CONSTANTINOPLE. 1 39 
covered also with loner hairs; and it had a chap. 
IV. 
bushy rufF about its neck: its large yellow ■ 
eyes shone like two topazes. An endeavour 
was made to detain it, by shutting- the door ; 
but it effected its escape by the way that it 
came, and never appeared afterwards. This 
curious and beautiful example of the feline 
tribe was equal in size to a fox. A species 
more common frequented our apartments, 
which comes from Persia, and is of a blue 
colour. We visited the menagerie belonging to 
the Grand Signior, where we saw but few rare 
animals ; and all of them are wretchedly kept. 
The only thing worth notice was a lion of supe- 
rior size, that had belonged to Hassan Pasha, 
and used to follow him like a dog ; but at last, 
having slain one of his keepers^, it was chained 
within the menagerie for life. 
Upon the Queens birth-day, another cere- 
mony took place — the laying of the first stone 
of the New Palace for the British Ministers at 
the Porte: at this we also attended, in company 
with all the English then resident. The former 
building had been consumed by fire. The gaieties 
of the Carnival were greatly increased this year 
in Pera, in consequence of the expulsion of 
the French from Egypt; and the Turks were 
