CCTK¥&'. • S211- 
were near the roof, and small, although numerous, and placed 
dose to each oilier. They had double casements, one being 
of painted glass, surrounded by carved work, as in the old 
Gothic palaces of England. These perhaps derived their ori¬ 
ginal form from the east, during the crusades. So many in¬ 
stances occur to strengthen the opinion, that I may be liable 
to unnecessary repetition, when allusion is made to this style 
of building. The custom of having the floor raised in the 
upper part of a chamber, where the superiors sit, as in our 
©Id halls, is strictly oriental r it is the same in the tents of the 
Tartars. We were permitted to view the charem. This al¬ 
ways consists of a summer and a winter apartment The first 
was a large square room, surrounded by divans; the last arr 
©blong chamber, where the divans were placed parallel to 
each other, one on either side, lengthways; and at the upper 
extremity was the fireplace, resembling our ancient English- 
hearths. 
About half an hour after our arrival, the worthy old Arme¬ 
nian came home ; and throwing himself at full length upon 
the divan, began to fan himself with a bunch of coloured 
feathers, while his secretary opened and red to him our let¬ 
ters. Refreshments were instantly served, and pipes brought 
by his attendants: soon after this he proposed that we should 
accompany him to the governor’s. As we descended, he 
showed us his beautiful garden, filled with standard apricot 
trees laden w ith ripe fruit, and our wine, as lie said, for din¬ 
ner, already cooling in marble fountains, beneath the shade of 
orange, citron, lemon, fig, vine, and pomegranate trees. We 
entered the court yard of the governor's palace, and observed 
several beautiful horses, richly caparisoned, standing without 
any attendants, each fastened by a chain to its fore leg, and to 
a spike in the ground. This custom exists, as a kind of pa¬ 
rade, in almost all the palace yards of pachas who are go¬ 
vernors, and are called Muss-uleem We ivere conducted 
first into the chamber of the dragoman^ or interpreter, w here 
we found a crowd of persons assembled upon business. Here 
again pipes were brought, while our firmans were examined* 
and some questious put, concerning the state of affairs in 
Egypt, the death of the Emperor Paul, and the victory gained 
by Nelson over the Danes. We were then led through seve- 
* The Ilutch ambassadors from the East India Company to China, in the middle of 
the seventeenth century, observed the same custom of exhibiting state horses in the 
court of the emperor’s palace at Pekin. See NUvhoff r s Account of the Embassy, m 
pitblishe& by Ogilby, 125/ iQtid, J659, 
