The Litchfield County post. [volume] (Litchfield, Conn.) 1826-1829, 1828-08-14

dicative of the estimation in which they hold
them. The Greeks Yeshir, or slaves, as they
were considered to have forfeited their life at
the taking of COnstantinople, and hold it ever
since on sutferance the Armenians Rayas or
subjects, as they were never conquered
people, hut merged insensibIy into the popu-
latiOn of the empire; but the Jews they call
Mousaphir, or visitors because they sought
an asylum among them. They treat them,
therefore as visiters with kindness and hos.
pitality." All the subjects Of Turkey, who
are not Turks, are loosely called Rayas.
! The author also notices a different matter
in Constantinople, which may form feature
in its immediate destinies We aIlude to a
cistern mentioned by Gillius, which Dr..
Clarke searched for in vain, but which our
author discovered, and found it exactly as
described by him. 1--WE entered (says he) a
private house, descended deep flight Of steps,
and found ourselves on the border of a sub
terranean lake. extending under several streets.
The roof was arched, and supported by S36
magnificent marble pillars; number of
tubes descended into the water, and supplied
the streets above the inhabitants Of which,
as Gillius Justly observes, did not know
whence the water came-'IncOlas ignorare
cisternam mira edes sus positam.' Of all the
reservoirs which the.prudent precautions of
the Greek emperors established, this is the
only one which now exists as a cistern and
such is the apathy and ignorance of the
Turks, that they themselves, it appears, did
not, in the time of Gillius, three hundred
years ago. and do not at present, generally
know of its existence. The Turk, through
whose house we had access to it, called it
Yere batan Sarai. or the Subterranean Pal
= fh .,.L>l
SEES were also over it, dio not know any thing
about it. Indeed, from the state of neglect
in which the walls and every thing about il
been visited or repaired since the Turks en-
ever approach and lay siege to the city, a
supply of water will be its first object. In it's
present state, if the besiegers cut offthe COM
munication with the bends. which it is to be
presumed they would do in the first instance,
the city could not hold out for "A week. 1t
appears that the Sultan has prudentIy suppIi-
ed it with corn; it IS probable that he will
clear out the cislerns, and supply it with wa
ter also.
1.-THE city Of Constantinople (he goes on to
state) is built on triangular promontory pro-
jectng into the sea of Marmora two sides
are washed by the sea. and the third is that
which connects the triangle with the main
land, and may be called its base. These
sides were all we'll fortified with walls, which
still remain, though in several places so dilap-
idated as to be incapable of any defence, W it'll
out great preparation. The whole circuit is
estimated at more than twelve miles the
side washed by the harbor, three that wash
ed by the sea of Marmora, four: and the
base Il. e. the wall and fortifcations) FIVE
miles extending from sea to sea, and termin-
ating in the Seven Towers"
| The narrative continues to rise in interest
1--WE now arrived at the TOP Kapousi,* or
Gate of the Cannon, which was the gate where
Mahomet entered the devoted city. 1t is
called Top Kapousi, because the Turks have
set over it some large globes of granite. such
as they use for balls in their immense pieces
of ordnance: and they have placed them
here to commemorate the spot where they
entered and took possession Of the capital Of
| the Christian world. At some distance, in
front of the gate, is an artificial mound, called
| Maltepe, which | assembled. The summit
commands a magnificent view of the city, the
Sea of MarmOra, and the country for very
great extent all round it. Here it was that
Mah0met displayed the standard Ofthe prOph-
ct, and directed the attack on this side" The
author then expresses his admiration of the
resistance offered by the disheartened Greeks,
which he imputes to the genius and spirit of
one individual. and says: ''That one man
was Constantine Paalogus.-The name of
Constantine occurs more frequently than that
Of any other in the history af the lower en-
pire it was borne by fourteen emperors
but they were all marked by imbeciIity. ex-
cept the first and the Iast-he who founded
the empire, and he in whom it terminated -
The details given of this termination, and Of
the character and conduct of him who en-
deavored to avert or delay it, are particularly
affecting; and his devotion of himself to the
canse of his country, when it could no longer
be preserved, and seeking death in the midst
of his enemies, are worthy ofthe best ages OF
Greece or Rome. The breaches which re-
main in the wall for considerable extent
near this Top Kapousi gate, and which the
Turks have never since repaired, attest the
vigorous resistance made. land the utter hope
lessness of any further effort to stop the tor
rent of barbarians that poured in through
them. The body of Constantine was found
in one of them, where he had placed himself
as the last, but inefc ctual, barrier: aud a
magnificent tree is now growing out of it, to
mark, as Clarke says, 1.-THE sacred spot where
the last Of the PaI9ologi fell"
As this is the side on which the Russians