The Sun.
London, England, 1836-10-14 00:00:00

SINGULAR MODE OF PROCURING

WATER IN TURKEY.

(From a Correspondent of the Morning Post)
At no period within the memory of man have the inhabi-
tants of this capital suffered more from the scarcity of water
than during the present summer. Owicg to the extraordi-
nary drought which has uninterruptedly prevailed for the
last nine months, not only every well and cistern in town
dried up, but even the public fountains have for some weeks
ceased to flow. Mussulmans are proverbially of an endur-
ing temper ; privation from water, however, they put up
with less easily than other people, the Prophet not allowing
his followers the faculty of finding a succedaneum among
other beverages to water ; enjoininc, them, moreover, five
times a-day, to perform ablutions, and the bath being a sine
qua non to the delectations of the harem. No matter of
surprise, therefore, if Government, on hearing the infuriated
mob attributing the scarcity of water, not so much to the
absence of rain as to the improvidence of the authorities in
repairing the aqueducts and cleansing the reservoirs of the
city, has, by way of appeasing it, summoned a Divan, and
invited it to deliberate on the measures most advisable un-
der the existing category. After the assembly had listened
to numerous hydraulic plans proposed, and proved them to
he either impracticable, or inadequate to meet the imme•
diate exigency, the following suggestion of an octogenarian
Imaum readily obtained their unanimous assent. I lay
claim to the gratitude of Englishmen for the discovery I
am about to communicate, for though certainly the applica-
tion of it may seldom be a desideratum in our genial cli-
mate, yet the knowledge of an infallible means for obtaining
rain ad libitum may enable some of them, when in zones
less favoured with wet weather than our own, to afford in-
stantaneous relief to the sufferings of their parched-up po-
pulations. The readiest way, perhaps, to guard against the
commission of error in executing the Imaum's receipt for
obtaining rain will be to relate the manner in which it was
prepared, under his immediate superintendence, on Friday
last, at the Sweet Waters of Europe. This important task
had been confided to fifty individuals, chosen on account of
the reputation of their sanctity, out of the different orders
of Dervishes, Fakirs, Turbedars, and Hodjazs. Each of
these was accompanied by a numerous train, composed of
children from the public schools, besides their acolytes from
the Medressehs, the Imaum at their head. They advanced
at a solemn pace to a meadow, situated close to the banks
of the bed where the river Barbyus, in better times than
the present dry one, rolls its floods. After moving three
times round its circumference, at a given signal each of the
holy brotherhood, having squatted himself on the grass,
placed before him a couple of bags, one filled with small
pebbles, the other one empty. Taking one of these pebbles,
and reverently holding it close to the mouth, each of them
muttered the same prayer over it, and, after breathing three
times over its surface, placed it in the empty bag, while the
children's ready chorus at each removal sung out " Amen."
The same ceremony was repeated with unabating-'devotion
till the Imaum, having ascertained by calculation that the
number of consecrated pebbles amounted to 72,000, ordered
them to be thrown into a large leathern sack, which was
brought into the centre of this holy circle. Its aperture
having been as hermetically closed as could be done with a
strong cable's assistance, this sacred recipient was hurled,
amidst ululations capable of rending in twain the welkin,
into the river. So powerfully, as it was foretold by the
Imam, did the re-action which then arose between this
concentrated essence of holy men's breath and prayers and
the liquid element influence the firmament, that its hitherto
closed cataracts were instantaneously let loose, and an abun-
dant shower of rain fell during the night. So strong to the
saying of every true believer, is the affinity established be-
tween these pebbles and rain, that if by accident they
were allowed to remain where the Imaum has thrown them
a second deluge would cover the face of the earth. It must,
therefore, have proved re-assuring to their apprehensions to
know that, with the view to prevent the recurrence of a
similar calamity, the provident Imaum has secured this omi-
nous sack with the cable of a line-of-battle ship, and that he
has, moreover, pledged his word, as soon as the rain shall
have set in properly, to remove it to a spot where every
means has been taken to obviate the appalling possibility of
its coming in contact with the slightest particle of moisture

CORDOVA.—He is a small slightly-made man,
stooping somewhat in the shoulders, and with a face expres-
sive of nothing save a look of languid discontent, to which
a sharp twinkling eye gave the characteristic air of a Jew
clothes dealer. His gait and manners were slow and saun-
tering, and impressed the spectator with the idea of a man
shattered with disease or enervated by dissipation. His
dress, on the three occasions that I happened to view him
minutely, was uncouth and slovenly, consisting of a long
brown redingote, that by its want of shape and fit reminded
me of I'aganini's, and a scarlet cloth waiscoat, closely but-
toned to the chin by a single row of gilt buttons, a small
cocked-hat stuck on one side of his head, with a cockade
expressive of the loyalty wanting in his heart, and a pair of
worsted hose or leggings strapped below the knee, with
large silver spurs buckled on the heels. He wears no beard
or whiskers, but indulges in a pair of stunted mustachios on
the upper lip, which add to the expression of languid non-
chalance predominant in his countenance. In a word, see
Luis Fernandez de Cordova in a crowd, without knowing
him to be Duke of Mendigorria and Count de Arlaban,
and he would be taken for a sickly attorney or a discontented
tailor.—Twelve Mouths in the British Legion.

Much having been said about " pigeon expresses,"
and the cipher employed for the intelligence conveyed by
them, a specimen of one of them may not be unacceptable.
It was taken about two months ago from a pigeon shot
near Folkestone, and was found fastened to the tail of the
bird. The despatch was from London, intended for Paris,
and runs thus :

" London, Aug. 2.
" pziy, pzig, pkim, pkky.
" 35152316 ky.
" > gg gz im.
" Do not forget 2534,242131.
" There have been fluctuations at Amsterdam, ascribed
to the illness of Mr. Rothschild. Here it is said that he is
dead, and to that is attributed 2215 35 15 2316161634.
The Paris prices were known here at 1-1, but 1 think the re-
moval of Cordova the cause that there has not been a
greater sensation. Perhaps coupons or 31112127241035,
1235,3424172617."

On the outside.

" Aug. 3.—Sent off 3 pigeons ; have 6 left."
N.B. The original is in French.

MEMORIALS OF MRS. HEMANS.—A melancholy
interest attaches to Mr. Chorley's " Memorials of Mrs. He-
mans." Few can read the mutual correspondence between
her and Bishop Heber, and Miss Jewsbury, and not regret that
fatal destiny by which three of the most amiable and gifted
writers of the day were hurried to the grave in comparatively
the prime of their lives.

A SEAMAN OF THE OLD SCHOOL.—One who
likes to see all things put to rights in regard to the god of
his idolatry (Nelson) sends us the following :—lt is gene-
rally received that the word " Every" was used in Nel-
son's celebrated telegraphic communication to his fleet at
Trafalgar. Now, from personal examination of the log-
book of the Victory on the day of that memorable battle
the numercial telegraphic flags were hoisted in the following
order :

253
269
238 .
471 .
958 ~
220 ~
370 ~

England
. Expects
EACH
Alan
Will
Do
His

4 D
21 U
19 T
24 Y
The same sturdy tar, wishing also that all things should be
made right with regard to Nelson elsewhere, although in a
different way, thought it of much importance that a party
of the St. l'iorenzo should be formed by himself andalcdon:e--
rades, then " half-seas-over," and ashore at Portsmouth,
to inspect the monument erected to the memory of their
hero, on Portsdown-11i11, which forms
____fortn.s,
ifaell,aenrdbnelarskhotfor all
ships coming into the harbour. On their arrival at that
Con-
fined, twhieleyninallmivee:liaaitiedlythdeeymolished all the fences around its
base, swearing that Nelson was never " in irons," or con-
main so there.

MAJOR SKINNER'S OVERLAND JOURNEY TO
INDIA.—" We have rarely met with a more agreeable book
of travels than this. It has 110 want of depth, and it has
infinite freshness and vivacity. .
Everything that is described
is felt as a likeness. Nye recognise it by its strong marks
of reality, as we recognise the portrait of a person whom
we have not seen when painted by a master hand. The
charm of truth and nature runs through the volumes. A
eye 0 f a shrewd
vigour, and faithfulta eto
better, plainer, or more straightforward style could not be
imgined. Everything is written down just as it struck the
particle of assumption or of " got up" profundity in
anyncloet a arpnoperasti to, n o f the
:1) 1
is
i ie
er
ic
practised.er;anpdenn: ithnaielirethies
The Edinburgh Advertiser is hardy enough_ to assert as a
fact that the House of Lords is popular inScotland. Why,
it was but a day or two ago that au address was presented
from the very city in which the Advertiser puts forth this
extraordinary declaration, calling, in terms which cannot be
this misunderstood fora reform in that branch of the Legislature.
sLciibteyra(lc continueshfiecehleinstgeoan and
Reform to
measuresbe olei increase ep aospenl in
r
as ever, despite the hole-and-corner meetings of the Tories,
and the last dying struggles of the old corporation, and the
many vain endeavours that are made to turn the tide of
lthe
are
popular feeling. The revision of voters on the burgesses'
lists before the mayor and assessors, on Tuesday se'nnight,
has added new partisans and fresh strength to the popular
cause.—Brighton Guardian.