connexions in the quarter hasten -to the scene of action: while those who have no individual interest in -the misfortune, close their casements, and creep back to bed, rejoicing -that they have escaped for the present the dreaded catastrophe. - -All the Pashas resident in the Capital or its immediate neighbourhood -are obliged to attend every fire that occurs, and to assist in its -extinction; so that they frequently have a very busy time of it; and -Namik Pasha—the fêted and favoured Namik Pasha—probably from personal -experience of the dangers attendant on the employment, has, since his -return to Turkey, cited, as his two most admirable memories of England, -her Pantomimes and her Fire-men! - -The Greek “Festival of Fire” has now, in consequence of the prohibition -to which I have alluded, become local in its celebration: and the -villages of Buyukdèrè, Therapia, and Yenekeui, have the exclusive honour -of commemorating the conquest of the Cæsars. - -We embarked on board our caïque at dusk, and having with some difficulty -made our way through the floating crowd that thronged the stream, we -landed, and proceeded to the house of Veronica, the heroine of Mac -Farlane’s Novel of the “Armenians.” From the windows, which commanded -the little bay where the rejoicings were to take place, we had a full -view of the whole ceremony, and a most extraordinary exhibition it was. - -Two artificial islands had been formed in the bay, and heaped with dried -wood, and other inflammable materials, and on that which was furthest -from the shore, the pile was surmounted by a caïque: another line of -fires was prepared for a considerable distance along the coast; and in -every direction men were flitting about with paper lanterns, conducting -the different parties of visiters from their boats to the residences of -their friends. Therapia was concealed behind a point of land; but -Buyukdèrè was visible in the distance, like a line of fire hemming in -the glittering waters which reflected afar off the unusual brilliancy. -The flames, as they rose and fell, flashed and faded upon the casements -of the houses that skirted the shore, with an effect quite magical: -while the sombre coast of Asia, without one glimmering light to relieve -its stately outline, cut in dusky magnificence along the cloudless sky. - -At a sudden signal the fires were ignited: and the condemned caïque was -soon one graceful mass of flame. But the most extraordinary portion of -the spectacle was the crowd of men, dressed only in wide cotton drawers, -their partially shaven heads bare, and their arms tossed high in the -air, who were wading up to their necks in the sea, and feeding the fires -with shrieks and yells worthy of a chorus of demons. At intervals, they -all rushed out of the water, and sprang across the flames of the huge -fires which were burning along the coast, looking like infernal spirits -celebrating their unholy orgies; and then, plunging once more into the -stream, they danced round the lesser island in a circle, to the wild -chanting of the spectators on the shore. - -The effect of the whole scene was thrilling. The bright-barrelled -firelock of the Turkish sentinel, who was posted at the battery above -the village, flashed as he trod his beat, in the fierce light which fell -upon it. The line of heights behind the houses was covered with -spectators: the women seated on mats and cushions, and the men standing -in groups among them, all as distinctly visible as beneath a noon-day -sun; while, in the opposite direction, the ripple of the Bosphorus ran -shimmering along like liquid gold, and the caïques, wedged together as -closely as though they had been one compact body, gleamed out gaily with -their crimson rugs and gilded ornaments. - -The same wild sports continued for two hours, gradually decreasing in -violence, as the fatigue of the fierce and unremitted exertions of the -actors made itself felt; when the Wallachian band, and an immense fire -kindled beneath the windows of the house in which we were passing the -evening, and which was formed of wicker baskets wedged one within the -other, with a tall tree planted in the midst, that produced a very -singular effect, gradually withdrew the crowd from the expiring glories -of the coast; and as the last note of the Sultan’s March died away, the -throng dispersed, and we were left to the undisturbed society of our -friends. - -Veronica could never have been handsome; the expression of her -countenance is sweet and agreeable, but her features are neither regular -nor fine; nor does she possess the low soft voice which is so great a -charm in the Turkish women, and to which the coarse language of the -Armenian nation does not lend itself. She is rather under the middle -size, calm in her manner, and graceful in her carriage; and her sable -dress and melancholy history invest her with an interest that mere -beauty would fail to excite. As I conversed with the widowed wife, and -saw her shrink beneath the night air like a withered flower, and fold -her furred pelisse closer about her with her thin wasted hand, I could -have wept over her faded youth and blighted feelings. It is painfully -evident that the memory of her error and of her wrongs sits heavily upon -her, and that it is a poisoned chain whose fetters can be flung off only -in the grave. Even Time, the great physician of all moral ills, has no -power over a grief like her’s. - -Before we returned home, we rowed slowly towards Therapia; which, etched -in fire, and loud with music, threw its bright shadow far along the -waves. Caïques glided past us every instant with lights at their stern, -whence the sounds of laughter or of song swept cheerily over the ripple; -and more than once we narrowly escaped collision with a mirth-laden -bark, whose conductors were pressing forward in all the heedless -eagerness of hilarity. - -It was near midnight ere we withdrew from the busy scene: and when I -fell asleep, I dreamt that Veronica was the wife of one of the Cæsars; -and that a young and dark-eyed Greek prince was leaping over the burning -city of Constantinople, while a portly Armenian, who had been of the -evening party, was filling his unwieldy calpac with water, as he stood -breast-high in the Bosphorus, and handing it to a set of wild Indians -who were howling and dancing amid the flames. - -Truly my sleeping visions produced a second “Festival of Fire.” - - - - -CHAPTER XI. - - - A Chapter on Caïques—The Sultan’s Barge—Princes and - Pashas—The Pasha’s Wife—The Admiralty Barge—The Fruit - Caïque—The Embassy Barge—The Omnibus Caïque—Turkish - Boatmen—The Caïque of Azmè Bey—Pleasant Memories—The - Chevalier Hassuna de Ghies—Natural Politeness of the - Turks—Turkey and Russia—Sultan Mahmoud—Confusion of - Tongues—Arif Bey—Imperial Present—The Fruit of - Constantinople—The Two Banners—The Harem—Azimè Hanoum. - - -Should I ever have time, I murmured to myself as we darted down the -Bosphorus in the caïque of Azmè Bey, with whom we were engaged to dine, -and who had obligingly sent his boat and his Dragoman to facilitate our -arrival at Dolma Batchè:—Should I ever have time, I will write a -chapter on caïques. - -A more graceful subject could scarcely be selected. From the gilded -barges of the Sultan, to the common passage-boat that plies within the -port, the caïques are all beauty; and, as they fly past you, their long -and lofty prows dipping downward towards the current at every stroke of -the oars, you are involuntarily reminded of some aquatic bird, -moistening the plumage of its glistening breast in the clear ripple. - -That bright mass of gilding and glitter which is flying over the water, -shaped like a marine monster, and gleaming in the sunshine, is one of -the Imperial barges. Mahmoud is returning from the mosque. Hark! to the -booming of the loud cannon, which announces his departure from the coast -of Europe, for his delicious summer-palace of Beglierbey; the most -lovely (for that is the correct term)—the most lovely object on the -Bosphorus—rising like the creation of a twilight dream beneath the -shadow of an Asian mountain—a fanciful edifice, looking as though its -model had been cut out of gold paper in an hour of luxurious indolence, -and carried into execution during a fit of elegant caprice. - -The long, dark, crescent-shaped caïque immediately in the wake of the -Sultan, with its three gauze-clad rowers, and its flashing ornaments, -carries a Pasha of the Imperial suite. He is hidden beneath the red -umbrella which the attendant, who is squatted upon the raised stern of -the boat, is holding carefully over him. - -You may see a third bark, just creeping along under the land; a light, -buoyant, glittering thing, with a crimson drapery fringed with gold -flung over its side, and almost dipping into the water; a negress is -seated behind her mistress, with a collection of yellow slippers strown -about her; and at the bottom of the boat, reclining against a pile of -cushions, and attended by two young slaves, you may distinguish the -closely-veiled Fatma or Leyla, whose dark eyes are seen flashing out -beneath her pure white yashmac, and whose small, fair, delicately -rounded, and gloveless hand draws yet closer together the heavy folds of -her feridjhe as she remarks the approach of another caïque to her own. -She is the wife of some Pasha—the favourite wife, it may be—musing as -she darts along the water, with what new toy her next smile shall be -bought. And now her light boat is lost to view, for it has shot beneath -the arched entrance of the court of yonder stately harem; and you can -only follow the fair Turk in thought to the cool, shady, spacious -saloons of her prison-palace, where the envious yashmac is withdrawn in -deference to the yet more jealous lattice; and where the heavy feridjhe -is flung off to reveal the graceful antery, the gold-embroidered vest, -and the hanging sleeves. - -But what is this which is advancing towards us with a heavy plash, and -flinging its long broad shadow far before it? It is the Admiralty Barge, -manned with fourteen rowers, and freighted with His Excellency Achmet -Pasha, bound on some mission to the fleet. The red caps and white -jackets of the crew form a cheerful contrast from the dark mass at the -stern of the barge, where the High Admiral, _pro tempore_, is seated, -surrounded by a group of inferior officers. His chibouk-bearer is -screening him from the sun; while his secretary, with a sheet of paper -resting upon his knee, is writing from the dictation of the Minister. -There is a great deal of business transacted on the Bosphorus; the Turks -never require a table on which to write, and they are consequently but -little inconvenienced by locality, when a necessity exists for profiting -by the passing hour. - -And this slowly-moving bark, rather dropping down with the current, than -impelled by the efforts of its two Greek rowers, and which looks so cool -and so pretty with all that pile of green leaves heaped upon its stern, -is one of the fruit caïques for the supply of the houses overhanging the -Bosphorus. The wild shrill cry of the fruiterers announcing the nature -of their merchandize, swells upon the air; and, as you pass close beside -the boat, the wind sporting among the fresh branches that are strewn -over the baskets, blows aside the leaves, and the tempting fruit is -revealed to you in all its cool ripe beauty. - -And yonder flies the Union Jack of England! It is the splendid barge of -the British Embassy, which is darting along with its seven rowers: the -Ambassador is engaged with a newspaper: you may know him by his purple -_fèz_, as well as by an aristocracy of bearing and demeanour which -distinguishes him from all the foreign ministers at the Ottoman Court; -and which the Turks both feel and appreciate. - -Very different both in form and freight is the dark, slow, people-laden -passage-caïque, just coming round the point, and which is one of several -that ply between Constantinople and Buyukdèrè; and carry passengers the -whole length of the Bosphorus at the moderate charge of thirty paras a -head, a sum scarcely equivalent to twopence English. These Omnibus-boats -have their outside as well as their inside passengers: and the -individuals who sit upon the gunwale, with their legs hanging over the -side, and their feet resting upon the spar which is lashed on to it for -their especial convenience, effect, by the occupation of this amphibious -seat, the saving of ten paras upon a voyage of about four hours. - -The Caïquejhes are, generally speaking, a very fine race of men. The -Greeks are esteemed the best boatmen on the Bosphorus: but all the -private caïques travel with a speed that it fatigues the eye to follow. -Some of these men utter a disagreeable grunt as they ply their oars, -which would induce a stranger to imagine that they suffered from the -exertion; but the habit is induced by their having worked too hard in -their youth, and thus injured their lungs; and it is considered so great -an objection to them, that no individual who retains caïquejhes in his -pay will willingly hire a man labouring under this infirmity. - -But enough—or I shall be betrayed into really writing the chapter of -which I dreamed in my delicious idleness, as the handsome caïque of the -Bey shot along, while the dragoman named to us the owner of each painted -palace near which we passed. What a confusion of Pashas and Beys—of -Excellencies and Effendis! It was impossible to remember one half of -them; and I have already dwelt so frequently upon the sea-washed palaces -of the Bosphorus, that, instead of repeating an admiration which rather -grew upon me than became weakened by frequent indulgence; an admiration -which it is impossible not to feel, and equally impossible to excite by -mere description; I will e’en run the caïque beside the little pier near -the Imperial residence of Dolma Batchè, and follow the steps of the -dragoman to the hospitable home of his master. - -Few things afforded us more gratification, during our residence in the -East, than the manner in which Azmè Bey spoke of, and felt towards, -England. Sincerity is decidedly not a national characteristic of the -Turks; but there are nevertheless many individuals among them who may -fairly lay claim to this great social virtue; and I unhesitatingly rank -Azmè Bey as one of these. His gracious and grateful memories of those -who professed a friendship for him during his European sojourn; his -eagerness to repay by every exertion in his power the attention which is -shewn to him; and his frank, unostentatious politeness, lent a charm to -his manner, and a value to his kindness, which enhanced them tenfold; -and I do not hesitate to affirm, that did all such of his countrymen as -have resided in England, feel and act towards the English as Azmè Bey -has done since his return, the sentiments of the Turkish people would be -greatly changed with regard to them, both individually and as a nation. - -We found the Bey at the head of the stairs waiting to receive us; and -the first person whom I remarked in the saloon of the Salemliek was M. -Hassuna de Ghies, whom I had known in London, and with whom I was -delighted to renew my acquaintance. This talented and amiable man is now -the editor of the Constantinopolitan Journal; and his acquirements and -knowledge are justly appreciated by his Imperial master; who, besides -other marks of his favour, has, since his return from Europe, been -pleased, as an especial token of his regard, to change his name, which -he considered to be too difficult of pronunciation, into Hussein Madzhar -Effendi;[4] an alteration by no means calculated to diminish its -difficulty to European lips. He was seated on the divan, smoking his -chibouk, which he relinquished on our entrance; and, ere long, he was -busily engaged in conversing with my father in English; while I was -undergoing the ceremony of presentation to a Greek lady, who, with a -delicacy which did him honour, Azmè Bey had invited, in order to -relieve me from the restraint and _désagrément_ of finding myself the -only female of the party. - -I mention the circumstance in order to prove to those who are inclined -to treat the Turks as barbarians, and to speak of them as such, that -there are many among them who may be both wronged and wounded by such an -opinion, and who are capable of convincing them by their actions that it -is unfounded. The Turks require only time, example, and a perfect -confidence in their European allies, to become a polished as well as a -civilized nation; they possess all the elements of civilization, but -they are flung back by events—they are blinded by subtlety—they are -hoodwinked by deception. Were they suffered to act upon their own -untrammelled impressions, they would not long remain even in their -present state of partial inertness: but Turkey is now in the position of -a child, to whom its nurse, in order to cajole it into quiet, presents a -mirror, which, viewed in one direction, widens the object that it -reflects; and it has been taught that this magnified mass represents -its own strength and beauty; and when it has been suffered to sate -itself with the false image that has thus been placed before it, the -glass is reversed by its wily Mentor, and the shrunken, wasted, and -almost shapeless thing that succeeds is made object of wonder and of -pity, as the narrow and despicable policy which would fain persuade the -Turks that they have need of counsel and of help. The more enlightened -among them do not believe this; they are even convinced to the contrary: -but the argument produces its effect upon the mass, and the arm of power -is weakened and paralyzed by the weight of public opinion. - -Turkey is like a stately forest-tree which has been cankered at the -core, but which has shot forth young and vigorous branches after it had -been condemned as on the eve of perishing. A weighty pressure has fallen -upon the fresh green shoots; but let it only be removed, and once more -the branches will stretch broadly and boldly forth, and cast their long -shadows far across the earth. - -Sultan Mahmoud would fain be the regenerator of his country; but he -cannot resist, single-handed, an enemy more powerful, and, above all, -more subtle than himself. The Turks are bad politicians—they do not -hold the keys of their own citadel; and their game is overlooked on all -sides. Had they sincere assistance, all Europe would soon be convinced -of that to which she now appears blind—the great moral power of the -Turkish people, and the incalculable advantages of their alliance. - -I scarcely know how I have suffered myself to be deluded into this -digression; and my only apology for its indulgence is the earnest -interest which I have learnt to feel in the existence of a great and -magnificent Empire, bowed beneath the smiling sophistries of its most -dangerous enemy. - -The shady saloon of Azmè Bey, with its many windows, all opening upon a -delicious garden overhung with fruit trees, and forming a leafy screen -amid which we caught here and there a blue bright glimpse of the -Bosphorus, was half filled with guests, to whom we were presented with -the ease and politeness of intuitive good breeding; and in a few minutes -we were all engaged in an animated conversation, or rather set of -conversations. The Greek lady was discussing the merits of the divan, in -Italian, with a gentleman near her; M. de Ghies was still talking -English with my father; and the Bey and myself were busy with Von -Hammer’s work on the East, and communicating our opinions in French: nor -was this all—for a party of the guests were murmuring out their soft, -harmonious Turkish at the other extremity of the apartment; while the -voices of the Arabs in the outer room came to us at intervals, as they -passed and repassed the door of the saloon in which we sat. - -The announcement of a new visitor at length summoned the Bey from the -room; and he shortly afterwards returned, and presented to me Arif Bey, -the Paymaster General of the Imperial Forces, who had done me the honour -to desire my acquaintance; and, hearing that I was the guest of his -friend, had taken this opportunity of making it. He was rather a -heavy-looking young man, of about seven-and-twenty; with very small -black eyes, as round and bright as jet beads, an extremely pale -complexion, and who, as he did not speak a word of French, kept the -dragoman in constant, and frequently very unprofitable employment, in -translating nearly every sentence I uttered. He was very carefully -dressed; and, in addition to the gold sword-belt about his waist, he -wore white gloves and a black silk stock; articles of apparel which are -generally dispensed with altogether by the Turks. He had just commenced -studying French, under the auspices of Azmè Bey; and, meanwhile, he -smoked with a perseverance which was perfectly amusing. The Sultan has -lately done him the honour of selecting a wife for him; a boon which he, -of course, received with all becoming gratitude at the Imperial hand; -and he is now building a very handsome residence on the border of the -Bosphorus, near the Palace of Beshiktash. - -The dinner was served in the European style, and the table was -remarkably well appointed. French wines were in abundance, and champagne -and Edinburgh ale were not wanting; but the dessert was the charm of the -repast. The fruit of Constantinople has a perfume that I never met with -elsewhere; and, did the natives suffer it to ripen fully, which from -their excessive fondness for it they very rarely do, much of it would -probably be unrivalled for the delicacy of its flavour. Pyramids of this -delicious fruit occupied the angles of the table, the most delicate -pastry was ranged beside it, and the centre was occupied by a -castellated tower, formed of sweetmeats, and surmounted by the British -and Ottoman banners linked together. From this dish alone the Bey -declined to serve his guests, lest he should disturb the union of the -two flags, even symbolically; and many gracious things were said on the -subject both by himself and his friends; nor had he neglected to turn -the Banner of the Crescent towards the head of the table, at which he -had requested me to preside; while the Union Jack of England floated -over his own plate. - -When we withdrew from table, I went, accompanied by the Greek lady whom -I have already named, to pay a visit to the harem of the Bey. A door -opened from the hall of the Salemliek into a second, or inner garden, to -which we descended by a flight of steps; and after having traversed a -covered walk, we found ourselves at the entrance of the harem, where a -black slave, with extremely long hair, plaited in numerous braids which -were looped about her shoulders, preceded us to the gallery opening into -the women’s apartments; but, ere we had ascended the whole stair, we -were met by the young wife of the Bey, who, taking my hand with the -sweetest smile in the world, led me forward to her cool, pretty, -English-looking parlour, where I found myself in the midst of chairs, -sofas, and tables; and opposite to one of the loveliest women whom I had -seen in the country. - -The Bey followed us in the space of a few moments, and I could not -refrain from expressing to him my admiration of his wife. She scarcely -looked like an oriental woman, for her large black eyes, in lieu of the -sleepy, dreamlike expression so general in the East, were full of -brightness and intelligence; and her dark hair, instead of being -concealed beneath the painted handkerchief, or cut straight across her -forehead, hung in graceful curls about her fair young brow, which was as -pure and smooth as marble. - -She was just eighteen, and neither dye nor paint had ever sullied the -purity of her complexion; while the faint tinge of red that relieved the -snowy whiteness of her cheek, looked as though it nestled there almost -unconsciously; and at times, as she conversed, it deepened into a blush -that heightened the effect of her glowing beauty. Her dress, although of -Turkish form, was partly of European arrangement; her purple silk vest -was folded closely about her waist, and met beneath her long and -graceful throat; her figure was beautiful; and the little foot that -peeped out from under the black satin pantaloon, was covered by a -stocking of snowy white. Her antery was of English bombazine, sprinkled -with coloured flowers; she wore no henna on her hands; and when she had -fastened the carnations which I presented to her, among her rich, -dark hair, she was the very creature who would have inspired the gifted -pencil of Pickersgill—so fair, so young, so exquisitely graceful, and -so beautifully oriental. - -I learnt without surprise that she belonged to one of the first families -of Constantinople, and that she had received (for a Turkish female) an -excellent education. She looked it all; and the books that were strown -about her apartment, and the little inkstand that stood upon the table -beside the chair on which she sat, appeared by no means displaced, even -although I saw them in a Turkish harem. - -The party was shortly augmented by the entrance of the Bey’s mother, who -led by the hand a sweet little girl of ten or eleven years of age, his -daughter by a former marriage, whose mother died previously to his -residence in England; and they were followed by his aunt and his young -sister, a child of about the same age as his own. - -I lingered for upwards of two hours in the harem, where coffee was -served by the fair wife of the Bey, with a smiling graciousness that -convinced me of my welcome; and when, on my departure, she accompanied -me to the foot of the stairs, and assured me, according to the oriental -custom, that the house and all that it contained were at my disposal, -she coupled the ceremony with a request that I would come and see her -again; and so earnestly was it expressed, that I did not hesitate to -assure her of the pleasure which I should derive from a repetition of my -visit. - -How I longed to take her by the hand, and lead her forth from her pretty -prison, to “witch the world” with her young beauty—but alas! the door -of the Salemliek closed behind me; and as the Bey came forward to -conduct me into the saloon where my father was waiting for me to take -our leave, I lost sight of the fair and graceful Azimè Hanoum. - - - - -CHAPTER XII. - - - The Bosphorus in Summer—The Tower of Galata—Mosque of - Topphannè—Summer Palace of the Grand Vizier—Seraï of the - Princess Salihè—Seraïs and Salemliks—Palace of Azmè - Sultane—Turkish Music—Token Flowers—Palace of the Princess - Mihirmàh—The Hill of the Thousand Nightingales—Turkish, - Greek, and Armenian Houses—Cleanliness of the Orientals—The - Armenians—Cemetery of Isari—The Castle of Europe—Mahomet and - the Greeks—Village of Mirgheun—The Haunted Chapel of St. - Nicholas—Palace of Prince Calimachi—Imperial Jealousy—Death - of Calimachi—The Bosphorus by Moonlight—Love of the Orientals - for Flowers—Depth of the Channel—An Imperial Brig—Turkish - Justice—Fortunes of the Turkish Fleet—Sudden - Transitions—Influence of Russian Sophistry—The Sultan’s - Physicians—Naval Appointments—Rigid Discipline—The Penalty - of Disobedience—The Death-Banquet—Tahir Pasha—Radical - Remedy—Vice of the Turkish System of Government—Unkiar - Skelessi—A Mill and a Manufactory—Pic Nics—Arabian - Encampment—Bedouin Beauty—Poetical Locality. - - -Nothing can be richer nor more various than the shores of the Bosphorus -on a sunshiny day in summer; and many a delightful hour have I spent, in -company with my father, in the contemplation of the glorious succession -of pictures which they offer to the lover of the beautiful in nature. -One delicious morning, when not a flitting cloud marred the clear lustre -of the sky, when a gentle breeze murmured over the ripple, and the song -of the birds swelled cheerily upon the wind, we resolved to enjoy them -to their fullest extent; and, as our caïque darted along the European -coast, a thousand interesting objects presented themselves. - -[Illustration: Miss Pardoe del. - -Day & Haghe Lith^{rs}. to the King. - -THE SERAGLIO POINT, from the HEIGHT of PERA - -_Henry Colburn, 13 G^t. Marlborough S^t. 1837._] - -The tower of Galata, rife with memories of the days when the dreaded -Janissaries ruled the destinies of the Empire, crowned the height, -which, clothed with houses and with verdure, swept downward to the port. -The spiral minarets of the Imperial mosque of Topphannè were flaunting -their golden glories in the light; the sounds of busy life were on the -wind; and the port once past, the wide artillery-ground, and the stately -barrack were succeeded by the summer palace of the Grand Vèzir, standing -proudly against the current, as though, like the Emperor of old, it -dared the wave to overwhelm it. The wide sweep of hilly country, -gradually closing, and becoming more lofty in the rear of the buildings -that fringe the stream, was clothed with trees of every tint; from among -which the many-coloured houses peeped forth in the most picturesque -irregularity. Here and there a gleaming minaret shot upwards into the -clear Heaven from amid a cluster of plum-coloured Judas trees laden with -blossom, or a clump of limes filling the air with perfume; and leaving -the dark spiral cypresses far beneath it; as the spirit, soaring above -the earth, outtravels the gloom and care from which it frees itself. - -What a line of palaces stretched along the coast! And what a wilderness -of gardens, climbing the steeps behind them, made the background of the -picture no inapt representation of fairy-land; while at intervals a -little bay formed a delicious nook occupied by country-houses, and -terraced-coffee-shops, where the luxurious Osmanli smoked his pipe, and -inhaled his tiny cup of mocha, amid sights and sounds to which the world -can probably produce no parallel. - -The stately serail of the Princess Salihè, and the modest palace of her -less high-born husband, which is attached like an excrescence to the -far-spreading edifice occupied by the harem of his Imperial partner, -stands upon a spot where the stream widens, as if to reflect more -perfectly the golden shores that hem it in. - -There is something amusing enough to a foreigner in the one-sided -dwellings of the Sultan’s sons-in-law. Without the palace as well as -within, they are constantly reminded of the superiority of their -Imperial spouses. As they glide along in their gilded caïques, they pass -the harem, with its tall doors of bronze, and golden lattices; its -far-stretching terraces, and guarded avenues; and they arrive before the -small landing-place which gives ingress to their own diminutive -salemliek, with its single entrance, and its window draperies of white -cotton. - -You cannot pass the Palace of Azmè Sultane, the elder sister of the -Sultan, without being saluted by the sounds of music. The ladies of her -harem are many of them consummate musicians, according to Turkish ideas -of harmony; and the tinkle of the zebec, the long notes of the violin, -the ringing rattle of the tambourine, and a chorus of female voices, are -so constantly sweeping over the water through the closed lattices, that -your boatmen universally slacken their pace as they reach the Seraïl. -Oriental music requires distance to mellow it: and when it floats along -the water, as though it rose from the ocean caves; and you suffer your -imagination to dwell upon the white arms which are tossed in air as the -silver wheels of the elastic tambourine ring out; and the delicate -fingers that press the strings, and the rich red lips and large dark -eyes that lend new grace to the wild and bounding melodies of the -country—you are almost ready to fancy for the moment, that Apollo must -have first swept his lyre in a Turkish harem. - -While you look fixedly towards the lattices, as though to search for the -embodiment of your romantic fancies, you may discover proofs that the -community is not one vowed to the rosary, though it may wear the veil. -Here it is an orange attached by a lock of hair to the outer frame of -the small centre window of the trellice-work; there it is a marigold -suspended by a red ribbon; while, partially concealed, and twined amid -the minute squares of the jealous screen, you may perhaps discover a -small cluster of roses. - -This is the very land of practical romance! - -An arrow’s flight beyond the Palace of the elder Sultana, stands that of -the Imperial bride of Saïd Pasha; a long, irregular, rose-coloured pile, -pleasantly situated at the mouth of a lovely bay, whose shores are -bright with groves and many-tinted villas; while in the distance, where -the channel again narrows, the castles of Europe and Asia may be seen -looming out against the pure blue of the sky. We loitered at this sweet -spot for a brief space, and then, darting once more forward, soon -arrived under the “Hill of the Thousand Nightingales.” Rightly is it -named, for the mid-day air was vocal with their melody, and the dense -foliage of the forest trees quivered with their song; while, as the -melancholy music came to us along the water, its sadness was deepened by -the aspect of a few scattered tombs gleaming out amid the rank -underwood. The variety of timber which clothed the eminence formed such -varying shades of green; from the bright soft tint of the water-willow, -whose flexile branches swayed in the breeze like silken streamers, to -the tall, dark, silent cypresses, that it was a study for a landscape -painter. - -Beyond this lovely hill, the shore is edged with Greek, Armenian, and -Turkish houses; and here commences the _moral_ interest of the locality. -The dwellings of the raïahs are, when of any extent, almost universally -painted of two different colours on the outside, in order to give them -the appearance of separate tenements, and thus deceive the passers-by; -while those of the Turks themselves are perfectly illustrative of the -momentary condition of their owners. - -The Osmanli is the creature of the present; he never falls back upon the -past; he has no glorious memories to wile him from himself; every page -of his history is shadowed over by some gloomy recollection—nor dare he -dwell upon the future, for he is the subject of a despotic government: -the proud Pasha of to-day may be headless, or at best houseless -to-morrow; and hence, the premature decay of three-fourths of the -Turkish dwellings. - -When an individual becomes possessed of power, he buys or builds a -residence suited to his brightened fortunes: he lavishes his -revenue—why should he hoard it? it can only excite the cupidity of the -Sultan, and accelerate his disgrace; or awaken the jealousy of his -rivals, and insure his ruin. He makes his house gay without, and -convenient within; but all its accessories are ephemeral—the paint -which he spreads over the surface remains fresh for a year, and that -suffices him. Perchance it may outlast his favour; should it not do so, -it is no unpleasant task to renew it; and if it should, he contents -himself with the weather-stained walls of a more golden season. Once in -disgrace, he repairs only just sufficiently to defy the weather, and -troubles himself no further. And thus, after you have been a few months -in the country, and have studied in some degree the nature and habits of -the people, you may give a shrewd guess as you ride along, at the past -and present position of the owner of every edifice that fringes the -Bosphorus. - -The courtier has raised a pile which looks as though it had been -finished only yesterday; the walls are so bright, and the lattices are -so perfect—the blue ripple chafes against the marble steps that lead to -the columned portico; and the feathery acacias nestle among their -blossoming boughs, gilded kiosks, and lordly terraces. - -The slighted favourite has still servants lounging about his door, and a -stately landing-place beside which his caïque dances on the wave; but a -shade has past over the picture: the summer sun and the winter wind have -deadened the bright blue or the soft olive of the edifice, and here and -there a slender bar is rent away from the discoloured lattices. The -fair forest trees still wave along the covered terrace, but the steps -are grass-grown, and the flower-vases are overthrown—they might be -replaced; but it is better policy to let them suffer with their master. - -The dwelling of the exile is still more distinguishable. The shutters -are hanging loose and beating in the wind; the broken casements no -longer exclude the weather; the lattices are wrenched away; the -terrace-wall is falling inch by inch into the wave; the rank grass is -forcing its way through the crevices of the marble floor; the garden -kiosks are roofless; and the green fresh boughs are flaunting in the -sunshine, mocking the desolation which they dominate. - -Fathers do not, in Turkey, build, or plant, or purchase for their -sons—their fathers did it not for them—it would entail the probable -loss of both principle and interest. - -The Armenian houses are peculiarly remarkable for their cleanliness. All -the inhabitants of Constantinople in decent circumstances are -scrupulously nice on this point, but the Armenians exceed all others: -every respectable dwelling being scoured throughout once a week with -soap and water. I have already, in speaking of this people, alluded to -their utter deficiency in sentiment and ambition: their lives are -frittered away in inconsequent details; and hence the attention and -interest are bestowed on comparatively insignificant objects, which -render them remarkable to strangers. - -Another striking object on the coast is the romantic and beautiful -little cemetery of Isari, situated immediately beneath the Castle of -Europe, by which it is dominated as by the eagle-eïrie of some feudal -Baron. Rocks, rudely flung together, and in their perpendicular ascent -impervious to vegetation, sustain the foundations of the fortress; while -around and among them snatches of kindlier earth are covered with dense -rich underwood, from amid which tall graceful trees spring up, and -overshadow the gilded marble of many a columned grave-stone. - -The Castle of Europe, standing immediately opposite to the valley -occupied by the castle on the other coast, is built after a singular -fancy. Tradition tells that Mahomet, from his Asiatic mountains, -contemplated with envy the lovely shores of Europe; and that, unable to -restrain his desire of possessing at least a speck of the fair -landscape, he entreated permission of the Greeks to be allowed to build -a small fortress as a landing-place, on their territory. The favour was -granted, the materials collected, and the present Castle of Europe -completed in six days; the ground-plan forming the characters of the -Prophet’s name. - -Near the edge of the channel, a small arched door is pointed out to the -curious, whence the Janissaries who had become obnoxious to the reigning -Sultan, and whose especial prison it was, were ejected from the fortress -after they had been bow-strung, in order to be flung into the Bosphorus; -while, at the instant that the waters closed over them, a gun was fired -from one of the towers, to intimate to the Imperial despot that justice -had been done on his enemies. - -This Castle, like the Fortresses of the Dardanelles, has been suffered -to fall into partial decay, but an order was lately issued for their -simultaneous restoration, and workmen are now busily employed in -repairing the united ravages of time and neglect. - -The little village of Mirgheun, about a mile higher up the channel, is -one of the prettiest things on the Bosphorus. A long street, terminating -at the water’s edge, stretches far into the distance, its centre being -occupied by a Moorish fountain of white marble, overshadowed by limes -and acacias, beneath which are coffee terraces; constantly thronged with -Turks, sitting gravely in groups upon low stools not more than half a -foot from the ground, and occupied with their chibouks and mocha. - -A short distance beyond Mirgheun the channel widens into a little bay, -one of whose extremities is occupied by a ruined house, standing in the -midst of a garden. This house, which was formerly a chapel dedicated to -St. Nicholas, is now the property of a Turk, but is never inhabited in -consequence of a superstition so wild, and withal so fully credited by -both Greeks and Musselmauns, that I must not pass it by unnoticed. - -The chapel was desecrated during the Greek revolution; and taken -possession of, under the Imperial sanction, by a Turk, who, hurling the -effigy of the saint from the niche above the altar, converted the holy -shrine into a dwelling-place for himself and his family; but on the very -night on which he removed thither he was destined to pay the price of -his sacrilege, for he was found in the morning dead in his bed; an event -which so appalled his relatives that they immediately disposed of the -house to a neighbour, whose only child fell a victim, in the same -mysterious manner, to the vengeance of the outraged saint—a third -purchaser lost his wife by the like means; and the spot became from that -day the dread and horror of every True Believer; while it is an -extraordinary fact that its Infidel owner sent for a Greek Papas to -exorcise the evil spirit, or to conciliate the saint; and that a solemn -sprinkling of holy water and chanting of hymns took place; but it is -impossible to say with what success, as no tenant has subsequently been -found for the dwelling, which is rapidly crumbling to decay. - -As you approach Therapia, you come upon a long stretch of wall, pierced -in one regular line with small square windows, and looking exactly like -an ill-kept manufactory; while the fine stone terrace that runs along -its whole façade, and the thickly-planted shrubberies which clothe the -hill behind it, have something so lordly and imposing in their aspect, -that your attention is irresistibly attracted, and your curiosity -awakened. Should your caïquejhes be Greeks, they will scarcely answer -your inquiry without muttering an imprecation through their clenched -teeth. It is the sorry remain of the palace of Prince Calimachi, seized -by the Sultan in a fit of despotic jealousy, and converted into a stable -for the Imperial stud, but so entirely disproportioned to its new office -as to be perfectly useless—the extent being immense, and the number of -the Sultan’s horses extremely limited; it has consequently been -abandoned to premature decay, and a noble object is thus blotted from -the landscape, and degraded into a deformity. - -The son of the Prince was Dragoman to the Porte when the seizure was -made; but being a Greek, his court interest availed him nothing; his -ideas were too magnificent, and he paid the forfeit of his luxury. - -But the misfortunes of Prince Calimachi did not end here. Exiled to -Broussa, he endeavoured in the bosom of his family to lose the memory of -his departed splendour; when he was one day invited to the palace of the -Pasha to encounter him at chess, of which game both were passionately -fond. Calimachi accepted the defiance with alacrity, for he knew not how -dearly he was to pay the gratification. While he was deliberating on a -move, the Pasha waved his hand, and in an instant the fatal cord was -about the throat of his victim. The bereaved wife was next summoned; and -though the dark ring of extravasated blood betrayed the deed which had -been done, she was told that the Prince had expired from an attack of -paralysis; nor did she dare to gainsay the falsehood; and thus she bore -away the body of her murdered husband in the silence of despair. - -The Sultan has a kiosk on the one hand, and a summer palace on the -other, of this melancholy memorial of despotic power; but I was in no -mood to admire either with such an object before me. - -To be seen in all its beauty, the Bosphorus should be looked upon by -moonlight. Then it is that the occupants of the spacious mansions which -are mirrored in its waters, enjoy to the fullest perfection the -magnificence of the scene around them. The glare of noon-day reveals too -broadly the features of the locality; while the deep, blue, star-studded -sky, the pure moonlight, and the holy quiet of evening, lend to it, on -the contrary, a mysterious indistinctness which doubles its attraction. -The inhabitants of the capital are conscious of this fact; and during -the summer months, when they occupy their marine mansions, one of their -greatest recreations is to seat themselves upon the seaward terraces, to -watch the sparkling of the ripple, and to listen to the evening hymn of -the seamen on board the Greek and Italian vessels; amused at intervals -by a huge shoal of porpoises rolling past, gambolling in the moonlight, -and plunging amid the waves with a sound like thunder: while afar off -are the dark mountains of Asia casting their long dusky shadows far -across the water, and the quivering summits of the tall trees on the -edge of the channel sparkling like silver, and lending the last touch of -loveliness to a landscape perhaps unparalleled in the world. - -Shakspeare must have had a vision of the Bosphorus, when he wrote the -garden scene in Romeo and Juliet! - -All the Orientals idolize flowers. Every good house upon the border of -the channel has a parterre, terraced off from the sea, of which you -obtain glimpses through the latticed windows; and where the rose trees -are trained into a thousand shapes of beauty—sometimes a line of arches -rises all bloom and freshness above a favourite walk—sometimes the -plants are stretched round vases of red clay of the most classical -formation, of which they preserve the shape—ranges of carnations, -clumps of acacias, and bosquets of seringa, are common; and the effect -of these fair flowers, half shielded from observation, and overhung with -forest trees, which are in profusion in every garden, is extremely -agreeable. - -Another peculiarity of the Bosphorus is the great depth of the water to -the very edges of the channel. The terraces that hem it in are -frequently injured by their contact with the shipping which, in a sudden -lull of wind, or by some inadvertence on the part of the helmsman, “run -foul” (to use a nautical expression) of the shore; nor is it the -terraces alone that suffer, for the houses whose upper stories project -over the stream, which is almost universally the case where they are of -any extent, are constantly sustaining injury from the same cause. - -We had occupied our summer residence only two days, when an Imperial -Brig in the Turkish service, in attempting a tack, thrust its bowsprit -through the centre window of the magnificent saloon of an Armenian -banker, with whose family we were acquainted. The master of the house, -exasperated at the evident carelessness in which the accident had -originated, rushed out upon the terrace to remonstrate, but his -remonstrances were unheeded; and he had scarcely re-entered the house -when the Turkish captain, who was intoxicated, landed, and without -ceremony passed into the outer court, accompanied by some of his crew; -and, seizing the brother of the gentleman, and several of his servants, -gave them a severe beating, and then quietly returned on board. The -vessel was extricated after a time, carrying away with it nearly the -whole front of the saloon, and a large portion of the roof; after which, -the gallant commander again entered the house, and insisted upon -conveying its master to Constantinople, there to expiate the sin of -insolence to a Turkish officer. The Saraf, however, having business in -the city, had already departed, and consequently escaped the -inconvenience and insult destined for him. - -Were I the Admiral of a Fleet charged with the conquest of a channel -like that of the Bosphorus, I would employ none but Turkish sailors, who -are never so much at home as when aground, or hung on to some building; -they would literally carry the thing by assault. Their mighty ships of -war do as they like, for they are constantly “touching,” when they are -supposed to be cruizing; and “aground” when the authorities at home -believe them to be at sea. - -Where did you meet the Admiral’s schooner as you came from Malta? On -shore off Tenedos. Where did you speak the frigate on your way here? -Aground at Gallipoli? These were the answers to two questions put by -myself; and had I ventured twenty more I should probably have received -similar replies. - -Englishmen will probably, at the first glance, wonder why it should be -thus; but it would be greater subject for astonishment were it -otherwise. When a Field Marshal, by kissing the Sublime Toe, is -translated at once into a Lord High Admiral; and the Colonel of a -Cavalry regiment becomes by an equally simple process a manufacturer of -Macaroni; and when each is called upon to teach that which he never -learnt, and to command ere he has been taught how to obey; the effects -of the system may be readily foreseen. Nevertheless, were the Turks -permitted to employ even subordinate European officers in their army and -navy, much of the evil might be obviated. But Russia is opposed to a -measure which would give them a correct idea of their own physical -strength—by weakening the _morale_, she enervates the whole system; -while, by her happy art of consopiation, and her finished tact at -glossing over effects, and inventing causes, she has taught them to -believe themselves independent of extraneous aid, Heaven-inspired, and -all-sufficient. - -It signifies not how irrelevant the duties of any situation may be to -his previous habits and talent, no Turk would hesitate to accept it on -that account, should the occasion of self-aggrandizement present itself; -and he has two satisfactory reasons for acting thus—he must at least be -as capable of fulfilling them as his predecessor, who was equally -ill-fitted for the trust—and, should he refuse one good offer, he would -probably never have a second. Thus reason the Osmanlis, and upon this -conviction they act. Nor is Sultan Mahmoud one whit more difficult or -quick-sighted on this point than his subjects; or more scrupulous as to -the efficiency of those to whom he gives important appointments, than -they are in accepting them; and a ludicrous example of this -uncalculating facility occurred very lately, so perfectly in point that -I cannot forbear to mention it. - -His Highness had a favourite physician, to whom he had entrusted the -superintendence of a public establishment, and who died suddenly at -Scutari. When informed of his death, the Sultan was visibly affected: -and in the first moment of regret he inquired anxiously if the deceased -had left any family. He was answered that he had an only son, a clerk in -the Greek Chancellery, whose situation was far from a lucrative one; and -he immediately desired that the youth, who had not yet attained his -twentieth year, should be appointed on the instant to his father’s -vacancy, and receive the same salary which had been enjoyed by his -parent. He was obeyed; and the spruce clerk at once became -metamorphosed into the solemn physician, or something as near like it as -he could accomplish. - -By an arrangement not altogether so satisfactory, surgeons are supplied -to the ships of war. When a medical man is required on board some vessel -of the line, individuals appointed for the purpose walk into the first -chemist’s shop they may happen to pass, seize the master, carry him off, -hurry him first into a caïque, and thence to the ship; appoint him -surgeon, enter him on the books, acquaint him with the amount of his -pay; and, should he venture to remonstrate, give him a sound flogging. - -Nor are “the powers that be” at all more particular in their bearing -towards the officers of the ships, whom they flog (the captains -inclusive) whenever they chance to consider the operation desirable. On -a late occasion, two of the frigates ran foul of each other in the -Channel, upon which Tahir Pasha, the High Admiral, bestowed the -bastinado so unsparingly upon their commanders, that the blood -penetrated their garments; and they were subsequently flung into some -den in the hold, and there left during three days, not only without -attendance, but literally without food! - -It may be asked what punishment can be inflicted on the crews, if such -unceremonious measures are pursued with the officers; and as one fact -is better than a score of assertions, I will reply by relating another -very recent occurrence, described to me by a Greek gentleman who was -present during the whole transaction. The Capitan Pasha had a party of -friends to dine with him on board his ship, who were about to seat -themselves at table, when it was reported to him that one of the crew, -in defiance of the order which forbade any individual to go on shore, -had surreptitiously left the vessel. - -“Let me know when he returns on board;” was the cold and careless -rejoinder of the High Admiral, who had scarcely uttered the words, when -the re-appearance of the delinquent was announced, after an absence of -about ten minutes. He was ordered below to account for his conduct to -the Pasha, whose very name is a terror to the whole fleet, when he -stated that the following day being Friday (the Turkish Sabbath), he had -ventured on shore to procure some clean linen, fearing the anger of the -Admiral should he appear dirty. - -“And was it for this trifle that you disobeyed my orders?” asked the -Pasha; “I must take measures to prevent any future instance of the same -misconduct—” and grasping an iron bar that served to secure one of the -cabin windows, and which stood near him—without the pause of a -moment—surrounded by his guestsstanding beside a table spread for a -banquet and with his victim crouching at his feet—he struck the -quailing wretch upon the head, and murdered him with a blow. The body -fell heavily on the earth in the death-spasm; and the Admiral, -addressing himself to an attendant, quietly ordered that the corpse -should be removed, and the dinner served: but several of the party -declined remaining after what they had witnessed, declaring their -inability to partake of food at such a moment; these were, of course, -Turks; for the Greek guests, although equally disgusted and heart-sick, -were not at liberty to withdraw without danger; and the dead man was -borne away, and the living feasted, with his death-groan still ringing -in their ears, and his last fierce agony yet grappling at their hearts! - -Tahir Pasha is a perfect embodiment of the vulgar idea of Turkish -character which was so lately prevalent in Europe. He is the slave of -his passions, and apparently without human affections or human -sympathies. He lost his only son by his own violence, having beaten him -so severely for quitting the house without his permission, that the -unhappy young man died a day or two subsequently, in consequence of the -injuries which he had sustained; and, instead of profiting by this awful -occurrence, he afterwards murdered a nephew in the same manner. - -And yet I have heard men, carried away by party-spirit, and hoodwinked -by prejudice, maintain that this fiend in human shape was not cruel; and -bolster their opinions with a sophistry that made me shudder. - -I inquired of an _attaché_ of the Porte whether the Sultan was aware of -the waste of life in his fleet, where a week seldom passes in which some -luckless wretch does not fall a victim to the wrath of the High Admiral; -and the coolness of the answer was inimitable: “What has His Highness to -do with it?” “How!” I rejoined in my turn, “are they not his subjects?” -“Of course; but Tahir Pasha commands the fleet; and, while he does so, -he has a right to enforce its discipline as he thinks best. Why should -the Sultan interfere?” “But such wholesale cruelty is so revolting.” -“Perhaps so; yet how can it be remedied?” “Were I the Sultan,” I -answered unhesitatingly, “I would decapitate the High Admiral; it would -be a saving of human blood.” The Turk laughed at my earnestness as he -replied; “Mashallah! you have hit upon a radical remedy. But how would -you secure the fleet against a second Tahir Pasha?” - -He was right. The evil exists rather in the system than in the -individual; but it is, nevertheless, a blessing for Turkey, that the -equal of her High Admiral, for ruthlessness and cruelty, is probably not -to be found in the country. And yet, to look at him, you would imagine -that no thought of violence, no impulse of revenge, had ever stirred -his spirit; he has the head of an anchorite, and the brow of a saint. I -never beheld a more benevolent countenance—Lavater would have been at -fault with him. - -One of the most pleasant excursions that can be made to the opposite -coast, is to Unkiar Skelessi, or the Sultan’s Pier; a sweet valley, -under the shadow of the Giant’s Mountain, in which the famous treaty was -signed with Russia. It is profusely shaded with majestic trees, the -largest in the neighbourhood, and is entirely covered with rich grass. -The spot on which the ceremony took place is overhung with maples, and -washed by a running stream: behind it rises a range of hills; and on its -left stands an extensive manufactory of cloth, and a paper-mill, erected -at an immense expense, and furnished with their elaborate machinery by -the present Sultan, who caused an elegant kiosk to be erected upon the -height for his own use, when he went to superintend the works, which -were, however, abandoned as soon as the novelty had worn off. They are -now falling rapidly to ruin; and the noble run of water which was forced -from its channel to turn the wheels of the mill, is wasting itself in an -useless course across the valley, ere it is finally lost in the -Bosphorus. - -This lovely spot is much frequented on festival days by all classes of -the population, who form pic-nic parties, and spend hours under the -shade of the tall trees, sipping their coffee and sherbet; or occupying -the different terraces which overlook the Bosphorus, with regular -pleasure-parties, whose servants come well provided with provisions, and -who linger throughout the whole day, enjoying the cool breezes from the -sea, and the long shadows of the boughs beneath which they sit. - -Higher up the valley, you generally meet with an encampment of Bedouin -Arabs, where you are almost certain to see two or three faces of dark -flashing beauty, which repay you for the annoyance that you experience -from the importunity of the troop of children who assail you directly -you approach the tents; little, ragged, merry-looking, vociferous -urchins, of whom you cannot rid yourself either by bribes or menaces. -These dark, proud beauties—for they are proud-looking, even amid their -tatters, with their large, wild, black eyes, and their long raven hair -plaited in many braids, which fall upon their shoulders, and hang below -their waists; their round, smooth arms bare to the elbow, whence the -large, hanging sleeves fall back; and their well-turned little feet -peeping out from beneath their ample trowsers; these dark, proud -beauties greet you with a smile, and a “Mashallah!” that introduce you -to teeth like pearls, and voices like music; and as they sit, weaving -their baskets for the market of Constantinople, they extend towards you -their slender, henna-tipped fingers, and ask your piastres, without -taking the trouble to rise, rather as a tribute to their loveliness, -than as an offering to their necessities. - -To escape from the importunities of the children, whom the sight of the -tempting metal renders only more importunate, you have but to plunge -deeper into the valley, and lose yourself among the majestic plane trees -with which it abounds. The nightingale alone disturbs the deep silence -of the solitude, save when at intervals the lowing of the cattle on the -mountain sweeps along upon the wind. - -It was here that De Lille wrote his “Pleasures of Imagination.”—It was -here that De la Martine improvised to the memory of his daughter; the -soil is poetic. - - - - -CHAPTER XIII. - - - Facts and Fictions—Female Execution at Constantinople—Crime - of the Condemned—Tale of the Merchant’s Wife—The Call to - Prayer—The Discovery—The Mother and Son—The - Hiding-Place—The Capture—The Trial—A Night Scene in the - Harem—The Morrow—Mercifulness of the Turks towards their - Women. - - -A vast deal of very romantic and affecting sentiment has been from time -to time committed to paper, on the subject of the Turkish females -drowned in the Bosphorus; and some tale-writers have even gone so far as -to describe, in the character of witnesses, the extreme beauty and the -heart-rending tears of the victims. - -The subject is assuredly one which lends itself to florid phrases and -highly wrought periods; but it is unfortunate that in this case, as in -many others, the imagination far outruns the fact. I say unfortunate, -because those readers who love to “sup full of horrors,” when they have -wept over the affecting image of beauty struggling against the grasp of -the executioner, and dark eyes looking reproach upon their murderer from -amid the deep waters which are so soon to quench their light for ever, -do not like to descend to the sober assurance that none of these things -can be; and that the veracious chroniclers who have excited their -sensibilities, and misled their reason, have only built up a pathetic -sketch upon inference, and in reality know nothing at all about the -matter. - -There is no romance in one of these frightful executions—all is harsh -unmitigated horror! The victim may, or may not, be young and beautiful; -her executioners have no opportunity of judging. She may be the -impersonation of grace, and they must remain equally ignorant of the -fact; for she has neither power nor opportunity to excite sympathy, were -she the loveliest houri who ever escaped from the paradise of Mahomet. - -I have a friend, a man in place and power, who, during the time of the -Janissaries, and but a few months previous to the annihilation of their -body, had been detained in the Palace of one of the Ministers until -three hours past midnight; and who, on passing across the deep bay near -the Castle of Europe, was startled by perceiving two caïques bearing -lights, lying upon their oars in the centre of the stream. His curiosity -being excited, he desired his boatmen to pull towards them, when at the -instant that he came alongside, he discovered that they were filled by -police officers; and at the same moment, a female closely shrouded in a -yashmac, and with the mouth of a sack, into which her whole body had -been thrust, tied about her throat, was lifted in the arms of two men -from the bottom of the furthest caïque, and flung into the deep waters -of the bay. As no weight had been appended to the sack, the miserable -woman almost instantly re-appeared upon the surface, when she was beaten -down by the oars of the boatmen; and this ruthless and revolting -ceremony was repeated several times ere the body finally sank. - -My friend, heart-sick at the spectacle to which he had so unexpectedly -become a witness, demanded of the principal officer, by whom he had been -instantly recognized, the crime of the wretched victim who had just -perished; and learnt that she was the wife of a Janissary whom the -Sultan had caused to be strangled some weeks previously; and who, in her -anguish at the fate of her husband, had since rashly permitted herself -to speak in terms of hatred and disgust of the government by whose -agency she had been widowed. - -On that fatal morning she had paid the price of her indiscretion. - -The ministers of death lingered yet awhile to convince themselves that -the body would not reappear; and my friend lingered also from a feeling -which he could not explain even to himself. The dawn was just breaking -in the sky, and streaks of faint yellow were traced above the crests of -the dark mountains of the Asian coast. One long ray of light touched the -summits of the tall cypresses above the grave-yard of Isari, and -revealed the castellated outline of the topmost tower of the -Janissaries’ prison: there was not a breath of wind to scatter the -ripple; and all around looked so calm and peaceful, that he could -scarcely persuade himself that he had just looked on death, when the -deep voices of the men in the caïques beside him, as they once more -plunged their oars into the stream, and prepared to depart, aroused him -from his reverie; and, motioning to his boatmen to proceed, he found -himself ere long on the terrace of his own palace. - -While I am on the subject of executions, I may as well relate “an o’er -true tale,” communicated to me by the same individual. Nearly four years -have elapsed since the occurrence took place, but it is so -characteristic of Turkish manners, that it will not be misplaced here. - -An eminent merchant of Stamboul, extremely wealthy, and considerably -past the middle age, became the husband of a very young and lovely -woman. As Turkish females never see the individuals whom they marry -previously to the ceremony, but are chosen by some matronly relation of -the person who finds it expedient to bestow himself on a wife, and who, -having seen and approved the lady, arranges all preliminaries with her -parents; so it may well be imagined that the bride is frequently far -from congratulating herself on her change of position; and such, as it -would appear from the result, was the case with the young wife to whom I -have just referred, and who was destined to become the heroine of a -frightful tragedy. - -Two years passed over Fatma Hanoum, and she became the mother of a son; -but her heart was not with its father, and, unhappily for the weak -victim of passion and disappointment, it had found a resting-place -elsewhere. - -The merchant’s house was situated near a mosque, from the gallery of -whose minaret all the windows of the harem were overlooked. The sun was -setting on a glorious summer evening, when the Imaum ascended to this -gallery, to utter the shrill cry of the muezzin which summons the -faithful to prayer. Ere he commenced the invocation, he chanced to -glance downwards, and he started as he beheld a man, clinging to a shawl -which had been flung from above, and making his way into the harem of -the merchant through an open window. Nor was this all, for the quick and -jealous eye of the Imaum at once assured him that the delinquent was a -Greek—that the wife of a Musselmaun had stooped to accept the love of a -Christian—and he well knew that, in such a case, there was no mercy -for the culprit. - -The Imaum was a stern man; for one moment only he wavered; and during -that moment he raised the ample turban from his brow, and suffered the -cool evening breeze to breathe lovingly upon his temples: in the next, -he bent over the gallery and spat upon the earth, as he murmured to -himself, “The dog of an Infidel,”—May his father’s grave be -defiled!—May his mother eat dirt!”—and having so testified his -contempt and abhorrence of the ill-fated lover, he lifted his gaze to -the clear sky, and the ringing cry pealed out:— - -“La Allah, illa Allah! Muhammed Resoul Allah!” - -His duty done, the Imaum descended the dark and narrow stair of the -minaret, and left the mosque; and in another instant he had put off his -slippers at the entrance of the salemliek, and stood before the sofa, at -the upper end of which sat the merchant smoking his chibouk of jasmine -wood, and attended by two slaves. - -The Turks are not fond husbands, but they are jealous ones. They are -watchful of their women, not because they love them, but because they -are anxious for their own honour; and no instance can be adduced in -which an Osmanli is wilfully blind to the errors of his wife. - -Here “the offence was rank, it smelt to Heaven.” The young and -beautiful Fatma Hanoum had wronged him with a Greek! The gray-bearded -merchant, trembling between rage and grief, rose from his seat and -rushed into the harem—The tale was true—for one moment the aged and -outraged husband looked upon the young and handsome lover; and in the -next the agile Greek had flung up the lattice, and sprung from the open -window. Ere long the house was filled with the relatives of the wife, -and its spacious apartments were loud with anguish and invective; but -Fatma Hanoum answered neither to the sobbing of grief, nor to the -reproach of scorn; she sat doubled up upon her cushions, with her eyes -riveted on the casement by which her lover had escaped. - -The merchant, stung to the heart by the stain that had been cast upon -his honour; embittered in spirit by the knowledge that it was a -Christian by whom he had been wronged; and not altogether forgetful, it -may be, of the grace and beauty of the mother of his child, sat moodily -apart; and all the reasonings and beseechings of his wife’s anxious -family only wrung from him the cold and unyielding answer that he would -never see her more. - -And the heretic lover, where was he? - -Like an arrow shot by a strong arm, he had sped to the home of his -widowed mother, and had hurriedly imparted to her the fearful jeopardy -in which he stood. There was not a moment to be lost; and, hastily -snatching up some food that had been prepared for his evening meal, he -flung himself upon the neck of his weeping parent; and then, disengaging -himself from her clinging arms, rushed from the house, no one knew -whither. - -But the Imaum, meanwhile, was not idle. He had aroused the -neighbourhood—he had raised the cry of sacrilege—he had bruited abroad -the dishonour of the Moslem—and ere long a Turkish guard was on the -track of the young Greek. But no trace of him could be discovered; and -the fair and frail Hanoum was removed to the harem of one of her -husband’s relatives, where her every look and action were subjected to -the most rigorous observance, before the faintest hope had been -entertained of securing her miserable lover. - -Three wretched days were past, and on the morning of the fourth the -pangs of hunger became too mighty for the youth to support. He stole -from his concealment, he looked around him, and he was alone! He -ventured a few paces forward; rich fruits were pendent from the branches -of the tall trees beneath which he moved, and he seized them with -avidity; but, as he raised; his hand a second time to the laden boughs, -he heard near him the deep breathing of one who wept—He glared towards -the spot whence the sound came, and his heart melted within him—it was -his mother—the guardian of his youth—the friend of his manhood—the -mourner over his blighted hopes. He rushed towards her—he murmured her -name—and for a moment the parent and the child forgot all save each -other! It was the watchful love of the mother which first awoke to fear: -and in a few seconds the secret of her son was confided to her, and she -was comparatively happy. She could steal to his hiding-place at -midnight; she could ensure him against hunger; she could hear his voice, -and convince herself that he yet lived; and with this conviction she -hurried from his side, and bade him wait patiently yet a few hours, when -she would bring him food. - -The young Greek stole back to his hiding-place, and slept—The sleep of -the wretched is heavy—slow to come, and weighed down with wild and -bitter dreams; and thus slumbered the criminal. The night was yet dark -when he awoke, and heard footsteps, and then he doubted not that his -watchful parent was indeed come to solace the moments of his trembling -solitude. Had he paused an instant, and afforded time for the perfect -waking of all his senses, he would have discovered at once that the -sounds of many feet were on the earth; but he had already passed several -days without cause of alarm, and his past safety betrayed him into a -false feeling of security. - -The unhappy youth had not wandered beyond the spacious gardens of his -home, which, rising the height behind the house, were divided into -terraces, along whose whole extent had been placed avenues of orange and -lemon trees, planted in immense vases of red clay. Several of these, in -which the plants had failed or perished, had been reversed to protect -them from the weather; and one of them, dragged in the first paroxysm of -terror to the mouth of an exhausted well, had served to screen the -culprit from the gaze of his pursuers. But on this night, when by some -extraordinary fatality, he forgot for an instant the caution which had -hitherto been his protection, he clambered to the mouth of the pit as he -heard the coming footsteps, and, pushing aside the vase, sprang out upon -the path. - -The moonlight fell on him as he emerged from his concealment, pale, and -haggard; his dark locks dank with the heavy atmosphere of his -hiding-place, and his frame weakened by exhaustion. As he gained his -feet and looked around him, his arms fell listlessly at his sides, and -his head drooped upon his breast—He had no longer either strength or -energy to wrestle with his fate; and he put his hands into the grasp of -the armed men among whom he stood, and suffered himself to be led away -from the home of his boyhood, and the clasp of his shrieking mother, -with the docility of a child. - -The trial followed close upon the discovery of the lover. There was no -hope for the wretched pair! Against them appeared the Imaum, stern, -uncompromising, and circumstantial—the outraged husband, wrought to -madness by the memory of his dishonour; and callous as marble—the faith -which had been disgraced—society which had been scandalized. For them -there were none to plead, save the grey-haired and widowed mother who -wept and knelt to save her only son; but who asked his life in mercy, -and not in justice. Did their youth sue for them? Did the soft -loveliness of the guilty wife, or the manly beauty of the lover, raise -them up advocates? Alas! these were their direst condemnation; and thus -it only remained for them to die! - -It was at this period that my friend, the ——, first became connected -with the affair. The family of the condemned woman, knowing his -influence with the government, flung themselves at his feet, and -implored his interference. They expatiated on the beauty of the -misguided Fatma—on the personal qualifications of him by whose love she -had fallen—they left no theme untouched; and he became deeply -interested in her fate, and resolved that while a hope remained he would -not abandon her cause. But he was fated to plead in vain; the crime had -increased in the country; every Turkish breast heaved high with -indignation; my friend urged, supplicated, and besought unheeded; and at -length found himself unable to adduce another argument in her behalf. - -When reluctantly convinced of the fact, he discovered that through his -exertions to save her life, his feelings had become so deeply enthralled -by the idea of the miserable woman, that he resolved to endeavour to see -her ere she died; and he was startled by the ready acquiescence that -followed his request, as well as by the terms in which it was couched. -“We shall visit her at midnight, to acquaint her officially with the -result of the trial;” was the answer; “and should you think proper you -may accompany us; for you will have no future opportunity of indulging -your curiosity.” - -Under these circumstances he did not hesitate; and a few minutes before -midnight he was at the door of the harem in which she had resided since -her removal from her husband’s house. The officers of justice followed -almost immediately: and it struck him as they passed the threshold, that -they were in greater number than so simple an errand appeared to exact; -but as he instantly remembered that others might feel the same curiosity -as himself, and profit by the same means of gratifying it, he did not -dwell upon the circumstance. - -All was hushed in the harem; and the fall of their unslippered feet -awoke no echo on the matted floors. One solitary slave awaited them at -the head of the stairs, and he moved slowly before the party with a -small lamp in his hand, to the apartment of the condemned woman. - -She was sleeping when they entered—Her cheek was pillowed upon her arm; -and a quantity of rich dark hair which had escaped from beneath the -painted handkerchief that was twisted about her head, lay scattered over -the pillow. She was deadly pale, but her eyebrows and the long silken -lashes which fringed her closed eyes were intensely black, and relieved -the pallor of her complexion; while her fine and delicate features -completed as lovely a face as ever the gaze of man had lingered on. At -times a shuddering spasm contracted for an instant the muscles of her -countenance—the terrors of the day had tinged her midnight dreams: and -at times she smiled a fleeting smile, which was succeeded by a sigh, as -if, even in sleep, the memory of past happiness was clouded by a pang. - -But her slumber was not destined to be of long continuance; for the -principal individual of the party, suddenly bending over her, grasped -her arm, and exclaimed, “Wake, Fatma, wake; we have tidings for you!” - -The unhappy woman started, and looked up; and then hurriedly concealing -her face in the coverlets, she gasped out, “Mashallah! What means this? -What would you with me that you steal thus upon me in the night? Am I -not a Turkish woman? And am I not uncovered?” - -“Fear nothing, Hanoum;” pursued the official; “we have tidings for you -which we would not delay.” - -“God is great!” shrieked the guilty one, raising herself upon her -pillows. “You have pardoned him—” - -But the generous, self-forgetting prophecy was false. In the energy of -her sudden hope she had sprang into a sitting posture; and ere the words -had left her lips, the fatal bowstring was about her throat. - -It was the horror of a moment—Two of the executioners flung themselves -upon her, and held her down—a couple more grasped her hands—a heavy -knee pressed down her heaving chest—there was a low gurgling sound, -hushed as soon as it was heard—a frightful spasm which almost hurled -the strong men from above the convulsed frame—and all was over! - -At day-dawn on the morrow, the young Greek was led from his prison. For -several days he had refused food, and he was scarcely able to drag his -fainting limbs along the uneven streets. Two men supported him, and at -length he reached the termination of his painful pilgrimage. For a -moment he stood rooted to the earth; he gasped for breath—he tore away -his turban—and clenched his hands until the blood sprang beneath the -nails. She whom he had loved was before him—her once fair face was -swollen and livid, and exposed to the profane gaze of a countless -multitude. She was before him—and the handkerchief from which she was -suspended, beside the spot marked out for himself, was one which he had -given her in an hour of passion, when they looked not to perish thus! - -I have pursued the tale until I am heart-sick, and can follow it up no -further. Yet, revolting as it is, it nevertheless affords a proof of -that which I have already adduced elsewhere; that even in their severity -the Turks are merciful to their women; and carefully shield them from -the shame, even when they cannot exempt them from the suffering, of -their own vices. - - - - -CHAPTER XIV. - - - Political Position of the Turks—Religion of the - Osmanlis—Absence of Vice among the Lower Orders—Defect of - Turkish Character—European Supineness—Policy of - Russia—England and France—A Turkish Comment on England—The - Government and the People—Common Virtue—Great Men—Turks of - the Provinces—European Misconceptions. - - -The more I see of the Turks, the more I am led to regret their -melancholy political position. Enabled, by the introductions which I had -secured, to look more closely into their actual condition from the -commencement of my sojourn among them, than falls to the lot of most -travellers, I have been compelled from day to day to admit the justice -of their indignation against those European powers, which, after -deluding them with promises that they have failed to fulfil, and pledges -that they have falsified, have reduced them to anchor their hopes, and -to fasten their trust, upon a government whose interests can be served -only by the ruin of the Ottoman Empire, and the subjugation of its -liberties. Take them for all in all, there probably exist no people -upon earth more worthy of national prosperity than the great mass of the -Turkish population; nor better qualified, alike by nature and by social -feeling, to earn it for themselves. - -The Osmanli is unostentatiously religious. He makes the great principles -of his belief the rule of his conduct, and refers every thing to a -higher power than that of man. I am aware that it is the fashion to -decry the creed of the Turk, and to place it almost on a level with -paganism: but surely this is an error unworthy of the nineteenth -century, and of the liberality of Englishmen. The practice of a religion -which enforces the necessity of prayer and charity—which is tolerant of -all opposing modes of worship—and which enjoins universal brotherhood, -can scarcely be contemptible. And while the Christian, enlightened on -the great truths that are hidden from the Mahomeddan, is compelled to -pity the darkness of a faith which admits not the light of the Gospel, -he must nevertheless admire the votary who, acting according to his -ideas of duty, follows up the injunctions of his religion with a devout -zeal, and an unwearied observance that influence all his social -relations; and this is a merit which even their enemies have never, I -believe, denied to the Turks. - -From this great first principle emanates the philosophy both of feeling -and action that distinguishes the Osmanli from the native of all other -countries; and this philosophy renders him comparatively inaccessible to -those petty, but myriad excitements of selfishness and political bigotry -which keep the more active and ambitious spirit of European society for -ever on the _qui vive_. I am by no means prepared to deny, that from -this very quality arises the extreme intellectual and moral inertness -which induces the Turks to rely more on extraneous assistance than on -their own efforts, in all cases of emergency: I am merely endeavouring -to prove that they possess within themselves the necessary elements of -social order, and national prosperity. - -The absence of all glaring vices, even among the lowest ranks of the -community; save indeed such as they have inherited from their more -civilized allies, and appropriated with the same awkwardness as they -have done their costume, speaks volumes for the Turkish people. A Turk -never games, never fights, never blasphemes; is guiltless of murder; is -innocent of theft; and has yet to learn that poverty is a crime, or even -a reproach; or that the rich man can shut his doors against the -mendicant who asks to share his meal. - -Were I desired to point out the most glaring defect of the Turkish -character, I should unhesitatingly specify the want of sincerity and -good faith. I am obliged to concede that the Turk is habitually -false—that he sacrifices his truth to fine phrases, and to set -terms—that he is profuse of promises, and magnificent in words. But it -is nevertheless certain that he himself looks upon all these splendid -pledges as mere compliment; and scarcely appears to reflect that a Frank -may be induced to lend to them a more weighty meaning. I had not been -long in the country ere I learnt to estimate all this hyperbole at its -just value; and once having done so, I found reason to feel grateful for -many unexpected and unsought courtesies. Profit by the first kindly -impulses of a Turk, and you will be his debtor; but trust nothing to his -memory, for he will fail you. - -Let not individual bad faith, however, be too harshly blamed in a people -who have suffered so severely as the Turks from the same vice, in their -best and dearest interests; on the part, not only of individuals, but of -nations—of those civilized and enlightened nations, to which they -looked alike for precept and example; and which they have found wanting. - -Naturally haughty and self-centered, the Osmanli placed his honour and -his liberty in the hands of his European allies. They were pledged to -preserve both—and it was not until the Banner of the Crescent was -trailing in the dust; and a half-barbarous power bearding the Sultan in -his very halls of state, that the unwelcome truth burst upon him that -his trust had been misplaced. The discovery was made too late—made when -he had no alternative—the supineness of the Turk was no match for the -subtlety of the Russian; it was a combat unequal in all its bearings; -and dangerous to the Osmanli in all its relations. The natural result -followed: Turkey was bowed beneath a force too mighty for her to resist; -the partial civilization of the North produced its effect on the -comparative barbarism of the East; and the Turk, dazzled and deluded, -bewildered by the speciousness of a policy that he could not fathom, and -consequently did not suspect; abandoned by the European powers on whose -assistance he had relied; and unable singly either to resist the covert -threats, or to reject the proffered friendship of this voluntary ally, -fell into the snare which had been laid for him, and betrayed his want -of internal strength to his most dangerous enemy. - -The policy of Russia has been as steady and consistent as it is -ambitious. What a prophet was the Empress Catherine! How perfectly she -foretold the fate of Turkey. While all the other nations have suffered -their interest in the Ottoman Empire to evaporate in words, and have -flaunted their oratory in the eye of day, Russia has never betrayed -herself by studied phrases to the crowd; but like the giant in the -fable, she has drawn on her seven-league boots, and strode silently -over land and sea to her object. She has set all her engines to work; -and they have wrought well. She has spared neither gold nor flattery. -She has enlisted in her favour all the social feelings of the Turks. And -the little presents of the Empress to the children of certain popular -Pashas; and the embroidery said to have been wrought by her own Imperial -hand, and sent to the ladies of their harems, are as efficacious in -their way as the diamonds, the horses, and the carriages presented to -the Sultan; or the pensions paid to half a dozen influential individuals -of the court. - -Alas for Turkey! Her relative position with her specious ally resembles -that of a huge animal in the coil of a Boa Constrictor, which must be -smoothed down gently and gradually, ere it can be safely gorged. Its -fate is but protracted; the moment of ingurgitation will come at last; -and when the serpent-folds are uncoiled, and the sated monster lies -luxuriously down to digest its prey, those who have looked on, and -pledged themselves to the impossibility of the feat, will find too late -that it is not only perfectly practicable, but actually accomplished. - -And yet France has her countless soldiery—and England her unrivalled -navy—both eager to earn new glory. England and France, on whom the -Osmanlis leaned with a perfect faith, and by both of whom they have -been abandoned—Where is the chivalry of the one, and the philanthropy -of the other? - -A Turk of high rank and considerable abilities; who had an understanding -to observe, and a heart to feel the position of his country, was one day -conversing with me on her foreign political relations, when he exclaimed -with a sudden burst of unaffected energy:—“France has failed us, it is -true; but France has been at least comparatively honest in her -supineness. She has never affected a wish to become the foster-mother of -the world—But England—England, Madam, which has boasted of her -universal philanthropy—which has knocked away the fetters of millions -of the blacks—England, not contented while among her Nobles, in her -House of Commons, and even at the very meetings of her lower classes, -she was making a vaunt of her all-embracing love, and of her sympathy -with the oppressed—not contented with seeing Poland weep tears of -blood, and only cease to exist when the last nerves of her heart had -been wrung asunder—Your own happy England; secure in her prosperity and -in her power, is now standing tamely by, while the vast Ottoman -Empire—the gorgeous East, which seems to have been made for glory and -for greatness—is trampled by a power like Russia! She might have saved -us—She might save us yet—Where is her gallant navy? Where are her -floating fortresses? But, above all, where is the heart which has so -many hands to work its will?—Is it the expence of a war from which she -shrinks? Surely her policy is not so shallow; for she cannot require to -be told how deeply her commercial interests must be compromised by the -success of Russia.—But I will not pursue so painful a subject.—As -individuals we respect the English; but their political character is -lost in the East—we have no longer faith in England.” - -These were not, at all events, the arguments of a “barbarian:” and the -more closely and unprejudicedly that Europeans permit themselves to -examine the Turkish character, the more they will find that justice has -never yet been done to it; and that Turkey merits their support as fully -by her moral attributes, as by her geographical position. - -It is not by her Nobles, by her Ministers, nor by her Government, that -she should be judged—Her court and her people are as distinct as though -they were of two different nations. They have, however, one common -virtue, which is carried to an extent that must be witnessed by the -natives of the West, ere it can be understood. Every one who has visited -Turkey will perceive at once that I allude to their unbounded -hospitality. The table of the greatest man in Constantinople is open to -the poorest, whenever he chooses to avail himself of it. As he salutes -the master of the house on entering, he is received with the simple word -_Bouroum_—You are welcome,—and he takes his place without further -ceremony. In the villages the same beautiful principle remains -unaltered; and it signifies not how little an individual may have to -give, he always gives it cheerfully, and as a matter of course; without -appearing conscious that he is exercising a virtue, practised scantily -and reservedly in more civilized countries. - -If a Turk wishes to shew a courtesy to his guest, or to a stranger with -whom he may have accidentally come in contact, he does so in a manner -which revolts the more refined ideas of a Frank; but which is -nevertheless induced by this same feeling of brotherhood and fellowship. -His chibouk is his greatest luxury; and when he is not engaged in an -employment that renders the indulgence difficult or impossible, it is -for ever between his lips: and his first act of friendliness is to -withdraw it thence, and offer it to his companion.—He estimates its -enjoyment, and he immediately wishes to communicate it. These are -perhaps slight traits—details that appear unimportant—but human -character is composed of details—fine shades, which however faint in -themselves, are nevertheless necessary to the perfect effect of the -whole. It is easy to seize a prominent object. Glaring vices and -striking virtues force themselves upon the notice; and are consequently -ever the ready subject of comment. And it is from this fact that the -Turks have suffered in European estimation. They are singularly -unobtrusive in their social relations: they do not seek to exhibit their -moral attributes; and they practice daily those domestic virtues which -grow out of the tolerance and kindliness of their nature without -troubling themselves to consider whether they do so at moments when they -may become subject of comment. Thus it is that they have never been -supposed to feel, or feeling to encourage, those minute but -multitudinous social courtesies, which, if each amount not in itself to -a positive virtue, at least is part and parcel of one, and lends itself -to the completion of an aggregate that well deserves the name. - -Those who have only made an acquaintance with the Turkish character in -the persons of the great men of the Capital, have not possessed the -means of witnessing the daily practice of these endearing qualities. It -is not among the haughty, the selfish, and the ambitious of any nation, -that the bland and beautiful features of human nature can be -contemplated. Nothing atrophises the heart like luxury—nothing deadens -the feelings like the strife and struggle for power:—and in the East, -where a man’s fortune is ever built up upon the ruin of his neighbour, -and where he springs into his seat with his foot upon the neck of a -worsted rival, it were worse than folly to expect that the social -virtues can be encouraged and exhibited among the great. But the Turk of -the provinces is a being of a different order: a creature of calm -temperament, and philosophic content; who labours in his vocation with a -placid brow and a quiet heart; who honours his mother, protects his -wife, and idolizes his children; is just in his dealings, sober in his -habits, and unpretendingly pious; and whose board and hearth are alike -free to those who desire to share them. - -Such, if I have read them aright, (and, above all, if I may rely on the -judgment of unbiassed and impartial individuals, more competent than -myself to form a correct estimate of their general character) are the -great mass of the Turkish people. Their defective government is the -incubus that weighs them down; while the luxurious habits of their -nobles induce extortion which withers their exertions, and in a great -degree negatives the benefit of their industry. But these are evils -which are not beyond remedy; “the schoolmaster” who has been so long -abroad in Europe, has already given hints of travelling to the far East; -and there are now several individuals connected with the Ottoman -Government who comprehend the vice of the system, and are anxious to -eradicate the mischief. The outcry of corruption and venality has been -raised, and the correctness of the implication has been admitted; while -few have discovered that attempts are already making to overcome the -long-standing reproach; and all must acknowledge that this Sisyphus-like -task will require time and patience, and moreover opportunity and -encouragement, to secure its completion. - -It is not, I repeat, by the members of a government, driven to unworthy -acts on the one hand, and deceived by smiling sophistries on the other, -that the people of Turkey should be estimated; and it is comparatively -unfortunate for them as a nation, that it is precisely upon these -persons that the attention is first fixed. The natural consequence -ensues, that, where Europeans, rather glancing at the country than -seeing it, possess neither time, opportunity, nor it may be even -inclination, to look deeper; they carry away with them an erroneous -impression of the mass, as unjust as it is unfortunate; an impression -which they propagate at home, and in which they become strengthened by -the very repetition of their own assertions; nor is it difficult to -account in this way for the very erroneous, contradictory, and absurd -notions, entertained in Europe on the subject of the Turks. Individuals -have been cited as examples of a body, with which they probably -possessed not one common feature, save that of country; and the vices -that were seared into the spirit of one degenerate Osmanli have, by the -heedless chroniclers who may have suffered from his delinquencies, been -branded on the brow of a whole nation; as though the stream which had -polluted itself for an instant by its passage over some impure -substance, had power to taint the source from whence it flowed. - - - - -CHAPTER XV. - - - Death in a Princely Harem—The Fair Georgian—Distinction of - Circassian and Georgian Beauty—The Saloon—Sentiment of the - Harem—Courteous Reception—Domestic Economy of the - Establishment—The Young Circassian—Emin Bey—Singular Custom - of the Turks—The Buyuk Hanoum—The Female Dwarf—_Naïveté_ of - the Turkish Ladies—The Forbidden Door—The Sultan’s - Chamber—The Female Renegade—Penalty of Apostacy—Musical - Ceremony—Frank Ladies and True Believers—A Turkish - Luncheon—Devlehäi Hanoum—Old Wives _versus_ Young Ones—The - Parting Gift—The Araba—The Public Walk—Fondness of the - Orientals for Fine Scenery—The Oak Wood. - - -The illness and subsequent death of the Buyuk Hanoum had long delayed -the visit which I had been requested to make to the harem of the Reiss -Effendi, or Minister for Foreign Affairs; and it may be remembered that -this was the lady to whom I alluded in a former portion of my work, as -having failed to find favour in the eyes of the Sultan on the occasion -of the Princess Salihè’s marriage; and whom he had been graciously -pleased to excuse from all further attendance at court, in favour of a -fair Georgian, whom he had himself provided as her successor. The aged -Minister had received with all proper gratitude the gift of his Imperial -master; and had not failed to make the lovely slave his wife with all -possible speed. And the anticipation of seeing this far-famed beauty -added no little to the desire which I felt to avail myself of the very -kind and flattering invitation of the family. - -Having, therefore, suffered a sufficient time to elapse after the death -of the Buyuk Hanoum to testify my sympathy for her loss, I prepared for -this long-promised visit, and made it in company with some Greek ladies, -friends of my own, and well known in the harem of the Minister. On -passing the Salemliek I was much disappointed by the discovery that the -Reiss Effendi himself was from home; but on reaching the harem we were -more fortunate, and having delivered our cloaks, veils, and shoes to a -group of slaves who received us in the marble entrance-hall, we followed -one who led the way up a noble flight of stairs to a vast saloon; and in -the next instant I found myself standing beside Devlehäi Hanoum, the -beautiful Georgian. - -And she _was_ beautiful—magnificent!—Tall, and dark, and queenly in -her proud loveliness; with such a form as is not looked on above half a -dozen times during a long life. - -The character of Georgian beauty is perfectly dissimilar from that of -Circassia; it is more stately and dazzling; the whole of its attributes -are different. With the Circassian, you find the clearest and fairest -skin, the most delicatelyrounded limbs, the softest, sleepiest -expression—the lowest voice—and the most indolently-graceful -movements. There is no soul in a Circassian beauty; and as she pillows -her pure, pale cheek upon her small dimpled hand, you feel no -inclination to arouse her into exertion—you are contented to look upon -her, and to contemplate her loveliness. But the Georgian is a creature -of another stamp: with eyes like meteors, and teeth almost as dazzling -as her eyes. Her mouth does not wear the sweet and unceasing smile of -her less vivacious rival, but the proud expression that sits upon her -finely arched lips accords so well with her stately form, and her high, -calm brow, that you do not seek to change its character. - -There is a revelation of intellect, an air of majesty, about the -Georgian women, which seems so utterly at variance with their condition, -that you involuntarily ask yourself if they can indeed ever be slaves; -and you have some difficulty in admitting the fact, even to your own -reason. - -Nearly all the ladies of the Princess Azmè’s household are Georgians: -and I have already had occasion to remark that her harem is celebrated -for the beauty of its fair inhabitants. - -But Devlehäi Hanoum left every individual of the Imperial Seraï of -Ortakeuÿ immeasurably behind her. And as she welcomed us without rising -from her sofa, I felt, woman though I was, as though I could have knelt -in homage to such surpassing loveliness! - -The sofa on which she was seated, occupied the deep bay of a window -overlooking the Bosphorus, at the upper end of a saloon which terminated -in a flight of steps leading upwards to a second apartment, that, in its -turn, afforded similar access to a third: and this long perspective was -bounded by the distant view of a vine-o’ercanopied kiosk, beneath which -a fine fountain of white marble was flinging its cool waters on the air, -from the midst of clustering vases, filled with rare and beautiful -flowering plants. - -Groups of slaves were standing about the sofa; and gilded cages, filled -with birds, were arranged in its immediate vicinity. I was much amused -by a superb parrot, evidently the favourite of the harem, which had -become so imbued with its high-bred tranquillity, as to speak almost in -a whisper: and which kept up a perpetual murmur of such phrases as the -following: “My heart!—My life!—My Sultan, the light of my eyes!—Am I -pretty?—Do you love to look upon me?” and similar sentimentalities. - -Devlehäi Hanoum was dressed in an antery of white silk, embroidered all -over with groups of flowers in pale green; her salva, or trowsers, were -of satin of the Stuart tartan, and her jacket light blue; the gauze -that composed her chemisette was almost impalpable, and the cachemire -about her waist was of a rich crimson. Her hair, of which several -tresses had been allowed to escape from beneath the embroidered -handkerchief, was as black as the plumage of a raven; and her complexion -was a clear, transparent brown. But the great charm of the beautiful -Georgian was her figure. I never beheld any thing more lovely; to the -smoothly-moulded graces of eighteen she joined the majesty and -stateliness of middle life; and you forgot as you looked upon her, that -she had ever been bought at a price, to remember only that she was the -wife of one of the great officers of the Empire. - -Nothing could exceed the courtesy of her welcome, except, perhaps, its -gracefulness; and the charming smile with which she told me how anxious -were the Buyuk Hanoum, herself, and Conjefèm Hanoum, to testify by every -means in their power, the delight they felt in having me for a guest. -For a moment I was bewildered; I had made no inquiries relatively to the -domestic economy of the harem previous to my visit, and had imagined -that, as a matter of course, the lovely Georgian had become Buyuk Hanoum -by the death of the children’s mother. But this was far from being the -case; the Pasha having married in early life a Constantinopolitan lady -of high family, who had retained her supremacy in the harem, although -the affections of the Reiss Effendi had been transferred to the parent -of his sons. The fair Georgian proving also childless, the fortunate -mother had never forfeited her hold upon his heart, and had continued -until the hour of her death to be the first object of his favour. But my -astonishment did not end even here; for, when all this had been -explained to me, another question yet remained to be answered:—Who was -Conjefèm Hanoum? - -Conjefèm Hanoum, who was in the bath when we arrived, was a beautiful -young Circassian, who had been purchased twelve months previously by the -Minister, in the excess of his disappointment that the Georgian did not -make him a father; and whom, in the first rush of his delight on -discovering that she was likely to become a mother, he had also married. -Unfortunately for her, the child died in the hour of its birth, and once -more the anxious husband found himself disappointed in his hopes. - -These domestic details, which were given with a _sang froid_ and -composure evincing how little the heart of Devlehäi Hanoum was -interested in the recital, were succeeded by coffee, which was served -with great ceremony by about a dozen slaves; the salver being overlaid -with gold tissue, as on occasions of state. A stroll in the garden -followed, where we wandered up and down the shady walks, among the -flowers and fountains; and where we encountered the three sons of the -Minister. - -Emin Bey, the elder of the brothers, was barely eleven years of age; and -had I not seen him, I should never have been able to picture to myself -any thing at all like the object on which I then looked. So -extraordinary and unwieldy a being as this unhappy boy I never before -met with: and I am moderate in declaring that he must have measured at -least two yards round the body. His jacket of Broussa silk striped with -gold, lay in large folds about his shoulders and waist; his head -appeared to have been attached to his chest without the intervention of -a throat; his hands, his feet, all were proportionably bulky; and when I -looked at the unfortunate child, I could not help thinking how much he -was to be pitied, despite the rank and riches which surrounded him. The -younger boys were fine, noble-looking youths, without the slightest -tendency to corpulency; but Emin Bey is the favourite of the Minister, -who gratifies his every whim; and from the extreme amiability of his -disposition, he is generally popular in the harem. - -The sons of Turkish families always inhabit the women’s apartments until -they marry; when, however young they may be, they are immediately shut -out; but, by an extraordinary and apparently inexplicable arrangement, -they are not permitted, as soon as they have ceased to be children, to -intrude themselves on the Buyuk Hanoum without her express permission, -although they have free access to every other apartment in the harem. -Thus Emin Bey, unless summoned by her express desire, could not visit -the elder wife of his father, a venerable old person of at least seventy -years of age, although he was constantly in the society of the two -younger and lovelier ladies; while the other boys, yet mere children, -came and went as they listed, unchidden and almost unnoticed. - -As soon as the Buyuk Hanoum had left the bath, we were invited to her -apartment; and as I looked from the withered and feeble woman who lay -stretched on the sofa before me, propped with cushions, glittering with -diamonds, and busied with her chibouk, to the stately and gorgeous -Georgian in all the glow of her proud youth, I had difficulty in -believing that they could indeed be the wives of one man! - -When I had returned her salutation, and seated myself beside her, I had -time to look round upon the arrangement of her apartment. On a cushion -near her sofa crouched a frightful female dwarf, old, and wrinkled, and -mis-shapen, with a Sycorax expression of face that made me shudder; and -immediately beside her sat Devlehäi Hanoum, in a high-backed chair of -crimson velvet and gilding, looking like the haughty mother of Vathek -with one of her attendant spirits grovelling at her feet. A line of -female slaves extended from the sofa to the door, and several others -were grouped at the lower end of the saloon, which was most -magnificently fitted up. - -The never-failing hospitality of the East prompted the first question of -the venerable hostess. She inquired if I had been satisfied with my -reception; and assured me of the gratification she derived from seeing -me in the Palace of her husband: she then thanked me for the careful -toilette which I had made to visit her, and in the most courtly manner -admired every thing that I wore. The usual extraordinary queries -ensued:—Was I married? Had I ever been affianced? Did I intend to -marry? Could I embroider? How old was I? Which was the prettiest, -Stamboul or London?—and many others of the like kind; but they were all -put so good-humouredly, and so perfectly as a matter of course, that it -was impossible not to be amused, although I had answered them a dozen -times before. - -There is a great charm in the graceful _naïveté_ of a well-born Turkish -lady. She tells you directly what she thinks of you, without harbouring -an idea that even truth may sometimes prove unpalatable. If you do not -please her, you are never left in doubt upon the subject; while if, on -the contrary, she considers you well-looking or agreeable, she lavishes -on you the most endearing epithets, and always terminates her address by -imploring you to love her. From the moment that you find yourself -beneath her roof, you are as completely unfettered as though you were in -your own house. Are you hungry? In five minutes, by merely desiring the -first slave with whom you come in contact to bring you food, you may -seat yourself at table. Are you weary? Select the sofa you prefer, -surround yourself with cushions, and should you wish to remain -undisturbed, close the door of the apartment; and when you are -refreshed, you will be greeted on your re-appearance with a second smile -of welcome. If you are restless, you may wander over the whole house; -there is neither indiscretion nor impertinence in so doing. In short, -from the first instant of your domestication in a Turkish family, it is -your own fault if you are not as much at your ease as your hostess -herself. - -On quitting the apartment of the Buyuk Hanoum, which was oppressive from -its closed windows and the extreme heat of the weather, we strolled all -over the Palace, which is very extensive, and splendid in its -arrangements. One room only was closed against us. It was that in which -the mother of the Pasha’s children had breathed her last; and into -which he had desired every article, however trifling, of her personal -property, to be removed and locked up, until he causes them to be -disposed of by public sale, and the proceeds secured to her sons. - -Turning away from this forbidden door, we proceeded to an apartment in -which the Sultan passed a night about three years ago, and which has -only just been re-opened, at his express desire, for the use of the -family. The Imperial bedstead yet remains, but the golden hangings have -been removed, and have probably since figured in anterys and salvas on -the fair forms of the ladies of the harem. The room is now appropriated -to the master of the house; and on a sofa-cushion lay his watch, his -hand-mirror, and a small agate box containing opium pills. - -Having understood that there was a young Greek girl on the -establishment, who had been induced, by the representations of -interested and treacherous advisers, to embrace Mohameddanism, I -expressed a wish to see her, when she was immediately summoned; but made -her appearance with great reluctance, being evidently most heartily -ashamed of her apostacy. - -She told us that she was very unhappy; for, although she was treated -with great kindness, she could not reconcile herself to the sin which -she had committed; and that, had she been left to her own free will, she -never should have thought of taking such a step. A few weeks only had -elapsed since she had become a Turk, but she already felt that, although -no taunt was uttered by her companions, they never lost sight of the -fact of her being a renegade; and, had she not known the penalty which -must be paid, she declared that she should at once have uttered her -second recantation. - -Well might she pause as she remembered it; for that penalty is death! -When once a Christian female has been induced to utter the simple prayer -which is the only necessary ceremony—the few brief words which declare -that “There is but ONE GOD, and Mahomet is the Prophet of GOD”—she is a -Mahomeddan; and, should she afterwards repent her apostacy, and resolve -on returning to the bosom of the Christian Church, and her determination -become suspected before she has time or opportunity to escape from the -power of the Turks, the waters of the Bosphorus terminate at once her -project and her life. - -Nor is a male renegade placed in a more secure position. The Mahomeddans -tolerate no off-falling from their faith. They are bound by their law -twice during their lives to _invite_ a Christian to embrace the religion -of the Prophet; but they never outrun the spirit of their instructions: -they simply suggest the conversion, and use no endeavour to enforce it; -while, on the other hand, they permit no apostacy—death is the instant -penalty for the bare idea. Few Missionaries, however talented, or -however zealous, ever made a Turkish convert—and no renegade Christian, -unless by some rare chance he succeeded in escaping at the critical -moment ere his resolution became suspected, ever survived the intention. - -As the Buyuk Hanoum had been particular in her injunctions that every -attention should be paid to me; all the musical clocks and watches -throughout the Palace (and they were not few,) were put into -requisition, and the orchestra, completed by a very harsh barrel-organ, -awoke into discord by the fair hands of Devlehäi Hanoum. This confusion -of sweet sounds is one of the highest courtesies which can be exhibited -in the Harem: and it was quite laughable to stroll through the long -galleries, and to escape from the Sultan’s March on the left hand, to -find yourself in the midst of the Barcarole in Massaniello on the right; -and, leaving both behind you, to catch a fine cadence of _Di Piacer_, as -you were beginning to imagine that all was over. - -Having at length reached a spacious saloon, whose cool-looking white -sofas occupied recesses in each of which a window afforded the hope of a -little air, I not only threw up the sash but the jalousies also, to the -great terror of a couple of slaves who were looking on. Seeing their -alarm, I explained to them that they were not compelled to approach the -forbidden opening, but they still continued in such a state of anxiety -that I begged them to explain what troubled them: whereupon the elder of -the two, a plain, clumsy-looking woman of five or six and thirty, and as -unattractive a person as can well be imagined, told me that, as the -Buyuk Hanoum loved me so much, she could not bear to see me commit so -heinous a sin. I requested to know in what my transgression consisted, -when she exclaimed with great energy:—“Suppose a Turk passing under the -window should look up, and love you, would you become a Musselmaun, and -marry him?” - -“Certainly not.” - -“Imagine then the sin for which you will be accountable, if you continue -seated in front of that open casement. Some unhappy True Believer will -look upon you—he will desire to have you for his wife—and when you -continue deaf to his passion, he will grow sick, keep his bed, and -probably die; and how will you be able to appear in Paradise with such a -sin upon your soul?” - -I have related this little anecdote, because it proves two distinct -facts; first, that the Turkish women thoroughly believe that a happy -immortality awaits them, if they do not forfeit it by their own -misdeeds; and that they are moreover tolerant enough to consider it sure -that even the Giaours, who have no share in the mysteries of Mahomet, -have nevertheless the same hope. - -I put an end to the generous fears of the woman by telling her that such -an occurrence could not take place with the Frank females, who did not -possess sufficient attraction to peril the peace of a True Believer, and -that this was the reason they walked about unveiled; while the great -beauty of the fair Turks had rendered it incumbent on the Prophet to -make them cover their faces, in order to prevent such misfortunes to his -followers as that to which she had just alluded; and she was so well -satisfied with my explanation that she suffered me to remain peacefully -in my corner, breathed upon by the cool air which swept over the -Bosphorus, only taking extreme care to remain at such a distance from -the window herself, as to ensure the heart-ease of every worthy and -susceptible Musselmaun who might chance to pass that way. - -From this pleasant position we were summoned to an apartment in which -refreshments had been provided for us; and as we had expressed no -inclination to eat, these consisted only of fruits, conserves, and -similar trifles. Pyramids of pears and grapes; saucers of olives and -cream-cheese; vases of preserves; and dishes of cucumber neatly -arranged, and cut into minute portions, formed the staple of the repast; -and were interspersed with goblets of rose-scented sherbet. To myself -alone another luxury was added, in the shape of a small cake of -extremely delicate bread, made for the exclusive use of the Minister. - -The fair Georgian could by no means be persuaded to seat herself at -table; and although the apartment was filled with attendants, she -persisted in waiting upon me herself; and during a considerable time -found amusement in decorating my hair with bunches of small pears, which -had been gathered with great care, in order to preserve the leaves that -grew about them. - -While we were thus agreeably employed, Conjefèm Hanoum entered from the -bath. She was a fair, languishing beauty of sixteen, exquisitely -dressed, and extremely fascinating; with a slight expression of -melancholy about her, that seemed as much the effect of a quiet coquetry -as the result of her natural temperament. - -When our primitive repast was concluded, the beautiful Georgian inquired -of my friends whether they could suggest any thing likely to give me -pleasure which it was in her power to offer. As the day was lovely, and -the sun beginning to decline, we availed ourselves of her politeness, -and decided on a drive, when the carriage was immediately ordered, amid -the regrets of the two younger ladies that they could not accompany us, -which from their not having previously obtained the permission of the -Pasha, it was impossible for them to do. Had the Buyuk Hanoum desired to -be of the party, she would have been at perfect liberty to indulge the -inclination, as from her advanced age no cause for jealousy could -possibly exist on the part of the husband; but the other wives were too -young and too pretty to be trusted to their own discretion by a worthy -old gentleman of nearly four score; and they were consequently -compelled, much to their annoyance, to see us depart alone. - -When we had taken leave of the Buyuk Hanoum in her apartment, where she -still lay pillowed upon her cushions; and that I had promised to avail -myself of her earnest invitation that I would repeat my visit; we -returned to the great centre saloon where the other ladies awaited us, -surrounded by a crowd of slaves, one of whom carried upon a salver a -pile of embroidered handkerchiefs, worked by the fair fingers of the two -younger Hanoums, with gold thread and coloured silks. This gift, which -had been prepared for me, was accompanied by a thousand kindly comments. -I was desired to examine one piece of needlework, and to remark that I -carried away with me the heart of the donor—upon another I was told -that I should find a bouquet of flowers, and discover that they had -presented me with the portrait which they should retain of me in their -own memories; and I at length bade them farewell, amid a thousand -admonitions neither to forget nor to neglect the promise that I had made -to renew my visit. - -The araba awaited us in the court of the palace, and ere long we were -all comfortably established in a roomy and commodious waggon, (for that -is the correct name of the carriage) drawn by two oxen blazing with gilt -foil and spangles; upon a mattress of crimson shag, embroidered and -fringed with gold, amid cushions of similar material, and beneath a -canopy of purple decorated in the same rich style. Two attendants, in -the livery of the Minister, ran beside the carriage; and, although our -progress, from the nature of the animals who drew us, was not so rapid -as many travellers might desire, we nevertheless contrived to spend a -couple of delicious hours in driving up and down a public walk, -overshadowed with fine old oaks, beneath whose gnarled and far-spreading -boughs parties of shade-loving individuals had spread their mats, and -were smoking their pipes, or eating their pic-nic dinners, within reach -of a fine fountain and a commodious coffee-kiosk; and in the full -enjoyment of as glorious a view as ever taught the eye of man to linger -lovingly on the fair face of nature. - -Assuredly no race of men ever enjoyed a beautiful country more -thoroughly than the Orientals. Every pretty spot is sure to be -discovered, and appropriated on each occasion of festival. Those who can -possess themselves of commanding points, and who have the means of doing -so, build kiosks, and plant vineyards about them, amid which they spend -the long summer day; while the poorer classes carry their mats and their -pipes to their favourite nooks; and enjoy, if not as exclusively, at -least as heartily, as their more fortunate neighbours, the bright -prospect and the balmy air. - -The Turk, especially, finds his happiness in this most simple and most -natural of all pleasures. Hour after hour he will sit with his chibouk -between his lips, gazing about him unweariedly, and communing with his -own thoughts in all the peacefulness and luxury engendered by the beauty -of the locality; and the exterior appearance of his dwelling is never -considered, if he can contrive an angle, or throw out a bay, which will -enable him to command a striking feature in the landscape, or a longer -stretch of the lake-like Bosphorus. - -On the present occasion the oak-wood was dotted all over with little -groups of holyday-makers. Children ran in and out among the trees, -making the breeze glad with laughter; the oxen which had been unyoked -from the different carriages, were browsing on the young leaves; merry -voices called to each other from amid the underwood; the fountain was -surrounded by servants; the coffee-kiosk thronged with guests; and the -scene was altogether so lively, so cool, and so delightful, that it was -not without regret that we ultimately drove down to the shore, where our -caïque awaited us, and found ourselves once more gliding smoothly and -swiftly over the sunny waters of the channel. - - - - -CHAPTER XVI. - - - Military Festival—Turkish Ladies—Female Curiosity—Eastern - Coquetry—A Few Words on the Turkish _Fèz_—The Imperial - Horse-Guards—Disaffection of the Imperial Guard—False - Alarms—The Procession—The Troops at Pera—Imitative Talent of - the Turks—Disappointment. - - -Having accidentally rowed down to Pera in order to visit some friends, a -week or two after the presentation of the Sultan’s portrait to the -Imperial Guard at Scutari, we were startled on arriving at Dolma Batchè -to see the shore lined with the caïques and barges of the Pashas, and -the principal Officers of the Fleet; and the heights covered with -military. Such being the case, we landed at the pier below the palace, -and I addressed myself to a group of Turkish ladies who had established -themselves very comfortably under the shade of a fine plane tree, to -ascertain the cause of so much unusual parade. - -Women assuredly have some freemasonry by which they contrive to be -intelligible to each other, for it is certain that, with barely half a -dozen sentences of the language, I have frequently kept up something -that bordered upon a conversation; and on the present occasion, by a -judicious use of my very limited knowledge, and considerable -gesticulation, I made the persons to whom I put the question perfectly -comprehend its import. The reply commenced by an invitation to avail -myself of part of their carpet, which, as it was easy to see both by -their appearance and attendance, that they were highly respectable, I -did not hesitate to do; and they then informed me that the Sultan was to -pass in an hour, in state, to present his portrait to the Artillery, at -their barracks in the Great Cemetery. - -In five minutes my new acquaintance had confided to me that they were -sisters, and that a sweet little girl who sat between them was the only -child of the younger one, and would be immensely rich; and had, in turn, -inquired my country, and my relationship to my father, who stood aloof, -lest he should annoy them; but whom they forthwith invited into the -shade by the usual title given to all Franks:—“Gel, Capitan, Gel—Come, -Captain, come”—while the daughter of the eldest lady, a pale, slight, -dark-eyed houri, who was perfectly conscious of her extreme beauty, -played off a thousand little coquettish airs to attract his attention. -First she let the lower portion of her yashmac fall, to discover the -prettiest mouth in the world; with, what is very unusual among the -Turkish females, a fine set of teeth, which she displayed in a laugh of -affected embarrassment at her awkwardness; and then, in her great haste -to remedy the misfortune, she contrived to throw back her feridjhe, and -disclose a throat and arms as dazzling as mountain snow; and a pair of -delicate little hands, of which the nails were deeply stained with -henna. I had seen several yashmacs adjusted in the harem, but I had -never yet met with one which required so much arranging as this; and the -young Hanoum was so persevering, and kept up such a soft little murmur -of Turkish ejaculations, that I had time to take an excellent lesson in -the difficult art of veiling. - -And all this within ten paces of one of the sentinels, who stood leaning -cross-legged against the stock of his musket, according to the most -approved system of Turkish discipline; and who did not interfere to -remove the Frank strangers from the vicinity of the women, although a -couple of years ago it would have perhaps subjected my father to -temporary imprisonment, and certainly to insult. - -As we had already had sufficient experience of the slight attention -which His Sublime Highness ever paid to time on public occasions, we -felt no inclination to spend half the morning under a tree on the edge -of a dusty road; and, having ascertained by the line of sentinels, that -the procession would pass the Military College; we accordingly made a -parting salutation to our new friends, and plunged once more into the -hot sunshine. - -As we ascended the hill we came upon a squadron of the Imperial Guard, -who were to form a portion of the shew, and who were lying comfortably -in the dust, some asleep, and others nearly so; while the horses were -huddled together in groups in the centre of the road? This was a portion -of the corps which I mentioned in my account of the marriage festivities -of the Princess Mihirmàh, and they certainly were considerably more like -soldiers at a distance, than when seen thus on our very path. - -Nothing requires more management than a _fèz_. It may be so arranged as -to form even a becoming head-dress; but wo betide the unlucky wight who -pulls it on until he is _fèzed_ over head and ears! As worn by the -Turkish soldiers, it were impossible to conceive any thing more hideous; -generally nearly black, and always more or less greasy; some fling it -down into their necks, where it forms a deep fold, others drag it over -their eyebrows, and others again bury their whole heads in it, till it -takes the form of the skull, and looks like a red clay basin. I need not -expatiate on the appearance of their white overalls, even on such an -occasion as the present, because I have already stated that the wearers -were lying about in the dust; and it were equally supererogatory to do -more than allude to the effect of a lancer jacket of coarse cloth, -braided with yellow cord, nine times out of ten a misfit. - -The horses were in excellent keeping with their riders, and presented a -beautiful independence of accoutrement. Some had blue saddlecloths, and -some had brown ones; some scarlet, and some white; some had European -saddles, and some Tartar—some had holsters, (many of them, by the by, -to my great amusement, charged with cucumbers, of which the Turks are -extremely fond) and some were without. Their lances looked as though -they had dropped down among them by mistake, their points were so -glittering, and their crimson pennons so fresh and bright, for a Turkish -soldier is always careful of his arms. They do not carry these graceful -weapons like our own Lancers, although they are similarly provided with -slings, but grasp the pole in the Russian fashion. - -We were curious to witness the bearing of the Sultan on this occasion, -as on the presentation of his portrait at Scutari, a portion of the -Imperial Guard had murmured openly against so glaring an infringement of -their law, which forbids literally the likeness of any human being to be -taken; whereas this had, moreover, been carried with great pomp, and -saluted after the same fashion as would have been the august personage -whom it represented. “We are be coming Giaours—Infidels,”—was the -complaint—“The Franks are turning the head of the Sultan, and he will -soon be as they are.” - -The first intimation of this disaffection on the part of the troops -which reached the inhabitants of the capital, was the appearance of -bodies floating in the Bosphorus; and the fact that a Greek captain, who -had moored his vessel in the current, found it clogged in an -incomprehensible manner; and, on employing half a dozen men to remove -the evil, discovered that it was choaked with corpses! - -After so decided a manifestation of the sentiments of the soldiery, it -was a courageous act of the Sultan to venture thus immediately on a -repetition of the offence; and the rather that a portion of the troops -are composed of the sons of the Janissaries, who cannot be supposed to -entertain the most favourable feelings towards the destroyer of their -fathers; and who would naturally embrace so favourable an opportunity of -spreading their own hate, as that which permitted them to enforce their -expressions of disgust with the name of the Prophet, and the authority -of their religion. - -As it was uncertain whether His Highness might not descend at the -College, as he had done on a previous occasion, three temporary steps -covered with scarlet cloth had been prepared for him to descend from -his horse; and a carpet laid down from thence to the apartment of Azmè -Bey, where a handsomely-embroidered, and elaborately-cushioned sofa had -been arranged for his reception. In this room we took up our position, -near a window that commanded the long stretch of road, by which the -procession was to advance; and we had calculated justly on the -procrastination of the Sultan, for we waited nearly four hours ere the -_cortège_ was actually in motion. “The cry was still ‘they come!’” and -during all that time they came not. There were two or three false -alarms. The drums beat off at the Palace, and were answered by those on -the heights, and at the College; the gallant cavalry gathered themselves -up out of the dust, and mounted their horses: the Bey turned out his -guard, and all in vain. There was a mistake somewhere; and consequently -the cavalry dismounted, and lay down again to finish their sleep; and -the young Colonel turned in the guard; and we drank another glass of -sherbet, and tried to think that we were not at all out of patience; in -which attempt, I, at least, was very unsuccessful. - -At length the moment came, and the distant sounds of a military band -announced the approach of the procession. The unfortunate Guardsmen -sprang to their saddles for the fourth time, and formed in double file; -in which order they moved forward at a foot’s pace. They were succeeded -by the Military Staff of the Army, and the Field Officers of the -different regiments; the Majors rode first, and were followed by the -superior ranks in regular succession, until the gorgeous train of Pashas -brought up the rear. The Pashas were succeeded by about thirty -musicians: and then followed a detachment of Infantry marching in double -files, between whose ranks moved the open carriage of the Sultan, drawn -by four fine grey horses, each led by a groom; and bearing the portrait -of His Highness carefully enveloped in green baize. Saïd Pasha, the -Sultan’s son-in-law, preceded the carriage, dressed in a Hussar uniform, -and mounted on a noble Arabian; and it was followed by the Seraskier and -Halil Pasha riding abreast; succeeded by a squadron of cavalry. - -But where, then, was the Sultan? - -Alas! for our high-flown expectations—He had reviewed five thousand men -in the course of the morning on the heights above the Palace, after -which he had started off for the Valley of Kahaitchana, in an open -carriage and four; leaving his portrait to the care of the Pashas. - -We reached Pera amid the firing of cannon, the pealing of musketry, and -the beating of drums; and just in time to see the whole of the troops -march through to their respective barracks; which they did six deep, and -in very tolerable style—a circumstance rendered the more astonishing -by the fact that many of them had their shoes literally tied upon their -feet! - -It was impossible not to be struck by a conviction of the perseverance -and adoptive powers of the Turks, on seeing this body of men; who, -although labouring under all the disadvantages of slovenly dress and -defective instruction, had, nevertheless, in a few years succeeded in -presenting an appearance of European discipline. Self-taught—for the -Turks have been deterred from exerting that which their own good sense -led them to feel would be the most efficient mean of speedily attaining -the perfection at which they aimed; that is, of profiting by the -instructions of foreigners; they have, amid all the difficulties of -their position, succeeded in proving that their imitative talents are -very considerable; and the jealous policy of Russia has only tended to -demonstrate to those who have had an opportunity of comparing the -present state of the Turkish army with that in which it was but three -years ago, that the Osmanlis have every inclination to avail themselves -of the opportunities that are afforded to them of studying the -institutions of other nations; where their efforts are not frustrated by -political considerations. - -Recent events have, in some degree, weakened the Muscovite influence at -the Sublime Porte; and European Officers have lately arrived in -Constantinople who, should they be permitted to act, will probably soon -convert the “material” of the Turkish Army into available troops, -calculated to do honour alike to their country, to their instructors, -and to their Emperor. The docility of the Turkish soldier is admirable; -and his desire of improvement so unwearying that it is a common -occurrence for him to spend his hours of relaxation in perfecting -himself, as far as his own knowledge enables him to do so, in the -management of his firelock; while the care and time which he bestows -upon the arm itself, is visible at once from the lustre of its bright -barrel, and the cleanliness of its whole appearance. - -But to return to the troops at Pera. The officers were only -distinguishable by their arms, being as heavily laden as the men, with a -knapsack, a mess tin, a cloak, and a prayer-carpet; and the different -corps were attended by numerous water-carriers, with small leathern -cisterns under their arms, and clay drinking-bowls suspended from a -strap about their waists. - -After traversing Pera, the several regiments filed off in different -directions; and the faubourg resumed its accustomed tranquillity. The -interest of the pageant had however been greatly lessened by the absence -of the Sultan, who should have been its “head and front;” and I only -reconciled myself to the disappointment by engaging to join a party who -were to spend the following Friday at the Asiatic Sweet Waters, where -preparations were making to receive the Sovereign of one of the most -gorgeous Empires of the earth—the Monarch of a million designations! - - - - -CHAPTER XVII. - - - Turkish Ladies “At Home”—The Asiatic Sweet Waters—Holy - Ground—The Glen of the Valley—Hand Mirrors—Holyday - Groups—Courtesy of the Oriental Females to Strangers—The - Beautiful Devotee—The Pasha’s Wife—A Guard of Honour—Change - of Scene—The Fortress of Mahomet—Amiability of the Turkish - Character. - - -The traveller who desires to see the Turkish women really “at home,” -should visit the beautiful valley of Guiuk-Suy, the Sweet Waters of -Asia, on a Friday during the hot months. This lovely spot, shut in on -three sides by lofty hills covered with vegetation, is open to the -Bosphorus immediately opposite to the Castle of Europe, the prison of -the Janissaries, where the branch-embowered river which gives its name -to the locality, (literally “chest-water”) runs rippling into the -sunlighted channel. - -The transition is delicious, as, shooting round an abrupt point of land, -gay with its painted palace and leafy garden, you glide into the deep -shadows of the little river, whose fringe of trees throws a twilight -softness over the water, and mirrors itself in the calm ripple. Beneath -the boughs rise, as is usual on every spot of peace and beauty, the -columned head-stones of many a departed Mussulmaun; while the birds, -screened from the noon-day heats, are ever pouring forth their glad song -in all the gushing joyousness of conscious security. - -Your boatmen, refreshed by the grateful coolness of the locality, -speedily bring you to an open bridge; which, spanning the river at its -narrowest point, unites the secluded valley, in which the -holyday-keeping crowd are wont to assemble during the noon-tide -sunshine, with the more open space on which they congregate towards the -evening, to profit by the waters of a superb fountain of white marble, -richly adorned with arabesques; and to inhale the fresh breeze that -sweeps over the Bosphorus. - -The stretch of turf on which the ladies spread their carpets, drive -their arabas, and spend the long summer morning, is screened from the -river by a small space thickly wooded, and appropriated to the men; who -smoke their chibouks, and enjoy their sherbet and water-melons, far from -the gossipry of their more voluble helpmeets. Passing through this “holy -ground,” you come at once upon the lovely nook, which, surrounded on all -sides by trees, and thronged with company, affords one of the prettiest -_coup-d’œils_ in the world. - -[Illustration: PART OF THE VALLEY OF GUIUK-SUY.] - -Here the Sultanas move slowly along over the smooth turf, the vizors of -their oxen flashing with foil and plate glass, and the deep golden edges -of their araba-awnings glittering in the sunshine; while they lean on -their silken cushions, with their yashmacs less carefully arranged than -on ordinary occasions. Here the gilded carriage of the Pasha’s Harem, -with its gaily tasselled draperies, and its gaudily caparisoned horses, -rolls rapidly over the yielding verdure; while the veiled beauty within -screens her pure, pale loveliness with a fan of feathers, which serves -at once to amuse her idleness, and to display the fairy-like hand that -grasps its ivory handle, with the priceless gems which glitter on the -slender fingers, and the taper wrist. Here, the wives of the Bey, the -Effendi, and the Emir spread their Persian carpets, and their crimson -rugs; and, while the elder ladies remove the fold of muslin which veils -the lower portion of their faces, and indulge themselves in the luxury -of the _kadeun-chibouk_, or woman’s pipe; the younger of the party find -amusement no less engrossing, in the re-arrangement of their -head-dresses with the assistance of a hand-mirror, (the constant -travelling companion of a Turkish female), which is held by a slave who -kneels at the edge of the carpet. - -These hand-mirrors are the prettiest toys imaginable; and the taste -displayed in their decoration, as well as the expensive materials of -which they are frequently composed, prove their great importance in the -eyes of an Oriental beauty. One of these indispensable playthings is -constantly beside her in the harem; every latticed araba has four of -them panelled into the gilding of its interior, in which she may see her -charms reflected during her drive; and no Turkish lady would ever -undertake the three hours’ voyage from Buyukdèrè to Stamboul, without -carrying along with her the beloved _ainali_. - -Some of these mirrors, which are universally of a circular form, and -generally provided with a handle of the same material as the setting, -and similarly ornamented; are mounted in a frame of richly chased gold -or silver, studded with precious stones; but these, as I need scarcely -remark, are to be seen only in the Imperial Seraïs, or in the palaces of -the most wealthy among the nobles. Others are of coloured velvets, -wrought with seed-pearls in the most delicate patterns, or worked with -gold, which the Turks do to perfection. Nor are the meaner classes -without their _ainalis_, framed in wood, gaudily painted, and frequently -most minute in size. - -The Valley of Guiuk-Suy, thronged as I have attempted to describe it, -presents a scene essentially Oriental in its character. The -crimson-covered carriages moving along beneath the trees—the -white-veiled groups scattered over the fresh turf—the constant motion -of the attendant slaves—the quaintly-dressed venders of _mohalibè_ and -_sèkèl_ (or sweetmeats) moving rapidly from point to point with their -plateaux upon their heads, furnished with a raised shelf, on which the -crystal or china plates destined to serve for the one, and the pink and -yellow glories of the other, are temptingly displayed—the -_yahourt_-merchant, with his yoke upon his shoulder, and his swinging -trays covered with little brown clay basins, showing forth the creamy -whiteness of his merchandize—the vagrant exhibitors of dancing bears -and grinning monkeys—the sunburnt Greek, with his large, flapping hat -of Leghorn straw, and Frank costume, hurrying along from group to group -with his pails of ice; and recommending his delicate and perishable -luxury in as many languages as he is likely to earn piastres—the -never-failing water-carrier, with his large turban, his graceful jar of -red earth, and his crystal goblet—the negroes of the higher harems, -laden with carpets, chibouks, and refreshments for their mistresses—the -fruit-venders, with their ruddy peaches, their clusters of purple grapes -from Smyrna, their pyramidically piled filberts, and their rich plums, -clothed in bloom, and gathered with their fresh leaves about them—the -melon merchants sitting among their upheaped riches; the _pasteks_ with -their emerald-coloured rinds, and the musk-melons, looking like golden -balls, and scenting the breeze as it sweeps over them; the variety of -costume exhibited by the natives, always most striking on the Asiatic -shore—the ringing rattle of the tambourine, and the sharp wiry sound of -the Turkish Zebec, accompanied by the shrill voices of half a dozen -Greeks, seated in a semicircle in front of a beauty-laden araba—all -combine to complete a picture so perfect of its kind, that, were an -European to be transported to Guiuk-Suy, without any intermediate -preparation, he would believe himself to be under the spell of an -Enchanter, and beholding the realization of what he had hitherto -considered as the mere extravagance of some Eastern story-teller. - -The Valley, or at least that portion of it which I am now describing, is -further embellished by a magnificent beech, called the Sultan’s Tree, -beneath which the Imperial carpet is spread for His Highness when he -visits Guiuk-Suy. And a little beyond this rises a platform shaded with -willows, and occupied at one of its extremities by a handsome -head-stone. I could not learn what favoured dust had been deposited on -this sweet spot. - -When we had selected a pleasant nook, and had spread our carpet, -arranged our cushions, and provided ourselves with fruit, one of the -party started on a shooting expedition among the hills; and my friend -Madame S—— and myself strolled round the magic circle, which became -each moment more thronged. We received many a gracious salutation as we -moved along, in return for our glances of involuntary admiration; and at -length were fairly stopped by a smiling entreaty that we would inform a -party of ladies, who had been too aristocratic in their ideas, or too -indolent in their habits, to descend from their araba, who we were, -whence we came, and to answer a score more of those simple questions, -which make a claim only upon your patience. Not one among them was -pretty, but they were all polite and good-natured; and, if they did ask -us many things which concerned them not in any possible way, they at -least communicated to us, in their turn, a variety of circumstances -relating to themselves, which regarded us quite as little. - -Nothing can exceed the courtesy of the Turkish ladies to strangers. They -always appear delighted to converse with an European female who seems -disposed to meet them half way; and they do so with a frankness and ease -which at once destroy every feeling of _gène_ on the part of the -stranger. In five minutes every thing they have is at your service; the -fruit of which they are partaking, and the scented sherbet that they -have prepared with their own hands. To make acquaintance with them, you -require only to be cheerful, willing to indulge their harmless -curiosity, and ready to return their civility in as far as you are -enabled to do so. There is none of that withering indifference, or that -supercilious scrutiny which obtains so much in Europe, to be dreaded -from a Turkish gentlewoman; but there is, on the contrary, an earnest -urbanity about her which is delightful, and which emanates from the -intuitive politeness so universal among the natives; coupled with a -simplicity of feeling, and a sincerity of good-nature that lend a double -charm to the courtesies of life. Nor is the eye less satisfied than the -heart, in these moments of agreeable, although brief, communion; for the -graceful bearing of an Oriental female greatly enhances the charm of her -ready kindness; and her self-possession, and dignity of manner, render -her superior to the paltry affectation of assumed coldness; while they -convince you that she would be as prompt to resent impertinence, as she -had been ready to proffer courtesy. - -When we bowed our adieu to the party in the araba, and prepared to -continue our stroll, the elder lady presented to us four large -cucumbers, a vegetable highly relished by the Orientals, and eaten by -them in the same manner as fruit. Of course we accepted the offering in -the spirit in which it was made, although we declined indulging in the -unwholesome luxury; and I merely mention the circumstance, trivial as it -is, to prove the truth of my position. The ladies had been regaling -themselves with this primitive fare when we joined them, and shared it -with us from precisely the same feeling of courtesy, as an English -gentlewoman would have tendered to a stranger the sandwich and champaign -of her carriage luncheon. - -A short distance beyond the araba, we came upon a beautiful young -female, who had alighted from her carriage, and was kneeling upon a -costly Persian prayer-carpet, on whose eastern edge was placed a vase of -wrought silver. Three slaves stood, with folded arms, immediately -behind her; and she was so completely absorbed in her devotions, that -not even the apparition of a couple of European females, always objects -of curiosity to a Turkish lady, caused her to lift her eyes. She was -strikingly handsome, and her attitude was most graceful, as, with her -small hands clasped together, she bowed her head to the earth in the -deep, voiceless, prayer, which is the heart’s offering, and requires not -to shape itself into words. Had she been otherwise engaged, I could have -lingered for an hour, for the mere pleasure of looking upon one of the -loveliest faces in the world; but I felt that it would be indelicate to -intrude upon her devotions, and once more I moved forward. - -No occupation, whether of business or pleasure, is permitted to -interfere with the religious duties of a Turkish female, however -distinguished her rank; nor has locality or circumstance any influence -in deterring her from their observance. It is a common occurrence to see -the sister of the Sultan alight from her araba at Kahaitchana, or any -other public place in which she may chance to find herself when her -accustomed hour of prayer arrives; and, when her slaves have spread her -prayer-carpet, kneel down within sight and sound of the crowds that -throng the walk, as calmly and collectedly as though she were shut -within one of the gilded chambers of her own Seraï. It were idle to -comment upon such a fact. - -What a glad scene it was as we wandered on under the leafy branches of -the tall trees, over the fresh turf, breathed upon by the cool breeze -that swept down into the valley from the encircling hills, giving and -receiving a thousand salutations! The Sultan was momentarily expected; -and many a dark eye was turned at intervals towards the entrance of the -glen, and the noble beech tree to which I have already made allusion; -but they were turned thither in vain, for, greatly to our -disappointment, he did not appear. - -During our progress we came upon an araba which instantly attracted our -attention. The painted oxen[5] had been withdrawn, and were grazing a -few paces off; a line of female slaves, reaching the whole length of the -carriage, were ranged side by side; and two negroes were stationed -immediately in front. All these indications of rank induced us to -slacken our pace as we approached, and to glance with more than ordinary -attention towards the occupants of the vehicle. They were two in number; -a serious-looking elderly person, earnestly engaged with her chibouk; -and a fair young creature, so buried among her richly embroidered -cushions, that she was scarcely visible. - -I have called her _fair_, but that is not the correct expression, for, -as she raised herself at our approach, and removed from before her face -a hand mirror, curiously set in a frame composed of ostrich feathers, I -never beheld any thing living with such a complexion. She was so deadly -white, that no difference was perceptible between the folds of her -yashmac, and the brow on which they rested! She looked as though she had -been the partial prey of a vampyre; who, sated with some previous -victim, had left his unholy repast only half completed—But such eyes! -so dark—so sad—veiled by lashes as black as night, resting upon the -pallid cheek like sable fringes—I never saw such eyes, save in a -dream!—Her nose was thin, and finely-shaped; and the perfect oval of -her face, was revealed by the tightly-adjusted yashmac—It was the most -spectral beauty I ever beheld, but beauty of a most rare description. -She was pillowed on satin, and her hands and brow were bright with gems, -but I am sure she was unhappy—there was a languid hopelessness in the -expression of her pale face, and a listlessness in her manner, that told -of a bursting heart. I would have given much to have learnt her history. - -There must have been some telltale indication of my involuntary -conviction, in the long and earnest gaze that I turned upon her; for -ere I removed my eyes, she smiled a sad, sweet smile, and pressed her -hand upon her heart as though she thanked me for the melancholy feeling -with which I had looked upon her beauty. The elder dame, meanwhile, -smoked on in silence, as calmly as if she had been seated beside a more -light-hearted companion; and the silver fringes of the costly araba -glittered in the sunshine; and the embroidered cushions looked like a -parterre of flowers; and all within that gorgeous vehicle was gay and -gladsome save its drooping mistress. I made a thousand inquiries, but -failed to ascertain who she was. One individual alone was able to assure -me that she was the favourite wife of a Pasha; but the name of the said -Pasha had escaped the memory of my informant, and I was fain to content -myself with this very unsatisfactory fragment of intelligence. - -Having completed our tour of the glen, we took possession of our -cushions, and regaled ourselves with the delicious water-melons that we -had provided to refresh us after our walk; and a small party of Turkish -ladies shortly afterwards followed, and established themselves under the -shade of the same tree, whom we initiated into the mysteries of -_papillotes_, a secret science which has just become highly interesting -to them from their adoption of ringlets. We amused ourselves with these -follies for half an hour very pleasantly; and, having shared our fruit -and sweetmeats with our new acquaintance, and perceiving that the -company were rapidly departing for the sea-side, I established myself -under a fine beech-tree to take a sketch of the locality. But although -comparatively few persons remained in the glen, I soon discovered that -enough yet lingered to form a dense crowd about me, which effectually -prevented my obtaining a view of any object more picturesque than a -yashmac or a feridjhe; and I was about to give up the attempt in -despair, when a Turkish Officer approached, and requested me to favour -him with a sight of my sketch-book. - -I complied at once, and was rewarded for my ready acquiescence in the -most agreeable way in the world; for, perceiving by its contents that it -was not persons but places which I was transferring to my little volume, -he explained to the ladies who had gathered about me, that I was -prevented from prosecuting my design by the fact of their having -entirely shut out the view I was most anxious to secure; and at the -first hint they moved aside to the right and left with all the good -humour imaginable; one succeeding the other in leaning over me, to -examine my work; and all rewarding my forbearance with exclamations of -“_Mashallàh_,” and “_Pek Guzel_.” - -At length the little sketch was completed; and, putting up my pencils, I -thanked the Officer who had remained on guard over me and my -undertaking, very sincerely for his politeness; and we followed the -crowd along a lovely green lane on the opposite side of the bridge, to -the shore of the Bosphorus. - -It was indeed a change of scene. The Castle of Europe, cold, and white, -and bare, cut sharply against the blue sky on the opposite coast; and, -as the channel is unusually narrow at this point, I was enabled to trace -more accurately than I had ever done hitherto, the architectural cypher -of the Prophet. - -[Illustration: CASTLE OF MAHOMET.] - -Within the walls are clustered about a dozen houses; and their -inhabitants are bound by an ancient law not to suffer their descendants -to marry without the precincts of the fortress; they are consequently -all closely related, and no instance has ever been known of their having -slighted the injunction. - -Immediately before me, on the seaward edge of the fine stretch of turf -in which the lane terminated, all the throng of company that had crowded -the glen of the Valley during the earlier part of the day, were now -collected together under the long shadow of a double avenue of fine -trees fringing the border of the channel, and terminating at the elegant -fountain to which I have already made allusion. On one side rose the -painted kiosk of the Sultan; and near it stood the little mosque, with -its slender minaret shooting heavenward, and almost hidden by the leafy -branches of the surrounding trees. On the other a cluster of arabas, -with their crimson and purple awnings, and fringes of gold and -silver—while, in the midst, groups of women were dotted over the -greensward, and gaily-dressed children gambolled in their young -gracefulness, making the elastic air buoyant with mirth. - -It was a heart-inspiring spectacle! and it was beautiful to remark the -kindness and good feeling which pervaded the whole assemblage. I cannot -understand how any European who has once contemplated a scene of this -description, can carry away with him an unfavourable impression of the -Turkish character. I have remarked elsewhere on the happy freedom from -_morgue_ which pervades the wealthier classes of the capital. Neither -superciliousness nor assumption on the part of their more fortunate -neighbours, withers the enjoyment of the humble and the laborious; the -day of rest and recreation levels all ranks, and suspends all -distinctions; and thus each is secure to find the pleasure which he -seeks; for that pleasure is in itself of so natural and simple a -description that it requires no combination of causes to produce it—a -bright sky—a balmy atmosphere—a lovely landscape—are all that is -necessary to its enjoyment; and they are ever within the reach of the -humblest during the long summer season—And when to these are superadded -the kindly smile and the ready greeting which are never withheld in -Turkey from those who seek them, it must at once be acknowledged that -the Osmanlis have made a wise selection, in preferring to the strife and -struggle for precedence, and the uncertainty of ultimate success, which -clog the more refined and “exclusive” pleasures of Europe, the simple, -kindly, and ever-enduring enjoyment of nature and universal good-will. - -But I am committing an error in thus applying the word “refined.”—Are -not such pleasures as those of Turkey infinitely more refined than the -elaborated dissipations of the West? Is not the holiness of nature a -loftier contemplation than the gilded saloons of the great?—The power -to feel and to appreciate the noble gifts of the Creator, eminently more -glorious than the talent to discover the finite perfections of the -creature? Is not the breeze which sweeps over the heathy hill, or -through the blossom-scented valley, more redolent of real sweetness than -the perfume-laden halls of luxury? - -If these be “barbarous” pleasures, then are the Turks the most barbarous -people upon earth, for in these consist their highest enjoyments—In -them the Minister finds his ready solace for the cares of office, and -the labourer for the toils of weary days—But if they be indeed those -which should be the best calculated to impart their charm to cultivated -minds and unsullied hearts; then, as I have already ventured to suggest, -the Turks have “chosen the better part,” and are authorised to smile, as -they ever do, in quiet pity at the coil and care with which we of -“civilized” Europe, cheat ourselves into the belief that we have far -outstripped them in enjoyment, as well as science; and toil throughout a -long life in pursuit of a phantom which flits before us like a beckoning -spirit, but is ever beyond our grasp. - -I was never more struck with this truth than at Guiuk-Suy, I never saw -the women of Turkey under a more favourable aspect.—Every heart -appeared to be holding holyday; and when, as evening closed, we returned -to our caïque, and bade adieu to the valley of the Asian Sweet Waters, I -felt that I knew them better—that I understood more correctly their -social character, than I had hitherto done; and it is an important fact, -and one which is well worthy of remark, that the more an European, -resolved to cast aside prejudice, and to study the national habits and -impulses, comes in contact with the inhabitants of the East, the more he -is led to admire the consistency of thought, feeling, and action which -influence them; and the high-minded generosity with which they tolerate -the jarring and discordant habits and prejudices of their foreign -visitors. - -I am obliged to concede that no assemblage of European gentlewomen would -have welcomed among them two female strangers, as the Turkish ladies, -during the day which we spent at Guiuk-Suy, received my friend and -myself. The wandering Giaours were every where greeted with smiles, -urged to linger, invited to partake of every rural collation: treated, -in short, as friends, rather than persons seen for the first, and, -probably, the only time. And such a welcome as this might be secured by -every Frank lady, did she consider it worth her while to conciliate the -Turkish females; who are always sufficiently rewarded for their -courtesy and kindness, by a gay smile and a ready acceptance of their -proffered civility; and yet it is a singular fact, that the European -ladies resident in Constantinople are scarcely acquainted with one -Osmanli family, and I have been asked more than once if I was not -frightened of the Turkish women! - -It were needless to comment either on the illiberality of the prejudice, -or the effects which it is so unfortunately calculated to -produce—Effects which are painfully visible; and whose cause is -anything but creditable to European generosity or penetration. - - - - -CHAPTER XVIII. - - - The Reiss Effendi—Devlehaï Hanoum—The Fair Circassian—The - Pasha—Ceremonious Observances of the Harem—An - Interview—Namik Pasha _versus_ Nourri Effendi—Imperial - Decorations—The Diploma—Turkish Gallantry—The Chibouks—The - Salemliek—The Garden—Holy Horror—The Kiosk—The Breakfast—A - Party in the Harem—Nèsibè Hanoum—The Yashmac—The - Masquerade—Turkish Compliments—The Slave and the Fruit - Merchant—Departure from the Palace. - - -As I was contemplating a second visit to the Palace of the Reiss -Effendi, an invitation reached me from the Minister himself, who -requested me to meet him at six o’clock the following morning in his -harem, previously to his departure for the Sublime Porte. I started -accordingly, accompanied by a young Greek lady who officiated as my -interpreter; and at the hour appointed we landed on the marble terrace, -and were instantly admitted. - -I have elsewhere remarked on the early habits of the Turkish ladies, and -on the present occasion they were already astir, and the slaves hurrying -in every direction with sweetmeats and coffee. Devlehäi Hanoum was shut -into her chamber at prayers, and the door was guarded by a little slave -not more than six years of age; one of seven children recently purchased -from a slave-ship, so meagre and miserable, that the poor little -innocents had evidently been half-starved on their passage from -Circassia. One of them had been stolen from the very bosom of its -mother, and on its arrival in the harem was immediately provided with a -nurse. - -On the conclusion of her prayer, the beautiful Georgian entered the -saloon in which we were awaiting her; and welcomed us most cordially. -Early as it was, the Minister was already, she told us, engaged with an -Ambassadorial Dragoman; and meanwhile sweetmeats, water, and coffee were -offered to me, of all which I gladly partook, and afterwards strolled -into the garden among the sweet-scented lemon trees, to await my summons -to the Pasha. - -I had taken but two turns in the orangery, when the soft-eyed Conjefèm -Hanoum advanced smilingly towards me; and taking me by the hand (a great -mark of distinction from a Turkish lady) led me up stairs to the -apartment to which I have already alluded as having been honoured by the -temporary occupation of the Sultan. When we reached the door, she -released my hand, and fell back a few paces, in order that I should -approach the Minister alone. - -As the room was very spacious, I had an excellent opportunity of -obtaining a good view of His Excellency, previously to our entering -into conversation; and the first glimpse which I had of him prepossessed -me in his favour. He occupied the upper end of the sofa, and was almost -buried amid piles of cushions, near an open window looking upon the -garden of the harem, whose myriad blossoms filled the apartment with -perfume. - -Had I not known to the contrary, I never should have supposed him to -have been more than sixty years of age; his eye is still so bright, and -his brow so smooth. He wore the _fèz_ rather flung back; and his robe -was of flesh-coloured silk, lined with ermine. - -When I entered, he was busily engaged with his chibouk, which was of the -most costly description, the large amber mouthpiece being of the -faintest yellow, and divided at mid-depth by a band of turquoise studded -with brilliants. He suffered me to advance nearly to the centre of the -apartment before he looked up; but he did so at length with a smile of -such kindness that I at once forgave him for his etiquettical -punctiliousness. - -Devlehäi Hanoum was standing about twenty paces from the sofa with her -arms folded before her; and the fair Circassian, having, in obedience to -a signal from the Minister, placed an armchair for me close to his own -seat, immediately took up her position beside her. The Greek lady by -whom I was accompanied was not, to my great annoyance, included in the -courtesy extended to me; and during the two hours that I spent with the -Pasha, she consequently remained standing, or leaning on the back of my -seat. - -After thanking me for the favour I had done him, and assuring me that he -had long wished to make my acquaintance, he desired to know if I would -smoke a chibouk; and was much amused when I told him that if he desired -I should return to my own country, to prove my gratitude to the Turks -for all the kindness and courtesy which they had shewn to me, he must -exempt me from the peril of such an encounter with “the scented weed.” -He accepted the apology at once, assuring me that he was desirous only -to give me pleasure; although, as I was the first Frank lady to whom he -had ever spoken, he might probably not succeed in proving his sincerity. -Sweetmeats were then handed to me by a slave; and subsequently coffee by -the fair hands of Conjefèm Hanoum, but my poor young friend was still -excluded from the courtesy. Water is never offered in the presence of a -great personage. - -I had not been half an hour with the Minister ere I was convinced that -he was rather a good than a great man. There was a gentleness and -benevolence about him that were delightful; and as he stroked down his -white beard, and looked towards me with a smile of mingled amusement and -curiosity, I thought that I had never seen a more “green old age;” but -although he touched on a variety of subjects, and asked a variety of -questions, they were of the most commonplace description; and he -appeared infinitely more gratified by the admiration which I expressed -of the magnificent marriage festivities of the Princess, than by the -compliments that I paid to the rapid progress of civilization and -improvement among the people. - -The only subject in which he took a marked interest, was the degree of -popularity enjoyed by the present Turkish Ambassador in London. - -He asked if I had known Nourri Effendi, and I answered affirmatively: -upon which he immediately inquired if he were popular in London. - -I replied candidly that since he did me the honour to ask my opinion, I -should say, judging from what had fallen under my own observation, -decidedly not. That I believed Nourri Effendi to be a very good man; but -that he was extremely ill-calculated to make his way in England; or to -give so favourable an impression of the nation which he represented, as, -since I had resided among the Turkish people, I felt anxious should be -produced on the minds of my own countrymen. That he could not speak any -European language, had forbidding manners, and made no attempt to -identify himself with the feelings and habits of the people among whom -he resided. - -He next mentioned Namik Pasha, and said laughingly: “I know that the -ladies of England preferred him; and I have heard that the ladies are -very influential in your country—Yes, yes—the Pasha was young, -well-looking, and gallant; and spoke French fluently. Nourri Effendi -will never make his way among you as his predecessor did, but he is, -nevertheless, a good man; and perhaps they were not aware in England -that he was Secretary to the Porte.” - -I observed that Namik Pasha lent himself willingly to European customs, -and made himself acceptable to every society into which he entered; and -that, in so far, he was consequently infinitely better fitted than his -successor for the post of Ambassador at a foreign Court. The Minister -looked steadily at me for a moment, and then said playfully; “You are -half a diplomatist yourself. I had heard as much before—this is the -first time in my life that I ever conversed with a Frank female; and -since we have fallen upon this subject, I should like to ask you one -more question before we abandon it. You have now been many months in the -country; and were you at liberty to select the next Turkish Ambassador -to England, tell me frankly whom should you choose?” - -I could not forbear smiling in my turn: but I replied without -hesitation; “Reschid Bey—the present Minister at Paris.—It is such -individuals as Reschid Bey who prove to Europe what the Turks already -are, and what they are capable of becoming—Men of fine mind and -gentlemanlike manners, as well as of sound judgment and high -character.—Had the Sublime Porte sent Reschid Bey to London, a year or -two ago, the English would have had a more exalted opinion of its -diplomacy than they now have.” - -Little did I imagine when I thus undisguisedly gave my opinion of the -Turkish Minister to Youssouf Pasha, that the Firman would be so soon -despatched which contained his transfer to the Court of England; and I -was not a little amused when I was told some time afterwards that the -Reiss Effendi, in giving the information of Reschid Bey’s arrival in -London to a friend of mine, added with a quiet smile: “You may as well -tell your Frank friend that the new _Ilchí_ is in England before her. -She will perhaps be glad to hear that he is the individual whom she -would have herself selected.” - -From the Turkish Ambassador he digressed to the King of England, and -assured me that there was no European Monarch for whom the Grand -Seignior entertained a more affectionate regard. Indeed, he talked so -long and so fondly, not only of our good Sovereign, but of his people -also, that had I not previously known him to be deeply in the Russian -interest, I should have believed him to be as sincere an Anglo-Turk as -any individual throughout the Sultan’s dominions. - -An apology for having received me in his morning dress, rather than keep -me waiting, led us to the subject of costume generally; for I could not -offer a better reply to his politeness than by expressing my admiration -of that which he wore, and declaring how much I considered it preferable -to the European frock-coat. He appeared gratified by the assurance, and -took this opportunity of desiring Conjefèm Hanoum to bring out his -decorations, in order that I might judge of the taste and magnificence -of the Sultan; and truly I never beheld anything more costly. - -The first, which had been delivered to him with his diploma of Vèzir, -was an elaborately mounted medal of gold, inscribed with the cipher of -the Sultan, and the rank of the wearer, splendidly framed with -brilliants. But the diploma itself interested me much more; it was -enclosed in a wrapper of white satin, fastened with a cord and tassels -of gold, and occupied an immense sheet of stout paper; the name of Allah -stood at the head of the page, and immediately beneath it, but in much -larger characters, figured the cipher of the Sultan; these were written -in gold, as were also the name of the Vèzir himself which occurred in -the body of the document, and the word Stamboul at the foot of the page -on the left hand. The remainder of the contents were simply traced in -ink, but the characters were beautifully formed; and at the back of the -sheet were the signatures of Nourri Effendi who had drawn up the -document, as a voucher for its accuracy, and that of the Pasha himself, -as an acknowledgment of the duties to which it pledged him. - -Having replaced the diploma, the Minister next put into my hands a -miniature portrait of the Sultan, surrounded by a wreath, of which the -flowers were diamonds, and the leaves wrought in enamel; enclosed within -a second frame-work of the same precious gems, formed into emblematical -devices, and dazzlingly brilliant. This magnificent decoration was -appended to a chain of fine gold, and secured by a diamond clasp. - -When I had sufficiently admired it, the gallant old man begged me to -wear it for an instant in order that it might acquire an additional -value in his eyes; and the gentle Conjefèm Hanoum flung it over my head, -and entangled the chain in my ringlets, to the great delight of the -Vèzir, who watched the progress of its release with genuine enjoyment, -and told me that he had never before seen his decoration to so much -advantage. - -The only drawback to these costly ornaments exists in the fact that they -are insecure possessions; as in case of death, or dismission from -office, they are returned to the Sultan. It was consequently with even -more pride, that the Minister exhibited to me a smaller, and perhaps -more elegant order, bestowed upon him by his Sovereign as an -acknowledgment of his faithful services to the Porte; accompanied by an -intimation that on his decease it was to be transferred to his eldest -son, in order that it might serve to record the regard and gratitude of -his master for the exemplary manner in which he had ever done his duty -to his country. - -I was not a little amused at the epicurean manner in which the Vèzir -smoked. Every ten minutes his chibouk was changed by one or other of his -wives, by which means he merely imbibed the aroma of the tobacco, while -he had an opportunity of displaying the variety and costliness of his -pipes, without being guilty of any apparent ostentation; but, handsome -as several of them undoubtedly were, that of which he was making use -when I entered was infinitely the most beautiful. - -When I rose to take my leave, my courteous entertainer begged that I -would remain as long as I found any amusement in the Palace, assuring me -that every effort should be made to render my visit agreeable; and that -the Salemliek should be as free for me as the harem, if I desired to -see it. Of course I accepted the offer; and, on leaving the Pasha, I -found Emin Bey and a negro waiting to conduct my friend and myself -through the mysterious passages which connect the two portions of the -establishment. In the Salemliek itself there was nothing remarkable. It -was a handsome house, well fitted up, and exquisitely clean; the -greatest charm to me existed in its open windows, which, after the -closely-latticed and stifling apartments of the women, were truly -agreeable; nor was the feeling of enjoyment lessened by the sight of a -crowd of birds, that, entering through the wide casements, with the -sunshine glittering on their wings, and the song of liberty gushing from -their throats, sailed to and fro the vast apartments, as though they -could appreciate their magnificent comfort. - -But the garden was a little paradise, with its fountains of white -marble, its avenues of orange trees, its beds of roses, and verbena, and -geraniums, formed into a thousand fanciful devices! And before I could -make up my mind to leave it, the young Bey had so loaded me with the -fairest flowers he could select, that I breathed nothing but perfume. - -We were greatly amused, on passing one of the marble bridges which are -flung over the street to connect the grounds, at the astonishment of a -party of worthy Musselmauns who chanced to look up as we were crossing, -attracted by the unwonted sounds of female voices; and the “Mashallàhs!” -with which they greeted our apparition. “Who can they be?” asked one: -“And how came they there?” “She with the fair hair is a Frank as well as -a Giaour;” was the reply of a second: “I would swear it on the Prophet’s -beard.—The infidels are making way among us indeed when their women are -thus at liberty to shew their unveiled faces in the Salemliek of one of -our great Pashas—but it is no affair of mine—Mashallàh—I trust in -God!” - -The Kiosk of the Reiss Effendi was by far the most beautiful that I had -yet seen—A painted dome, representing the shores of the channel, -occupied the centre of the roof; and beneath it a graceful _jet d’eau_ -threw up its sparkling waters, which fell back into a capacious bason. -The walls were washed by the Bosphorus on the one side, and covered with -parasites on the other; and it was floored with marble of the most -dazzling whiteness. Here were collected the younger sons of the -Minister, and three or four other children, amusing themselves by -running barefooted round the basin, and suffering the glittering dew of -the fountain to fall upon them in its descent; while each was laughing -out in his young joyousness as he marked the dripping condition of his -companions, and forgot that he was himself in the same predicament. - -On our return to the harem we found the breakfast served; and sat down, -attended by Conjefèm Hanoum and ten female slaves, to partake of a -repast, of which the dishes had been sent from the table of the -Minister, who was also about to make his morning meal. Confectionary, -pillauf, and stewed meats, were succeeded by some delicious fruits; and -when these had been removed, and I had emptied a goblet of sherbet the -colour of amber, we joined the party in the great saloon. - -And a numerous party it was! About a dozen Hanoums, all splendidly -dressed, and with their turbans sparkling with diamonds, were squatted -in a group upon the sofa; and in an instant I took my place in the very -midst of them, with my feet doubled under me, to watch the departure of -the Pasha, whose barge, manned by ten rowers, and covered with Persian -carpets, was waiting to convey him to the Sublime Porte. - -Away he went at last in fine style, attended by his secretary, his -chiboukjhe, three officers of his household, and two soldiers; and as -soon as he was fairly out of sight, the curiosity of all the party -centered upon me. They ran their hands along the satin of my pelisse, -asked me if the brooch that confined my collar was gold, whether I made -my own gloves, and if I would teach them to curl their hair. Having -satisfied them on all these points, I looked round the circle in my -turn, and made an acquaintance with the young and bright-eyed Nèsibè -Hanoum, the sister-in-law of the Minister, and her lovely infant. - -As the supreme high breeding of the harem is no longer its perpetual -idleness, several of the ladies were engaged in needlework, principally -in embroidering handkerchiefs, and knitting a coarse kind of lace for -trimming the bosoms of their chemisettes; and when each had settled -herself to her employment, Conjefèm Hanoum proposed giving me a lesson -in the art of arranging a yashmac, an achievement sufficiently -difficult. - -A slave was accordingly despatched into her chamber in search of the -long scarf of muslin necessary to the operation; and in five minutes I -had undergone so perfect a metamorphose that I could scarcely recognize -myself when I glanced into the mirror. The delight of the whole party -was unbounded; and nothing would satisfy them but my adding a feridjhe -to my veil, and presenting myself to the Buyuk Hanoum. The voluminous -cloak of dark cloth was accordingly thrown over me, and with -considerable difficulty I was taught to manage it with some degree of -grace; after which the laughing girl dragged me towards the apartment -of the venerable lady; and entering before me, announced that a -_mussafir_, or guest, desired to be admitted. - -On the invitation of its occupant, I advanced, making the _temina_[6] -with all the ceremony necessary to continue the deceit; and it was -not until I had kissed the hand of the Buyuk Hanoum, and stood -upright before her, that she detected the masquerade; but when she -did so, I was overwhelmed with exclamations and intreaties—I was -beautiful—resistless—I should turn the head of every True Believer in -Stamboul—Why did I desire to return to England, when there was not a -Pasha in Constantinople who would not consider me ‘the Light of the -Harem’—Would I become a Turk?—and a thousand other ejaculations of -like import. - -When the sensation had partially subsided, I returned to the saloon; and -as the yashmac had previously been arranged in the manner in which it is -worn by the ladies of the Seraï, I took a second lesson, to enable me to -put it on in the more general fashion; and I then amused myself for five -minutes in watching the manœuvres of a slave who was purchasing some -water-melons from a fruit-caïque. Nothing could be more ludicrous: the -great gate of the harem was ajar, and one of the caïquejhes stood on -the terrace, and took the fruit from his companion; after which he -advanced towards the entrance, and rolled it through the open space on -to the marble floor beyond: the slave running after each as it appeared, -and grasping it with both hands, as she held it to her ear, to ascertain -if it would give out the splashing sound without which it is of no -value—laying aside those that she approved, and rolling back the others -with a velocity that gave her the appearance of being engaged at a game -of bowls with the Greeks on the terrace; talking, moreover, all the time -with an earnestness worthy of the occasion. - -I loitered away another hour with my amiable hostesses, and then, -looking at my watch, I urged a previous engagement, in order to overcome -their kindly entreaties that I would spend the remainder of the day with -them; and having bade adieu to the Buyuk Hanoum and her numerous guests, -and promised to pay her another visit before I left Constantinople, I -once more quitted the hospitable halls of the Reiss Effendi; carrying -away with me the liveliest feeling of gratitude for all the attentions -which I had experienced from every member of his family. - - - - -CHAPTER XIX. - - - Imperial Gratitude—The Freed Woman—A Female Cœlebs—Hussein - the Watchmaker—Golden Dreams—Arabas and Arabajhes—Maternal - Regrets—A Matrimonial Excursion—Difficult Position—The - _Sèkèljhes_—A Young Husband—The Emir—The Officer of the - Guard—The Emir’s Daughter—First Love—Ballad Singing—A - Salutation—Moonlight—Rejected Addresses—Ruse de Guerre—The - Arrest—A Lover’s Defence—Munificence of the Seraskier Pasha. - - -The Sultan occasionally recompenses the faithful services of the slaves -of the Imperial Seraï by giving them their liberty, accompanied by a -donation sufficiently liberal to enable them to establish themselves in -an eligible manner. On a late occasion, he emancipated an elderly woman, -who had secured his favour by her unremitted attentions to one of his -wives during a protracted illness; and, being light of heart at the -moment, and perhaps curious to learn how she would act on such an -emergency, he desired her to put on her yashmac, and to take a boat to -Stamboul, where she was to hire an araba, and drive slowly about the -city, until she saw an individual whom she desired for a husband; when, -if he could be identified, she should be his wife within the week. - -His Imperial Highness was obeyed on the instant. One of the Palace -caïques rowed to the door of the harem; and the freed slave, accompanied -by an aged companion, stepped in, and was rapidly conveyed to Stamboul. -On landing at “the Gate of the Garden,” she walked into the house of -Hussein the watchmaker, with whose wife she was acquainted; and while -the stripling son of the worthy Musselmaun was despatched for an araba, -she took her place upon the sofa, and partook of the grape-jelly and -coffee which were handed to her by her officious hostess. These were -succeeded by the _kadeun-chibouk_, or woman’s pipe; and she had not -flung out half a dozen volumes of smoke from her nostrils, ere all the -harem of Hussein the watchmaker knew that she was free, and about to -chuse a helpmeet from among the tradesmen of the city. - -At every “Mashallàh!” uttered by her auditors, the self-gratulation of -the visitor increased; and she, who a day previously had not wasted a -thought on matrimony, smoked on in silence, absorbed in dreams of -tenderness and ambition. - -The araba was, of course, a full hour ere it appeared, for the arabajhe -had to smoke his _narghïlè_, or water-pipe; and the arabajhe’s assistant -had to repair the damages which the last day’s journey had done to the -harness, and to wash away the mud that yet clung about the wheels; and -after that there were comments to be made upon the horses, as they were -slowly attached to the vehicle; and on the unusual circumstance of a -Turkish woman hiring a carriage, without previously bargaining with the -owner for the sum to be paid. - -But Yusuf, the son of Hussein, who found more amusement in watching the -slow motions of the arabajhe than in keeping guard over his father’s -chronometers, put an end to the astonishment of the party by informing -them that the person who had engaged the vehicle was a slave of the -Imperial Seraï; a piece of information which tended considerably to -expedite the preparations of the coachman, and to excite the curiosity -of his companions. - -The female Cœlebs, meanwhile, had emptied three chibouks; and as the -ashes of each was deposited in the little brass dish that rested on the -carpet, brighter, and fairer visions rose before her; and on each -occasion that she drew from amid the folds of the shawl which bound her -waist, the cachemire purse that contained her tobacco, and replenished -her pipe, she indulged in a more flattering augury of her day’s -speculation. - -To render the circumstance more intelligible to the European reader, it -may be as well to state that there are few tradesmen in Stamboul who -would hesitate to marry an Imperial slave, whatever might be her age or -personal infirmities, as she is sure to bring with her a golden apology -for all her defects: and thus it was not astonishing that the wife of -Hussein sighed as she remembered that her son Yusuf was yet a child, and -that, consequently, she could not offer his hand to her visiter; and the -more sincerely that the worthy watchmaker did not stand high in the -favour of fortune; the “accursed Giaours,” as the angry Hanoum did not -hesitate to declare, selling for the same price demanded by the Turkish -artisan for his inferior ware, watches that were as true as the muezzin, -and as enduring as the Koràn. - -At length the araba drew up beneath the latticed windows; and the two -friends, resuming their slippers, shuffled across the matted floor of -the harem, followed by the compliments and _teminas_ of their hostess; -mattresses and cushions were arranged in the vehicle by the hands of -Hussein himself; and their yashmacs having been re-arranged, they were -ere long jolting over the rough pavement of the city of Constantine. - -They first bent their course to the Charshees; and the confidant pointed -out many a grave-looking, middle-aged Mussulmaun to the admiration of -her companion; but the freed-woman only shrugged her shoulders, uttered -a contemptuous “Mashallàh!” and turned away her eyes. - -The stream of life flowed on beside their path. Turbans of green, of -white, and of yellow passed along; but none of the wearers found favour -in the sight of the husband-seeking fair one. Hours were wasted in vain; -she was as far removed from a decision as when she stepped into the -caïque at Beglierbey; and the patience of her companion was worn -threadbare; she became silent, sullen, and sleepy—and still the araba -groaned and drawled along the narrow streets—Human nature could endure -no more; and after having been jolted out of a quiet slumber three -several times, the confidant digressed from weariness to expostulation. - -“May the Prophet receive me into paradise! Is there not a True Believer -in Stamboul worthy to become the husband of a woman whose hair is gray; -and who has long ceased to pour out the scented sherbet in the garden of -roses? Had it been my _kismet_[7] to come hunting through the -thoroughfares of the city on the same errand, I should have chosen long -ago.” - -The freed-woman only replied by desiring the arabajhe to drive to the -quarter inhabited by the _sèkèljhes_, or sweetmeat-makers; the finest -race of men in Constantinople. When they entered it, she began to look -about her with more earnestness than she had hitherto exhibited; but -even here she was in no haste to come to a decision; and although she -passed many a stately Musselmaun whom she would not have refused in the -brightest days of her youth, she “made no sign” until she arrived -opposite to the shop of a manufacturer of _alva_, a sweet composition -much esteemed in the East; where half a dozen youths, bare-legged, and -with their shirt sleeves rolled up to their shoulders, were employed in -kneading the paste, previously to its being put into the oven. - -“_Inshallàh_—I trust in God! He is here—” said the lady, as she -stopped the carriage; “See you not that tall stripling, with arms like -the blossom of the seringa, and eyes as black as the dye of Khorasan?” - -“He who is looking towards us?” exclaimed her companion in astonishment; -“The Prophet have pity on him! Why, he is young enough to be your son.” - -The answer of the freed-woman was an angry pull at her yashmac, as she -drew more closely together the folds of her feridjhe. The young and -handsome sèkèljhe was summoned to the side of the araba, and found to -improve upon acquaintance; upon which he was informed of the happiness -that awaited him, and received the tidings with true Turkish philosophy; -and in a few days the bride removed into a comfortable harem, of which -the ground-floor was a handsome shop, fitted up with a select stock of -sweetmeats at the expence of the Sultan; and those who desire to see -one of the principal actors in this little comedy, need only enter the -gaily-painted establishment at the left-hand corner of the principal -street leading into the Atmeidan, to form an acquaintance with Suleiman -the sèkèljhe. - -Another occurrence, equally authentic, and still more recent, is -deserving of record, as being peculiarly characteristic of the rapid -progress of enlightenment and liberality. An Emir of the city, -celebrated for his sanctity and rigid observance of all the laws of -Mahomet, had a fair daughter who sometimes indulged, in the solitude of -the harem, in softer dreams than those of her austere father. -Unfortunately for the stately priest, a guard-house, tenanted by a dozen -armed men, under the command of an officer whose personal merits -exceeded his years, was established not a hundred yards from his house; -and, as the youthful commander paced slowly to and fro the street to -dispel his ennui, it so chanced that he generally terminated his walk -beneath the windows of the Emir’s harem. - -The first time that the pretty Yasumi[8] Hanoum peeped through her -lattice at the handsome soldier, the blood rushed to her brow, and her -heart beat quick, though she knew not wherefore. The young beauty -led a lonely life, for she was motherless, and her father was a stern -man, who had no sympathy with womanly tastes; and, satisfied with -providing for her daily necessities, never troubled himself further. -It was by no means extraordinary, therefore, that she amused her -idleness with watching the motions of the stranger; nor that, by -dint of observing him, she ere long discovered that he was rapidly -becoming an object of interest to her heart. - -Then followed all the manœuvres of an Eastern beauty, who has no means -of communication with the other sex, save those which her woman-wit -enables her to invent. A shower of lavender buds, flung from the narrow -opening of the lattice upon his head, first attracted the attention of -the gallant Moslem to the Emir’s harem; nor was it diminished by a -glimpse of one of the whitest little hands in the world, which, ere it -closed the aperture, waved a graceful salutation that could be meant -only for himself. - -But the youth knew that he was playing a dangerous game, and he -consequently moved away without making any answering gesture; and -resolved to stroll in the other direction, rather than encourage the -advances which had been made to him. Once or twice, he accordingly -walked as far as the slipper-stall of a Jew merchant; but this -uninteresting individual squinted hideously, and smoked tobacco of so -odious a quality that it half suffocated the more fastidious Osmanli. Of -course there was no persevering in such an encounter, and he was -consequently compelled to resume his original line of march; being the -more readily induced to do so by importunate memories of the little -white hand which had showered down upon him the sweet-scented lavender -buds; although he did not suffer himself to suspect that such was the -case; and lest he should be addressed from the dangerous lattice, and -thus become more deeply involved in the adventure, he amused himself by -singing one of Sultan Mahmoud’s ballads in his best style. - -But, unfortunately for the success of this laudable intention, the -Imperial poet has written none but love-ditties; and the young soldier -chanced inadvertently to fix upon one in which an anxious suitor calls -upon his mistress to reveal to him the beauty that he has hitherto -beheld only in his dreams—he invokes the moon from behind the clouds -that veil it—the hidden leaf from the heart of the rose where it is -folded—and loses himself in hyperbole on the subject of the concealed -loveliness on which he longs to look. - -No wonder that the imprisoned Yasumi Hanoum listened until she believed -that the Prophet’s paradise was opening about her—No wonder that on -the morrow a lock of hair as black as midnight fell at the feet of the -minstrel, as he paced his accustomed beat;—and still less wonder that -the white hand and the dark tress began to trouble the dreams of the -gallant Moslem, and to bewilder his imagination. - -He was smoking his evening chibouk seated on a low wicker stool at the -door of the guard-room, when chancing to look up, he perceived a female -rapidly approaching from the direction of the Emir’s house. There was -nothing remarkable in such a circumstance, for the street was a great -thoroughfare, and many women had traversed it during the day; and yet -his attention was irresistibly attracted to the stranger; and as she -reached his side, their eyes met:—“_Shekiur Allah!_—Praise be to God! -I may speak to you at last;” murmured a low soft voice; “Perhaps I -should not tell you that I love you, but who can war against fate?” - -The deep dark eyes were averted—the light figure moved away—He had -looked upon the Emir’s Daughter! - -Prudence was at an end; and many a midnight hour did the young soldier -spend beneath the latticed casement of the enamoured beauty. At length -her adventurous hand raised the envious jalousie; and as the moonlight -fell bright upon her, the lover looked upon the fair face which was -destined never more to be forgotten; and from that moment he vowed that -death alone should make him relinquish his suit. - -But, alas! what hope could be indulged that a saintly Emir would bestow -his daughter upon a soldier—upon an individual doubly obnoxious both -from his profession, and from the fact that it had grown to power upon -the ruin of the Janissaries? The youth asked, supplicated, and was -answered with contempt and loathing. - -But the tears of the fair girl when she learnt from his own lips the -failure of his suit, only strengthened him in his determination of -success; and having confided his adventure to a friend who was devoted -to his interests, he resolved either to compel the consent of the Emir, -or to incur the penalty of exile, rather than exist near the woman whom -he loved without a hope that she could be his. Accordingly, having -summoned half a dozen of his men, he informed them that he had a quarrel -with the Emir which he was determined to decide; and instructed them to -loiter about the house of the Priest, and should they hear any -disturbance, to enter as if by accident; and, in the event of the Emir -desiring them to seize their officer, and carry them before the -Seraskier, to obey without hesitation. - -This arrangement made, the lover once more intruded on the seclusion of -the Priest, and with all the eloquence inspired by sincere affection, -besought him to revoke his resolution, and to give him his daughter. But -the haughty Emir only added insult to refusal; and the enraged suitor, -casting back the injuries which were addressed to him, sprang towards -the door that communicated with the harem, and vowed that he would force -his way, and carry off his bride despite every Priest in Stamboul. The -affrighted father, shrieking forth sacrilege and murder, clapped his -hands, and a couple of stout slaves entered, to whom he issued orders to -seize the madman, and put him forth; but the suitor was young and -vigorous, and he had already beaten down one of his antagonists, when -the soldiers, perceiving from the clamour that was going on above, that -the critical moment had arrived, rushed up stairs, and demanded the -occasion of the outcry. - -The Emir, breathless with terror, and trembling with rage, only pointed -to the lover, as he exclaimed; “To the Seraskier! To the Seraskier! -_Inshallàh!_ I will have justice.” - -He was instantly obeyed. The soldiers surrounded their commander, and -hurried him off, followed by the panting Priest; and in ten minutes more -the whole party stood before the Seraskier. - -The fateful moment had arrived; and the heart of the young man beat high -with a thousand conflicting feelings as the Emir told his tale, and -implored vengeance on the miscreant who had dared to beard him beneath -his own roof, and to attempt a violation of his harem; but he was -re-assured by the tone of the Pasha, as he turned towards him, when the -angry father had ceased speaking, and bade him explain his motives for -such unheard-of violence. - -“Noble Pasha,” said the lover, “may your days be many!—I will hide -nothing from you. I love this old man’s daughter; and I have asked her -of him for a wife. I have won her heart, no matter where nor how; but -may my hours be numbered if I pollute your ears with falsehood. He has -spurned me with insult because I am a soldier—He has declared the -uniform of the glorious Sultan (May his shadow ever lie long upon the -earth!) to be the brand of obloquy and disgrace; and had I not loved the -girl more than perhaps it is altogether seemly for a True Believer to -love a woman, I should have given him back scorn for scorn. But I could -not do this without regret; and it is through my own agency that I now -stand before your Excellency, to plead my cause, and to teach this hoary -Priest that the soldier of the Sultan is not to be taunted to his teeth, -even by a white-turbaned Emir. I could not force myself into your -presence, noble Pasha, to talk to you of a woman; and thus I played the -part of a madman in order that I might be dragged hither as a culprit, -and learn from your own lips whether the crescent upon my breast is to -make me an outcast from society.” - -“Did he indeed demand your daughter for his wife?” asked the Seraskier, -as he removed the chibouk from his lips, and glanced towards the Priest. -He was answered doggedly in the affirmative. - -“Take heed, then, Emir”—pursued the Pasha, “This looks like -disaffection to his Highness: (May his end be glorious!) See that the -girl become the wife of this young man ere many days roll over your -head, or the holy turban that you wear shall not protect you. What? is -it for you, and such as you, to sow divisions among the subjects of the -most gracious Sultan? Look to this ere it be too late.” - -And as the baffled Emir turned away, the Seraskier bade one of his -officers take steps to secure to the victorious suitor the rank of -Captain; and to pay to him five thousand piastres from his (the Pasha’s) -own purse, as a marriage present. - -The step was a bold one, for it was the first instance in which an -Emir’s daughter had ever been permitted to become the wife of a soldier. -A thousand long-existing prejudices had hitherto rendered such an -alliance impossible; and it was a great stroke of policy to break down -the strong barrier of habit and fanaticism, and to create a bond of -union between two jarring and jealous portions of the population. - - - - -CHAPTER XX. - - - Turkish Madhouses—Surveillance of Sultan Mahmoud—Self-Elected - Saints—Lunatic Establishment of Solimaniè—The Mad Father—The - Apostate—The Sultan’s Juggler—The Slave Market—Charshee. - - -No traveller who can string his nerves to the trial; or rather who will -not suffer himself to be scared by the idea of a Turkish madhouse, -should fail while at Constantinople, to visit the Timerhazè, or Lunatic -Establishment, dependent on the mosque of Solimaniè. He will encounter -nothing to disgust, and comparatively little to distress him; for all is -cleanly, quiet, and almost cheerful. For myself, morbidly sensitive on -such occasions, I shrank from the task which I was nevertheless resolved -to achieve, until the eleventh hour; and my only feeling when I looked -around me - - “Where laughter is not mirth, nor thought the mind, - Nor words a language, nor even men mankind,” - -in the Madhouse of Solimaniè, was one of intense relief, on finding that -my own diseased fancy had so far outrun the reality. - -It is, however, to the universal surveillance of Sultan Mahmoud that the -unfortunates who tenant the building are indebted for the only comforts -which they are still capable of enjoying; for but a few years ago they -were unapproachable to the stranger, from the filthy and neglected state -of both their cells and their persons. By an Imperial order, cleanliness -and care have been secured to them; and the calm, and in many instances, -affectionate manner, in which they conversed with their keepers, was a -convincing proof that they were kindly treated. The Turks have, -moreover, a superstitious reverence for the insane. They believe that -the spirit has been recalled by its GOD, and the hallucinated being is -regarded as almost saintly; a beatification, however, of which filth -appears to be almost a concomitant part in the East; for whenever you -encounter in the streets a wild-looking wretch, half Dervish, and half -mendicant; so wretchedly filthy, that you dare not suffer him to come in -contact with you as you pass him—with a beard matted with dirt, and -elf-locks hanging about his shoulders, of which the colour is -undistinguishable; ragged, swarming with vermin, and apparently half -stupified with opium; should you, amid your disgust, make any inquiry as -to his identity, you are told that he is a saint! - -This extraordinary race of men (for there are numbers of them about the -streets of Constantinople) are self-elected in their holiness; and take -up the trade as less ambitious individuals establish themselves in -commerce. They affect absence of thought, concentration of mind, and -having progressed gradually to a certain point, they finish with partial -aberration of intellect; and this last may, in truth, be often real, for -the years of unwashed and uncombed misery to which they condemn -themselves are enough to produce madness. Ragged and wretched as I have -described them, these miserable men are, nevertheless, objects of great -veneration to the mass of the people; and the poorest _calmac_, or -porter, will seldom refuse his _para_ to one of these saintly -mendicants. - -The Lunatic Establishment of Solimaniè occupies an inner court of the -mosque, whose centre is overshadowed by several magnificent plane trees, -planted round a spacious fountain. Three sides of the court are -furnished with arches, through which the apartments of the lunatics are -entered, while each is ventilated by a couple or more of large grated -windows; the number of patients in each cell never exceeding that of the -windows. The most painful object connected with the scene, was the heavy -chain and collar of iron worn by each of the lunatics, which kept up a -perpetual clanking as the unfortunate moved in his restlessness from -place to place within his narrow limits. The bedding was cleanly, -comfortable, and profuse; and many of the tenants of the cells were -eating melons, or smoking their chibouks, as tranquilly and as -methodically as though they had been under a very different roof. - -Among the whole number there was not one furiously mad, as is so -frequently the case in Europe; and I was assured that such patients were -extremely rare. Melancholy appeared to be the prevailing symptom of the -disease among these hallucinated Osmanlis; a deep, but by no means -sullen, melancholy; for very few of them refused to reply to an -expression of interest or commiseration; and the feeling of social -courtesy, so strong among the Turks, had in no one instance been -destroyed, even by the total aberration of intellect which had -prostrated every other bond of union between them and their fellow-men. - -I have mentioned elsewhere the surpassing love of the Turks for their -children; and I never saw a more beautiful illustration of parental -affection than was exhibited by the first unfortunate before whose cell -we paused. Several Greek ladies accompanied us; and the madman, whose -head was pillowed upon his knees as we approached him, turned his dim, -stony eyes upon each with a cold unconsciousness that was thrilling, -until he met the soft, tearful gaze of a pale, delicate girl who was -leaning upon my arm. When he caught sight of her he started from his -recumbent posture, and almost shrieked out his gladness as he -exclaimed—“My child! my child! they told me that you had abandoned me, -but I let them say on without a murmur, for I knew that you only -tarried; and you are come at last—Why do you weep? I see you, and I am -happy. I have not been alone—look here—” and he thrust his hand into -his breast, and drew forth a dove which was nestling there; “I have held -this upon my heart, and, as I slept, I dreamt that it was you.” - -After a moment’s silence he resumed: “I would give you this trembling -bird, for you are my child, and I love you; but it will not abandon me. -It is my friend, my playfellow, my child when you are away. It will not -leave me, though I am mad—And yet, why do they tell you that I am mad? -It is not so—Do I not know you? Am I not your father? Is it because I -am sorrowful that they have told you this?” And again the pale face was -bowed down; and one heavy sob which seemed to rise from the very depths -of a crushed spirit terminated the sentence. We hurried on—it was -profanation to make a spectacle of such an agony—mindless though it -was. - -Nor was the next individual with whom we came in contact less painfully -interesting. Strikingly handsome, and not above five-and-thirty, he had -already passed four miserable years in the Madhouse of Solimaniè. An -Armenian by birth, and a Catholic by faith, he had been induced to -embrace Mahomeddanism, but he had paid with his reason the price of his -apostacy; and this one memory haunted him in his wretched lunacy. As we -paused before the grating of his cell, he bowed his head upon his -breast, and murmured out; “_In Nomine Patri, et Filius, et Spiritus -Sanctus, Amen._” - -His look was fastened upon my father, and some faint and long-effaced -image seemed to rise before him, for he smiled sadly, and extended -towards him his white and wasted hand; nor could any other of the party -succeed in diverting his attention. Twice, thrice, the same words were -uttered, and always in an accent of the most thrilling anguish. Surely -his sin will be expiated on earth, and forgiven at the last day! - -Some were merry, and exhausted themselves in song and jest; and some, -with a latent leaven of worldliness, asked alms, and laughed out their -soulless joy as the coins which we flung to them rang on the stone-work -of the window. The Juggler of Sultan Selim—He who had taught the great -ones of the land to believe him gifted with a power more than human—He -who had raised the laughter of amusement, and the exclamation of -wonder—whose very presence had awakened mirth and merriment—He, too, -was here—caged, and chained—the mad prisoner of three-and-thirty -weary years!—the palest, the saddest, and the most silent of the whole -miserable company. His beard fell to his girdle—his matted locks half -concealed his haggard countenance—his hands were clasped upon his -breast—and he did not turn his head as we approached him. - -From the madhouse we proceeded to the slave-market; a square court, -three of whose sides are built round with low stone rooms, or cells, -beyond which projects a wooden peristyle. There is always a painful -association connected with the idea of slavery, and an insurmountable -disgust excited by the spectacle of money given in exchange for human -beings; but, beyond this, (and assuredly this is enough!) there is -nothing either to distress or to disgust in the slave-market of -Constantinople. No wanton cruelty, no idle insult is permitted: the -slaves, in many instances, select their own purchaser from among the -bidders; and they know that when once received into a Turkish family -they become members of it in every sense of the word, and are almost -universally sure to rise in the world if they conduct themselves -worthily. The Negroes only remain in the open court, where they are -squatted in groups, until summoned to shew themselves to a purchaser; -while the Circassians and Georgians, generally brought there by their -parents at their own request, occupy the closed apartments, in order -that they may not be exposed to the gaze of the idlers who throng the -court. The utmost order, decency, and quiet prevail; and a military -guard is stationed at the entrance to enforce them, should the necessity -for interference occur, which is, however, very rarely the case. - -I expected to have had much to write on the subject of the slave-market, -but I left it only with an increased conviction of the great moral -beauty of the Turkish character. I am aware that this declaration will -startle many of my readers; but I make it from a principle of justice. I -knew that the establishment existed—I never thought of it without a -shudder, nor shall I ever remember it without a pang; but I am, -nevertheless, compelled to declare that I did not witness there any of -the horrors for which I had prepared myself. The Turks never make either -a sport or a jest of human suffering, or human degradation. Not a word, -not a glance escaped them, calculated to wound the wretched beings who -were crouching on the ground under the hot sunshine—They made their -odious bargain seriously and quietly; and left the market, followed by -the slaves whom they had purchased, without one act of wanton cruelty, -or unnecessary interference. - -I felt glad when, escaping from this painful scene, bitter and -revolting even under the most favourable aspect, we found ourselves in -the Charshee, surrounded by all the glittering temptations of the East, -and deep in the mysteries of tissues and trinkets. The morning had been -a trying one, and I rejoiced to be enabled to divert my thoughts from -the scenes through which we had passed. A thousand brilliant baubles -were spread out before us—a thousand harangues replete with hyperbole -were exhausted on us—all was bustle and excitement; and I forgot for a -while the weeping father and the spirit-stricken apostate of Solimaniè. - - - - -CHAPTER XXI. - - - The Castle of Europe—The Traitor’s Gate—The Officer of the - Guard—Military Scruples—The State Prison—The Tower of - Blood—The Janissaries’ Tower—_Cachots - Forcès_—Guard-room—The Bow-string—Frightful Death—The - Signal Gun—The Grand Armoury—Flourishing State of the - Establishment—A Dialogue—The Barracks of the Imperial - Guard—The Persian Kiosk—Courts and Cloisters—The - Kitchen—The Regimental School—A Coming Storm—The - Tempest—Dangerous Passage—Turkish Terror—Kind-hearted - Caïquejhe—Fortunate Escape. - - -Having obtained an order of admission from one of the Ministers, my -father and myself started early one morning to visit the Fortress of -Mahomet, commonly called by the Franks the Castle of Europe. - -I have already stated elsewhere that this was the first _pied-à-terre_ -of the Prophet on the European coast; and that the entire pile, forming -the characters of his name, was erected in six days. The strength of the -fortress is much greater than its peculiar construction would lead you -to believe when seen from the sea; and it is altogether an object of -extreme interest. - -When our caïque touched the landing-place opposite the Traitor’s Gate, -our dragoman landed to obtain the authority of the officer on guard, -who was sitting on his low wicker stool at the door of the guard-house, -which is built upon the shore of the Bosphorus at the foot of the -exterior wall of the fortress; and his surprise on ascertaining our -errand was so great, that he scarcely removed the chibouk from his lips, -as he declared the impossibility of his admitting us into a stronghold, -within which no Frank had hitherto set his foot—The first European -Fortress of the Prophet—The prison of the Janissaries—The——I know -not what else he might have added, for, in the midst of his harangue, he -suddenly remembered that one of the two applicants for admission on the -present occasion was not only a Frank, but, worse still, a woman; and he -was just beginning to reason upon the fact, when our dragoman stepped in -with the announcement of our order. - -His scruples were silenced at once, and he immediately very civilly sent -a corporal and a soldier of the garrison to point out to us the -different localities; and two most intelligent men they proved to be, -who, having been two years on the castle guard, were perfectly competent -to do the melancholy honours of the place. - -The Traitor’s Gate is the only seaward entrance to the fortress; and, -when we had stooped to pass its low, wide arch, we found ourselves in a -large court, having on our right hand one of the four principal towers; -and precisely that which has hitherto served as a state prison for -persons of distinction. - -In the lower cell of this tower, which contains several ranges of -dungeons, (none of them, however, subterranean), is a stone tunnel, -descending deep into the sea; and beside its mouth is placed a block of -marble, against which the victim knelt to receive the fatal stroke; when -the severed head, and the gory stream that accompanied it, fell into the -tunnel, and were carried by the current far beyond the walls of the -fortress; the body, thus rendered irrecognisable, being afterwards -thrown into the channel. A deep ditch passes near the entrance of this -tower, which opens into an inner court; and, as we ascended a steep -acclivity, and passed beside a ruined mosque, we traced the moat to the -foundation of a second and lower tower, square in form, and castellated -on the summit; distinguished by the fearful appellation of the “Tower of -Blood!” The ditch opens immediately beneath a low archway, excavated in -the foundation of the tower; and its use is similar to that of the -tunnel in the lower prison, being intended to convey away to the sea -all, save the bodies of the criminals executed within its walls, who -were invariably the Aghas, or chiefs of the Janissaries, whom it would -not have been safe to have dishonoured in the eyes of that formidable -body, as it was customary to insult the remains of the less -distinguished of their comrades. - -In this ditch one of the soldiers informed us that near four hundred -cases of ammunition had been discovered buried beneath the soil, for the -private use of the Janissaries, in the event of their requiring such an -auxiliary during any popular commotion; and it was singular enough that -the deposit was revealed by the very individual who informed us of it, -and who pointed out the spot where his pickaxe struck against the cover -of one of the chests, when employed with a fatigue party to cleanse the -moat from its accumulated filth. - -Hence we ascended to the Janissaries’ Tower, the principal object of our -curiosity. Built on the highest point of land within the walls, even -from the base of this tower you command one of the noblest views in the -world; having on one hand the whole stretch of the channel, to the -opening of the Sea of Marmora; and on the other, the entrance to the -Black Sea; the most sublime coup d’œil in the Bosphorus. - -Here two additional attendants with lights were added to the party; and, -having first visited a recess, or cell, in the masonry of the tower, -which we entered by a low, narrow archway, that had been lately -discovered, we stood within the secret magazine of the Janissaries, -where they had built in upwards of six hundred cases of powder: and we -then commenced our survey of the dungeons. - -Throughout the whole Tower, which is of great height, and contains seven -ranges of cells, all of them tolerably lofty, there were but two -_cachots forcés_, or dark dungeons; every apartment being furnished with -a narrow, grated aperture for the admission of air and light, and a -small marble cistern for containing water. I wished to explore one of -the two, but was withheld by the soldiers, who assured me that, since -the destruction of the Janissaries, no one had ventured to enter them, -and that they might be, and probably were, _oubliettes_, where one false -step would plunge me headlong to destruction. - -Thus warned, I desisted reluctantly from my purpose; and, sooth to say, -we were sufficiently surrounded by horrors, to be enabled to dispense -with one more or less. Our next point was the guard-room; an extensive -apartment, with a floor boarded transversely with narrow planks, forming -a lattice-work, through which the guard could both see and hear the -prisoner beneath; and roofed in the same manner. Having traced the tower -nearly to its summit, we descended, and passing onward a few paces at -its base, we found ourselves in a compartment of the covered way that -connects the towers throughout the fortress; and which was furnished -with large arched doorways on either side. Here, within a recess, hung -an old Roman bow of such strength that no modern arm can bend it; and to -this, as we were informed, the cord was attached used in strangling the -condemned Janissaries. I confess that I thrilled less at the sight of -this instrument of torture, than at the idea of the refinement of -cruelty, which, in a locality replete with gloom, had selected such a -spot for the work of death. - -Hither was the victim dragged from his twilight cell. Here, where the -fresh breeze of Heaven came lovingly to his forehead, quivering among -the broad leaves of the wild fig-trees; and dancing on the sunlighted -waters. Hither, where the bright day-beam shed over the world a light -which to him was mockery! What had he to do with the fresh breeze and -the genial beam? His knee was upon the earth, and the cord was about his -neck. One gaze, one long, wild, withering gaze, while his executioners -were busied with the fatal noose; one sigh, the deep concentrated -inspiration of despair; a shriek, a struggle; the last grappling of the -strong man with his murderers, and all was over; the cord was -transferred from the throat to the feet of the victim; and they who were -lately his comrades and his friends, seized the extremity of the fatal -rope, and, dragging after them the yet quivering body, it was thus -hurried ignominiously down the rough and steep stone stair which -traverses the fortress, ere it arrived at the Traitor’s Gate. - -But I will pursue the revolting image no further. As the mangled body -was hurled into the sea, the long gun which occupies an embrasure near -the entrance of the fortress was fired, to announce to the authorities -at Constantinople that justice had been done upon the guilty. - -Early morning and noon were the periods usually selected for these -executions; and few are the individuals who have been long resident in -Turkey, who can fail to remember the dismal report of the solitary gun -as it came booming over the Bosphorus! - -The few houses built within the walls of the fortress are surrounded by -cheerful gardens, and are kept in tolerable repair. As we left the -castle, we were politely accosted by the officer on guard, who inquired -whether we desired to visit the fortress on the opposite coast, which -was formerly used as a prison for the Bostangis, or Imperial Body Guard; -the order with which we were furnished sufficing for both. But I had -become so heart-sick among the dungeons of the Janissaries, that I -prevailed on my father to decline the proposal; and we accordingly -reembarked, and proceeded to the Grand Armoury at Dolma Batchè. - -Here again we were obliged to avail ourselves of our order, no female -ever having been hitherto admitted within the gates of the -establishment; but it was merely the delay of a moment, and, having -passed the entrance, we stood within a spacious court forming the centre -of the quadrangle, surrounded by the entrances of the several workshops, -and furnished with an immense marble reservoir containing water for the -supply of the artificers. - -The greatest activity and order prevails throughout the whole -establishment. Fifteen hundred men are constantly employed within the -walls; and their wages vary from one to two shillings a day, according -to the difficulty of the work, and their ability to execute it -creditably. No distinction either of creed or nation operates against -the reception of an artificer; Turks, Greeks, Armenians, Bulgarians, and -Jews are alike eligible, if capable of performing their allotted duties; -but the most difficult and finished branches of the different -departments are almost universally confided to Armenian workmen, who are -the best artificers of the East. - -The nominal head of the establishment is a Turk, but he does not -interfere beyond making a weekly survey to ascertain that all is -progressing satisfactorily; while his deputy, who is an Armenian, enters -into the detail of the labour, makes the contracts for timber and metal, -pays the workmen, and performs every other responsible duty. The number -of firelocks completed daily, and sent across each evening to the -Armoury within the walls of the Seraï Bournou, was stated to us to -average seventy; but this was probably an exaggeration. - -The musket-barrels are at present bored by hand-machinery, and between -forty and fifty men are constantly employed at this labour alone; but a -substantial and handsome stone edifice is now constructing in the -immediate neighbourhood, under the superintendence, and according to the -design, of an English architect, to which this branch of the -establishment is to be transferred, and where the work is to be done by -steam; by which means a great ultimate saving will be effected. - -One of the muskets furnished with a spring bayonet was shown to us, -which, although not equal in finish, and more heavy in form than those -of Europe, was, nevertheless, very creditable to an establishment, that -is yet comparatively in its infancy. I was much amused by the -astonishment of a respectable old Turk who was superintendent of the -finishing department, when he saw me engaged with my father in examining -this musket. “What pleasure can a Frank woman find in looking at -fire-arms?” he asked the Dragoman; “One of our females would be afraid -to touch such a thing. Where does she come from? and how came they to -let her in here?” The reply of the interpreter surprised him still more. - -“Mashallàh!” he exclaimed, approaching me with a look of comic -earnestness. “Did the Pasha send her? Why, she is but a girl. How should -she know how to write books better than our women who never do so?” - -“Because your women are shut up”—replied the Dragoman. - -The Turk nodded assent; “True enough, true enough; they cannot learn of -the walls. The Franks see and hear, and travel over land and sea; and -that is why they know more than we who remain at home, and ask no -questions.” - -I give this little dialogue, because it strikes me as being very -characteristic. How often have I been reminded by the Turkish women that -if I had learnt many things of which they were ignorant, I had taken a -great deal of trouble to acquire them, while they had remained -comfortably at home without care or fatigue. - -From the Armoury we crossed over to the barracks of the Imperial Guard -at Scutari, where my appearance created as much astonishment among the -troops as though I had come to take the command of the garrison; and -once more I was stopped by the officer on guard; but, as Achmet Pacha -had prepared the Commandant for our visit, he was immediately summoned -by the Dragoman, and received us with the greatest politeness. - -This magnificent barrack is nearly quadrangular, the centre of the -fourth side being occupied by low workshops, and a noble gateway opening -upon an exercise ground, at whose extremity on the edge of the rock -overhanging the sea stands the Persian Kiosk of the Sultan. Nothing can -be conceived more grand than the view from this graceful summer pavilion -whence you command the port, the channel, the city of Constantinople, -Pera, Galata, and every object of interest and beauty in the -neighbourhood of the capital; the picturesque Seraï Bournou; and far, -far away, the Sea of Marmora, and the dark mountains of Asia. The -prevalence of northerly winds had prevented any vessel from entering the -Golden Horn during the three preceding weeks, and a little fleet of -about thirty merchant-men were lying at anchor under the very windows of -the Kiosk, giving the last touch of loveliness to the scene spread out -before us. - -The whole interior extent of the barrack is furnished with arched -cloisters along each story of the building; by which means a sufficient -space is ensured for the purposes of drill and exercise during inclement -weather. The cleanliness of the rooms was beautiful; and here, as -elsewhere, we had occasion to remark the extremely orderly conduct of -the troops. We were standing in the yard of a barrack containing five -thousand men, and there was not sufficient noise to have annoyed an -invalid. The barrack was constructed to accommodate fifteen thousand, -but it is at present garrisoned only by four regiments, and a brigade of -artillery, whose stabling is situated under the lower range of -cloisters. The kitchen is fitted up with steam; and the steam-tables are -of white marble, with which material the vegetable store is entirely -lined. Meat and pillauf are furnished daily to the troops in ample -quantities; and all their clothing is supplied by the government, while -the sum allowed as pay, for the purchase of coffee, fruit, and similar -luxuries, is greater than that given to Russian soldiers, who are -moreover obliged to furnish themselves with several articles of -clothing. The workshops were thronged; that of the shoemakers contained -a hundred and sixty individuals, who were making shoes of every -description, from the coarse slipper of the private, to the -neatly-finished boot of the Pasha. Every member of the Imperial Guard is -furnished from these workshops, and five hundred men are instructed in -each trade, who relieve one another in the event of duty or sickness. - -The Regimental School was a model of neatness and order, and the number -of pupils very considerable; all the children of the Imperial Guard -being expected to attend it, whatever may be the rank of their fathers. -Many of the sergeants and corporals were studying geography; and on a -table in the centre of a second and smaller apartment, stood a handsome -set of Newton’s globes. Of the imitative talent of the Turks I have -already spoken; and on this occasion we were shown a map of Iceland, -etched by a corporal of the guard, in as good style as any pen and ink -drawing that I ever saw from the college at Sandhurst. - -The arms, as I have already remarked to be universal with the Turkish -troops, were in the most admirable order, and the stores containing -clothing were well filled, and very neatly arranged. We declined -visiting the Hospital, as three recent cases of Plague had occurred -there; added to which we discovered certain threatenings in the sky -which denoted a coming storm; and, as the passage from Scutari to -Topphannè is, though comparatively short, extremely dangerous in the -event of a sudden tempest, we spent half an hour with the Commandant in -his apartment, where we partook of some exquisite sherbet, made from the -juice of the green lemon; and hurried thence to the pier, laden with a -basket of the delicious grapes and melons of Asia. But we had already -lingered too long: the wind was blowing briskly from the Black Sea; and -the distant shores were veiled in dense and heavy vapour. - -We had just reached the Maiden’s Tower when the gust caught us. Of all -the environs of the Bosphorus this is the most dangerous, for the -current runs madly out into the Sea of Marmora; and the wind, released -from the Asian mountains which hem it in to the point of Scutari, is -suddenly set free in all its violence. Hence it arises that, in the -immediate neighbourhood of the Maiden’s Tower, more caïques are wrecked -during the year than in the whole of the channel; and there we were, -every wave dashing angrily against the side of the frail boat, and -pouring over us its foaming waters; the wind driving us down the -current, and the Turkish boatmen scarcely able to ejaculate their -“Mashallàhs!” and “Inshallàhs!” from the terror which made their teeth -chatter in their heads. - -It was a frightful moment. At one instant we made way; at the next we -were carried back by the force of the current; we could not guess how -the affair would terminate; but meanwhile the venerable old caïquejhe -who pulled the after-oars, amid all his alarm sought to comfort me: -“Tell her,” he said perpetually to the dragoman, “tell her that there is -no danger; she is a woman, and the fear may kill her. My heart is sick -and I can scarcely pull, for my hand trembles, and my breath fails; but -console her—tell her that we shall soon be across the channel—that I -will put her ashore somewhere—anywhere—tell her what you will, for she -is a woman, and I pity her.” - -But, grateful as I was for his consideration, I did not require comfort; -I had already escaped from so many dangers at sea, that I never for a -moment contemplated drowning on the present occasion; and I took some -credit to myself for upholding the honour of my sex for courage in the -eyes of the kind-hearted old Turkish caïquejhe. With considerable -difficulty we at length made the pier at Topphannè, and, a voyage -homeward being perfectly out of the question, we ascended the steep hill -to Pera, wet and weary as we were; and passed the night under the roof -of a worthy and hospitable Greek friend, listening to the wild gusts -which swept down the channel, and congratulating ourselves on our escape -from a danger as unexpected as it was imminent. - -CHAPTER XXII. - - - The Plague—Spread of the Pestilence—The Greek - Victim—Self-Devotion—Death of the Plague Smitten—The Widow’s - Walk—Plague Encampments—The Infected Family—The Greek Girl - and her - Lover—Non-Conductors—Plague—Perpetuators—Vultures—Melancholy - Concomitants of the Pestilence—Carelessness of the Turks—The - Pasha of Broussa—Rashness of the Poorer Classes—Universality - of the Disease in the Capital. - - -Every one who has even heard of Constantinople is aware that it is a -city of Plague and Fires. Of the latter I have already spoken, although -slightly; for it is a singular fact that, although several extensive -conflagrations occurred during our residence in the East, not only in -the Capital but in its environs, it never was our fortune to witness -one. - -Of the still more frightful visitation of the Plague, I could not -perhaps make mention at a more fitting moment than the present (the -commencement of September) when, contrary to the prognostics of the -_soi-disant_ conversant in such matters, it has broken out with renewed -violence in every direction. The Imperial Palace of Beglierbey is -deserted in consequence of its having been visited by the -Pestilence—The “Seven Towers” have become a Plague-Hospital for the -Greeks. We presented ourselves with an order for admittance at the -celebrated Seraglio at the Point, and found that here the scourge had -preceded us, and that the gates were closed—Even Therapia, seated on -the edge of the shore, and open to the healthful breezes from the Black -Sea, is adding daily to the list of victims; and we were received by a -friend at the extreme opposite end of the sofa on our return thence, -(and even that reluctantly,) from a dread that we might prove to be -Plague-conductors, and infect her family. - -To the honour of our common nature it may be stated that even this -direful visitation tends at times to bring out some of the noblest -qualities of which frail humanity is susceptible. If man may be pardoned -a feeling of absorbing selfishness, it is surely in the hour when he has -before him the prospect of one of the most frightful of all deaths; but, -even in the short month which has elapsed since the disease deepened, -examples have not been wanting of that utter absence of -selfishness—that self-sacrifice for the security of others—which gives -to the fate of the victim almost the character of martyrdom. - -Only a day or two since, a poor Greek inhabitant of Therapia was -suddenly attacked with sickness, and, thinking that he recognised the -symptoms of the malady, he immediately proceeded to his cottage; and, -stopping ere he touched the threshold, called to his wife, who, -astonished on seeing him at so unwonted an hour, and struck by the -change in his appearance, was about to approach him, when he desired her -to stand back; and then, calmly telling her that he was unwell, though -he knew not from what cause, and that he was unwilling during a time of -Plague to run the risk of infecting his family, or of compromising his -house, he desired her to throw him his furred pelisse. “If it be a mere -passing sickness,” he added, as he prepared to depart, “it will only -cost me a night in the open air—If it be the Plague, you will at least -save our few articles of clothing, and the few comforts of the -cottage—Recommend me to the Virgin and St. Roch.” - -And thus he left his home; and wandered, weak and heart-sick, to the -mountains. He felt that the brand was on him; and he went to die alone, -he knew not how—whether as a wild and frantic maniac, gathering -strength from the fever which would turn his blood to fire, and howling -out his anguish to the winds of midnight, without one kind voice to -comfort, or one fond hand to guide him, until at length he dropped down -to die upon the damp earth—or, as a shivering and palsied wretch, -fainting from thirst, and quivering with sickness, to gaze hour after -hour from his bed of withered leaves, or parched-up turf, upon the blue -bright sky, and the myriad stars, until they went out one by one as his -sight failed, and his pulse ebbed—— - -On the morrow the wife hastened to the mountains with food, in search of -her husband. She had not taught herself to believe that the Plague had -touched him, and she feared that he might suffer from hunger. She led -one of her children by the hand—his favourite child—and they were long -before they found him—for although the young clear voice of the boy -shouting out his name was borne far away upon the elastic air of the -mountain, there was no answer to the call—alas! there could be -none—the father lay cold and stiff in a gully of the rock,-the -Plague-smitten had ceased to suffer! - -The anguish of the unfortunate woman may be conceived—In her first -agony she sprang towards the body, but the shriek of her child recalled -her to a sense of her peril, and the fate that she would entail upon her -little ones. The struggle was long and bitter; and at length she turned -away with the weeping boy, and returned into the village to proclaim her -widowhood. - -I have already mentioned the fact of my having on one occasion -inadvertently ridden into the midst of a Plague-encampment. Such -occurrences are, however, rare; as, in the event of several families -being compromised and sent to the mountains, there is generally a -military guard stationed at every avenue leading to their temporary -dwellings, to prevent the approach of strangers, and to form their -medium of subsistence. - -A melancholy tale was related to me by a lady at Therapia, who had -watched from day to day the proceedings of one of these little mountain -colonies through a telescope. It consisted of a miserable family; the -father gray-haired and feeble, and the mother bent and palsied—The -children died first, one by one, for the disease drank their young blood -more eagerly than the chill stream which moved sluggishly through the -veins of the aged parents; and at length the old couple were left alone. - -They used to sit side by side for hours under a tree facing their -village—the birth-place of their dead ones, whom they had put into the -earth with their own hands—but within a week the childless mother -sickened in her turn and the gray old man dragged a wretched mattress to -the foot of the tree from beneath which his stricken wife had no longer -power to move; and he held the water to her lips, and he put the bread -into her grasp; but all his care availed her nothing—and with his lean -and trembling hands he scratched her a grave under the shadows of the -tree that she had loved in life; and, when the earth had hidden her from -his sight, he lay down across the narrow mound to die in his turn. His -worldly toils were ended! - -Scarcely less affecting was the devotion of a young Greek girl, whose -lover, smitten with plague, was conveyed to the temporary hospital at -the Seven Towers. No sooner had she ascertained whither they had carried -him, than without saying a word to her parents, who would, as she well -knew, have opposed her design, she left her home, and presented herself -at the portal of the infected fortress as the nurse of the young Greek -caïquejhe who had been received there on the previous day. In vain did -the governor, imagining from her youth, and the calm and collected -manner in which she offered herself up an almost certain victim to the -pestilence, that she was not aware of her danger, endeavour to dissuade -her from her project. She was immoveable; and was ultimately permitted -to approach the bedside of the dying sufferer. - -Not a tear, not a murmur escaped her, as she took her place beside his -pillow, and entered upon her desperate office. In the paroxysms of his -madness, as the poison was feeding upon his strength, and grappling at -his brain, he spoke of her fondly—he talked to her—he stretched forth -his arms to clasp her—and then he thrust her from him as he yelled out -his agony, and his limbs writhed beneath the torture of the passing -spasm. - -And she bore it all unshrinkingly; and even amid her misery she felt a -thrill of joy as she discovered that pain and madness had alike failed -to blot her image from his memory. But there were moments less cruel -than these, in which reason resumed her temporary sway, and the devoted -girl was pressed to the fevered bosom of her fated lover; and in these, -brief as they were, she felt that she was over-paid for all. - -But the struggle even of youth and strength against the most baneful of -all diseases could not last for ever—The patient expired in the arms of -his devoted mistress; and as he breathed his last, bequeathed to her at -once his dying smile, and the foul poison which was coursing through his -veins. She saw him laid in his narrow grave; and then she turned away -with the conviction that she, too, was plague-smitten! - -She did not return to her home: but she stood a few paces from one of -the companions of her youth, and bade her bear to her aged parents her -blessing and her prayers: and this done she fled to the mountains, and -sought out a solitary spot wherein to die—None knew how long she -lingered, for she was never seen again in life; but her body was found a -few days afterwards beneath a ledge of earth, in a doubled-up position, -as though the last spasm had been a bitter one. - -She who had sacrificed herself to smooth the last hours of him whom she -had loved, perished alone, miserably, in the wild solitude of the Asian -hills; and her almost Roman virtue has met with no other record than -the brief one in which I have here attempted to perpetuate the memory of -her devotion and her fate. - -It seems as though men apprehended contagion in the very name of the -plague, for they have adopted terms that render its repetition needless. -Should you inquire for a family which has become compromised, you are -told that “they are gone to the mountains,” and you understand at once -that they are infected; and when numbers are daily dying about you, in -reply to your desire to learn the amount of the evil, you are answered -that there are so many, or so many “accidents.” - -Every respectable house, and every public establishment, has in its -court, or its outer hall, a small wooden erection, precisely like a -sentry box raised on rollers, into which you are obliged to enter during -a period of plague, before you are admitted into the interior of the -building; and where you stand upon a latticed flooring, while aromatic -herbs are burnt beneath, whose dense and heavy vapour soon envelops you -in a thick smoke, which is said to prevent contagion. - -Every competent authority declares the disease to be propagated by -contact; and it is singular to see the care with which every individual -passing along the public streets avoids all collision with his -fellow-passengers. The lower order of Turks are the greatest sufferers -from the plague, in consequence of the filthy personal habits of the men -employed as street-porters and labourers; their law only requiring them -to wash their hands and feet before entering their mosques, or repeating -their prayers; while I have good authority for stating that this class -of individuals purchase an inner garment of dark and coarse material, -which they retain day and night without removing it, until it falls to -pieces. - -If filth be a plague-conductor, it is not, consequently, surprising, -that great numbers of these persons are invariably carried off during -the year; and the same cause doubtlessly accounts for the excessive -mortality among the Jews; who frequently increase the spread of the evil -by possessing themselves of the garments of the plague-victims, which -they buy secretly from the relatives; reckless, in the event of a good -bargain, of the fatal consequences which may ensue alike to themselves -and to others. - -This may appear to be an excess of madness almost incredible; but it is, -nevertheless, an incontrovertible fact. - -I know not whether it be a common occurrence for vultures to haunt the -environs of the city during the prevalence of plague, but it is certain -that we never saw one until its commencement; and that before we left -they were to be met with in numbers, in the very centre of the -shipping, preying upon the offal that had been flung into the port, or -winging their heavy flight along the mountains, as though scenting their -revolting banquet. - -There is, to me, something frightful in the terror with which, in a -season of virulent pestilence, each individual avoids all human contact, -and looks upon his best friends as vehicles of destruction.—In the -shrinking of relatives from each other, and the unwonted selfishness of -usually free and generous spirits. Nor is the sensation a comfortable -one, with which you remember that you are yourself considered as -infected, and treated with distrust accordingly; and in moments of -depression find yourself speculating in your own mind the probability of -the fear being well-grounded. Does your head ache?—It is a symptom of -plague—Are you sick and faint from heat?—It is even thus that the -pestilence frequently declares itself in the first instance—If you take -cold upon the Bosphorus, you have laid the corner-stone of the -malady—and over-fatigue may induce the exhaustion which lends strength -to the incipient evil. It is impossible to describe the effect of this -continual necessity for caution: but even this is trifling beside the -constant dread of contact with infection. It is vain to affect a mad -courage leading you to set at defiance these accumulated dangers; there -are moments when an unconquerable dread will creep over the heart, and -sicken the spirit. - -There are many who do not fear death; but they are habituated to -associate it in their minds with an accustomed home, and watching -friends, and anxious tenderness; all accessories tending to soften the -pang of disease, and to smooth the path of dissolution—Few are they who -could contemplate calmly the death-hour of the plague-smitten—the -hunted from his home—haunting the hills in his polluted solitude; and -contaminating the pure air of Heaven by the fetid breathings of -pestilence—shrieking out his madness to the mocking moon,—and dying in -his despair on the bare earth; a loathsome thing, to which even a grave -is sometimes denied! - -And yet, terrible as is the picture which I have drawn almost despite -myself, it is surprising how little caution is observed by the Turks to -escape from so direful a visitation. They have an absurd superstition -that all True Believers who die, either by the hand of the Sultan, or by -the visitation of the plague, go straight to Paradise, and to the arms -of the Houri, without the intervention of any purgatorial quarantaine; -and they account very satisfactorily for the infrequency of plague-cases -among the Franks, by declaring that Allah does not love them -sufficiently to grant them so desirable a privilege; without troubling -themselves to remark the precautions taken by Europeans to prevent the -spread of the disease, all of which are utterly neglected by the natives -of the country. It is indeed astonishing how blindly the Orientals run -the greatest risks, in the most unnecessary and apparently wilful -manner. - -The Pasha of Broussa was informed by his family physician that his -_Chiboukjhe_, or pipe-bearer, who had been in his service from his -boyhood, and to whom he was much attached, had discovered symptoms of -plague, which would render it necessary for his Excellency to take such -precautions as might tend to ensure the safety of the other members of -his family; and accordingly he gave immediate orders for the removal of -the harem to a village in the mountains; and ordered all the linen of -the inmates of the salemliek to be washed, and their woollen clothing -carefully aired and fumigated, ere it was transported thither, together -with the male members of his establishment. - -The Chiboukjhe, hearing of the intended removal of the household, begged -to see his master once more ere he left the city; and the Pasha complied -with his request without scruple, as a couple of yards intervening -between the plague-patient and his visitor are sufficient to prevent -contagion. But the kind-hearted Pasha had not calculated upon his own -powers of resistance; and, when the favourite domestic upbraided him -with his cruelty in leaving him to die alone, and recalled to his memory -a score of circumstances in which he had proved his attachment and -devotedness to the welfare of his master; the Pasha, with a recklessness -perfectly incomprehensible, ordered that fresh linen should be put upon -the patient: that his own garments should be destroyed and replaced by -new ones; and that he should be forthwith comfortably placed in an -araba, and conveyed to the village whither all the rest of the -establishment had been previously removed. - -The order was obeyed; and the infected man arrived on the evening of the -second day at the mountain-retreat, bringing with him the deadly disease -which was rapidly sapping his life-blood. Four-and-twenty hours had not -elapsed when the favourite wife of the Pasha, a beautiful girl of -sixteen, expired, in a fit of raging madness, upon her cushions: the -pestilence had wrought so rapidly in her young and delicate frame that -no time had been afforded for precaution or help; the weak blindness of -the Pasha had sacrificed his wife, compromised his house, and endangered -the whole family. He rushed from one apartment to another like a maniac, -but the bolt had fallen; and at midnight his youngest child lay a corpse -on its dead mother’s bosom. - -They were buried hurriedly beneath the tall trees of the garden; and the -earth was but newly scattered over their graves when another of the -Pasha’s wives breathed her last—Suffice it that in the space of ten -days, out of a harem consisting of nineteen persons, there remained only -an aged negress and two infant children; while the salemliek had also -suffered severely, although not in the same proportion. - -I could pile anecdote on anecdote upon the same melancholy theme, but my -heart sickens as I record them; and that which I have just narrated will -sufficiently demonstrate the improbability of this terrific scourge ever -being expelled the country by the precautionary measures of the natives. -On the subject of the plague the Turks appear to possess neither -prudence nor judgment. Their belief in predestination deepens their -natural want of energy; and thus the malady is suffered to run its -deadly course almost unchecked, and to sweep off its thousands yearly, -amid pangs at which humanity shudders. - -Another circumstance which must tend to perpetuate the pestilence in the -East, exists in the fact that, when the local authorities have -ascertained the existence of plague in a dwelling, the house becomes -what is termed “compromised;” and after the family of the smitten has -been ejected, and sent to the mountains, it is painted throughout its -whole interior, cleansed, and fumigated; a process which, owing to the -risk incurred by the individuals employed in the work, and the species -of quarantaine to which they are subjected during its continuance, is -sufficiently expensive to deter the poorer portions of the population -from declaring the presence of the disease in their families; as, -combined with their forty days of exile in the mountains, during which -time they are, of course, unable to earn any thing for the future -support of the survivors, it subjects them to want and misery, which -they seek to evade by running a greater, but, as they fondly hope, less -certain risk. They trust to their _felech_, or constellation, that the -infection will not spread, and are undoubtedly, in many cases, the more -readily induced to do this, that they have at least the melancholy -satisfaction of closing the eyes of their dead, and of seeing them -expire amid their “household gods;” instead of knowing that their last -hour was one of despairing abandonment, as well as of acute agony; and -having to search for their bodies in the desolate spots to which their -wretchedness might have driven them. - -It has been ascertained that atmospherical changes have no influence on -the plague. It rages amid the snow-storm as virulently as beneath the -scorching suns of summer. Diet does not affect it—The street-porter, -living upon black bread, and fruit frequently immature, and the -Effendi, whose tray is spread with culinary delicacies, are alike liable -to be smitten. - -Its origin and its cure are both unknown—It is the hair-suspended sword -ever ready to do its work of death; and none can foretell the moment in -which the blow may come.—It chases the haughty Sultan from his Palace; -and the labourer from his hut—It is in the close and thickly-peopled -streets of the city, and on board the majestic vessels that ride the -blue waves of the Bosphorus—And there is not a sojourner in the East -who can forget the first occasion on which, when he asked the meaning of -the gloom that hung upon men’s brows, and the mysterious murmur that ran -through the crowd on a new outbreak of the malady, he was answered by -some passer-by,—“IT IS THE PLAGUE!” - -There can be no doubt that at the present time,[9] the pestilence has -spread farther and faster than it might otherwise have done from the -extreme scarcity, indeed, I may almost say, want of water in the -Capital. The poorer classes, whose means render them unable to purchase -this necessary of life at an exorbitant price from the individuals who -established an extemporaneous trade, by freighting their caïques with -water at the European villages on the Channel, and vending it in the -city, being necessitated to make use of foul and stagnant pools for the -purpose of preparing their food; and to dispense almost entirely with a -beverage generally taken to excess by both sexes. - -As the wells and tanks of the nearest hamlets failed, the water-sellers -extended their voyages even to Therapia; and their demands became -comparatively extravagant. Men watched the clouds in vain—the sun set -in a blaze of gold and purple; and morning broke in blushes from behind -the Asian mountains—the noon-day sky was blue and bright—not a vapour -passed across its beauty—and no rain fell. Women crowded about the -fountains in the vain hope that each moment the exhausted spring might -well out afresh—Children wept, and asked vainly for their accustomed -draught; the marble basins of the city remained empty, and the bright -sunbeams played upon the smooth surface of the glittering stone. - -On the Asian shore, the waters had not yet failed; and the famous -fountain of Scutari, fed by a mighty volume descending from the dusky -mountain of Bulgurlhu, still poured forth its flashing stream; but, from -some superstition, whose nature I was unable to ascertain, the -authorities did not permit the transfer of water from the Asiatic to the -European shore; and this noble fountain, which would have supplied all -the wants of the city, was suffered to flow on, and waste its stream in -the channel. - -I shall not easily forget the constant succession of busy human beings, -who, from day-dawn to dusk, thronged the mouth of a well not a hundred -paces from our residence at Yenikeuÿ. Every cistern in the lower quarter -of the village had become exhausted; but this solitary well, fed from a -mountain source, still held out; and it was only by the necessity of -lengthening the ropes to which the buckets were affixed, and the -consequent increase of labour required to raise them, that any -diminution of the water could be perceived. - -Children of ten or twelve years of age could no longer, as heretofore, -accomplish this portion of the household toil: nor would they, even had -their strength sufficed to the effort, have been able to make it: for as -the demand for water increased on all sides, the battle was truly to the -strong at the village well. Men who met as friends, and greeted each -other kindly as they approached it, strove and struggled for precedence, -until they at length parted in wrath, and frequently with blows; while -the owners of the neighbouring cottages, to whose exclusive use this -spring had hitherto been considered sacred, murmured in vain at the -intrusion on their privileges, and were fain to strive and struggle like -the strangers. - -The reason adduced by the Greeks for the abundance of water in this -well, was the sanctity conferred on it by the priesthood at the close -of the previous vintage; when they had made a solemn procession to its -mouth, and flung in a handful of small silver coins, contributed for the -purpose by the poorer inhabitants of the village, a small vase of holy -water, and a pinch of consecrated salt! - -While the drought was at its height, a community of Turning Dervishes -made a pilgrimage to the Sweet Waters; where the Barbyses, always a very -inconsiderable stream, had shrunk to half its accustomed volume; and -there, having previously prostrated themselves in prayer, they performed -their evolutions round the principal cistern of the valley; and at a -certain point of the ceremony flung into the air small vessels of red -clay, fresh from the potter’s hands, while, as they fell back, they -besought that every empty tank might overflow, and every goblet be -filled. - -The spectacle was a very striking one; and it was followed by the -observance of another yet more touching. At dusk the village children, -walking two and two, and each carrying a bunch of wild flowers, drew -near the cistern in their turn; and sang, to one of the thrilling -melodies of the country, a hymn of supplication; while at the conclusion -of each stanza, they scattered a portion of the blossoms over the -shattered fragments of the vases flung into the basin by the Dervishes. - -Nothing could be more affecting! Man, shrinking under a consciousness of -his unworthiness, put his prayer into the mouth of innocent infancy; as -though he trusted to the supplication uttered by pure lips and guileless -hearts, when he dared not hope for mercy through his own agency. Every -evening during the drought, that “linked chain” of childhood repaired to -the same spot, and raised the same song of entreaty to an all-powerful -Creator; and the echoes of the Valley flung back the infant voices of -the choir as they swelled upon the wind of evening with a pathos which -affected me to tears. It was only on the day preceding that of our -departure from Constantinople that the prayer was answered; and, as the -light vapoury rain fell upon the parched and yawning earth, my thought -instantly reverted to the infant choristers of the Sweet Waters; whose -artless hymn may be freely translated as follows:— - - - HYMN OF THE TURKISH CHILDREN. - - Allah! Father! hear us; - Our souls are faint and weak: - A cloud is on our mother’s brow, - And a tear upon her cheek. - We fain would chase that cloud away, - And dry that sadd’ning tear; - For this it is to-night we pray— - Allah! Father! hear. - - We seek the cooling fountain, - Alas! we seek in vain; - The cloud that crowns the mountain - Melts not away in rain. - The stream is shrunk which through our plain - Once glided bright and clear; - Oh! ope the secret springs again— - Allah! Father! hear. - - We bring thee flowers, sweet flowers, - All withered in their prime; - No moisture glistens on their leaves, - They sickened ere their time. - And we like them shall pass away - Ere wintry days are near; - Shouldst thou not hearken as we pray— - Allah! Father! hear. - - - - -CHAPTER XXIII. - - - A Greek Marriage—The Day before the Bridal—The Wedding - Garments—Cachemires—Ceremony of Reception—The Golden - Tresses—Early Hours of the Greek Church—Love of the Greek - Women for Finery—The Bridal Procession—The Marriage—The - Nuptial Crowns—Greek Funerals. - - -There are few ceremonies more amusing (for that is really the correct -term) than a Greek marriage. All is glitter and gossipy; and so many -ancient and classical usages are still retained, that it is a curious as -well as an interesting sight to a stranger. - -Having received an invitation to the wedding of a fair neighbor, I -joined a party of friends who were about to visit her, according to -custom, on the previous day; to offer their congratulations, and to give -their opinions with regard to the bridal gear, as well as to assist in -weaving the golden tresses by which a Greek bride is always -distinguishable. - -We found one of the daughters of the family waiting to receive us on the -terrace; and, as she stood smiling and blushing in reply to our -salutations, her bright black eyes dancing with joy, under the shadow -of an overhanging vine, whose clusters of rich purple grapes fell -temptingly through the open trellises, she formed as pretty a picture of -young, gay, light-hearted beauty, as the eye ever lingered on. When we -had exchanged compliments, she led us through the center saloon to an -inner apartment, where we found the bride elect; a fair, dove-eyed girl, -who was sitting upon the sofa with her hand clasped in that of one of -her young companions. - -On one side of the room were displayed the bridal dresses; and on the -other were collected all the smaller articles of her toilette. It was a -confusion of blonde, and gauze, and flowers, and diamonds; satin -slippers, embroidered handkerchiefs, and cachemire shawls; and I really -pitied the owner of all this finery when I remarked how much she was -harassed and oppressed by the commotion which surrounded her, and the -crowd of company that came and went in one endless stream. - -Sweetmeats and coffee having been served, every article of the bridal -costume was exhibited separately to the guests, commented on, and -replaced. The shawls and jewels were examined with the most earnest -attention, for these gauds are the glory of the Greek women, who, in -speaking of a married acquaintance, seldom tell you that she is happy -from being the wife of a man of amiability and high principle; but -invariably reply to your inquiry by the assurance that she is a most -fortunate person, to whom her husband has given six or seven cachemires; -or that she is, poor thing! very much to be pitied, having been thrown -away upon an individual who can only afford to allow her a couple of -shawls! To such a height, indeed, do the Greek ladies carry their love -for this article of dress, and their desire to display it, that they -will suffocate in a cachemire during the hottest day in summer, and even -wear it in a ball-room! - -When all the bridal paraphernalia had been exhibited, the mother of the -bride entered the room, carrying in one hand a fillagreed silver essence -bottle, and in the other a censer of the same material, in which were -burning aloes, myrrh, and perfumed woods. Making the tour of the -apartment, she flung the perfume over each individual, varying her -address according to the circumstances of the guests. To the unmarried -she accompanied the action by saying, “May your own bridal -follow!”—while to the matrons of the party she said, “May you also see -the bridal of your children!” - -When the old lady had withdrawn, all the more youthful of the visitors -formed a group in the center of the floor. One laughing girl held a pair -of diminutive scales; and another was laden with the glittering skeins -of flat gold thread, of which were to be woven the singular head-dress -to which I have already made allusion. The gallantry of the bridegroom -had induced him to send forty drachms of this expensive gewgaw to his -fair mistress, instead of ten; the largest quantity that the laws of the -Greek Church allow to be worn; and the first care of the party was, -consequently, to separate the skeins, and to weigh out the portion -destined for the bride. When this had been accomplished, a score of us -were employed at once. The threads were drawn out singly, in lengths of -about three yards, and were then woven together at the end into a sort -of coronet, whence they fell in a golden shower to the floor. - -When this pretty and amusing occupation was over, we took our leave, -each embracing the bride in turn, who still retained her place upon the -sofa; and every individual, as she passed the bridal gear, flinging over -it a handful of small silver coin. - -I was summoned on the morrow at an early hour; for all the religious -ceremonies of the Greeks are performed at most unseasonable times. Even -their Sunday mass, when the poorer portions of the population, after -having toiled throughout the previous six days, might be excused a -little sluggishness, commences at daybreak; and no one who has spent -four months in a Greek village, as we did, can have failed to be -awakened at dawn by the rattling together of the two cedar sticks, -which are the substitute for a bell; followed by the frightful drawl of -the inferior priest, who traverses the streets, and utters a second -invitation to prayer, half growl and half shriek; infinitely more -calculated to frighten away the pious from his vicinity, than to induce -them to seek it. - -But the call is, nevertheless, answered. Every cottage pours forth its -inhabitants; and even at daybreak the females deck themselves out in all -the finery of which they are possessed. Here it is a red gown, and a -yellow shawl—there a blue turban, and a pair of pink shoes—in short, -there is nothing more laughable than the idea that the poorer class of -Greek women entertain of a becoming toilette. Your maid answers the -clapping of your hands, (for bells there are none in Eastern houses) in -a turban of colored muslin or gauze a yard square, and half a yard high; -or, if she be an elderly woman, in a little red woollen cap with a -purple silk tassel, bound to her head by a painted handkerchief, over -which is twisted a thick plait of hair, generally false—the shortest of -petticoats, the most showy of stockings, the smartest of aprons, and a -pair of earrings frequently hanging to her shoulders; and poor indeed -must be the female servant in a Greek family who is not the happy -possessor of three or four gold rings! - -But I have, meanwhile, forgotten the pretty bride, who was to be -married at the house of an intimate friend of our’s; and who, on my -arrival there, was momentarily expected. The center of the great saloon -was covered by a Turkey carpet, on which stood a reading-desk, overlaid -by a gold-embroidered handkerchief, and supporting a Bible and the two -marriage rings; the whole bright with the profusion of silver money that -had been scattered over them. The lady of the house was to officiate as -“Godmother” to the bride, an office somewhat similar to that of -bride’s-maid; and she was even at that early hour sparkling with jewels. - -At length the sounds of music announced the arrival of the marriage -train; and we hastened to a window to watch for their approach. The -procession was an interesting one. The musicians were succeeded by the -bridegroom elect, walking between his own father and the father of his -bride; the fair girl followed, accompanied by a couple of her young -companions; and the two mothers, attended by “troops of friends,” closed -the train. - -They were met at the threshold by the Archbishop of Nournaudkeüy and a -party of priests, who immediately commenced chanting the marriage -service; and, as they ascended the stairs, showers of money were flung -over them from above. - -In five minutes, the spacious saloon was filled to suffocation; the -young couple were placed upon the edge of the carpet; the nuptial -crowns, formed of flowers, ribbons, and gold-thread, were deposited on -the reading-desk; and the rector of the parish, in a robe of brocaded -yellow satin fringed with silver, began a prayer, that was caught up at -intervals by the choral boys, and repeated in a wild chant. At the -conclusion of this prayer, which was of considerable length, the -attendant priests flung over the Archbishop his gorgeous vestments of -violet satin, embroidered with gold, and girdled with tissue; and he -advanced to the reading-desk, and took thence the two brilliant diamond -rings, with which he made the cross three times, on the forehead, lips, -and breast of the contracting parties; and then placed them in the hand -of the “Godmother,” who, putting one upon the finger of each, continued -to hold them there while the Prelate read a portion of the Gospel: after -which she changed them three times, leaving them ultimately in the -possession of their proper owners. This done, the Archbishop put the -hand of the bride into that of her husband, and went through the same -ceremonies with the nuptial crowns that he had previously enacted with -the rings; they were then placed upon the heads of the young couple; -and, a goblet of wine being presented to the Archbishop, he blessed it, -put it to his lips, handed it to the bride and bridegroom, and thence -delivered it up to the “Godmother.” - -The crowns were next changed three several times from the one head to -the other; and, several wax candles being lighted, as I have described -them to have been during the Easter ceremonies at the Fanar, the whole -party walked in procession round the carpet; and then it was that the -silver shower fell thick and fast about them: the floor was literally -covered. - -When the chanting ceased, the bride raised the hand of her new-made -husband to her lips; after which every relative and friend of either -party approached, and kissed them on the forehead. The Archbishop cast -off his robes; the children scrambled for the scattered money; the band -in the outer hall burst into an enlivening strain; and such of the -company as were of sufficient rank to entitle them to do so, followed -the bride, and the lady of the house to an inner saloon; where a train -of servants were in attendance, bearing trays of preserved fruits and -delicate little biscuits, which were given to each person to carry away. -Liqueurs were then offered, and subsequently coffee; after which each -married lady made a present to the bride of some article of value, -previously to her departure for her home, whither we all accompanied her -in procession; and took our leave at the portal to return to the house -of her friends, and join in the cheerful morning-ball which was about -to commence. - -The effect of the golden tress that I had assisted to weave was very -beautiful, binding as it did the rich dark hair of the bride upon her -fair young brow, and then falling to her feet; and her whole costume -would have been eminently graceful, had she not been sinking under the -heat and weight of the eternal cachemire. The nuptial crowns which I -have mentioned are about a foot in height, and shaped like a beehive; -when they were removed from the heads of the young couple, they were -carefully enveloped in a handkerchief of colored gauze, and borne away -to be hung up in the chapel of the bridegroom’s house; where they will -remain until the death of either of the parties, when the deceased is -crowned for the second and last time, in the open coffin in which he is -borne to the grave. - -The Greeks make almost as much toilette for a funeral as for a marriage. -Where the deceased is young and pretty, she is decked out in her gayest -apparel, and not unfrequently has her eyebrows stained, and a quantity -of rouge spread over her cheeks, to cheat death for a few brief hours of -his lividness; her gloved hands are carefully displayed; she is tricked -out in jewels; and this frightful mockery is rendered still more -revolting by the fact that she is thus paraded through the streets, -followed by her female relatives, who weep, and shriek, and bewail -themselves with a transient violence truly national. At the grave-side -all the finery is stripped from the stiffened corpse: the friends carry -it away; a cover is placed over the coffin; and the poor remains, that -were only a few instants previously so lavishly adorned, are consigned -to the earth of which they are so soon to form a part. - - - - -CHAPTER XXIV. - - - The Fèz Manufactory—Singular Scene—A Turk at Prayers—Pretty - Girls—Progress of Turkish Industry—Mustapha Effendi—Process - of Manufactures—Omer Effendi and the Arabs—Avanis Aga, the - Armenian—The Fraud Discovered—The Imperial - Apartments—Departure for the Seraï-Bournou—The Outer - Court—The Orta Kapoussi—The Pestle and Mortar of the - Ulémas—The Garden of Delight—The Column of - Theodosius—Arrival of the Sultan—Ancient Greek - Inscriptions—Confused Inscription—The Diamond—Memories of - Sultan Selim. - - -No traveller should leave Constantinople without paying a visit to the -Fèz Manufactory of Eyoub, where all the caps for the Sultan’s armies are -now made. The building, which is entirely modern, and admirably adapted -to its purpose, stands in the port, near the palace of Azmè Sultane, on -the site of an ancient Imperial residence. It is under the control of -Omer Lufti Effendi, late Governor of Smyrna, a man of known probity and -talent:[10] and its immediate superintendence has been intrusted to -Mustapha Effendi; whose ready courtesy to strangers enables European -travellers to form an accurate idea of the state and progress of the -establishment. - -After a delightful row from Galata, we landed at the celebrated pier of -Eyoub; and, accompanied by a personal friend of Mustapha Effendi, -proceeded to the manufactory, which we entered by the women’s door. As -we passed the threshold a most curious scene presented itself. About -five hundred females were collected together in a vast hall, awaiting -the delivery of the wool which they were to knit; and a more -extraordinary group could not perhaps be found in the world. - -There was the Turkess with her yashmac folded closely over her face, and -her dark feridjhe falling to the pavement: the Greek woman, with her -large turban, and braided hair, covered loosely with a scarf of white -muslin, her gay-coloured dress, and large shawl: the Armenian, with her -dark bright eyes flashing from under the jealous screen of her -carefully-arranged veil, and her red slipper peeping out under the long -wrapping cloak: the Jewess, muffled in a coarse linen cloth, and -standing a little apart, as though she feared to offend by more -immediate contact; and among the crowd some of the loveliest girls -imaginable. - -At the moment of our arrival, Mustapha Effendi was at prayers; and we -accordingly seated ourselves to await him in an inner apartment, -well-carpeted, and occupied by half a dozen clerks, who were busily -employed in recording the quantity of wool delivered to each applicant: -their seats were divided from the women’s hall by a partition about -breast-high; and I remarked that the prettiest girls were always those -whose accounts were the most tedious. - -On the other side of this spacious office was a wool-store, where a -score of individuals were busily employed in weighing and delivering out -the wool; and all were so active, and so earnest in their occupation, -that the most sceptical European would have been compelled to admit, -when looking on them, that the Turk is no longer the supine and -spiritless individual which he has been so long considered. - -Immediately that his prayer was completed, Mustapha Effendi invited us -to pass into his private room; a pleasant apartment opening to the -water, and most luxuriously cushioned. Here coffee and chibouks were -served; after which a couple of the knitters were introduced, in order -that we might see the different qualities of wool, necessary to the -manufacture of the various kinds of fèz. - -During their performance, Mustapha Effendi asked many questions -relatively to Europe; and particularly how the English government were -now disposed towards the Turks; and expressed his curiosity to learn the -impression which the present state of the people had made upon -ourselves. He appeared to have been piqued by some American travellers -who had visited the establishment; for at the close of the conversation -he said earnestly; “Europe begins to know us better; and the Franks to -judge us more honestly—_Inshallàh_—I trust in God, that the day will -yet come when we shall be able to convince even the Americans, that we -are not wild beasts anxious to devour them.” - -When we had passed an hour with the Superintendent, we proceeded to -inspect the establishment, which is on a very extensive scale, three -thousand workmen being constantly employed. The workshops are spacious, -airy, and well-conducted; the wool, having been spread over a -stone-paved room on the ground-floor, where it undergoes saturation with -oil, is weighed out to the carders, and thence passes into the hands of -the spinners, where it is worked into threads of greater or less size, -according to the quality of fèz for which it is to be made available. -The women then receive it in balls, each containing the quantity -necessary for a cap; and these they take home by half a dozen or a dozen -at a time, to their own houses, and on restoring them receive a shilling -for each of the coarse; and seventeen pence for each of the fine ones. - -The next process is the most inconvenient, although perhaps the most -simple of the whole. As soon as spun, the caps are washed with cold -water and soap; but, there being no rush of water sufficiently strong in -the immediate vicinity of the capital, they are obliged to be sent to -Smit, distant about ten leagues, where they are scoured and dried, and -ultimately returned to Eyoub, in order to be completed. Each fèz then -undergoes three different operations of clipping and pressing; and at -the termination of the third has no longer the slightest appearance of -knitted wool, but all the effect of a fine close cloth. The next process -is that of dyeing the cap a rich deep crimson; and herein existed a -difficulty which has been but lately overcome, and of which I shall give -an account when I have sketched the whole routine of the manufacture. - -Having been immersed during several hours in large coppers constantly -stirred, and kept upon the boil, the caps are flung into a marble trough -filled with running water, where they are trodden by a couple of men; -and afterwards given to the blockers, who stretch them over earthen -moulds to enable them to take a good shape. They are subsequently -removed to the drying-room, where they are kept in a perpetual current -of air until all the damp is removed; and thence delivered up to the -head workmen, who raise the nap of the wool with the head of the -bullrush, and then clip it away with huge shears; precisely as cloth is -dressed in England. Pressing follows, and the fèz is ultimately carried -to the marker, who works into the crown the private cypher of the -manufacture, and affixes the short cord of crimson which is to secure -the _flock_ or tassel of purple silk, with its whimsical appendage of -cut paper. The last operation is that of sewing on the tassels: and -packing the caps into parcels containing half a dozen each, stamped with -the Imperial seal. - -The whole process is admirably conducted. The several branches of the -establishment are perfectly distinct; and the greatest industry appears -to prevail in every department. The manufactory was suggested and -founded by Omer Lufti Effendi, in consequence of the extremely high -price paid by the Sultan to the Tunisians, with whom this fabric -originated, for the head-dress of his troops. Having induced a party of -Arabian workmen from Tunis to accompany him to Constantinople, he -established them in the old palace, which has since been replaced by the -present noble building; and under their direction the knitting and -shaping of the caps acquired some degree of perfection. - -But the dye was a secret beyond their art; and the Turkish government, -anxious to second the views of the energetic Omer Effendi, made a second -importation of Tunisians with no better success, although they were -chosen from among the most efficient workmen of their country. The -caps, while they were equal both in form and texture to those of Tunis, -were dingy and ill-coloured; and the Arabs declared that the failure of -the dye was owing to the water in and about Constantinople, which was -unfavourable to the drugs employed. - -As a last hope, a trial was made at Smit, but with the same result; and -the attempt to localise the manufacture was about to be abandoned, when -Omer Effendi, suspecting the good faith of the Arabian workmen, -disguised a clever Angorian Armenian, named Avanis Aga, as a Turk, whom -he placed as a labourer in the dye-room. Being a good chemist and a -shrewd observer, Avanis Aga, affecting a stupidity that removed all -suspicion, soon made himself master of the secret which it so much -imported his anxious patron to learn; and, abandoning the ignoble besom -that he had wielded as the attendant of the Tunisian dyers, immediately -that he discovered the fraud which, either in obedience to the secret -orders of their Regent, or from an excess of patriotism, they had been -practising ever since their arrival; he set himself to work in secret; -and, with the water of Smit, dyed two caps, which, having dried, he -presented to Omer Effendi, who was unable to distinguish them from those -of Tunis. - -Delighted at the successful issue of his experiment, Omer Effendi -summoned the Arabs to his presence, and shewed them the fèz; when, -instantly suspecting the masquerade that had betrayed them, they -simultaneously turned towards the Armenian, and, throwing their turbans -on the ground, and tearing their hair, they cried out: “Yaccoup! -Yaccoup!” (Jacob! Jacob!) - -The Superintendent having dismissed them, after causing them to be -liberally remunerated for the time which they had spent at -Constantinople, sent them back to Tunis; while Avanis Aga, elected Head -Dyer of the Imperial Manufactory of Eyoub, now enjoys the high honour of -deciding on the exact tint to be worn by Mahmoud the Powerful, the -“Light of the Sun,” and “Shadow of the Universe.” - -Fifteen thousand caps a month are produced at the fabric of Eyoub; and -they are said to equal those of Tunis. The finest Russian and Spanish -wools are employed, and no expense is spared in order to render them -worthy of the distinguished patronage with which the Sultan has honoured -them. The Imperial apartments at the manufactory are elegantly fitted -up, and sufficiently spacious to accommodate a numerous suite; and, as -the building faces the Arsenal, His Highness is a frequent visitor to -the establishment of Omer Effendi, where he sometimes passes several -consecutive hours. - -When we had made the tour of the manufactory, we returned to the -apartment of Mustapha Effendi, where we partook of coffee and sherbet; -and after expressing the sincere gratification we had experienced in our -survey, we took our leave; and once more nestling ourselves into the -bottom of our caïque, we darted off to the Seraï Bournou, where an -officer of the Sultan’s household was waiting to admit us, _en -cachette_; the prevalence of plague having added to the jealousy with -which His Highness ever forbids the ingress of strangers within its -walls. - -The first court of this celebrated seraglio does not convey any idea of -regality to the visitor. It is rather an excrescence than an appendage -to the Palace: containing on the right hand the infirmaries, the -bakehouses, and the wood-stores; and on the left, the Greek church of -St. Irene, now converted into an arsenal. On a line with this desecrated -temple is the Mint, in which are lodged the _Taraf-hanè_, or Inspector, -and the _Chehir Encine_, or Superintendent, of the Public Buildings. - -Passing along beside a high wall, we arrived at the _Orta Kapoussi_, or -Middle Gate, which is flanked by two towers forming a _saillie_; and -close beside it the _Dgillat Odossi_, or Executioner’s Room, was pointed -out to us, where the Viziers who are condemned to death or exile are -generally arrested: hence the expression, “arrested between the two -doors.” - -Above the gateway is a line of spikes, on which the forfeited heads were -exposed, to blacken in the sunshine. And here used formerly to be -exhibited the pestle and mortar with which the Muftis and Ulemas were -destroyed. Having themselves framed the laws by which the country was to -be governed, and fearing to suffer sooner or later by their own agency, -these “second Daniels” decided that their own body could not legally -suffer death either by the bowstring, the sword, the bullet, water, or -famine: thus destroying, as they believed, all power over their lives. -But there were other spirits awake as wily as their own; and the pestle -and mortar of the _Orta Kapoussi_ were adopted, in which the unhappy -wretches, taken in their own toils, were literally pounded to death! -Whether these extraordinary and revolting instruments of torture are -still in existence, I know not; but it is certain that they are no -longer exhibited as objects of curiosity. - -Within the middle gate commences the splendour of the Seraï. Elaborate -gilding and curious arabesques are profusely lavished on its inner side; -whence an avenue of beeches leads to the third door, opening into the -kiosk-crowded “Garden of Delight,” wherein former Sultans were wont to -receive the European Ambassadors. - -Beyond the vast and golden-latticed building formerly appropriated to -this purpose, the eye is bewildered by the confusion of many shaped and -glittering pavilions scattered about on all sides; and I, unfortunately, -had not time to examine them at my leisure; as I was requested -previously to my survey to visit one of the officers of the household, -who possessed the power of introducing me into the harem. Thither we -accordingly went; and found the courteous Effendi smoking his chibouk in -a sort of garden parlour, overlooking the enclosure in which stands the -Column of Theodosius. - -[Illustration: COLUMN OF THEODOSIUS.] - -As soon as we were seated, I requested permission to sketch this -interesting monument, which he at first refused from a dread of being -compromised by my entrance into the Seraï, but after a little reluctance -he complied, and I hastily availed myself of his politeness. Well was it -for me that I did so, for I had scarcely replaced my pencils, when an -attendant, breathless with haste, entered the room, exclaiming, “Hide -the lady! Hide the Franks!—The Sultan has just arrived in the second -court!” - -All was instantly confusion. We made a hasty retreat by another gate; -and, passing along to the water’s edge, traced upon the mouldering walls -several inscriptions in ancient Greek. One ran thus: “Theodosius, King -by the grace of Christ;” another; “The Illustrious Theodosius, the great -King by the Grace of Christ;” while numberless crosses and -half-obliterated sentences still remain, which are beyond solution. - -Altogether I brought away from the Seraï Bournou, a mere confused -impression of gilding and splendour; of domes, and kiosks, and gardens; -of lofty walls and gleaming lattices. On passing under what is called -the Gate of Constantine, the spot was pointed out to me on which a boy, -being a few months ago engaged in play with a party of children of his -own age, had dug up a brilliant, weighing between twenty eight and -thirty carats; since which period that narrow passage has also been -closed against the public. As our caïque darted past the golden gate of -the Imperial harem, I lost myself in reveries of all the guilt, and -suffering, and despair, which had made the celebrated Palace of the -Point the theme of story, and an object of undying interest to the -curious. I seemed to see the quivering body of the unfortunate -Selim—the Sardanapalus of the East—flung from the walls in mockery; -and to hear the taunt of his murderers as they cast him forth—“Traitors -and Rebels! there is your Sultan—Do with him as you will!” - -This was the most recent tragedy of the Seraï Bournou, and perhaps one -of the saddest; and, as I glanced around me, and remembered how many of -his works had outlived him, I forgot my own disappointment in -commiserating the fate of a Sovereign, who, sensual and supine though he -was, yet possessed qualities both of the heart and the head, which -should have arrested the weapons of his assassins, and secured to him -the affections of his adherents. - - - - -CHAPTER XXV. - - - Social Condition of the Eastern Jews—Parallel between the Jews - of Europe and the Levant—Cruelty of the Turkish Children to - Jews—A Singular Custom—Religious Strictness of the - Jews—National Administration—The House of Naim Zornana of - Galata—Costume of the Jewish Women—Hebrew Hospitality. - - -I never saw the curse denounced against the children of Israel more -fully brought to bear than in the East; where it may be truly said that -“their hand is against every man, and every man’s hand against -them,”—Where they are considered rather as a link between animals and -human beings, than as men possessed of the same attributes, warmed by -the same sun, chilled by the same breeze, subject to the same feelings, -and impulses, and joys, and sorrows, as their fellow mortals. - -There is a subdued and spiritless expression about the Eastern Jew, of -which the comparatively tolerant European can picture to himself no -possible idea until he has looked upon it. The Israelite of Europe has a -peculiar physiognomy; a crouching, self-humbling, constrained manner; -but there is “a lurking devil in his eye,” which at once convinces you -that it is the hope of gain rather than the fear of insult, which -teaches him that over-acted subserviency of carriage. You may detect the -internal chuckle of self-gratulatory success; the stealthy glance of -calculating caution; the sudden flashing out of the spirit’s triumph, as -transitory as it is vivid. But the Jew of Turkey knows not even the poor -enjoyment of these momentary outbreaks of our common nature; “he eats -his bread in bitterness,” and comes forth from beneath his own roof-tree -with fear and trembling, to pursue his calling; and to mingle, even -unequally, in the avocations of his task-masters. - -It is little to be wondered at, therefore, that the bitterness of hatred -is blent with the terror of the Jew, in his commerce with his Moslem -lords; nor that his heart burns as he treads their highways, and wanders -through their cities. But this is a secret and impotent revenge; and, -even while his spirit pours forth “curses not loud, but deep,” he only -crouches the more servilely beneath the power that crushes him, lest the -yoke should be pressed down yet more heavily, and the burthen be -doubled. - -It is impossible to express the contemptuous hatred in which the -Osmanlis hold the Jewish people; and the veriest Turkish urchin who may -encounter one of the fallen nation on his path, has his meed of insult -to add to the degradation of the outcast and wandering race of Israel. -Nor dare the oppressed party revenge himself even upon this puny enemy, -whom his very name suffices to raise up against him. - -I remember, on the occasion of the great festival at Kahaitchana, seeing -a Turkish boy of perhaps ten years of age, approach a group of Jewesses, -and deliberately fixing upon one whose delicate state of health should -have been her protection from insult, give her so violent a blow as to -deprive her of consciousness, and level her to the earth. As I sprang -forward to the assistance of this unfortunate, I was held back by a Turk -of my acquaintance, a man of rank, and I had hitherto believed, divested -of such painful prejudices; who bade me not agitate, or trouble myself -on the occasion, as the woman was _only a Jewess_! And of the numbers of -Turkish females who stood looking on, not one raised a hand to assist -the wretched victim of gratuitous barbarity. - -Very shortly before our departure from Constantinople, my father and -myself were ascending the hill of Topphannè, on our way to Pera, -followed by a Jewish lad of sixteen or seventeen years of age, heavily -laden with linen drapery, which he was hawking for sale. About mid-way -of the rise we passed a house upon whose doorstep a party of Turkish -boys were amusing themselves; but they no sooner saw the Jew, who was -quietly pursuing his way in the centre of the street, than they -simultaneously quitted the sport with which they were engaged, and, -springing upon the poor youth, they commenced beating him, and -endeavouring to drag from his back the merchandize with which he was -laden. - -The terror of the lad was frightful. The street was, as usual, so filthy -as to entail ruin upon every thing that fell to the ground; and, as he -struggled against the pain of the blows that were showered upon him on -all sides, and the efforts which were made to destroy his goods; the big -tears rolled from his eyes. But the contest was soon terminated by my -father, whose cane liberated the unfortunate Jew from his tormentors in -a very short time; and procured for himself a volley of abuse, the most -_piquante_ of which was: “See the Giaour! the Giaour who fights for the -Jew!”—a specimen of wit that appeared to be greatly relished by a -couple of grave-looking old Turks, who had been unmoved spectators of -the whole scene—the poor lad, meanwhile, like an animal which has been -beaten, and rescued by a passer-by, following crouchingly upon our -footsteps until he entered the High Street. - -A common custom with both the Turks and the Greeks when they pass a -caïque on the water laden with Jews, is to raise one hand, and with -outstretched finger to count their number, which is supposed to bring -some heavy misfortune on the last of the party. The Jews, who have firm -faith in the effect of the spell, writhe with agony as they remark the -action, and never fail collectively to yell forth: “May the curse fall -back upon yourself!” After which the caïques dart onward, each upon its -own errand; the one gay with the subdued mirth of the tormentors, and -the other freighted with new and unnecessary bitterness. - -The Jews of the East, like their brethren of Europe, are the people of -the country who spend their sabbath the most strictly; and who are the -most conscientious in the exercise of their religious observances, and -the most obedient to its professors. Even accustomed as they are to -habits of chicane and extortion, the Jews are seldom guilty of wilful -error in their contributions to the National Chest, for relieving the -wants of the poorer portion of their people; which is supplied from a -tax levied on the provisions consumed by each family, thus falling the -most heavily on the wealthiest of their community. - -The Levantine Jews individually live in the hope, and with the -intention, of terminating their lives at Jerusalem; and, as this -speculation is an expensive one, their energies are quickened by the -necessity it entails of making a gradual provision for so extensive an -outlay; and instances have been frequent in which the father of a -family, feeling that from his advanced age and his failing powers, he -was no longer able to benefit his children by his personal exertions, -has resigned to his sons all his worldly wealth, save the sum necessary -to defray the charges of his pilgrimage; and sometimes alone, and, -sometimes accompanied by his wife, has bidden a last adieu to his -children, and departed to die in the chosen city. - -In order not to be ruined by any political convulsion, or beggared by -any stretch of despotic power, the Jews have a law regulating the -division of their property into three equal proportions. One consists of -floating capital; another is secured in jewels; and the third is -retained in the coin of the country; an arrangement which proved highly -beneficial to that portion of their nation that was compelled from -ecclesiastical persecution to evacuate Portugal and Spain, at the -instigation of Torquemada and other influential members of the clergy: -and to establish themselves in Constantinople; where, through the long -series of years which has succeeded, they have retained the language of -the countries whence they were banished, with such tenacity, that most -of their women are altogether ignorant of the Turkish. - -The Constantinopolitan Jews, who wear a dingy-coloured white cap, -surrounded by a cotton shawl of a small brown pattern, are raïahs, or -vassals to the Porte, and are also distinguishable by their dark purple -boots, and black slippers; while those who cover their heads with a -_calpac_, somewhat similar to that of the Greeks, but surmounted by a -scarlet rosette at the summit of the crown, are either under foreign -protection; or subjects of another country trading temporarily in the -Levant, and enjoying all the prerogatives of that portion of the -community whose costume they adopt; these invariably wear yellow boots, -and slippers similar to those of the Turks. The raïahs, as well as the -strangers, are under the jurisdiction of the Grand Rabbin; the -difference of their position acting only on their external relations, -and not being recognised by their own rulers. - -The Levantine Jews formerly visited the infidelity of their women with -death; but the present Sultan has forbidden to them the exercise of so -severe a law, and the crime is now punished by exile. They marry their -sons at fifteen, and their daughters at ten years of age; and if a -father desires to chastise his child, he is obliged to obtain the -concurrence of the seven Deputy Counsellors, charged with the religious -administration of the nation; who refer the matter to the Grand Rabbin; -whose order in its turn must, ere it can be made available, receive the -sanction of the Porte. The same rule is observed with individuals -charged with any crime, save that these are imprisoned during the -deliberation. - -Having expressed to a friend my desire to visit one of the principal -Jewish families, in order to see the costume of their women, of which I -had heard a great deal; he accompanied my father and myself to the house -of Naim Zornana, with whom he had held some commercial relations. -Nothing could be more miserable than the approach to his dwelling; for, -in order to reach it, we were compelled to traverse the entire length of -the Jew’s Quarter at Galata; nor did the appearance of the house itself, -as we crossed a miserable yard into which it opened, tend to give us a -very favourable idea of the establishment. The window-shutters were -swinging in the wind upon their rusty hinges; the wooden balustrade of a -dilapidated terrace, whose latticed roof was overgrown by a magnificent -vine, was mouldering to decay; the path to the house was choaked with -rubbish; and the timber of which it was built was blackened both by time -and fire. - -The first flight of stairs that we ascended, together with the rooms on -the ground-floor, were quite in keeping with the exterior of the -dwelling: but when we reached the foot of the second, we appeared to -have been suddenly acted upon by magic: the steps were neatly matted, -the walls were dazzlingly white, and at the entrance of the vast _salle_ -into which the several apartments opened, lay a handsome Persian carpet. -Here we were met by the females of the family, and greeted with the -lowliest of all Eastern salutations, ere we were conducted to the -scrupulously clean and handsomely arranged saloon appropriated to the -reception of visiters. - -Never, during my residence in the East, had I looked on any costume -which equalled in richness, and, their head-dresses excepted, in -elegance, the dress of these Jewish females. It was a scene of the -Arabian Nights in action; and for a few moments I was lost in -admiration. The mistress of the house stood immediately in front of the -sofa on which we were seated: she was a tall stately woman, who looked -not as though she belonged to a bowed and rejected race; she had the -eagle eye, the prominent nose, and the high pale forehead of her nation, -with a glance as fiery as it was keen. - -Such as I have described her, she was attired in a full dress of white -silk, confined a little above the hips by a broad girdle of wrought -gold, clasped with gems; both the girdle and the clasps being between -five and six inches in width. Above this robe, she wore a pelisse of -dove-coloured cachemire, lined and overlaid with the most costly sables, -and worth several hundred pounds; the sleeves were large and loose, and -fell back, to reveal the magnificent bracelets which encircled her arms, -and the jewelled rings that flashed upon her fingers. Her turban, of the -usual enormous size worn by all Jewish women, was formed of the painted -muslin handkerchief of the country, but so covered with gems that its -pattern was undistinguishable; while, from beneath it, a deep fringe of -pearls, dropped with emeralds of immense size and value, fell over her -brow, down each side of her face, and ultimately upon her shoulders. - -Behind her were grouped her three daughters-in-law, in dresses nearly -similar, save that, not being widows, they did not wear the heavy -pelisse; and that the gold and pearl embroidered sleeves and bosoms of -their silken robes were consequently visible. The prettiest woman of the -party was her own and only daughter, who had been summoned from the -house of her husband on the previous day, to welcome the return of her -younger brother from Europe, where he had passed five years. She was -nearly fourteen, with an expression half pensive and half playful; a -something which seemed to indicate that her nature was too sad for -smiles, and yet too gay for tears; as though the young bright spirit had -been chilled and withered ere it had felt its freshness, and that it -still struggled to free itself from the thrall. - -Her dress was gorgeous; the costly garniture of gold and jewels, which -almost made her boddice appear to be one mass of light, was continued to -the knee of her tunic, where it parted to form a deep hem, that entirely -surrounded the skirt of the garment. The jewelled fringe of her turban -was supported on either temple by a large spray of brilliants, and fell -upon a border of black floss silk that rested on her fair young brow. -Her arms were as white as snow, and seemed almost as dazzling as the -gems which bound them; while her slender waist was compressed by a -golden girdle similar in fashion, but richer in design, than that of her -mother. - -In their girlhood, the Jewish females take great pride in the adornment -of their hair, but from the moment of their marriage it is scrupulously -hidden; so scrupulously, indeed, that they wear a second handkerchief -attached to the turban behind, which falls to the ground, in order to -conceal the roots of the hair that the turban may fail to cover. - -A sweet little girl of about nine years of age, the affianced wife of -one of the brothers, was introduced, in order to show me the difference -of head-dress; and assuredly her _coiffure_ was a most elaborate affair. -She must have worn at least fifty braids, each secured at the end by a -knot of pearls and ribbon; while her little chubby hands were literally -covered with jewelled rings; and her feet, like those of the elder -females, simply thrust into richly embroidered slippers. - -The courtesy and hospitality of the whole family were extreme. They -appeared delighted at the unusual circumstance of receiving Christians, -who appreciated their kindly intentions; and when I promised, in -compliance with their earnest request, that I would repeat my visit, I -had no intention to fail in the pledge. - - - - -CHAPTER XXVI. - - - Hospitality of the Armenians—An Impromptu Visit—The - Bride—Costly Costume—Turkish Taste—Kind Reception—Domestic - Etiquette of the Schismatic Armenians—Armenian Sarafs—The - National Characteristics. - - -I cannot, perhaps, give a better idea of the hospitable feeling of the -Armenians, than by relating a little adventure which happened to a -friend and myself, a few weeks previously to my departure from the East. - -We left home with the intention of paying a visit to the amiable sisters -of Tingler-Oglou, at their residence on the Bosphorus; and, after a -short walk, rang at a great gate which we imagined to be that of their -grounds. The summons was immediately answered; and a lovely girl of -about sixteen having followed the servant to the gate to ascertain the -identity of the visitors, replied to our inquiry for the ladies we -sought, by an invitation to enter. Supposing, from the extreme splendour -of her dress, and the perfect ease of her manner, that she was some -relative of the family whom we had not hitherto met, we at once obeyed -her bidding, and found ourselves on a terrace overshadowed by lime -trees, on which a party of ladies, entirely unknown to us, were whiling -away the time, surrounded by a crowd of attendants. - -Both the place and the persons being strange, we drew back, and -apologised for our unintentional intrusion on the privacy of the family; -when an elderly female, evidently the mistress of the house, motioned us -to seat ourselves on the cushions beside her, telling us that she had -been long desirous of making our acquaintance, and was rejoiced that her -daughter-in-law had possessed wit enough to profit by the opportunity -afforded by our mistake. Of course we availed ourselves of the courtesy; -and the more readily as we immediately discovered that we were in the -grounds of a wealthy Saraf, who was the neighbour of Tingler-Oglou; and -who had lately built the magnificent mansion which lay below the terrace -on the edge of the channel; and married the beautiful girl who stood -beside us, smiling at the success of her harmless deceit. - -She was the bride of a week; and, as I had never before had an -opportunity of seeing the costume of a newly-married Armenian female, I -looked at her with considerable curiosity. Her hair, which was perfectly -black, and extremely luxuriant, hung in a number of glossy braids upon -her shoulders, being bound back from her brow by a handkerchief of gold -gauze, deeply fringed, and thickly covered with diamonds. - -Between her eyebrows was affixed an ornament composed of small -brilliants, and forming the word “bride” in Armenian characters. Her -chemisette was of blue crape, fringed with silver; and her antery of -Broussa silk, worked and edged with gold, bound about her waist with a -costly cachemire. She wore trowsers of figured silk, of a pale blue; -thread stockings, and slippers of pink kid. Her rings and bracelets were -a little fortune in themselves; and, had she known how to adjust her -costume with the intuitive taste of a Turkish woman, she would have been -beautiful; but the Armenian lady is as inferior in elegance to the fair -Osmanli, as the Perote to the European. They wear the same description -of dress, and employ the same materials, but they may, nevertheless, be -distinguished at a glance, from the mere manner of its adjustment. The -one is almost a caricature of the other. I remained long enough in the -East to think the yashmac the most coquettish and becoming of all -head-dresses; but to be either the one or the other it must be arranged -by the fair fingers of a gentle Turk; for when put on as the Armenians -wear it, it is the greatest disfigurement in the world. The same may be -said of the whole of their costume. The inmate of the Turkish harem is -as willow-like and graceful as a swan—the Armenian lady, on the -contrary, overloads herself with shawls and finery; and is, -consequently, fettered in her movements. - -Nothing could be more courteous than our reception by the family with -which we had become so unexpectedly acquainted. The most delicate -sweetmeats and the finest Mocha coffee were served to us by the fair -hands of the bride herself, which were deeply stained with henna; and, -as I have before remarked, blazing with jewels. - -When the refreshments were removed, we made a tour of the grounds; and -were laden by our new friends with tuberoses, orange-blossom, and green -lemons. There was not a courtesy that they did not shew us; not a -flattering epithet which they did not lavish on us; and, as they led us -by the hand from terrace to terrace, they pointed out with intuitive -taste every fine point of view as it opened upon them—lingered beneath -each little garden pavilion wreathed with parasites, where the -passion-flower blossomed beside the creeping rose, and the violet -nestled at the root of the tiger lily—playfully sprinkled us with the -limpid waters of each sparkling fountain, whose marble basin looked like -a glistening lotus in the sunshine—seated us in the painted kiosks -which overhung the water—and selected for us the most tempting produce -of the orangeries. - -When we at length reluctantly took our leave, the pretty bride kissed -our hands with a graceful humility, perfectly charming; and we were -followed to the gate by entreaties that we would renew our visit. To -these I replied by an invitation which was instantly accepted; and on -the morrow my room was a blaze of jewels and gold embroidery. - -The etiquette of a Schismatic Armenian family is infinitely more rigid -than that observed by the Turks. With the latter, the daughter or -daughter-in-law, when in the harem, can seat herself unbidden; although -not, indeed, where she pleases, for her proper place is assigned to her, -and she is not permitted to intrude into those of her elders. But the -young Armenian wife, who may have brought to her husband the dowry of a -million of piastres, and the fair girl who is the heiress of her -father’s house, must remain meekly standing, with folded hands and -patient brow, until the lady-mother gives the gracious signal which -authorises her to occupy a corner of the sofa or the cushion. - -The Armenian Catholics do not enforce so rigorously this domestic -slavery, although they also are fettered by a thousand inconvenient and -inconsequent observances. It is the Schismatics who cling jealously to -all the absurd ceremonials which render their existence as uncomfortable -as they can contrive to make it. The eldest son can smoke before his -father, it is true; but the chibouk is placed in such a position as to -be invisible to the chief of the family, the smoker being obliged to -turn his head backward to press the amber mouthpiece; and, moreover, to -select for this fleeting enjoyment the brief moments when the eyes of -his parent are averted. - -The younger sons dare not produce a chibouk, nor even utter an opinion -before either of these august personages—The mother alone, among the -females of the family, has the privilege of occupying a place on the -sofa, and appropriating a share of the conversation: the younger ladies -only appear before their male relatives when they are summoned, or -compelled to intrude in the performance of some household duty. On all -other occasions they inhabit the harem, which is usually a noble -apartment most luxuriously fitted up, where they knit, embroider, or -idle, as best suits their inclination. Like the Turkish women, they are -passionately fond of flowers, and cultivate them with great assiduity; -their gardens being as remarkable for their neatness, as are the -interior of their dwellings for that extraordinary cleanliness to which -I have borne testimony elsewhere. - -On the arrival of a male visiter, should any of the ladies be wandering -amid the bright blossoms in which they so much delight, the alarm is -instantly given; and they shuffle away to their pretty prison-room as -fast as their heelless slippers will enable them to move. Perhaps the -guest may be a suitor; but if so, the case is not altered one iota. The -lady still runs away, without any attempt to indulge her curiosity by a -peep at her destined lord; while the gentleman, on his side, takes his -seat in the great saloon, and, after smoking a score of pipes, and -making a thousand _teminas_ to the father or brother of his bride elect, -mounts his horse, or resumes his place in his caïque, and departs; in -full possession of all the particulars of the lady’s property; and in -contented ignorance of all that relates to her character or person. - -“Will you take this woman, whether she be halt, or deaf, or humped, or -blind?” asks the priest on the bridal day, as the happy bridegroom -stands opposite to a mummy-like mass of gold threads and cachemire, with -his own monstrous calpac tricked out in the same glittering finery, -until he looks like a male Danaë; and with true stolid Armenian -philosophy he answers: “Even so I will take her.” - -The European young lady associates the idea of marriage with tenderness, -and indulgence, and domestic enjoyment; emancipation from maternal -authority, and comparative personal liberty. She smiles in the stillness -of her own spirit at the fair visions of happiness that rise before her; -and there is no bitterness in the tears with which she quits the home -of her infancy. But the Armenian maiden only exchanges one tyranny for -another—she is transported to the home of a stranger, whom a priest has -told her that she is to love, and whom she has never seen—beneath the -roof-tree of a man whom, henceforward, she is bound to honour, though -her heart may loathe the mockery. To obey is her least difficult duty, -for she has been reared in obedience; but yet she cannot escape the pang -of feeling how much more easy was that blind submission to another’s -will, when it was enforced by the mother who had laid her to sleep upon -her bosom in her infancy, and on whose knee she had sported in her -girlhood; than when she is suddenly called upon to bow meekly beneath -the dictation of a new and strange task-mistress, knit to her by no tie, -save that new and unaccustomed link which has just been riveted by the -church; and by which she has become the slave not only of her husband, -but of his parents also. - -Has she fortune, beauty, rank, they avail her nothing; for two long -years she must not speak before her step-mother, save to reply to some -question that may be put to her; and, should she herself become a -parent, she has yet a sterner and a more difficult task to learn; for -she cannot even fondle her infant before witnesses; but must fly and -hide herself in her own chamber when she would indulge the outpourings -of maternal love. - -How melancholy a contrast does this Armenian barbarism afford to the -beautiful devotedness of every inmate of a Turkish harem to the comfort -and happiness of infancy! There it is difficult to decide which is -really the mother of the rosy, laughing, boisterous baby that is passed -from one to the other; and welcome to the heart and arms of all. The -little plump, spoilt, mischievous urchin, whose life is one long holyday -of fun and frolic; and whose few fleeting tears throw all around him -into commotion. An infant is common property in a Turkish harem—a toy -and a treasure alike to each; whether it be the child of the stately -Hanoum whose will is law, or of the slave whose duty is obedience; and, -it is certain that, if children could really be “killed with kindness,” -the Ottoman Empire, in as far as the Turks themselves are concerned, -would soon be a waste. - -There can, I think, be no doubt that the life of cold, monotonous, -heart-shutting ceremony led by the Armenians among themselves, has been -in a great degree the cause of the stolidity of character with which I -have elsewhere reproached them. It would, perhaps, be difficult to find -a finer race of men in the world, as far as their personal appearance is -concerned: while it is certain that no where could they be exceeded in -mental, or I should rather say, moral inertness. In all affairs of -commerce, where the subject may be reduced by rule, and decided by -calculation, they are competent alike to undertake and to comprehend it: -but once endeavour to while them beyond the charmed circle of their -money-bags; to detach their thoughts for a moment from their piastres; -and they cannot utter three consecutive sentences to which it is not a -waste of time to listen. - -That they are a most valuable portion of the population admits of no -dispute; their steady commercial habits, their unquestioning submission -to “the powers that be;” their plodding, unambitious natures, fit them -admirably for their position in Turkey. Had they more mental energy, -more self-appreciation, and more moral development, they could not -continue to be the tame listless imitators, and idolaters of their -masters that they now are. - -The Armenian holds the same position among the bipeds of the East as the -buffalo among the quadrupeds. He bears his load, and performs his task -with docility, without appearing conscious that he can be capable of any -thing beyond this; and, even the Sarafs, or Bankers to the Pashas, a -class of men in whom I expected to encounter, at least occasionally, an -individual of general acquirements and information, as far as my own -experience went, scarcely formed an exception to the rule. I knew many -among them who were exceedingly amiable, and possessed of great -shrewdness, but it was all professional subtlety; it extended not beyond -the objects on which their personal interests were hinged. Not one in a -score can speak five words of any European language, or be induced to -exhibit the slightest wish to acquire one. In a word, I should say that -the Armenians, as a nation, were worthy, well-meaning, and useful, but -extremely uninteresting members of society; possessing neither the -energy of the Greek, nor the strength of character so conspicuous in the -Osmanli—A money-making, money-loving people, having a proper regard for -the “purple and fine linen” of the world; and quite satisfied to bear -the double yoke of the Sultan and the Priesthood. - - - - -CHAPTER XXVII. - - - Season-Changes at Constantinople—Twilight—The Palace - Garden—Mariaritza, the Athenian—A Love-tale by Moonlight—The - Greek Girl’s Song—The Palace of Beglierbey—Interior - Decorations—The Bath—The Terraces—The Lake of the Swans—The - Air Bath—The Emperor’s Vase—The Gilded Kiosk—A - Disappointment. - - -We had landed at Constantinople amid the snows of winter: we had danced -through the Carnival at the Palaces of Pera: seen the early primroses -spring in the Valley of the Sweet Waters, and the first violets blossom -among the tombs in the Cemetery of Eyoub. We had hailed the brightening -summer as it wrote its approach with flowery fingers amid the bursting -roses of the terrace-gardens, whispered its gentle promises in the low -murmuring breezes which curled lovingly the clear ripple of the -Bosphorus, and made mystic music among the leafy plane-trees. We had -glided over that ripple by moonlight in a fairy-bark, whose golden -glitter flashed back the sweet light that touched it, and whose -broad-bladed oars flung the light spray from them at every stroke, like -mimic stars. - -We had dropped down with the tide under the “hill of the thousand -nightingales,” when they made night vocal with their melody. I shall -never forget that hour! It was in the very heart of summer, and, in the -West the twilight lingers lovingly upon the earth, as though it were -loath to leave a scene of so much beauty: and, in the dim light the -wanderer, who moves slowly among the sights and scents of the most -luxurious of seasons, may see the chalices of the reviving flowers -opening to receive the dew-offering poured forth as if in homage to -their beauty; and the tinted lip of every orient blossom uplifted to the -grateful touch of the tears of night.—It was at the last hour of -daylight; but, in the East, the Giant Darkness overshadows the earth -only for an instant in his approach, ere he lays his sable hand on the -landscape, and effaces its outline. - -I had been passing the day in one of the Palaces that skirt the channel. -It was a season of festivity, and my father and myself had shared, with -about fifty other guests, the princely hospitality of its owner; we had -met early, and, after many hours of excitement and exertion, I felt that -craving for mental repose always the most imperative after a lapse of -time in which the spirit has been more taxed than the physical strength. - -From the supper-room I accordingly strolled into the garden. Daylight -was just looking its last over the waters; and already the shadows of -the Asian hills were looming long upon their surface. I turned -listlessly from the broad path which, overhung with trellised roses, -divided the parterre almost in the centre; and, striking into a screened -way hedged on either side by a deep belt of evergreens and flowering -shrubs, retreated with a rapid step from the immediate neighbourhood of -the illuminated saloons that gave upon the garden; and from whose open -casements the light laughter and mirthful tones of the guests rang -through the evening air. A slight dew was already falling, and the -blossoming trees among which I passed were giving out a cool fresh scent -as the moisture touched them;—an occasional tuft of violets nestling at -their roots flung a rich perfume to the sky; and the faint odour of the -far-off orangery which was already invisible in the fading light, came -occasionally on the breeze like a gush of incense wafted by the hand of -Nature in homage to her God. - -Another breath! and down came the darkness, above and about me. The -stern mountains were faintly pencilled against the horizon—the breeze -sighed through the blossom-laden branches as though it mourned the loss -of the daylight; and conjured, as it seemed, by that soft sound, up -sprang a single star into the Heavens—clear, full, and glittering as -though it had been formed of one pure and perfect diamond; and was -reflected back from the calm bosom of the Bosphorus, in bright but -tempered brilliancy. - -It was a moment of enchantment! And as my eye became accustomed to the -sudden gloom, the whole horizon appeared changed. It was not blackness -that veiled the sky; night wore no sables; but a far-spreading vestment -of deep dense blue, without a vapour to dim its intensity—And slowly, -beautifully, into this empurpled vault, rose the soft moon, whose silver -circle was almost perfect; casting, as she clombe her mysterious path, a -long line of light across the channel which glittered like liquid gems. - -I was still gazing on this glorious spectacle, motionless, and almost -breathless, when I was startled by a deep sigh so near me that I -involuntarily started back a pace or two; but, recovering myself on the -instant, I looked earnestly in the direction whence it had appeared to -come; and, detecting amid the branches the glimmer of a white drapery, I -approached the spot, and found myself standing beside a dark-eyed girl, -who, seated on a broken column under the overarching boughs of a -magnificent cedar tree, was plucking to pieces a branch of -orange-blossom which she had torn from her brow. - -She was dressed in deep mourning, but over her head she had flung the -long loose veil of soft white muslin common to her countrywomen—for -Mariaritza was a Greek—I scarcely know how to describe her, and I quite -despair of making my portrait a likeness, for her’s was not a face that -words can mirror faithfully. I had heard much of her before we met—much -which had excited alike my curiosity and my interest; and, although -since our acquaintance had commenced, that interest had grown almost -into affection, my curiosity still remained ungratified. She must have -been about two and twenty; her stature was low, and her complexion -swarthy; she was limbed like an Antelope; and her coal black hair was -braided smoothly across a brow as haughty as that of an Empress. I am -not quite sure that she had a good feature in her face, except her eyes; -although there have been moments when I have thought her not only -handsome, but even radiantly beautiful—And her eyes—they can be -described like those of no other person—you could not look into them -for a moment without feeling that you were thralled. They were as black -as midnight; long, and peculiarly-shaped, set deeply into the head, and -somewhat closer together than is usual. - -But all this is commonplace. It was not the form and fashion of -Mariaritza’s eyes which made them so singular—it was their -extraordinary and contradictory expression—I have seen them soft and -liquid as those of infancy; and, an instant afterwards, almost fierce in -their blinding brightness. - -As I reached her side she looked up, and the flash of blended ire and -bitterness was in those dark wild eyes, as she exclaimed, without -changing her position: “Ha! Is it indeed you who are cheating yourself -into a belief that you can love the silent night better than the -laughter and the flatteries of yonder empty-hearted fools?” and she -jerked her veiled head impatiently in the direction of the Palace: “You, -the courted, and the caressed; whom they idolise and worship because you -can record them and their’s, and make them subject for song and story in -your own far-off land? Go, go—The night air may chill you—It is not -for such as you to be abroad when the dew is on the earth.” - -I saw that the dark mood was on her. I had known her thus more than -once; and I only answered by drawing a part of her long veil over my own -head, and sitting down on the earth beside her. - -“Nay, if you will really forsake them awhile for _my_ companionship,” -she murmured, while the moonlight that streamed upon her face was not -more soft than the gaze which met mine as I looked up at her: “let us -free ourselves for a while from all risk of intrusion—I have been in -the lime-avenue, but I had well nigh intruded on a love-tale; and when I -would fain have taken refuge in the ruined temple, and found it tenanted -by a Saraf and his pipe-bearer——” - -“And I”—and as I spoke I raised her hand playfully to my lips; “I am to -chace you hence?” - -“You shall, if you so will it;” said Mariaritza: “and if you will trust -yourself with me for a couple of hours——” - -“Any where—everywhere——” - -The young Greek answered only by rising, and moving hastily towards the -house. In a moment I heard the clapping of her small hands; and in five -minutes more her caïque awaited us at the terrace-gate which opened on -the channel. - -“The sternmost caïquejhe is deaf;” whispered Mariaritza; as we -established ourselves on the yielding cushions at the bottom of the -arrow-like boat, and wrapped the furred pelisses with which it was -profusely supplied carefully about us—“we have but to converse in a low -voice, and we shall be safe, even although we should whisper treason of -Mahmoud himself!” - -I answered with a similar jest; and we darted out into the centre of the -channel, and on until we glided beneath the Asian shore. No! I shall -never forget that night—and could I impart to my readers the tale to -which I listened from that passionate Greek girl, in a flood of -moonlight, and to the music of the myriad nightingales, as we crept -along under the shadows of the mighty hills, I might spare the -asseveration. That night I heard all her secret; and from that hour I -loved her! - -Mariaritza was an Athenian; proud of her unsullied descent, and of the -loved land of her birth. She was on a visit to a rich relative at -Constantinople; but she sighed for Greece as the captive sighs for -liberty; and the rather that a wealthy suitor had presented himself, -whom her friends persecuted her to receive. - -“Did they know what is hidden _here_!” she exclaimed, as she alluded to -this new lover, pressing her small hand over her heart while she spoke; -“Could they guess the tale which I have confided to no ear save -your’s—But you are weeping—your tears are bright in the moonlight—GOD -forgive me! but I did not think that you knew how to weep.” - -“Mariaritza!” I whispered reproachfully. - -“Pardon! pardon!” murmured the wayward girl, winding her arm about my -neck; “Our Lady have mercy on me! It is my fate ever to pain those I -love. But I will talk of myself no more—Let us speak of Greece—my own -beautiful Greece!—or, listen—I will sing to you a song that I ought -long to have forgotten, for _he_ wrote it—Did I tell you that he, too, -was an Athenian?” - -And without waiting for a reply, she warbled to a plaintive melody some -Greek stanzas, of which the following is a free translation: - - - THE GREEK GIRL’S SONG. - - My own bright Greece! My sunny land! - Nurse of the brave and free! - How bound the chords beneath my hand - Whene’er I sing of thee— - The myrtle branches wave above my brow, - And glorious memories throng around me now! - - Thy very name was once a spell,— - A watchword in the earth— - With thee the Arts first deigned to dwell— - And o’er thy gentle hearth - The social spirit spread her gleaming wings; - And made it the glad home of pure and lovely things. - - The snowy marble sprang to life - ’Neath thy Promethean touch; - The breeze with sunny song was rife: - (Where now awakens such?) - All that was brightest, best, with thee was found, - And thy sons trod in pride thy classic ground. - - The burning eloquence which dips - Its torch in living fire, - Flowed, like a lava-tide, from lips - That, from the funeral-pyre - Of by-past ages plucked a burning brand, - To shed new light o’er thee, thou bright and glorious land. - - They tell me thou art nothing now— - I spurn the unholy thought! - The beam is yet upon thy brow - Which erst from Heaven it caught— - Let then the baneful, blighting mockery cease! - Still art thou beautiful, my own fair Greece! - - Firm hearts and glowing souls remain - To love thee, glorious one! - And though no hand may clasp again - Thy once celestial zone, - Better to worship at thy ruined shrine, - Than bend the knee at one less proud and pure than thine! - -But the wild-eyed Mariaritza has betrayed me into a digression in which -I thought not to indulge when I commenced this chapter; and I must lead -back my reader to the opening sentences, wherein I was noting the sweet -season-changes that we had witnessed in the East. The summer, with its -luxury of leaves and flowers, had passed away; and we saw the bright -green of the Asian woods grow into gold beneath the touch of autumn. Our -days of pilgrimage were numbered; and Stamboul, with its mosques and its -minarets, its domes and its palaces, was soon to be only a gorgeous -memory. - -Already had we said our farewell to many a fond and valued friend, -never, probably, to be looked upon again in life; and as we wandered -amid scenes and sights to which we had become familiarised, we felt -that indescribable sadness with which an object is ever contemplated for -the last time. The heart may have been wrung, the spirit may have been -pained, during a foreign sojourn; deep shadows may have fallen over the -landscape; but there must ever be sunny spots on which the memory -lingers, and to which the affections cling. - -The freshness had passed away from the Valley of the Sweet Waters, and -the turf had withered beneath a scorching sun; yet to me it was still -beautiful. The sparkling Barbyses was shrunken to a silver thread; but -in my mind’s eye I yet saw it filling its graceful channel, and gliding -like a snake through the silent glen. The cemetery of Eyoub was -glorious! The lordly trees which overhang the tombs were rainbow-like in -their tints; and the gilded head-stones appeared to be over-canopied by -living gems. - -Every hour passed in the solemn Necropolis of Scutari was a distinct -mine of thought—Its deep, dense shadows, its voiceless solitude, its -melancholy sublimity—all remained as I had first felt them—The seasons -effect no change on this City of the Dead—The long dim avenues of -cypress put on no summer livery to flaunt in the garish sunshine—amid -the snows of winter, and the skies of spring, they wear the same dark -hues—the autumnal beams shed no golden tints over their dusky foliage; -nor do the summer heats betray them into blossoming. The grave-tree, -nourished by the mouldering remnants of mortality, dank with the -exhalations of the tombs, and rooted in a soil fed with corruption, -drinks not the dews, and revels not in the day-beam, like the changeful -child of the sunshine, which flings its leafy and light-loving branches -over a painted kiosk, or a marble fountain—It is dark and silent, as -the dead above whom it springs; and the wind moans more sadly among its -boughs, than when it sweeps through the leaves of the summer woods. - -The very streets, narrow, difficult, and even plague-teeming as they -were, acquired a new interest when we remembered that in a few weeks we -should tread them no more. The columns of the Atmeidan—the “Tree of -Groans” beside the mosque of Sultan Achmet—the gorgeous Fountain of -Topphannè—each claimed a longer look than heretofore, as we felt that -it was the last. - -These were our chosen haunts; and the steam-vessel that was to convey us -to the Danube, by which route we had decided on returning to England, -already lay in the port, when an Officer of the Imperial Household bore -to us the gracious permission of the Sultan to visit his palaces; -coupled with the injunction that we were to be unaccompanied by any -other Frank. Not a moment was to be lost! We had not a week to remain -in the country; and we accordingly appointed the morrow for crossing to -the gilded summer Palace of Beglierbey. - -Our caïque was at the pier of Yeni-keuy at ten o’clock; and we shot -athwart the channel which was steeped in sunshine, like wild birds. At -the marble gate we were met by the courteous individual who was to act -as our guide through the saloons of the Sultan; and, having made our bow -to the Kiara, who was also awaiting us, we stepped across the threshold, -followed by the gaze of the astonished guard; and skirting the -rainbow-like garden, we passed along the line of gilt lattices which -veil the seaward boundary of the pleasure-grounds; and entered the hall. - -The first glance of the interior is not imposing. The double staircase, -sweeping crescent-wise through the center of the entrance, contracts its -extent so much as to give it the appearance of being insignificant in -its proportions; an effect which is, moreover, considerably heightened -by the elaborated ornaments of the carved and gilded balustrades and -pillars. But such is far from being the case in reality; as, from this -outer apartment, with its flooring of inlaid woods, arabesqued ceiling, -and numerous casements, open no less than eight spacious saloons, -appropriated to the Imperial Household. - -Above this suite are situated the State Apartments; gorgeous with -gilding, and richly furnished with every luxury peculiar alike to the -East and to the West. The Turkish divans of brocade and embroidered -velvet are relieved by sofas and lounges of European fashion—bijouterie -from Geneva—porcelain from Sèvres—marbles from Italy—gems from -Pompeii—Persian carpets—English hangings—and, in the principal -saloons, six of the most magnificent, if not actually _the_ six _most_ -magnificent, pier glasses in the world; a present to the Sultan from the -Emperor of Russia, after the treaty of Unkiar Skelessi. - -Upwards of twelve feet in height, and about six feet in width, of one -single plate, and enclosed in a deep frame of silver gilt, bearing the -united arms of the two empires; these costly glasses reflect in every -direction the ornaments of the apartment; and produce an effect almost -magical. While the highly elaborated ceiling, richly ornamented with -delicate wreaths of flowers; and the bright-patterned carpet covering -the floor, combine to fling over the vast saloon an atmosphere of light -and gladness, which is increased by the dazzling glories of the parterre -spread out beneath the windows; with its flashing fountain, golden -orangery, and long line of gleaming lattices. - -The Reception-Room is small, and remarkable only for the -comfortably-cushioned divan on which the Sultan receives his visitors; -and the noble view that it commands of the channel, from the Seraglio -Point to the Castle of Mahomet. - -The Banquetting Hall is entirely lined with inlaid woods of rare and -beautiful kinds finely mosaiced; the ceiling and the floor being alike -enriched with a deep garland of grapes and vine-leaves, flung over -groups of pine-apples of exquisite workmanship. - -Hence, a long gallery conducted us to the private apartments of the -Sultan; and on every side were graceful fountains of white marble, whose -flashing waters fell with a musical sound into their sculptured basins. -In one, the stream trickled from a plume of feathers wrought in -alabaster; and so delicately worked that they almost appeared to bend -beneath the weight of the sparkling drops—in another, the stream gushed -forth, overflowing a lotus-flower, upon whose lip sported a group of -Cupids. The private apartments, which separated the harem from the state -wing of the Palace, were the very embodiment of luxurious comfort; two -of them were lined with wicker-work painted cream colour; the prettiest -possible idea, executed in the best possible style. - -The harem was, of course, a sealed book; for, as the ladies of the -Sultan’s household have never been allowed to indulge their curiosity -by a survey of that portion of the Palace appropriated to Mahmoud -himself, it can scarcely be expected that any intruder should be -admitted beyond the jealously-barred door forming their own boundary. - -The Bath was beautiful. As we passed the crimson door with its -crescent-shaped cornice, we entered a small hall in which two swans, the -size of life, and wrought in pure white marble, were pouring forth the -water that supplies the cold stream necessary to the bathers. The -cooling-room was richly hung with embroidered draperies; and the mirror -was surmounted by the Ottoman arms wrought in gold and enamel. The Bath -itself realized a vision of the Arabian Nights, with its soft, dreamy -twilight, its pure and glittering whiteness, and its exquisitely -imagined fountains—and the subdued effect of our voices, dying away in -indistinct murmurs in the distance, served to heighten the illusion. - -Altogether, the Summer Palace of Sultan Mahmoud is as fair within, as -without; and I have already said that it is the most elegant edifice on -the Bosphorus. - -The gardens, which rise to the summit of the steep height immediately -behind the Seraï, are formed into terraces, each being under the -direction of a foreign gardener, and laid out in the fashion of his own -land. Thus there are a Spanish, an Italian, an English, a German, and a -French garden. The deepest terrace is occupied by a fine sheet of water, -called the Lake of the Swans, on which about thirty of these graceful -birds, the Sultan’s peculiar favourites, were disporting themselves in -the clear sunshine. Weeping willows, and other graceful trees, were -mirrored in its calm bosom, and a couple of gaily-painted pleasure-boats -were moored under the shadow of a magnificent magnolia. - -About fifty yards from the water, stands a graceful edifice of white -marble denominated the “Air Bath;” in which his Sublime Highness passes -many a delicious hour during the summer heats. The saloon is paved, -roofed, and lined with marble; and exquisitely imagined fountains fling -their waters from the lotus leaves that are carved on the cornice of the -apartment, through a succession of ocean-shells, fantastically grouped, -and delicately chiselled, which divide the stream into a hundred slender -threads, and ultimately pour their volume into the basins, whence it -escapes to the lake without, keeping up a continual current of cool air, -and murmur of sweet sound, which produce an effect almost magical. In -the centre of this saloon, whence several inferior apartments branch off -on either side, stands a magnificent vase of verd-antique, about eight -feet in height; a present to the Sultan from the Emperor Nicholas. - -The hill is crowned by a gilded kiosk, glittering among cypresses and -plane trees; and the whole establishment is more like a fairy creation, -than the result of human invention and labour. - -On the morrow, we decided on paying another visit to the Seraï Bournou; -as the following day was that fixed for our departure. But alas! when -that morrow came, we had reason to congratulate ourselves on having -already penetrated beyond the “Golden Gate;” for the waves of the -channel were running mountain high, and the opposite coast was lost in a -dense vapour of sleet and rain. The disappointment was extreme; but, as -there was no alternative, we were compelled to submit. For once “our -star was bankrupt;” and we were fain to console ourselves with the -reflection that our last day in Asia had been so worthily spent. - - - - -CHAPTER XXVIII. - - - The Bosphorus in Mist—The Ferdinando Primo—Embarkation—Tardy - Passengers—The Black Sea—The Turkish Woman—Varna—Visit to - the Pasha—Rustem Bey—Mustapha Najib Pasha—Turkish - Gallantry—The Lines—Sunset Landscape—Bulgarian - Colonies—Discomforts of a Deck Passage. - - -I never beheld the Bosphorus to less advantage than on the morning of -our departure from Constantinople; for, as if to lessen our regrets on -leaving it, its shores were concealed by mists formed of small light -rain, which effectually veiled their beauty. As cloud after cloud rolled -by, each succeeded by a denser and darker vapour than its predecessor, -we lost sight of every accustomed object; and, though I flung back the -casement, and turned “a last, long, lingering look” along the channel, I -was unable to distinguish even the most prominent points of view. - -The steam vessel _Ferdinando Primo_, in which we had secured our -passage, was to arrive at Yenikeuÿ at mid-day; and we spent the earlier -hours of the morning with some Greek friends whose summer residence -overhung the stream; and from whose windows we had hitherto been enabled -to see the fairy-like Palace of Beglierbey, and the hill-seated Castle -of Mahomet. But, alas! for our parting associations—the gilded glories -of the Imperial Seraï, and the ancient towers of the Prophet’s Fortress, -were alike invisible; despite the glitter of the one, and the whitewash -which had recently been profusely and provokingly lavished on the -time-tinted walls of the other. - -Onward crept the mist as the day advanced; and at length the opposite -shore became veiled by a vapour so dense that even the little village of -Sultanïè, immediately facing the terrace, disappeared; and nothing was -distinguishable through the darkness save the foamy crests of the waves, -as they were driven onward by the force of the current; and the white -gleam of the seagull’s extended wings, as he dipped his bosom for an -instant in the troubled waters, and then rose, with a wild cry, into the -murky atmosphere. - -It was an hour of tears; and I am not quite sure whether at the moment I -repined that no garish sun shone forth to mock them; while I am -nevertheless certain that a more comfortless sensation never oppressed -me, than that with which I contemplated the approach of the vessel -through the turbid waves; her column of sable smoke lending a deeper -tint to the angry clouds; and her prow dashing aside the current in -streaks of foam. As she lay-to in front of the house, we hurried into -the caïque that was already freighted with our luggage; turned a last -look towards the kind ones who thronged the terrace in despite of the -fast-falling rain; and pushed out into the channel. - -When we reached the packet, we were miserably wet, and had to despatch -our cloaks, shawls, and coats to the engine-room to dry; while our -trunks and portmanteaux were lifted dripping upon the deck, giving the -last touch of discomfort to our embarkation for a long and tedious -voyage. In one respect I was, however, fortunate; as, from being the -only lady on board, (and, indeed, the first who had yet undertaken the -passage) I found myself in possession of a commodious and comfortably -arranged cabin; well fitted with every requisite for lessening the -inconvenience of ship-board. - -In twenty minutes we were off Therapia; and in ten more we entered the -Bay of Buyukdèrè. By the time we reached this point, the fog had -deepened so much as to render it uncertain whether we should be enabled -to leave the Bosphorus until the following morning; a resolution to -which the Russian steamer, the Nicholas I., had already come the more -readily, as she had on board the mother and sister of Madame de -Boutinieff, who were not anxious to tempt the perils of the Black Sea -at so unpropitious a moment. Mr. Ellis, our late Ambassador in Persia, -was also among her passengers; and, like the ladies, he was quietly -preparing for a comfortable dinner at the Russian Palace. - -As we lay alongside, these tidings were communicated by the Captain of -the Nicholas, who naturally endeavoured to induce our own to follow his -example, and remain in the bay until daylight; but the Commander of the -Ferdinand had too much energy to yield to the suggestion; and at seven -o’clock in the evening, the weather having somewhat moderated, he -summoned on board one of his passengers who had delayed his embarkation -until the last moment, and set the steam on; when away we went to the -great chagrin of the rival establishment: leaving behind us two or three -of the deck passengers who had failed to pay attention to the signals -which were made to announce to them our instant departure. - -Our party was a pleasant one. We had a Prussian Baron, tall, serious, -and highly-bred; a German noble, gay, voluble, and _tant soit peu -gourmand_; a Colonel of the Coldstream Guards; an Hungarian Cavalier, -holding a distinguished rank in the Austrian service; a Russian-Greek -Artist, bound on a tour of Italy, and full of enthusiasm both for -himself and his art; the Captain of the Levant Steam-boat, on a survey -of the Danube Navigation; my father, and myself. The deck was crowded -with Turks, Greeks, and Jews; and among the rest by some poor old -Turkish women on their way to Varna; and a couple of pretty young Greek -girls bound for Galatz. - -All went on tolerably well until a couple of hours had elapsed, when one -by one all the party began to disappear. The rude billows of the Black -Sea replaced the comparatively smooth channel of the Bosphorus,—the -light-houses of Fanaraki loomed through the fog,—we were fairly “at -sea,”—and the spray began to fall in showers over the paddle-boxes, -inundating all the shivering Orientals who had spread their mats and -mattresses on that part of the deck. - -I never beheld a more perfect picture of wretchedness than one old -Turkish woman, who, having resisted all the kindly attempts of the -Captain to induce her to change her position, and having been fairly -soaked through by a succession of the heavy seas which we were -constantly shipping, at length permitted herself to be removed, and led -aft to the tiller; where she instantly buried herself among the folds of -the wet awning that had been flung there out of the way, and resigned -herself to her misery. - -[Illustration: Miss Pardoe del. - -Day & Haghe Lith^{rs}. to the King. - - NEAR FANARAKI IN ASIA. - -_Henry Colburn, 13 G^t. Marlborough S^t. 1837._] - -What a night we passed! I thought that it would never end; and what -rueful faces I encountered in the morning, when with some difficulty, -and a great deal of assistance I dragged myself on deck! The wind was -directly in our teeth; and as the vessel rolled from side to side, we -continued to suffer direfully from the violence of the motion. It was an -unspeakable relief when, at half past four in the afternoon, we anchored -off Varna, where we were to land three hundred bags of coffee; and where -Colonel H——, Captain F——, my father, and myself accompanied the -Captain of the Ferdinand on shore, to pay a visit to the Pasha. - -The surf was breaking so violently against the pier that we were for a -few moments undecided as to the most eligible spot on which to -land,—nor was it without difficulty that we ultimately effected our -purpose; and almost immediately on entering the main street of the town, -we encountered Rustem Bey, the Commandant, a fine, intelligent young -Italian Officer in the service of the Porte, who speaks several European -languages, as well as the Turkish, most fluently; and who would ere this -have been created a Pasha, could he have been induced to embrace -Islamism. - -The answer that he is reported to have made when the terms of his -promotion were explained to him, is worthy of record; “I feel all the -honour which I refuse; but I am nevertheless compelled to forego it—I -can dispose of my services, but I am not at liberty to sell my -conscience.” - -Under his guidance we traversed the town, and passed the ruined -citadel, on our way to the Palace of Mustapha Najib Pasha, the present -governor; who was removed from his post at Tripoli, in order to take -possession of this important charge. The Palace is a handsome and -somewhat extensive modern building, commanding, from one of its fronts, -an excellent view of the fortifications; and separated only by a high -wall from the barracks, which are capable of accommodating several -thousand men. - -With an extent of courtesy unusual in the East, Najib Pasha received us -standing; and welcomed us with the cordial _Bouroum_, as he motioned us -to the sofa on which he had himself been sitting. He is a remarkably -animated looking man of about five and forty, with a quick eye, and a -most agreeable smile. He was surrounded by papers; and beside the -chibouk that he had been smoking, lay a small model for mounting guns -upon their carriages. - -The most costly pipes were introduced for the gentlemen, and offered to -myself; and the procession of “blue-coated serving men” was quite -amusing, as they entered with the long chibouk in one hand, and in the -other the little brass dish, in which, as they knelt, they deposited the -bowl of the pipe. Coffee succeeded, and was replaced by raisin sherbet; -and as we shortly afterwards expressed our desire to see the -fortifications, we were instantly offered horses to enable us to ride -round the lines. The gentlemen were thus provided for at once; but, as -I was not prepared for such an excursion, I was about to resign myself -to what I considered an inevitable disappointment, when the Pasha -courteously expressed his regret that he could not provide me with an -European saddle; and begged me to accept his carriage as a substitute. I -gladly availed myself of his kindness; and while the equipage was -preparing, listened with as much surprise as interest to the -conversation with which he beguiled the time. Among other things, he -mentioned his extreme disappointment at the non-receipt from Europe of -some able works on fortification that he had been long expecting; and -expressed his earnest desire to possess models of all the new inventions -tending to perfect the works upon which he was engaged. He inquired -whether he could offer to us any thing that would be acceptable on -board; and even enumerated milk, fruits, and sweetmeats, which he -pressed upon us with an earnestness perfectly demonstrative of his -sincerity. - -On our rising to take leave, he said that he should expect us back to -dinner, and that he would cause it to be prepared against our return; -and he appeared much hurt at our assurance of the impossibility of our -availing ourselves of his hospitality. As we were preparing to make our -parting salutation, he left the room, and moved forward to the head of -the stairs; where he saluted us individually as we passed him, in the -kindest and most gracious manner, wishing us a fortunate voyage, and -assuring us of the pleasure that he had derived from our visit. - -A troop of servants followed us to the door; where we found the -_kavashlir_ of the Pasha stationed on either side the entrance to do us -honour. But a still more agreeable object was the German Britscha drawn -by four gray Tatar horses, which was awaiting me at the Palace gate. The -carriage held forth such goodly promise, that Colonel H—— and Rustem -Bey only were firm in their original purpose of riding round the lines; -the rest of the party immediately being of opinion that they should -prefer a drive. Nor had they any reason to repent the arrangement, for -the spirited little Tatars carried us along at a surprising pace over -all the rough and uneven ground, and through all the ditches of the -neighbourhood, as though they had been cantering across a bowling-green. -The fortifications are proceeding rapidly, and most creditably; five -thousand men are constantly employed on the works, and the number is -occasionally doubled. - -As the evening was closing in ere we regained the town, the scene was -extremely singular. The huts of the Bulgarian labourers, built of -branches, and huddled together in clusters, were revealed by the -camp-fires that blazed up among them, and revealed the flitting figures -of those who were engaged in the culinary preparations of the little -colonies to which they belonged; while the appearance of the carriage -drew to the entrances of their primitive dwellings all the unoccupied -inhabitants of the temporary village. - -Upon its outskirts herds of cattle were to be seen, slowly returning -from their mountain pastures to the vicinity of the town; and driven by -ragged urchins, with sheepskin caps and gaiters. The sun, meanwhile, was -setting gloriously; and the outline of the fortifications cut darkly -against a background of orange and crimson clouds, that stretched far -along the west, and were pillowed upon two dark and stately mountains. -Altogether the scene was one of enchantment; and I believe that there -was not an individual of the party who did not regret the necessity of -exchanging it for the “floating prison” that awaited us on the Euxine: -and which we regained under a heavy swell that rendered our passage from -the shore the very reverse of agreeable. - -During our visit, the deck of the Ferdinand had been nearly cleared of -its passengers; and the poor old Turkish woman whom I have already -mentioned, had, with some difficulty, crawled forth from her awning, -shivering with cold, and looking the very picture of wretchedness. I -had endeavoured in vain during the day to induce her to bathe her hands -and feet with brandy; for she no sooner smelt it than she put it from -her, exclaiming, “Sin—sin;” nor could I prevail on her to follow my -advice. The only thing that she would receive was a cup of coffee, and -on that she seized as a famishing man would have clutched food. It was -really a relief to me when I saw her safely embarked on board the boat -which was to land her at Varna. - -On our departure from Buyukdèrè, we had been half amused and half -annoyed by the efforts of a young Turkish officer, to appear unconcerned -at the rough treatment that we were experiencing from the tempest-chafed -waves of the Black Sea. He sang, he shouted, he tossed his arms above -his head, and yelled forth his _Mashallahs_ at every roll of the vessel; -but ere we had been tossing about many hours, the exulting tones died -away in a querulous treble, which announced that his exultation was -destined to be short-lived; and on the morrow I remarked that he walked -the deck with a step as tremulous as that of a lady; and was one of the -first to make his escape on shore. - -The two little Greek girls who were bound for Galatz were still lying -upon the deck, rolled in their fur pelisses: in that state of hopeless -and resigned misery which is the last stage of seanausea; and when we -retired for the night their young brother was sitting beside them, with -a pale cheek and heavy eyes, as though he, too, had not escaped a -portion of their suffering. - - - - -CHAPTER XXIX. - - - The Danube—Cossack Guard—Moldavian - Musquitoes—Tultzin—Galatz—Plague-Conductors—Prussian - Officer—Excursion to Silistria—Amateur Boatmen—Wretched - Hamlet—The Lame Baron—The Salute—Silistrian Peasants—A - Pic-Nic in the Wilds—The Tortoise—Canoes of the Danube—The - Moldavian State-Barge—Picturesque Boatmen—The Water - Party—Painful Politeness—Visit of the Hospodar—Suite of His - Highness—Princely Panic—The Pannonia. - - -At three o’clock on the following day, we entered the Ghiurchevi mouth -of the Danube, which is only two hundred fathoms in width; and extremely -difficult of access for sailing vessels. The shores at this opening are -low, marshy, and treeless, presenting as desolate an appearance as can -well be conceived; and are only relieved at intervals of about a mile, -by the rude mud huts of the _cordon sanitaire_ of Cossacks, placed along -the Moldavian coast to enforce the quarantaine. The appearance of these -reed-roofed hovels was beyond expression wretched; and the long lances -of the guard, stuck into the earth along the front of the tenement, and -the apparition of a mounted Cossack appearing and disappearing among the -tall reeds which were the solitary produce of the land, were almost -requisite to convince us that they could really be the habitations of -human beings. - -Beside many of these hovels an extraordinary erection attracted our -attention; it consisted of four tall wooden stakes driven into the -ground, and supporting, at about the height of eight feet from the -earth, a small platform of wicker-work, thatched in some two feet -higher; which we ascertained were constructed as sleeping-places, -wherein the unhappy dwellers in the Moldavian marshes took refuge -against the clouds of musquitoes that infest the Danube; and which, -being of immense size, inflict a sting that is far from contemptible. -Fortunately for their human victims, these voracious insects fly low, -never trusting themselves to the current of wind that, as it sweeps -along, might overcome their strength of wing; and thus this solitary -medium of escape from their virulence is adopted all along the river. - -At ten o’clock at night, we arrived off Tultzin, where we remained only -an hour; and then profited by the moonlight to pursue our voyage to -Galatz, which we reached at five in the morning, and anchored beside the -Quarantaine ground; a small space railed off for the exclusive use of -the steam company, and separated from the road leading into the town by -a double palisading of wood about breast-high. - -Here commenced our land miseries! We were looked upon as a society of -plague-conductors, and treated accordingly. Parties of the Galatzians -collected along the outer fence to contemplate the infected ones whose -contact they dreaded; and meanwhile we enjoyed the privilege of walking -up and down an avenue formed of coals on the one side, and tallow packed -into skins on the other. - -We were visited at the palisades by the British and Austrian Consuls; -and by a Prussian gentleman, who, on our arrival at Constantinople, had -been in the service of the Sultan, which he had now exchanged for that -of the Hospodar of Moldavia. We had made his acquaintance at the -Military College, and he had been long on the look-out for us at Galatz. - -He appeared perfectly satisfied with his new speculation, and talked -much of his enjoyment of the liberty of this new locality; a liberty in -which we were unfortunately not permitted to share. And such being the -case, we bade adieu to our friends on the town side of the fence; and, -after having ascertained that the Pannonia steamer, which should have -been on the spot ready to receive us, would not reach Galatz until late -at night, we determined on rowing across to the opposite shore of -Silistria, in order to relieve our _ennui_. - -Bread and wine having been provided, we accordingly prepared for our -excursion; the captain’s gig was lowered; and I had the honour of being -rowed across the Danube by the most aristocratic boat’s crew that had -probably ever “caught crabs” in its muddy waters; all the seamen -belonging to the vessel being employed in lading and unlading -merchandize. - -Nothing could exceed the wretchedness of the little hamlet that was -seated along the edge of a creek, into which we passed when we had -gained the Silistrian side of the river. The low hovels, rudely built of -mud, and roofed with reeds, were lighted by windows of oiled lambskin; -the floors were of earth; and nothing more cheerful than twilight could -penetrate into the single apartment which served for “kitchen, and -parlour, and hall.” Not the slightest attempt at a garden was visible, -though the village stood upon the verge of an extensive wild, stretching -away far as the eye could reach, and covered with redundant, although -stunted, vegetation. The ground-ash, the caper-tree, the gum-cistus, the -wild hollyhock, the flag-reed, and the water-willow were abundant; while -patches of white clover and vetches were scattered about in every -direction. - -As the Baron E—— was lame, and unable to undertake a long walk, he -with some difficulty procured a horse that had just been released from a -waggon, the ragged peasant to whom it belonged not being proof against -the sight of a purse, which was shook before him as the most efficient -language that could be employed to enforce the demand: and, when the -laughing German had mounted the packsaddle, armed with his meerschaum -and cane, and grasped the knotted rope that served as a substitute for a -bridle, he was by no means the least picturesque of the party. - -We had not long pursued the path leading to the village whither we were -bound, when we heard the salute fired at mid-day by the Ferdinand, in -honour of His Highness the Hospodar of Moldavia, who chanced to be -residing temporarily at Galatz; and to whom, as he was particularly -solicitous to facilitate by every means in his power the local -arrangements of the steam-company, they were careful to pay all due -honour; and indeed somewhat more, as they gave him a salute of -one-and-twenty guns, that came booming along the wild through which we -were wandering, and echoing over the waters of the little stream that -bordered it; startling the birds by which the river-willows were -tenanted, and dispelling momently the deep silence of the wide solitude. - -When, after a walk of considerable length, we reached the hamlet that -was the object of our excursion, we excited universal attention and -astonishment among the women and children who crowded the cottage doors, -and who were universally clad in coarse white linen; the females -wearing huge silver earrings, round bracelets of coloured glass, and -rings of every dimension. All were barefooted; and the children, who -huddled together in groups to gaze upon the passing strangers, were -wretched-looking little mortals, with their light hair hanging in -elf-locks about their ears, and their rags fluttering in the breeze. The -hovels were universally built of mud, and roofed with reeds and the long -leaves of the Indian-corn; with chimneys of basket-work. In short, I -never beheld a more thorough demonstration of the fact that human -necessities actually exceed but little those of the inferior animals, -and that the thousand wants which grow up around civilization are merely -factitious. These isolated individuals were scantly and coarsely -clothed; fed almost entirely upon vegetables and the black wheaten -bread, of which the grain was grown in their own gardens; Indian corn -that supplied them at once with food, fuel, and bedding; lodged in -hovels better suited to cattle than to human beings: and yet they were -not merely healthful and happy, but, as I have already noticed, they had -their innocent vanities, and indulged in all the glories of coloured -glass trinkets. - -The only men whom we saw in the hamlet were engaged in packing -water-melons into the wicker bullock-cars destined to convey them to -the market at Galatz; and of some of these we immediately possessed -ourselves. A shawl flung over the tall stems of some flag-reeds, and -propped by a rake, was soon converted into an awning for me, and we made -a most primitive and delicious meal, seated on the fresh grass among the -wild flowers. As we sauntered quietly back to the river-side, we -collected some of the shells that had been driven up the creek by the -river tide; and captured a fine tortoise that was sunning itself on the -turf, which we carried on board; where we returned tolerably fatigued -with our ramble in the wilds of Silistria. - -We were amusing ourselves on deck after dinner by watching the passage -of the canoes which the natives impel by a wooden paddle precisely after -the manner of the Indians, when we observed half a dozen men rushing -down upon a little wooden pier immediately under the stern of the -Ferdinand, where we had previously remarked two gaudy-looking boats, -painted in immense stripes of red and blue. Nor were the group who -sprang into the largest of them less remarkable than the boats -themselves; and we had some difficulty in persuading ourselves that they -were the boatmen of the Prince, and not a party of Tyrolean -ballet-dancers. They wore broad flapped hats, bound by a ribbon of red -and blue, hanging in long ends upon their shoulders, and ornamented in -front by a large M, worked in gold: their shirts and trowsers were of -white, with braces and garters of red and blue; while wide scarlet -sashes, fringed at the extremities, completed their costume. The -Moldavian banner was hastily affixed to the stern of the boat; and then -a party of servants thronged the pier, who were succeeded by a couple of -aides-de-camp, and a grave elderly gentleman in an oriental dress; and -lastly arrived the Princess, a middle-aged, plain-looking person, -attended by three ladies, who were duly cloaked and shawled by the -obsequious aides-de-camp. - -During this process the guns of the Ferdinand were once more prepared; -and the fantastically-clad boatmen had not dipped their oars thrice into -the stream, and Her Highness the Hospodar_ess_ was yet under the stern -of the ship, when bang went the first gun, with a flash and a peal that -somewhat discomposed her nerves; and she raised her arm deprecatingly -towards the Captain, who stood bare-headed near the wheel; but the -gesture was unheeded. - -“She wishes you to desist, Captain Everson;” I remarked, as I detected -the action. - -“Can’t help that, Ma’am;” answered the commander of the Ferdinand: -“she’s the Prince’s wife; and she shall have her thirteen guns, whether -she likes them or not.” - -She “had” them accordingly, and they were fired in excellent style; -while the two boats of the Principality flaunted their party-coloured -glories across to the other shore. I do not know whether Her Highness -anticipated the probability of being compelled to “smell powder” on her -return, as well as on her departure; but it is certain that she did not -land near the Ferdinand when she repassed to the Moldavian side of the -river. - -On the following morning, it was announced to us that His Highness the -Hospodar intended to honour the vessel with a visit; and we were -particularly requested to avoid coming in contact with himself or suite, -lest we might bequeath the plague to his Principality in return for his -politeness. Of course we promised compliance; and as the Pannonia had -not yet made her appearance, we were glad of any excitement to relieve -the tedium of our detention. At eleven o’clock the wretched drums and -fifes of the garrison announced that the Prince was approaching. The -guard at the entrance of the quarantaine ground was turned out; -officers, covered with tags, aiguilettes, and embroidery passed and -repassed the palisade; a crowd of idlers lined the road; the Tyrolean -boatmen were once more at their post; the trading vessels in the port, -which were lading with wheat, had their decks clean washed, and their -colours hoisted.—In short, the harbour of Galatz was in the full -enjoyment of “a sensation,” when the gates of the enclosure were thrown -back, and into the infected space walked His Highness, a little -sandy-haired man, with huge whiskers and mustachioes, perfectly matched -in tint to the enormous pair of golden epaulettes that he wore on a -plain blue frock coat.—On his right stood his Russian Dragoman, covered -with a dozen ribbons, clasps, and medals; who never opened his mouth -without lifting his cap, and uttering “Mon Prince” in an accent of the -most fulsome adulation: and on his left walked his physician, a fine -young man of very gentlemanlike manners and appearance. Immediately -behind him came the Moldavian Minister of the Interior, all furs and -wadded silk; and the procession was closed by a score of Aides-de-camp, -Officers of the Household, and hangers-on. - -The party remained a considerable time in the quarantaine-enclosure ere -they came on board; and I suspect that His Highness began to repent that -he had volunteered so perilous a visit; but as it was too late to -recede, he at length ventured to trust “Caesar and his fortunes” to the -temporary keeping of the Plague-ship; and advancing to the stern of the -vessel where our party were standing, he very graciously expressed his -regret that he could not avail himself, as he should have been delighted -to do, of our presence in the Principality, by claiming us as guests -during our stay, owing to the unhappy prevalence of plague in the -country that we had left. After this he talked very solemnly of the -necessity of strictly observing the quarantaine; made two or three more -bows in a peculiarly ungraceful style; declined the champaigne that had -been prepared for him in the great cabin; and made his exit with -infinitely more alacrity than he had made his entry; only pausing in the -enclosure to lift his hat as the first gun was fired, of the salute -which celebrated his visit. - -When His Highness had departed, and that the last scene of this -Moldavian comedy had been enacted, we had nothing left to do but to walk -the deck, and contemplate the muddiest-looking of all rivers. Unlike the -Pasha of Varna, the Hospodar made no inquiry into our wants and wishes, -and no offer of the local milk and honey that might have tended to -increase our comfort on board; although the Captain of the Ferdinand -sent him a bushel basket of magnificent grapes, which, after they had -been subjected to repeated immersion, were declared to be -non-conductors, and were admitted to _pratique_ accordingly. - -It was not until five o’clock in the afternoon of the second day, that -the Pannonia anchored beside us; and, as she had to take her coals on -board, she could not sail until eight and forty hours after her arrival. -The transfer of passengers did not take place until late on the morrow; -for when the inferiority of her accommodations became apparent, we of -the Ferdinand were in no haste to change our quarters. - -We had left Constantinople in a fine, well-kept ship; where a barrier -was erected which preserved the after-deck from the intrusion of the -inferior passengers: and where the cabins were comfortably fitted up, -and supplied in the most liberal manner with every thing that could -contribute to the convenience of their occupants; and, although we were -quite prepared for less space in the Pannonia, from the fact of her -being merely a river boat, we were by no means satisfied on discovering -the confusion that existed on her decks; where groups of dirty Turks, -and noisy Greeks, were squatted from her funnel to her stern; blocking -up the path of the cabin-passengers, and filling their clothes with -vermin, and their atmosphere with the fumes of bad tobacco; nor the -cheerless discomfort below, where not even a washing-stand had been -provided; and we were suddenly thrown upon our own resources for all -those little comforts, that from the arrangement of the vessel in which -we left the port of Constantinople, we were entitled to expect -throughout the voyage. Thus much for the disarray of the Pannonia; and I -mention it in order to prepare future travellers on the Danube not to be -misled, as we ourselves were by the satisfactory aspect of the -Ferdinand, into a belief that such will continue to gladden them on the -river; while on the other hand I am bound in justice to add that the -table is infinitely better served than that of the first vessel; a fact -that may perhaps compensate to many individuals for the absence of those -personal comforts of which our own party so bitterly felt the want. - -Nor must I omit to make honourable mention of the _artiste_ to whom this -department was confided. An Italian by birth, and a wit by nature, as -well as a cook by profession, we were indebted to him and his guitar for -many a pleasant hour that would otherwise have passed heavily enough. As -the dusk grew into darkness, he used to come upon deck with his -instrument, and sing Neapolitan _buffo_ songs, with a spirit and _gusto_ -that almost convulsed us with laughter. And as we stood about him, -listening to his minstrelsy, and looking on the bright moonlight -silvering along the river-tide, where it was not overshadowed by the -tall trees that fringed the bank beside which we were gliding; and -startling with our somewhat noisy merriment the deep silence of those -scantily-peopled shores; the effect upon my mind was most -extraordinary. - - - - -CHAPTER XXX. - - - Hirsova—Russian Relics—Town of Silistria—Bravery of the - Turks—Village of Turtuki—Group of Pelicans—Glorious - Sunset—Ruschuk—Cheapness of Provisions—The Wallachian - Coast—Bulgaria—Dense Fog—Orava—Roman Bath—Green - Frogs—Widdin—Kalifet—Scala Glavoda—Custom House - Officers—Disembarkation—Wallachian Mountains—A Landscape - Sketch—Costume of the Servian Peasantry—The Village - Belle—Primitive Carriages—The Porte de Fer—The - Crucifix—Magnificent Scenery—Fine Ores. - - -At half past eleven in the morning we were off Hirsova, where we -embarked some more deck-passengers, greatly to our annoyance and -discomfort. The few straggling villages that we had passed since our -departure from Galatz were of the most wretched description; and Hirsova -itself is in a ruined state, having been besieged and taken by the -Russians after a gallant resistance of fifty days. It is situated in a -gorge between two rocks, and on the lower of the two stand the ruins of -the Turkish fortress, of which only a few crumbling walls and a solitary -buttress now remain. This fortress was unfortunately commanded by the -opposite height on which the Russians threw up fortifications, under -whose cover they kept up an incessant fire upon the town and the fort, -and ultimately destroyed both. Scores of balls are still imbedded in -the bank of the river, and along the shore; and, knowing what I do of -the Turks, I have no doubt that it would be impossible to prevail on -them to touch them, even for the purposes of traffic. - -Wherever the boat stopped, crowds of the peasantry flocked to the edge -of the water, and stood gazing at her in admiring wonder; for, as this -was only her twelfth voyage, their curiosity and astonishment had not -yet subsided. From Hirsova the landscape began to improve on the -Bulgarian side. Groups of trees just touched with the first autumnal -tints; and at intervals a glimpse of higher land in the distance, -relieved the eye. - -At two o’clock in the morning we arrived at Silistria, a small town -surrounded by outworks, and celebrated for the brave resistance of its -garrison of twelve thousand men, to an army of fifty thousand Russians. -A resistance so obstinate, or I should rather say, so heroic, as to -endure for nine long months; and to be terminated only by the utter -destruction of the town, and the partial demolition of its defences. -Ruin still cowers among its desolate dwellings, and Silistria is now -peopled only by three thousand inhabitants; but it has earned for itself -a place in the page of history, which could not be more worthily filled -up. - -At half past two in the afternoon we were off Turtuki; a very extensive -village, presenting a most singular appearance; almost every cottage -having a large haystack within the little garden fence, as large as the -dwelling itself; and many of the cottages being hollowed in the rock; -while strings of red capsicums wreathed most of the doorways, and gave a -holyday aspect to the scene. A numerous population thronged the shore -and the streets, who only paused in their several occupations for a -moment as we passed, to watch our progress; and then resumed their -primitive occupation of reed-thatching the cottages, or driving forth -their cattle to the high lands in search of pasturage. - -Such herds of horses, oxen, buffaloes, and pigs; such flocks of goats -and sheep, as are scattered along the whole of the Bulgarian shore, I -never saw in my life! The land in the immediate vicinity of Turtuki was -highly cultivated, and abounded in corn-fields and vineyards; giving -evidence of much greater energy and industry in its peasantry than any -locality that we had yet witnessed. About half a mile above the village -a row of water-mills, six in number, were moored across the current; -each mill was supported on two floating barges of very curious -construction, and as they were all at work they presented a singular -appearance. - -Shortly after we had passed Turtuki, we saw about twenty pelicans -congregated on a bar of sand which projected into the river. And during -the day we remarked several eagles on the wing; and numbers of the -beautiful white aigrette herons, whose gleaming plumage glistened in the -sunshine. - -I never beheld a more glorious sunset than on this evening. We had -passed several wooded islands, fringed with river-willows, and forming -points of view that almost appeared to have been artificially produced; -and we were just sailing past one of these, when the sun disappeared -behind the high land by which it was backed, and shed over the sky tints -so richly and so deeply marked, as to make the river-ripple sparkle like -liquid gems; and to give to the stream the appearance of diluted -amethysts and topaz. At this moment a sudden bend in the Danube brought -us beneath a rock crowned with the crumbling ruins of a Genoese castle, -at whose base a flock of goats were browsing on the green underwood that -clothed its fissures. Nothing more was requisite to complete the beauty -of the picture; and from this moment we all began to entertain hopes of -an improvement in the aspect of the country through which we had yet to -pass. - -The next town we reached was Ruschuk, which is of considerable extent, -walled, and surrounded by a ditch. It contains only three thousand -inhabitants, though it formerly boasted thirty thousand, but exhibits no -symptom of that desolation we had remarked in several other towns on -the river. It possesses nine mosques; and its main street is wider and -more carefully paved than any in Constantinople. Its principal trade is -in salt from Olenitza, sugar, iron, and manufactured goods; its exports -are livestock, grain, wool, and timber; and its industry comprises -sail-making by the women, and boat-building by the men. - -The extreme cheapness of food at Ruschuk struck me so much that I took -some pains to ascertain the price of the most common articles of -consumption; and I subjoin the result of my inquiries as a positive -curiosity. Eggs were two hundred for a shilling—fowls were considered -exorbitant; and the high value which they constantly maintained was -accounted for by the fact that the market of Constantinople was in a -great degree supplied from thence; they were twopence each—ducks and -geese, from the same cause, cost two pence halfpenny; turkeys averaged -tenpence, being a favourite food with the Orientals; beef three -halfpence the oke, of two pounds and three quarters; mutton the same -price—the wine of the country one piastre the quart—grapes a halfpenny -the oke; melons and pasteks of immense size, three farthings each; bread -equally cheap, but bad. - -Shortly after leaving Ruschuk, I was amused for a considerable time in -watching some cormorants that were diving for fish; while every sand in -the shallows of the river was covered with hundreds of blue plover. Wild -ducks and geese also flew past the vessel in clouds; and we purchased -small sturgeon and sword-fish from a boat with which we came in contact. - -The Wallachian coast still continued to present one swampy and -uninteresting flat, save at distant intervals, when a scattered and -treeless village, built upon the slope of a slight rise, broke for an -instant upon its tame monotony. But Bulgaria grew in beauty as we -approached its boundary. Noble hills, well clothed with trees gay in all -the rainbow tints of autumn, and contrasting the deep rich umber hues of -the fading beech, and the bright yellow of the withering walnut, with -the gay red garlands of the wild vine, which flung its ruby-coloured -wreaths from tree to tree, linking them together in one glowing -wreath—Snug little villages, with each its tiny fleet of fishing-boats, -and its sandy shore covered with groups of gazers; the better classes -clad after the Asiatic fashion—the men wearing their turbans large and -gracefully arranged, and the women suffering the yashmac to hang nearly -to their feet above the dark feridjhe; and the poorer among them clad in -shapeless woollen garments, and high caps of black sheep skin—Herds of -horses bounding over the hills in all the graceful hilarity of -freedom—Droves of buffaloes lying in the deep mud of the river, -basking in the sunshine—Vineyards overshadowed by fruit trees; Fields -neatly fenced from the waste, and rich with vegetables and grain, in -turn varied the prospect; nor had we wearied of the scene when, at two -o’clock, P.M., we arrived at Sistoff, a small, but flourishing town; -with the ruin of an old castle perched on a height immediately above it. -Here, greatly to our satisfaction, we landed most of our deck -passengers; and a little after seven in the evening we found ourselves -abreast of Nicopolis; but owing to the darkness we could only trace the -outline of the town as it cut against the horizon, and discovered that -it was tolerably extensive, and surrounded by high bluff lands. - -Having been detained several hours by the fog, which was extremely dense -at daybreak, we did not reach Orava until near mid-day. This town, which -was destroyed by the Russians during the reign of Catherine, appears to -be of considerable extent; but is only partially fortified. It possesses -five or six mosques, some of which are scarcely visible from the river, -owing to the very high land that intervenes between a portion of the -town and the shore. The ruins of an old castle on the summit of a rock, -and of a Roman bath on the water’s edge, give a picturesque effect to -the locality. Some hours later we anchored on the Wallachian side to -take in coals, which were obtained from Hungary, and said to be of very -excellent quality; the little enclosure that contained them was situated -close to one of the sanatory stations, and we were not permitted to -approach within a hundred yards of the white-coated Wallachians. We -revenged ourselves, however, by wandering over the plain, gathering wild -flowers and blackberries; and giving chase to some of the most beautiful -little green frogs that ever were seen—they looked like leaping leaves! -Eight pelicans passed us on the wing during the day. - -Another dense fog prevented our progress after seven in the evening, as -the pilot refused to incur the responsibility of the vessel; and we -accordingly anchored until three o’clock the following morning, when we -started again in a bright flood of moonlight; and in about four hours we -arrived opposite to Widdin, where we anchored. It is a large and -handsome town, strongly fortified with a double line of works of great -importance. The fortifications are in good order, and extend, as we are -told, about twelve hundred yards along the bank of the river; while the -lines on the landward side are kept with equal care, and are of similar -extent. The walls are protected by four strong bastions; and the guns -are all said to be in an efficient state. The Pasha’s Palace, based on -the outer walls, looks as bleak and comfortless as a barrack; but its -windows command a noble view of the river. The minarets of twelve or -fourteen mosques relieve the outline of the picture; and, immediately -opposite, on the Wallachian side, stands the low, flat, rambling town of -Kalefat, whence the country assumes a new and more interesting -character. A graceful curve in the river carried us past the quarantaine -establishment; a group of wretched buildings erected close to the -water’s edge, and enclosed within a rude wooden paling, backed by a -lofty cliff that runs far along the shore, riven into a thousand -fantastic shapes; while here and there we had distant glimpses of -cultivated valleys and wooded hills. - -The aspect of the country improved throughout the whole day; abrupt and -precipitous heights, wooded to the very summits—stretches of corn and -pasture land—multitudinous herds of cattle—and laughing plains, gay -with grass and wild flowers, flitted rapidly by; while the bold -cloud-crested mountains above Orsoru formed a noble background to the -picture. At noon we were abreast of Florentin, the last Bulgarian -village on the bank of the river; and decidedly the most picturesque -locality on the Lower Danube. The hamlet was nestled beneath a rock, -three of whose sides were washed by the river, while the fourth was -protected by a deep ditch; and the tall, bluff, perpendicular rock -itself was crowned by a Gothic castle, whose gray outline, apparently -nearly perfect, cut sharply against the sky; and completed a tableau so -strikingly beautiful as to elicit an universal exclamation of delight. - -We ran past Scala Glavoda in the night, from which circumstance I lost -the opportunity of seeing Trajan’s Bridge, whose arches may be -distinguished beneath the level of the water; and at midnight we -anchored at a straggling village about half a league above it. Here we -took leave of the Pannonia; and, as the river is not navigable for a -considerable distance for any thing but flat-bottomed boats, whose -wearisome course against the current is secured by the assistance of -oxen, who tow them lazily on their way; we were obliged to proceed to -Orsova by land. Custom-house officers came on board to examine the -merchandize with which the vessel was freighted, but they did not -interfere with the luggage of the passengers; and, as soon as -bullock-cars had been secured, we despatched our packages on shore, -whither we shortly followed them. - -On the opposite shore rose the mountains of Wallachia, just touched upon -their summits with the brilliant tints of the newly-risen sun, and -clothed with many-coloured foliage. The hills, beside which we had -passed during the previous day, had closed upon us in the rear; and the -chain which terminates in the _Porte de Fer_, or Iron Door, a bar of -rock that nearly traverses the Danube, and over which its waters toss -and boil in impotent violence, shut in the forward view. - -In the bottom of the gorge ran the river, whence arose the column of -steam escaping from the chimney of the Pannonia; and the Servian shore -was scattered over with the multifarious properties of the passengers. -The village ran along the bank of the river, and consisted of log huts, -most ingeniously constructed, lined with a cement formed of clay, and -thatched, like those in Bulgaria, with reeds, and the straw of the -Indian corn; interspersed with small tenements of wicker-work raised on -poles, and serving as store-houses for fruits and grain. - -The difference of costume between the peasantry of Servia and those of -the adjoining country, was remarkably striking. The men had added a wide -sash of rich scarlet to the dress of the Bulgarians, and wore their -woollen greaves, and the sleeves of their shirts worked with -dark-coloured worsteds; while the women were attired in the most -singular manner that can well be imagined. They universally retained the -wrapping-dress of white linen that we had remarked all along this shore -of the Danube; but above it they had placed a couple of aprons of thick -woollen stuff, striped or checked with dark blue; one of which they wore -before, and the other behind, leaving the linen garment uncovered on -either side to the waist; but their head-gear was yet more -extraordinary, and, at the same time, singularly picturesque. - -The younger among them wore their hair confined by a simple band across -the forehead; to which were attached branches of bright-coloured -flowers, such as marigolds, hollyhocks, and the blossoms of the scarlet -bean; intermixed with strings of small silver coin, in greater or less -quantities. I remarked that even the youngest of the girls, children of -five and six years of age, were thus decorated; some of them not -possessing, however, more than half a dozen little para pieces; and as -each of these girls was twirling her distaff with all the gravity of a -matron, I imagine that, precisely as the Asiatics accumulate strings of -pearl by the slow produce of their industry, so, in like manner, the -female peasantry of Servia increase their ornaments through the medium -of their own individual exertions; and I was the more confirmed in this -opinion, by observing that in every instance save one, the number of -coins worn upon the head appeared to preserve an equal proportion with -the years of the wearer. - -The exception to which I allude was on the person of a young girl of -about seventeen, from whose braided tresses coins of considerable size -fell in every direction nearly to her waist; while her throat was -encircled by a succession of the same ungraceful ornaments, descending -like scale-armour low upon her bosom. There was an elastic spring in her -movements, as her small naked feet pressed the sandy path; and an -expression bordering upon haughtiness in her large dark eyes, which -betrayed the daughter of the village chief. I would peril the value of -every coin she wore that I read her fortune aright! - -The elder women wore linen cloths bound about their heads with a grace -which would have suited the draping of a statue; the long ends of the -scarf being secured behind the ear, and forming deep folds that looked, -at a short distance, as though they were hewn in marble; and above this -drapery, rows of coins were disposed, helmet-wise, in such profusion -that, as the sunlight glanced upon them, they were perfectly dazzling. -Nor did the matrons dispense with the gaudy knots of flowers so general -among their younger countrywomen; and the gay effect of a group of -Servian females may consequently be imagined. Some among them were -tolerably pretty; nearly all had fine bright black eyes, and they were -universally erect and finely made; with a step and carriage at once firm -and graceful. - -Ranged along the road stood the line of bullock-waggons, intended for -the transport of our luggage; and beside them a nondescript carriage of -wicker-work drawn by two gray horses, for the accommodation of such of -the party as preferred driving to walking. We were, however, some time -before we were fairly _en route_; and still longer before any one felt -inclined to forego the pleasure of wandering through the long grass that -bordered the edge of the plain, through which wound the road leading to -Orsova. - -For a brief interval we lost sight of the river, and continued to -advance along the rude path, scaring the wild birds from their -resting-places among the stunted branches of the dwarf oaks and beeches -that clothed it; or thredding along the boundaries of the wide patches -of Indian corn which had been redeemed from the waste. But as the day -advanced, the heat became so great as to render any further progress on -foot too fatiguing to be pleasurable; and four of our party accordingly -taking possession of the carriage, we started at a brisk pace along the -smooth and easy road; and after a precipitous descent, down which the -horses galloped at a pace infinitely more speedy than safe, we found -ourselves once more on the shore of the Danube, where it is separated in -the centre by a long bar of sand, terminating in a small island of rock, -now cumbered with the remnants of a ruined fortress. - -Twenty minutes more brought us to the _Porte de Fer_; which does not, -however, extend all across the river, as there is a sufficient width of -sand left free of all rock, on the Servian side, to render the formation -of a canal sufficiently extensive to ensure the safe passage of -moderately sized vessels extremely easy. Nothing in nature can be more -lovely than the landscape at this point of the river; it is shut in on -all sides by majestic rocks overgrown with forest trees; and tenanted by -the wild boar, the wolf, and the bear. Eagles soar above their -pinnacles; and singing birds make the air vocal at their base; while -beneath them rushes the chafed and angry river, foaming and roaring over -the line of rock that impedes the accustomed onward flow of its waters. - -Another turn in the road, and the Danube is hidden from view by a wooded -strip of land, which has forced a portion of the river from its natural -channel, as if to accompany the traveller upon his way, as he follows -the chain of rock along a road so narrow, that there is not half a foot -of earth between the wheels of the carriage and the edge of the bank -that is washed by the little stream; while delicious glimpses of the -Danube are occasionally visible between the trunks of the tall trees -that fringe the intervening islet. - -About a quarter of a mile onward stands a Crucifix; the first symbol -that we had yet remarked of Christianity; and which we hailed as the -parched desert-wanderer welcomes the spring whereat he slakes his -long-endured and withering thirst. It was erected beneath the shadow of -a fine old beech tree; and immediately beside a crazy bridge flung -across the channel of a mountain torrent. The scene increased in beauty -as we proceeded. The great variety of tint among the forest foliage -heightened the effect of the landscape; and I have rarely, if ever, seen -a more gorgeous locality than that through which we travelled to Orsova. -Nature had poured forth her treasures with an unsparing liberality; and -every mountain-glen was a spot that a painter would have loved to look -upon. - -We passed through one straggling village, built like that at which we -had landed, of timber and mud, where we stopped for a few moments to -procure a glass of water; and I was agreeably impressed by the eager -courtesy with which the request was met. A portion of the road proving -too steep to enable the horses to drag us to the summit of the rise -along which we had to pass, we descended from the carriage, and pursued -our way on foot; when we were much struck by the appearance of the soil, -impregnated as it was so strongly with metallic particles, that it had -the appearance of diamond dust. I collected several specimens of ore -that were truly beautiful; and I have no doubt, even from my own very -slight geological knowledge, that a scientific person might find ample -employment within a couple of miles of Orsova for at least as many -months. - - - - -CHAPTER XXXI. - - - Orsova—Castle of the Pass—Turkish Guard—Quarantaine - Ground—Village of Tekia—Awkward Mistake—Pretty Woman—Gay - Dress—A Visiter—Servian Cottagers—A Discovery—Departure—A - Volunteer—Receiving House—A Forced March—The Grave-Yard—The - Quarantaine—A Welcome to Captivity—A Verbal Coinage—Pleasant - Quarters—M. le Directeur—The Restaurant—Pleasant - Announcement—Paternal Care of the Austrian Authorities—The - Health-Inventory—The Guardsman’s Sword—Medical - Visits—Intellectual Amusements—A Friendly Warning. - - -We reached Orsova after a drive of about three hours; and passed through -the court of the castle that guards the pass on the Servian side, and -which must have been of great strength when in repair. A buttressed -tower, perforated from its base to its summit with loop-holes for -musketry, occupies the side of the hill immediately above the fort; and -the site of this stronghold is so cunningly chosen, that it is invisible -from the Viennese side of the river until you come close upon it, owing -to its being built in a gorge between two boldly-projecting rocks. A -couple of Turks, armed to the teeth, were lounging at the outer gate, -who uttered a courteous “Bouroum” as we passed the archway; while a -man, stationed on the roof of the tower, gave out a wild shrill cry, -evidently intended as a signal. - -The town and fortress of Orsova occupy an island of considerable length, -and have a very picturesque appearance; the gleaming minaret of the -solitary mosque cutting against the party-coloured foliage that clothes -the hills by which it is overshadowed; and the castellated and -buttressed wall of the town reflecting itself in the river-tide. Much of -this wall is now in ruin, although it may still be traced entirely along -the bank. The island was fortified by the Austrians, but was afterwards -ceded to the Turks, together with the fortress of Belgrade by the -Emperor Leopold. - -From this point we could distinguish the Quarantaine establishment, -niched in at the foot of the Banût mountains, and distant from the town -of Alt Orsova about a mile. But we were obliged to overshoot it by -nearly half a league, from the fact of there being no boats for hire -until we reached the village of Tekia, situated by the river side, -whence the embarkations of the “condemned” universally take place. - -As we had considerably out-travelled our companions who had remained -with the luggage-waggons, we resolved to await them here; and, the -gentlemen having discovered what they supposed to be a coffee-kiosk, I -gladly availed myself of the cool, clean apartment to which they -summoned me; and the more readily that I was welcomed on the threshold -by one of the prettiest women imaginable. She must have been about -eighteen; and she had all the bloom of youth, combined with all the -grace of womanhood. - -I have already remarked on the erect carriage of the Servian females; -and our new acquaintance was no exception from the rest of her -countrywomen. Her eyes and hair were dazzlingly dark and bright; and she -had a lovely glow upon her cheek that told a tale of health and -happiness. Her rich tresses were wound about her head above a small -Smyrniote fèz, with a falling tassel of purple silk; and the smooth -braids that pressed her fair young brow were partly shrouded beneath a -painted muslin handkerchief. Her dress of violet silk was made precisely -like those of the Constantinopolitan Jewesses, and girt about the waist -by a girdle of pale yellow; and above it she wore a scarf of pink muslin -embroidered with gold, crossed upon her bosom; and a jacket of wadded -green sarsenet with wide sleeves; stockings she had none, but her feet -were shrouded in purple slippers; and altogether she was as pleasant a -specimen of Servian beauty as the eye could desire to look upon. - -As we were self-deluded into the conviction that we were in a -coffee-kiosk, and as we were suffering severely from heat and thirst, -we unhesitatingly ordered coffee and wine, which were instantly brought; -and to which our pretty hostess added sweetmeats and water, presented by -herself with a blush and a smile that quite verified the sentiment of -the old song, which says: - - “If woman be but fair, - She has the gift to know it.” - -We were shortly joined by an important-looking personage, clad in a -richly-furred and embroidered jacket and greaves of bright scarlet: who -seated himself in the midst of us, called for wine, replenished his -pipe, and made himself so thoroughly at home, that when the pretty -hostess chanced to leave the kiosk, we inquired whether she were his -daughter: expressing at the same time our admiration of her beauty. It -was not without some surprise that we learnt from the plain middle-aged -individual to whom we addressed ourselves, that the young beauty was his -wife; and moreover the adopted daughter of Prince Milosch, who had -bestowed her upon him in marriage, as a mark of his peculiar regard. He -did not appear in the least annoyed by the glances of unequivocal -admiration which the gentlemen, who had so long inhabited a land of -lattices and yashmacs, could not refrain from turning on her as she -moved among them busied in the offices of hospitality; but appeared to -treat her rather as a spoiled child, than as the partner of his -fortunes. - -A tour of the village being proposed by one of the party, we started on -an exploring expedition; but met with nothing particularly interesting. -The peasantry were remarkably respectful and courteous, every one rising -as we approached their cottage door, and saluting us with a smile of -perfect good-humour; while we won the hearts of the mothers by dividing -among the numerous children who were sporting on all sides, a collection -of copper coins made during the journey, of which we knew neither the -names nor the value. They were a plain race, coarsely formed, and -universally disfigured by feet of an unwieldly size; but, nevertheless, -the women all carried themselves like empresses; and their glittering -head-dresses, and large silver earrings, rendered their appearance -almost attractive. - -When the rest of our caravan arrived, we discovered the error into which -we had been betrayed by our ignorance of the locality; being informed by -the agent who had accompanied us from Scala Glavoda, in order to deliver -us up to the quarantaine authorities, that we were the guests of the -chief man of the village; to whom it was utterly impossible that we -could offer any remuneration for all the trouble that we had given in -his house. Such being the case, we could only overwhelm him with -acknowledgements and compliments; with which he was so well satisfied, -that he declared his intention of accompanying us down the river as far -as the station at which we were to land, in order to proceed on foot to -our temporary prison. - -When the large flat-bottomed barge in which we were to be conveyed -thither, was freighted with our packages, and that we were about to push -off, we were detained for an instant by the declaration of the little -Servian beauty that she had determined to be of the party; and on board -she accordingly came, having flung over her house-costume a magnificent -pelisse of grey cloth, edged with sable, and worked with gold. - -In half an hour we reached a long wooden shed, built as a receiving -house for the quarantaine; and here we were detained until our patience -was fairly outworn, and that our hunger had become positively painful. A -double partition of wood parted us from the authorities, who graciously -welcomed us to the horrors of incarceration; and we were obliged to seat -ourselves on the luggage, and await the arrival of the bullock-carriages -that were to convey our travelling-gear to its destination. - -All was at last accomplished; and after taking leave of our pretty -Servian companion, who laughed heartily at my pressing invitation to her -to share our imprisonment; we followed the train of waggons; the rear -of the party being brought up by an Austrian soldier, armed with a -loaded musket, and a fixed bayonet. We were, however, in no mood to -yield to gloomy ideas or feelings. We had a blue sky above us, a fine -turf beneath our feet, and the prospect of another half hour of -comparative liberty; and we were straggling gaily about the plain, -laughing and speculating on our approaching imprisonment, when we were -called to order by the guard; and compelled to keep to the high road, -lest we should contaminate the grass and thistles among which we were -wandering. - -Before we reached the quarantaine-ground, we passed the grave-yard -destined to receive those who die of plague during their incarceration. -It was closely fenced; and rendered still more gloomy by a tall -crucifix, painted red, and supporting a most revolting effigy of Our -Lord. - -On ringing a bell the great gates of the establishment were flung -“hospitably” back, and we were requested to allow the waggons to enter -before us, lest we should contaminate the oxen by our contact; and, -after passing through a couple of walled yards, surrounded by warehouses -for receiving merchandize, we entered a third enclosure wherein we were -met by the governor and surgeon; who, keeping at a respectful distance, -invited us to enter a dark, whitewashed, iron-grated cell, in order to -have our passports examined. - -A wooden lattice separated us from our new hosts; and the peasant who -had conducted us from the river side, stood in front of a small opening -made for the purpose, and held at arm’s length the papers which were -demanded. Much bowing and scraping ensued between M. le Directeur, the -foreign Noblemen, and the Hungarian Chevalier; and we had reason to -congratulate ourselves on their companionship, as it produced a visible -increase of courtesy on the part of the local authorities: a courtesy -which did not, however, exempt us from the “locks, bolts, and bars” of -the Lazaretto. As I was only the second lady who had been unfortunate -enough to come under his keeping, the Governor very politely resolved to -commence his arrangements by providing me with as good a cell as he had -then vacant—not that he called the space into which he was about to -consign me, a _cachot_—by no means—the word “cell” being somewhat -grating, another term has been invented; and the dens of the Lazaretto -of Orsova are designated _colleves_, which signifies—nothing. - -But before we could take possession of our prison, another gate had yet -to be unlocked; which admitted us into a large space enclosed within a -high wall, and containing the _élite_ of the accommodations. The cells, -like those of a madhouse in Turkey, were built round the four sides of a -garden; and each had a small entrance-court, paved with stone. As none -of the buildings were capacious enough to contain our whole party, it -was at length arranged that five of us should take one of them, in which -we might make such arrangements as we preferred; and that the three -others should be accommodated as near to us as possible. Upon which -understanding M. le Directeur, a plump, good-natured-looking little old -man, with a bit of soiled red ribbon displayed in the button-hole of a -threadbare gray frock-coat, a ruffled shirt, and the funniest of all -forage-caps, led the way to cell, or I should rather say _colleve_, No. -2: and when one of his followers had unlocked the yellow and black gate -of the court, he bowed ceremoniously to me, as he pointed to two -melancholy-looking trees, which had contrived to exist amid the rude -paving, and exclaimed with a tone and gesture perfectly dramatic: -“_Soyez la bien-venue, Madame; voyez les beaux arbres que vous avez!_” - -It was extremely fortunate that the day chanced to be one of cloudless -sunshine, and that we consequently saw every thing under its most -favourable aspect; for there was nothing particularly exhilarating in -the interior of the buildings. Windows both barred and grated; walls -whitewashed and weather-stained; chairs, tables, and sofa all of wood, -which is a “nonconductor,” and whitewashed like the walls; were the only -objects that met our eyes. But as we were all both tired and hungry, we -welcomed even these; and only begged to learn where we must address -ourselves, in order to procure some food with as little delay as -possible. - -This brought us to the second feature of our position; for a window -whose shutter was padlocked up, was unfastened; a bell was rung, and at -a casement grated like our own appeared the Restaurateur of the -Lazaretto to receive his instructions. Dinner was instantly ordered; -bread and wine were speedily procured; and we were waited upon by a very -gaily-dressed, conceited individual, who announced himself to be “our -keeper;” a piece of intelligence which once more carried back my -thoughts to the _Timerhazès_, or madhouses of Constantinople; and I -began half to apprehend that we had indeed intruded into one of those -melancholy establishments. At five o’clock we were furnished with a very -bad dinner; bedding was brought in; and at sunset we were locked up. - -On the morrow we were somewhat disconcerted to learn that the court of -the _colleve_ was to be our boundary during the ten days of our -imprisonment; and our officious “keeper” very carefully locked the gate -every time that he thought proper to make his escape. But this was a -trifling annoyance to that by which it was succeeded; and which -consisted of an announcement that at mid-day the Surgeon of the -Lazaretto, and the Examining Officer, would visit us, in order to take -an inventory of every thing in our possession. Each trunk, portmanteau, -and basket was to be unpacked; in short, we were even to declare the -contents of our purses! - -We were already aware that the Austrian was the most paternal of all -Governments; taking an interest in the private affairs, not only of its -own subjects, but also in those of strangers; yet I confess that for -such a proceeding as the present we were totally unprepared. - -There was, however, no remedy: and the “secret recesses” of every -package were laid bare before the “authorities.” The reason given for -this inconvenient and revolting stretch of power, is the desire of the -Government that, in the event of a decease, the friends of the dead -person may receive every part of his property upon demand; the inventory -held by the proper officers effectually preventing the keeper of the -_colleve_ from plundering the trunks; but certain little circumstances -which we remarked during the investigation rather tended to weaken our -faith in the disinterestedness of the arrangement. - -When the possession of any Turkish article was mentioned, there was a -visible excitement. Even a lantern exhibited by my father was entered on -the list; and the number of chibouk-tubes, of tobacco purses, and other -trifles, which could have been of no value to the survivors of a -deceased person, were registered with equal exactness. - -In my own case they were peculiarly inquisitive; counting my rings, and -recording my bracelets and necklaces. Not a pocket-handkerchief, nor a -waist-ribbon escaped; and I was more than once asked if I had really -exhibited the whole of my wardrobe. My books and drawings were seized -without ceremony, and carried off to be examined by the proper officer; -and the worthy functionaries at length departed in full possession of -all which related to our peripatetic properties. - -It required a couple of hours to soften down the “chafed humours” of the -gentlemen of the party; which were not rendered more gentle by the -demand of the keeper, that they should deliver up all their arms, of -whatever description they might be; on the understanding that they were -to be restored to them on the day of their own delivery. But the request -did not meet with the ready acquiescence which had been anticipated. -Colonel——had travelled with the whole of his uniform; and when our -attendant advanced to lay sacrilegious hands upon his sword, which was -hanging over a chair, all the quick sense of honour of the British -soldier was roused at once; and, as the indignant blood rushed to his -brow, he vowed that he would fell to the earth the first man who dared -to meddle with his side-arms. In vain did the keeper insist, and the -Chevalier explain; the English heart beat too high to heed either the -one, or the other: and the pistol-laden functionary was obliged to -depart without the sword of the gallant Guardsman. Of course he made his -report to the Governor; but the worthy little old gentleman had too much -good sense to persist in the demand; and no allusion was afterwards made -to the subject. - -Twice each day we were visited by the medical officer, who just popped -his head in at the door, and smiled forth: “Ah! quite well, quite well, -I see—impossible to be better—good morning,” and away he went, without -affording us time to complain had we been so inclined. M. le Directeur -also paid us several visits, always carefully pointing his cane before -him, as a warning to us not to approach him too closely: and never -failing to commence the conversation by the ejaculation of, “_Madame, je -vous salue—ha! les beaux arbres que vous avez!_” It was really worse -than ludicrous. - -As a signal mark of favour, we were occasionally permitted to walk, -under the charge of the keeper, from the gate of our own -_colleve_-court to that of our friends, and to receive their visits in -return, when we had always a very laughable interview; the incarcerated -individuals amusing themselves by rocking to and fro behind the bars of -their prison-gates, and roaring like wild beasts in a menagerie. - -There are two descriptions of persons to whom I would particularly -recommend an avoidance of the Quarantaine at Orsova—The _ennuyé_ and -the _bon vivant_. For the first there is no refuge save sleep, and the -few doggrel attempts at poetry which may be partially traced through the -whitewash; the outpourings of an impatient spirit weary of its thrall; -with the occasional society of the “keeper,” who is as cold and as -impracticable as his own keys. The very books of which the wanderer has -made his travelling companions; and some of which would bear a second -perusal, at all events in a quarantaine cell, are carried off and sealed -up, as though every volume were redolent of high treason; and he is left -to his own resources as ruthlessly as if he were indeed “the last man;” -and that he had done with the world, and the world with him. - -To the second I need only hint that the _restaurant_ is a Government -monopoly, where you are provided for at a fixed sum per day; and fed -upon whatever it may please the Comptroller of the Kitchen to serve up. -Nor can you procure any wine save the sour and unpalatable _vin du -pays_, however liberally you may be disposed to pay for it. - -Those travellers are fortunate who, like ourselves, can meet the -captivity of quarantaine with pleasant companions, light hearts, and -unfailing spirits; finding food for mirth in their very miseries; and -forgetting the annoyance of present detention in the anticipation of -future freedom. - - - - -CHAPTER XXXII. - - - The Last Day of Captivity—Quarantaine Enclosure—Baths of - Mahadia—Landscape Scenery—Peasantry of Hungary—Their - Costume—Trajan’s Road—Hungarian Village—The Mountain - Pass—The Baths—A Disappointment—The Health-Inventory—Inland - Journey—New Road. - - -The last day of our captivity was the most tedious portion of the whole, -for the prospect of speedy emancipation kept us in a constant state of -irritation. Our luggage was collected and arranged with a haste which by -no means added to its comfort or convenience, and which only left us an -additional hour of unoccupied restlessness; while the servants were -urged to a continual commotion that robbed us even of the tranquillity -which might have made our prison-house somewhat more endurable. - -The morning of the fifteenth of October was that of our release. We were -all ready to depart at daybreak; and after the necessary ceremonies had -been gone through, we assembled in a large grassy space, bounded on one -side by the Danube, and skirted on the other by the Quarantaine -buildings. This enclosure was crowded with oxen, waggons, and bales of -merchandize; and about fifty peasants were employed in lading such -goods as were admitted to _pratique_, after their period of purification -had been accomplished. Here we also found carriages for hire, two of -which we immediately engaged to convey some of our party to the -celebrated Baths of Mahadia; which, being situated off our road, we were -anxious to reach as speedily as possible, in order to enable us to -secure our passage on board the Steam Packet, that was to leave Drinkova -at daybreak the following morning. - -Three of the party accordingly took possession of a Calèche, drawn by a -trio of wiry-looking little chesnut ponies, harnessed in the most -inartificial way in the world, with bridles, traces, and reins of stout -cord; while the others mounted one of the country waggons, filled with -hay, and dragged by a couple of wild-looking horses. - -Never was there a more sincere exhibition of self-gratulation than that -with which we passed the boundary gate of the Quarantaine ground; and -found ourselves beside the tall stone cross that is erected on its -outskirt, as if to claim the thanksgiving of the newly-liberated. We had -majestic hills rising before, and beside us, clothed with forest-timber, -now rich in the thousand hues of autumn—The river-tide running -rippling—would, for the sake of my landscape sketch, that I could say -_sparkling_—in the sunshine; but, alas! the lordly Danube throughout -its entire length looks like diluted dirt; and the beam must be full and -fierce indeed which can lend a brightness to its waters.—The vapours -that had during the night been pillowed on the hill-tops, or had -cinctured them with a fleecy girdle, were just beginning to roll back -beneath the influence of the sun, which was rising like a golden globe -into a horizon of the faintest pink; and as the halo widened round its -disk, deepening the clouds to amber. - -The hardy Hungarian peasantry were all astir; and very picturesque they -looked as they drove forth their flocks to the green and goodly pastures -on the mountain-side; or yoked the docile oxen to their light waggons of -wicker-work, which resemble huge baskets raised on wheels. To us -everything was delightful; for like long-caged birds suddenly set free, -we were pruning our wings for a fresh flight. Ten days of happiness go -by like an Eastern twilight, or the down of the thistle; but ten days of -Quarantaine—ten days of wood and whitewash—of locks and bolts—of -walls and weariness!—No one who has not passed ten days in a _colleve_, -and its narrow court can understand all the delight of the first bound -back to freedom. - -There is one of Sir Walter Scott’s ballads which from my earliest -girlhood I have always loved; it first touched my heart by its -plaintiveness, but in the quarantaine of Orsovar I learned to value it -still more for its surpassing nature—its masterly delineation of the -feelings of the human mind under captivity; the captivity, not of -despair, but of impatience—the wail of the bounding spirit held -back—and often, very often, as I paced up and down the paved court of -our plague-prison, did I murmur out my own irritation in the words of -the Mighty One of Song: - - “My hawk is tired of perch and hood, - My idle greyhound loathes his food, - My horse is weary of his stall, - And I am sick of captive thrall.” - -But even had we looked on the peasantry of Hungary at a less joyous -moment, we could not have failed to be struck with their extremely -picturesque costume. The men were dressed like those of Servia, even to -the ungainly sandal of untanned leather, laced above a short stocking of -checked worsted; though many among them had discarded the rude conical -cap of sheepskin, for one neatly made of white flannel, and bound with -black ribbon, which had a very cleanly and smart appearance; but the -women were in a costume which would have produced its effect at a fancy -ball. Like the maidens of Scotland, the young girls wore their hair -simply bound by a silken snood, into which they had stuck marigolds or -wild roses; while the matrons covered their heads with a handkerchief -placed very backward, and secured by bodkins, flowers, and coins, to a -cushion worn low in the neck, and concealed by a thick plait of hair. A -band of linen, a couple of inches in width, was fastened round the brow, -and completed the head-dress; and many of these were elegantly wrought -with beads and coloured worsteds; I also remarked one which was -decorated with small white cowries. - -Herein alone existed any distinction of dress between the oldest matron -and the youngest maiden; the garments varying only in the richness of -their material. A chemisette of white linen reaching to the throat, -where it was confined by a band worked with coloured worsteds, continued -down the front of the bosom, and along the tops of the large, full -sleeves, was girt about the waist with two woollen aprons worn like -those of Servia, but falling only to the knee; where they terminated in -a deep fringe of the same colours as the apron, that descended to the -ancle. Some few made use of the same unsightly sandals as those of the -men, but they were principally barefooted. - -The Hungarian peasantry are all soldiers when their services are -required, but resume their agricultural and domestic duties immediately -that the necessity has ceased to exist; hence they are all erect, and -smart-looking; and as they are a remarkably fine race of men, their -appearance is very striking. Of the women I cannot in candour say so -much, as they are, generally speaking, very plain; with flat features, -and expressionless countenances. There were, however, several startling -exceptions; and I know not whether in such cases it be actually the -intrinsic degree of beauty possessed by the individual, and that in a -land of plain women, Nature lavishes on the few all that she has -withheld from the many; or that the dearth of good looks in the many may -lead a stranger involuntarily to heighten to himself those of the few; -but it is certain that I saw in Hungary, as I thought at the time, half -a dozen of the loveliest girls imaginable. - -We had left Orsova only a few miles behind us, when, descending a short -but precipitous declivity, we entered upon a road skirting the mountain -ridge on the one hand, and bounded on the other by the bed of a torrent; -whose waters, now in a state of comparative repose, brawled over the -masses of rock with which their own violence had cumbered the channel -during the winter storms; and ran dancing in the light, as their course -was further impeded by the fishing-dams of the peasantry; and, after -forming a thousand pigmy cascades, fell flashing back into the depths -of the ravine, to form a mirror for the overhanging hills. - -Another hour of rapid travelling brought us to the ruins of Trajan’s -road. Six of the arches, built against the solid rock, still remain -nearly perfect; and hence this stupendous work may be traced for several -miles, as well as the massy fragments of a bridge across the torrent. - -A lovely valley succeeded, hemmed in by hills, and dotted over with -little villages, seated on the banks of the mountain stream; looking, -from the peculiar formation of their small reed-thatched huts, like -gigantic apiaries. Every narrow shelf of rock that could be redeemed -from the forest, for such the whole line of heights, (gigantic as they -were), may literally be called, was in a high state of cultivation. -Patches of Indian corn, flourishing vineyards, green pasture lands, and -thriving orchards, were to be seen on all sides; while the effects of -the flitting light upon the autumn-touched timber were so magical, so -various, and so brilliant, that words are inadequate to paint them. Here -and there, among stretches of foliage, varying from the faint silvery -green of the river-willow, and the white lining of the aspen-leaf, to -the bright gold of the decaying beech, and the rich brown of the -withering oak, stood out a huge mass of bare calcareous rock; looking -like a giant portal closed upon the hidden treasures of the mountain’s -heart. And amid all these glorious hills, this jewel-like foliage, and -these flashing waters, we travelled on with the speed of lightning, -through an avenue of fruit-trees several miles in length. - -A second stretch of the mountain-road conducted us to a spot where a -descent had been made to the bed of the torrent; and here, leaving the -direct line to the town of Mahadia, we forded the stream, and struck -into a byway, which, traversing a dense wood, led immediately to the -Baths. It was but an exchange of beauty. And, as we entered the gorge of -two stately mountains draped in forest-foliage, and lifting to the sky -their high and leafy heads; and saw the eagles planing above them in -majestic security, while flowers bloomed beside our path, and small -birds twittered among the branches; while the sound of the shepherd’s -reed-pipe came sweeping down into the valley from the giddy heights on -which his flock were browsing; and the luxurious cattle standing mid-way -in the stream, lowed out their enjoyment to their fellows, as if to lure -them from the mountain glades amid which they were wandering; I thought -that I had never traversed a country so lovely as this corner of -Hungary. I would not have missed that morning landscape for another term -of quarantaine! - -We were quite unprepared for the scene that awaited us at the Baths. -The gorge in which they are built is so narrow that the rocks on either -side almost overhang the houses; and the torrent rushes brawling along -at their base, fed by continual springs. The establishment, which is -becoming every year more popular, is on a very large and handsome scale; -and the whole aspect of the place is so enchanting, so bright, so calm, -and so delightful, that, could we have woven the web of our day to a -week’s duration, I am quite sure that not one of our party would have -wearied of it. - -The Baths are of Roman origin; and in the wall of one of the principal -apartments a stone is imbedded which still bears most legibly the -following inscription: “To Venus, Mercury, and Hercules, these springs, -conducive to Beauty, Activity, and Strength, are dedicated.” They are -strongly impregnated with sulphur, and produce on a first trial extreme -and almost painful exhaustion; but they are considered to be so very -efficacious, particularly in chronic diseases, that the government have -erected an Invalid Hospital and Bathing House at the extremity of the -mountain, for the use of the troops. - -We partook of an excellent dinner at the Table d’Hôte on leaving the -Baths; and, greatly to our regret, were then compelled to retrace our -steps in order to reach Orsova before dusk. But we had already lingered -too long; and, on arriving in the court of the hotel where the -post-waggons were awaiting us, we were met by the declaration of the -drivers that they would not stir until daylight; the road to Drinkova -being cut along the brink of the mountain precipices, and so slightly -protected as to be even dangerous at noon-day. - -We were, one and all, extremely annoyed at their decision, not knowing -if we could afford a loss of time on which we had not calculated; and we -almost began to ask ourselves whether the more incurious portion of the -party, who had quietly mounted the luggage-waggons at the -quarantaine-gate, and pursued their direct road to the steam-station, -had not been also the most prudent. For myself, despite the fatigue that -I had undergone during the day, and the enervating effect of the -sulphuric bath, I had so nerved myself for the night-journey, that I was -sincerely disappointed when assured that it was quite impracticable; -but, as there was no alternative, we resolved on retiring early to our -apartments, whose cleanliness and comfort were enhanced tenfold in our -eyes by our recent endurance of the disarray and desolation of the -quarantaine cells. - -We were, however, obliged, ere we parted for the night, to receive the -Agent of the Steam-Company, and two officers of the Austrian Customs; -who, for “a consideration,” returned our books carefully sewed up in -linen, and sealed with this government-stamp in lead, accompanied by an -injunction not to remove it until we had passed the Austrian frontier. -We next paid a duty for the Turkish articles we had brought with us, and -which they did not trouble us to enumerate; as, thanks to the -“Health-Inventory” taken at the Lazaretto, they were thoroughly -acquainted with the extent of our possessions. - -The official train had no sooner departed, than we busied ourselves in -superintending the arrangement of the provisions that were to accompany -us on the morrow’s journey; nothing edible, save Indian corn bread, -being purchaseable between the town of Orsova, and the station of the -steam-boat. - -Few circumstances can be more provoking than the necessity which exists -of abandoning the course of the river at this particular point; as the -scenery for several successive miles is of the most majestic and -striking description. Piles of rock hem in the current, and almost -overhang it; caverns, hollowed by some fearful convulsion of nature, -tempt the venturous foot of the curious traveller; and far-spreading -forests, sweeping away into the distance, fringe the summits of the -mountains, and cast their deep shadows over the river tide. - -Superadded to this disappointment, is the increase of fatigue consequent -on the compulsatory _détour_; the distance occupied by the shoal being -more than doubled by the overland journey that is made across the -loftiest of the Banût mountains, and performed in the country carriages -(the basket-work waggons already mentioned); which, although so lightly -constructed as to travel very rapidly, yet, being without springs, are -extremely fatiguing. - -To obviate this inconvenience, the Steam Company have commenced the -construction of a road at the foot of the mountain-chain, the whole -length of the shoal; and it was progressing rapidly at the period of our -visit, under the auspices of the Austrian Government.[11] The necessary -outlay was said to be very great, owing to the difficult nature of the -locality, and the labour of penetrating the living rock. An entire mile -of this singular undertaking was already completed; and really afforded -an extraordinary proof of the effects produceable by human ingenuity and -perseverance. In particular spots it is entirely artificial; and is a -solid stretch of masonry based on the bed of the river—in others, it -hangs on the side of the mountain like a goat-path—and at others, again -it is a tunnel, walled and roofed with rock, and torn from the heart of -the mighty mass by blasting. - -This road is intended to facilitate the passage of travellers and -merchandize, from one steam-vessel to the other, by means of -flat-bottomed boats, to be towed by horses along the hitherto impassable -portion of the river—an arrangement which will supersede the necessity -of abandoning the direct line; and save the traveller the expense, -fatigue, and inconvenience of the inland journey. - - - - -CHAPTER XXXIII. - - - Departure from Orsova—Daybreak—The Mountain-pass—Village of - Plauwischewitza—Austrian Engineers—Literary Popularity—The - Rapids—Sunday in Hungary—Drinkova—Holyday - Groups—Alibec—Voilovitch—Panchova—River-Shoals—Wild - Fowl—Semlin—Fortress of Belgrade—Streets of Semlin—Greek - Church—Castle of Hunyady—Imperial Barge—Agreeable - Escort—Yusuf Pacha—Belgrade—Prince - Milosch—Plague-Preventers—General Milosch—Servian - Ladies—Turk-Town—Ruined Dwellings—The Fortress—Osman - Bey—Gate of the Tower—Fearless Tower—Rapid Decay of the - Fortifications—Sclavonian Garden—Vintage-Feast—Sclavonian - Vintage-Song. - - -At four o’clock the following morning we left Orsova, lighted by a -perfect galaxy of stars; but shivering from the damp vapours which were -hanging in dense folds about the Danube. The light was just breaking as -we reached the foot of the mountains, and began to ascend a precipitous -road, slightly guarded on the outer edge by a wooden railing; whence we -looked down into rifts and chasms filled with the most profuse foliage; -at whose bottom rippled along the pigmy streams which in the winter -season swell to torrents, and awake the depths of the forest-fastnesses -with their brawling voices. - -It is impossible to give the faintest picture of this mountain-pass, -with its bridges of rude timber flung over almost unfathomable -gulfs—its bold, overhanging paths, along which the narrow wheels have -scarcely space to pass—its dense masses of forest foliage, linked -together by the graceful wreaths of the wild vine with its blood red -leaves, and the clinging tendrils of the wild cotton plant with its -snowy tufts of down—its herds of cattle—its flocks of goats—and its -green grassy glades, laughing in the sunshine—its ever-recurring -effects of light and shade—its mysterious silence—and its surpassing -majesty. - -As we travelled on, the day-beam grew brighter in the heavens, and the -horizon became one rich canopy of pink and violet. There were moments -when I was breathless with awe as we traversed that leafy solitude. I -never thought of danger; even when the half wild animals that drew us -were galloping at their greatest speed down the mountain-side, with a -shelf of rock walling us up on the one hand, and a deep precipice -yawning over against us on the other. I had not an instant to spare to -the possible peril of our position; I saw only, I felt only, the glory -which surrounded me. I could at that moment fully understand why the -mountaineer clung to liberty as to existence—how he who had once -breathed the pure air of heaven from the rocky brow on which the clouds -of night were wont to rest, and the sunshine of day to sport, must pine -amid the gloom of the valley, and the monotony of the plain. And when we -once more descended to the river’s edge, where all was safe and level, I -only felt regret that I could not call back the mystery and the -magnificence of the rock-seated forests, even although there might be -peril in their paths. - -The road into which we passed at the foot of the mountain-chain led us -along fields of Indian corn, to the village of Plauwischewitza; where we -were compelled to remain a couple of hours, in order to rest the horses. -It was nine o’clock when we reached it; and as the little hamlet boasted -no wine-house, at which we could satisfy the keen appetite that we had -acquired by four hours of rapid travelling among the mountains, we were -preparing to breakfast in one of the waggons; when the Chevalier -Peitrich was recognized by an Officer of Austrian Engineers, who -immediately invited us to a very comfortable house that had been built -for himself and his brother-officers, during their superintendence of -the road to which I have already alluded. - -We availed ourselves of his politeness most readily, and were received -with the greatest courtesy by the whole party; who showed and explained -to us several beautifully-coloured plans of the Danube, and the -projected roads and canals. In their bookcase I found Bulwer’s “England -and the English,” and Marryat’s “Naval Officer;” both published by -Baudry of Paris. It was like meeting old friends in a strange land, to -turn over the leaves of these well-remembered volumes in an obscure -Hungarian village! - -At eleven o’clock we resumed our journey, which lay along the bank of -the river, but at a considerable height above the water. In one or two -places we wound round the base of rocks that jutted into the bed of the -stream, and which were rent and riven in an extraordinary manner; one -mass resting upon another, and so apparently insecure as to appear ready -to loosen their hold with the next blast of wind. By this picturesque -route we passed the rapids called Izlas; a singular ridge of rock -extending nearly across the river, at a spot where the shores are -extremely bold and beautiful; and at three o’clock in the afternoon we -again halted in another small hamlet. - -The scene was a very cheerful one, as, owing to its being Sunday, all -the peasants were in their holyday garb; and were clustered at the doors -of their cottages, enjoying the pure air and the genial sunshine. I was -much amused at the method adopted by the Hungarian mothers of nursing -their infants; they carry a small box, in shape not unlike a coffin, -slung over their shoulders, in which the child lies upon a mattress; and -when the little being requires their care, they sit down upon the first -stone, or piece of timber in their path, swing the box to their knees, -and quietly attend to the wants of their nursling; the suspended cradle -is then restored to its original position, and their own occupations are -resumed. - -On our arrival at the steam station at Drinkova, which is simply a large -block of building containing apartments for the resident agent and -stores for the housing of merchandize, we learnt that, owing to the long -drought, the water had become so low in the Danube that the vessel could -not descend beyond Alibec, the next station; and consequently, fatigued -as we were with a journey of sixty-five miles in rough carriages over -steep roads, we were compelled to continue our route at all speed; and -in about twenty minutes we reached the pretty and extensive village of -Drinkova, in which we found an Austrian regiment, occupying a commodious -barrack in the principal street. We remained here an hour, in order to -rest the unfortunate horses, which we were obliged to take on, as there -were no means of procuring others; and we started again just as the sun -was setting, and throwing fairy lights upon the mountain crests. - -Many a gay group did we encounter as we pursued our way, hurrying home -to the village after a day of recreation among the hills; and we even -passed one party who had lingered so long that the blaze of the fire -that they had kindled in the woods streamed across our path. - -At nine o’clock we reached Alibec by the light of a bright young moon, -which just disappeared behind the hills as we were hailed from the -vessel. At daylight the next morning we were under weigh; and about noon -the Francis I. was abreast of the extensive monastery and dependencies -of Voilovitch on the Hungarian side of the river; and shortly afterwards -we passed the town of Panchova, seated on the Temes, which here empties -itself into the Danube. About a mile and a half beyond Panchova, we -entered a shoal, and the steam was almost entirely stopped, while we -glided over the treacherous surface of the stream; the boat scarcely -appeared to make any way; but there was a slight tremulous motion that -seemed as though her heart still beat, while her progress was impeded. - -These shoals, which are by no means without danger even by daylight, are -not, however, the only impediment to night-travelling on the Danube—the -violence of the current, particularly after a gale at sea, frequently -carrying away immense masses of the light sandy soil of the islands that -are scattered along the whole line of the river; and with them enormous -trees, which come sweeping down the stream, with their wide branches -spreading on all sides, and choking the passage. We encountered at -least a dozen of these uprooted forest giants during our voyage. - -In the course of the afternoon we were off Semendri, an extensive -Turkish fortress, occupying a very commanding position on the Servian -shore, at the junction of the Jesava with the Danube; and defended by -twenty-seven towers, of which twenty-three were square, two round, and -two hexagonal; but extremely exposed on all sides, and apparently not in -the best state of repair. - -At sunset we passed a group of islands thickly wooded, principally by -river-willows; and surrounded by long narrow necks of land, from which -the approach of the vessel aroused such a cloud of aquatic birds as I -never beheld before in my life. They must have amounted to several -thousands; and being wild swans, geese, ducks, and plover, they filled -the air with a discord, to which the monotonous beat of the -steam-paddles was music. During the whole day we were earnestly talking -of Belgrade—the far-famed fortress of Belgrade—which we were anxious -to reach before dusk. It was, however, eight o’clock before we were -abreast of this last stronghold of the Turks in Europe; and in half an -hour more we anchored at Semlin; where we were to remain the whole of -the next day to take in coals, and to embark passengers and -merchandize. - -On the following morning immediately after breakfast, we went on shore -to see the town; but previously to landing we stood awhile on deck -contemplating the interesting scene around us. The Save, which here -empties itself into the Danube, forms the boundary between the -possessions of the Moslem, and those of the Christian. On one side its -ripple reflects the belfried towers and tall crosses, the walls and -dwellings, of the Christian population of Semlin—on the other it -mirrors the slender minarets and bristling fortifications of the -followers of Mahomet. Barges, filled with water-patroles, passed and -repassed the vessel; all was activity along the shore of Semlin; while a -dead stillness hung over the dark outworks of the opposite bank. - -A walk of ten minutes brought us to the gate of Semlin, which terminates -a long, wide, clean-looking street, forming the main artery of the town. -The tide of life was, however, flowing through it sluggishly; a few -knots of military, belonging to the Italian regiment by which it was -garrisoned, were grouped at distances, or lounged idly along, gazing -into the shop windows; but we did not meet half a dozen peasants; a -circumstance that was afterwards explained by the fact of our having -made our incursion on the day of a great annual market, which had -attracted nearly all the inhabitants of the town and the surrounding -country to an extensive square at the back of the main street; where we -found a dense crowd of horses, waggons, merchandize, busy men, and plain -women. - -Among its public buildings, Semlin boasts a Quarantaine Establishment, -considerably more extensive than that of Orsova; and also, as we were -informed, infinitely preferable in point of comfort and convenience. Our -curiosity, however, did not tend in that direction; and we were quite -satisfied with a view of the exterior walls. - -In our stroll through the airy and well-kept streets, we visited the -Greek Church, which was handsomely fitted up. The door was opened to us -by a magnificent-looking priest, who did the honours with great -politeness; save that he would not admit me into the Sanctuary to -examine the enamelled bible which he displayed with great pride to the -gentlemen; little imagining, holy man! that I had penetrated behind the -veil of the church at the Fanar; and seen the most costly of all their -copies of the Sacred Writings in the thrice blessed hands of the -Patriarch himself! - -From the Church we ascended a height above the town, to explore the -ruins of the celebrated Castle of Hunyady, the father of Matteas -Corvinus; the most renowned of all Hungarian heroes. It is now rapidly -passing away, to be numbered with the things that were, and are not. It -is a square erection, with a round tower at each angle; and is no where -left standing more than ten feet from the level of the earth; but the -walls are extremely massive, measuring nearly eighteen feet in -thickness; and the situation is commanding, as the acclivity on which it -is built sweeps the river to a considerable distance on both sides. - -Having sauntered through the town, and made a few purchases, in order to -recall to us hereafter our first ramble in Sclavonia, we returned on -board to a mid-day dinner; the Chevalier having assured us that he -possessed sufficient interest with the General commanding at Semlin, to -secure to us the permission to visit Belgrade; which, being a Turkish -fort, was unapproachable to the Quarantaine-cleansed, without special -authority. He had calculated justly; and in the course of the afternoon -an Imperial barge put off, with the plague-flag flying at her stern, and -took us on board, attended by two keepers from the Quarantaine -Establishment, and a Custom-house officer. Under this cheerful escort we -departed for Belgrade; the last minareted town in Europe, and the -residence of Yusuf Pasha; who, in the event of hostilities, will -probably acquit himself at Belgrade as honourably as he did at Varna. - -The position of this extensive fortress is most imposing; seated as it -is upon the banks of two noble rivers: its walls being washed on two -sides by the Danube, and on a third by the Save. Its appearance is very -formidable, and had it been bestowed upon an European power, it must -have proved a dangerous present; but its noble outworks and stately -walls are crumbling to decay; and in its present state it is scarcely -more than a colossal feature in the landscape. - -On the first cession of the Fortress of Belgrade to the Turks by the -Emperor Leopold, the occupation of the town was reserved exclusively to -the Servians, whose Prince, Milosch, has a handsome residence in the -principal street; but since the treaty of Unkiar Skelessi, the Osmanlis -have poured into the town; and, as the natives resisted the innovation, -have formed themselves into a distinct colony which may be called -Turk-town, where they live with the Jews in tolerable harmony; a -circumstance that to a person conversant with the Musselmaun prejudice -against the outcasts of Israel, is altogether inexplicable. The two -people have a population of eight thousand souls; while the Servians -average about twelve thousand. - -Nothing could be more irksome than our passage through the streets of -Belgrade! We landed beside the New Custom-house, a large and rather -handsome building; and thence passed the gate of the town, which was -guarded by a sentinel who could have been barely fourteen years of age. -Just within the barrier stood the guard-house, where an officer sat -smoking his chibouk, and talking with his men, with all the _bon-hommie_ -and laxity of discipline, common to the Turks. - -It must have been a comedy to see us pass along, all crowded together, -and flanked and followed by our vigilant guardians; who with their long -canes threw aside every fragment of linen, woollen, or paper, that -chanced to lie in our path, as well as chasing thence every passenger -who happened to cross it. The Turks smiled a quiet smile as we passed -them, for they believe all Europeans to be impregnable to the plague, -and consequently consider their precautions as the mere result of a love -of excitement and bustle; and I confess that to me the extreme -watchfulness of our attendants was so irritating, that, although it -amused me for a time, and that I smiled with the Turks at the pains -taken to prevent our contact with the inhabitants of a town in which no -plague-case had happened during the season, and who had therefore more -reason to avoid our own proximity, it finished by making me perfectly -nervous. - -Thus guarded, and rendered sensible that it is sometimes more -troublesome to be out of quarantaine than to be in it, we made our way -to the residence of the Austrian Consul, with whom our friend the -Chevalier was acquainted; and who joined our party at a respectful -distance, having sent his dragoman to request the Pasha’s permission for -us to visit the interior of the fortress. While we awaited his reply we -determined on accompanying our new and courteous acquaintance to pay a -visit to General Milosch, the brother of the Prince, who is a resident -in Servia. By the way he pointed out to us the house of the Prince’s -daughter, who is married to a wealthy brewer; and to whom he gave a herd -of ten thousand oxen as a marriage portion. And, what was infinitely -more interesting, the dwelling of Cerny George; a single-storied -building of some extent, but of most unpretending appearance. - -A servant having been despatched to apprise the General of our intended -visit, he received us most politely at the door of his house, and -conducted us up stairs to a marble hall; being kept at arm’s length -during the ascent by our plague-preventing keepers; who, having -themselves placed a line of chairs for us along one side of the hall, -graciously permitted us to be seated. The General, attended by two or -three servants, then took possession of a green silk fauteuil at the -other extremity of the apartment; and the lady of the house shortly -afterwards made her appearance, followed by her eldest daughter; a -remarkably fine girl, with a noble forehead, and full dark eyes. The -costume of these ladies was extremely elegant and picturesque; -confirming an opinion which I had often expressed, that the Greek dress, -if carefully arranged, and judiciously chosen as to colours, must be one -of the most becoming and effective in the world. Here I saw the -realization of my idea; for the small fèz, confined by the dark tress of -hair, and fastened with a diamond clasp; the pelisse of pale blue satin, -lined and edged with sables; and the full robe of silk, delicately -embroidered on the bosom and wrists with gold, were all Greek; while the -extreme _tenue_ and taste of their arrangement, the slight waist, and -careful _chaussure_, were essentially Servian. - -Nothing could exceed the courteous attention of the whole family. -Coffee, pipes, and sweetmeats were served; and our trusty guardians, -satisfied with handing them to us themselves, and thus heroically -incurring the risk of becoming the medium of contagion in their own -proper persons, allowed us to make use of the silver spoons, although we -had been obliged to deliver up our money in the quarantaine, in order -that it might be washed by the keeper—Metals being voted -plague-conductors at Orsova, though they were admitted to _pratique_ at -Belgrade! - -The permission of the Pasha to our entrance into the fortress was not so -readily accorded as had been anticipated; and we were accordingly -detained nearly an hour ere it arrived. It came, however, at last; and, -after taking leave of the interesting family who had so hospitably -received us, we once more set forth, traversing a considerable portion -of the Servian town, in order to reach the glacis; when, diverging a -little from our direct route, we ascended one of the outworks, in order -to look down upon the Turk quarter, and the shores of the river. - -Hence we had a lovely view of Semlin, and of a portion of the extensive -Hungarian plain, which, studded with villages, and masses of forest -timber, extends for a distance of six and thirty leagues. In Turk-town -the Consul pointed out to us the ruins of several fine buildings erected -by the Austrians; and, amongst others, the remains of the residence of -Prince Eugene. - -Descending the outwork, whence we had a perfect insight into the -dilapidated state of the exterior walls and bastions of the once lordly -fortress; we proceeded to the gate, and, having passed it, were obliged -to progress for a considerable distance along the palisade, ere we -reached the bridge by which we were to enter the fort. The palisades -were in melancholy keeping with the rest of the defences; and traces of -fire were perceptible on the few that still remained erect. - -The interior of this celebrated stronghold did not belie its promise -from without. A _ci-devant_ barrack had a stunted minaret built against -its wall, and was converted into a very dilapidated-looking mosque. The -citadel, now denominated the Palace of the Pasha, had much the -appearance of a barn, weather-stained and neglected, with broken windows -and swinging shutters. The kiosk of the harem was a temporary wooden -building; pitched, and repaired with unpainted timber. And, had I been -on my way _to_ Constantinople, instead of _from_ it, my pre-conceived -and highly-wrought ideas of Oriental splendour would have inevitably -suffered utter prostration at the sight of this “princely” -establishment. - -The Fortress of Belgrade, which is the most extensive, as well as the -strongest military position possessed by the Turks, is garrisoned only -by four hundred men, or rather men and boys, for a portion of them are -mere youths; and when to this fact is added another still more -startling, that since it passed into the hands of its present masters, -all the cisterns have been suffered to fall into utter decay; and that -the whole of the water necessary for the supply of the inhabitants is -carried into the fort daily in carts, it will be seen at once that a -future “Siege of Belgrade” would be a bloodless one; as the garrison -must inevitably be starved out by drought. - -I must not, however, omit to mention that the gentlemen of our party -were much struck by the very soldier-like and efficient manner in which -the troops (if thus I may be permitted to designate the mere handful of -men collected in the drilling-ground) were performing their exercise; -and whom they declared to excel in precision of movement, and -cleanliness of appearance any Turkish regiment that they had seen in the -capital; and to do great credit to the military talent of Osman Bey, -their Lieutenant-Colonel; who, as well as Ismaèl Bey, a subaltern -officer in the same corps, is a son of the Pasha. - -Osman Bey, who is rather a fine-looking man, greeted us very politely as -we crossed the exercise-ground, in order to leave the fortress by a -handsome gate, above whose massy columns are still emblazoned, in _alto -relievo_, the arms of Austria, in a shield surrounded by military -emblems, and supported by two colossal suits of armour. - -Beside the moat that protects this gate, stands an hexagonal tower, -built by the Turks, and called the “Fearless Tower,” from the -pertinacity with which they defended it during a siege; and the heroic -actions performed in its immediate vicinity by one of their Pashas. This -tower, and two or three rude bridges of timber over the moat; a couple -of ill-proportioned minarets, and the wooden kiosk attached to the -citadel, are the only Turkish erections perceptible. Ruin is rapidly -progressing on all sides; the walls are giving way; the ditches are in -many places cumbered with the fallen rubbish; the covered ways are laid -open; and the guns that yet remain within the weed-grown embrasures are -so ill-mounted, as to be perfectly innoxious. - -Such is, at this moment, the condition of the far-famed Fortress of -Belgrade—the boundary-fort of Servia—the last spot of European land -subject to the sway of the Moslem—And here, as we re-entered our barge -to pass to the opposite bank of the Save, whence we were to return to -Semlin in the carriage of a friend of the Chevalier’s, we looked our -last on the graceful minarets which indicate the religion of Mahomet, -and form so elegant a feature in the Oriental landscape. - -Ere we returned on board, we drove to the garden of the Austrian -dragoman, whence you are said to command the finest view in the -neighbourhood of Semlin; and although the river-vapours effectually -prevented us, on this occasion, from seeing a hundred yards beyond the -spot where we stood, we were amply repaid for the détour that we had -been induced to make, by the opportunity which it afforded to us of -spending half an hour in one of the most charming and well-kept gardens -imaginable; a great treat at all times, but doubly agreeable to -individuals like ourselves, who had been so long wanderers on the -waters. The walks ran through avenues of vines, whose purple clusters -did not invite our touch in vain; and so neatly trained as to form the -greenest and most level hedges that can be imagined; while not a weed -nor an unsightly object was to be seen from one end of the enclosure to -the other. The Sclavonians are, indeed, considered such proficient -gardeners, that forty-five out of fifty of those employed in -Constantinople are of that nation; and we had consequently been curious -to see a gentleman’s grounds in their own land, and laid out entirely in -their own manner. - -We were about to re-enter the carriage, in order to return to the -vessel, when a flight of rockets ran shimmering along the sky; and -immediately afterwards we were overtaken by a procession of peasants, -celebrating the last day of the vintage. - -It was one of the prettiest sights that I ever remember to have seen. -The train was headed by about thirty youths dressed in white garments, -and wearing large flapping hats of black felt, nearly similar to the -_sombreros_ of Spain, into whose narrow bands they had wreathed bunches -of wild-flowers; each carrying across his shoulder a long pliant pole, -with a basket piled with grapes at each extremity. These were followed -by as many young girls, in the usual picturesque costume of the country, -with a profusion of marigolds fastened among their dark tresses; walking -two and two, and bearing baskets of grapes between them. And the -procession terminated with a crowd of children waving in their little -hands long branches of the vine; and lending their clear and joyous -voices to the wild chorus of the vintage-song that their elders were -pealing out; and which ran, as nearly as I can render it from the -hurried and imperfect translation given to me as we journeyed on, -somewhat in the following manner:— - - - THE SCLAVONIAN VINTAGE-SONG. - - Around the oak the wild-vine weaves - Its glittering wreath of blood-red leaves; - But it pays not back the peasant’s cares; - No gold it wins, and no fruit it bears. - It may flaunt its glories on the breeze, - We have no time to waste on these; - Our’s is the Vine near whose goodly root - We seek, and find the jewelled fruit! - - The wild-vine springs on the mountain’s crest, - By every wind are its leaves caress’d; - But it sickens soon in the garish ray - That rests on its beauty all the day. - Let it joy awhile in the breeze and sun, - A lovely trifler to look upon; - Our’s is the Vine that, with worthier pride, - Gems with its fruit the fair hill-side! - - Our’s is the Vine! Our’s is the Vine! - Our’s is the source of the rich red wine! - Flowers may be fair on the maiden’s brow— - Streams may be bright in their sunny flow— - But dearer to us is the joyous spell - Which our clustering grape calls up so well; - Of purple and gold our wreaths we twine— - Our’s is the Vine! Our’s is the Vine! - - - - -CHAPTER XXXIV. - - - Carlowitz—Peterwarradin—Bridge of Boats—Neusatz—The Journey - of Life—The Chevalier Peitrich—Austrian Officers—The - Hungarian Poet—Illok—The Ancient Surnium—Peel Tower—Intense - Cold—Flat Shores—Mohasch—Földvar—Pesth—German - Postillion—A Few Last Words. - - -Early on the morrow we were off Carlowitz, a cathedral town beautifully -situated; of which, owing to the abrupt windings of the river, we had -two distinct views. The Cathedral is a handsome edifice, with two light -and graceful spires; having from a distance very much the appearance of -minarets. The prevailing religion on the Sclavonian shore of the Danube -is that of the Greek Church, which has also obtained considerably in -Hungary; but the Roman Catholic worship is to be found everywhere along -its banks. Carlowitz contains about twelve thousand inhabitants; and its -shore was crowded with passage and fishing boats—while the whole height -beneath which it is built was covered with vineyards and orchards, in -the finest state of cultivation; the latter being principally composed -of trees bearing a small blue plum, used in the distillation of brandy; -which, we were told, was of a very fine quality. A short distance beyond -the city, the tributary river Thuss empties itself into the Danube; -offering extraordinary facilities for the transport of produce, in the -very heart of a rich and prolific country. - -A sudden angle of the river immediately after leaving Carlowitz, brought -us within sight of Peterwarradin, a very fine fortress with strong and -extensive outworks; and in its position greatly resembling Belgrade. It -is garrisoned by three thousand Austrian troops; and on arriving -opposite to the height on which it is seated, we observed the remains of -an outwork, on an island in the centre of the river, that has been -abandoned, owing to its annual destruction by the ice; the outlay -necessary to preserve its efficiency having been considered greater than -its probable utility was thought to warrant. - -A second bold sweep of the Danube, which winds like a girdle about the -hill-seated fortress, disclosed to us the bridge of boats that links -Peterwarradin with Neusatz, a cheerful-looking town containing six -churches; and here the Francis I. fired her three pigmy guns, ere she -passed on to the wooden pier where she was to take on board her new -passengers; and, greatly to our regret, to land our courtly and amiable -friend the Chevalier, whose estate was situated within three leagues of -the river. - -A long voyage resembles a long life—Friends and associates fall from -you on all sides as you advance; and those who join company more -tardily, generally fail to fill up the void occasioned by the loss of -the earlier and better known. Both in the one and the other, you set -forward with high hopes and unexhausted energies; and you lend yourself -readily to the companionship of those among whom your fate has flung -you. But as you become accustomed to the scrip and the staff; and learn -by experience the weariness, and the withering, incident to your -pilgrimage, you turn not with the same joyousness to greet the new -wayfarer who joins your company. You may indeed share with him your loaf -of bread and your cruise of water; but the heart no longer goes forth -with the hand, to mingle in the gift. - -Long will the Chevalier Peitrich live in the memory of the party with -whom he travelled up the Danube; and shared the captivity of the -quarantaine. He did the honours of his country so gracefully and so -graciously—his patience and his politeness were so untiring—and he was -in himself so agreeable and intelligent a companion, that the greatest -deprivation which we had been called upon to suffer since our departure -from Constantinople, was that of his society. - -Our influx of passengers from Neusatz was considerable; and for the -first time since I left the Bosphorus, I found myself compelled to share -the after-cabin with two ladies; while the gentlemen’s party was -increased by half a dozen young Austrian officers on their way to a new -quarter; all very noisy, and very good-natured; great smokers, great -talkers, and great card-players; and as many civilians; among whom was a -lame, benevolent-looking, elderly Hungarian, who spent the whole of his -time in reading Horace, and writing poetry. - -Late in the afternoon we reached Illok; a fine town, crowned by the -ruins of a very extensive castle, whose castellated remains stretch for -a considerable distance along the brow of the hill. This noble property -belongs to Il Principe Odeschak, the Pope’s nephew; and is distant only -three miles from the Ancient Surnium. - -At night-fall we passed another ruined pile, apparently a peel-tower; -perched on an abrupt rock; which had a beautiful effect as the moonlight -touched its mouldering walls. Near it stood a small castle, also in -ruin, but we could not distinguish more than its outline, owing to the -lateness of the hour, and the rapid gathering of the darkness. We -anchored for the night at the small town of Vacova, having been -seventeen hours under steam. - -The following morning we passed three more feudal and picturesque -remains; and about noon arrived off the mouth of the Drave, a -considerable river dividing Sclavonia from Hungary Proper: and pouring -forth its tributary waters in a noble stream to the all-absorbing -Danube. But the cold was so extreme, and had come upon us so suddenly, -that we were unable to keep the deck for any length of time—a -circumstance which we regretted the less, however, as both the banks of -the river had become flat, swampy, and uninteresting—the beautiful -mountains of the Banût having given place in Hungary to the -far-stretching and monotonous plain to which I have already alluded; and -the Sclavonian shore being a mere line of sand and marsh-willows; with -here and there a village scattered along its edge. In the evening at -sunset we reached Mohasch, where the coals were wheeled on board by -women, while groups of men lounged on the wooden pier watching their -labours. - -The steam was on at daybreak the following morning, and during the whole -day we remained prisoners in the cabin, the cold being so intense as to -drive even the sturdiest of the party below. The country continued to -present one unvaried flat; and books, pens, and pencils, were in -requisition until sunset; when we anchored a little below Földvar on the -Hungarian side of the river, and remained there quietly until the -morrow. - -The evening of that morrow was to see us at Pesth; and the transition -was so great from the overpowering heats to which we had for so many -months been accustomed in the East, to the heavy and clinging damps of -the Danube, that we resolved on abandoning the river at that point, and -pursuing our journey by post to Vienna—a determination in which we were -strengthened by the discovery that there was a detention of six days at -Pesth, ere the vessel continued her voyage. - -The approach to the city was between an avenue of floating mills, of -nearly half a mile in length, producing an extraordinary effect to an -unaccustomed eye; and, as the day was falling before we reached it, the -myriad lights of the streets were reflected like lines of stars in the -river-ripple. The situation of Pesth is beautiful; and the town itself -well-built, cleanly, and cheerful. The Opera House is a handsome pile, -and the _artistes_ are far from contemptible; the Hotels are spacious -and comfortable; the Palace of the Palatinate is finely seated on an -eminence, and in extremely good taste; and there is a _business look_ -about the inhabitants as they hurry to and fro, which gives an air of -animation to the scene essentially European. - -A bridge of boats, four hundred yards in length, links the more modern -city of Pesth to the ancient Hungarian capital of Buda on the opposite -shore, and now called Offen. The hill of Blocksburg on this bank of the -Danube is crowned by an observatory; and the gently undulating heights -which hem in the town, on the south and east sides, are covered with -vineyards, and celebrated for the superior quality of their produce. - -We left Pesth in the afternoon, two hours later than we had intended, -owing to the difficulties started with regard to our luggage, but these -were ultimately overcome by the potent argument with which English -travellers generally contrive to carry a point. When we issued from the -gate of the _Jägerhorn_ in our heavy and lumbering carriage, we were -infinitely amused by the appearance of the postillion; a youth of about -eighteen, who wore a sort of hussar jacket, with a small bugle hung -about his neck; jack boots, and a formidable cocked-hat and feather. We -travelled, however, at a tolerable pace; and, as we bade adieu to the -Hungarian Capital, and saw the laughing vineyards spreading away into -the distance, we congratulated ourselves on our emancipation from the -damps and delays of the river-voyage; even purchased as it was by the -fatigue of six-and-thirty hours of German posting. - -A few words may now close the Volume. I had believed that I should -rejoice when my task was ended; but it is not so. I cannot part from -the reader who has lingered with me in strange lands without a feeling -of regret; and, as I look back upon the pages that I have written, and -the scenes that I have sketched; a heaviness of heart comes over me, as -though I were looking upon the face of a dead friend. As I traced the -one and the other, the images of the past rose up before me; and, even -although the vividity of each was lost, enough yet remained to me; for -there was still a tie, though every hour weakened it. May I be permitted -to pursue the melancholy fancy that I have conjured up? I have been as -one who watched a death-couch; clinging to the fast-failing remnant of -that which once was bright, and was soon to pass away. - -My vigils now are ended. The pleasant spell is broken; I turn my face -towards Mecca, and remember my pilgrimage; but the distant landscape is -veiled in mist. - -The Propontis is but a memory; the glorious Bosphorus is seen only in a -dream; the “Sea of Storms” no longer bears the roar of its breakers to -my ear; and the Danube rolls along in sullen majesty, bathing rock and -mountain, islet, and city, in its proud waters; but I ride not upon its -tide. - -It is midnight. The tall houses of a dense city rise before me; the hum -of many voices comes upon the wind; a bright firelock flashes in the -guard-fire; a stern voice challenges the strangers as they pass; the -jaded horses, conscious of approaching rest, put forth their failing -power; and ere many moments pass, the heavy carriage rattles under the -arched gateway of the Stadt-London in Vienna. - - - FOOTNOTES: - - [1] Professional Story-tellers. - - [2] Street-porter. - - [3] It is an extraordinary coincidence that at the moment in - which this work is passing through the press, intelligence has - arrived in Europe of the disgrace of this hitherto-favoured - individual: the prostration of a life-long ambition. - - [4] It is not without pain that I have, on passing my work - through the press, to record the death of this amiable and - gifted man. He perished by Plague a few weeks subsequently to - our departure for England. - - [5] Some of the more distinguished harems have their arabas - drawn by oxen of so pale a colour as to be almost white: and - their sleek skins are painted all over in patches of orange - colour, which give them a most extraordinary appearance. - - [6] The Eastern salutation. - - [7] Fate. - - [8] Jasmin. - - [9] The September of 1836. - - [10] I have again to record a plague-victim in this - distinguished man; the intelligence of whose death has reached - me since my return to England. - - [11] Since our return to England, we have learnt that, for - political reasons, the Austrian Government have withdrawn, or - at least suspended, their assistance to this undertaking; as - well as discountenanced the formation of the canals destined to - perfect the navigation of the Danube. - - - THE END. - - - LONDON: - P. SHOBERL, JUN., LEICESTER STREET, LEICESTER SQUARE. - - - -***END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE CITY OF THE SULTAN; AND DOMESTIC -MANNERS OF THE TURKS, IN 1836, VOL. II (OF 2)*** - - -******* This file should be named 51879-0.txt or 51879-0.zip ******* - - -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: -http://www.gutenberg.org/dirs/5/1/8/7/51879 - - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions will -be renamed. - -Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright -law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works, -so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United -States without permission and without paying copyright -royalties. Special rules, set forth in the General Terms of Use part -of this license, apply to copying and distributing Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic works to protect the PROJECT GUTENBERG-tm -concept and trademark. 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