shore of Asia, opposite Alexandria Troas, the ruins of which were
visible, and, at length, came to anchor in Basike Bay, a little south of
the mouth of the Amnis Navigabilis, and opposite to AEsachus's tomb. I
landed after dinner, and, having waded up to the middle through the
river, walked to a tumulus on the south side of Jene Keni, the top of
which affords a fine view of the plain of Troy and the entrance to the
Dardanelles. Luckily, I had with me a tracing of Sir William Gell's map,
the exactness of which enabled me to point out to my companions the
principal points of interest. The plain is extremely rich and fertile,
and, altogether, had quite an English air. A considerable quantity of
timber is scattered about very picturesquely, and numerous herds of
goats and cattle grazing added to the beauty of the scene. The ground
was enamelled with the bright colours of millions of anemones; and
storks, small tortoises, and brown-coloured snakes were seen in vast
numbers in all directions.
_Sunday, 21st._--The wind blew so hard to-day, and there was such a swell
on the beach, that it was impossible to land. A French government cutter
passed us from Constantinople, with despatches for the French admiral.
The captain came on board, and reported that the Russian force was
receiving daily accessions; that Lord Ponsonby's arrival was anxiously
expected; and that peace had been concluded between Ibrahim and the
Porte.
[Sidenote: SOURCES OF THE SCAMANDER.] _Monday, 22nd._--Started this
morning, with the doctor, the master, and the tutor for Troy. We
ascended AEsachus's tomb, and proceeded thence across undulating hills,
covered with stunted oaks and brambles, varied occasionally by large
tracts of cultivation, towards the sources of the Scamander, indicated
by the grove of willows and poplars around them. Passing a large swamp,
where there were innumerable storks and waterfowl, we at last arrived at
the famous spring, called the Cold Spring, in Gell's map. It lies under
a hill, and is surrounded by oak, willow, fig, and poplar trees, having
brambles and wild vines hanging from them in festoons. Here, the clear
water of the golden Xanthus flowing among the reeds, and over the
ochre-coloured stones, tempts the thirsty passer-by with its cool and
refreshing appearance.
We sat down on a green mound, between the largest of the two springs,
and tried the temperature of them all. There are three principal sources
rising out of the base of the rock, which is a limestone breccia; the
fragments imbedded being limestone and reddish sandstone, which
communicates to the water its golden hue. The temperature of the air was
55-6/10, and that of the springs, No. 1, 64 deg.; 2, 65 deg.; 3, 65 deg.[4]
[Sidenote: TOMBS OF HECTOR AND PARIS.] Thence we proceeded to the source
called the Hot Springs; the only difference in the actual temperature
being one degree, but on immersing the hand there is a sensible warmth.
These are also under a grove of trees, situated near the village of
Bounarbashi.[5] We ascended the tombs of Hector and Paris, which command
a fine view of the Simois in its entire course, from the point where it
issues from the mountains, to its junction with the Hellespont. There
were no antiquities, besides a remnant of a granite column, neither did
we observe any inhabitants, except an old man and a few children; but
myriads of storks covered the fields in every direction. Returning to
the Scamander, we lunched at its sources; and then reclining on a
beautiful piece of turf, under the shade of a wide spreading oak, we
enjoyed our pipes until the declining sun warned us to bend our course
towards the ship.
[Sidenote: ABYDOS.] _Tuesday, 23d._--We sailed this morning, as the wind
proved fair for entering the Dardanelles. In passing close to the Segean
promontory, which is covered with windmills, the view of the Asiatic
fort and the town, with the tombs of Achilles and Patroclus, and,
further on, that of Ajax, opened upon us.[6] [Sidenote: PASSAGE OF THE
DARDANELLES.] The castles appeared well fortified on the side exposed to
the sea, their enormous guns lying on a level with the surface of the
water; but, landward, they are defenceless. The shores of the channel
are by no means so lofty as I was prepared to find them, and of their
much vaunted beauty I saw nothing, saving now and then a green and
cultivated valley, which are indeed "few, and far between." The cliffs
appeared to be composed of a coarse and soft sandstone, nearly white,
resembling chalk at a distance. We came to anchor a few miles above the
castles, with the consolation that the north wind, now set in, might
perhaps continue to blow for weeks. Contrary to our expectations,
however, the breeze having veered to the southward in the course of the
day, we weighed, and advanced a short distance up the channel; but the
wind again dying away, the current bore us back, and we anchored in our
former position.
There are now seventy of the crew on the sick list, including the first
and third lieutenant, the master, and several of the youngsters, all
like myself, suffering from the influenza. The sailors have christened
it the Dardanelles fever; and the men who are well, swear the others
sham illness, in order to escape the working through the Hellespont.
Should the captain get impatient and resolve to beat up, there will be
no end to the tacking, and the orders, "Her helm's a lee, and mainsail
haul," will be sufficiently imprinted on my memory.
[Sidenote: PRESENT TO THE AMBASSADOR.] _Monday, 29th._--Heavy rain all
day, accompanied by cold, and a strong gale. In the evening it cleared
up, and I went on shore for a short time. On either side of the channel
were a great number of vessels, waiting for the southerly wind to carry
them up to Constantinople; and now, with their sails out to dry, they
presented the singular appearance of a fleet in full sail--without
advancing. A small cutter, which serves as a packet between Smyrna and
Stamboul, worked by us before dark; she was crowded with passengers,
among whom were several ladies. The news she brought was of no great
importance, saving the certainty that the French fleet, consisting of
four sail of the line and two frigates, had arrived at Vourla. A present
of two sheep, with some poultry and vegetables, arrived from the Pasha
at the Upper Castles, for the ambassador; which looked as if the knowing
ones on shore, expected we should keep our present berth for some time.
[Sidenote: FEAST OF THE BAIRAM.] _Tuesday, April 30th._--At daylight
this morning, we were all attracted on deck by the loud report of
cannon, which came booming down the Hellespont, announcing the
commencement of the Bairam, or grand religious festival of the Turks,
when they play the same "antics before high Heaven," which Catholics do
at their carnival. The guns were shotted, and we could distinctly see
the splash of the marble balls as they dropped into the water. To-day
the Sultan visits one of the principal mosques in state; and, though
latterly the pageant has lost much of the oriental splendour that once
distinguished it, yet, from the number of fine horses, and the richness
of their caparisons, which are covered with gold, diamonds, and precious
stones; and the splendid dresses of the officers of state and their
attendants, this procession has still an air of great magnificence. In
the evening, strings of variegated lamps, with festoons of flowers,
swing from minaret to minaret, and hang over the illuminated city like a
faery crown. From the prevalence of an unlucky northern wind this
morning, we were prevented from reaching Constantinople in time to
witness these festivities. [Sidenote: SESTOS.--TURKISH COLONEL.] The
breeze, however, suddenly veering round to the south, swiftly went round
the capstan, and merrily did our band, the solitary fiddler, rosin away
to the tune of "drops of brandy," while, with every stretch of canvass
set, we joyfully proceeded in our course, saluting the Pasha, according
to custom, as we came abreast of the village of the Dardanelles, which
occupies a low situation, and its mean-looking houses are huddled
together in a very unpicturesque manner. The celebrated castles look
formidable enough, with their enormous guns lying upon the ground
without carriages, and sweeping the surface of the waves from shore to
shore. The entire population was assembled upon the wharfs, or on the
tops of the houses, and the flags of the consuls were displayed; so
that, altogether, we saw the town to the best advantage. They returned
our salute, and, immediately after, a mech-men-dar, or colonel,
appointed by the Sultan to accompany the ambassador to Constantinople,
came on board with his pipe-bearer. He wore a splendid dress, and was a
remarkably well made man, of a dark copper colour, probably a Nubian by
birth. The village on the European side of the Dardanelles is not so
large as that on the shore opposite; but, being built on a declivity,
and having gardens and cypress trees intermingled with the houses, it is
far more beautiful. Sestos, the European fort, is also very strong
seaward, but is commanded by a hill that rises behind it. Were the guns
well served, the vessel that should attempt to force a passage between
these two castles could only escape being sunk by a miracle.
[Sidenote: BEAUTIFUL SCENE.] As we glided onwards to our destination,
the scene became exceedingly animated: the sea was covered with
innumerable vessels having all their canvass spread; some were following
in our wake towards Constantinople even with skysails, but the superior
sailing of the Actaeon gradually left them far astern. As we passed
Gallipoli, two Russian men-of-war were lying off the town, which is of
considerable size; and in the Bay of Lampsacus, on the opposite coast,
were also several Turkish ships. The landscape on the European side of
the Sea of Marmora, in which we now were, is composed of gently sloping
hills, well cultivated, while on that of Asia, it is bolder and more
rugged.
There was now every probability of our arriving at Constantinople
to-morrow, and we enjoyed the satisfaction of sailing past the Smyrna
packet, which, having hauled too close in shore, lost the wind and lay
there quite becalmed.
[Sidenote: THE SEVEN TOWERS.] _Wednesday, May 1st._--Off Cape St.
Stefano at day break. Three Turkish frigates lying at anchor there,
fired the usual salute in honour of the festival of the Bairam, which is
repeated at sunrise and sunset from all the men-of-war and batteries
during the three days of its continuance. The guns of the fort were
shotted, like those of the Dardanelles. As the darkness gave place to
light, Stamboul disclosed itself to our anxious gaze, and we arrived
opposite the Seven Towers, just as the sun cast its morning tints over
the gilded cupolas and tall graceful minarets of this "Queen of Cities."
Long, long ago, my anxious hope was to behold, some day or other, the
spot I was now approaching; at that time with little chance of its ever
being accomplished, but now fulfilled to my perfect satisfaction. The
Seven Towers, and the city walls, which are in many places thickly
covered with ivy, appear to be in a very ruinous condition. These latter
are trebled on the land-side, having a ditch between each. From the
numerous fragments of marble and granite columns, many of them bearing
inscriptions, every where intermingled with the masonry, it is evident
that the fortifications of Constantinople were built of the remnants of
the ancient capital. This is peculiarly visible in the neighbourhood of
the seraglio, where Irene's palace is supposed to have formerly stood.
Facing the water is that portion of the suburbs inhabited by the
Armenians, but presenting no attractions to the stranger, being
exceedingly crowded and dirty; and along the shore are the stations for
washing, slaughtering cattle, and throwing into the sea the filth
collected by the scavengers.
[Sidenote: THE PASHA'S GATE.] If these objects were calculated to excite
feelings of disgust, the scene which next presented itself was beautiful
as fairy land. The ship sailed close under the lofty wall of the
seraglio garden, which is separated from the sea by only a narrow wharf.
Shady groves, bowers of oranges, roses and jasmine, lofty cypresses, and
wide spreading plane trees, embosom the elegant pagoda-shaped buildings,
which comprise the kiosks of the Sultan, and the women's apartments; all
of which, together with the stables and other inferior offices, are
richly gilt and painted of various gaudy colours. Near one of the
seraglio gates is erected a large wooden house, where many a disobedient
Pasha has awaited the decree of banishment issued against him by his
imperious master. There, too, he was shipped on board the vessel
destined to carry him into exile; or, if condemned to expiate his
offences with his life, it was there the bowstring was applied. Hence
this entrance is known by the appellation of the Pasha's gate. A little
further on, we observed a small low door in the wall, scarcely high
enough to admit an ordinary sized man. Through this opening the slaves
newly purchased, for either the Sultan or Sultana, are conveyed into the
palace; through it also, they make their exit, when barbarous jealousy
or revenge prompts their destruction; and many a lovely Dudu or Lolah,
and many a fair Sultana sewn in the cruel sack, have been borne through
this fatal opening, and cast into the
"Rolling waves, which hide
Already many a once love-beaten breast,
Deep in the caverns of the deadly tide."
[Sidenote: BEAUTIES OF STAMBOUL.] We now sailed round the promontory of
the Golden Horn, when all the beauties of Stamboul, Pera, the Bosphorus,
and Scutari, burst suddenly upon the view. Looking towards the seraglio
point is seen the richly gilded palace of the Sultan, with a gate that
glitters as if formed of polished gold; and backed by a profusion of
foliage, and the buildings of the Serai. Farther distant is St. Sophia
and the other mosques, whose golden domes and graceful, tapering
minarets, tower above the mass of painted buildings interspersed with
dark cypresses and beautiful plane trees, which covers the surface of
the "seven hills." Thousands of roses hang clustering on the trellis
work which adorns the gardens of the numerous villages, summer palaces,
and villas occupying the shores of the Bosphorus, and the harbour
between Constantinople and Galata appears crowded with ships, and with
numberless caiques, gliding rapidly from shore to shore. [Sidenote:
PERA.--SCUTARI.] Lastly, Pera, with its vast range of cypresses, crowns
the hill, and extends along the whole length of the town. Looking in
another direction, appears the burying ground of Scutari, also with its
cypress grove, many miles in extent; the mosque, and barracks of Sultan
Selim; Leander's tower in the channel which we have just quitted; and,
lastly, the Turkish fleet of many sail lying at anchor, and displaying
all their colours in honour of the Bairam.
Meanwhile, the Actaeon held on her silent majestic course towards the
destined anchorage; and as I stood upon the quarter deck, contemplating
the magnificent objects that presented themselves wherever I turned my
sight, I felt all those thrilling emotions of rapture and delight which
such scenes are calculated to inspire, and which constitute a sort of
oasis in the memory of those who have experienced them. Here nature and
art have gone hand in hand, assisting each other, and scattering roses;
here every thing that falls from the bosom of the former is rich and
luxuriant, and every thing that proceeds from the latter is novel,
extraordinary, in a word, it is _oriental_; and faults, which in more
civilised communities would be considered inconsistent with good taste,
are here ever pleasing, and seem necessary to the unity of the whole.
[Sidenote: TURKISH FLEET.] A royal salute was fired as we passed the
summer palace of Dolma Bashi, where the Sultan at present resides. It
was immediately returned by the Mahmoudie, the Capitan Pasha's ship.
What splendid vessels! Among them two are three-deckers, the largest
ships in the world, one carrying 140, the other 136 brass guns, and the
whole armament appeared to be in a condition that would not discredit an
English dockyard. Considering how short a period has intervened since
the Sultan lost his entire fleet, it is really miraculous to see him
with another, amounting to two three-deckers, four line of battle ships,
eight frigates, three corvettes, three sloops, and a number of cutters,
all completely equipped for active service. The recently erected palace
of the Sultan on the Asiatic side of the channel, next came in sight. It
consists of a long range of magnificent buildings, painted a rich
colour, between fawn and yellow, picked out with white, and profusely
ornamented with gilding. The interior, I am told, displays a singular
mixture of European and oriental luxury. Parisian furniture, mirrors,
and ornaments from Germany, Persian carpets, and hangings, in short
every thing rare or beautiful, from the east and west being collected
there. [Sidenote: CASTLE OF THE JANISSARIES.] We now passed the old
castle of the janissaries, the first fortress the Turks possessed in
Europe. It lies opposite to the beautiful valley of the sweet waters of
Asia, where the Sultan has a kiosk: and hither, in summer, the Turkish
ladies come on Sundays, Tuesdays, and Fridays, to _pic-nic_. Formerly,
when a janissary was condemned to die, he was confined in this castle.
At the appointed hour, he was led through a small arched doorway, which
opens on the Bosphorus, and there decapitated, and the body was thrown
into the sea; at the same instant the firing of a long gun, which stands
by the side of the gate, announced the execution of his sentence.
[Illustration: Drawn G. C. from a Sketch by the Author.
The Russian encampment on the Giant's Mountain from the English Palace
Garden.
Published by Longman & Co. April, 1835.]
As I before observed, every portion of the European and Asiatic coast is
covered with villas and gardens. The houses are painted of various
colours, and have verandas, with trellis work, covered with roses,
running round them. Those situated near the water are built with an
arched entrance for the caiques, through which, by means of a short
canal, they glide into the centre of the court-yard. The water here is
very deep, and we were sailing so close to the shore, that the mainyard
scarcely cleared the houses. Indeed, instances have occurred, where
the inhabitants have been surprised by the visit of a bowsprit pushing
its way through the wood-work, and carrying off the roof of their
dwellings.
[Sidenote: RUSSIAN CAMP.] We now came in sight of the Russian
encampment, and the tents which covered the summit of an extensive range
of hills, called the Unkiar Skelessi, or Giant's Mountain[7], resembled
so many snowy pinnacles. Their fleet, consisting of ten ships of the
line, a number of frigates, and small craft, lay on the opposite side of
the channel.
Beyond the village of Jani Keni, and opposite the Sultan's valley, we
also found the Russian head quarters established, and a Russian frigate
occupying the berth in which the Actaeon had anchored twice before. We
therefore passed on, and dropped anchor a little a-head of a French
frigate, opposite Terapia, and close to the Russian camp. The usual
firing immediately commenced, but, by some oversight, the Russian
admiral's salute was returned with two guns less than the usual number.
In about an hour afterwards, he sent his flag lieutenant, who spoke
English, on board the Actaeon, to inquire why we had only fired fifteen
guns when he had paid the compliment of seventeen. The omission was
immediately acknowledged, the two remaining guns discharged, and the
gallant lieutenant rowed off again well satisfied. We soon ascertained
that this sensitiveness proceeded from their anxiety to convince the
Turks that no ill-will existed between England and Russia, and that no
insult was meditated by our ship, more particularly as the British
ambassador to the Porte, was known to be on board. I doubt much,
however, if the Turks, although quite _au fait_ to all matters of
ceremony, understood the firing of the two guns afterwards.
[Sidenote: FRENCH AND ENGLISH EMBASSIES.] The town of Buyukdere, or the
deep valley, off which lies the Russian fleet, is also the residence of
the Russian, Austrian, and German ambassadors; the very hotbed of plots
and etiquette. At Terapia the French and English embassies reside
alongside each other; indications of that perfect unanimity which ought
to subsist between these two great powers; and, if they remain true to
each other, I would confidently back Terapia politics and manoeuvres
against those of Buyukdere. The French palace is a spacious building,
with beautiful and extensive gardens. That inhabited by the English
ambassador, on the contrary, is small, comfortless, and with only a
small slip of ground.
[Sidenote: RUSSIAN MILITARY MUSIC.] This day was occupied in visits from
the secretaries of embassy of the different missions. As the plague was
in Terapia a few days since, that village is put in quarantine with the
palace; which also lies under the same regulations in respect to the
Actaeon: and as the Russian sentinels refused to allow any one to land in
the Sultan's valley, we had nothing to do but to watch their drills and
parade exercises, while listening to the music of the horn bands, which
played on a hill close to our anchorage; and the beauty of these
national airs, somewhat compensated for the rudeness with which they
turned us off the shore. It was very cold in the afternoon; the shifting
of the wind to the north caused a great change in the weather, and
towards evening we were glad to keep below.
_Thursday, 2d._ It is a most lovely morning: all nature seems to rejoice
in the freshening breeze, which, blowing from the Black Sea, tempers
even the hottest days with its refreshing coolness, and extracts the
sweets from millions of roses, which ever bloom on the shores of the
Bosphorus. From the jasmine or orange flower, it floats with its odorous
burthen along the current, and lays all its perfume at the foot of
Stamboul.
[Sidenote: THE CAIQUE.] A party of us embarked in a sort of light boat
called a caique, than which no species of vessel, save the gondola, cuts
more softly and noiselessly through the waters. It is a narrow wooden
canoe, with a long beak; the outside is painted black, with a strip of
bright red inside the stern piece; and is ornamented with carvings of
flowers, and a thousand other devices. A Persian carpet, or a piece of
oil cloth, covers the part on which the foot steps in entering, and here
the slippers are left or retained, as the owner pleases. Those who ride
in them do not sit on benches, but in the bottom of the caique, on a
Persian carpet. The interior is white as snow, and there is an
ornamented back board which runs across, and separates the stepping
place from that appropriated to the purpose of a seat. It has no keel,
and the paddles are long, and broad at the end. Some caiques are rowed
by one, others by two boatmen, with two oars or sculls each; but the
most elegant of these vessels have three rowers. The _employes_ of high
station about the Porte, and the ministers of the different foreign
courts, keep superb caiques, rowed by eight, ten, or even twelve men;
but although these boats are very striking in their appearance, they
want that air of comfort and neatness which distinguish the smaller
caiques.
[Sidenote: TURKISH BOATMEN.] The rowers are either Greeks or Turks, and
wear a fez just large enough to cover the crown of the head, which is
close shaved. The remainder of their dress consists of a thin
transparent shirt, with large sleeves reaching to the elbows; and cotton
drawers fastened to the knees; both as white as snow. They are a fine
robust race of men, and their muscular sun-burnt forms are displayed to
advantage through the gauze which so slightly covers them. At each
stroke they utter a grunt, by forcing the breath suddenly from the
chest; to acquire this accomplishment, is considered a necessary part of
the boatman's education, and his character depends much upon it.
When we arrived at the landing-place of Tophana, a Turk, splendidly
habited, pulled the caique close up with a long pole, and assisted us
out; for which service he was rewarded with a few paras.[8]