409 
gardens, hills, and woods, must facilitate intrigues to 
a great degree, which by the by are common enough 
in this metropolis. The faces of this class are almost 
entirely exposed, notwithstanding the thick veil which 
they wear, because they enlarge the holes destined to 
the sight to such a degree, that almost their whole 
countenance may be seen through these apertures. 
The climate of Constantinople is very mild notwith- 
standing its distance from the equator, because the 
city is upon a level with the sea, defended from the 
north winds by the mountains of Belgrade, and en* 
tirely open to the south towards the Sea of Marmara; 
so that though the difference of the seasons is very 
perceptible, the inhabitants do not experience those 
extremes of heat and cold so inconvenient in other 
countries under the same latitude. 
I made preparations for observing an eclipse of the 
sun on the 29th of November, and ascended a minaret 
with that intention, but the clouds prevented my ob- 
servation entirely. 
CHAPTER XXV. 
Present state of Turkey. — Barbarism of the Turks. — Janissaries. — Oddities of 
this Corps. — Bostandjies. — Gunners or Bombardiers.— Other Troops.—- The 
Grand Seignior. — Rebel Pachas. — Public Treasure. — Venality of Public 
Offices, — Despair of the People. 
The Ottoman empire is a colossus, composed of a 
strange mixture of heterogeneous and irreconcileable 
parts; Turks or Tartars, Arabs, Greeks, Catholics, 
Vol. II. 3 F 
