4i ^ m d^m
THE
CITY OF THE SULTAN;
DOMESTIC MANNERS OF THE TURKS,
IN 1836.
BY MISS PARDOE,
AUTHOR OF " TRAITS AND TRADITIONS OF PORTUGAL."
TOWER OF OAI.AT4.
IN TWO VOLUMES.
VOL. II.
*
LONDON :
HENRY COLBURN, PUBLISHER,
GREAT MARLBOROUGH STREET.
1837.
LONDON .'
P. SROBBRI., JUN., LEICESTER STRKI4T, LKICRSTbR sgUARB.
T37
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 But-
terflies 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 Familp
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 Preten-
sion 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 Jame
Polite Imam Eastern Quasimodo Ascent of the Minaret The
Charshee Travelling Hyperboles Silk Bazar Silk Merchants
Khan Fountains of Broussa Broussa and Lisbon The Baths
IV CONTENTS.
Wild Flowers T/ekerghe 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 Subter-
ranean Vault -Great Bath Hot Spring Baths and Bathers
Miraculous Baths Armenian Doctress Situation of Tzekerghe
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 Fana-
tical Suffering Groans and Howls Difficulty of Description Sec-
tarian Ceremony Music versus Madness Tekie 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 Pil-
grimage Dense Mists Intense Cold Flitting Landscape The
Chibouk The Giant's Grave The Roofless Hut Lake of Appol-
lonia 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 Arme-
nian 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 Quan-
tity of the Produce Appearance of the Mulberry Woods . 90
CHAPTER VII.
The Cadi's Wife Singular Custom Ha'ise Hanoum The Odaliqne
The Cadi Noisy Enjoyment Lying in State Cachemires Cos-
tume Unbounded Hospitality of the Wealthy Turks The Dancing
Girl Sa'iryn Hanoum Contrast .... 96
CHAPTER VIII.
Tzekerghe Bustling Departure Turkish Patois Waiting Maids and
CONTENTS. V
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 Mihirmah The Impe-
rial 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 . . 1 18
CHAPTER X.
Yenekeui The Festival of Fire Commemorative Observance Fond-
ness of the Orientals for Illumination Frequency of Fires in Con-
stantinople Dangerous Customs Fire Guard The Seraskier's
Tower Disagreeable Alarum Namik Pasha The Festival Loca-
lized Veronica Bonfires Therapia and Buyukdere Singular
Effect of Light The Armenian Heroine A Wild Dream 134
CHAPTER XI.
A Chapter on Caiques The Sultan's Barge Princes and Pashas
The Pasha's WifeThe Admiralty Barge The Fruit Caique The
Embassy Barge The Omnibus Ca'ique Turkish Boatmen The
Caique of Azme Bey Pleasant Memories The Chevalier Hassuna
de Ghies Natural Politeness of the Turks Turkey and Russia
Sultan Mahmoud Confusion of Tongues Arif Bey imperial Pre-
sent The Fruit of Constantinople The Two Banners The Harem
Azime Hanoum .... . 143
CHAPTER XII.
The Bosphorus in Summer The Tower of Galata Mosque of Topp-
hanne Summer Palace of the Grand Vizier Sera'i of the Princess
Salihe Serais and Salemliks Palace of Azme Sultane Turkish
Music Token Flowers Palace of the Princess Mihirmah 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
vi CONTENTS.
Turkish Fleet Sudden Transitions Influence of Russian Sophistry
The Sultan's Physicians Naval Appointments Rigid Discipline
Tlie 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 Euro-
pean 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 Misconcep-
tions ....... 198
CHAPTER XV.
Death in a Princely Harem The Fair Georgian Distinction of Cir-
cassian and Georgian Beauty The Saloon Sentiment of the
Harem Courteous Reception Domestic Economy of the Establish-
ment The Young Circassian Emin Bey Singular Custom of the
Turks The Buyuk Hanoum The Female Dwarf Naivete 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 Devlehai
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 Co-
quetry A Few Words on the Turkish Fez 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
CONTENTS. Vll
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 Devlehai 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 Nesibe Hanoum The Yashmac The Masquerade Turk-
ish Compliments The Slave and the Fruit Merchant Departure
from the Palace ...... 262
CHAPTER XIX.
Imperial Gratitude The Freed Woman A Female Coelebs Hussein
the Watchmaker Golden Dreams Arabas and Arabajhes Mater-
nal Regrets A Matrimonial Excursion Difficult Position The
Sekeljhes 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 Solimanie 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 Forces 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 Tem-
pest Dangerous Passage Turkish Terror Kind-hearted
Ca'iquejhe Fortunate Escape .... 302
CHAPTER XXII.
The Plague Spread of the Pestilence The Greek Victim Self- De-
votion Death of the Plague Smitten The Widow's Walk Plague
via CONTENTS.
Encampments The Infected Family The Greek Girl and her
Lover Non-Conductors Plague Perpetuators Vultures Me-
lancholy Concomitants of the Pestilence Carelessness of the Turks
The Pasha of Broussa Rashness of the Poorer Classes Univer-
sality of the Disease in the Capital . . . 317
CHAPTER XXIII.
A Greek Marriage The Day before the Bridal The Wedding Gar-
ments 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 Fez 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 Sera'i-Bournou The Outer Court The Orta
Kapoussi The Pestle and Mortar of the Ulemas The Garden of
Delight The Column of Theodosius Arrival of the Sultan Ancient
Greek Inscriptions Confused Impression The Diamond Memo-
ries 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 Religions Strictness of the Jews National Ad-
ministration The House of Nairn 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 Eti-
quette of the Schismatic Armenians Armenian Sarafs The Na-
tional 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
Kmwror's Vase The Gilded Kiosk A Disappointment . 384
CONTENTS. IX
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 Silis-
tria 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 Wal-
lachian 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 Quarautaine 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
X CONTENTS.
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 Seinlin
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 Foldvar Pesth German Postillion A
Few Last Words 492
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 But-
terflies The Cofiee 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 caique 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
VOL. II. B
4 ROCKY COAST.
two baskets, the steersman squatted upon the
poop of the boat grinning applause, and reveal-
ing 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, arid 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 Con-
stantinople. But here the wind failed us alto-
gether ; the slumbering caiquejhes were awak-
ened, the oars were plied, and we moved over
the Sea of Marmora, of which I had such hor-
rible 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 beech, suddenly revealed to us the glorious
moon, that was rising broad and red immedi-
MOUDANIA. 6
ately 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 hol-
lowed caverns, through which they dashed with
a noise like thunder, and once or twice almost
deluded me into a belief that I could distin-
guish the sound of human voices issuing from
their depths, I at length yielded to the exces-
sive fatigue that overpowered me ; and, wrap-
ping myself closely in my mantle, I stretched
myself along the bottom of the caique, 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 moun-
tains 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
caique, which soon entered a little creek in the
centre of the town.
But, previously to casting anchor, we were
B 2
4
BACKSHICH.
obliged to pull considerably higher up the gulf
in order to show ourselves at the Custom House,
and to exhibit our Teskare, or Turkish pass-
port, 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 caique 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 sig-
nifies fee, or present. The Pasha receives
backshich for procuring a place or a pension
for some petitioner ; then, of course, it is a pre-
sent, and precisely as unwelcome as it is unex-
pected: 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 caiquejhes 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
THE BOATMAN'S HOUSE. O
his Holiness was from home, and there was con-
sequently 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 con-
sequently made our debut in Asia Minor in an
apartment up two flights of rickety stairs,
walled with mud, and shivering under our foot-
steps. But it suffices to state that the caiquejhe
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 at-
tendant 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 caiquejhe'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
THE DEAD AND THE LIVING.
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 cush-
ioned divan to my father ; who, fortunately for
him, proved to be a sounder sleeper than my-
self.
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 Mou-
dania, had collected a crowd of idlers.
LAUGHABLE CAVALCADE. 7
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 be-
tween 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 com-
pleted 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, al-
though 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
8 FINE COUNTRY.
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 coun-
try ; vineyards were succeeded by mulberry
plantations and olive groves, gardens of cucum-
ber 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 deli-
cious 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 par-
terre 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 con-
trast ; the bright yellow blossom which owes
to its constantly vibrating petals the vulgar
name of " woman's tongue " the sweet-scented
FLOWERS, BIRDS, AND BUTTERFLIES.
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 ; 1 made
one of the seridjhes tear up a plant of the latter
for me to examine, and it was perfectly gigan-
tic ; 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 bulfmch,
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 sky-
lark, 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
10
THE COFFEE HUT.
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 de-
scended 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 defy-
ing 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 : a'nd on the
other side of the road a very fine walnut tree
overshadowed a bank covered with grass. Upon
this bank the servant sjpread our mat ; and,
having removed the large flapping hats of leg-
THE TURKISH WOMEN. II
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, singu-
larly enough, this was the first occasion on
which I had ever had an opportunity of return-
ing 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 build-
ings from among the .dense foliage which em-
bosomed them.
12 THE DRIED-UP FOUNTAIN.
From this point a new feature of beauty was
added to the landscape : fountains rose on all
sides, the overflowing of whose basins had fre-
quently worn a deep channel across the road,
where the waters rushed glittering and brawl-
ing along. With the form of one of these foun-
tains I was particularly struck ; it was evidently
of considerable antiquity, and was overshadow-
ed 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 DRIED-UP FOUNTAIN.
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 !
14 IMMENSE PLAINS.
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 ex-
treme. Gigantic walnut trees, laden with fruit ;
fig trees, almost bending beneath their own pro-
duce ; little wildernesses of gum cistus, carpet-
ing the earth with their petals ; woods of mul-
berry 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
NATIVE TRAVELLERS. 15
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, ex-
pands its eager nostril, and scours along with
its long tail streaming in the wind, you are im-
mediately 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 pro-
bably 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 ap-
proach of a train of rudely-shaped waggons,
frequently formed of wicker-work, drawn by
oxen or buffaloes, and generally laden with to-
bacco ; 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.
16 BOHEMIAN GIPSIES.
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 evi-
dently 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 Tzesmessi, overshadowed by three
fine maple trees, and in itself exceedingly pic-
turesque. 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 after-
wards escapes by pipes into two exterior reser-
voirs : 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 cafejhe, sur-
rounded 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
BOHEMIAN COURTSHIP. 17
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, bat, 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
[ had poured into her lap. After their de-
parture, I made a hasty sketch of the fountain,
VOL. II. C
18 THE PLAIN.
and then quitted with reluctance a spot so re-
dolent 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 si-
milar.
At a short distance from Broussa, a fine old
TURKISH KIOSK. 19
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 ar-
riving 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 win-
dow, 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 win-
dow of the kiosk, smoking his chibouk, and at-
tended by his pipe-bearer ; who, when he had
satisfied his own curiosity, slowly withdrew,
and was shortly replaced by a female, closely
c2
20 A DREAM OF HOME.
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 Mussehnauns 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 !
ANCIENT GATE. 21
CHAPTER II.
Ancient Gate Greek Inscriptions Mausoleum of Sultan Orcan
Monkish Chronicle The Turbedar Hanoura 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 Preten-
sion 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 climb-
ing the hill on which the ancient wall is based,
and passing through a fine old gate, in whose
neighbourhood we remarked several Greek in-
scriptions 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,
22 MONKISH CHRONICLE.
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 hun-
dred 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 ;
INVERTED COLUMNS. 23
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 \Voman, 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 com-
posed 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 decay-
ing, coat of whitewash !
When a frightful old woman, huddled up in a
scarf of coarse white cotton, at length made her
24
SPLENDID MARBLES.
appearance, key in hand, and admitted us to the
Inner Court, a second anomaly nearly as start-
ling 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 me-
lancholy process of painting, and their capitals
were decorated with a wreath of many-coloured
foliage !
Little did such an exhibition of modern Van-
dalism prepare me for the splendid coup-doeil
that awaited me within. The Mausoleum is
a portion of an ancient Greek monastery, dis-
mantled 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 de-
stroyed 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
SARCOPHAGI OF THE IMPERIAL FAMILY. 25
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 sup-
ported by six gigantic square pillars of masonry,
26 THE SULTAN'S BEARD.
and the marbles that line the walls are inserted
with considerable taste. In one of the side
arches a cross still remains, which was intro-
duced among the mosaics by the Greeks ; but
a second, of much larger dimensions, which sur-
mounted their altar, has been destroyed, and the
space that it occupied coarsely covered with
plaister.
On the left-hand side of the Imperial Sarco-
phagus hangs a small wooden case, shaped like
a bird-cage, and covered with green silk, con-
taining 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 inte-
rest ; the Hall of Sepulchre is similar in material
and in arrangement, save that the Sarcophagi
of his wives and children are simply white-
washed. 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 elegantes
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
RUINS OF A GREEK PALACE. 27
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, un-
restrained 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 ;
28
NOBLE PROSPECT.
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 un-
steady 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.
RUINS OF THIS IMPERIAL PAI.ACH.
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
ROMAN AQUEDUCT. 29
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 mos-
ques of the city scattered in the most pic-
turesque 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 bright-
est 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 sup-
plies the fountains of the city. A narrow chan-
nel formed of stone, and full to overflowing,
guides the course of the stream, which escapes
30 VALLEY OF THE SOURCE.
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 spring-
ing verdure, its aspect was yet further glad-
dened by groups of happy idlers in their holy-
day 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
PICTURESQUE GROUPS. 31
with fruit, tempted the hand with its clustering
riches.
Altogether, I never b3held 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 pic-
turesque : there was the employ^ with his ill-cut
frock-coat and unbecoming fez 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 Alba-
nian 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 fes, 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
32 ABSENCE OF PRETENSION AMONG THE TURKS.
and sparkling as the liquid which they con-
tained.
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 " eligi-
ble " 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 caiquejhe, and the
Effendi takes his place near the fisherman, as
unmoved by the difference of their relative con-
dition, 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 uncontami-
nated 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 ele-
ments. 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
THE GOVERNMENT AND THE PEOPLE. 33
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 Os-
manli 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 them-
selves 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
VOL. II. D
34 THE TALE-TELLER.
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 interest-
ing. 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 Teki 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
TRAVELLER'S KHAN. 35
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, deser-
tion, 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 ven-
geance, of every neighbouring Musselmaun.
I must not omit to mention the covered bridge ;
D2
36 ROMAN BRIDGE.
a curious Roman remain in the Armenian quar-
ter 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.
ROMAN BKlDttE AT BKOOSSA.
I sketched it from the window of an Arme-
nian 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
ARMENIAN MOTHER. 37
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.
38 ORIENTALISM OF BROUSSA.
CHAPTER III.
Orientalism of Broussa Costume of the Men Plain Women Turbans
and Yashmacs Facility of Ingress to the Mosques Oulou Jame
Polite Imam Eastern Quasimodo Ascent of the Minaret The
Charshee Travelling Hyperboles Silk Bazar Silk Merchants'
Khan Fountains of Broussa Broussa and Lisbon The Baths
Wild Flowers Tzekerghe Mosque of Sultan Mourad Madhouse
Court of the Mosque Singular Fouatain Mausoleum of Sultan
Mourad Golden Gate Local Legend The Tomb-house More
Vandalism Ancient Turban Comfortable Cemeteries Subter-
ranean Vault Great Bath Hot Spring Baths and Bathers
Miraculous Baths Armenian Doctress Situation of Tzekerghe
Storks and Tortoises Turkish Cheltenham.
THE city of Broussa is infinitely more ori-
ental in its aspect than Stamboul ; scarcely a
Frank is to be seen in the streets ; no French
shops, glittering with gilded timepieces and por-
celain tea-services, jar upon your associations ;
not a Greek woman stirs abroad without fling-
ing 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 /"<?*- wearing
Osmanlis in the whole city. Such turbans !
TURBANS AND YASHMACS. 39
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 gir-
dles 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 lat-
ticed 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 shoul-
ders 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,
40 OULOU JAME.
the yashmac is made of fine thin muslin, through
which the painted handkerchief, and the dia-
mond 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 Jame, 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
THE HIGH PRIEST. 41
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 foun-
tain than for the richness of its details. The
scrolls containing the name of Allah, and those
of the four Prophets, were boldly and beauti-
fully executed ; and the arched recess at the
eastern end of the temple painted with some
taste.
The High Priest was reading from the Koran
when we entered, with his green turban and
pelisse deposited on the carpet beside him. His
utterance was rapid and monotonous, and ac-
companied by a short, quick motion of the body
extremely disagreeable to the spectator. As we
approached close to him, he suddenly discon-
tinued reading, and examined us with the most
minute attention ; after which he resumed his
lecture, and took no further notice of our in-
trusion. In one corner we passed a man sound
asleep in another, a woman on her knees be-
fore 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 Koran.
42 EASTERN QUASIMODO.
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 as-
cend 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 bare-footed 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 mo-
ment 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 enor-
mous 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 Notre Dame could scarcely have been
more frightful !
Having carefully concealed his pole behind a
GALLERY OF THE MINARET. 43
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 back-
shich 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 pain-
ful ; 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 moun-
tains that hem it in.
After a great deal of stumbling, slipping, and
scrambling, we again found ourselves beside
the fountain of Oulou Jame ; and, on leaving the
mosque, remarked with some surprise that its
44 THE CHARSHEE.
minarets are'? painted in fresco on the outside,
to about one-fourth of their height.
Having presented Quasimodo with a back-
shich, 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 Solei-
man 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 imperish-
able beauty. He had dyes, and washes, and
pastes, and powders essences, and oils, and
incenses, and perfumed woods amulets, and
WILD AURICULAS. 45
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 com-
monly 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 Ar-
menian, and its yellow for the Turk. I pur-
chased a pair of slippers of the true Mussel-
maun 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 bv Venus herself?
46 TRAVELLING HYPERBOLES.
I had been told, previously to my leaving
England, and indeed before I had an idea of
visiting Turkey, that the stalls of the sweet-
meat 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 under-
stand that nicety of arrangement which pro-
duces 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 sher-
bet 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 per-
SILK-BAZAR. 47
fumed than what we had purchased at Constan-
tinople.
From the Charshee we passed into the silk-
bazar, 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 recom-
mended ; but their texture was so extremely
coarse, and their price so exorbitant, that we
declined becoming purchasers.
On leaving the silk bazar 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 tur-
quoise, 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
48 BROUSSA AND LISBON.
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 con-
sidered 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, spark-
ling 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. Imme-
diately on passing the gate of the city, you wind
round the foot of the mountain, and descend into
the village of Mouradie ; having the small mosque
of Sultan Mourad on your right, and in front of
you, the lofty chain of land along which you are
WILD FLOWERS. 49
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 moun-
tain ; having on one hand the nearly perpen-
dicular 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 yel-
low broom, are in profusion ; and it is with com-
punction that you guide your horse among them
when turning off the narrow pathway at the
encounter of a chance passenger ; while the per-
fume 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 Tzkerghe, 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
VOL. II. E
50 SINGULAR FOUNTAIN.
magnificence. The arrangement of the clois-
ters 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 devour-
ing voraciously a cake of black soft bread, such
as is used by the poorest of the population. The
monastic cells have been converted into recep-
tacles 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 foun-
tain 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.
THE GOLDEN GATE. 51
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 coun-
try 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 mo-
narch would become more rich than any of his
predecessors. Be this as it may, and it is suffici-
ently 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 ap-
proached, 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
E 2
52 LOCAL LEGEND.
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 halo which surrounds
the forehead of the Emperor of the World ; and
for the tzekerghe, 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 Mouradmaynot be lost,
and that the reputation of thy quick wit and
subtle policy may endure to after ages, I name
this spot, Tzekerghe and let none dare to
give it another appellation."
We were obliged to exert all our best efforts,
MORK VANDALISM. ">*
in order to induce the Iman, 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 sa-
tisfactorily replied to all these categories, we
were, however, finally gratified by an assent ;
and the tall, stately Imam rose from the way-
side 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, Corin-
thian 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.
54 ANCIENT TURBAN.
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 handker-
chief 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 cheer-
fulness 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
THK BATH. 55
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 re-
ligious 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 sarcopha-
gus being a mere empty case of wood, over-
laid by a covering of baize or cloth, con-
cealed in its turn by shawls and embroidered
handkerchiefs. No one is permitted to enter
this subterranean, which can generally be ap-
proached 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 gentle-
men 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,
06 BATHS AND BATHERS.
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 consi-
derable 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 hun-
dred 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 dis-
agreeable ; 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
HOT SPRING. 57
the main basin, part of the stream being di-
verted 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 re-
newed. 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 re-
ceiving 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 tem-
perature ; those which are frequented by per-
sons labouring under chronic diseases are much
warmer than those used by ordinary patients.
The most powerful spring boils an egg per-
fectly 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 im-
pregnated with sulphur.
58 THE MIRACULOUS BATH.
My appearance in the jath 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 com-
plete 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 Constanti-
nople, who came to Broussa in a state of indis-
position, and left it, thanks to the nostrums
of this ancient sybil, without a hope of re-
covery.
Many of the houses in the village are fur-
nished with hot springs ; and although they are,
generally speaking, of mean appearance, and in
a dilapidated condition, they produce very high
TZEKERGHE, 59
rents during the season ; and are usually let to
Greek families of distinction, or to Europeans.
The situation of Tzekerghe is eminently beau-
tiful, and the air is balrny and elastic ; the mag-
nificent 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 oc-
cupied by the village of Tzekerghe the rural
Cheltenham of Turkey.
60 HOWLING DERVISHES.
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 Fana-
tical Suffering Groans and Howls Difficulty of Description Sec-
tarian Ceremony Music versus Madness Tekie 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 Der-
vishes alone freely admit foreigners, and even
provide a latticed gallery for the use of the
women : while their chapels are usually so situ-
ated 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 Teki ;
but they are so jealous of strangers that I was
INVITATION TO THE HAREM. 61
unwillingly compelled to give up all idea of ac-
complishing 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 over-
come ; difficulties which, of myself, I never
could have surmounted ; when, having fortu-
nately 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 Tekid, we found that the
service had not yet commenced, and we accord-
ingly 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 indul-
gence.
The chapel, which was up stairs, was ap-
proached by an open entrance, having on the
left hand a small apartment whose latticed win-
dows looked into this place of mystery ; and
into this room we were admitted, after having
62 SECTS AND TRADES.
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 im-
peding our view.
A large square apartment surrounded by a
low gallery, and ornamented like the mosques,
with written passages from the Koran ; upon
whose walls were suspended battle-axes, tam-
bourines, 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 indi-
viduals of rank. One of these was already
occupied by a solemn-looking Turk, in a frock-
coat and fez, 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 Sul-
tan 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 pre-
THE DERVISHES.
63
cisely 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 per-
fect 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 dig-
nity is hereditary throughout all the sects of
the Dervishes, he had succeeded to the painful
honours of the crimson rug. There was some-
thing melancholy in seeing this sickly youth
lead the nine fanatics who followed him to the
upper end of the chapel, to commence their ago-
nizing rites ; and as he stepped upon the rug, with
64 THE PRAYER.
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 in-
tervention of the wooden lattices, and the re-
flection 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
THE GREETING. 65
chant, which was echoed by the whole frater-
nity : 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 bare-
footed to the place of the High Priest ; where,
after praying silently for a moment with out-
stretched 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 be-
came so thronged that the individuals who com-
posed 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,
VOL. II. F
66 THE CONVULSIONIST.
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 sud-
denly a strong voice shouted, " Allah II 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 chang-
ing 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 ul-
timately 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
THE PRAYER. 67
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 fra-
ternity, 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 ul-
timately 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 re-
peated, 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 col-
lected the turbans, pelisses, cloaks, pistols, and
yataghans of the Dervishes, who, springing to
F2
68 RELIGIOUS PHRENZY.
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
littering the words of the prayer, while the fra-
ternity, 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 in-
fants.
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 accom-
panied, became finally so great, that several
seconds frequently elapsed before the miserable
beings could check either the one or the other,
TURNING DERVISHES. ()!)
and many of them fell into convulsions with
the effort.
The more I write on the subject of this ex-
traordinary 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 fol-
lowed by two more of the fraternity ; the chanting
ceased, but the circle of' Howling Dervishes
continued their short groans to the accompani-
ment of the music, and the spectacle thus pro-
duced v;as most extraordinary. Such an oc-
currence had not taken place for an immense
time, and arose from the anxiety of each sect to
HIDEOUS HOWLS.
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 in-
ner 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, com-
pleted 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 Derv ishes, where a carpet was po-
litely 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 extra-
ordinary and unmeaning their ceremonies may
appear to strangers, they have this great ad-
vantage over the other sect, that they are neither
ridiculous nor disgusting. The most perfect
TEKIE OF BROUSSA. 71
order, the most touching solemnity, and the
most beautiful cleanliness, are their leading cha-
racteristics ; and it is impossible for any un-
prejudiced person to quit their Teki, without
feeling at least as much respect as pity for the
Turning Dervishes.
72 LOQUACIOUS BARBKR.
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 Pil-
grimage Dense Mists Intense Cold Flitting Landscape The
Chibouk The Giant's Grave The Roofless Hut Lake of Appol-
lonia 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 Bias, which gives one a
very pretty notion of it. Plenty of oranges in
Portugal, Sir?" " Plenty." " Vastly nice, in-
deed, quite a favourite fruit of mine. Did you
ever serve in the East or West Indies, Sir ? " " In
UNTHRIFTY TRAVELLERS. 73
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 pa-
laces glides in his swift caique along the
channel of the Bosphorus overruns all Turkey,
and half Egypt, and returns home without
smoking a pipe on the summitof 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 llth 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
74 MOUNTAIN TRAVELLERS.
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 gen-
tlemen 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 leav-
ing the city, which on this side is bounded by a
deep ditch or fosse, into which two mountain
EASTERN CITIES. 75
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 beau-
tiful 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
76 STUNTED MINARETS
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-Jame 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 cu-
polas 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 car-
pet 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
HALTING PLACE. 77
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 chan-
nel, through which glided a pigmy stream almost
hidden by the rank vegetation ; the little yellow
hearts'-ease was dotted over the banks ; the ring-
doves 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 sur-
rounded ; 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.
78 DIFFICULT ASCENT.
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 vau-
dra 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 stum-
bling 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 fan-
tastically piled, and looking like the ruins of a
lordly city, were scattered over a plain which
REPAST IN THE DESART. 79
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; innume-
rable 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 mineralo-
gical expectations ; I decorating my riding-habit
OU MOUNT OLYMPUS.
with lovely wild flowers ; the portly Turk pay-
ing 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 al-
most 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 beau-
tiful 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 al-
ready left behind me six long leagues of the wil-
derness 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.
MAGNIFICENT SPECTACLE. 81
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 centu-
ries 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 treacher-
ously 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
VOL. II. G
82 DENSE VAPOURS.
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. Be-
tween 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 dis-
comfort, 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.
LAKE OF APOLLONIA. O*
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 neigh-
bourhood 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 moun-
tain sides we had no time to lose. We were
G2
84 DESART COUNCIL.
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 jag-
ged and storm-riven outline bore testimony
to the ravages of time and tempest ; while the
THE DESCENT OO
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 accom-
plished 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
86 MAD FRANKS.
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 re-
semble a floricultural catalogue ; and tired as I
was, I could not pass them by without gathering
a bouquet which would hav 7 e 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 re-
compense of our prowess from the guide when
we pointed out to him the spot whence we had
descended was a look of contemptuous pity, ac-
companied 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
INVISIBLE TRAVELLING. 87
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 convul-
sion 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 occur-
rence, 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 ad-
mitted 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 expe-
diency of shouting aloud, that in the event of
STORM IN THE DESART.
any shepherd or goatherd being in the neigh-
bourhood, we might procure assistance and in-
formation. 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 bound-
ing 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 mo-
ment 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 ani-
mals stood suddenly still, and trembled with
RETURN TO BROUSSA. 89
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 v/e were
drenched. Every mountain stream grew sud-
denly into a torrent every way-side 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 enjoy-
ment 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 !"
90 ARMENIAN QUARTER.
CHAPTER VI.
The Armenian Quarter of Broussa Catholics and Schismatics Arme-
nian 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 Quan-
tity of the Produce Appearance of the Mulberry Woods.
IT is a singular fact, that although the Arme-
nian 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 hand-
some. The difference of faith between the two
sects hangs upon a single point the Schisjoaa^
tics 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.
UGLY SAINTS. 91
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 sepa-
rated from the aisles by a simple railing, and is
arranged with considerable taste ; the sacerdo-
tal 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, par-
92 PUBLIC SCHOOL.
tially 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 ex-
treme 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 nume-
rous remains were scattered about in their imme-
diate 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 en-
tered, 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.
SILK WORMS. 93
The number of Turkish children now receiv-
ing their education in Broussa we could not
ascertain, as they are divided among- the diffe-
rent mosques ; but the Greek Rector, who, in
the absence of the Archbishop, interested him-
self in our comfort and amusement, told me that
they had but fifty in their school, although the
Greek population of Broussa is tolerably nume-
rous. There is, however, a second description
of free-school or college, attached to the Greek
and Armenian Churches, wherein the pupils ad-
vance a step in their studies, and prepare them-
selves 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 them-
selves 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
mulberryindiscriminately. The most experienced
feeders, however, give a decided preference to
the wild white mulberry, of which most of the
91 THE EUROPEAN AND ASIATIC SYSTEMS.
plantations about Broussa are formed. The
silk, when first spun, is of a clear, silvery, bril-
liant tint ; but submersion in the highly minera-
lized 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, ac-
cording to the account given to me, much
more profitable in its results, as well as sim-
ple 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 grow r th.
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
MULBERRY WOODS. y5
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 apart-
ments 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.
yo THE CADI'S WIFE.
CHAPTER VII.
The Cadi's Wife Singular Custom Ha'ise Hanoum The Odaliqne
The Cadi Noisy Enjoyment Lying in State Cachemires Cos-
tume Unbounded Hospitality of the Wealthy Turks The Dancing
Girl Sa'iryn Hanoum Contrast.
THE wife of the Cadi of Tzekerghe 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 sub-
jecting 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.
Haise Hanoum was a young creature of six-
teen, very pretty, and very stupid, who, indivi-
dually, 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
NOISY ENJOYMENT. 97
of a sylph ; who, if the gossipry of the neigh-
bourhood 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 distin-
guished him as the grandsire than as the hus-
band 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 with-
VOL. II. H
98 CACHEMIRES.
drawn, and a temporary canopy formed of cache-
mire 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
COSTUME.
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 im-
mense pearls, whence depended a diamond star,
resting upon her bosom ; her chemisette was de-
licately 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 ear-rings.
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 ; some-
times making them meet across the nose, and
sometimes raising them at the outer point to the
temples ! I have seen many a pretty woman de-
stroyed by this whim.
H2
100 TURKISH HOSPITALITY.
I was conducted with great ceremony to the
sofa, when I had saluted the Hanoum, and ut-
tered 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 ac-
cess 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 wel-
come, 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
THE DANCING GIRL. 101
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 attrac-
tive object in the apartment was the dancing-
girl, who occupied the centre of the floor.
1 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 whocould 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 Serais 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
102 IMPERIAL HEAD DRESSES.
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 atti-
tude 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
a 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 co'iffure, as I had never before seen
it so worn, except in the Imperial Palaces; when
1 was informed that the Sultan, having accident-
ally 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 fling-
ing 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 glit-
tering porcelain, and the silver coffee-holders
neatly arranged upon its surface ; and the other
103
tarried a weighty sherbet-vase of wrought
silver, shaped as classically as that of Hebe her-
self.
I never saw any woman so light or so grace-
ful 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 com-
menced a wild chant, half song and half reci-
tative, 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 snap-
ping of the fingers, meanwhile, producing the
effect of castanets.
Even at the risk of making a portrait gal-
lery of my chapter, I must mention the magni-
ficent Sairyn 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
104 SA1RYN HANOUM.
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 inter-
vals ; 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
lire of her dark eye, and the proud expression
that sat upon her lip, and dilated her thin de-
licate nostril. Her costume was as striking as
her person ; and, had she studied during a cen-
tury 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,
CONTUAST. 105
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 Sairyn Hanoum they would
confess that I have done her less than justice.
En revanche, the floor was crowded with
withered old women and stupid children : the
atmosphere was impregnated with onions, to-
bacco, 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 de-
manded 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 Haise Hanoum in order to
contemplate it at my leisure. The same cere-
monies, 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.
106 TZKKERGHE.
CHAPTER VIII.
Tzekerghe 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 Tzekergh for the be-
nefit 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
CHARACTERISTIC CAVALCADE. 107
and finding fault ; waiting-maids were scream-
ing in defence of bandboxes and dressing-cases;
and all the inhabitants of the hamlet were look-
ing 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 provi-
sions were scattered along the way -side; 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 spec-
tacle 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
108 CHAPTER OF ACCIDENTS.
and gold tassels ; a Turkish inhabitant of Tz-
kerghe having insisted on replacing the ill-con-
ditioned 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 Tzesmessi, the most energetic among us
were soon galloping right and left among the
trees, gathering the wild hollyhocks, and scat-
tering, as we passed, the yellow blossoms of the
barberry bushes.
Our enjoyment was not uninterrupted, how-
ever, for the whole journey was a chapter of
accidents ; one servant lost her turban ; an-
other her umbrella ; a third Vode a lazy hack,
that lay down with her three times during
the day ; while, to complete the list of misfor-
tunes, a young Austrian gentleman, resolving
that our departure from Broussa should be sig-
nalized by some eclat, 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 way-side, which ex-
ploded with a violence that unhorsed one lady
TRAIN OF CAMELS. 109
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 pre-
vent 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 gen-
tleman, 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 way-side. It
consisted of between forty and fifty camels,
attended by their drivers, and accompanied by
110 HALT OF THE CARAVAN.
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 vio-
lently 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
ARCHIEPISCOPAL PALACE. Ill
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 gentle-
man 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 at-
tendance 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 audi-
ence. The expression of his countenance was
intellectual rather than handsome, and he was
singularly graceful in his movements ; his flow-
ing 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
112 PRIESTLY HUMILITY.
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 tne Greek
language ; for the necessity of an interpreter
deadens the wit and destroys the interest of a dia-
logue 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 re-
ception ; 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 instanta-
neously, 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 com-
GREEK CLERGY. 113
mand. 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 sa-
crifice their ambition to their affections, parti-
cularly 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
VOL. II. J
1 14 VALUE OF EXORCISM.
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 pur-
suing 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 under-
gone ; 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
CHARACTER OF THE COUNTRY. 115
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 announce-
ment 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 agri-
culture is conducted in the most slovenly and
inefficient manner. It is a continual struggle
between the luxuriance of the soil, and the idle-
116 MOUDANIA.
ness 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 dis-
played his insufficiency than here. The com-
merce 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 ad-
vantages, Moudania is falling to decay. In
vain has the Turkish Government, with a con-
sideration 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. 117
departure of half a dozen caiques for Constan-
tinople 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,
118 DEATH IN THE REVEL.
CHAPTER IX.
Death in the Revel Marriage of the Princess Mihirmah The Impe-
rial 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,
holyd ay-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 !
THE IMPERIAL VICTIM. 119
Only a few weeks had elapsed since Constan-
tinople 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 Im-
perial Bride of Said 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 despair-
ing 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 T, remembering only that she was an
120 THE FIRST LOVER
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 an Mustapha Pasha of Adrianople ;
and she had received with indifference the inti-
mation of a resolve which made the heart of the
Sultana-Mother throb with maternal pride. But
ere long the fair Princess herself learnt to be-
lieve that her constellation had been a happy
one ; and to listen with smiling attention to the
flattering accounts which the ladies of the Im-
perial Harem failed not to pour into her willing
ears of the Pasha's wealth, influence, and great
personal beauty. The singing- women impro-
vised in his honour, with all the gorgeous hyper-
bole of the East the massaldjhes* told tales of
his wisdom and valour that brought a brighter
light to the dark eyes of their li&tener and ulti-
mately 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
* Professional Story-tellers.
IMPERIAL ROMANCE. 121
had been by no means exaggerated even by his
most partial choniclers ; 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 carnal*
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 offici-
ously 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 cere-
mony 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
* Street-porter.
122 THE SERENADE.
Princess were dwelling in the gilded saloons -of
the Asiatic Harem in the fairy palace of Beg-
lierbey, 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 caique 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 mid-
night 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
FIRST LOVE. 123
heart! But the song ceased, and the caique
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 linger-
ingly beneath the Imperial terrace she had
seen him an his proud steed curvetted grace-
fully under the palace windows she had be-
held 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 caique 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
124 COURT CABAL.
may, however, it is certain that Mustapha
Pasha returned to his Pashalik at Adrianople
with his mind and thoughts full of the Princess
Mihirmah, 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 deter-
mination 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 po-
pular 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 h\s protege 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 grati-
tude ; for the husband of the Princess Salihe
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
POLICY OF THE SERASKIER. 125
views and to further his ambition. The pro-
posed marriage of the younger Princess involved
the same risks, and demanded the same precau-
tions ; and it was consequently not without emo-
tion 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 Pre-
sence, he vowed a voiceless vow, that with the
help of Allah, the Governor of Adrianople should
never be the husband of the Princess Mihirmah ;
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 power-
ful 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 gene-
rous, 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
126 INTRIGUE.
Turkish history whose beard has grown grey
under the shadow of the Imperial throne who
has seen a hundred favourites rise into great-
ness, flourish for a brief season, and finally leave
their dishonoured heads to bleach beneath a
fierce sun, impaled above the fatal OrtaKapoussi,
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 prive-
lege of thwarting his own plans, or of opposing
his own party.*
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 un-
checked 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
* 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.
THE SECOND SUITOR. 127
distrust and suspicion on the threatened rivalry
of the young and high-spirited Mustapha ; and
who readily enlisted in the adverse party. Suf-
fice 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 expe-
dient to which I have already alluded ; and
with a weakness of purpose for which it were
difficult to account in a despotic monarch, deter-
mined 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, hav-
ing 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 Said 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
128 DOMESTIC DESPOTISM.
the tidings ; and rejected the consolations which
*^ere 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 mor-
row her dim eyes and haggard cheek so terrified
the Sultana that she at once decided on com-
municating to her Imperial partner the effect
of his decision.
The Sultan came, and used every blandish-
ment 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 whicih rise instinc-
tively 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 fol-
lowed, 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.
THE BRIDAL-DAY. 129
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 pro-
vinces were pressing forward with their con-
gratulations, 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 Said
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 swing-
ing 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
VOL. II. K.
130 THE PORTRAIT.
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 por-
trait 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 Said 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 loath-
ing : my fate is sealed ; I shall soon lie in the
tomb of my fathers. Inshallah I trust in God
life is not eternal, and the broken heart ceases
at last to suffer."
Said 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.
THE LAST OFFERING. 131
That rival was, however, far from being re-
conciled 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 affec-
tion. 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 com-
parative subserviency at Stamboul; and all whis-
pered 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 orna-
ments which had ever been seen, even in the
Bezenstein of Constantinople. A mass of im-
mense diamonds were clustered together in its
centre in the form of a taper, at whose extremity
it 2
132 THE AUDIENCE.
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 com-
pletion, 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 audi-
ence of the Sultan, when Mahmoud, probably
regretting, as he looked upon the noble-minded
Mustapha, the wrong which he had been com-
pelled to do him, prevented him as he w r as in
the act of kissing his foot, and, extending to-
wards him his Imperial hand, said blandly :
" Forget the past it was not the will of Allah
that my intention in your favour should be ful-
filled ; 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
DEPARTURE OF MUSTAPHA PASHA. 133
you to Stamboul, to bestow on you the hand
of my youngest daughter."
The Pasha relinquished his hold of the Im-
perial 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 to-
morrow'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 Im-
perial 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 heap-
ing upon him the most munificent gifts ; and
the Princess, in the solitude of her harem, yet
wastes her hours in tears, gazing upon the por-
trait of her lost lover, and imploring of the
Prophet an early deliverance from the anguish
of a breaking heart.
134 YENEKEUI.
CHAPTER X.
Yenekeui The Festival of Fire Commemorative Observance Fond-
ness of the Orientals for Illumination Frequency of Fires in Con-
stantinople Dangerous Customs Fire Guard The Seraskier's
Tower Disagreeable Alarum Namik Pasha The Festival Loca-
lized Veronica Bonfires Therapia and Buyukdere 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
Caesars.
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 demonstra-
tion 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
FIRES IN CONSTANTINOPLE. 135
frequent, and the nature of the buildings so
unfortunately calculated to encourage the
evil.
For ray 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 inhabi-
tants 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 unsnufifed candles ; as heed-
lessly as though both were innoxious : while
their attendants traverse carpeted and cur-
tained apartments, carrying fragments of live
coal between their iron pincers to supply the
pipes.
Nor is this all. The Tandour is a fire-con-
ductor 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
136 DANGEROUS CUSTOMS.
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
bee-hive, 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 laun-
dress 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 re-
currence of the evil. Nor can you, even should
you desire to do so, remain in ignorance of the ca-
lamity 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
FIRE-GUARD. 1 37
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 unimpor-
tant, is instantly announced by the patroles ap-
pointed 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 ex-
tinction ; so that they frequently have a very
busy time of it ; and Namik Pasha the feted
and favoured Namik Pasha probably from per-
sonal 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 !
138
VERONICA.
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 Buyukdere, Therapia, and Yene-
keui, have the exclusive honour of commemo-
rating the conquest of the Caesars.
We embarked on board our caique 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 ex-
hibition it was.
Two artificial islands had been formed in the
bay, and heaped with dried wood, and other in-
flammable materials, and on that which was
furthest from the shore, the pile was surmounted
by a caique : 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 Buyukdere 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
BONFIRES. 139
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 caique was soon one grace-
ful mass of flame. But the most extraordinary
portion of the spectacle was the crowd of men,
dressed only in wide cotton drawers, their par-
tially 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 sen-
tinel, 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
140 WALLACHIAN BAND.
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 caiques, wedged together asclosely
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 man-
THE ARMENIAN HEROINE. 141
ner, 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 havfe
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. Caiques 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 con-
ductors 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 Caesars ;
and that a young and dark-eyed Greek prince
was leaping over the burning city of Constan-
tinople, while a portly Armenian, who had been
142 A WILD DREAM.
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."
CAIQUES. 1 43
CHAPTER XI.
A Chapter on Caiques The Sultan's Barge Princes and Pashas
The Pasha's Wife The Admiralty Barge The Fruit Ca'ique The
Embassy Barge The Omnibus Caique Turkish Boatmen The
Caique of Azme Bey Pleasant Memories The Chevalier Hassuna
de Ghies Natural Politeness of the Turks Turkey and Russia
Sultan Mahmoud Confusion of Tongues Arif Bey Imperial Pre-
sent The Fruit of Constantinople The Two Banners The Harem
Azime Hanoum.
SHOULD I ever have time, I murmured to
myself as we darted down the Bosphorus in the
caique of Azm Bey, with whom we were en-
gaged to dine, and who had obligingly sent his
boat and his Dragoman to facilitate our arrival
at Dolma Batche : Should I ever have time, I
will write a chapter on caiques.
A more graceful subject could scarcely be se-
lected. From the gilded barges of the Sultan, to
the common passage-boat that plies within the
port, the caiques 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..
144 THE SULTAN'S BARGE.
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 sum-
mer-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 caique imme-
diately 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 at-
tendant, 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
THE PASHA'S WJFE. 145
slaves, you may distinguish the closely- veiled
Fatma or Leyla, whose dark eyes are seen flash-
ing out beneath her pure white yashmac, and
whose small, fair, delicately rounded, and glove-
less hand draws yet closer together the heavy
folds of her feridjhe as she remarks the ap-
proach of another caique 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 cheer-
ful 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
VOL. II. L
FRUIT-CAIQUES.
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 incon-
venienced 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
caiques for the supply of the houses overhang-
ing the Bosphorus. The wild shrill cry of the
fruiterers announcing the nature of their mer-
chandize, 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 tempt-
ing 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 fez, as well as
by an aristocracy of bearing and demeanour
which distinguishes him from all the foreign
OMNIBUS-CAIQUES. 147
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-caique, just
coming round the point, and which is one of
several that ply between Constantinople and Bu-
yukdere; and carry passengers the whole length
of the Bosphorus at the moderate charge of
thirty paras a head, a sum scarcely equivalent to
two-pence 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 Caiquejhes are, generally speaking, a
very fine race of men. The Greeks are esteemed
the best boatmen on the Bosphorus : but all the
private caiques 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 ca'iquejhes
L 2
148 PALACES OF THE BOSPHORUS.
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 caique 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 fre-
quent indulgence ; an admiration which it is
impossible not to feel, and equally impossible to
excite by mere description ; I will e'en run the
caique beside the little pier near the Imperial re-
sidence of Dolma Batche, and follow the steps of
the dragoman tothe hospitable home of his master.
Few things afforded us more gratification,
during our residence in the East, than the
manner in which Azm& 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 Azme Bey as
one of these. His gracious and grateful me-
mories of those who professed a friendship for
THE SHERIf HASSUNA DE GHIES. 149
him during his European sojourn ; his eager-
ness 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 en-
hanced 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 Azme 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 Con-
stantinopolitan 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;* an alteration by no means
* It is not without pain that I have, oil 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.
150
NATURAL POLITENESS OF THE TURKS.
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 con-
versing 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, Azme Bey had invited, in order to relieve
me from the restraint and desagrement of find-
ing 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 re-
quire only time, example, and a perfect con-
fidence in their European allies, to become a
polished as well as a civilized nation ; they pos-
sess all the elements of civilization, but they are
flung back by events they are blinded by sub-
tlety 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
TURKEY AND RUSSIA. 151
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 re-
versed by its wily Mentor, and the shrunken,
wasted, and almost shapeless thing that suc-
ceeds 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 regene-
rator 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
152 CONFUSION OF TONGUES.
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 advan-
tages 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 Azme 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 en-
gaged in an animated conversation, or rather
set of conversations. The Greek lady was dis-
cussing 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, harmo-
nious Turkish at the other extremity of the
ARIF BEY. 153
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 Im-
perial Forces, who had done me the honour to
desire my acquaintance ; and, hearing that I
was the guest of his friend, had taken this op-
portunity 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 ap-
parel which are generally dispensed with al-
together by the Turks. He had just commenced
studying French, under the auspices of Azm
Bey ; and, meanwhile, he smoked with a per-
severance which was perfectly amusing. The
Sultan has lately done him the honour of select-
ing a wife for him ; a boon which he, of course,
received with all becoming gratitude at the Im-
154 FRUITS OF CONSTANTINOPLE.
perial hand ; and he is now building a very
handsome residence on the border of the Bos-
phorus, near the Palace of Beshik-tash.
The dinner was served in the European style,
and the table was remarkably well appointed.
French wines were in abundance, and cham-
pagne 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 de-
licious 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 to-
gether. 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, accom-
panied by the Greek lady whom I have already
THE HAREM. 155
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 de-
scended 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 express-
ing to him my admiration of his wife. She
scarcely looked like an oriental woman, for her
large black eyes, in lieu of the sleepy, dream-
like 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
156
AZIMK HANOUM.
paint had ever sullied the purity of her com-
plexion ; while the faint tinge of red that re-
lieved 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 apart-
ment, and the little inkstand that stood upon the
table beside the chair on which she sat, ap-
peared by no means displaced, even although I
saw them in a Turkish harem.
GRACEFUL COURTESY. 157
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 Eng-
land ; 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 plea-
sure 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 grace-
ful Azim Hanoum.
158 THE BOSPHORUS IN SUMMER.
CHAPTER XII.
The Bosphorus in Summer The Tower of Galata Mosque of Topp-
hanne Summer Palace of the Grand Vizier Sera'i of the Princess
Salihe Serais and Salemliks Palace of Azme Sultane Turkish
Music Token Flowers Palace of the Princess Mihirmah 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 contem-
plation 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
<*>qv
PALACE OF THE GRAND VKZIR. 159
of the birds swelled cheerily upon the wind, we
resolved to enjoy them to their fullest extent ;
and, as our caique darted along the European
coast, a thousand interesting objects presented
themselves.
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 mi-
narets of the Imperial mosque of Topp-hann&
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 Vezir, 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, out-
160 PALACE OF THE PRINCESS SALIHE.
travels the gloom and care from which it frees
itself.
What a line of palaces stretched along the
coast ! And what a wilderness of gardens, climb-
ing the steeps behind them, made the back-
ground 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 Saline, 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 Sul-
tan'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 caiques, 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 en-
PALACE OF AZME SULTANR 161
trance, and its window draperies of white
cotton.
You cannot pass the Palace of Azm& 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 musi-
cians, 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 Sera'il. 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 imagina-
tion 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
VOL. H. M
162 TURKISH, GREEK, AND ARMENIAN HOUSES.
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 Said 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 melan-
choly 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,
TURKISH DWELLINGS. 163
silent cypresses, that it was a study for a land-
scape 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 raiahs 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 de-
spotic 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 ac-
M2
164 MORAL INTEREST OF THE SCENE.
cessories 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 dis-
grace, 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 per-
fect the blue ripple chafes against the marble
steps that lead to the columned portico ; and
the feathery acacias nestle among their blos-
soming boughs, gilded kiosks, and lordly ter-
races.
The slighted favourite has still servants
lounging about his door, and a stately land-
ing-place beside which his caique dances on
the wave ; but a shade has past over the pic-
ture : 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
. ARMENIAN HOUSES. , 165
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 dis-
tinguishable. The shutters are hanging loose
and beating in the wind ; the broken case-
ments no longer exclude the weather ; the lat-
tices 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 roof-
less ; 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 remark-
able for their cleanliness. All the inhabitants
of Constantinople in decent circumstances are
scrupulously nice on this point, but the Ar-
menians exceed all others : every respectable
dwelling being scoured throughout once a week
with soap and water. I have already, in speak-
ing of this people, alluded to their utter defici-
ency in sentiment and ambition : their lives are
166 THE CASTLE OF EUROPE.
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 Eu-
rope, by which it is dominated as by the eagle-
eirie of some feudal Baron. Rocks, rudely flung
together, and in their perpendicular ascent im-
pervious 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 gravestone.
The Castle of Europe, standing immedi-
ately opposite to the valley occupied by the
castle on the other coast, is built after a sin-
gular 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 mate-
rials collected, and the present Castle of Europe
completed in six days ; the ground-plan forming
the characters of the Prophet's name.
MIRGHEUN. 167
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 ene-
mies.
This Castle, like the Fortresses of the Dar-
danelles, 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, ter-
minating 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, sit-
ting gravely in groups upon low stools not
more than half a foot from the ground, and
occupied w r ith their chibouks and mocha.
A short distance beyond Mirgheun the channel
widens into a little bay, one of whose extremities
1 68 THE HAUNTED CHAPEL.
is occupied by a ruined house, standing in the
midst of a garden. This house, which was for-
merly 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 un-
noticed. Jd^te
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 neigh-
bour, whose only child fell a victim, in the same
mysterious manner, to the vengeance of the out-
raged 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
PALACE OF PRINCE CALIMACHI. J 69
found for the dwelling, which is rapidly crum-
bling 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 facade,
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 awaken-
ed. Should your ca'iquejhes be Greeks, they
will scarcely answer your inquiry without mut-
tering 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 dispropor-
tioned 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 de-
cay, 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
170 THE BOSPHORUS BY MOONLIGHT.
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 passion-
ately fond. Calimachi accepted the defiance with
alacrity, for he knew not how dearly he was to
pay the gratification. While he was deliberat-
ing 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 sum-
moned ; and though the dark ring of extra vasated
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 noonday reveals too
broadly the features of the locality ; while the
deep, blue, star-studded sky, the pure moonlight,
LOVE OF THE EASTERNS FOR FLOWERS. 171
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 recrea-
tions is to seat themselves upon the seaward
terraces, to watch the sparkling of the ripple,
and to listen to the evening hymn of the sea-
men 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 thun-
der : 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 par-
terre, 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
172 IMPERIAL BRIG.
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 ex-
tremely 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 fre-
quently injured by their contact with the ship-
ping 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 bow-
sprit through the centre window of the mag-
nificent saloon of an Armenian banker, with
whose family we were acquainted. The master
of the house, exasperated at the evident careless-
ness in which the accident had originated,
rushed out upon the terrace to remonstrate,
but his remonstrances were unheeded ; and lie
THE TURKISH FLEET. 173
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 in-
sisted upon conveying its master to Constanti-
nople, 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 in-
sult destined for him.
Were I the Admiral of a Fleet charged with
the conquest of a channel like that of the Bos-
phorus, 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 sup-
posed 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
174 RUSSIAN SOPHISTRY.
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 other-
wise. 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 per-
mitted 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 weaken-
ing 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
TURKISH SYSTEM OF APPOINTMENTS. 175
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 effici-
ency of those to whom he gives important ap-
pointments, 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 Sul-
tan 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 Chan-
cellery, 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 ;
176 NAVAL APPOINTMENTS.
and the spruce clerk at once became metamor-
phosed into the solemn physician, or something
as near like it as he could accomplish.
By an arrangement not altogether so satis-
factory, 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 caique, 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 remon-
strate, 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 un-
sparingly upon their commanders, that the blood
penetrated their garments ; and they were sub-
sequently 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
THE DELINQUENT. 177
one fact is better than a score of assertions, I
will reply by relating another very recent oc-
currence, 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 re-
ported to him that one of the crew, in defi-
ance 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 Ad-
miral 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 win-
dows, and which stood near him without the
pause of a moment surrounded by his guests
VOL. n. N
1 78 TAHIR PASHA.
standing 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 Ad-
miral, addressing himself to an attendant, quietly
ordered that the corpse should be removed, and
the dinner served : but several of the party de-
clined 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 after-
wards murdered a nephew in the same manner.
And yet I have heard men, carried away
A RADICAL REMEDY. 179
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 attache of the Porte whether the
Sultan was aware of the waste of life in his fleet,
where a week seldom passes in which some luck-
less 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 unhesi-
tatingly, " I would decapitate the High Ad-
miral; it would be a saving of human blood."
The Turk laughed at my earnestness as he re-
plied ; " 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, never-
theless, 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
N2
180 UNKIAR SKELESSI.
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. 1 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 ma-
ples, 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 fur-
nished 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 Bos-
phorus.
This lovely spot is much frequented on festival
BEDOUIN ARABS. 181
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 over-
look the Bosphorus, with regular pleasure-par-
ties, 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 impor-
tunity 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 men-
aces. 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
182 CLASSIC GROUND.
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 your-
self among the majestic plane trees with which
it abounds. The nightingale alone disturbs the
deep silence of the solitude, save when at in-
tervals the lowing of the cattle on the moun-
tain sweeps along upon the wind.
It was here that De Lille wrote his " Plea-
sures of Imagination." It was here that De
la Martine improvised to the memory of his
daughter ; the soil is poetic.
FACTS AND FICTIONS. 183
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 pe-
riods ; but it is unfortunate that in this case, as
in many others, the imagination far outruns
the fact. I say unfortunate, because those rea-
ders who love to " sup full of horrors," when
they have wept over the affecting image of
beauty struggling against the grasp of the exe-
cutioner, and dark eyes looking reproach upon
their murderer from amid the deep waters which
184 FACTS AND FICTIONS.
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 vera-
cious chroniclers who have excited their sensi-
bilities, 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 beau-
tiful ; 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 op-
portunity to excite sympathy, were she the love-
liest 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 mid-
night ; and who, on passing across the deep bay
near the Castle of Europe, was startled by per-
ceiving two caiques 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
FEMALE EXECUTION. 185
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 caique, 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 re-
volting ceremony was repeated several times
ere the body finally sank.
My friend, heartsick at the spectacle to which
he had so unexpectedly become a witness, de-
manded 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 per-
mitted 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 re-
appear ; and my . friend lingered also from a
feeling which he could not explain even to him-
186 THE MERCHANT'S WIFE.
self. 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 sum-
mits 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 him-
self that he had just looked on death, when the
deep voices of the men in the caiques 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," commu-
nicated 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 indi-
viduals whom they marry previously to the cere-
mony, but are chosen by some matronly relation
of the person who finds it expedient to bestow
THE IMAUM. 187
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 congratu-
lating 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 sum-
mons 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
188 THE DISCOVERY.
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 suf-
fered 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, ilia 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 jas-
mine 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 Jove 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
THE ESCAPE. 189
Heaven." The young and beautiful Fatma Ha-
noum 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 an-
guish and invective ; but Fatma Hanoum an-
swered 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 case-
ment 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 jeo-
190 THE PURSUIT.
pardy in which he stood. There was not a mo-
ment 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 him-
self 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 Turk-
ish 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 mi-
serable lover.
Three wretched days were past, and on the
morning of the fourth the pangs of hunger be-
came 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 raiseoj his hand a second time to the
laden boughs, he heard near him the deep
breathing of one who wept He glared to-
THE MOTHER AND SON. 191
wards 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 hun-
ger ; she could hear his voice, and convince
herself that he yet lived ; and with this con-
viction 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 crimi-
nal. 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
192 THE HIDING PLACE.
past safety betrayed him into a false feeling of
security.
The unhappy youth had not wandered be-
yond the spacious gardens of his home, which,
rising the height behind the house, were divided
into terraces, along whose whole extent had been
placed a venues 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
THE TRIAL. 193
home of his boyhood, and the clasp of his shriek-
ing mother, with the ddcility 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 out-
raged husband, wrought to madness by the me-
mory 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 them-
selves 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 inter-
ested in her fate, and resolved that while a hope
remained he would not abandon her cause. But
VOL. II. O
194 THE VISIT.
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 dis-
covered 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 accom-
pany us ; for ) r ou will have no future opportunity
of indulging your curiosity."
Under these circumstances he did not hesi-
tate ; 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.
THE LAST SLEEP. 195
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 quan-
tity 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 ;
o 2
196 THE BOWSTRING.
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, Hanonm ;" pursued the offi-
cial ; " 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 heav-
ing 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 un-
even streets. Two men supported him, and at
THE LAST VICTIM. 197
length he reached the termination of his pain-
ful 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 pro-
fane 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, re-
volting as it is, it nevertheless affords a proof
of that which I have already adduced else-
where ; 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.
198 POLITICAL POSITION OF THE TURKS.
CHAPTER XIV.
Political Position of the Turks Religion of the Osmanlis Absence of
Vice among the Lower Orders Defect of Turkish Character Euro-
pean Supiiieness Policy of Russia England and France AjTurkish
Comment on England The Government and'the People Common
Virtue Great Men Turks of the Provinces European Misconcep-
tions.
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 se-
cured, to look more closely into their actual con-
dition from the commencement of my sojourn
among them, than falls to the lot of most tra-
vellers, I have been compelled from day to clay
to admit the justice of their indignation against
those European powers, which, after deluding
them with promises that they have failed to ful-
fil, and pledges that they have falsified, have
reduced them to anchor their hopes, and to
fasten their trust, upon a government whose in-
terests can be served only by the ruin of the
Ottoman Empire, and the subjugation of its
liberties. Take them for all in all, there pro-
RELIGION OF THE OSMANLIS. 199
bably 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 ne-
cessity 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, enlight-
ened on the great truths that are hidden from
the Mahomeddan, is compelled to pity the dark-
ness 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, fol-
lows 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 dis-
200 ABSENCE OF VICE AMONG THE PEOPLE.
linguistics 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 poli-
tical 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 unhe-
sitatingly specify the want of sincerity and good
DEFECT OF TURKISH CHARACTER. 201
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 compli-
ment ; 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 hyper-
bole at its just value ; and once having done so,
I found reason to feel grateful for many unex-
pected 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 Os-
manli 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
202 EUROPEAN SUPINENESS.
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 supine-
ness 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 conse-
quently did not suspect ; abandoned by the
European powers on whose assistance he had re-
lied ; 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 perfectlysh e
foretold the fate of Turkey. While all the other
nations have suffered their interest in the Otto-
man 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
POLICY OF RUSSIA. 203
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 cer-
tain 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 pro-
tracted ; 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
204 ENGLAND AND FRANCE.
by both of whom they have been abandoned
Where is the chivalry of the one, and the phi-
lanthropy of the other ?
A Turk of high rank and considerable abili-
ties ; 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 poli-
tical relations, when he exclaimed with a sudden
burst of unaffected energy : " France has failed
us, it is true ; but France has been at least com-
paratively 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 phi-
lanthropy which has knocked away the fetters
of millions of the blacks England, not contented
while among her Nobles, in her House of Com-
mons, 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 Po-
land weep tears of blood, and only cease to
exist when the last nerves of her heart had been
wrung asunder Your own happy England ; se-
cure 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
J s trampled by a power like Russia ! She might
have saved us She might save us yet Where
THE GOVERNMENT AND THE PEOPLE. 205
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 can-
not require to be told how deeply her com-
mercial 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 un-
prejudicedly 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 sup-
port 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 car-
ried 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 hospi-
tality. The table of the greatest man in Con-
stantinople is open to the poorest, whenever he
206 COMMON VIRTUE.
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 wel-
come, 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 re-
servedly 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 friend-
liness 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
GREAT MEN. 207
virtues force themselves upon the notice ; and
are consequently ever the ready subject of com-
ment. And it is from this fact that the Turks
have suffered in European estimation. They
are singularly unobtrusive in their social rela-
tions : 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 na-
ture can be contemplated. Nothing atrophises
the heart like luxury nothing deadens the feel-
ings 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
208 TURKS OF THE PROVINCES.
springs into his seat with his foot upon the neck
of a worsted rival, it were worse than folly to ex-
pect 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 mo-
ther, 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 un-
biassed and impartial individuals, more com-
petent than myself to form a correct estimate of
their general character) are the great mass of
the Turkish people. Their defective govern-
ment 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 in-
dustry. 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
EUROPEAN MISCONCEPTIONS. 209
mischief. The outcry of corruption and venality
has been raised, and the correctness of the im-
plication 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 go-
vernment, 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 er-
roneous, contradictory, and absurd notions, en-
tertained in Europe on the subject of the Turks.
Individuals have been cited as examples of a
body, with which they probably possessed not
VOL. II. P
210 ERRONEOUS DEDUCTIONS.
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 de-
linquencies, 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.
THE FAIR GEORGIAN.
211
CHAPTER XV.
Death in a Princely Harem The Fair Georgian Distinction of Cir-
cassian and Georgian Beauty The Saloon Sentiment of the
Harem Courteous Reception Domestic Economy of the Establish-
ment The Young Circassian Emin Bey-> Singular Custom of the
Turks The Buyuk Hanoum The Female Dwarf Naivete 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 Devlehai
Hanouin 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 Salihe'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 pro-
vided 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
p2
212 CIRCASSIAN AND GEORGIAN BEAUTY.
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 fol-
lowed one who led the way up a noble flight of
stairs to a vast saloon ; and in the next instant
I foundmyself standing beside Devlehai 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 delicately-
DEVLEHAI HANOUM. 213
rounded limbs, the softest, sleepiest expression
the lowest voice and the most indolently-
graceful movements. There is no soul in a Cir-
cassian beauty ; and as she pillows her pure,
pale cheek upon her small dimpled hand, you
feel no inclination to arouse Tier into exertion
you are contented to look upon her, and to con-
template her loveliness. But the Georgian is a
creature o another stamp: with eyes like me-
teors, and teeth almost as dazzling as her eyes.
Her mouth does not wear the sweet and un-
ceasing srnile of her less vivacious rival, but the
proud expression that sits upon her Bnely
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 con-
dition, 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 Azme's
household are Georgians : and I have already
had occasion to remark that her harem is cele-
brated for the beauty of its fair inhabitants.
But Devlehai Hanoum left every individual of
the Imperial Serai of Ortakeuy immeasurably
behind her. And as she welcomed us without
214 THE SALOON.
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 Bos-
phorus, at the upper end of a saloon which ter-
minated in a flight of steps leading upwards to
a second apartment, that, in its turn, afforded
similar access to a third: and this long per-
spective 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 fa-
vourite of the harem, which had become so im-
bued with its high-bred tranquillity, as to speak
almost in a whisper : and which kept up a per-
petual 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.
Devlehai 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
COURTEOUS RECEPTION. 215
light blue ; the gauze that composed her chemi-
sette 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 handker-
chief, 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 Conjefem 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 rela-
tively 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,
216 CONJEFEM HANOUM.
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 fortu-
nate 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 Conjefem Hanoum ?
Conjefem Hanoum, who was in the bath when
we arrived, was a beautiful young Circassian,
who had been purchased twelve months pre-
viously by the Minister, in the excess of his dis-
appointment 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. Unfor-
tunately 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 Devlehai Hanoum was in-
terested 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
EMIN BEY. 217
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 1 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 gra-
tifies 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
218 THE BUYUK HANOUM.
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, un-
less 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 cu-
shion near her sofa crouched a frightful female
dwarf, old, and wrinkled, and mis-shapen, with
a Sycorax expression of face that made me shud-
der ; and immediately beside her sat Devlehai
Hanoum, in a high-backed chair of crimson
NAIVETE OF THE TURKISH LADIES. 219
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 ad-
mired every thing that I wore. The usual ex-
traordinary 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 naivete
of a well-born Turkish lady. She tells you di-
rectly what she thinks of you, without harbour-
ing an idea that even truth may sometimes
prove unpalatable. If you do not please her,
220 THE FORBIDDEN DOOR.
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, sur-
round 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
THE FEMALE RENEGADE. 221
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 ap-
propriated to the master of the house ; and on
a sofa-cushion lay his watch, his handmirror,
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 Mohamed-
danism, 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 apos-
tacy.
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
PENALTY OF APOSTACY.
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 cere-
mony 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 Chris-
tian Church, and her determination become sus-
pected 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 renegadq 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
MUSICAL CEREMONY. 223
their instructions : they simply suggest the con-
version, and use no endeavour to enforce it ;
while, on the other hand, they permit no apos-
tacy 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 Ilanoum 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 Devlehai Ha-
noum. 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 your-
self 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
?24 SCRUPLES OF CONSCIENCE.
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 unattrac-
tive 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 transgres-
sion 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 Be-
liever 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 ap-
pear in Paradise with such a sin upon your
soul?"
I have related this little anecdote, because it
proves two distinct facts ; first, that the Turk-
ish women thoroughly believe that a happy im-
mortality awaits them, if they do not forfeit it
FRANK LADIES AND TRUE BELIEVERS. 225
by their own misdeeds ; and that they are more-
over 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 dis-
tance from the window herself, as to ensure the
heart-ease of every worthy and susceptible Mus-
selmaun who might chance to pass that way.
From this pleasant position we were sum-
moned to an apartment in which refreshments
had been provided for us ; and as we had ex-
pressed 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
VOL. II. Q
226 CONJEFEM HANOUM.
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 exclu-
sive use of the Minister.
The fair Georgian could by no means be per-
suaded to seat herself at table ; and although the
apartment was filled with attendants, she per-
sisted in waiting upon me herself; and during
a considerable time found amusement in deco-
rating 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, Con-
jefem Hanoum entered from the bath. She was
a fair, languishing beauty of sixteen, exqui-
sitely 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 tempera-
ment.
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
OLD WIVES VERSUS YOUNG ONES. 227
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 in-
dulge 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 Ha-
noum in her apartment, where she still lay pil-
lowed upon her cushions ; and that I had pro-
mised 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 em-
broidered 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
Q2
228 THE ARABA.
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, em-
broidered 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 OAK WOOD.
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 dis-
covered, 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 peaceful ness and luxury engendered by the
beauty of the locality ; and the exterior appear-
ance 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
230 CHEERFUL SCENE.
trees, making the breeze glad with laughter ;
the oxen which had been unyoked from the dif-
ferent carriages, were browsing on the young
leaves ; merry voices called to each other from
amid the underwood ; the fountain was sur-
rounded 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 caique awaited us, and
found ourselves once more gliding smoothly and
swiftly over the sunny waters of the channel.
TURKISH LADIES. 231
CHAPTER XVI.
Military Festival Turkish Ladies Female Curiosity Eastern Co-
quetry A Few Words on the Turkish Fez 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 Batche to see the shore lined
with the caiques 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 comfort-
ably 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 fre-
232 EASTERN COQUETRY.
quently kept up something that bordered
upon a conversation ; and on the present oc-
casion, 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 pre-
sent his portrait to the Artillery, at their bar-
racks 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,
VEILING. 233
what is very unusual among the'Turkish females,
a fine set of teeth, which she displayed in a
laugh of affected embarrassment at her awk-
wardness ; and then, in her great haste to remedy
the misfortune, she contrived to throw back her
feridjhe, and disclose a throat and arms as daz-
zling 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 perse-
vering, 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 sub-
jected my father to temporary imprisonment,
and certainly to insult.
As we had already had sufficient experience
of the slight attention which His Sublime High-
ness 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
234 THE IMPERIAL GUARD.
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 squad-
ron of the Imperial Guard, who were to form a
portion of the shew, and who were lying comfort-
ably 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 Mihirmah, 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
f&z. 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 fezed over head
and ears! As worn by the Turkish soldiers, it
were impossible to conceive any thing more hide-
ous ; 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 eye-brows, 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
TURKISH LANCERS. 235
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 indepen-
dence of accoutrement. Some had blue saddle-
cloths, 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 care-
ful of his arms. They do not carry these grace-
ful 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 presenta-
tion 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
236 THE JANISSARIES.
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 inhabit-
ants of the capital, was the appearance of bo-
dies floating in the Bosphorus ; and the fact
that a Greek captain, who had moored his ves-
sel in the current, found it clogged in an in-
comprehensible 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 senti-
ments 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 na-
turally embrace so favourable an opportunity of
spreading their own hate, as that which per-
mitted them to enforce their expressions of dis-
gust 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 pre-
FALSE ALARMS. 237
pared for him to descend from his horse ; and a
carpet laid down from thence to the apartment
of Azme Bey, where a handsomely-embroidered,
and elaborately-cushioned sofa had been ar-
ranged for his reception. In this room we took
up our position, near a window that commanded
the long stretch of road, by which the proces-
sion was to advance ; and we had calculated
justly on the procrastination of the Sultan, for
we waited nearly four hours ere the cortege 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
238 THE PROCESSION.
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. Said 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 ; suc-
ceeded 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
IMITATIVE TALENTS OF THE TURKS. 239
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 con-
viction 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 pre-
senting 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 effici-
ent 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, suc-
ceeded 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 com-
paring 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 frus-
trated by political considerations.
Recent events have, in some degree, weak-
ened the Muscovite influence at the Sublime
240 DOCILITY OF THE TROOPS.
Porte ; and European Officers have lately ar-
rived 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 improve-
ment so unwearying that it is a common occur-
rence 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 be-
stows upon the arm itself, is visible at once from
the lustre of its bright barrel, and the cleanli-
ness 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 knap-
sack, 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 les-
sened by the absence of the Sultan, who should
have been its " head and front ;" and I only
EXCURSION TO ASIA. 241
reconciled myself to the disappointment by en-
gaging 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 desig-
nations !
VOL. II.
242 TURKISH LADIES AT HOME.
CHAPTER XVII.
Tnrkish Ladies "At Home" The Asiatic Sweet Waters Holy
Ground The Glen cf 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 beau-
tiful 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 Bospho-
rus immediately opposite to the Castle of Eu-
rope, 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
ASIATIC SWEET WATERS. 243
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 headstones of
many a departed Mussulmaun ; while the birds,
screened from the noonday heats, are ever
pouring forth their glad song in all the gushing
joyousness of conscious security.
Your boatmen, refreshed by the grateful cool-
ness 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 ap-
propriated to the men ; who smoke their chi-
bouks, and enjoy their sherbet and water-melons,
far from the gossipry of their more voluble help-
meets. Passing through this " holy ground,"
you come at once upon the lovely nook, which,
surrounded on all sides by trees, and thronged
R2
244
THE GLEN OF THE VALLEY.
with company, affords one of the prettiest coup-
d" ceils in the world.
PART OK THE VALLEY OF GU1UK-SDY.
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-aw r nings 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
HAND-MIRRORS. 245
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 Buyukderd 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,
246 HOLYDAY GROUPS.
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 Im-
perial Serais, 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 essen-
tially 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 at-
tendant slaves the quaintly-dressed venders
of mohalibd and sekel (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-merchsLut, with his yoke upon his shoul-
der, and his swinging trays covered with little
brown clay basins, showing forth the creamy
whiteness of his merchandize the vagrant ex-
hibitors of dancing bears and grinning monkeys
MELON-MERCHANTS. 247
the sunburnt Greek, with his large, flapping
hat of Leghorn straw, and Frank costume, hur-
rying 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 grace-
ful 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 pyramid ically 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, accom-
panied 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 En-
248 THE SULTAN'S TREE.
chanter, and beholding the realization of what
he had hitherto considered as the mere extra-
vagance 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 extre-
mities 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 re-
ceived 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,
COURTESY OF THE ORIENTAL FEMALES. 249
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 re-
garded us quite as little.
Nothing can exceed the courtesy of the
Turkish ladies to strangers. They always ap-
pear 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 gene 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 cour-
tesies of life. Nor is the eye less satisfied than
250 THE BEAUTIFUL DEVOTEE.
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 cucum-
bers, a vegetable highly relished by the Ori-
entals, 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 cham-
paign 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
PIETY OF THE TURKISH WOMEN. 25 1
slaves stood, with folded arms, immediately be-
hind 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 tt^j earth in the deep, voiceless, prayer,
which is the heart's offering, and requires not to
shape itself into words. Had she been other-
wise 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 devo-
tions, and once more I moved forward.
No occupation, whether of business or plea-
sure, is permitted to interfere with the religious
duties of a Turkish female, however distin-
guished her rank ; nor has locality or circum-
stance 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 Ka-
haitchana, or any other public place in which she
may chance to find herself when her accustomed
hour of prayer arri ves ; 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
252 THE ARABA.
her own Serai. 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 en-
circling hills, giving and receiving a thousand
salutations ! The Sultan was momentarily ex-
pected ; 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* 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 sta-
tioned immediately in front. All these indica-
tions 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
* 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.
THE PASHA'S WIFE. 253
buried among her richly embroidered cushions,
that she was scarcely visible.
I have called her fair, but that is not the cor-
rect 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 tell-tale indication
of my involuntary conviction, in the long and
254 PAPILLOTES.
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
A GUARD OF HONOUR. 255
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 per-
sons remained in the glen, I soon discovered
that enough yet lingered to form a dense crowd
about me, which effectually prevented my obtain-
ing 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 T
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 ex-
amine my work ; and all rewarding my forbear-
ance with exclamations of " Mashallah," and
" Pek
256 THE FORTRESS OF MAHOMET.
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
hadever done hitherto, the architectural cypher
of the Prophet.
CASTLE OF MAHOMHT.
Within the walls are clustered about a dozen
houses ; and their inhabitants are bound by an
KIOSK OF THE SULTAN. 257
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 ter-
minated, 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 shoot-
ing heavenward, and almost hidden by the leafy
branches of the surrounding trees. On the other
a cluster of arabas, with their crimson and pur-
ple 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 feel-
ing 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 im-
VOL. n. s
258 SIMPLE PLEASURES.
pression of the Turkish character. I have re-
marked elsewhere on the happy freedom from
morgue which pervades the wealthier classes of
the capital. Neither superciliousness nor as-
sumption 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 re-
quires no combination of causes to produce it
a bright sky a balmy atmosphere a lovely
landscape are all that is necesssary to its en-
joyment ; 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 Os-
manlis have made a wise selection, in prefer-
ring to the strife and struggle for precedence,
and the uncertainty of ultimate success, which
clog the more refined and " exclusive" plea-
sures 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
GUIUK-SUY. 259
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 " ci-
vilized" 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 womei^ of
s2
260 URBANITY OF THE TURKISH LADIES.
Turkey under a more favourable aspect. Every
heart appeared to be holding holyday ; and
when, as evening closed, we returned to our
caique, 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 wan-
dering 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, pro-
bably, 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 re-
EUROPEAN PREJUDICES. 261
warded 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 illi-
berality 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.
262 THE REISS EFFENDI.
CHAPTER XVIII.
The Reiss Effendi Devlehai Hanoum The Fair Circassian The
Pasha Ceremonious Observances of the Harem An Interview
Namik Pasha versus Noiirri Effendi Imperial Decorations The
Diploma Turkish Gallantry The Chibouks The Salemliek The
Garden Holy Horror The Kiosk The Breakfast A Party in the
Harem Nesibe Hanoum The Yashmac The Masquerade Turk-
ish 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, accom-
panied 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 occa-
sion they were already astir, and the slaves
hurrying in every direction with sweetmeats
and coffee. Devlehai Hanoum was shut into her
chamber at prayers, and the door was guarded
THE FAIR CIRCASSIAN. 263
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 Drago-
man ; 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 Conjefem Hanoum advanced
smilingly towards me ; and taking me by the
hand (a great mark of distinction from a Turk-
ish 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 ex-
cellent opportunity of obtaining a good view of
264 THE PASHA.
His Excellency, previously to our entering into
conversation ; and the first glimpse which I had
of him prepossessed me in his favour. He occu-
pied 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
perfu me.
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 fez
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 mouth-piece 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 punc-
tiliousness.
Devlehai 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 arm-
chair for me close to his own seat, immediately
took up her position beside her. The Greek
THE CHIBOUK. 265
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 desir-
ous only to give me pleasure; although, as T 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 Conjefem 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
266 NOURRI EFFENDL
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
common-place description ; and he appeared
infinitely more gratified by the admiration which
I expressed of the magnificent marriage festivi-
ties 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 imme-
diately inquired if he were popular in London.
I replied candidly that since he did me the
honour to ask my opinion, T 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 ex-
tremely ill-calculated to make his way in Eng-
land ; or to give so favourable an impression of
the nation which he represented, as, since I had
resided among the Turkish people, I felt anxi-
ous should be produced on the minds of my own
countrymen. That he could not speak any Euro-
pean language, had forbidding manners, and
NAMIK PASHA- 267
made no attempt to identify himself with the feel-
ings and habits of the people among whom he
resided.
He next mentioned Namik Pasha, and said
laughingly : " I know that the ladies of Eng-
land 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 Eng-
land that he was Secretary to the Porte."
I observed that Namik Pasha lent himself
willingly to European customs, and made him-
self 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 diplo-
matist yourself. I had heard as much before
this is the first time in my life that I ever con-
versed 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 Turk-
ish Ambassador to England, tell me frankly
whom should you choose?"
268 RESCHID BEY.
I could not forbear smiling in my turn : but I
replied without hesitation ; " Rescind 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 gentleman-
like 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
Ilchiis 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
THE DIPLOMA. 269
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 Conjefem 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 Vezir, was an elaborately
mounted medal of gold, inscribed with the cipher
of the Sultan, and the rank of the wearer, splen-
didly 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 im-
mense 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 Vzir him-
270 IMPERIAL DECORATIONS.
self which occurred in the body of the docu-
ment, 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 bril-
liant. This magnificent decoration was ap-
pended to a chain of fine gold, and secured by a
diamond clasp.
When I had sufficiently admired it, the gal-
lant 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 Conjefem Ha-
noum flung it over my head, and entangled the
chain in my ringlets, to the great delight of the
Vezir, 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.
COSTLY LUXURY. 271
The only drawback to these costly ornaments
exists in the fact that they are insecure posses-
sions ; 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 faith-
ful services to the Porte ; accompanied by an
intimation that on his decease it was to be trans-
ferred 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.
1 was not a little amused at the epicurean
manner in which the Vezir 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.
\Yhen 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
272 THE SALEML1EK.
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 wait-
ing 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 enjoy-
ment 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, sail-
ed to and fro the vast apartments, as though
they could appreciate their magnificent com-
fort.
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 gera-
niums, 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 astonish-
KIOSK OF THE REISS EFFENDI. 273
ment of a party of worthy Musselmauns who
chanced to look up as we were crossing 1 , at-
tracted by the unwonted sounds of female voices ;
and the " Mashallahs !" 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 Mashallah 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 gracefuljetf 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 1
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
VOL. II. T
274 A PARTY IN THE HAREM.
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 Con-
jefem 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,
THE YASHMAC. 275
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 Nesibe 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, Conjefem Hanoum
proposed giving me a lesson in the art of ar-
ranging 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 Ha-
noum. The voluminous cloak of dark cloth
was accordingly thrown over me, and with con-
siderable difficulty I was taught to manage it
with some degree of grace ; after which the
276 TURKISH COMPLIMENTS.
laughing girl dragged me towards the apart-
ment 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* with all the ceremony neces-
sary 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 Serai, 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 ma-
noeuvres of a slave who was purchasing some
water-melons from a fruit-caique. Nothing could
be more ludicrous : the great gate of the harem
was ajar, and one of the caiquejhes stood on
* The Eastern salutation.
THE MELON MERCHANT. 277
the terrace, and took the fruit from his com-
panion ; 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 with-
out 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 over-
come their kindly entreaties that I would spend
the remainder of the day with them ; and having
bade adieu to the Buyuk Hanoum and her nu-
merous 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 ex-
perienced from every member of his family.
278 IMPERIAL GRATITUDE
CHAPTER XIX.
Imperial Gratitude The Freed Woman A Female Ccelebs Hussein
the Watchmaker Golden Dreams Arabas and Arabajhes Mater-
nal Regrets A Matrimonial Excursion Difficult Position The
Sekeljhes 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
Serai' 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 un-
remitted 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.
THE FREED WOMAN.
His Imperial Highness was obeyed on the
instant. One of the Palace caiques rowed to the
door of the harem ; and the freed slave, acconiT
panied 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 help-
meet from among the tradesmen of the city.
At every " Mashallah ! " uttered by her audi-
tors, 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
narghile, or water-pipe ; and the arabajhe's as-
sistant 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
280 GOLDEN DREAMS.
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 aston-
ishment of the party by informing them that
the person who had engaged the vehicle was a
slave of the Imperial Serai ; a piece of informa-
tion which tended considerably to expedite the
preparations of the coachman, and to excite the
curiosity of his companions.
The female Coelebs, 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 in-
dulged 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 infirmi-
A MATRIMONIAL EXCURSION. 281
ties, 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 " ac-
cursed 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 Koran.
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 cush-
ions 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 Constan-
tine.
They first bent their course to the Charshees ;
and the confidant pointed out many a grave-
looking, middle-aged Mussulmaun to the admi-
ration of her companion ; but the freed-woman
only shrugged her shoulders, uttered a con-
temptuous " Mashallah ! " and turned away her
eyes.
282 THE SEKELJHES.
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
caique at Beglier-bey ; 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 * 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 sekeljhes, 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 exhi-
bited ; but even here she was in no haste to come
* Fate.
A YOUNG HUSBAND. 283
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.
" Inshallah 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 sekeljhe was summoned to the side
of the araba, and found to improve upon ac-
quaintance ; 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 hand-
some shop, fitted up with a select stock of sweet-
284 THE EMIR'S DAUGHTER.
meats 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
sekeljhe.
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 * Ha-
noum peeped through her lattice at the hand-
some soldier, the blood rushed to her brow, and
her heart beat quick, though she knew not
wherefore. The young beauty led a lonely life,
* Jasmin.
FIRST LOVE. 285
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 manoeuvres of an East-
ern beauty, who has no means of communica-
tion 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 grace-
ful 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 accord-
ingly walked as far as the slipper-stall of a
Jew merchant ; but this uninteresting individual
286 BALLAD SINGING.
squinted hideously, and smoked tobacco of so
odious a quality that it half suffocated the more
fastidious Osmanli. Of course there was no per-
severing 1 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 laud-
able 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
A SALUTATION. 287
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 re-
markable in such a circumstance, for the street
was a great thoroughfare, and many women had
traversed it during the day ; and yet his atten-
tion was irresistibly attracted to the stranger ;
and as she reached his side, their eyes met :
" Shekiur Allah ! Praise be to God! t 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
288 REJECTED ADDRESSES.
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 loath-
ing.
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 suc-
cess ; 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. Accord-
ingly, 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 disturb-
ance, 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
THE ARREST. 289
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 ad-
dressed 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 trem-
bling with rage, only pointed to the lover,
as he exclaimed ; " To the Seraskier ! To the
Seraskier ! Inshalluh ! I will have justice."
He was instantly obeyed. The soldiers sur-
rounded their commander, and hurried him off,
followed by the panting Priest ; and in ten mi-
nutes more the whole party stood before the
Seraskier.
The fateful moment had arrived ; and the
heart of the young man beat high with a thou-
VOL. II. U
A LOVER'S DEFENCE.
sand conflicting feelings as the Einir 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 be-
cause I am a soldier He has declared the uni-
form 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
MUNIFICENCE OF THE SERASKIER. 291
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 affir-
mative.
" Take heed, then, Emir" pursued the Pasha,
"This looks like disaffection to his Highness:
(May his end be glorious !) See that the girl be-
come 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 Cap-
tain ; 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 impos-
u2
292 STROKE OF POLICY.
sible ; 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 be-
tween two jarring and jealous portions of the
population.
ibkhoiri ,V>
TURKISH MADHOUSES. 293
CHAPTER XX.
Turkish Madhouses Surveillance of Sultan Mabmoud Self-Elected
Saints Lunatic Establishment of Solimanie 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
Timerhaze, or Lunatic Establishment, depen-
dent on the mosque of Solimanie. He will en-
counter nothing to disgust, and comparatively
little to distress him ; for all is cleanly, quiet,
and almost cheerful. For myself, morbidly sen-
sitive 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 Solimanie, 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
294 SELF-ELECTED SAINTS.
tenant the building are indebted for the only
comforts which they are still capable of enjoy-
ing ; for but a few years ago they were unap-
proachable 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 re-
verence for the insane. They believe that the
spirit has been recalled by its GOD, and the hal-
lucinated being is regarded as almost saintly ; a
beatification, hewever, 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 mendi-
cant ; 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, swarm-
ing 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 Constan-
tinople) are self-elected in their holiness ; and
MADHOUSE OF SOLIMANIE. 295
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 Solimanie
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 exceed-
ing 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 pro-
296 THE GREEK LADY.
fuse ; 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 cour-
tesy, so strong among the Turks, had in no one
instance been destroyed, even by the total aber-
ration 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 unfor-
tunate 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
THE FATHER. 297
from his recumbent posture, and almost shrieked
out his gladness as he exclaimed " My child f
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 sor-
rowful 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 sen-
tence. 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. Strik-
ingly handsome, and not above five-and-thirty,
he had already passed four miserable years in
298 THE APOSTATE.
the Madhouse of Solimanie. 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 apos-
tacy ; 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 ex-
tended 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 ex-
clamation of wonder whose very presence had
awakened mirth and merriment He, too, was
THE JUGGLER. 290
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, be-
yond which projects a wooden peristyle. There
is always a painful association connected with
the idea of slavery, and an insurmountable dis-
gust 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 Ne-
groes only remain in the open court, where they
are squatted in groups, until summoned to shew
themselves to a purchaser; while the Circas-
sians and Georgians, generally brought there
300 THE SLAVE-MARKET.
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 bar-
gain seriously and quietly ; and left the market,
followed by the slaves whom they had pur-
chased, without one act of wanton cruelty, or
unnecessary interference.
I felt glad when, escaping from this painful
THE CHARSHEE. 301
scene, bitter and revolting even under the most
favourable aspect, we found ourselves in the
Charshee, surrounded by all the glittering temp-
tations 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 ex-
hausted on us all was bustle and excitement ;
and I forgot for a while the weeping father and
the spirit-stricken apostate of Solimanie.
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gaanJiv/ Jon
rbsusq
4$l A to'ihoqa JG
SoYL .aoiJ.&binga
oj bftteluobtt ,m&d& bsqii"
orii no giiifioijoia 9*iev/ 01
/oiiT
302 THE CASTLE OF EUROPE.
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 Forces 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 Tem-
pest Dangerous Passage Turkish Terror Kind-hearted
Caiquejhe 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-a-terre of the Prophet on the Euro-
pean 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 alto-
gether an object of extreme interest.
When our caique touched the landing-place
opposite the Traitor's Gate, our dragoman
landed to obtain the authority of the officer on
MILITARY SCRUPLES. 303
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 sur-
prise on ascertaining our errand was so great,
that he scarcely removed the chibouk from his
lips, as he declared the impossibility of his ad-
mitting us into a stronghold, within which no
Frank had hitherto set his foot The first Euro-
pean 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 compe-
tent to do the melancholy honours of the place.
The Traitor's Gate is the only seaward en-
trance to the fortress ; and, when we had
stooped to pass its low, wide arch, we found our-
selves in a large court, having on our right hand
one of the four principal towers ; and precisely
304 THE TOWER OF BLOOD.
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, how-
ever, 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 after-
wards 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 formi-
dable body, as it was customary to insult the
TOWER OF THE JANISSARIES. 305
remains of the less distinguished of their com-
rades.
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 indi-
vidual 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'oeil 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
VOL. II. X
306 CACHOTS FORCES.
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 forces, or dark dungeons ; every apart-
ment 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 with-
held 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 destruc-
tion.
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
FRIGHTFUL DEATH. 307
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 at-
tached used in strangling the condemned Janis-
saries. I confess that I thrilled Jess 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 twi-
light cell. Here, where the fresh breeze of Heaven
came lovingly to his forehead, quivering among
the broad leaves of the wild fig-trees ; and dan-
cing 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 com-
rades and his friends, seized the extremity of the
fatal rope, and, dragging after them the yet qui-
vering body, it was thus hurried ignominiously
x 2
308 THE SIGNAL GUN.
down the rough and steep stone stair which
traverses the fortress, ere it arrived at the
Traitor's Gate.
But 1 will pursue the revolting image no
further. As the mangled body was hurled into
the sea, the long gun which occupies an embra-
sure 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 re-
embarked, and proceeded to the Grand Armoury
at Dolma Batch.
Here again we were obliged to avail ourselves
THE GRAND ARMOURY. 309
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 qua-
drangle, surrounded by the entrances of the
several workshops, and furnished with an im-
mense 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 pro-
gressing satisfactorily ; while his deputy, who is
an Armenian, enters into the detail of the labour,
makes the contracts for timber and metal, pays
310 MUSKETS
the workmen, and performs every other respon-
sible duty. The number of firelocks completed
daily, and sent across each evening to the Ar-
moury within the walls of the Serai 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 asto-
nishment 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
A DIALOGUE. 311
come from ? and how came they to let her in
here ?" The reply of the interpreter surprised
him still more.
" Mashallah !" 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."
1 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 astonish-
ment 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 Com-
mandant for our visit, he was immediately sum-
312 THE PERSIAN KIOSK.
moned by the Dragoman, and received us with
the greatest politeness.
This magnificent barrack is nearly quadran-
gular, the centre of the fourth side being occu-
pied by low workshops, and a noble gateway
opening upon an exercise ground, at whose ex-
tremity 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 Serai 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 mer-
chant-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.
THE WORKSHOPS, 313
We were standing in the yard of a barrack con-
taining 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 more-
over 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 hun-
dred men are instructed in each trade, who relieve
one another in the event of duty or sickness.
The Regimental School was a model of neat-
ness and order, and the number of pupils very-
considerable ; all the children of the Imperial
Guard being expected to attend it, whatever
314 A COMING TEMPEST
may be the rank of their fathers. Many of the
sergeants and corporals were studying geo-
graphy; 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 occa-
sion 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 contain-
ing 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 SL coming
storm ; and, as the passage from Scutari to
Topp-hanne is, though comparatively short,
extremely dangerous in the event of a sudden
tempest, we spent half an hour with the Com-
mandant 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 chores were veiled in
dense and heavy vapour.
THE CA'IQUEJHK 315
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 Mar-
mora ; 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 neighbour-
hood of the Maiden's Tower, more caiques 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
" Mashallahs ! " and " Inshallahs ! " 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 caiquejhe who pulled the after-
oars, amid all his alarm sought to comfort me :
"Tell her," he said perpetually to the drago-
man, " 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
316 FORTUNATE ESCAPE.
that I will put her ashore somewhere any-
where 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 caique-
jhe. With considerable difficulty we at length
made the pier at Topp-hanne, 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.
THE PLAGUE. 317
CHAPTER XXII.
The Plague Spread of the Pestilence The Greek Victim Self-De-
votion 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 Me-
lancholy Concomitants of the Pestilence Carelessness of the Turks
The Pasha of Broussa Rashness of the Poorer Classes Univer-
sality of the Disease in the Capital.
EVERY one who has even heard of Constanti-
nople 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 oc-
curred 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 com-
mencement 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
Beglier-bey is deserted in consequence of its
having been visited by the Pestilence The
318 THE GREEK VICTIM.
" Seven Towers" have become a Plague-Hos-
pital 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 re-
turn thence, (and even that reluctantly,) from a
dread that we might prove to be Plague-con-
ductors, 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 quali-
ties 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 fright-
ful 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 inha-
bitant of Therapia was suddenly attacked with
sickness, and, thinking that he recognised the
symptoms of the malady, he immediately pro-
SKU-VDEVOTION. 319
ceeded 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 appear-
ance, was about to approach him, when he de-
sired 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 in-
fecting 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 Recom-
mend 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 mid-
night, 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
320 DEATH OF THE PLAGUE-SMITTEN.
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 shout-
ing 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 occur-
rences are, however, rare ; as, in the event of se-
veral families being compromised and sent to the
mountains, there is generally a military guard
THE PLAGUE FAMILY. 321
stationed at every avenue leading to their tempo-
rary dwellings, to prevent the approach of stran-
gers, 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 moun-
tain 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 dis-
ease 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 I
VOL. II. Y
322 THE GREEK GIRL.
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 ascer-
tained whither they had carried him, than with-
out 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 caiquejhe 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, endea-
vour 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 tor-
ture of the passing spasm.
And she bore it all unshrinkingly ; and even
amid her misery she felt a thrill of joy as she
A NEW VICTIM. 323
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 nar-
row 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 be-
neath 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
Y2
324
FEMALE DEVOTION.
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 con-
tagion 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 dis-
ease to be propagated by contact ; and it is
singular to see the care with which every indi-
vidual passing along the public streets avoids
all collision with his fellow -passengers. The
lower order of Turks are the greatest sufferers
PLAGUE-CONDUCTORS. 325
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 enter-
ing their mosques, or repeating their prayers ;
while I have good authority for stating that this
class qf 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, conse-
quently, 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 in-
controvertible fact.
I know not whether it be a common occur-
rence 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 com-
mencement ; and that before we left they were
to be met with in numbers, in the very centre
326 DISTRESSING EFFECTS OF THE PLAGUE.
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 pes-
tilence, each individual avoids all human con-
tact, 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 consi-
dered 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 defi-
ance these accumulated dangers ; there are mo-
DEATH BY PLAGUE. 327
ments 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 contami-
nating the pure air of Heaven by the fetid
breathings of pestilence shrieking out his mad-
ness 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 sur-
prising 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 purga-
torial quarantaine ; and they account very satis-
factorily 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 them-
328 PASHA OF BROUSSA.
selves to remark the precautions taken by Eu-
ropeans 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 re-
sistance ; and, when the favourite domestic up-
THE PENALTY OF WEAKNESS. 329
braided 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 per-
fectly 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 com-
fortably 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
330 FRIGHTFUL MORTALITY.
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 im-
probability of this terrific scourge ever being
expelled the country by the precautionary mea-
sures of the natives. On the subject of the
plague the Turks appear to possess neither pru-
dence nor judgment. Their belief in predestina-
tion 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 per-
petuate the pestilence in the East, exists in the
fact that, when the local authorities have ascer-
tained 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
COMPROMISED DWELLINGS. 331
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 por-
tions 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 sup-
port of the survivors, it subjects them to want
and misery, which they seek to evade by run-
ning a greater, but, as they fondly hope, less
certain risk. They trust to their felech, or con-
stellation, 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 aban-
donment, 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
332 MYSTERIOUSNESS OF THE PLAGUE.
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 la-
bourer 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 myste-
rious 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,* 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 caiques with water at
the European villages on the Channel, and vend-
ing it in the city, being necessitated to make
use of foul and stagnant pools for the purpose
* The September of 1836.
APPALLING DROUGHT. 333
of preparing their food ; and to dispense almost
entirely with a beverage generally taken to ex-
cess 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 noonday 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.
334 THE VILLAGE WELL.
I shall not easily forget the constant succes-
sion of busy human beings, who, from day-dawn
to dusk, thronged the mouth of a well not a
hundred paces from our residence at Yenikeuy.
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 in-
creased 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 prece-
dence, 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 sane-
TURNING DERVISHES. 335
tity 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, con-
tributed for the purpose by the poorer inhabi-
tants of the village, a small vase of holy water,
and a pinch of consecrated salt !
While the drought was at its height, a commu-
nity 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 princi-
pal 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 scat-
tered a portion of the blossoms over the shat-
tered fragments of the vases flung into the basin
by the Dervishes.
336 HYMN OF THE TURKISH CHILDREN.
Nothing could be more affecting ! Man,
shrinking under a consciousness of his un-
worthiness, 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 dur-
ing the drought, that" linked chain" of child-
hood repaired to the same spot, and raised the
same song of entreaty to an all-powerful Crea-
tor ; 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 Constan-
tinople 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.
HYMN OF THE TURKISH CHILDREN. 337
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.
VOL. II.
338 A GREEK MARRIAGE.
CHAPTER XXIII.
A Greek Marriage The Day before the Bridal The Wedding Gar-
ments 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 gossipry ; and so
many ancient and classical usages are still re-
tained, that it is a curious as well as an interest-
ing sight to a stranger.
Having received an invitation to the wedding
of a fair neighbour, I joined a party of friends
who were about to visit her, according to custom,
on the previous day ; to offer their congratula-
tions, 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 salu-
tations, her bright black eyes dancing with joy,
THE WEDDING GARMENTS. 339
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 ex-
changed compliments, she led us through the
centre 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 hand-
kerchiefs, and cachemire shawls ; and I really
pitied the owner of all this finery when I re-
marked how much she was harassed, and op-
pressed 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 in-
z2
340 CEREMONY OF RECEPTION.
variably 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 indi-
vidual 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 centre 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
THE GOLDEN TRESSES. 341
to which I have already made allusion. The
gallantry of the bridegroom had induced him
to send forty drachms of this expensive gew-
gaw 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
342 LOVE OF THE GREEK WOMEN FOR FINERY.
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 coloured
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 ear-rings 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
THE BRIDAL PROCESSION. 343
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 centre 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 mu-
sicians 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 Arch-
bishop of Nournaudkeiiy and a party of priests,
who immediately commenced chanting the mar-
riage service ; and, as they ascended the stairs,
showers of money were flung over them from
above.
In five minutes, the spacious saloon was filled
344 THE MARRIAGE.
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 con-
siderable 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
MARRIAGE GIFTS. 345
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 ceremo-
nies 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 fore-
head. 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 attend-
ance, bearing trays of preserved fruits and deli-
cate little biscuits, which were given to each
person to carry away. Liqueurs were then offered,
and subsequently coffee ; after which each mar-
ried 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
346 THE NUPTIAL CROWNS.
cheerful morning-ball which was about to com-
mence.
The effect of the golden tress that I had as-
sisted 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 emi-
nently 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 bee-
hive ; when they were removed from the heads
of the young couple, they were carefully en-
veloped in a handkerchief of coloured 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 de-
ceased 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
GREEK FUNERALS. 347
paraded through the streets, followed by her
female relatives, who weep, and shriek, and be-
wail 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 in-
stants previously so lavishly adorned, are con-
signed to the earth of which they are so soon to
form a part.
348 THE FEZ MANUFACTORY.
CHAPTER XXIV.
-S3 1
The Fez 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 Sera'i-Bournou The Outer Court The Orta
Kapoussi The Pestle and Mortar of the Ulemas The Garden of
Delight The Column of Theodosius Arrival of the Sultan Ancient
Greek Inscriptions Confused Inscription The Diamond Memo-
ries of Sultan Selim.
No traveller should leave Constantinople
without paying a visit to the Fez 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
Azme 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:* and its immediate
superintendence has been intrusted to Mustapha
Effendi; whose ready courtesy to strangers
enables European travellers to form an accurate
* 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.
SINGULAR SCENE. 349
idea of the state and progress of the establish-
ment.
After a delightful row from Galata, we landed
at the celebrated pier of Eyoub ; and, accompa-
nied by a personal friend of Mustapha Effendi,
proceeded to the manufactory, which we entered
by the women's door. As we passed the thres-
hold 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 extraor-
dinary 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
ii
imaginable.
>
At the moment of our arrival, Mustapha Ef-
fendi was at prayers ; and we accordingly seated
ourselves to await him in an inner apartment,
350 MUSTAPHA EFFENDI.
well-carpeted, and occupied by half a dozen
clerks, who were busily employed in recording*
the quantity of wool delivered to each appli-
cant : 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 Euro-
pean 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 fez.
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
TURKISH INDUSTRY. 351
present state of the people had made upon our-
selves. He appeared to have been piqued by
some American travellers who had visited the
establishment ; for at the close of the conversa-
tion he said earnestly ; " Europe begins to know
us better ; and the Franks to judge us more
honestly Inshallah I trust in God, that the
day will yet come when we shall be able to con-
vince even the Americans, that we are not wild
beasts anxious to devour them."
When we had passed an hour with the Super-
intendent, we proceeded to inspect the establish-
ment, 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 fez 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.
352 PROCESS OF MANUFACTURE.
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 vici-
nity 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 fez
then undergoes three different operations of
clipping and pressing ; and at the termination
of the third has no longer the slightest appear-
ance 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 per-
petual current of air until all the damp is re-
moved ; 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
OMER EFFENDT AND THE TUNISIANS. 353
in England. Pressing follows, and the fez is
ultimately carried to the marker, who works
into the crown the private cypher of the manu-
facture, 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 tas-
sels : and packing the caps into parcels contain-
ing 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 ex-
tremely high price paid by the Sultan to the
Tunisians, with whom this fabric originated,
for the head-dress of his troops. Having in-
duced a party of Arabian workmen from Tunis
to accompany him to Constantinople, he esta-
blished 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
VOL. II. A A
354 AVANIS AGA,
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 unfavour-
able 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 him-
self master of the secret which it so much im-
ported his anxious patron to learn ; and, aban-
doning the ignoble besom that he had wielded
as the attendant of the Tunisian dyers, imme-
diately 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 ex-
DISMISSAL OF THE ARABS. 355
periment, Omer Effendi summoned the Arabs to
his presence, and shewed them the fez ; when,
instantly suspecting the masquerade that had
betrayed them, they simultaneously turned to-
wards 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 manu-
factory are elegantly fitted up, and sufficiently
spacious to accommodate a numerous suite ; and,
as the building faces the Arsenal, His High-
ness 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 manufac-
A A 2
356 THE SERAI BOURNOU.
tory, 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 caique, we darted off to the
Serai 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 in-
firmaries, 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-hane, 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 Execu-
tioner'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."
THE PESTLE AND MORTAR OF THE ULEMAS. 357
Above the gateway is a line of spikes, on
which the forfeited heads were exposed, to
blacken in the sunshine. And here used for-
merly 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 bow-
string, 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 ex-
traordinary 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 splen-
dour of the Serai. 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
358
COLUMN OF THEODOSIUS.
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 in-
troducing me into the harem. Thither we accord-
ingly 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.
COLUMN OF THEODOSIUS.
As soon as we were seated, I requested per-
mission to sketch this interesting monument,
ARRIVAL OF THE SULTAN 359
which he at first refused from a dread of being
compromised by my entrance into the Sera'i, 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, breath-
less 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 sen-
tences still remain, which are beyond solution.
Altogether I brought away from the Serai
Bournou, a mere confused impression of gild-
ing 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 caique darted past the
360 SULTAN SELIM.
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 Serai
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.
EASTERN JEWS. 361
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 Ad-
ministration The House of Nairn Zornana of Galata Costume of
the Jewish Women Hebrew Hospitality.
I
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 compara-
tively tolerant European can picture to himself
no possible idea until he has looked upon it.
The Israelite of Europe has a peculiar physiog-
nomy ; a crouching, self-humbling, constrained
manner ; but there is " a lurking devil in his eye,"
362 THE LEVANTINE JEWS.
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 out-
breaks of our common nature ; " he eats his
bread in bitterness," and comes forth from be-
neath his own roof-tree with fear and trembling,
to pursue his calling; and to mingle, even un-
equally, 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
JEWESSES. 363
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 fes-
tival 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 Con-
stantinople, my father and myself were ascend-
ing the hill of Topp-hanne, 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 door-
step a party of Turkish boys were amusing
themselves ; but they no sooner saw the Jew,
364 THE JEW HAWKER.
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 con-
test 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.
r\A common custom with both the Turks and
/the Greeks when they pass a caique on the
I water laden with Jews, is to raise one hand, and
RELIGIOUS STRICTNESS OF THE JEWS. 365
with outstretched finger to count their number,
which is supposed to bring some heavy misfor-
tune 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
caiques dart onward, each upon its own errand ;
the one gay with the subdued mirth of the tor-
mentors, 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 contri-
butions to the National Chest, for relieving the
wants of the poorer portion of their people ;
which is supplied from a tax levied on the pro-
visions consumed by each family, thus falling
the most heavily on the wealthiest of their com-
munity.
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 gra-
366 NATIONAL LAW.
dual 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, some-
times 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 de-
spotic 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 arrange-
ment which proved highly beneficial to that
portion of their nation that was compelled
from ecclesiastical persecution to evacuate Por-
tugal and Spain, at the instigation of Torque-
mada 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
RAIAHS AND FREE JEWS. 367
dingy-coloured white cap, surrounded by a cotton
shawl of a small brown pattern, are raiahs, 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 tempo-
rarily in the Levant, and enjoying all the pre-
rogatives of that portion of the community whose
costume they adopt; these invariably wear yellow
boots, and slippers similar to those of the Turks.
The raiahs, as well as the strangers, are under
the jurisdiction of the Grand Rabbin ; the differ-
ence of their position acting only on their exter-
nal relations, and not being recognised by their
own rulers.
The Levantine Jews formerly visited the in-
fidelity of their women with death ; but the pre-
sent 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 adminis-
tration 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
368 NAIM ZORNANA.
the Porte. The same rule is observed with in-
dividuals 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 Nairn
Zornana, with whom he had held some commer-
cial 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 magni-
ficent 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,
SPLENDID COSTUME. 369
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
VOL. II. B B
370 THE YOUNG WIFE.
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 hand-
kerchief 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 in-
dicate 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
THE AFFIANCED BRIDE. 371
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 sur-
rounded 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 scru-
pulously 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
BB 2
372 DEPARTURE.
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 Chris-
tians, who appreciated their kindly intentions ;
and when I promised, in compliance with their
earnest request, that 1 would repeat my visit, I
had no intention to fail in the pledge. .
ARMENIAN HOSPITALITY. 373
CHAPTER XXVI.
Hospitality of the Armenians An Impromptu Visit The Bride
Costly Costume Turkish Taste Kind Reception Domestic Eti-
quette of the Schismatic Armenians Armenian Sarafs The Na-
tional Characteristics.
T 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 ima-
gined 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
374 AN IMPROMPTU VISIT.
on a terrace overshadowed by lime trees, on
which a party of ladies, entirely unknown tons,
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 uninten-
tional 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 oppor-
tunity 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 de-
ceit.
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
THE BRIDE. 375
brow by a handkerchief of gold gauze, deeply
fringed, and thickly covered with diamonds.
Between her eyebrows was affixed an orna-
ment 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 Arme-
nians 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
376 KIND RECEPTION.
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 blos-
somed 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.
DOMESTIC ETIQUETTE. 377
When we at length reluctantly took our leave,
the pretty bride kissed our hands with a grace-
ful humility, perfectly charming ; and we were
followed to the gate by entreaties that we would
renew our visit. To these I replied by an invi-
tation 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 un-
bidden ; 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 ceremo-
nials which render their existence as uncomfort-
able as they can contrive to make it. The eldest
378 PRECEDENCE.
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 appropriat-
ing 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 luxu-
riously 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 assi-
duity ; their gardens being as remarkable for
their neatness, as are the interior of their dwel-
lings 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
ARMENIAN MARRIAGE. 379
to their pretty prison-room as fast as their heel-
less 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 gen-
tleman, 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 caique, 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 bride-
groom stands opposite to a mummy-like mass
of gold threads and cachemire, with his own
monstrous calpac tricked out in the same glit-
tering finery, until he looks like a male Danae ;
and with true stolid Armenian philosophy he
answers : " Even so t will take her."
The European young lady associates the idea
of marriage with tenderness, and indulgence, and
domestic enjoyment ; emancipation from mater-
nal 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
380 DOMESTIC SLAVERY.
which she quits the home of her infancy. But
the Armenian maiden only exchanges one ty-
ranny 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 rooftree 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 hus-
band, 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 wit-
nesses ; but must fly and hide herself in her
TURKISH CHILDREN. 381
own chamber when she would indulge the out-
pourings of maternal love.
How melancholy a contrast does this Arme-
nian barbarism afford to the beautiful devoted-
ness 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 1 , 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 in-
fant is common property in a Turkish harem
a toy and a treasure alike to each ; whether it
be the child of the statelv Hanoum whose will
V
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 re-
proached 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
382 ARMENIAN SARAFS.
in mental, or I should rather say, moral inert-
ness In all affairs of commerce, where the
subject may be reduced by rule, and decided by
calculation, they are competent alike to under-
take 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 submis-
sion 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
NATIONAL CHARACTERISTICS. 383
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 onfeift.
ascore can speak five words of any European
Jangj^age, 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 un-
interesting members of society ; possessing nei-
ther 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.
384 SEASON-CHANGES.
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 burst-
ing 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.
HILL OF THE THOUSAND NIGHTINGALES. 385
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 re-
ceive 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
VOL. II. C C
386 TWILIGHT OF THE EAST.
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, re-
treated 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 blossom-
ing 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 dark-
ness, 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
THE REVERIE. 387
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 inten-
sity And slowly, beautifully, into this empur-
pled 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 in-
voluntarily 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
cc2
388 MARIAR1TZA, THE ATHENIAN.
her head she had flung the long loose veil of
soft white muslin common to her country-women
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 un-
gratified. 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. 1
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 mid-
night ; 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 extraordi-
A DIALOGUE. 389
nary 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 chang-
ing 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 y out-
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 an-
swered 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
390 A CONFIDENCE.
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 caique awaited us
at the terrace-gate which opened on the channel.
" The sternmost caiquejhe is deaf;" whis-
pered Mariaritza; as we established ourselves
on the yielding cushions at the bottom of the
arrow-like boat, and wrapped the furred pe-
lisses 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 Mah-
moud 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 im-
part to my readers the tale to which I listened
from that passionate Greek girl, in a flood of
MEMORIES OF GREECE. 391
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 moon-
light 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 ? "
392 THE GREEK GIRL'S SONG.
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.
DIGRESSION. 393
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 Jead back my reader to the opening sen-
tences, 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
394 A CITY OF THE DEAD.
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 chan-
nel, 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 overcanopied 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
THE STREETS. 395
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 Foun-
tain of Topp-hann 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
396 THE PALACE OF BEGLIERBEY.
to remain in the country ; and we accordingly
appointed the morrow for crossing to the gilded
summer Palace of Beglierbey.
Our caique 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 cour-
teous 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 await-
ing us, we stepped across the threshold, followed
by the gaze of the astonished guard ; and skirt-
ing 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 crescentwise
through the centre 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, appro-
priated to the Imperial Household.
Above this suite are situated the State Apart-
THE STATE APARTMENTS. 397
ments ; gorgeous with gilding, and richly fur-
nished 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 bijou-
terie from Geneva porcelain from Sevres
marbles from Italy gems from Pompeii Per-
sian 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 ma-
gical. 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 in-
creased by the dazzling glories of the parterre
spread out beneath the windows ; with its flash-
ing fountain, golden orangery, and long line of
gleaming lattices.
The Reception-Room is small, and remarkable
only for the comfortably-cushioned divan on
398 THE BANQUETTING HALL.
which the Sultan receives his visitors ; and
the noble view that it commands of the chan-
nel, 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 al-
most 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 apart-
ments, 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
THE BATH. 399
a survey of that portion of the Palace appro-
priated 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 sup-
plies the cold stream necessary to the bathers.
The cooling-room was richly hung with em-
broidered draperies ; and the mirror was sur-
mounted 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 1
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 Serai, 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
400 THE LAKE OF THE SWANS.
Spanish, an Italian, an English, a German, and
a French garden. The deepest terrace is oc-
cupied 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 sun-
shine. 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, fantas-
tically 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 al-
most 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
THE GOLDEN GATE. 401
present to the Sultan from the Emperor Ni-
cholas.
The hill is crowned by a gilded kiosk, glitter-
ing 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 Serai 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 re-
flection that our last day in Asia had been so
worthily spent.
VOL. II.
402 THE BOSPHORUS IN MIST.
-
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 advan-
tage 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
Yenikeuy at mid-day; and we spent the earlier
hours of the morning with some Greek friends
THE BOSPHORUS IN MIST. 403
whose summer residence overhung the stream ;
and from whose windows we had hitherto been
enabled to see the fairy- like Palace of Beglier-
bey, and the hill-seated Castle of Mahomet.
But, alas! for our parting associations the
gilded glories of the Imperial Serai, 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 pro-
fusely 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 Sultani, 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
sea-gull'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 at-
mosphere.
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
D D2
404 THE FERDINANDO PRIMO.
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 caique 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 miser-
ably 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 com-
modious and comfortably arranged cabin ; well
fitted with every requisite for lessening the in-
convenience of ship-board.
In twenty minutes we were off Therapia ; and
in ten more we entered the Bay of Buyukdere.
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 Bos-
phorus 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 Bou-
TARDY PASSENGERS. 405
tinieff, 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 com-
municated 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 be-
hind 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 pen
gourmand ; a Colonel of the Coldstream Guards ;
an Hungarian Cavalier, holding a distin-
guished rank in the Austrian service ; a Rus-
sian-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.
406 THE BLACK SEA.
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 con-
stantly 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.
What a night we passed ! I thought that it
would never end ; and what rueful faces I en-
countered in the morning, when with some diffi-
culty, and a great deal of assistance I dragged
RUSTEM BEY. 407
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 vio-
lence 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 unde-
cided as to the most eligible spot on which to
land, nor was it without difficulty that we ul-
timately effected our purpose ; and almost imme-
diately 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 Euro-
pean 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 fslamism.
The answer that he is reported to have
made when the terms of his promotion were ex-
plained to him, is worthy of record ; " I feel all
the honour which I refuse ; but I am neverthe-
less compelled to forego it I can dispose of my
services, but I am not at liberty to sell my con-
science."
Under his guidance we traversed the town,
408 THE PASHA OF VARNA.
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 im-
portant charge. The Palace is a handsome and
somewhat extensive modern building, command-
ing, 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 him-
self 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 de-
posited 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
TURKISH GALLANTRY. 409
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 sub-
stitute. I gladly availed myself of his kindness ;
and while the equipage was preparing, listened
with as much surprise as interest to the conver-
sation with which he beguiled the time. Among
other things, he mentioned his extreme disap-
pointment 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 sin-
cerity.
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
410 THE LINES.
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 sta-
tioned 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 pro-
mise, that Colonel H and Rustem Bey
only were firm in their original purpose of riding
round the lines ; the rest of the party imme-
diately 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 for-
tifications are proceeding rapidly, and most
creditably ; five thousand men are constantly
employed on the works, and the number is occa-
sionally doubled.
As the evening was closing in ere we regained
the town, the scene was extremely singular. The
huts ofthe Bulgarian labourers, built of branches,
and huddled together in clusters, were revealed
SUNSET SCENE. 411
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 vil-
lage.
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 sheep-skin caps and
gaiters. The sun, meanwhile, was setting glori-
ously ; and the outline of the fortifications cut
darkly against a back-ground 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
412 TURKISH OFFICER.
cold, and looking the very picture of wretched-
ness. 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 Buyukder, 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 sea-
YOUNG GREEKS. 413
nausea ; 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 suffer-
414 THE DANUBE.
CHAPTER XXIX.
The Danube Cossack Guard Moldavian Musquitoes Tultzin
Galatz Plague-Conductors Prussian Officer Excursion to Silis-
tria 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 Cos-
sacks, 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 tene-
ment, and the apparition of a mounted Cossack
appearing and disappearing among the tall reeds
MOLDAVIAN MUSQUITOES. 4J5
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 over-
come 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 pro-
fited 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 pali-
sading of wood about breast-high.
416 PLAGUE-CONDUCTORS.
Here commenced our land miseries ! We were
looked upon as a society of plague-conductors,
and treated accordingly. Parties of the Galat-
zians collected along the outer fence to con-
template the infected ones whose contact they
dreaded ; and meanwhile we enjoyed the privi-
lege 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 Bri-
tish 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
SILISTRIA 417
accordingly prepared for our excursion ; the cap-
tain'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 lamb-
skin ; 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 at-
tempt at a garden was visible, though the vil-
lage stood upon the verge of an extensive wild,
stretching away far as the eye could reach, and
covered with redundant, although stunted, vege-
tation. 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 ahorse that had just been released from a
waggon, the ragged peasant to whom it belonged
VOL. II. E E
418 THE SALUTE.
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 meer-
schaum 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 Ferdi-
nand, in honour of His Highness the Hospodar
of Moldavia, who chanced to be residing tem-
porarily 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
SILISTRIAN PEASANTS. 419
universally clad in coarse white linen ; the
females wearing huge silver ear-rings, round
bracelets of coloured glass, and rings of every
dimension. All were bare-footed ; and the chil-
dren, who huddled together in groups to gaze
upon the passing strangers, were wretched-
looking little mortals, with their light hair hang-
ing in elf-locks about their ears, and their rags
fluttering in the breeze. The hovels were uni-
versally built of mud, and roofed with reeds and
the long leaves of the Indian-corn ; with chim-
neys 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 thou-
sand 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
2
420 CANOES OF THE DANUBE.
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 deli-
cious 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 pre-
cisely 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 re-
marked two gaudy -looking boats, painted in im-
mense 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
THE HOSPODAR'S BOAT. 421
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 acouple 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 Hospo-
daress 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 Cap-
tain, 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
422 A SENSATION.
the Principality flaunted their party-coloured
glories across to the other shore. I do not know
whether Her Highness anticipated the proba-
bility 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 re-passed 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 con-
tact with himself or suite, lest we might be-
queath the plague to his Principality in return
for his politeness. Of course we promised com-
pliance ; 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 gar-
rison announced that the Prince was approach-
ing. The guard at the entrance of the quaran-
taine 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 ves-
sels 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
THE HOSPODAR. 423
gates of the enclosure were thrown back, and into
the infected space walked His Highness, a little
sandy-haired man, with huge whiskers and
rnustachioes, 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 for-
tunes" to the temporary keeping of the Plague-
ship ; and advancing to the stern of the vessel
where our party were standing, he very gracious-
ly 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 un-
424 NON-CONDUCTORS
happy prevalence of plague in the country that
we had left. After this he talked very solemnly
of the necessity of strictly observing the qua-
rantaine ; made two or three more bows in a pe-
culiarly ungraceful style ; declined the cham-
paigne 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 mag-
nificent grapes, which, after they had been sub-
jected 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 pas-
THE PANNONIA. 425
sengers did not take place until late on the mor-
row ; for when the inferiority of her accommo-
dations 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 ex-
isted 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 pro-
vided ; 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 en-
titled 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
426 THE MUSICAL ARTISTE.
were by the satisfactory aspect of the Ferdi-
nand, 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 per-
sonal comforts of which our own party so bit-
terly felt the want.
Nor must I omit to make honourable mention
of the artiste to whom this department was con-
fided. An Italian by birth, and a wit by nature,
as well as a cook by profession, we were in-
debted to him and his guitar for many a plea-
sant hour that would otherwise have passed
heavily enough. As the dusk grew into dark-
ness, he used to come upon deck with his instru-
ment, 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 merri-
ment the deep silence of those scantily-peopled
shores ; the effect upon my mind was most ex-
traordinary.
HIRSOVA. 427
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 Wal-
lachian 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 gal-
lant 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 so-
litary buttress now remain. This fortress was un-
fortunately commanded by the opposite heighten
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
428 TOWN OF SILISTRIA.
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 out-
works, 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 ter-
minated 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 thou-
sand 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
TURTUKI. 429
a most singular appearance ; almost every cot-
tage 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 imme-
diate vicinity of Turtuki was highly cultivated,
and abounded in corn-fields and vineyards ;
giving evidence of much greater energy and in-
dustry 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
430 GLORIOUS SUNSET.
the day we remarked several eagles on the
wing ; and numbers of the beautiful white
aigrette herons, whose gleaming plumage glis-
tened 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 disap-
peared 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 improve-
ment in the aspect of the country through which
we had yet to pass.
The next town we reached was Ruschuk, which
is of considerable ex tent, walled, and surrounded
by a ditch. It contains only three thousand inha-
bitants, though it formerly boasted thirty thou-
sand, but exhibits no symptom of that desolation
RUSCHUK. 431
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 live stock, 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 consi-
dered 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 far-
things each ; bread equally cheap, but bad.
Shortly after leaving Ruschuk, I was amused
for a considerable time in watching some cor-
morants that were diving for fish ; while every
432 THE WALLACHIAN COAST.
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 pre-
sent one swampy and uninteresting flat, save
at distant intervals, when a scattered and tree-
less 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 bri^fot 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 ar-
ranged, 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
ORAVA. 433
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 forti-
fied. 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 pic-
turesque effect to the locality. Some hours
later we anchored on the Wallachian side to
take in coals, which were obtained from Hungary,
VOL. n. F F
434 W1DDIN.
and said to be of very excellent quality ; the
little enclosure that contained them was situ-
ated 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 fol-
lowing 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
FLORENTIN. 435
fourteen mosques relieve the outline of the pic-
ture ; and, immediately opposite, on the Wal-
lachian 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 through-
out 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 it-
self was crowned by a Gothic castle, whose gray
outline, apparently nearly perfect, cut sharply
against the sky ; and completed a tableau so
436 DISEMBARKATION.
strikingly beautiful as to elicit an universal ex-
clamation 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 as-
sistance 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 bul-
lock-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.
SERVIAN PEASANTS. 437
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 mul-
tifarious properties of the passengers. The
village ran along the bank of the river, and con-
sisted 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 pea-
santry 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 at-
tired 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.
438 SERVIAN WOMEN.
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 ; inter-
mixed 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 con-
firmed 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
SERVIAN WOMEN. 439
naked feet pressed the sandy path ; and an ex-
pression 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 dis-
posed, helmet-wise, in such profusion that, as
the sunlight glanced upon them, they were per-
fectly 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 brigiit
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,
440 THE PORTE DE PER.
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 toOrsova.
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
ROAD TO ORSOVA. 441
extensive to ensure the safe passage of mo-
derately 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 pin-
nacles ; 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 car-
riage 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 inter-
vening islet.
About a quarter of a mile onward stands a
Crucifix ; the first symbol that we had yet re-
marked 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
442 FINE ORES.
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, im-
pregnated 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 employ-
ment within a couple of miles of Orsova for at
least as many months.
ORSOVA. 443
CHAPTER XXXI.
Orsova Castle of the Pass Turkish Guard Quarantaine Ground
Village of Tekia Awkward Mistake Pretty Woman Gay Dress
A Visitor 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 imme-
diately above the fort ; and the site of this
stronghold is so cunningly chosen, that it is in-
visible 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 cour-
teous " Bouroum " as we passed the archway ;
444 ORSOVA.
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 Banut 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 com-
panions who had remained with the luggage-
waggons, we resolved to await them here ; and,
the gentlemen having discovered what they sup-
posed to be a coffee-kiosk, I gladly availed my-
PRETTY WOMAN. 445
self 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 country-
women. 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 hap-
piness. Her rich tresses were wound about her
head above a small Smyrniote fz, with a falling
tassel of purple silk ; and the smooth braids
that pressed her fair young brow were partly
shrouded beneath a painted muslin handker-
chief. Her dress of violet silk was made pre-
cisely 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 slip-
pers ; 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
446 THE HOST.
suffering severely from heat and thirst, we un-
hesitatingly 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 em-
broidered 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 re-
gard. 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
AWKWARD MISTAKE. 447
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 ear-
rings, rendered their appearance almost attrac-
tive.
When the rest of our caravan arrived, we dis-
coved the error into which we had been betrayed
by our ignorance of the locality; being in-
formed 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
448 RECEIVING HOUSE.
could only overwhelm him with acknowledge-
ments 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 quaran-
taine ; and here we were detained until our
patience was fairly outworn, and that our hun-
ger 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 our-
selves 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
THE QUARANTAINE-GROUND. 449
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 esta-
blishment 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 ware-
houses for receiving merchandize, we entered a
third enclosure wherein we were met by the
governor and surgeon ; who, keeping at a re-
spectful distance, invited us to enter a dark,
VOL. II. G G
450 VERBAL COINAGE.
white- washed, 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 unfor-
tunate 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 Or-
sova 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 elite of
M. LE DIRECTEUR. 451
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 build-
ings 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 under-
standing 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 thread-
bare 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 ges-
ture perfectly dramatic : " Soyez la bien-venue,
Madame ; voyez les beaux arbres que vous aves /"
Tt 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,
G G 2
452 THE LAZARETTO.
tables, and sofa all of wood, which is a " non-
conductor," and whitewashed like the walls ;
were the only objects that met our eyes. But
as we were all both tired and hungry, we wel-
comed even these ; and only begged to learn
where we must address ourselves, in order to
procure some food with as little delay as pos-
sible.
This brought us to the second feature of our
position ; for a window whose shutter was pad-
locked 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
Timerhazes, or madhouses of Constantinople ;
and I began half to apprehend that we had indeed
intruded into one of those melancholy establish-
ments. 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 discon-
certed 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
THE AUSTRIAN GOVERNMENT. 153
thought proper to make his escape. But this
was a trifling annoyance to that by which it was
succeeded ; and which consisted of an announce-
ment that at mid-day the Surgeon of the Laza-
retto, 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 proceed-
ing 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 arrange-
ment.
When the possession of any Turkish article
454 INQUISITORIAL CEREMONY.
was mentioned, there was a visible excitement.
Even a lantern exhibited by my father was en-
tered 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 inquisi-
tive; counting my rings, and recording my brace-
lets 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 posses-
sion of all which related to our peripatetic pro-
perties.
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 de-
liver 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 antici-
pated. Colonel had travelled with the whole
of his uniform ; and when our attendant advanced
to lay sacrilegious hands upon his sword, which
THE GUARDSMA^. 455
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 gal-
lant Guardsman. Of course he made his report
to the Governor ; but the worthy little old gen-
tleman 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 medi-
cal 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 morn-
ing," and away he went, without affording us
time to complain had we been so inclined.
M. le Directeur also paid us several visits, al-
ways 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 salve
ha! Us beaux arbres que vous avez!" It was
really worse than ludicrous.
As a signal mark of favour, we were occa-
sionally permitted to walk, under the charge of
456 MISERIES OF INCARCERATION.
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 indivi-
duals 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 ennuye 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 white-wash ; the out-pourings of an impa-
tient spirit weary of its thrall ; with the occa-
sional 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 qua-
rantaine 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 res-
taurant 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
PRISON-COMPANIONS. 457
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 our-
selves, 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.
458 LAST DAY OF CAPTIVITY.
CHAPTER XXXII.
The Last Day of Captivity Quarautaine 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 rest-
lessness ; 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 Qua-
rantaine buildings. This enclosure was crowded
with oxen, waggons, and bales of merchandize ;
LAST DAY OF CAPTIVITY. 459
and about fifty peasants were employed in la-
ding such goods as were admitted to pratique,
after their period of purification had been ac-
complished. Here we also found carriages for
hire, two of which we immediately engaged to
convey some of our party to the celebrated
Baths ofMahadia; 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 posses-
sion of a Caleche, drawn by a trio of wiry-look-
ing 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 run-
ning rippling would, for the sake of my land-
460 HUNGARIAN PEASANTRY.
scape sketch, that I could say sparkling in the
sunshine; but, alas ! the lordly Danube through-
out 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 va-
pours 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 Quaran-
taine 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 de-
light of the first bound back to freedom.
There is one of Sir Walter Scott's ballads
which from my earliest girlhood I have always
A BALLAD. 461
loved ; it first touched my heart by its plaintive-
ness, 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 stock-
ing 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
462 HUNGARIAN WOMEN.
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 rich-
ness of their material. A chemisette of white
linen reaching to the throat, where it was con-
fined 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 prin-
cipally barefooted.
The Hungarian peasantry are all soldiers
when their services are required, but resume
their agricultural and domestic duties imme-
MOUNTAIN TORRENT. 463
diately 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 fea-
tures, 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 with-
held from the many ; or that the dearth of good
looks in the many may lead a stranger involun-
tarily 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 de-
clivity, 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
464 TRAJAN'S ROAD.
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 pas-
ture 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 moun-
HUNGARIAN LANDSCAPE. 465
tain'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 con-
ducted 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 ih 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 fel-
lows, 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
VOL. II. H II
466 BATHS OF MAHADIA.
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 ex-
tremity of the mountain, for the use of the troops.
We partook of an excellent dinner at the
Table d'Hote 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
DISAPPOINTMENT. 467
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 pre-
cipices, 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 ener-
vating 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 alter-
native, we resolved on retiring early to our
apartments, whose cleanliness and comfort were
enhanced tenfold in our eyes by our recent en-
durance 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 Cus-
toms ; who, for "a consideration," returned our
H H 2
468 OVERLAND JOURNEY.
books carefully sewed up in linen, and sealed
with this government-stamp in lead, accompa-
nied 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 enu-
merate ; 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 ar-
rangement of the provisions that were to accom-
pany us on the morrow's journey ; nothing
edible, save Indian corn bread, being purchase-
able 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 dee"p
shadows over the river tide.
Superadded to this disappointment, is the
increase of fatigue consequent on the compul-
NEW ROAD. 469
satory detour ; the distance occupied by the shoal
being more than doubled by the overland
journey that is made across the loftiest of the
Banut mountains, and performed in the country
carriages (the basket-work waggons already
mentioned ) ; which, although so lightly con-
structed as to travel very rapidly, yet, being
without springs, are extremely fatiguing.
To obviate this inconvenience, the Steam Com-
pany have commenced the construction of a road
at the foot of the mountain-chain, the whole
length of the shoal ; and it was progressing ra-
pidly at the period of our visit, under the auspices
of the Austrian Government.* 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
Since our return to England, we have learnt that, for political
reasons, the Austrian Government have withdrawn, or at least sus-
pended, their assistance to this undertaking; as well as discountenanced
the formation of the canals destined to perfect the navigation of the
Danube.
470 NEW ROAD.
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 arrange-
ment which will supersede the necessity of
abandoning the direct line ; and save the tra-
veller the expense, fatigue, and inconvenience of
the inland journey.
DEPARTURE FROM ORSOVA. 471
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 pre-
cipitous road, slightly guarded on the outer edge
by a wooden railing; whence we looked down
into rifts and chasms filled with the most pro-
fuse 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
472 DAYBREAK IN THE MOUNTAINS.
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 surpass-
ing 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 pre-
cipice 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
PLAUWISCHEWITZA. 473
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 comfort-
able 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
474 SUNDAY JN HUNGARY.
" 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 Hun-
garian 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 appa-
rently 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 mo-
thers 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
DRINKOVA. 475
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 Drink-
ova, 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 sta-
tion ; 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 mi-
nutes we reached the pretty and extensive village
of Drinkova, in which we found an Austrian regi-
ment, 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
AL1BEC.
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 dis-
appeared behind the hills as we were hailed
from the vessel. At daylight the next morn-
ing we were under weigh ; and about noon the
Francis I. was abreast of the extensive monas-
tery and dependencies of Voilovitch on the
Hungarian side of the river ; and shortly after-
wards 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 with-
out danger even by daylight, are not, however,
the only impediment to night-travelling on the
Danube the violence of the current, particu-
larly 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
SEMEN DRI. 477
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, occu-
pying a very commanding position on the Ser-
vian 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 sur-
rounded 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 re-
main the whole of the next day to take in coals,
and to embark passengers and merchandize.
478 SEMLIN.
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 posses-
sions 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 at-
tracted nearly all the inhabitants of the town
and the surrounding country to an extensive
THE GREEK CHURCH. 479
square at the back of the main street ; where we
found a dense crowd of horses, waggons, mer-
chandize, 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, how-
ever, 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 ex-
amine the enamelled bible which he displayed
with great pride to the gentlemen ; little ima-
gining, 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 Cor-
vinus ; the most renowned of all Hungarian
heroes. It is now rapidly passing away, to be
numbered with the things that were, and are
480 YUSUF PASHA.
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 situa-
tion 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 re-
turned on board to a mid-day dinner ; the Che-
valier having assured us that he possessed suffi-
cient interest with the General commanding at
Semlin, to secure to us the permission to visit
Belgrade ; which, being a Turkish fort, was un-
approachable to the Quarantaine-cleansed, with-
out 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 mina-
reted town in Europe, and the residence of
Yusuf Pasha; who, in the event of hostilities, will
probably acquit himself at Belgrade as honour-
ably as he did at Varna.
The position of this extensive fortress is most
imposing ; seated as it is upon the banks of two
KKLGRADE. 481
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 crum-
bling 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 occu-
pation of the town was reserved exclusively to
the Servians, whose Prince, Milosch, has a hand-
some 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 con-
versant with the Musselmaun prejudice against
the outcasts of Israel, is altogether inexplicable.
The two people have a population of eight thou-
sand souls ; while the Servians average about
twelve thousand.
Nothing could be more irksome than our pas
sage 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
VOL. II. I I
482 PLAGUE-PREVENTERS.
* -I
sentinel who could have been barely fourteen
years of age. Just within the barrier stood the
guard-house, where an officer sat smoking his
hibouk, 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 pas-
senger 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 precau-
tions as the mere result of a love of excitement
and bustle ; and I confess that to me the ex-
treme watchfulness of our attendants was so
irritating, that, although it amused me fora time,
and that I smiled with the Turks at the pains
taken to prevent our contact with the inhabit-
ants of a town in which no plague-case had
happened during the season, and who had there-
fore 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
CERNY GEORGE. 483
whom our friend the Chevalier was acquainted ;
and who joined our party at a respectful dis-
tance, 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 re-
sident 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 inte-
resting, 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 con-
ducted 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
n2
484 SERVIAN LADIFS.
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 judici-
ously 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
fez, confined by the dark tress of hair, and fas-
tened 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 ar-
rangement, the slight waist, and careful chaus-
sure, were essentially Servian.
Nothing could exceed the courteous attention
of the whole family. Coffee, pipes, and sweet-
meats were served ; and our trusty g-uardians,
satisfied with handing them to us themselves,
and thus heroically incurring the risk of be-
coming 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 Bel-
grade !
The permission of the Pasha to our entrance
into the fortress was not so readily accorded as
AUSTRIAN BUILDINGS. 485
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 re-*
ceived 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 Semi in, 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 theConsul 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 out-work, 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 consider-
able 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
486 THE FORTRESS.
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 appear-
ance 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 Con-
stantinople, instead of from it, my pre-conceived
and highly-wrought ideas of Oriental splendour
would have inevitably suffered utter prostra-
tion at the sight of this " princely" establish-
ment.
The Fortress of Belgrade, which is the most
extensive, as well as the strongest military posi-
tion 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 blood-
less one ; as the garrison must inevitably be
starved out by drought.
OSMAN BEY. 487
I must not, however, omit to mention that the
gentlemen of our party were much struck by
the very soldier-like and efficient manner i
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 ap-
pearance 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 Ismael 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 exer-
cise-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 em-
blems, 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 per-
tinacity 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
r '
488 A GARDEN IN SCLAVONIA.
citadel, are the only Turkish erections per-
ceptible. Ruin is rapidly progressing on all
sides ; the walls are giving way ; the ditches are
in many places cumbered with the fallen rub-
bish ; 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 oppo-
site bank of the Save, whence we were to return
to Semlin in the carriage of a friend of the Che-
valier'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 d6tour 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
THE VINTAGF. 489
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 Sclavo-
nians 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 im-
mediately 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 gar-
ments, 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
490 PROCESSION OF VINTAGERS.
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 pro-
cession 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 jour-
neyed 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 !
SCLAVONJAN VINTAGE-SONG. 491
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 !
492 CARLOWITZ.
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 Foldvar 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 hand-
some edifice, with two light and graceful spires;
having from a distance very much the appearance
of minarets. The prevailing religion on the Scla-
vonian 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. Car-
lowitz contains about twelve thousand inhabi-
tants ; and its shore was crowded with passage
and fishing boats while the whole height be-
neath which it is built was covered with vine-
yards and orchards, in the finest state of cul-
tivation ; the latter being principally composed
of trees bearing a small blue plum, used in the
NEUSATZ. 493
distillation of brandy ; which, we were told,
was of a very fine quality. A short distance
beyond the city, the tributary river Thuss emp-
ties itself into the Danube ; offering extraor-
dinary 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 situ-
ated within three leagues of the river.
494 THE CHEVALIER PEITRICH.
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 occa-
sioned by the loss of the earlier and better
known. Both in the one and the other, you set
forward with high hopes and unexhausted ener-
gies ; and you lend yourself readily to the com-
panionship 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 joyous-
ness 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 com-
panion, that the greatest deprivation which we
had been called upon to suffer since our depar-
ture from Constantinople, was that of his
society.
Our influx of passengers from Neusatz was
PEEL-TOWERS. 495
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 gen-
tlemen'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 Hun-
garian, who spent the whole of his time in read-
ing 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 II 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 moon-
light 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 seven-
teen hours under steam.
The following morning we passed three more
feudal and picturesque remains ; and about noon
496 FOLDVAR.
arrived off the mouth of the Drave, a consider-
able 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 circum-
stance which we regretted the less, however, as
both the banks of the river bad become flat,
swampy, and uninteresting the beautiful moun-
tains of the Banut having given place in Hun-
gary to the far-stretching and monotonous plain
to which I have already alluded ; and the Scla-
vonian shore being a mere line of sand and
marsh-willows ; with here and there a village
scattered along its edge. In the evening at sun-
set 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 re-
quisition until sunset ; when we anchored a little
below Foldvar on the Hungarian side of the
river, and remained there quietly until the
morrow.
BUDA. 497
The evening of that morrow was to see us at
Pesth ; and the transition was so great from the
overpowering 1 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 con-
tinued 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 beau-
tiful ; 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
VOL. n. K K
498 PESTH.
opposite shore, and now called Offen. The hill
of Blocksburg on this bank of the Danube is
crowned by an observatory ; and the gently un-
dulating heights which hem in the town, on the
south and east sides, are c >vered with vine-
yards, 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 diffi-
culties started with regard to our luggage, but
these were ultimately overcome by the potent
argument with which English travellers gene-
rally contrive to carry a point. When we
issued from the gate of the Jdgerhorn 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 vine-
yards spreading away into the distance, we con-
gratulated 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
A FEW LAST WORDS. 499
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 re-
mained 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 con-
jured 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 land-
scape 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
500 CONCLUSION.
guard-fire ; a stern voice challenges the stran-
gers 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.
THE END.
LONDON :
F. SHOHERL, JON., LEICESTER STREET, LEICESTER SQUARE.
University of California
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