The Arkansas banner., 1850-06-25

But this enchanting apartment of my owa bull ding. l found upOa entering t was long, very damp room. whose wails and aoU were of coTmon gray marble. The few articles of very ordinary furniiure sc ltered here and theH oay reminded me more fosciby oI the checrieSz discomfort Of the place. Not the chaste rays of tfe nIsOa, bat bur- ping sun poured ia through Ire windows, from which gszed out uPou no P0sacOl orange groves, bat some as yelioS margol5s and as giaringiy red cockseonnbs as ever saw iR the eomnoaess z Irden a. home. And as to uae foHntah, it was a pitifuI little stream. ia comparison wAh which soda foWR might be st4ken for cataract. aud it's siiEht patteriBg noise much more ueariy resembled the sound Of a waterfall have sometimes heard in my youth taan the romantic murman ascribed 10 water falls in general.
 The ;iine has been when death was the penalty paid by the curious Frank fer dssecrstiBg Mosque by his presence. But refoEmaii0ns have extended to religion 10 everything else. and eSen iauaii' cisn has yielded 10 the desp0tic will of the late SuI tan M4hmoa1 Of tIe zimost countless num5-r that rear their white minarets ID all pOrteBs of le city there are but two Mosques which canaoi BOw be visited by European, under the protection of ihe firman. The four royal Mosques, each one of which is adorned with four muATets, St. Sophia, the Mosqas of Mahomsd the second, the eosqa-rOr Of ConstautiRople, and those o AchiDeo aad Su!ie- man the magnificent. All ttese l visited with much curiosity and interest
 St. Sophia k the most aneieIt and may lnstiy be
 
 architecture. The marble sPl'aaors Of other tein. ples were pisgej by Jusiniar 10 contribute 10 the maguhceuce of his own. Tie ancieDt fanss of all religions and all countries adsi in its construction From the gorgeous Temple oi the Sun ai Bslbec, from the storied magnineence pf Diana of Ephssas, from Pallas at Athens, and th' Temple Of the Sua asd Moon at HeieopOls were eolunus brought 10 support Iis vast domes- EGyti was 'aass 10 yield up her antiquities for its adorlmsnt and the lotus
 lowered pillars of Isis aud Oiris were doomed 10 hear ia strange land hymn, of christian Prai es to tie ''un&uOwa God Tht rarsst architectural beauties of the Heaihea world we're cai.ea that Jas inian might surpass Sol,inon in he giories Of of his temple Aud SL Sophia, so perfect sRG So peerless, may be irBy said b be created of each ones best Almost incsicaajse treasures were tay-
 shed upon 1t, and rich Eanlrs gro tned undes the heavy contributions for is svin0ors. Before the walls had risen two yafds aboe the ground, 452 cxt of gold had been already expended. Supersti- ton threw its ail-powe,fai mysteries about this wonderful temple from its vsy foundation, and miracles said to have besg worked curing its progress. and for it's compietitn- All tie sacred vessels Of the temple were ol tIe purss, gold; the ehaiics-coths, worked with pexis aud jewels, were iorty-two tiousani in num1st: and the twenty four colossal boozs of the s.yagrsts each hai its covering Of gold, aad weighed =l cwt. The viae- zhapsd candiesteSs of parest ,old, for ths altar. vesti3uie. aud th9 galleries were SIX thousand In uauberi besides Ihese there w-H four golden eaa- Gela5ras. each adorned with cared figures in god ~eighigg | pounds, and seven J.c crosses, each weighing hnndred weight The doors wers Of amber, ivory. s4d cedar. ani the principal was of silver gilt The altar 5e costly tllan gold, aud was therefore com9oSei nf every dsserp- lion of precious naerias mattel together with gold, and crasied over with pearls aDi jewels mag niiieent cross above it. EVea ths floor was originally to have been paved with plates of gold. but the Emperor abandoned tlris ia-S. fsssRg sb@i mi-ht excite the capacity of his successors t1 destroy the entire edce. Its walls We're sdorne1 with pictures of saints ani mllepRss and ils win. dows of stained giass, representing sesptural sab)ects.
 But these. like it's golden ornaments of immenss value have passed away-lhey were sacrificed 10 the npidity and fsnaticisa Of Mahomed the sec oB1s victorious folio when he sparred his horse through the crowd Of fugilives assembled ia ;h= church, an5 springiag upon the high altar, cried out, .'th-re Is GOi but God, and Motla,n- med Is he Prophet The conqaeror turned the church into a mosque without change in its Archi- -;ecture, except some additional colamns aud minaret Its three other minarets have beea the additions of succeeding Sa'tans- Although stripped of it's golden splendors yet it's venerable age, it's strangely eveRtiui history, hay. crowded il with associations fu e( interest. Bet apart from tllese when standiag amidst the kae-lmg Mossaimans oa it's matted floor, it's vast domss deeply impressed with iheir granJeur, aud it's columns of various 0 bed me with their beauty. Its immense dome rests npon four lofty arched half-doBes, supported by elegant pillars, ana the eOin5ineu effect Of The dome and these hugh circular inches apcn which il rests is truly sublime The interi0 walls of the dOmes ali psiated the Prophets csor, gfeen and dis play slight attempts at rsde gliding. In the fouS corners of the srched doaes painted huge carogsly folded wings, representing the four six winged srchange.s of the Mtsirm faith. Gabriel, ! Micnssl, Raphael aud Israel. Upon immense cir 1 cular boards adorniUg the walls of Inc mosque ate different qu taiiohs from the Koran, in gigantic ! Arabic characters. The mlrab, lhe neche, i which indicates the ciree;eE Of Mecca, toward ! winch every Mos em mast tam his fscs when he | prsys. is not in Ike d the church, but i. l turned sideways, so that the congregation d. ways arranged in transverse ines. A one side oi the church IS placed the perfectly plain EiRbeT pulpit, from which. every F6day, which is the i Mohammedan' Sabbath the ehutlb or reader reads a solemn prayer for the Sultan. IL is asceaded by lofty flight of narrow steps, asd is decorated by a lag each side, which denotss the triumph Of ls lam over christianity, and of the Koran over the BIhls The ordinary puiait fU preaching is ptseee iu the centre ot the mosque. Tbs exterior of St. SophiaiI, with it's eomes and mRarets. is grand ana ma eSsie. About the enc vast d0me cluster a num- Der of smaller of different sizes which present the novel sppeAyanee ol huge pile 0f doases in something of pOrshidal form. which IS most im- posing From each corner of the outer wss of the baIliing towels grsce!ai mtnsFrt, which most wonderfully increases the novel and beautiful effect of inc domes, especially from a distance. As my own isea ef a minsrcs was sn indtstiOet confusion of caPoia and sp5e hope yoar reaieFs will forgive ms for attempting 10 descFtbs what tnis orBamieat ol every mosque, Of which had heard much aud knew liiie, reaiy is ;ninaret is a tail aad beautifully propoFtioRsd eOlama of the same size from its to Inc circasE projecting gallery above which Is highly ornam@ied, ike eapitoi from the of this gallery rises il were, another column of much smaller dine -nsions which Is t-r- minated by a conieAi metal cap. most gracefully taperng to point The effect of this hght and elegant straetare that ls pointed top i~o hundred feet toward heavea, IS novel sad beautiful beyond description. TEe minaret Is not badt up from the ground. bat Tests the flat rOof of the mosque its foundation, and generally rises from each corner fbe miBaret has ltain it \ spira. staircase. which leads ap te rouad gallery, from wisieh the maes=tm hvs Hines day calls the people 10 prayers bY loud whiaiag sort of chant, which the stated times esoaad through the city instead of ths ringing of bells