Giurgewo--Interior of the town--Braila--Sanitary precautions--
Galatz--Scarcity of good water--Ridiculous fear of the plague--The
steamer Ferdinand--Entrance into the Black Sea--Stormy weather and
sea-sickness--Arrival at Constantinople--Picturesque appearance of
the city--Mosques--The dancing Dervishes--The Sultan and his barge--
Pera--The great and little Campo--Wild dogs--Dirty state of the
streets--Preparations in case of fire.
March 31st.
We started early this morning, and at eight o'clock had already
reached Giurgewo. This town is situate on the left bank of the
Danube, opposite the fortress of Rustschuk. It contains 16,000
inhabitants, and is one of the chief trading towns of Wallachia. We
were detained here until four o'clock in the afternoon; for we had
to unload above 600 cwt. of goods and eight carriages, and to take
coals on board in exchange. Thus we had time to view the interior
of this Wallachian city.
With what disappointed surprise did my fellow-passengers view the
ugliness of this town, which from a distance promises so much! On
me it made but little impression, for I had seen towns precisely
similar in Galicia. The streets and squares are full of pits and
holes; the houses are built without the slightest regard to taste or
symmetry, one perhaps projecting halfway across the street, while
its neighbour falls quite into the background. In some places
wooden booths were erected along each side of the street for the
sale of the commonest necessaries of life and articles of food, and
these places were dignified by the name of "bazaars." Curiosity led
us into a wine-shop and into a coffee-house. In both of these we
found only wooden tables and benches; there were hardly any guests;
and the few persons present belonged to the humblest classes.
Glasses and cups are handed to the company without undergoing the
ceremony of rinsing.
We purchased some eggs and butter, and went into the house of one of
the townspeople to prepare ourselves a dish after the German
fashion. I had thus an opportunity of noticing the internal
arrangements of a house of this description. The floor of the room
was not boarded, and the window was only half glazed, the remaining
portion being filled up with paper or thin bladder. For the rest,
every thing was neat and simple enough. Even a good comfortable
divan was not wanting. At four o'clock we quitted the town.
The Danube is now only broad for short distances at a time. It is,
as it were, sown with islands, and its waters are therefore more
frequently parted into several streams than united into one.
In the villages we already notice Greek and Turkish costumes, but
the women and girls do not yet wear veils.
Unfortunately it was so late when we reached the fortress of
Silistria that I could see nothing of it. A little lower down we
cast anchor for the night. At an early hour on
April 1st
we sailed past Hirsova, and at two o'clock stopped at Braila, a
fortress occupied by the Russians since the year 1828. Here
passengers were not allowed to land, as they were considered
infected with the plague; but our officer stepped forward, and
vouched for the fact that we had neither landed nor taken up any one
on the right bank of the river; thereupon the strangers were allowed
to set foot on terra firma.
By four o'clock we were opposite Galatz, one of the most
considerable commercial towns, with 8000 inhabitants,--the only
harbour the Russians possess on the Danube. Here we saw the first
merchant-ships and barques of all kinds coming from the Black Sea.
Some sea-gulls also, heralds of the neighbouring ocean, soared above
our heads.
The scene here is one of traffic and bustle; Galatz being the place
of rendezvous for merchants and travellers from two quarters of the
globe, Europe and Asia. It is the point of junction of three great
empires--Austria, Russia, and Turkey.
After the officer had repeated his assurances as at Braila, we were
permitted to leave the ship. I had a letter of recommendation to
the Austrian consul, who accidentally came on board; after reading
my letter he received me very kindly, and most obligingly procured
quarters for me.
The town promises much, but proves to be just such a miserable dirty
place as Giurgewo. The houses are generally built of wood or clay,
thatched with straw; those alone belonging to the consul and the
rich merchants are of stone. The finest buildings are the Christian
church and the Moldavian hotel.
Though Galatz lies on the Danube, water for drinking is a dear
article among the inhabitants. Wells are to be found neither in the
houses nor in the squares. The townspeople are compelled to bring
all the water they require from the Danube, which is a great
hardship for the poor people, and a considerable expense for the
rich; in winter a small tub of water costs from 10 to 12 kreutzers
(about 4d. or 5d.) in the more distant quarters of the town. At
every corner you meet water-carriers, and little wagons loaded with
tubs of water. Attempts have frequently been made to procure this
indispensable element by digging; water has, indeed, in some
instances gushed forth, but it always had a brackish taste.
In Galatz we made a halt of twenty-four hours: the delay was not of
the most agreeable kind, as neither the town itself nor its environs
offer any thing worthy of remark. Still I always think of these
days with pleasure. Herr Consul Huber is a polite and obliging man;
himself a traveller, he gave me many a hint and many a piece of
advice for my journey. The air of quiet comfort which reigned
throughout his house was also not to be despised by one who had just
endured many days of privation; at Herr Huber's I found relief both
for body and mind.
April 2d.
The scenery round the town is so far from being inviting, that I did
not feel the least inclination to explore it. I therefore remained
in the town, and went up hill and down dale through the ill-paved
streets. Coffee-houses appear in great abundance; but if it were
not for the people sitting in front of them drinking coffee and
smoking tobacco, no one would do these dirty rooms the honour of
taking them for places of entertainment.
In the market and the squares we notice a great preponderance of the
male sex over the female. The former are seen bustling about every
where, and, like the Italians, perform some duties which usually
fall to the lot of the softer sex. We notice a mixture of the most
different nations, and among them a particularly large number of
Jews.
The bazaar is overloaded with southern fruits of all kinds. Oranges
and lemons are seen here in great numbers, like the commonest of our
fruits. The prices are of course very trifling. The cauliflowers
brought from Asia Minor are particularly fine. I noticed many as
large as a man's head.
In the evening I was required to repair to the harbour and re-
embark.
It is almost impossible to form an idea of the confusion which
reigns here. A wooden railing forms the barrier between the healthy
people and those who come from or intend travelling to a country
infected with the plague. Whoever passes this line of demarcation
is not allowed to return. Soldiers, officers, government officials,
and superintendents, the latter of whom are armed with sticks and
pairs of tongs, stand at the entrance to drive those forcibly back
who will not be content with fair words. Provisions and other
articles are either thrown over the barrier or left in front of it.
In the latter case, however, they may not be touched until the
bearers have departed. A gentleman on the "plague" side wished to
give a letter to one on the other; it was immediately snatched from
his hand and handed across by means of a pair of tongs. And all
this time such a noise and hubbub is going on, that you can scarcely
hear the sound of your own voice.
"Pray hand me over my luggage!" cries one. "Keep farther away!
don't come near me, and mind you don't touch me!" anxiously exclaims
another. And then the superintendents keep shouting--"Stand back,
stand back!" etc.
I was highly entertained by this spectacle; the scene was entirely
new to me. But on my return, when I shall be one of the prisoners,
I fear I may find it rather tedious. For this time I was not at all
hindered in the prosecution of my journey.
On the whole, these timid precautions seemed to me exceedingly
uncalled for, particularly at a time when neither the plague nor any
kind of contagious disease prevailed in Turkey. One of my fellow-
passengers had been banished to our ship on the previous day because
he had had the misfortune to brush against an official on going to
see after his luggage.
At seven o'clock the tattoo is beaten, the grating is shut, and the
farce ends. We now repaired to the fourth and last steamer, the
Ferdinand. From first to last we changed vessels six times during a
journey from Vienna to Constantinople; we travelled by four steamers
and twice in boats; a circumstance which cannot be reckoned among
the pleasures of a trip down the Danube.
Though not a large boat, the Ferdinand is comfortable and well
built. Even the second-class cabin is neatly arranged, and a pretty
stove diffused a warmth which was peculiarly grateful to us all, as
the thermometer showed only six to eight degrees above zero.
Unfortunately even here the men and women are not separated in the
second-class cabin; but care is at least taken that third-class
passengers do not intrude. Twelve berths are arranged round the
walls, and in front of these are placed broad benches well
cushioned.
April 3d.
At five o'clock in the morning we steamed out of the harbour of
Galatz. Shortly afterwards basins and towels were handed to us; a
custom totally unknown upon former vessels. For provisions, which
are tolerably good, we are charged 1 fl. 40 kr. per diem.
Towards ten o'clock we reached Tehussa, a Bessarabian village of
most miserable appearance, where we stopped for a quarter of an
hour; after which we proceeded without further delay towards the
Black Sea.
I had long rejoiced in the expectation of reaching the Black Sea,
and imagined that near its mouth the Danube itself would appear like
a sea. But as it generally happens in life, "great expectations,
small realisations," so it was the case here also. At Galatz the
Danube is very broad; but some distance from its mouth it divides
itself into so many branches that not one of them can be termed
majestic.
Towards three o'clock in the afternoon we at length entered the
Black Sea.
Here the arms of the Danube rush forward from every quarter, driving
the sea tumultuously back, so that we can only distinguish in the
far distance a stripe of green. For above an hour we glide on over
the yellow, clayey, strongly agitated fresh water, until at length
the boundary is passed, and we are careering over the salt waves of
the sea. Unfortunately for us, equinoctial gales and heavy weather
still so powerfully maintained their sway, that the deck was
completely flooded with the salt brine. We could hardly stand upon
our feet, and could not manage to reach the cabin-door, where the
bell was ringing for dinner, without the assistance of some sailors.
Several of the passengers, myself among the number, did little
honour to the cook's skill. We had scarcely begun to eat our soup,
before we were so powerfully attacked by sea-sickness, that we were
obliged to quit the table precipitately. I laid myself down at
once, feeling unable to move about, or even to drag myself on deck
to admire the magnificent spectacle of nature. The waves frequently
ran so high as to overtop the flue of our stove, and from time to
time whole streams of water poured into the cabin.
April 4th.
Since yesterday the storm has increased considerably, so that we are
obliged to hold fast by our cribs to avoid being thrown out. This
misfortune really happened to one of the passengers, who was too ill
to hold sufficiently tight.
As I already felt somewhat better, I attempted to rise, but was
thrown in the same instant with such force against a table which
stood opposite, that for a long time I felt no inclination to try
again. There was not the slightest chance of obtaining any sleep
all night. The dreadful howling of the wind among the masts and
cordage, the fearful straining of the ship, which seemed as though
its timbers were starting, the continual pitching and rolling, the
rattling of the heavy cables above us, the cries, orders, and
shouting of the captain and his sailors, all combined to form a din
which did not allow us to enjoy a moment's rest. In the morning,
ill as I felt myself, I managed to gain the deck with the help of
the steward, and sat down near the steersman to enjoy the aspect of
that grandest of nature's phenomena--a storm at sea.
Holding tightly on, I bade defiance to the waves, which broke over
the ship and wetted me all over, as though to cool my feverish heat.
I could now form a clear and vivid conception of a storm at sea. I
saw the waves rush foaming on, and the ship now diving into an
abyss, and anon rising with the speed of lightning to the peak of
the highest wave. It was a thrilling, fearful sight;--absorbed in
its contemplation, I soon ceased to think of my sickness.
Late at night the violence of the storm abated in some degree; we
could now run in and cast anchor in the harbour of Varna, which
under ordinary circumstances we should have reached twelve hours
sooner.
April 5th.
This morning I had leisure to admire this fine fortress-town, which
was besieged and taken by the Russians in 1828. We remained here
several hours. The upper portion of the ship was here loaded with
fowl of all descriptions, to such a degree that the space left for
us travellers was exceedingly circumscribed. This article of
consumption seems to be in great demand in Constantinople both among
Turks and Franks; for our captain assured me that his vessel was
laden with this kind of ware every time he quitted Varna, and that
he carried it to Stamboul.
April 6th.
The shades of night prevented my seeing one of the finest sights in
the world, in anticipation of which I had rejoiced ever since my
departure from Vienna--the passage through the Bosphorus. A few
days afterwards, however, I made the excursion in a kaik (a very
small and light boat), and enjoyed to my heart's content views and
scenes which it is totally beyond my descriptive power to portray.
At three o'clock in the morning, when we entered the harbour of
Constantinople, every one, with the exception of the sailors, lay
wrapped in sleep. I stood watching on deck, and saw the sun rise in
its full glory over the imperial city, so justly and universally
admired.
We had cast anchor in the neighbourhood of Topona; the city of
cities lay spread out before my eyes, built on several hills, each
bearing a separate town, and all blending into a grand and
harmonious whole.
The town of Constantinople, properly speaking, is separated from
Galata and Pera by the so-called "Golden Horn;" the means of
communication is by a long and broad wooden bridge. Scutari and
Bulgurlu rise in the form of terraces on the Asiatic shore. Scutari
is surrounded, within and without, by a splendid wood of magnificent
cypresses. In the foreground, on the top of the mountain, lie the
spacious and handsome barracks, which can contain 10,000 men.
The beautiful mosques, with their graceful minarets--the palaces and
harems, kiosks and great barracks--the gardens, shrubberies, and
cypress-woods--the gaily painted houses, among which single
cypresses often rear their slender heads,--these, together with the
immense forest of masts, combine to form an indescribably striking
spectacle.
When the bustle of life began, on the shore and on the sea, my eyes
scarcely sufficed to take in all I saw. The "Golden Horn" became
gradually covered as far as the eye could reach with a countless
multitude of kaiks. The restless turmoil of life on shore, the
passing to and fro of men of all nations and colours, from the pale
inhabitant of Europe to the blackest Ethiopian, the combination of
varied and characteristic costumes, this, and much more which I
cannot describe, held me spell-bound to the deck. The hours flew
past like minutes, and even the time of debarcation came much too
early for me, though I had stood on deck and gazed from three
o'clock until eight.
I found myself richly repaid for all the toils of my journey, and
rejoiced in the sight of these wonderful Eastern pictures; I could
only wish I were a poet, that I might fitly portray the magnificent
gorgeousness of the sight.
To land at Topona, and to be immediately surrounded by hired
servants and hamaks (porters), is the fate of every traveller. The
stranger is no longer master either of his will or his luggage. One
man praises this inn, the other that. {40} The porters hustle and
beat each other for your effects, so that the custom-house officers
frequently come forward with their sticks to restore order. The
boxes are then searched,--a ceremony which can, however, be
considerably accelerated by a fee of from ten to twenty kreutzers.
It is very advisable to fix on an hotel before leaving the boat.
There are always passengers on board who are resident at
Constantinople, or at least know the town well, and who are polite
enough to give advice on the subject to strangers. By this means
you rid yourself at once of the greedy servants, and need only tell
a porter the name of your inn.
The inns for the Franks (a term used in the East to designate all
Europeans) are in Pera. I stayed at the hotel of Madame Balbiani, a
widow lady, in whose house the guests are made comfortable in every
respect. Clean rooms, with a beautiful view towards the sea,
healthy, well-selected, and palatable fare, and good prompt
attendance, are advantages which every one values; and all these are
found at Madame Balbiani's, besides constant readiness to oblige on
the part of the hostess and her family. The good lady took quite a
warm interest in me; and I can say, without hesitation, that had not
my good fortune led me under her roof, I should have been badly off.
I had several letters of introduction; but not being fortunate
enough to travel in great pomp or with a great name, my countrymen
did not consider it worth while to trouble themselves about me.
I am ashamed, for their sakes, to be obliged to make this
confession; but as I have resolved to narrate circumstantially not
only all I saw, but all that happened to me on this journey, I must
note down this circumstance with the rest. I felt the more deeply
the kindness of these strangers, who, without recommendation or the
tie of country, took so hearty an interest in the well-being of a
lonely woman. I am truly rejoiced when an opportunity occurs of
expressing my sincere gratitude for the agreeable hours I spent
among them.
The distance from Vienna to Constantinople is about 1000 sea miles.
RESIDENCE AT CONSTANTINOPLE.--THE DANCING DERVISHES.
I arrived at Constantinople on a Tuesday, and immediately inquired
what was worth seeing. I was advised to go and see the dancing
dervishes, as this was the day on which they held their religious
exercises in Pera.
As I reached the mosque an hour too soon, I betook myself in the
meantime to the adjoining garden, which is set apart as the place of
meeting of the Turkish women. Here several hundred ladies reclined
on the grass in varied groups, surrounded by their children and
their nurses, the latter of whom are all negresses. Many of these
Turkish women were smoking pipes of tobacco with an appearance of
extreme enjoyment, and drinking small cups of coffee without milk.
Two or three friends often made use of the same pipe, which was
passed round from mouth to mouth. These ladies seemed also to be
partial to dainties: most of them were well provided with raisins,
figs, sugared nuts, cakes, etc., and ate as much as the little ones.
They seemed to treat their slaves very kindly; the black servants
sat among their mistresses, and munched away bravely: the slaves
are well dressed, and could scarcely be distinguished from their
owners, were it not for their sable hue.
During my whole journey I remarked with pleasure that the lot of a
slave in the house of a Mussulman is not nearly so hard as we
believe. The Turkish women are no great admirers of animated
conversations; still there was more talking in their societies than
in the assemblies of the men, who sit silent and half asleep in the
coffee-houses, languidly listening to the narrations of a story-
teller.
The ladies' garden resembles a churchyard. Funeral monuments peer
forth at intervals between the cypresses, beneath which the visitors
sit talking and joking cheerfully. Every now and then one would
suddenly start up, spread a carpet beside her companions, and kneel
down to perform her devotions.
As no one of the male sex was allowed to be present, all were
unveiled. I noticed many pretty faces among them, but not a single
instance of rare or striking beauty. Fancy large brilliant eyes,
pale cheeks, broad faces, and an occasional tendency to corpulence,
and you have the ladies' portrait. Small-pox must still be rather
prevalent in these parts, for I saw marks of it on many faces.
The Turkish ladies' costume is not very tasteful. When they go
abroad, they are completely swathed in an upper garment, generally
made of dark merino. In the harem, or in any place where men are
not admitted, they doff this garment, and also the white cloth in
which they wrap their heads and faces. Their costume consists,
properly speaking, of very wide trousers drawn together below the
ancle, a petticoat with large wide sleeves, and a broad sash round
the waist. Over this sash some wear a caftan, others only a
spencer, generally of silk. On their feet they wear delicate boots,
and over these slippers of yellow morocco; on their heads a small
fez-cap, from beneath which their hair falls on their shoulders in a
number of thin plaits. Those Turks, male and female, who are
descended from Mahomet, have either a green caftan or a green
turban. This colour is here held so sacred, that scarcely any one
may wear it. I would even advise the Franks to avoid green in their
dresses, as they may expose themselves to annoyance by using it.
After I had had more than an hour's leisure to notice all these
circumstances, a noise suddenly arose in the courtyard, which
produced a stir among the women. I considered from these
appearances that it was time to go to the temple, and hastened to
join my party. A great crowd was waiting in the courtyard, for the
Sultan was expected. I was glad to have the good fortune to behold
him on the very day of my arrival. As a stranger, I was allowed,
without opposition, a place in the front ranks,--a trait of good
breeding on the part of the Turks which many a Frank would do well
to imitate. In a Turk, moreover, this politeness is doubly
praiseworthy, from the fact that he looks upon my poor sex with
great disrespect; indeed, according to his creed, we have not even a
soul.
I had only stood a few moments, when the Sultan appeared on
horseback, surrounded by his train. He alone rode into the
courtyard; the others all dismounted at the gate, and entered on
foot. The horse on which the Sultan rode was of rare beauty, and,
as they told me, of the true Arabian breed; the saddle-cloth was
richly embroidered with gold, and the stirrups, of the same precious
metal, were in the form of shoes, covered with the finest chased
work.
The Sultan is a slender slim-looking youth of nineteen years of age,
and looks pale, languid, and blase. His features are agreeable, and
his eyes fine. If he had not abandoned himself at so early an age
to all the pleasures of the senses, he would, no doubt, have grown
up a stalwart man. He wore a long cape of dark-blue cloth; and a
high fez-cap, with a heron's plume and a diamond clasp, decked his
head. The greeting of the people, and the Sultan's mode of
acknowledging it, is exactly as at Vienna, except that here the
people at intervals raise a low cry of welcome.
As soon as the Sultan had entered the temple, all flocked in. The
men and the Franks (the latter without distinction of sex) sit or
stand in the body of the temple. The Turkish women sit in
galleries, behind such close wire gratings that they are completely
hidden. The temple, or more properly the hall, is of inconsiderable
size, and the spectators are only separated from the priests by a
low railing.
At two o'clock the dervishes appeared, clad in long petticoats with
innumerable folds, which reached to their heels. Their heads were
covered with high pointed hats of white felt. They spread out
carpets and skins of beasts, and began their ceremonies with a great
bowing and kissing of the ground. At length the music struck up;
but I do not remember ever to have heard a performance so utterly
horrible. The instruments were a child's drum, a shepherd's pipe,
and a miserable fiddle. Several voices set up a squeaking and
whining accompaniment, with an utter disregard of time and tune.
Twelve dervishes now began their dance,--if indeed a turning round
in a circle, while their full dresses spread round them like a large
wheel, can be called by such a name. They display much address in
avoiding each other, and never come in contact, though their stage
is very small. I did not notice any "convulsions," of which I had
read in many descriptions.
The ceremony ended at three o'clock. The Sultan once more mounted
his horse, and departed with his train and the eunuchs. In the
course of the day I saw him again, as he was returning from visiting
the medical faculty. It is not difficult to get a sight of the
Sultan; he generally appears in public on Tuesdays, and always on
Fridays, the holiday of the Turks.
The train of the young autocrat presents a more imposing appearance
when he goes by water to visit a mosque, which he generally does on
every Friday. Only two hours before he starts it is announced in
which mosque he intends to appear. At twelve, at noon, the
procession moves forward. For this purpose two beautiful barges are
in readiness, painted white, and covered with gilded carvings. Each
barge is surmounted by a splendid canopy of dark-red velvet, richly
bordered with gold fringe and tassels. The floor is spread with
beautiful carpets. The rowers are strong handsome youths, clad in
short trousers and jacket of white silk, with fez-caps on their
heads. On each side of the ship there are fourteen of these rowers,
under whose vigorous exertions the barge flies forward over wave and
billow like a dolphin. The beautifully regular movements of the
sailors have a fine effect. The oars all dip into the water with
one stroke, the rowers rise as one man, and fall back into their
places in the same perfect time.
A number of elegant barges and kaiks follow the procession. The
flags of the Turkish fleet and merchant-ships are hoisted, and
twenty-one cannons thunder forth a salutation to the Sultan. He
does not stay long in the mosque, and usually proceeds to visit a
barrack or some other public building. When the monarch goes by
water to the mosque, he generally returns also in his barge; if he
goes by land, he returns in the same manner.
The most popular walks in Pera are "the great and little Campo,"
which may be termed "burying-places in cypress-groves." It is a
peculiar custom of the Turks, which we hardly find among any other
nation, that all their feasts, walks, business-transactions, and
even their dwellings, are in the midst of graves. Every where, in
Constantinople, Pera, Galata, etc., one can scarcely walk a few
paces without passing several graves surrounded by cypresses. We
wander continually between the living and the dead; but within four
and twenty hours I was quite reconciled to the circumstance. During
the night-time I could pass the graves with as little dread as if I
were walking among the houses of the living. Seen from a distance,
these numerous cypress-woods give to the town a peculiar fairy-like
appearance; I can think of nothing with which I could compare it.
Every where the tall trees appear, but the tombs are mostly hidden
from view.
It took a longer time before I could accustom myself to the
multitude of ownerless dogs, which the stranger encounters at all
corners, in every square and every street. They are of a peculiarly
hideous breed, closely resembling the jackal. During the daytime
they are not obnoxious, being generally contented enough if they are
allowed to sleep undisturbed in the sun, and to devour their prey in
peace. But at night they are not so quiet. They bark and howl
incessantly at each other, as well as at the passers-by, but do not
venture an attack, particularly if you are accompanied by a servant
carrying a lantern and a stick. Among themselves they frequently
have quarrels and fights, in which they sometimes lose their lives.
They are extremely jealous if a strange dog approaches their
territory, namely the street or square of which they have
possession. On such an intruder they all fall tooth and nail, and
worry him until he either seeks safety in flight or remains dead on
the spot. It is therefore a rare circumstance for any person to
have a house-dog with him in the streets. It would be necessary to
carry the creature continually, and even then a number of these
unbidden guests would follow, barking and howling incessantly.
Neither distemper nor madness is to be feared from these dogs,
though no one cares for their wants. They live on carrion and
offal, which is to be found in abundance in every street, as every
description of filth is thrown out of the houses into the road. A
few years ago it was considered expedient to banish these dogs from
Constantinople. They were transported to two uninhabited islands in
the Sea of Marmora, the males to one and the females to another.
But dirt and filth increased in the city to such a degree, that
people were glad to have them back again.
The town is not lighted. Every person who goes abroad at night must
take a lantern with him. If he is caught wandering without a
lantern by the guard, he is taken off without mercy to the nearest
watch-house, where he must pass the night. The gates of the city
are shut after sunset.
In proportion as I was charmed with the beautiful situation of
Constantinople, so I was disgusted with the dirt and the offensive
atmosphere which prevail every where; the ugly narrow streets, the
continual necessity to climb up and down steep places in the badly-
paved roads, soon render the stranger weary of a residence in this
city.
Worse than all is the continual dread of conflagration in which we
live. Large chests and baskets are kept in readiness in every
house; if a fire breaks out in the neighbourhood, all valuable
articles are rapidly thrown into these and conveyed away. It is
customary to make a kind of contract with two or three Turks, who
are pledged, in consideration of a trifling monthly stipend, to
appear in the hour of danger, for the purpose of carrying the boxes
and lending a helping hand wherever they can. It is safer by far to
reckon on the honesty of the Turks than on that of the Christians
and Greeks. Instances in which a Turk has appropriated any portion
of the goods entrusted to his care are said to be of very rare
occurrence. During the first nights of my stay I was alarmed at
every noise, particularly when the watchman, who paraded the
streets, happened to strike with his stick upon the stones. In the
event of a conflagration, he must knock at every house-door and cry,
"Fire, fire!" Heaven be praised, my fears were never realised.