4 
1807.7 
rial’ metropolis,’ the: 
were the objects that caught’ the eye, 
and the more animated became-the whole - 
surrounding fa Already slips and 
barks of every kind incessantly “elided 
over the slightly vitated surface ; alt¢ady 
were heard here and there the huzzas of 
the sailors aid the various sounds pro- 
ceeding from the floating i already 
did we behold the contiguous Eurdpean 
and Asiatic shoves covered with imnu- 
merable ¢roups of inhabitants. 
All'that | fines ‘t seen was, however, 
but at eble prelude to the in expressibly 
magnificent spectacle which now ene 
pradaaliy to bao t itself to’ my view 
We had reached the end of the ohaswel 
and to the south opened an unbounded 
prospect over the sea of Marmara. The 
‘Mmmense capital, with its” apes ain- 
phitheatre and har bour, suddenly burst 
upon iny view; and such was the 1 impres- 
sion which it mide upon me by its ma- 
Jestic situation aud p wodigous extent, that 
it totally eclipsed the aimost celestial 
beauties if Skutari, seated on the tulis to 
the lett. 
There the immense Siaidat al, with its 
mumerous suburbs, eathroned on unequal 
hills, extends more thana long day’sjour- 
ney in the domains of Burope and Asia, 
for ming as it were, the link that unites 
the East with the West. Though inbabit- 
ed by barbarians, despoited of its fairest 
ornaments by Hee fury of Mahommedan 
fanaticism, and repeatedly brought to the 
brink of deeernetion by the rapacious 
element of fire, still it stands in all 
its me yesty, as though i it defied alike the: 
hand of time and the desolating effort 
of human rage; as thongh it were re- 
served. for a higher destiny, perhaps to 
give laws to all the nations of the earth, 
snd to sovern all mankind as cl 
one great family. 
Constantinople is of itself a world in 
which a million ‘of people are in constant 
motion. “To an European it is a totally 
new world; and who cai pretend to em- 
brace suchan object at one view? Those 
only can be aware of the diffieulty of de- 
scribing the tout-ensemble of Stambul, or 
discover how few correct accourts we 
possess concerning it, who have had an 
opportunity of comparing with the origi- 
nal the pictures that have been drawn of 
heed | sincerely wish that it were in my 
power to give an idea of the whole; but 
this, asI have already observed, is im- 
‘practicable, and. must remain so tiil we 
have invented expressions adapted to the 
most delicate shades of our feelings and - 
" sensations. 
1 must therefore coutent 
Monrary Mas., No. 157. 
~~ ) On eee SU 
Sketches of Constantinople, by F. M urhard. 
more numerous * 
uldren of 
capital. 
tayself with presenting only” a few 
sketchestowards a picture of the Turkish 
metropolis, commencing with the suburb 
of Pera, the genera! quar reer of the Vranks 
or Europesis resident at Constauti- 
nople. 
Pora 1ssituated, with several other sub= 
urbs, on a peninsula, or promontory, 
filinedt vy the ha:bour of Coustantinople 
and the canal. With respect to its dis 
mensions and bui dings, it may be com- 
pared to the middung towns of Italy or 
Germany. Yoward the south it jouns 
anotuer larger suburb, caiied Galata, 
but on all the other ale it is surrounded 
by extensive burial-places, with agreeable 
walks overshaduwed with cypresses. As 
the piace is very unequally built, and is 
situated on the ‘declivity of a hill, many 
-gnarters of it lie much higher than behets: 
30 that, from the former you have fre- 
quently the most delightful views over 
the lower parts of the city. 
Both Pera and Galata were built by 
the Genoese, and on this account the ar~ 
chitecture of the houses inthose two sab- 
urbs ditfers materially from that of the 
other parts of Constantinople. Here itis 
Oriental, there Italian: here the houses are 
constr ate in the Tarco-Grecian style ; 
there, they were planned by Ruropean 
artists. Inthe city itself, as well as in 
most of the ether subur bg, the houses are 
scarcely one story high; in /Pera and 
Galata there are buildi ings not laferior,in 
height to those of Paris and Vienna, 
Some of them, however, are very oid, 
and make a wretched appearance, though 
most are sohd edifices, 
stone, after the Italian manner. Fhe 
more modern structures display an inten- 
tion af imitating the Eastern | style; the 
houses are built, in general, by far not so 
high as formerly, and wood is frequently 
used, though the many dreadful fires 
oug cht to have taught ie Franks how 
dan 
erous it is#n a place like this to pre- 
pare fuel for so destructive an element. 
Pera nevertheless contains palaces 
which would do honour to any European 
The residences of the ambassa- 
dors, which are the property of the na- 
tions whom they respectively represent, 
are particularly dreadful. Unfortunate- 
ly a great part of Pera was consumed 
ia the late dredafal conflagration. I 
was assured that this’ was the finest quar- 
ter of Pera; and 0 it must certainly have 
been, to judge from its situation, A 
whole street on the west side, which ran 
from sbath to north, was destroyed, and. 
the palaces of the Eng ish and Austrian 
ambassadors were reduced ka ashes... 
3M 
449 
built entirely of , 
-Perz 
Sa 
