RIDE TO THE SEVEN TOWERS. 255 



Up the Bosphorus ; but ships might get through 

 entirely uninjured, by keeping close along the 

 Asiatic shore. 



The view from the top of the highest of these 

 seven towers is remarkably fine ; in fact, I can- 

 not too often repeat, that the great beauty of 

 Constantinople consists in its being seen from the 

 tops of the highest edifices. The walls of Stam- 

 boul are in a very decayed state, and almost 

 overgrown with ivy. It would, I imagine, require 

 a considerable degree of labour to put them in a 

 good state of defence, although, even now, they 

 would offer considerable obstacles to an attacking 

 enemy. Several breaches are still visible, which were 

 made at the last siege it underwent, when taken by 

 the Turks, under Mahomet II., in the year 1453. 



The face of the country towards Adrianople ap- 

 pears to consist of long, wave-like hills, partially 

 cultivated, but with, apparently, very few trees 

 upon them, and, in short, as I have always heard 

 it described, " a most uninteresting country." 



Just outside of the gate is the tomb of Ali 

 Pasha's head, and likewise of his son, Veli Pasha. 

 They are both plain, unassuming sort of common 

 headstones, with Turkish inscriptions on them. 



