National opinion. [volume] (Bradford, Vt.) 1865-1874, 1872-07-19
The City Of COnstantinOpIe.

| ooH1'uutluOple, UT, uS thc iuihS NIt'
it, Istamboul, which has again suffered
from II destructive fire, is city which
has suffered from wars, earthquakes and
pestilence. It is more beautifully situ.
ated than any other city in the world,
the site of Rio Janeiro alone approach.
ing il in lovelincss. II was as Byzantium
a city of much importance in preChris.
tian times. The name by which it is
known to Western Europeans and theii
descendants is derived from the polite
Constantine, who embraced Christianity
as matter Of statesmanship, just as he
increased his army, changed the seat OF
government to Byzantium, and intro
duced reforms into the administration.
About eighty years after Constantine's
removal OF the seat Of empire to the
beautiful city on the Bosphorus an earth
quake almost totally destroyed it. II
was shortly afterwards rebuilt by the
Emperor Theodosius IL. About three
hundred years afterwards-in the eighth
century-300, 600 of its inhabitants fell
victims to pestilence. This incident
shows how prosperous the city must have
been. 1t probably contained as many
tbNi 40 ~ has iOWs
general councils of the Church were held
at Constantinople.
The streets of the Turkish capital are
famous for being the most crooked, mar.
row, filthy pathways in any city, town,
or village. The houses are built of the
slightest material, and through the care
lessness of their proprietors are always
in a dilapidated condition. There is
hardly house III any quarter which has
not been burned down, and the truly
conservative owner when he rebuilds it
sedulously refuses to eilace all the marks
of the catastrophe or to improve in the
least upon the original plan. Whole
squares are sometimes consumed. The
fire department was until very recently
in a truly primitive condition. Lately,
however, some steps have been taken
towards the organization Of a measurably
efficient corps of tiremen supplied with
suitable apparatus. The story of this
fire does not speak well for its efficiency
if 1t has been put in operation at all
The meagre account of this contlagra
ton gives one no data on which to base
an estimate as to the probable number of
ptoDIt iCllutItu ti1c
ton of property in the city proper. But
as the number of the houses in the whole
city is about 10000, and the number of
inhabitants SAY 100000, there cannot
at the outside be more than 0,000 peo-
pie rendered homeless. Even that is
apl alling in such city. This fire dwin-
dies in comparison with the ravages of
night some twenty years ago, in which
seven fires destroyed $500 houses.
There are but seven public squares in
Constantinople. The streets are, except
in the quarter known as Pera, unlighted
at night. The city is the dogs paradise,
thousands of which wanderup and down
these cheerless alleys howliEg and whin-
ing as long as life remains. The differ
ent nationalities and religions have sepa-
rate quarters in the city. The Turks of
course have the lions share of everything
the dirt and dilapidation included.
This filth-for the dingy denizens are
reared in dirt"-gives rise to numerous
diseases of an epidemic kind which
at times almost to pestilence.
Hardly a year passes over us without
scare about the Asiatic cholera being
by ships from the Bospho-
rus. Last year this was the case, as our
readers will remember Several times
kilograms reached us of the virulence of
,he scourge in that city, and the proba-
oility that it would travel into other
parts from that centre.
Scutari, the suburb in which part if
lot the whole of the conhagration of |
which the cable informs us has taken
,lace, is the ancient Chrysopolis. 1t is
ather city than suburb. 1t is about
mile square IN extent, and is the prin
ipal commercial emporium of the lie
ant. A great trade in leather. silk,
'otton goods and other articles OF COM
nerce is carried on in its warehouses and
'azaars. 1t contains Turkish post
flee, an imperial palace, and the bar
acks of the Imperial Guard. In relation
o Constantinople, Scutari is situated
ouch rs Brooklyn is to New York though
he relative population is different. 1t
as about sixty thousand inhabitants,
nd though fires have not been SO
or extensive there as in the
apital, they are not unknown, owing to
he slight materials nsed in building. If
he fire spreads should leave the poorer
uarters and advance into the portions
evoted to mercantile operations, the
,ss will be immense.