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a somewhat delicate , worn expression . The impression he left on my mind was , that neither good-fortune nor prosperity was likely to attend him . There are some countenances which look like a draught payable at sight , on the bank of success : such was not his . His attendants were few , and the only remarkable point in
the turn-out , was the extraordinary beauty of the Sultan ' s horse ; it was dark grey , with a nobly-arched crest , and square-cut nostril , while his delicate limbs and full deer-like eyes proclaimed a high race : the Sultan curbed him with a languid grace— -in another moment he had passed from our sight , leaving an indescribable feeling of pity behind .
If Constantinople on a nearer view disappoints you , the eye can scarce ever weary of the beautiful environs , nor the endless variety of the Golden Horn . To enjoy this to the full , we constantly hired a caique , to row indolently on the blue waters , and steep ourselves in the new and lovely world into which we were introduced . These boats are very elegant in shape and decoration , and are composed of oak or cedar , fancifully carved and varnished .
They are generally about thirty feet long and two or three m breadth . The prow , long and pointed , cuts the water like an arrow ; and thousands of these graceful barks may be seen skimming the Golden Horn at every hour of the day . They can accommodate from eight to ten persons . The dress of the boatmen , too , is most becoming —a white cotton shalwar ( a kind of shirt ) confined at the waist by a red silk shawl , a silk jacket with wide sleeves , and the red fur cap .
One of our pleasant excursions was to Mount Bulgurlu , two miles beyond Scutari—though , alas , an agreeable member of the party was absent , Colonel , who only gave himself four days at Constantinople , and had left the day before in a steamer for Balaklava , intending to view the Sultan ' s city at his leisure , returning both the ladies triste in consequence , specially the beautiful widow .
We gentlemen had been favoured with a peep at the hospital previous to our ascent of Bulgurlu ; but I must not let myself repeat an oft-given description , especially as everything is now so well arranged it would be impossible to season it with the cayenne of fault-finding . Somewhat to the disappointment of the marvel-seekers , and the
destruction of the ladies' dreams of Turkish habits , no sooner did we approach the ascent of the hill then we were surrounded by a mob of little Greek and Mahometan urchins , who besought us in strange jargon , but with gestures and petitions most unmistakably similar to those of Margate and Boulogne , viz ., to hire their ponies and themselves to assist our ascent of the mountain . Nor did we free
ourselves from the midge-like enemy till we had selected steeds and attendants from among them . The view from the top is indeed glorious . At one glance you behold the entire city of Constantinople , with the suburban towns of Galata , Pera , and Scutari . Palace , chiosk , seraglio , mosque , minaret , and spire , the thousands of shipping mirrored in the glassy waters of the Golden Horn , the distant Hellespont , and nearer Marmora ,
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Untitled Article
a somewhat delicate , worn expression . The impression he left on my mind was , that neither good-fortune nor prosperity was likely to attend him . There are some countenances which look like a draught payable at sight , on the bank of success : such was not his . His attendants were few , and the only remarkable point in
the turn-out , was the extraordinary beauty of the Sultan ' s horse ; it was dark grey , with a nobly-arched crest , and square-cut nostril , while his delicate limbs and full deer-like eyes proclaimed a high race : the Sultan curbed him with a languid grace— -in another moment he had passed from our sight , leaving an indescribable feeling of pity behind .
If Constantinople on a nearer view disappoints you , the eye can scarce ever weary of the beautiful environs , nor the endless variety of the Golden Horn . To enjoy this to the full , we constantly hired a caique , to row indolently on the blue waters , and steep ourselves in the new and lovely world into which we were introduced . These boats are very elegant in shape and decoration , and are composed of oak or cedar , fancifully carved and varnished .
They are generally about thirty feet long and two or three m breadth . The prow , long and pointed , cuts the water like an arrow ; and thousands of these graceful barks may be seen skimming the Golden Horn at every hour of the day . They can accommodate from eight to ten persons . The dress of the boatmen , too , is most becoming —a white cotton shalwar ( a kind of shirt ) confined at the waist by a red silk shawl , a silk jacket with wide sleeves , and the red fur cap .
One of our pleasant excursions was to Mount Bulgurlu , two miles beyond Scutari—though , alas , an agreeable member of the party was absent , Colonel , who only gave himself four days at Constantinople , and had left the day before in a steamer for Balaklava , intending to view the Sultan ' s city at his leisure , returning both the ladies triste in consequence , specially the beautiful widow .
We gentlemen had been favoured with a peep at the hospital previous to our ascent of Bulgurlu ; but I must not let myself repeat an oft-given description , especially as everything is now so well arranged it would be impossible to season it with the cayenne of fault-finding . Somewhat to the disappointment of the marvel-seekers , and the
destruction of the ladies' dreams of Turkish habits , no sooner did we approach the ascent of the hill then we were surrounded by a mob of little Greek and Mahometan urchins , who besought us in strange jargon , but with gestures and petitions most unmistakably similar to those of Margate and Boulogne , viz ., to hire their ponies and themselves to assist our ascent of the mountain . Nor did we free
ourselves from the midge-like enemy till we had selected steeds and attendants from among them . The view from the top is indeed glorious . At one glance you behold the entire city of Constantinople , with the suburban towns of Galata , Pera , and Scutari . Palace , chiosk , seraglio , mosque , minaret , and spire , the thousands of shipping mirrored in the glassy waters of the Golden Horn , the distant Hellespont , and nearer Marmora ,