his situation, and partly in the hope of grati- 
fying his particular friends) to note down 
whatever appeared worthy of remark. On 
Pommiutnicating these notes to those for 
whom they were originally intended, it was 
eir wish to see them in print, as contain- 
ee g matter which, according to their partial 
opinion, was calculated to interest a still 
Pade eirele. “Such a task, when he com- 
meneed his journal, he did not expect he 
should have to encounter; and this state- 
ent, in every respect consonant to trath, 
he trusts will shield him from the severity 
criticism, which is most properly directed 
: pat huch publications as are, from the 
, intended to challenge the approbation 
7 ta? 
3 F the public. : ; 
Dr. Wittman’s situation was. indeéd, 
_ as he boasts, peculiarly advantageous ; 
and if it shall appear, that in his new 
_ matter there is little information, and in 
his old matter no. improvement, the 
_ fault is hisown; and a fault it is desery- 
ing the utmost severity of criticism, 
which, begging leave to correct the 
author, we must aflirm, is most properly 
directed against such publications as are, from 
the first, intended to pick the pockets of the 
public. : ; 
That such was the intention with 
which this quarto volume was publish- 
_ ed, we suspected, upon seeing that many 
_ of the prints are copied, from what ori- 
peels it would be difficult to say, as 
_ they have been copied so often, but pro- 
y from Sir Paul Rycaut. The 
and of a modern artist is easily disco- 
erable in the few figures which are ac- 
tually from._modern drawings, such as 
the two Arnaut soldiers, and the Arab 
proom. There is internal evidence of 
this fraud, sufficient to satisfy those who 
_ may not have the means of comparison 
to detect it. The figure of the Capitan 
Re: a be familiar to many of 
those officers who would probably be 
the first perusers of Dr. Wittman’s tra- 
_ Wels: a‘portrait of one of his predecessors 
_ therefore is given. “ ‘The costume 
worn by the Dervises is of a light quaker 
\ , ¢¢lour, says the author, and a competent 
_ ad a of it will be formed from plate IV, 
_- 4a which one of their spperiors is faith- 
- fully represented.”’ In the print this 
_ «uzker-coloured dress is green. 
» Nor isit merely in publishing old 
rints as originals, that Dr. Wittman 
d his bookseller have displayed their 
_vamping abilities: matter a century old 
__ ds to be palmed upon the public in the 
_ same manner, and honest old half-a- 
"> erown octavos pilfered to eke out the 
WITTMAN’S TRAVELS IN TURKEY, &c. 
G7 
pages of a modern two guinea and a 
half quarto. We shall proceed regu, 
larly through the travels of this gentle- 
man ; we shall expose his ignorance, his 
want of observation and of informa- 
tions we shall detect his plagiarisms, 
and endeavour to glean some informa- 
tion from his five hundred pages. 
Dr. Wittman went by sea to Constan+ 
tinople : never did man display more po- 
verty of imagination, more beggarliness 
of language, more meagreness ef mind, 
than this writer has manifested in his 
descriptions of, the finest scenery in the 
world. “ We had a distant view | 
Mount Etna and Strombolo, than which 
nothing could be more awful and grand. 
The Lipari islands added to the effect 
of ‘this.tinescene,”? p. 3.—*« The city; 
harbour, andenvironsof Constantinople, 
presented a magnificent spectacle, new 
invevery respect to our eyes, both as’ to 
the architecture ofthe principal edifices; 
and the construction of the civy itself; 
but which was on the whole extremely 
fine and picturesque,” p. 5..—“ I walked 
to the vicinity of ithe mosque of Santa 
Sophia, which iis certainly a very mas- 
sive building, but» which,‘ consider- 
ed in an-architectural point of . view, 
is, Im’ my opinion, very inferior to 
our St Paul's. With the exception of 
the dome, and of the four minarets 
which are detached, there is nothing 
very singular or striking im) the pile,” 
p- 34... So much for Dr. Wittman’s des 
scriptive powers, and his feeling of what 
is aweful in nature, or majestic im’ arte 
The only visual object whichthe has had 
fancy enouvh to represent is, that, “the 
minarets bear a strong resemblance in 
their form to a tall candle, having an 
extinguisher atits'top.” 
The barracks of the English detach- 
ment were at Levant Chifflick, about 
seven miles from Buyukdere, where the 
officers resided ; “a very agreeable dish 
called yourt, of which the natives are 
very fond, ismade here and brought in 
with the dessert... It is prepared by al- 
lowing a certain portion of milk .to be- 
come sour, and throwing into new milk 
as much of this acidulated fluid as will 
curdle it in a slight degree. It is then 
eaten with sugar ; is very palatable, and 
mixed with strawberries, becomes a good 
substitute for cream.” Dr. Wittman 
has noticed another dainty of the Turk. 
ish dairy, which we hope will find its 
way into many a family cookery book, 
tee shallow vessels having been filled 
: 2" 
