Litchfield enquirer. [volume] (Litchfield, Conn.) 1829-current, 1829-10-22
rnNsrANTINnPLE.


h nav be relied on for It's correctness, It will
be to many, at this time, very interesting
article.
Constantinople, the celebrated town of
Constantine, the ancient Byzantium, and cali
ed nv the Turks StamhOul, city Of Europe.
and capital Of the Turkish empire, is situated
on the w. side Of the BOsphorus, or straits
Of ConstantinOple, between the Black SEA
and the sea Of MarmOra. Long. 90 30, L.
Lat. ~ N.
"The view round the town has been much
admired, its elevated position, the great num-
Der Of trees, houses and minarcts, the mH]cs'
tic entrance of the BOsphOrns, the spacious
harbour surrounded by the suburbs at GaIata,
Ppra and st. Dimtri the large city OF Scn-
tart in front, the verdant hills behind H. the
P,oponts and its picturesque islands, Mount
Olympus on the back ground, its snowy sum.
mits. and the fruitful fields OF Asia and
Europe on every side, present succession OF
the finest landscapes. The stranger observes
not without emotion the natural beauties ~
the neirhborhood, and admires the excellent
pOsition of city that may be SO quickly sup
nlied with provisions, and so easily defended
in the event Of siege; from its safe and
commodiOus harbour, it seems destined by
nature to reign over two seas and two con-
tinents, but the first impression is soon eta
ced by examining the interior. Constantine
ME is i'll built, the streets are narrow, ana no
mart Of them is well paved; its irregular and
nitifnl houses are like Turkish barracks or
clay and wooden cottages; c0nfagrations are
of ordinary occurrence, and the plague breaks
ont every wear. The moral feelings of the
; stranger are outraged, the naughty and So
le,nr air Of the Mussulmen is contrasted with
the humble, timid, and lOwly m'en OF the
Jew; foreigner, before he IS aware Ot the
difference in the dress, may discover from
mans appearance whether he IS Mussu''nan
ora Rata. The Fanar, which forms a part OF
the town is inhabited by the wretched de-
scendants of the Byzantine families; these
degraded men crouch under the Mussnlman's
sword, assume the titles Of princes, and cheap
en- the Temporary sovereignties Of WailachIa
and MOldavia faithful representatives OF the
Low. Empire submissive to every power. 10
amass wealth is the sole business OF their
lives. nv honest or dishonest means is to them
equally Indifferent.
"The seragliO or the principal palace has
been considered a great ornament to the
town; it must be confessed that the view
from the side near the BosphOrns Is romantic'
but the building is confused mass OF prs
ons, barracks and gardens; It forms sepa,
rate city. the seat Of Asiatic debauchery ana
African slavery; homer. generosity compass
sion, the best feelings Of our nature are ban
ished from its walls.
zone venerable monument of antiquity,
the church dedicated to divine wisdom, by
the Emperor Justinian in the sixth century,
now vulgarly called Saint Sophia, has for
tunately been spared hut it is certain that it
must have been demolished, had it not been
converted into mosque; its effects are i'm
posing, although the style of architecture is
much inferior to that which distinguishes the
classical epoch. The ancient HippOdrOme is
now a public walk, the CyclObiOn or the mod
crn castle of the seven towers is hut weak
citadel, in which the ambassadors OF the pow
ers at war with the Porte arc confined. The
most remarkable mosques are those Of the
Sultan Achmet and the Sultan Waldo, and
another called the SOlinami: such are the
principal ediRces; they are seen to the great
est advantage when the whole town is lila
minated: they might add, perhaps, to the
beauty Of landscape. but when examined
singly, they appear without majesty ana
without grace. We are apt from their fran
and clumsy appearance, to connect them
with the works of men in the pastoral state.
1.-THE population Of ConstantiDople is va
r;onslv estimated from 100000 to 100000. !
About one half are Turks, and tire remain
der Greeks, Christians, Armenians, Franks,
and jews.
"Pera and Galata. two large suburbs. are
situated beyond the harbor of Constantine
IS pie, which is about 5000 yards in length and
from 500 to 500 in breadth. Pera is built on
a height; it is the residence Of the foreign
ambassadors and the Europeans who are not
permitted to remain at ConstantinoPie; the
great warehouses and granaries are situated
at Galata, which is near the port and the Gus
tomhouse it 10 surrounded with bitches and
walls Aanked with bastions. The inhabitants
of these suburbs consist chiefly OF foreigners
from all nations; their number is SO great
that the, Pera and Galata have been cOmpar-
ed to the tower of Babel the languages spO-
ken are the Turkish. Greek, Hebrew. Arme-
nian, Arabian, Persian, Russian, Wallachian,
German. French. Italian, and Hugarian.-
The degenerate Greeks surpass all the stran-
gers in espionage and political intrigue.
"a great many villages almost concealed
by lofty trees are scattered along the BOsphO-
rus it is there that Bechick- IGdch or the
summer palace of the Sultan is situated
Belgrade appears at distance behind it, and
is inhabited in one season Of the year by the
most wealthy Christian families in Pera and
Galata; il is sheltered from excessive heat.
the air is pure and salubriOus. an extensive
plantation Of fruit -trees, verdant meadows
and limpid streams adorn the immediate vi
cinity the town is not exposed to the plague