Massachusetts spy and Worcester advertiser. [volume] ([Worcester, Mass.]) 1823-1825, 1824-05-26

| UranQees OF Inc Umpire, Ia Impefla
Mosques j. e. vast and splendid Temples
for the worship Of God, all of them rich
ly-endowed with ample revenues deri
we'd from the rents of real property long
ago devoted to their support.
For example, the revenue ofthe Grand
Mosque of Saint Sophia is more than a
million of piastres per annum, equal 10
Sl25, 900; that of the Mosque of Sultan
Selim is 100000 piastres; that of Sultan
Acbmet 25O, 1000; that Of Sultan Baiazet
300, 1000; and none Of the other Imperial
Mosques have less than $4,000, 100000
or 10000 piasters per annum. As it is
principal ofthe religion OF those peo-
pie that piety to God should always be
accompanied with good works towards
man, those Mosques. have attached to
them LIST, Colleges, called Medarses,
devoted TO teaching Theology and Juris-
prudence, Cd, Imareths, or Hotels, where
the students are nourished gratis. The
lmareths Of Constantinople feed every
day more than $4,000 souls; and 3dly,
Hospitals for the sick and insane, of
which the most considerable are those
attached to the Mosques Of Sultan Suly-
man, Sultan Bajazet, and Sultan Selim.
10 addition to these praise-worthy proofs
of Imperial liberality devoted to the
public good, there are at Constantinople
over 200 other Mosques and about 1850
schools, built and endowed by the great
men of the Ottoman Empire. In these
schools the children of the poor are in
structedgratis, in reading, writing, gram
mar and the principles of their religion;
and certain number are fed daily. In
addition to this, many of the Mosques
have attached 10 them Public Libraries.
There exists at present at Constantine
Pile So. The most modern has been built
by the reigning Emperor; it is a beau
tiful ediice of white marble, and stands
opposite the I1ippodrome. He has also
in the Palace of the Seraglio choice
collection, amounting to 10000, Of the
most valuable Oriental M. S. S.
The Public Libraries already men
toned contain each from 1000 to 5000
volumes, all manuscripts Of most exquis-
lie execution, bound in Morocco, and
each book enclosed in an etui or case of
the same the whole contained in Cabi-
nets fronted with glass OF trellis work
ofgilt bronze. These Libraries are open
to the public every day in the week, ex-
cept Tuesdays and Fridays. Any body
may go there and read, extract from, or
transcribe any book he chooses to call
for.
Constantinople also contains more than
800 Baths, at many Of which the poor
are served gratis. Public Fountains,
know not how many, probably several
thousands, some of them magnificent ed
ihces adorned with variegated marbles
and "a profusion of gliding.
If you add to this the Barracks of the
Jannlssaries, capab4e of accommodating
$4,000 soldiers, some of them adorned
with luxury Of architecture not emily
superhuous but wisplaced-also the spa
cious and numerous Khans and Caravan
serais tor the accommodation of travel
lers-and the vast Bezestiens for the
sale of merchandise from all parts of the
world, some ofwhich Bezestiens have
no doubt cover as much ground as the
whole OF Boston Common, and you will
be satisfied that no city in the world con-
tains so many edifces erected for the ac-
commodation of the public as Constanti-
nople.
For the information of your CONNER
cial friends have to state to you, that
CoDstantinople is an immense market
for rice, sugar, and coffee, (gran they
get here from the Black Sea cheaper
than we could furnish it) the duties are
only from 2 l-2 to per cent. ad yalo-
rum, consequently a great deal of mon-
ey is made by European merchants es-
tablished here. Sugar sells at present
here at 100 piastres per quintal-a pi-
astre being equivalent to one eighth of
a'dollar-Cofee sells for l-2 piastres
per oke, which is about equal to 2 l-2
lbs. avOlrdupois."
a countryman passing burial ground
near Cupar, one night some, weeks ago,
observed two or three men inside the
wall, and suspectiug them to he disturb
ers ofthe dead, challenged them as he
approached with their unhallowed pur-
pose. One Of them made an answer in
an under tone that they were not resur-
rection men but smugglers, and that il
he would venture over the wall. they
would make il worth his while 10 keen
their secret. The man did not scruple
to join them, and was conducted to lit.
tie building adjoining the steeple where
they and their stores were deposi
here by the gllmmering of the starlight
he was able to discover a well filed
h.