OR HALL OF JUSTICE, &c. 
751 
saloon ; and higher up, in one corner, I observed a sort of 
lanthorn-shaped gallery, where the Sultan frequently sits unseen, 
to be an eye-witness of the proceedings below. Over the cushion 
of judgment, a sentence from the Koran is written ; so that the 
transgressor who stands before it, must read the exhortation 
whenever he lifts up his head. It runs thus :— 
“ O ! true Believers, you must always obey those who have the 
command over you.” 
And on the opposite wall, the vizier has his lesson too : 
“ Remember when you judge, judge with justice.” 
How far this is allowed to be obeyed by the administrators of 
justice in this capital, may be guessed at from the anecdote I 
have just given respecting the unhappy families of the Dooz- 
oogli. In repassing the Seraglio-gate, my attention was drawn 
to a large and splendid octagon fountain, standing to its left. It 
is formed of clear white marble, richly sculptured in arabesque 
complex patterns of wreathing leaves, tendrils, &c. many of 
which are gilded, and interspersed with lines from the Koran. 
From hence we followed the intricate windings of several 
streets, till, after rising a gentle ascent, I found myself on an 
open spot; the Al Maidan of the city, once the Hippodrome of 
the emperors. It is now compressed to less than a quarter of a 
mile in length, and about half that space in width ; a scanty strip 
indeed, when compared with its former expanse, containing a 
stately circus of more than 400 paces in length, 100 across, and 
adorned with statues and obelisks. On one side of the Maidan, 
and separated from it by an iron railing, stands the mosque of 
Sultan Ahmed; and on the opposite side, amongst a range of 
houses and the openings of streets, appear two gloomy structures, 
one like a prison, the other was an old Christian church, but both 
