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upper shaft rests. The latter has for its capital an irre- 
gular block, resembling a reversed truncated cone. 
The columns are of coarse marble, the surface of which 
is already corroded. The earth and rubbish which have 
been thrown at a former period down the apertures 
into the cavern, have buried the lower columns to 
within two-thirds of their height. The guide informed 
me, that these columns are more than four hundred 
in number. In the descriptions they are stated to be 
two hundred and twelve; but my guide is in the right, 
because he includes in his account both the upper 
and lower columns. All the workmen in this subter- 
ranean manufactory, have bad complexions, and a for- 
bidding aspect. 
After leaving this cavern, I passed near The Column 
of Constantine. It is composed of several pieces of red 
porphyry, with the exception of the upper part and the 
base, which are formed of small heterogeneous stones, 
an inconsistency that spoils the effect of the whole. The 
column is going to decay. 
I did not forget to visit the market where the white 
women and negresses are sold. It is a large court sur- 
rounded with stages, raised three or four feet high, 
upon which the slaves are exposed, and small rooms 
into which the buyer takes the woman who suits him, 
to examine her more particularly. The day on which I 
went thither was not a market day; it was Easter. The 
market is shut, and well guarded; and the Christians, it 
is said, are not allowed to enter it. 
The great Bazar called El Bezesteinn^ is magnificent. 
It is composed of several streets, entirely covered with 
high ceilings, through which the light enters by means 
of skylights. Some of these streets are occupied solely 
by silk mercers, whose shops are richly stocked; others 
