Part 2 (1/2)
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 ca.n.a.l, they glide into the centre of the court-yard. The water here is very deep, and we were sailing so close to the sh.o.r.e, that the mainyard scarcely cleared the houses. Indeed, instances have occurred, where the inhabitants have been surprised by the visit of a bowsprit pus.h.i.+ng 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 s.h.i.+ps 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 anch.o.r.ed twice before. We therefore pa.s.sed 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 s.h.i.+p, more particularly as the British amba.s.sador 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 EMBa.s.sIES.] The town of Buyukdere, or the deep valley, off which lies the Russian fleet, is also the residence of the Russian, Austrian, and German amba.s.sadors; the very hotbed of plots and etiquette. At Terapia the French and English emba.s.sies 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 s.p.a.cious building, with beautiful and extensive gardens. That inhabited by the English amba.s.sador, 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 emba.s.sy 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 sh.o.r.e. It was very cold in the afternoon; the s.h.i.+fting 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 refres.h.i.+ng coolness, and extracts the sweets from millions of roses, which ever bloom on the sh.o.r.es 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 s.h.i.+rt, 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 a.s.sisted us out; for which service he was rewarded with a few paras.[8]
A fountain of singular beauty is here erected in the centre of the fish and vegetable market, which, from its vicinity to the a.r.s.enal, and from its being the landing-place for all pleasure boats coming from Scutari and the neighbouring villages of the Bosphorus, is constantly occupied by a crowd of idlers.
In the street leading up to Pera, the throng, which was also considerable, presented an infinite variety of novel and picturesque costume. The pavement is bad, but very clean, and greatly exceeds in this respect the narrow streets of the generality of Italian or Scotch towns. There is no cry of ”heads below;” and a man may wander about at night without any fear of other rain than that of heaven, provided he carries a light with him.
[Sidenote: PERA.--DESTRUCTIVE FIRE.] Pera is recovering but slowly from the destructive fire, which two years ago ravaged this quarter of Constantinople; for, owing to the unsettled condition of public affairs, and the uncertainty as to who may be the future masters of this capital, the rich are unwilling to embark their property in building speculations on any very extensive scale. However, three handsome streets have been finished, the houses of which appear better and more commodiously built than they were formerly. Having secured apartments in a very comfortable lodging-house, kept by one Guiseppino Vitali, we paid a visit to Mr.
Cartwright, the consul-general, perhaps one of the most excellent and kind-hearted individuals ever invested with the consular authority.
Since the fire, he has built a very comfortable house, where he exercises a generous and unbounded hospitality.
[Sidenote: HOSPITALITY OF THE BRITISH CONSUL.] From Messrs. Black and Hardy, our bankers in Galata, we also experienced the most friendly attentions. We thence proceeded to Mr. Stampa's, that emporium of all good condiments, where Adrianople tongues, Yorks.h.i.+re bacon, Scotch whisky, French cogniac, Scotch ale, London porter, English cheese, and Havannah segars may be obtained for ”a consideration.” In fact, no shop can be supplied with a greater variety of articles, nor in any city upon the surface of the globe are luxuries, whether foreign or domestic, to be obtained more plentifully than in Stamboul. Returning to Guiseppino, we dined at the Europa, a good inn--at least, we had a good dinner; and as evening advanced, proceeded to Tophana, and after a two hours' pull up the Bosphorus, we arrived at the s.h.i.+p. The current runs so strong, that the boats are obliged to keep in close to the sh.o.r.e, and at three points are towed by old men and boys, who are stationed there for the purpose, and receive a few paras for their labour.
_Friday, 3d._--To-day it poured with rain without cessation, and in consequence, the amba.s.sador could not go on sh.o.r.e. In the evening I went to the palace for a few minutes, but it felt so cold and comfortless that I had no wish to remain. This is by no means a fit residence for our amba.s.sador. I returned to the s.h.i.+p loaded with newspapers, the appearance of which on the gun-room table was hailed with satisfaction, nearly a month having elapsed since any one on board had heard of the state of home and Europe.
[Sidenote: RUSSIAN MILITARY FUNERAL.] _Sat.u.r.day, 4th._--This morning a Russian soldier was buried, and we observed the ceremony from the quarter deck. He was borne in an open wooden coffin; a priest in black, and with a long beard, headed the procession, and a company of soldiers brought up the rear. On arriving at the grave, the priest put on an additional garment, having a yellow cross upon it, and then read the service, sprinkling the body at intervals with holy water (as we supposed), for the distance was too considerable to enable us to see distinctly. After each person present had repeated this portion of the ceremony as he walked round the corpse, the priest resumed his duties, scattering more water upon the body, and the lid being put on the coffin, a blessing was p.r.o.nounced while it was lowered into the grave, and with the casting in of the earth, the ceremony ended. The soldiers then filed up the hill; while the priest, disenc.u.mbering himself of his robes, proceeded to saunter about the sh.o.r.e.
[Sidenote: LANDING OF THE AMBa.s.sADOR.] At two o'clock the amba.s.sador landed in state: the yards were manned, and the salute fired. Soon after, the rest of the suite followed; and the Actaeon was now left to quiet and regular duty. The cabins fitted up for the party were cleared away in the course of an hour; and before the dinner drum beat, the main deck had been again restored to its just proportions. In the evening, my companion and self also left the s.h.i.+p, and went down to Pera, to establish ourselves for the present in the house of Master Tongo; a name by which I find our landlord is better known than by that of Vitali.
_Sunday, 5th._--On looking out of window into the street this morning, I beheld crowds of Armenian and Greek women proceeding to church, the former wearing the gashmak, or veil, and their long dark feridges, or cloaks, with red morocco slippers just peeping out beneath. They differ from the Turkish women only in not covering the nose, and having red instead of yellow slippers, in which they shuffle along slowly to their wors.h.i.+p. Of the Greeks, however, some wore over their hair embroidered handkerchiefs, arranged _a la Francaise_ in the shape of a toque; others were m.u.f.fled in cloaks of a snuff-brown colour, with a white muslin veil arranged upon the back of the head, and having both ends brought round upon the breast: thus exposing the whole face, and setting off to the best advantage the handsome regular features, and the dark eye, with its long black silky lash.
[Sidenote: VISIT TO THE BAZAARS.] After breakfast, a party was made to visit the bazaars; and we embarked at the new custom-house stairs, in Galata, where numbers of caiques lie ready for hire, and where the same scramble occurs for pa.s.sengers as at Blackfriars or Tower Stairs in England. We glided rapidly across, skilfully avoiding the numerous caiques that were plying in a contrary direction, the boatman calling out, ”On the European side,”--”On the Asiatic side,” as it suited his purpose to pa.s.s to the right or left, there appearing to be no established law for regulating their motions.
On landing at the Balouk[9], or fish bazaar, we pa.s.sed through the bazaar of drugs, called also that of Alexandria, an extensive covered building, where rhubarb, paints, senna, and other commodities of that sort, are sold in stalls fitted up on both sides of the pa.s.sage. The articles are all exposed in the most tempting manner, according to the fancy of the vendor, who sits cross-legged on the shop-board behind, waiting anxiously for his customer; and when any one stops but for an instant, he pops out his head like a spider, to ascertain whether it is a bite or not. We pa.s.sed through the pipe-stick bazaar, situated in an open street: on one side of which, pipe-sticks and amber mouth-pieces are exposed to sale; the other being almost entirely occupied by turners, who work with extraordinary neatness, considering the imperfect nature of their tools. From the bazaar where cotton handkerchiefs and shawls, English and German, are sold, we pa.s.sed to the shop of Mustapha, the scent dealer, where we established ourselves for a luncheon, consisting of pipes, coffee, and lemonade, while the various bottles of perfume,--viz. attar of roses and jasmine, musk, musk rat-tails, lemon essence, sandal wood, pastilles, dyes, all the sweet odours that form part and parcel of a sultana's toilet, were temptingly exposed to our view. From time to time, portions of these delicacies were rubbed on our whiskers, hands, and lips, to induce us to purchase; so that when we left the shop to return to Pera, we were a walking bouquet of _millefleurs_, and might have been scented a mile off. After visiting the dockyard, where a line of battle s.h.i.+p and two frigates were getting ready for sea, we climbed the hill of Pera, under the shade of the dark and splendid cypress trees covering the burial ground, and from which long avenues lead to various parts of the town. [Sidenote: PUBLIC PROMENADES.] These are the favourite walks of the Perotes; and the gay dresses of the ladies, who, in joyous parties, ramble along the silent and gloomy pathways, contrast oddly with the sad and mournful character of this place of tombs. We again strolled about in this ground after dinner; but were soon tired, the cold being too severe to be pleasant; and even the inhabitants retire early. The evenings at Pera are not agreeable, there being no public amus.e.m.e.nts into which one can enter; and society is so garbled with form and etiquette, that it is hardly worth seeking; smoking, therefore, is the only resource, and most people adopt it.
[Sidenote: PIPE-STICK BAZAAR.] _Monday, 6th._--This morning we landed at the Lemon Skalese, where the fruit bazaar stands. Here were shops full of Smyrna figs, dried dates, plums, and various other fruits; with cheese, and Russian b.u.t.ter. We went thence through the place where wax candles are sold, to the pipe-stick bazaar, where I intended to be a purchaser both of amber and cherry sticks. Of the former there are two sorts: the white, creamy, or lemon-coloured amber is the most valuable; and a large mouth-piece of the very purest is sometimes worth 5000 or 6000 piastres, equal to about 50_l._ or 60_l._ sterling. The second or yellow kind, being more common, is comparatively little esteemed, for the perfection of this article consists in its being free from flaws, cracks, or spots; and if the tube of wood can be seen through the amber, it is considered as very inferior in a Turk's estimation. There is a third sort, which is valueless from its transparency. It is either real or fact.i.tious, and often consists merely of the sc.r.a.pings and refuse morsels, melted into lumps, and manufactured into cheap mouth-pieces.
This portion of the Turkish pipe is frequently adorned with precious stones, enamelling, or carved wood, according to the fancy of the purchaser. The cost of those generally exposed for sale varies from 20 to 1500 piastres, and when one of a higher price is required, it is found in the possession of some wealthy Turkish or Armenian merchant.
The amber is imported from Dantzic in lumps; there is considerable risk in the purchase of the crude article, and hence arises its excessive dearness when it turns out well. The cherry sticks come from Persia by Trebisond; they are brought to Constantinople in pieces of about two feet long; and after being set straight, are dressed and polished with infinite care. They are united into sticks generally of five or six feet, though some are as long as twelve feet, and the junction is so skilfully concealed with the bark, that in a well-made pipe it is impossible to discover it. When repolished, they are ready for sale, being left unbored until the merchant has found a purchaser. From 30 to 100 piastres is the usual price demanded, but it differs according to the length, size, and fineness of the bark; and dark-coloured sticks are preferred to those which are lighter. Pipe-sticks are also made of rose-tree and other woods; but the favourite summer pipe is of jasmine, which is not so dear as the cherry, and is very light and flexible. I have seen them of one entire piece, measuring ten feet. These are cleaned by squeezing lemon juice through them, which is also rubbed over the outside to render them cool. Another species of pipe is the narghile or water pipe; our sailors have christened it the hubble-bubble: it is a species of hookah, consisting of a gla.s.s bowl partly filled with water, a pipe holder fitted into its taper neck, and a long flexible tube, made of embossed leather and bra.s.s wire, through which the smoke is drawn.
The bowls are manufactured of clay in various forms; some being very plain, others really elegant, with abundance of gilding and ornament.
[Sidenote: TURKISH TOBACCO.] The tobacco smoked in the ordinary pipe, is brought from the Crimea, Salonica, Latakia, Ormus, and other parts of the East. The Salonica tobacco is mild and excellent; that from Latakia, on the contrary, is strong and dark coloured. The price varies between four and ten piastres the oke, of two pounds and three quarters English; it is also sold in bales of ten okes each, at the same rate. The tobacco smoked in the narghile is of a different quality and cut: the best comes from s.h.i.+raz, and it is damped previously to being put into the clay bowl. The mode of using the narghile is not only difficult to acquire, but, to a beginner, is painful and sickening; the air being exhaled from the lungs, and replaced by the smoke and breath. Every Turk, and indeed every inhabitant of Stamboul, carries about his person a square bag, either of cachemire ornamented with embroidery, or of common silk, in which he keeps a supply of tobacco; and as the coffee-house supplies him with a pipe-stick and pipe gratis, he pays only for the cup of coffee which accompanies it. He loads his pipe from his own bag, and the boy of the establishment places a small bit of lighted charcoal on it. They may be seen by hundreds before every coffee-shop, seated on low stools, blowing clouds, sipping Mocha juice, and exhibiting the most solemn taciturnity and perfect content. In driving bargains, the Turk, having seated the purchaser at his side, presents him with coffee and a pipe, and between the puffs of smoke the negotiation is carried on. If it does not succeed, the pipe is resigned, thanks are returned for the coffee, and the business is at an end; should they agree, another pipe generally concludes the affair.
[Sidenote: THE SHOE BAZAAR.] We next went through the shoe bazaar, where are arranged thousands of pairs of slippers and boots, some of yellow, others of red morocco, and of all sizes. But the most superb exhibition consists of the embroidered slippers for the use of the women within doors; these are made of velvet, silk, or cloth, covered with gold and silk embroidery, pearls, &c. Here also are sold mirrors of different shapes, with the backs likewise embroidered in various colours and devices, intended for the fair inhabitants of the harem. [Sidenote: JEWELLERY.--BROUSSA SILKS.] Though this bazaar, from its novelty, is generally acknowledged to be the most attractive, it does not offer such splendid temptations as that devoted to the sale of jewellery, which we now entered, and which consists of a series of low, narrow arched pa.s.sages, opening into each other, and very badly paved. The shops or stalls, instead of the usual inner apartment, have only high counters, behind which sits the Armenian jeweller. Before him is placed a square gla.s.s case, in which are huddled together, in precious confusion, silver filagree coffee-cup holders, chased gold and silver boxes for talismans, silver heads for narghile, female ornaments, pastile burners, old snuff-boxes, rings, cornelian ointment boxes, gems, and agate-hilted dirks. The more valuable articles are probably kept in drawers under the counter, or in the strong room of some fire-proof khan or warehouse.
Thence I went into the Broussa silk bazaar, a square building divided into compartments, in which are piled up pieces of the silk of a thousand different patterns. The produce of the Broussa manufacture is a mixture of cotton and silk, with which gold and silver thread is frequently intermingled; the pattern is exceedingly splendid, and it is used for the gowns and jackets of both men and women. There is also a stuff made in Constantinople of similar materials, which, though all of one colour, is exceedingly handsome, and well adapted for dresses. The bazaars closing at two o'clock, we returned to Pera highly gratified with the day's excursion.
[Sidenote: RESIDENCE OF THE BRITISH EMBa.s.sY.] _Tuesday, 7th._--Went up this morning to Terapia to pay a visit at the palace, and learned that Count Orloff had arrived from Odessa as amba.s.sador extraordinary and commander-in-chief of the Russian force, with a _carte blanche_ from his sovereign as to the treaties and measures he might think fit to adopt. I went over the palace, which is but just large enough to accommodate the family of our amba.s.sador, and the _attache_ is obliged to live in a house higher up the hill, but within the walls of the government property. Returned in the evening to Pera, more than ever captivated with the beauties of the Bosphorus; though the cold weather still r.e.t.a.r.ds the progress of vegetation, and the leaves are but slowly making their appearance. Indeed so late a spring, and such inclement weather, have rarely been experienced at Constantinople before.