Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, Va. [W. Va.]) 1852-1859, 1853-02-24

| Turkish belief in Destiny-Fre in Constantine
ple-Prospscts Of that City-Lslands of tn.
Bgan-Reeopery Of Grecian Liberiy--Ganc.
at Italy.
On reaching Constantinople it was necessaryt
see the Sublime Porte about my Arabian. He wa.
too glad to get him. particularly as gratuity. H
rode him several times during my stay, round th..
environs of the city, and the steed seemed to b..
more admired than his rider. The Sultan locke.
more like gentleman than we had supposed.
An American Commodore had recently persuade
him 10 make some changes in his dress, greatly
his advantage. The Turkish robe Is an lrksom
affair, compared with our tunic. The plaid
the Caledonan with its stripes crossing each otht
at night angles. IS far more convenient, and Ger
| tainly more picturesque.
The Turks odd people. They all be
| lieve III destiny. If an earthquake shakes Con
| stantinople, the people, unlike the South Amen
cans, STAY in their houses. If the plague arise
| they are bent on dying. If felucca be overake
| in blow, the oars of the boat are suspended.
they go into battle they won get of the cours
of the balls. If fire break out in the city, the
won't run TO the Busphorus for thimble full a.
water. They believe that the Great Allah ha
| constituted destiny. But the Turkish gallies rar
off at the battle of Lepanto in the reign of SeliE
Second, and The Turkish soldiers we're muc
alarmed before Sobesk, the King CT Poland
Still the belief in destiny seems universal. ]
was quite amusing to witness the stupid ~ of tn
Turks at ConStantinople, at a huge fire, whic
took place here in the city during my stay. Ow
ing narrow street, anu the cOmOIStIOe materials
| their houses, fires make prodgIouS havoc in tn
| three cornered Constantinople. This fire, O.
which we speak, was Tremendous. The Ottona,.
palace had liked TO have gone, and we haveseen thi
Seraglio burnt. There is but step from the su
bllme to the ridiculous. The comhagration wa
sublime, bus not Turk would uncroSS his leg
and this was enough to make Persian laugh
Napoleon was accustomed to speak of the burnin
| OF the krenlin with amazement; but could h
have seen this fire on the Bosphorus has amaze
ment would have ceased. 1t was like sea that
had totally loStits level, and the waves of fire.
dashed up and down i'll Superative grandeur. Il
looked like consuming ST. Sophia and even the
very harbor Of the golden HON. Minarets were
but Straws in its touch, and muezZlnS were too
much startled to call the hour of prayer. The
very JaniZzarieS stood aSioniSed at the mischief
| they had done. After such destruction eye APP
peared to be left in my head for the noble pros
poets to be from the city taking in the charm
ing coasts of the Lesser Asia and meighboring CT
ties and towns.
These prospects SurpaSs anything that has ever
fallen under my nctlce, save those which be
seen from the environS of Washington Placed
in luXuriant climate what might not CONSTANT
| nope become. How great are its commercial ad-
vantages. Neptune himself could not have chos-
en- for 1t better position better avenues through
whch 10 despatch TO it the treasures Of the sea-
Nor could Lacsmhi have selected better, though
she pass among the Brahmans for the goddess OF
abundance, and is believed to have sprung from a
sea of milk, and even pIeStleS over the floods
OF CaShgEar, aud the waves or the blue Yamuna,
| and the wales of Gour. The earth was smitten
with barrenneSS whilst Ceres was absent in search
of her daughter; but were the Sultan TO go in pur-
suit of freedom and bring her to his palace his
domlnions on three continents would smile in pen-
y. His kids would be more Savory, and his dates
more delicious, and cooler breezes would fan his
kiosk. But as it is he governsIn moroSe in their
department, tenacious in then ignorance and like
you, Nezam, ungovenable in their PASSIONS
They believe that all knowledge is contained i'll
the Koran. 1t is true they have imitatad Per-
slams in their poetry, and what Sir William Jones
sateS is true, that at the beginning of the seven
teenth century, five hundred and forty nine Tur-
kish Poets appeared in print at Consiantinople-
What Yateima or Miscellany must this have been
as coming from such multitude Of ServiIe vers-
heIs! Mea in chains often fond of amuse-
ment, and the gay science must have many wor-
shippers in the three Turkeys. Butw opine that
there is not among them all one who is true wor-
shipper of freedom. We should like to count the
puerifites of this Ola Podrida served up at Con-
stantinople. What strings of gemS-what knots
of roses-what boquets of fowers-what herds of
anteopes-what quantities of Tartarian musk
what tulip streakS-what loving nightingaleS-
Truly the title of poet is easily earned in Constan-
tlnople. To earn it cost our FerduS the toll of
thirty years before he could suitably celebrate the
glory of lrania 1t cost Dante dreary exile from
Florence, and life time spent among the ashes of
| his Inferno and among the bowers of the celestial
Paradise. 1t cost TasSo all the gloom OF Ferraras
cell, and all the anger of Ferraras Duke, and sor-
row i'll heart the Joy of which was once loud as
cvmbal. 1t cost Milton protracted years Of watch
ing at the gates of Eden, and by the brook of Soa
1t cost Virgil the nfscaon of his lands and long
trains of meditation by the Mincio. 1t cost Homer
begging and wandering among Asiatic cities. But
1t costs Turk nothing more than one hearing of
bird, or one look at an anemony, or one glance
at damSel, or one sight of gaZelle, or one snuff
| al the musk of Hadramut For many years Lady
Montague from near Twickenham, in England
resided in Constantinople, and she sketcned the
manners oil the Turks in series of interesting let
fare Shl mt g n
| Poet, who planted it in his garden that ran down
| 10 the Thames But after her return to EnslapS
their friendship was cut down by sudden death
She boosted that she had sent him tree on which
| his harp might now be appropriately suspended.
Persian seldom likes the sea, and it was my
fixed determination MT to reach England by pass
ing the Straghts of Gibraltar. 1t was left to bodeu
spirits to get beyond the pillars of Hercules. Ny
plan was to make my voyage coasting and in
land as possible. The nonotony of the sea is not
suited to u Poet, who loves TO look on something
\ beside clouds and waves. What blessed things
are lsla Ids that break the sameneSs of voyage
oour vessel flew by Mount Athos and Lemnos.-
Athos runs out seven Turkish miles into the sea-
1t is the abodes of Hemits, Anchorites, and Monks
but the Monks cultivate vineyards and live on figs
but not Zig do you care Nezami, for their absts-
miousness so long as you can get Shrauz wine,-
Philosophers too have lived on that mountais,,
that they might better gaze at the stars. But PHI
losophy has few attractions for one whose hsbnS
are SO incorporate, and whose thirst is so inord-
nate Have you never read the Poem about this
intoxicated Bee, by one of the Hindoo Poes?-
Perhaps you had better send for some of the cur-
rant wine of Cyprus. 1t is not SO strong asthat
which you so lavishly use. And take the cup of
| Cypriot wine to one of my fountains and da7h il
of with Persian water. Go and spend moon with
Amru, who was once DerYis but now Chri tian,
and with whom Sad passed one memorable night
He will teach you TO drink of Kurdislan rivulets.
and your imagination will become SO purified that
1t Will use the morning and evening clouds of an
MAN sky as chariots, which to take its rides
far beyond our horizon 1t will thus skip into otheu
worlds like some innocent dove, or like some eagle
soar towards some all inspiring Sun. With In
Poet the imagination is the GENITAL line of the i'm
tellect upon which heavenly orbs are continually