CONSTANTINOPLE. 
13 
words, Rosoglio“Golden Water and “ Water of Life.” 
Having now seen every part of this building, we returned to 
the garden, by the entrance which admitted us to the kiosk. 
Our next and principal object was the examination of the 
charem ; and, as the undertaking was attended with danger, 
we first took care to see that the garden was cleared of bos 
tanghies, and other attendants: as our curiosity, if detected, 
would, beyond all doubt, have cost us our lives upon the spot, 
A catastrophe of this nature has been already related by Le 
Bruyn. 
Having inspected every alley and corner of the garden, we 
advanced, half breathless, and on tiptoe, to the great wooden 
door of the passage which leads to the inner court of this mys¬ 
terious edifice. We succeeded in forcing this open; but the 
noise of its grating hinges, amidst the profound silence of the 
place, went to our very hearts. We then entered a small 
quadrangle, exactly resembling that of Queen’s College, Cam¬ 
bridge, filled with w eeds. It was divided into two parts, one 
raised above the other; the principal side of the court contain 
ing an open cloister, supported by small white marble columns. 
Every thing appeared in a neglected state. The women only 
reside here during summer. Their winter apartments maybe 
compared to the late Bastile of France; and the decoration of 
these apartments is even inferior to that which I shalbpresently 
describe. From this court, forcing open a small window near 
the ground, we climbed into the building, and alighted upon a 
long range of wooden beds, or couches, covered by mats, pre¬ 
pared for the reception of a hundred slaves: these reached the 
whole extent of a very long corridor. From hence, passing 
some narrow passages, the floors of which w ere also matted, we 
came to a, staircase leading to the upper apartments. Of such 
irregular and confused architecture, it is difficult to give any 
adequate description. We passed from the lower dormitory of 
the slaves to another above: this was divided into two tiers; 
so that one half of the numerous attendants it was designed to 
accommodate, slept over the other, upon a sort of shelf or scaf¬ 
fold near the ceiling. From this second corridor we entered 
into a third, a long matted passage; on the left of this were 
small apartments for slaves of higher rank ; and upon the l ight 
a series of rooms looking toward the sea. By continuing along 
this corridor, we at last entered the great chamber of audience , 
in which the sultan mother receives visits of ceremony, from 
the sultanas, and other distinguished ladies of the charem.-** 
C 
