CONSTANTINOPLE. 33 
We now quitted the Lower Garden of the chap. 
^ I. 
Seraglio, and ascended, by a paved way, to- « — /— — ' 
wards the Chamber of the Garden of Hyacinths. fJardcn of 
This promised to be curious, as we were told 
the Sultan passed almost all his private hours in 
that apartment; and the view of it might make 
us acquainted with occupations and amuse- 
ments, which characterize the man, divested of 
the outward parade of the Sultan. We pre- 
sently turned from the paved ascent, towards 
the right ; and entered a small garden, laid out 
into very neat oblong borders, edged with 
porcelain or Dutch tiles. Here no plant is 
suffered to grow, excepting the Hyacinth; 
whence the name of this garden, and the cham- 
ber it contains. We examined the Sultans 
apartment, by looking through a window. No- 
thing can be more magnificent. Three sides 
of it were surrounded by a divan, the cushions 
and pillows of which were of black embroidered 
satin. Opposite to the windows of the cham- 
ber was a fire-place, constructed after the 
European fashion ; and on each side of this, a 
door covered with hangings of crimson cloth. 
Between each of these doors and the fire-place 
appeared a glass-case, containing the Sultans 
private library: every volume was in manu- 
script; they were placed upon shelves, one 
book lying upon another, and the title of each 
