Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1881-02-02
Chr fireman.
MONTPELIER VT.
WEDNESDAY, FEB. 2, 1881.
Turkey.
CoNsrANTfNoPLE, Dec. IA, 1880.

both political and religious affair. 1t is
however. not united politically, while it is
united religiously. Politically it is as many
ancient works it possesses, and as some
which it produces-a mosaic. Here is a
province protected by the sultan. and sub
missively paying taxes. There next is
one that is not protected by the sultan's
reign, and not paving any taxes to support
the empire. This is true of provinces
near he capital as well rs distant. Those
not subject to the sultan consider him rs
an usurper on the throne; they consider
his house is not the one that should reign,
because they have supplanted another and
older house more highly esteemed. This
is Il gre, weakness in this great kingdom,
aud makes trouble, and burdens, and fears,
throughout the realm; and we'll it may
When We say, the empire is united relig-
iou>ly, we mean, of course, only the Mo-
hammedan part of it.
He e, at Constantinople, only half the
population are Mohammedans; one-fourth
Greeks; one-third Of a quarter Armenians
and the Frank and the Jew. And they
are the more vigorous half of the capital
population. Of course, in case of a relig-
ioIs war, you can see how within cities
one-half would be arrayed against the
other half, beside all the opponents in
Europe outside.
10, ~,
aspects both cvilIy and religously. The
inhabIlnts everywhere are fearfuIly tired
of cXorbitrnt taxation. There is no in
stnc of conservation in the Turk. This
appears in the gates of his house, in the
tower of his mosque, in all particulars of
his management Of municipalities, in the
financial and other aspects of his general
government. Without the instinct of
conservation SO prominent in our own
Yankee kingdom, everything must be
broken. left unrepaired. and is actually
swiftly going to decay. The doom of this
empire in Europe is so discerned by the
old Mohrmmehan himself that, if he dies
in C,nstantinople, his request is to be
buried ut Sruari, on the Asiatic side of
the sea of Marmora.
L is pleasant sail from Pyrrheus to
ConsJantnople. You pass islands whose
land is high and mountainous, rs you bid
fMe veil to HE Athenian ranges. Mitylene
where Slppho was born and lived, in sight
of ilr, celebrated in llomeric lines, is full
of ,crr"Ied pictures Of hills, with wales OF
leugj II and r'tilty. The plains of Troy
are looked upon with steady gaze and
long, and the mound pointing to where
the recovered relics were found of Priam s
palacc, Y hich are now in the South Ken
singIon Museum. London. Mount Ida
towers in the distance. The entry to
Dmranciles soon follows. and then the
Hellospont, with ancient and modern asso-
Citations.
Here begin the strongest fortitications
Turkey can build; but in vain, as Sebas
loppl as-ures; and they might be taken in
the rear also. Soldiers line the shores in
barracks aud tents In fact. with trouble
on hrr western border, and suspicious of
Russia, and Greece actively preparing for
conllicl, Turkeys best show of soldiers is
not in city barracks, but ON all her borders
her troops are resting. Are they paid?
1t is rumored that the police force of this
that trey are partly in coluson with
thieves to get their pay. Robberies are
successful here in very public way, for
some cause unexplained.
The approach to Constantinople by the
set of Marmora is exceedingly beautiful.
The city appears in three sections on three
hills. which is true of it, though the nearer
approach blends them into one. On the
European side is Constantnople or STAN
boul, AS the Turks call it, with the old
church of ST Sophia turned into mosque
and many large mosques built by sultans
or their relatives and many large resi-
denceS of Turks. The Golden Horn runs
from the sea inland on the same side about
five miles; across this is Galata, crowned
Prra, where the Europeans reside. On
the A,atic side of the Marmora sea is
Scutari where is the great Moslem GENE,
terry. Beyond il, to the south east, is
Katokoi, on the Asiatic side of the Bos
phorus. the ancient site of Chacedon. Or
the European side of the Bosphorus is
Tophaues, connected with Galata. Al
in h.
acceptation of the word, making city O
one million inhabitants.
The most interesting object to us wa
the old church of ST. Sophia: The Turk.
have Clipped off the cross in the galerie,
where it sutmounted the world, and lef
the globe with II stick running out of it
showing thus their spite against Christian
symbols. But where they could not easily
reach, the cross remains in several places
They have daubed the faces of the angel
with star in the corners of the grea
dome; but they left their six wings, show
ing that with twain they covered thei
feet, with twain they shielded their faces
and with twain they did fly.
While some of the Turks are readin.
their Kurans, others offer to sell US in tn
church book and prayer stool of cost
make because their cash is so low at thi
time. o hers pick off the Ornamental
Christian mo,aics Of the arches, made O
glass and gold, and sell them for franc
What lttle minds they all possess, through
the degrading influence of Mohammedan
sm.
The ceremonies celebrating the death O
HusSein were performed last Sabbath wit
sanguinarv rites and weird symbols, an
such was the pressure of the crowd tina
many were trod upon and injured.
The affair at Dulcigno, on the easter
coast of The Adriatc. is not quite bless
ing to the empire. 1t was really part {