hill, the upper part of which is PERA, where all the foreign ambassadors and consuls reside, and where are the hotels and shops frequented by Europeans. The Golden Horn separates it from Stamboul, and Scutari is separated from it by the entrance of the Bosphorus; Scutari is the Asiatic quarter. The chief objects of interest to the tourist are first, and, before all, the beautiful situation of the city, and the splendid views everywhere obtainable, the mosques, the Hippodrome and its monuments, the Seraglio, ancient Greek churches, the walls, the cemeteries. One of the finest views is to be had from the Genoese tower at Galata. The dancing dervishes can be seen several times a week in their fine mosque at Pera, and the howling dervishes twice a week at Scutari. Constantinople, called by the Turks Stamboul or Istamboul, was originally called Byzantium. In 330 A.D. the emperor Constantine gave it his own name. From this time dates its importance. It continued henceforth to be the residence of the Roman and Byzantium Emperors, until taken by the Turks in 1453. Since that time it has been the capital of Turkey. It is situated in latitude 41 deg. north, and longitude 28 deg. 59 min. east, on the eastern side of the Bosphorus, near to its opening into the Sea of Marmora. A narrow arm of the sea, called the Golden Horn, extends about five miles into the land, and forms a safe harbour, with water of sufficient depth to float the largest men-of-war. Constantinople proper, or Stamboul, lies entirely on the south side of the Golden Horn, and is protected by a wall built by the Byzantium Emperors. The wall is 12 miles in circuit, and is pierced by 28 gates. That of Top-Kapussi is the one by which the Turks entered when they stormed the city, and where the last of the Palæologi died in the fight. The suburbs of Galata, Pera, and Tophaneh are on the northern side of the Golden Horn. On the Asiatic side of the Bosphorus lie Scutari and Kadikoi (the ancient Chalcedon). The city itself is built on hilly ground, and from this circumstance its numerous gardens, mosques, palaces, minarets, and towers, present a magnificent appearance from the Golden Horn. The scenery of the Thracian Bosphorus is of almost unrivalled beauty. A nearer approach to Constantinople reveals the characteristics of an Eastern town: narrow, filthy streets, and miserable houses. Great fires in recent years have swept away square miles of wooden houses, and in their stead many fine stone buildings have been erected. Among the principal sights are the SERAGLIO, occupying the site of ancient Byzantium, and measuring three miles in circumference; the former Church of ST SOPHIA, now a mosque, is a magnificent structure 265 feet long, by 243 broad, and is surmounted by a flattened dome, 180 feet high. The other important mosques are those of Solyman, Achmed, Mohammed II., and Eyret. The two obelisks of the ancient HIPPODROME, the Castle of the Seven Towers, now in a state of dilapidation; the aqueducts erected by the Emperor Valens, the cistern of Philoxenus and the numerous fountains, are the other most notable objects of notice. The covered bazaars are very numerous. One feature of the city is the vast number of lean and hungry dogs which haunt the streets. GALATA is the residence of the European merchants, and the principal place of trade. Bridges of boats connect the opposite sides of the Golden Horn. Tophaneh has the Imperial cannon foundry, a mosque, and an interesting fountain. On the hill, behind Galata, is situated PERA. An inclined railway tunnel runs from Galata to Pera. Before the fire of 1870, PERA had 70,000 European inhabitants, but the catastrophe reduced them to about one-half that number. The population of Constantinople is 750,000 to 1,000,000, of whom about one-half are Mahomedans, one-fourth Greeks, and the rest Armenians, Franks, and Jews. Constantinople has several Greek, Roman Catholic, and Protestant places of worship. There are both Greek and Turkish public libraries. The manufactures are carpets, leather, and weapons. "It would be difficult for any imagination to associate in close array all the incongruous and discordant objects which may be contemplated in an hour's walk in Constantinople. The barbarous extremes of magnificence and wretchedness, and the majesty of nature, crowned with all the grandeur of art in contrast with the atrocious effects of unrestrained sensuality, fill up the varied picture. The howling of ten thousand dogs re-echoing through the streets all the live-long night, chases you betimes from your pillow. Approaching your window you are greeted by the rays of the rising sun, gilding the snowy summits of Mount Olympus and the beautiful shores of the sea of Marmora, and the town of Scutari; midway your eye ranges with delight over the marble domes of St Sophia, the gilded pinnacles of the Seraglio glittering amid groves of perpetual verdure, the long arcades of ancient aqueducts, and the spiry minarets of a thousand mosques." Steamers of the Austrian Lloyd's leave Constantinople every alternate Thursday for Smyrna and Alexandria, reaching Smyrna on Saturday, and Alexandria on Tuesday morning. Another steamer of the same line leaves Smyrna on the arrival of the direct steamer for Beyrout, Caifa, Jaffa, Port Said, and Alexandria. Beyrout is reached on Thursday morning. The Egyp tian steamers leave Constantinople fortnightly for Alexandria, via Smyrna. Smyrna, Beyrout, and Jaffa, will be described in the following routes. ROUTE 213. LONDON, PARIS, AND Fares, 20 per cent. in excess of ordinary fares. Time, from London, rather under 4 days. HE route from Paris is via Strasburg (page 541), Oos (Baden-Baden) (page 568), Carlsruhe (page 569), Stuttgart (page 553), Augsburg (page 555), Munich (page 556), Vienna (page 582), Buda-Pest (page 603), Bucharest (page 606), Ruschuk (page 606), and Varna (page 606), and thence by Austrian Lloyd's steamer to Constantinople. Carriages run from Paris to Varna without change. Baggage crossing the various frontiers is examined on board the train. Meals on the train-breakfast, 4 francs; dinner, 6 francs, wine not included. ROUTE 214. CORFU TO ATHENS, via PATRAS, CORINTH, AND KALAMAKI. Greek steamers leave Corfu for Patras, New Corinth, and the Piræus twice weekly. From New Corinth stages run across the isthmus to Kalamaki, whence the steamer is again taken for the Piræus. For description of Corfu see page 830. P ATRAS, population 35,000 (Hotels: Grande Bretagne, Grand), is the chief commercial town in Greece, and the centre of the currant trade. The principal objects of interest are an acqueduct and other Roman remains, the Temple of Ceres, near the church of St Andrew, who was crucified here. An interesting excursion is to Olympia, which occupies about 5 days. Carriages there and back, about 150 to 200 francs. At Olympia is the celebrated Temple of Jupiter, where the Olympian Games were held from 776 B.C. to 394 B.C. Great excavations are at present in progress in the neighbourhood. There is also a local museum. Opposite Patras is Missolonghi, where Byron died in 1824. Corinth is a poor village, with no hotel accommodation. Travellers here take the stage for Kalamaki. It takes about 1 hour to ascend the Acropolis, which is an immense natural citadel 1900 feet high, on the sumit of which are the ruins of a Temple of Venus and other buildings, principally Venetian and Turkish. The view from the Acropolis of the Gulf of Lepanto is very fine. It was here that Bellerophen captured the winged horse Pegasus. The site of ancient Corinth is about 3 miles from the steamboat landing. Nothing now remains of its ancient grandeur but seven columns, once forming part of a temple. Five of them have still their entablature resting on them. The stages take about 1 hour crossing the isthmus to Kalamaki, whence the steamers of the Pan hellenic Company run to the Piræus for Athens (see page 831). THE OTTOMAN EMPIRE. Turkey or the Ottoman Empire includes large portions of the continents of Europe, Asia, and Africa, and consists of Turkey proper, which is under the direct rule of the Sultan, and of numer ous dependent and tributary States governed by their own princes, as Egypt, Tripoli, and Tunis in Africa; Bulgaria, &c., in Europe. TURKEY in EUROPE, the smaller of the two divisions, is generally hilly and undulating, traversed by a mountain system which has its origin in the Alps. The great river of Turkey is the Danube, which, with its tributary the Save, forms the northern boundary. On the high lands the cold is excessive in winter, and in the valleys the heat in summer is very great. Great climatic change is the rule in European Turkey, but the districts which are sheltered from the cold winds, as the Albanian valleys, enjoy an equable temperature. The soil is for the most part very fertile, but owing to the excessive taxation, little progress has been made in agriculture. The cultivated products are maize in the south; rice, cotton, rye, and barley, in the centre; and millet in the north. The Government is a limited despotism, the sovereign being the Sultan. The next in rank is the Grand Vizier. The established religion is Mahomedanism, but all other sects are tolerated, and a Mussulman, since 1856, has been free to change his religion without being liable to capital punishment. In 1847 a new system of education was established, and schools for elementary instruction have been established throughout the country. The population of the whole Turkish or Ottoman Empire is, according to the readjustment of the country by the Treaty of Berlin in 1878, about 46 millions, the population of Turkey in Europe being 4 millions. ROUTES 215. LONDON TO ALEXANDRIA. 1. Via MARSEILLES AND NAPLES. 2. Via BRINDISI (P. and O. steamers). HE route from London to Marseilles is described in Routes 66, 81, above. The route from London to Brindisi is described in Routes 66, 81, 173, above. Fares from London via Calais to Alexandria via Marseilles, first class, £22, 5s. ; second, £14, 9s. Fares London to Alexandria via Brindisi, first class, £24, 1s.; second, £17, 158. The steamers make no stop between Naples and Alexandria, and Brindisi and Alexandria. The entrance to the harbour is very circuitous. The landing is made by means of small boats which surround every arriving steamer. If passengers are travelling under the arrangements of Cook and Son, they will place themselves in charge of the Agent, who boards every steamer. ALEXANDRIA (Hotels, see HoTEL LIST). Modern Alexandria was chiefly built on the isthmus now connecting the mainland with what was once the Island of Pharos, and also on the island itself, where the principal public buildings are situated. There are two harbours. The New Port is much exposed, and was in the days of Mahomedan exclusiveness, the only one permitted to foreign vessels. Alexandria was, until the bombardment by the British in July 1882, a flourishing city of 220,000 inhabitants. The Frankish quarter, which more nearly occupied the site of the ancient town, was wholly destroyed by incendiary fires, and that bombardment. The town, however, is being rebuilt. The palaces on the Mahmoodeah Canal, formerly the residences of the grandees of Alexandria were destroyed. This canal was formed by Mahomed Ali in 1819-20. A quarter of a million of men were forced to aid in its construction. It is cut from Alexandria to Atfeh, on the Rosetta branch of the Nile. POMPEY'S PILLAR.-The name of this celebrated column is really a misnomer. It stands on a high piece of ground, probably the loftiest site in the ancient city. The shaft is of polished red granite, the capital and pedestal are of inferior workmanship. The total height is nearly 100 feet. The shaft is considered to have formed part of an ancient temple, utilized in the erection of the present column in honour of Lio cletian, after his eight months' siege of Alexandria in 296 A.D., and sanguinary suppression of the rebellion of Achilleus. The MAHOMEDAN CEMETERY is very near Pompey's Pillar. It is a wilderness of stones, without fence or rail, or anything of the sort, to seclude it from the common roadway. Many of the stones have a turban roughly carved on the top; some are painted green, showing that the deceased in his day made the pilgrimage to Mecca, or was a descendant of the Prophet. The Mosque of the 1001 Columns is said to occupy the site of the old Church of St Mark, which commemorated the scene of the Evangelist's martyrdom. ROUTE 216. ALEXANDRIA TO CAIRO AND THE PYRAMIDS. B Y railway from Alexandria to Cairo is 131 miles; time, seven hours; by the express, once daily, time, five hours. The first-class carriages are good. Soon after leaving Alexandria, Lake Mareotis is skirted to the right. Early in the year the waters are abundant, and the lake appears of vast extent, but it is very shallow. As the summer advances the waters diminish, and there is a broad expanse of swamp. Thousands of birds are seen on the shores of the lake-ducks, pelicans, and every description of water-fowl. Kafr Douar is the first station. At Aboo Hommoos the Mamoodeah Canal is left, and the rail After way proceeds to Damanhoor, a arge town with cotton factories and a few good houses. Near Damanhoor, Napoleon narrowly escaped being taken prisoner by the Memlooks in 1798. passing Tel-el Baroot, the Rosetta branch of the Nile is crossed by an iron bridge, which opens to allow large vessels to pass. Here the brother of the Khedive was drowned. He was returning to Cairo from Alexandria, and the ferry bridge being out of place, the train plunged into the river. At Kafr-ez Zyat the train halts for refreshments. We are now in the Delta of Egypt. The country is very fertile, and cotton plantations, sugar fields, and grain of every kind abound. The soil is the rich mud deposited by the Nile, and the divisions of the land are not made, as in most places, by hedges and walls, but by small canals. The tourist will be interested in watching the various industries of the people. Watering the land seems to be one of the chief, and this is done by the most oldfashioned appliances. The shadoof and the sakich are both seen in frequent operation; and as these are notable Egyptian institutions, which will everywhere meet the traveller's eye, it would be better to describe them. "The shadoof is the arrangement most in vogue. It consists of a long pole, made heavy at one end, and resting on a pivot, at the other end a bucket, or large water-tight basket, which is lowered to the water and filled; and, as the heavy end of the pole goes down turns out its contents into a little gutter, whence it is worked by the foot into the appointed channels. Sometimes this is superseded by the sakich, which is a water-mill of cogged wheels, turned by a buffalo, or camel, each revolution of the whee' |