Plymouth advertiser. [volume] (Plymouth, Ohio) 1853-1988, 1854-02-25

he Tux, "qulpping himself with 4 pair
of scuIlo, showed us of The splash OF
The chain, as II fell heavily into the wa
Ter, echoed throughout The vaulitd cavern
ia!l neyer forget The feeling of bewil
der"ent Ihal hr The first lew minutt.
crgp' over lie. Rows .of marble columns
seemed t" rise endl s,ly. whle their pol
ished surfaces glietened IN lne torch light.
The eastern dress of this strange place,
unbroken save by the padding of the
boat, and the cleaning of our unearthI,
light, made me think OF lhe poet descIlp.
tion of Stygian ferrymen. After time
began 10 look around more aten,ively.
All the columns are Of marble many of
them with toIinthian capitals, though
we saw some at The composite. and 9th
ers If the Doric order. Some retained
all the sharpness of their exquisite finish.
while Others seemed TO BE- undergoing dI-
I lapidation from the hand of time II
appeared 10 me that the spnis OF more
Than one temple had been appropriated
by imperial builders to this use. We
looked for an inscription, bu, could no.
where find one The root seemed in ex.
ceIlent ndiion, aud appeared to be fiji
cen or twenty feet ab we the surface o
tn water. Unlike most other guides.
ours was by no mems communlca i've ::
and only by dint of questioning him could
we learn anything of him.
He said the wafer was unfa,homah'e
and it was as it always had been. am
Of the opinion that there was from twelve
10 fifteen leei of waller in the cistrrn. Ii
extends under several streets, and f.om
the darkness and gloom which envelope
it, its area seems Of great extent. Ii NAV
well be called lake. After padding TO
one extremity. which we found to consls,
Of a wall, faced with blocks nf marble,
and reaching nearly across it in the oppo
site direction, our guide in spite of our en-
treaty, determined to ascend. " e could
learn nothing of the mode by which the
water hnds entrance--most likely by some
underground course. and obt in egress in
similar manner. We at length reached
.Lo s.aIivusu. oun, ,nuuu nga1iis, our nj
we're compelled to leave this wonderful
cistern. which We would gladly still fur
ther have explored.
The reluc,anre Of the Turks TO alIo e
these underground reservoirs to he explo.
red. probably arises from the fact, that if
their courses were known, they would dis
close many en- RANGES to the ci V, and SD
facilitate the admission of foe. Ano,h-
er reason may he given. The Turks are
excessively superstlious They believe
in ghosts, gobins and demons, and fancy
the powers Of darkness and destruction
take up their abode in places like these
snhlerranean retreats. The tradition Of
the rrue ties ,erpelraied on the Greeks
in these artificial caverns have not died
away, and ~ hen we add that these exra.
va,i"ns have been used by the Turks for
the most delrsinhle purposes. we shall be
al No ! S. +" account for the rigid reserve
hey have mninalned upon The subject
They have served the purposes of re-
venge. Intrigue and political necessity.
| The father # the pres-n, Snllan once
7 found the one above described very use.
Iul.
selim had heen delhroned and impris
oneG by the Jan;Ssaries. This arrange.
m"m did not ID. all suit Barac. ier-a gen
eral who marched TO Constnnrinople n,
the head of forty thousand. H. viug ub.
tanned possession Of the capital, he has
tened to the serng'". bu, found the gates
closed, and every preparation made for :,
determined defence TIE general. .isap
pointed. hnt not in'imida,ed, give orders
fnr immediate asssnl'. The contest last.
nt "nly = sho"I time. hu. The ialervaI was
, fatal 10 SeiIm. GIN the sound Of the first
shot, lie emissaries of the Sultan were
dispatched t" the apartments of Selim--
) whom, notwithstanding he was at his de.
voion, they strang'ed. From the mnr
r der "f SelIm. the execntioners proceeded
, to the apartments Of Mahmoud. the young.
er son of AbduIhaimid, and the only re.
naming prince Of :he blood royal
There was still snme h"pes for the Sui,
tan, in The eventual death of the brother
Selim was no more; the nudacious Rarnc
tel i'"'aeii "'"H Inspect IKE last OF InF
. Ottoman race. The mutes rushed into
r the chamber nf the confined prince bu,
he was nowhere 10 be found. To thu
fond fidelity Of slave he was indehte,
, for Ills life. At the moment ha, Barac
tier had rushed into 'he place. Mahmouc
4 who had been concealed in the furnace o
bath. guided by the slave, was cautious
r " threading some sub'errnnean passages
r unit they gained an"pening or recess in III,
A wall, from which opened door ,ht con
ce led a flight Of steps. The slave ha'
I brought torch with him, and as he helt
!. it al"(t, The future Sultan gazed in so;I,
v trepidaton on mass Of darkly aowin!
r water.
e whittier would'st thou direct me- h,
II demanded.
; TO life and throne answered tn
d slave decisively. these waters flow I'm
+, der the streets Of Consta rtinople, and ru
g from The harhor Of Perami to the sea G
Marmora. Behold the means OF safet