Athens, Greece,Nov. 28, 1841.
When I wrote you last, from Trieste, I was on the point of embarking by one of the Austrian steamers for this city, with the additional advantage of stopping at three ports on the route, which gives the passenger an opportunity of seeing some interesting sights. Soon after leaving Trieste we were visited with one of those violent gales of wind which so frequently occur on the Adriatic, against which the steamer struggled with difficulty, and all the passengers, except one, experiencing the horrors of sea-sickness, were snugly stowed away in their berths. This man solitary and alone, I noticed in his enviable position, seated at the supper table, whilst the sea was making a complete breach over the deck of the steamer, and the chairs and plates were secured by straps and braces. Within twenty-four hours we made the harbor of Ancona, the principal commercial port of the Pope of Rome, whose dominions extend from the Mediterranean on the west to the Adriatic on the east, and where we remained nearly a day, giving us an opportunity of seeing all that was most remarkable in the town. We next departed for Corfu, one of the most important of the Ionian islands, and the seat of government, and where we arrived after two days. The approach to the island is beautiful, with a fine harbor or bay for vessels. The opposite coast of Albania, the fortifications of the island of Vido, and the citadel of Corfu, built on two precipitous rocks running out into the sea, with the town and the mountains in the distance, form a splendid panoramic view.
The island is in the possession of the British, who have many troops stationed here. Its circumference is said to be one hundred and twelve miles, and the population sixty thousand, that of the city being twenty thousand. We have found the weather delightfully warm and pleasant, and observed many plants and fruits peculiar to the West India climate. On landing I was struck with the gay and picturesque costume of the male population, who mostly wear the Albanian dress, which is thegayest, and in some cases the most fantastic, of any I have seen in Europe. It consists of a red cap of beautiful material, of the form of a hat without the rim, with a large tassel of blue silk suspended from the top; a round jacket and vest, of cloth of various colors, beautifully embroidered with cord, and sometimes with gold and silver lace, which fits to the figure; from the waist is suspended a white frock with heavy folds which hang gracefully, barely covering the knees, with leggings of the same colored cloth as the jacket, embroidered in the same manner, and covering the shoes. The waist is encircled with a sash of red or blue silk, the ends hanging negligently by the side. We remained at Corfu only one day, but long enough to give us time to visit the villa of the governor, beautifully situated on a cliff overhanging the sea; also to visit the esplanade or parade ground, and some of the Greek churches, in one of which rest the remains of Capo d’Istria, the late governor of Greece, who was assassinated in Nauplia.
After leaving Corfu we proceeded to Patras, in Greece, passing the island of Santa Maura, where Sappho made her famous leap, and next the island of Ithaca, the birthplace of Ulysses, which is only eighteen miles long, and presents an air of ruggedness and barrenness, but is said to produce fruit, wine, and honey, of good quality. On arriving at Patras, where we remained part of a day, we found it had the appearance of a new town, and to my surprise I learned that during the last revolution every house was demolished by the Turks, as well as the orange groves, the woods of olives and vineyards; in fact everything was laid waste by fire and sword. There are not many remains of antiquity here. The new streets are well laid out, but the houses are mostly one story high, the country being subject to earthquakes.
On the opposite side of the gulf lies Missolonghi, celebrated for its battles with the Turks, as also for being the spot where Marco Bozzaris fell during an engagement in 1823. It was also the place where Lord Byron ended his career.
On leaving Patras we coasted along with the islands of Cephalonia and Zante in view, afterwards passing Navarino, so memorable for the battle of the allied forces against the Turks in 1827, which in its effects ended the war in Greece. After passing Cape Matapan, the most southern point of Greece,nothing occurred of interest until we arrived at the Piræus the morning of the eighth day from Trieste.
In order to convey an idea of the variety of character one meets on a voyage in this part of the world, I will mention that we had in the main saloon of the steamer sixteen persons, and that the ordinary conversation at table was in six different languages. Among the number a Turk from Smyrna, who had been interpreter to the English embassy in the East, conversed in eight languages. He was dressed in full costume, and wore his turban at meals and on all occasions. His long rich robes of satin, and yellow morocco slippers, presented a novel appearance, his favorite position being a seated one with his legs crossed. On entering the harbor of the Piræus the remains of the tomb of Themistocles were pointed out, looking down on the Gulf of Salamis, the scene of his glory. The modern town has been entirely built up since 1834. The distance to Athens is five or six miles. We took a carriage, and in approaching that celebrated city the ruins of the Parthenon struck our view, rising in all its majesty, one of the finest edifices formerly, and on one of the finest sites in the world.
During the last revolution Athens was entirely destroyed by the Turks, but it has again risen, and now has the appearance of a new city, with a population of twenty thousand. Since it became the seat of government, and king Otho made his public entry in 1834, it is said to have advanced rapidly. Although many houses are of very rude construction, and in some sections of one story high, with tile roofs, still in general the style of building is very good and substantial, and I am only surprised that in such a short space of time they could have advanced so far. Many of the public buildings are well constructed. The palace of the king, now in progress of erection, is of white Pentelic marble, three hundred feet long and two hundred and eighty feet in depth. It will cost an immense sum of money, which might have been better employed in other improvements than in building a palace, while the new government is in its infancy.
As soon as I had located myself at a hotel, I procured a guide to obtain a permission to mount the Acropolis and visit all the antiquities of the city. It is necessary to apply to one of the officers of the city for this, and to pay a small sum, to ascendthis celebrated Cecropian Rock, which has been a fortress from the earliest ages down to the last day of the war. The walls form a circuit of two thousand five hundred and thirty yards, and are built on the edge of the perpendicular rock, which rises one hundred and fifty feet above the plain in which stands the city. The area inclosed is about fifteen hundred feet long, and the greatest breadth five hundred feet. On entering the only gate, after winding round the hill, the first subject is the ruins of the Propylæa, which was built during the most brilliant days of Athens. There is little remaining except six fluted marble columns in front, and six in the rear, of the Doric order, with frieze, entablature, &c.; to the right is a high tower, rudely constructed. The Temple of Victory is the next ruin presented to view, with some fine Ionic fluted columns still standing, and quite perfect. Next comes the Parthenon, which stands in the centre of the Acropolis. When perfect the length was two hundred and twenty feet, the breadth one hundred. The front and rear are still standing, and many of the columns on the sides (in all thirty-two) still remain. The columns are sixty-four feet in diameter at the base, and thirty-four feet high, standing on a pavement to which there was an ascent of three steps. The height of the temple was sixty-five feet; parts of the frieze on the exterior still remain; they represent the procession to the Parthenon at one of the grand festivals. The Parthenon was constructed of white Pentelic marble. Within the Acropolis is an immense collection of ruins and antiquities too numerous to detail. The Temple of Theseus, not far distant from the Acropolis, is quite perfect, and the interior is occupied as a museum—all the fragments of marble which have been discovered by the government being placed there. It was built four hundred and sixty-five years before Christ. Thirty-four Doric columns, with the walls, remain entire, all of Pentelic marble.
On ascending the Areopagus, or Hill of Mars, where the council of the Areopagus sat, one finds sixteen steps cut in the rock; above the steps, on the level of the hill, is a bench of stone excavated in the rock. It was here that the judges sat, in the open air and in the dark, that they might not be influenced by seeing and knowing the accuser or the accused. It was here that St. Paul preached, that Orestes was tried for matricide, and Socrates for theism. The prisons of Socrates are four dungeons,cut in the rock at the base of a hill, and there he drank the poisoned cup. The temple of Jupiter Olympus was the largest in Athens. It was begun five hundred and thirty years before Christ, and completed by the emperor Hadrian,A.D.one hundred and forty-five. The only remains of that immense edifice are sixteen Corinthian columns, six and a half feet diameter and sixty feet high. It is supposed the entire circuit was two thousand three hundred feet; the length being three hundred and fifty-four feet, and breadth one hundred and seventy-one; the whole number of columns was one hundred and twenty.
Since I have been in Athens I have made acquaintance with Mr. Perdicaris, the American consul, Mr. King and Mr. Benjamin, the American missionaries stationed here, as also Mrs. Hill, whose husband is now absent in America. The judgment, talent, and perseverance of this lady and her husband have contributed much to the advancement of the children of Athens. The gentlemen named have been very polite and communicative, and from them I have derived much valuable information in reference to Greece. I had an opportunity of seeing the young king Otho and his queen at a concert soon after my arrival. He was clad in rich Albanian costume, such as I have described as being worn at Corfu, and which is in general use here also. I judge he is about twenty-five years of age. The queen is young and beautiful; she was handsomely clad in Frank costume.
After having finished the sights at Athens I shall make a tour in the interior, in company with one of the American missionaries from the southern parts of Greece, who desires to visit Nauplia, Argos, ancient Tergus, Mycenæ, &c.; but in addition I desire to see Corinth, where St. Paul lived one year and a half, and wrote his Epistle to the Corinthians. The weather being delightfully warm, and my companion speaking modern Greek perfectly, I anticipate great pleasure in making an excursion of six or eight days.
Athens,December 7, 1841.
I have just returned from my tour, after an absence of seven days, during which time we were favored with delightful weather, but our journey was attended with all the fatigue and want of comfort appertaining to travelling on horseback in the interior of Greece. But we were more than fully compensated with the incidents of travel and the remarkable objects of antiquity and curiosity presented to our view. I must first inform you that there are only six or eight carriage roads in Greece, and those only for a short distance. All travel is performed on mules or horses, and all manner of burdens carried in the same manner. In the interior hotels are almost unknown, there being but few guests to encourage them, as during the desolating wars with the Turks almost all the towns and cities were laid waste, and the Greeks sought refuge in the mountains.
The first object of my missionary companion and myself was to procure a Greek servant, a supply of provisions, with bed and bedding, when we started for the Piræus, a distance of five miles, in search of a boat to carry us to Epidaurus, upon the Gulf of Salamis, where our land travel commenced. On arriving, at five o’clock in the afternoon, we were fortunate in finding a caique ready for departure. There is an immense number of these vessels employed along the coast; they are from twenty to thirty feet in length, the only shelter being in the hold, the flooring of which is pebble-stones. The passengers numbered about twenty, who were stretched upon the deck, or on the gravelly floor, with nothing but a Greek coat, or a blanket under them, my companion among the group. By special favor I had the cabin to myself, for the reason that there was only room for one person. It was a small partition astern, with a board floor, say three feet broad, and scarcely long enough to lie at full length. Here I spread my bed and passed a tolerable night. The next morning we passed the island of Egina, and at noon arrived at Epidaurus, a place which formerly sent eight hundred fighting men to battle, now a miserable village of eighty inhabitants. But the town has recently acquired a celebrity from having given its name to the Greek constitution,adopted by the Greek Congress of Deputies from all parts of the nation, on the 15th of January, 1832.
We procured horses and a guide for Nauplia, making adetourof two hours to visit the ruins of the ancient city of Yero. Part of the road was through a fertile plain, producing tobacco and corn; then passing through a romantic defile by the side of a rocky hill, with a mountain torrent tumbling beneath. The path in some places is a mere shelf, only broad enough for one to pass, with a steep precipice above and below; while in others it winds through beautiful shrubbery where the myrtle and arbutus joined over our heads in festoons, and scarcely permitted the horse and rider to pass. The most remarkable remains of antiquity in this sequestered region are the ruins of a theatre. It was of white marble, and thirty-two rows of seats still appear above ground. The orchestra was ninety feet long, and the theatre, when entire, three hundred and seventy feet in diameter, and capable of containing twelve thousand spectators. There are also remains of several temples.
Night overtook us at Lygouno, where we found a Khan to spread our beds, and fire to cook our provisions. The next morning we made Nauplia, a distance of five hours (which is the only mode of reckoning in Greece, not being able to calculate by miles, as the roads are mostly paths winding in different directions). The city, with a population of nine thousand, was once the seat of government, and is a commercial place, with a magnificent harbor. It is strongly fortified. The fortress of the Palamedi, on the summit of a lofty and precipitous rock, seven hundred and twenty feet above the sea, is almost inaccessible, and has been called the Gibraltar of Greece. The view of the country and the Gulf of Nauplia from the summit is beautiful. I noticed many brass cannons of 1650, 1662, with the Venetian stamp, the lion of St. Mark. There are cisterns hewn in the top of the rock, large enough to hold rain water to supply the garrison three years. In visiting one of the Greek churches here, we were shown the spot where Capo d’Istria, the governor of Greece, was assassinated when leaving the church. We remained here one day, and proceeded for Argos, seven miles from Nauplia, an ancient city, which contains some antiquities—a ruined Acropolis upon the summit of a rocky hill. In 1825 the modern town was entirely destroyed by the Turks, but is partly rebuilt. Theplains are productive with good cultivation, but the manner of cultivation in this country is quite primitive.
On our way to Argos we turned aside to visit the ancient city of Tiryns, built thirteen hundred and seventy-nine years before Christ. The Cyclopean walls of the fortress, which was one-third of a mile in circumference, are immense, and in remarkable preservation; some are twenty-five feet thick. The city was destroyed four hundred and sixty-six years before Christ, and it is most remarkable that some of the galleries, in the form of a Gothic arch, still exist, almost perfect. It was the birthplace and frequently the residence of Hercules. The Lernean lake, not far distant, is the spot celebrated for being the place where Hercules destroyed the Lernean hydra.
At Argos, there were no accommodations to be had, and we were thrown upon the hospitality of an English gentleman, a friend of my compagnon de voyage. We were informed here that it would not be safe to travel without a guard across the country, as two travellers had recently been robbed. We accordingly applied to the authorities, and procured a mounted horseman, armed to the teeth with musket, sword, and pistols. Altogether, our party presented a novel appearance. Our guard in full regimentals, our guide in Greek costume, running or walking beside the horses, making a distance of thirty or forty miles a day without fatigue, but singing gaily even till night approached; our servant, with the Hydriote costume, which differs from the Albanian—the pantaloons being not unlike a great sack secured to the waist, and below the knees of a blue color—with his red sash and cap, mounted on a pack-horse carrying supplies and bedding, with our horses in advance; altogether we formed a novel and formidable appearance. There is a law in Greece prohibiting the carrying of fire-arms without license. We met several suspicious characters with pistols and muskets, in the mountain passes, who were interrogated by our guide, and compelled to produce their permits; but it is not difficult to obtain a permit, under pretence of protecting the flocks of sheep and goats. On the route to Corinth, we passed through a wild and mountainous country, sometimes winding along a narrow path on the brink of a precipice, and then again following the course of a ravine. We visited the ancient city of Mycenæ, built by Perseus one thousand three hundred yearsbefore Christ. It was built on a rugged height, situated in a recess between two commanding mountains, of the range which bounds the Argolic plain. The entire circuit of the citadel still exists, and is very large. The gate of the lions is quite perfect; upon it are represented two lions, standing upon their hind legs, on either side of a pillar, or altar, on which they rest their fore paws. The tomb of Agamemnon is still perfect, as it was, perhaps, when the city was destroyed, four hundred and sixty-six years before Christ. The entrance is twenty feet broad; the diameter of the dome is forty-seven feet, and the height fifty feet. In the middle of the great doorway the holes for the bolts and hinges of the door are observed. We visited, also, the ancient city of Nemæa, which has only three columns standing of the temple of Jupiter, some remains of the Nemæan theatre, and in the vicinity, several caves, supposed to be those of the Nemæan lion. It was situated on a beautiful plain; and where once existed a large population, now nothing is heard but the cry of the shepherd, or the barking of his dog.
In some sections of the country, we would travel many miles without discovering a habitation of any kind, occasionally meeting a solitary Greek, with his heavily laden mule or donkey, going to market; or, perhaps, upon the mountain’s ridge, would find a regular encampment of itinerant shepherds, with their flocks of goats and sheep. It was an amusing and novel sight, to see these people emigrating to another section of the country, or taking up their winter quarters in the valleys. I observed several of these parties, composed of three or four families together. They not only have considerable flocks, but raise horses for sale. On making a move, their tents are lashed on pack-saddles, with all their supplies of clothing, cooking utensils, &c. The small children are lashed upon the backs of the horses in the same manner, while the girls and boys, in their picturesque costumes, are leading and driving the horses and colts, sometimes to the number of seventy or eighty. The men are employed in driving the flocks of sheep and goats, while the women are driving the horses which carry different kinds of poultry on their backs, and, at the same time, are engaged in spinning cotton with a portable distaff, which they carry in one hand, and twist the thread upon a spool with the other, with great dexterity.
On arriving at Corinth, situated on the gulf of Lepanto, we visited the remaining antiquities of that city, which once ranked first among the states of Greece. During the last revolution it was reduced to ashes. It is now being rebuilt, but in a very different manner. Seven Doric columns of a temple still exist, amidst modern desolation. There are also the remains of an amphitheatre, and excavated in the rock, at one end, is seen a subterranean entrance for the wild beasts and gladiators. In this city St. Paul resided and wrote his Epistles to the Corinthians. Back of the city rises a mountain, upon the summit of which, one thousand eight hundred feet high, stands an immense fortress, considered the strongest in Greece, next to Nauplia. A steep ascent, winding through rocks, leads up to the gate, which requires an hour’s walk, and where one of the most magnificent views imaginable is to be seen, comprising six of the most celebrated states of ancient Greece.
On leaving Corinth, we crossed the Isthmus and struck Cenchrea, mentioned in the Acts of the Apostles as the spot whence St. Paul departed for Syria. We arrived at Megara the same night, and our guide conducted us to the only house of entertainment in the town, which contains a population of one thousand persons. But this modern village is in a ruinous state. We found the landlord had only one room, and that was occupied. Accordingly, our gend’arme conducted us to the house of the Demarch, or mayor of the town, where we had an opportunity of partaking of Greek hospitalities, which is not unusual for strangers to accept in the interior. Suffice it to say, we were made very comfortable, and felt ourselves under many obligations for comforts that money could not procure.
Soon after leaving Megara we dispensed with the services of our gend’arme, as we struck upon the road to Eleusis, which is considerably frequented. In passing along the coast of the Saronic Gulf we had the island of Salamis in full view, half a mile distant, where three hundred and eighty Greek ships defeated two thousand ships of Xerxes. At Eleusis are many antiquities about the modern town, and the piece of ground is here pointed out where, according to tradition, the first corn was sown.
On the way to Athens may be seen the old causeway, called Via Sacra, along which the ancient processions moved to thatcity. During our last day’s march we found the sun’s rays rather oppressive, and I was rejoiced when we entered the olive groves of the academy, which afforded a fine shade in our approach to Athens.
Constantinople,Dec. 22, 1841.
I took the steamer for this city, stopping at the island of Syra, which is the concentrating point for passengers changing steamers for Egypt, Constantinople, Malta, &c. The town is built upon the summit of a lofty hill, so remarkable for its conical form that it may be compared to a vast sugar-loaf covered with houses. In the distance it looks well enough, but in the interior everything is dirty and filthy.
From Syra we came to Smyrna, which is prettily situated upon the Asiatic shore, and on entering the city were struck with the Oriental costume of Turks, Armenians, Jews, and Greeks; the women, with their faces covered with a sort of white veil, disclosing only their sparkling black eyes, appeared singular enough. The streets are ranges of houses constructed of wood, mostly one story high, and without chimneys. The population is about one hundred and fifty thousand. The bazaars are crowded with buyers and sellers, while trains of camels with loads upon their backs are passing through the narrow streets, scarcely admitting the foot passenger to pass.
On the 14th I left Smyrna for this city, making the passage in less than two days, passing the ruins of ancient Troy by daylight, the island of Tenedos, stopping at Chesme, where the Turkish fleet was burned in the harbor. On entering the Dardanelles we had a magnificent view of the old forts and villages scattered along the coast. I should think the width of the Hellespont about equal to the Hudson river at Poughkeepsie. Our steamer received and discharged some Turkish passengers at Gallipoli, a city of considerable importance, just before we left the Sea of Marmora, which was the last point touched until our arrival at Constantinople. We arrived about mid-day, having an opportunity of seeing, under favorable circumstances, the most beautiful port in the world. Nothing can exceed the magnificentview that is before you on entering the Golden Horn, the eye resting upon scenery one half in Europe and the other half in Asia, the painted and gilded minarets of the mosques, the swelling cupolas, and immense cypress trees towering above the houses—the forest of masts, the thousands of caiques which cover the waters, all combined, render it perhaps the most remarkable sight of the kind in the world.
On entering the city one finds the scene much changed, although there is a vast deal of magnificence still; the streets are narrow and dirty, thronged by immense crowds of people, and it is impossible to form an idea of the extremes of grandeur and wretchedness that are exhibited. Nothing can be more striking than the contrast in the character and customs of the Turks and the other nations of Europe, and I hardly know where to commence a description.
We procured a dragoman to accompany us, and speak the language, and started to see the sights of the city. After visiting some of the mosques and viewing the exterior—no one except “the faithful” being permitted to enter until a firman is obtained from the Sultan—we strolled along, and I was struck with the sight of an immense cemetery, almost in the middle of the city, the tombstones being in the shape of a turban on the top, with gilded letters, and tastefully decorated; the grounds were filled with stately cypresses, as it is the custom to plant one of these trees at the birth and burial of each person. Singular as it may appear, the cemetery is the grand promenade, and here the Turk sips his coffee and smokes his pipe under the shade of trees when the weather is warm. On passing you observe the coffee-houses, occupied also with groups squatted round the room on a counter, which is raised from the floor and carpeted, and it is amusing to see the attendants glide about through the long pipes and the winding smokes of nargilhès supplying their customers with coffee, without deranging the peculiar apparatuses for smoking.
The next day after our arrival was Friday, the Turkish Sabbath, and it was announced that the Sultan would visit the mosque near the arsenal. We were there in good time, and at mid-day precisely we heard the thundering of cannon from the vessels of the port. Soon after we discovered approaching four gorgeous state barges about fifty feet in length, propelled by twenty-fouroarsmen, the canopies glittering with gold. An immense array of officers and military to escort him were in attendance from the barges to the mosque. He walked on a carpet which was laid for the occasion. I observed many prisoners carrying baskets of gravel, and on inquiry learned that it was scattered for the Sultan to walk on after he came from the mosque.
We next went to the place of worship of the Whirling Dervishes. We entered with slippers, according to their custom, and found many Turks squatted on the floor, in their usual position. In the centre was a ring about thirty feet in diameter, where were thirteen priests, dressed in cloth frocks, with a white cloth cap, almost of a conical form, without rim, passing round the circle, and going through many strange evolutions. At length, to the music of the fife and drum, they commenced whirling slowly, and then more rapidly, until the motion was like a top; continuing this and other strange exercises for about an hour, finishing by a tremendous howl, which is intended to make the Christians, or the infidels, as they call them, tremble. The Turks consider all Christians as dogs, of which animals they have thousands upon thousands in Constantinople. They subsist in the streets, without masters, and seem to despise Christians and Turks alike. The people, however, are very kind to animals, that being a part of their religion. Their litters are never destroyed, and they are the only scavengers of the city. They feed upon the offal of the butchers’ shops and private houses, and carcasses of animals. They are never domesticated within private dwellings. The mosques are guarded to prevent their polluting them, as they are very susceptible of the plague. One not unfrequently hears the cry of “Giaour” from the lips of the Turks, in passing, and the growling and barking of hundreds of dogs testify their hatred.
It is unsafe for a stranger to appear in the streets after dark, and never practicable to do so without a lantern. It is a strange sight, on a clear, starlight night, to see perhaps one hundred lanterns at once, flitting about the streets, which are so narrow and dark that all who move about in them are compelled to carry lights. No strangers are permitted to reside in Constantinople; the gates are closed at an early hour, and all foreigners live at Pera, on the opposite side of the harbor.
On visiting the slave-market, we found perhaps one hundredand fifty slaves, all females, the largest proportion black. The blacks are sold for servants, the whites for wives. The latter are mostly Circassians or Georgians, belonging to good families in those provinces, who entrust their daughters to the commissioner, who is responsible for any insult or affront, while the female has the right of refusal to be sold to any whom she may dislike. The female blacks are bought to be the slaves of the mistress, not of the master. He is bound to support them through life. The male slaves rise with the condition of the master.
The population of Constantinople is variously estimated from five hundred thousand to seven hundred thousand, with the environs of Scutari on the Asiatic shore, and Pera and Galata on the opposite side of the Golden Horn, which is an arm of the Bosphorus running up and forming the harbor. The city is well supplied with baths and fountains, and nothing can exceed the luxury of the Turkish bath. It is amusing for a stranger merely to enter one of these establishments. The rooms, of which there are a number, of a circular form and lighted from the top, have different gradations of heat, the last or warmest of which is excessive. The first room entered, which is about sixty feet in diameter, with a dome, is supplied with galleries, upon which are seen, lying on different couches, the bathers reposing after their ablutions, each with a pipe from four to six feet in length in his hand, the servants supplying coffee and other refreshments.
Beautiful fountains are found near the mosques, as well as in other parts of the city. You may see the Turks at all hours of the day, bathing their faces, hands, and feet at the fountains attached to the mosques, ablution being compulsory, under the Mahometan religion, before entering the mosques. We enter a place of worship with our heads uncovered; they shave their heads, upon which they wear a turban, at all times, and enter their mosques with their feet uncovered. Some of their fountains are of a quadrangular form, the roofs of which bend out like a pagoda whose corners are cut off. On all sides are gold inscriptions and Arabic characters.
The covered bazaars have more the appearance of a row of booths, than a street of shops. Here may be found the jewelers, occupying one quarter, the silk merchants another; onealley glitters for hundreds of yards with yellow and red morocco boots and shoes, which are worn by Turkish and Armenian ladies, all classes being distinguished by their costume. The arrangement of the different trades, and the exposure of their gaudy and rich articles, surprise even those who are acquainted with London and Paris.
On Sunday last I found the little Episcopal church which is supported here, and tolerably well attended. The service was all in English, and the scene and associations presented by such a worship, so far from England, were of the most pleasant and interesting character. Generally the Americans attend this church, there being no other Christian church here.
To-morrow we make an excursion upon the Bosphorus as far as the mouth of the Black Sea, and the next day are to visit the seraglio of the Sultan, the mosques, the tombs of the late Sultans, the Mint, and other objects of interest, from which all strangers are excluded, except by the special firman of the Sultan. The Austrian admiral, who is now here, has obtained a firman, and my travelling companion, a young Prussian, and myself, are invited to join the party.
Smyrna,December 30, 1841.
My last was from Constantinople, in which I mentioned my intention of making an excursion along the Bosphorus to the mouth of the Black Sea. Having procured a Kislangist, or swallow boat, with twenty-six oarsmen, we started—our party, with the dragoman, consisting of four in number. These boats are built of light beech wood, neatly finished and elaborately furnished. They go over the water with amazing rapidity. They are so extremely light that great caution is necessary in getting into them, as from their nature they are easily upset; but once in, all seated themselves in the cradle of the caique, upon carpets, like the Turks, there being no seats. It is difficult to convey any idea of the beauties of the scenery along the banks of the Bosphorus. The eye is constantly attracted by new and beautiful objects, both on the European and Asiatic shores; rapidly passing palaces, summer villas, fortifications, villages,&c., as the boat glides along from bay to bay, of which the Bosphorus forms itself into seven. The currents at the narrowest points in some places are extremely rapid. At one point, called the Dents current, which is the narrowest, the boatmen were obliged to give up the oars and seize a rope which was thrown them to draw the boat up stream. It was a beautiful sight to see the fleet of vessels coming from the Black Sea, availing themselves of the north wind and the rapid current, and going with great velocity. After visiting Stenia, Therapia, and other places along the coast, each being celebrated for some particular event, we visited the Giant’s Mountain, the highest point on the Asiatic side, which affords a magnificent view of the windings of the Bosphorus and the coast of the Black Sea. Here in this great height we found two of the Dervish priests, who remain there to guard the grave of the giant. It is called the Mountain and Grave of Joshua by the Turks, who say that Joshua, during the battle of the Israelites, stood upon a mountain to pray that the sun might stand still and victory attend his arms. The grave is about twenty feet long and five feet wide, and is inclosed with a framework of stone, and planted with flowers and bushes. Here are also pieces of cloths and votive offerings hung up on the bushes, against fevers and other diseases, their owners believing that if they hang a remnant there the disease will leave their persons. On descending we visited the valley of the Heavenly Water, one of the most delightful scenes in the East.
But I must try to give an idea of the Seraglio of the Sultan, though I cannot speak of the beauty of his forty or fifty wives, who were screened from the gaze of all our party. This splendid work is inclosed with walls for nearly three miles in circuit, the longest side situated upon the coast and harbor. It is filled up with palaces, houses, and gardens. Some of the rooms are very rich in gilding and ornaments, but I have seen other palaces in Europe far surpassing it in splendor. I must except the magnitude of the inclosure, and the magnificence of the baths and spouting fountains of marble, which, according to oriental custom, are placed over the first floor. Nothing can be more luxurious for the women of the harem than those marble basins and bath rooms, magnificently furnished, and always of the proper temperature. The principal entrance to the Seraglio isan immense guarded gate, which looks more like a guard-house than the entrance to a palace of one of the most remarkable princes in the world. Fifty porters, it is said, keep this gate. After entering the first court may be found the slaves of the Bashas, who await their masters and attend their horses. Passing through another guarded gate you discover many eunuchs, both white and black, performing the different services of the palace. After visiting the interior of the palace, the gardens, the stable of Arabian horses, the exhibition of ancient armory, all of which is so extensive that it is really fatiguing, we proceeded to the mosque of St. Sophia, which has undergone so many changes for the last fifteen hundred years, and now stands in such magnificent grandeur. The interior is extremely rich in marble and mosaics. Three of its sides are surrounded by vaulted colonnades covered with cupolas. The length of the interior is one hundred and forty-three feet, the breadth two hundred and sixty-nine feet. The centre of the great dome is one hundred and eighty feet above ground, and is so flatly vaulted that its height is only a sixth of its diameter, which is one hundred and fifteen feet. Here are eight porphyry columns from the Roman Temple of the Sun, and four of green granite from the temple of Diana at Ephesus. It would occupy too much time and space to describe this magnificent structure. The floors are well paved with large flag-stones, covered with matting, and then carpeted, and here may be seen groups of Turks, both men and women, the latter veiled in long caftans, all squatted on the floor, with feet bare or in slippers, paying their devotions. Overhead are suspended in every direction, immense rows of lamps, with ostrich eggs and artificial flowers, which, when lighted, must produce a magical effect. Among other objects of curiosity here is the sweating column, visited by pilgrims as miraculous. The dampness which it emits is considered a marvellous cure. There are holes worn into the column by the constant touching of fingers. The tops of the minarets of some of the mosques glitter with highly gilded crescents, the ancient arms of Byzantium; the one on the top of St. Sophia is of immense size, the gilding alone costing fifty thousand ducats. It is said to be visible fifty miles at sea, glittering in the sunshine.
Notwithstanding the Turks differ so widely in their manners and religion, still they possess many good traits of character.They are more honest than some other nations, and not so much addicted to lying. The Greeks say sometimes that the Mahometans dare not lie or steal, as their religion forbids it. They are exceedingly devotional, and generally hospitable to the stranger in distress, which is a part of their duty as laid down by the false prophet, but they still hold infidels in detestation. On visiting the house of a Turk the other day we found the proprietor, with his legs crossed, smoking his pipe, seated upon a sofa which extended round three sides of the room; the sofa was about four feet wide, and was raised a foot and a half from the floor, with deep fringe hanging down to the floor. There was not a chair in the room. After being introduced and seated, pipes were ordered, and as many servants as there were visitors appeared, with pipes five or six feet in length, placing the bowl on the floor, and with a great deal of accuracy presenting the mouth-piece of amber to each guest within an inch or two of the mouth. They then knelt down and put a brass plate under the bowl of the pipe; after which coffee was presented in small cups with small silver holders, the servants retiring to the bottom of the room with hands crossed, each watching the cup he has presented and has to carry away.
At Scutari, on the Asiatic side, we visited the largest and most beautiful cemetery in the Ottoman dominions. The extensive groves of dark cypress, through which one may ride for miles, interspersed with white turbaned stones of marble, are remarkable. As no grave is opened a second time, and as it is the custom to plant trees at a birth or funeral, these graveyards have become forests, extending for miles and miles. The aromatic odor of the trees is supposed to destroy all pestilential exhalations. It is said the Turks suppose the soul to be in torment from the time of death until the burial of the body, therefore the funeral succeeds death as soon as possible. The only occasion on which a Turk is seen to walk with a quick step is when conveying a body to the cemetery, as the Koran declares that he who carries a body forty paces procures for himself the expiation of a great sin.