Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1884-06-21
LETTER FROM CoNsTANTINoPLE.
The Qu2nnebauc at the Seyen.EfiiIed
City oi the RosphOrus-The Mosque Of
50. Sophia -yl.e M0s.ern Sabbath
Trip Up the OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES Not
Allowed TO sEnoke-A Yankee Mu-
stefan ERtb,I>eS the Sultan.


Trip Up the sso.p;loru>-Sseamers Not
Allowed To sinoke-A Yankee NIu-
stefan ERthuSeS the Sultan.
Correspondence Of TIE EVENING STAR
U. S. STEAMER QUINNEBAUG,
COSsTANTINOPLE. TURKEY, May 12. 1884.
We left Smyrna on the 30th uitimo aud after
pleasant passage anchored Off Tenedos, on the
Island of the same name, about twelve miles
below the entrance to the Dardaneles. This is
the island to which the Greeks retreated, during
tie siege of Troy, after they had constructed the
famous wooden horse. which the Trojans tore
down their walls to admit, thus enabling the
Greeks to obtain an easy entrance within the
city. The island is about six miles from the
mainland, and lust opposite the Troad, or plain
of Troy large plain covered with vegetation.
Monday morning we tripped anchor and came
to ChaInak. about twelve miles up the Darda-
nelies. Here we lad to wait until Thursday,
when the sutans tirman came granting per-
mission to the admiral to come here in the
Quinnebaug. She is about the size of the Kear-
sarge, but carries one gun less. ! was fortu-
nate enough to he allowed to come on the
Quinnebaug.
The Dardanelles vary I'm width from one to
three miles, being naTrOwcst at CharnGk, where
they are very strongly defended by water bat
teres containing heavy ordnance of the latest
construction. If the guns were at all we'll
handled it would be very difficult. if not impOs-
sible, for q feet to pass.
The Asiatic side is very fertile and Is well
cultivated; it is rolling country and reminds
me very much of the Pennsylvania farm lands
along the SusGuehanna. or those along the Ohio.
On the European side there are many bluffs.
and the land appears bare and uncutivated.
being much like the western shore of the
Chesapeake Not far above Charnak Is said to
be the place where XerxeS had his pontOOn
bridge. over which ne marched to conquer
Greece. and which he recrossed defeated and
Inundated.
TIE SEyEN-TIILED CITY.
We left Charnak about 8 p. m. and
came to anchor in the Bosphorus the next NOR
ming. In the Dardanellcs there is down cur
rent Of two to three miles per hour. CONSTANT
nople is composed OF number of towns, each
having its own characteristics but all making
one grand city. The Turks call it STEAMBOAT.
1t occupies the site of the ancient city, ByZan-
tium. and like Rome, is built on seven hills.
In the truly Turkish portion are all the fine
mosques, bazaars and seragliO. and a foreign
flag is not allowed to be shown there. Galatea,
the portion originally settled by the Gauls from
Galatia, is now occupied principally by the
Greeks. 1t extends along the waters edge, is
very dirty, and contains nothing of interest
Pera Is on top Of hill. and in it live all the Eu-
rOpeans of the better class, and here are all the
embassies and cOnsulates and all the European
shops Scutari is also mostly occupied by
Turks. The view on approaching the city is
celebrated for its beauty. We anchored off the
sultans winter palace, one Of the prettiest pal
aces in the world.
THE MOSQUE OF ST. SOPHIA
is of strange order OF architecture The En-
peror Justinian built the church OF ST. Sophia
after ransacking the world to procure whatever
would heighten Its beauty, portions of it having
been brought from the Temple of Diana at Ephe-
sus. from the Temple of the Sun at Baalbec,
from Athens, from Egypt. from Rome and else
where When COnstantinope was taken the
church was altered to mosque the only change
being to erase the cross wherever visible, re-
place all pictures by quotations from the Koran
and erect number of minarets A number of
mosques have been erected after it's style most
OF them are more beautiful externally, but not
worthy OF comparison internally. Between four
very high but graceful minarets, rises grand
cupOla. sustained by walls alternately white and
red, fanked by two large sem-cupOlas. which
are in turn sustained by a number of smaller
ones. On entering one is first struck by the
falry-like lightnesS of everything. The huge
dome. pierced by Il hundred windows. is sup
ported by four large arcs, below two of which
are the two hemispheTes. each one of which is in
turn lighted by windows. and supported in
turn by still smaller arches and domes.
which are in turn supported by columns. The
other twoa are supported by enormous square
pillars between which and to the right and left
are four magnificent columns from EphesuS and
behind these, in the side asles are OF her smaller
columns l could readily see how the ancients
beiieyed the dome was sustained by supernatural
means 1t would be considered marvellous
piece of engineering i'm our day but when one
thinks 1t was done more than fourteen hundred
years ago, admiration for its designers and
builders is unDOunded AS before stated. the
church is now used as mosque. and as the
true believer" must face towards Mecca when
re prays. and as the church does not face eX-
acty in that direction. but towards Jerusalem.
pieces of carpet are stretched across the floor
diagonally to show him his proper position
which produces
VERY QUEER OrTIC,L DELUsION
as the church appears to have been twisted 80
as to be all askew when viewed from one OF the
upper galleries. was fortunate in being pres
ent Friday morning, the Moslem Sabbath, when
there were COO or more wOrshipers present,
dressed in all the cOlors of the rainbow; and
seated in tailor fashion in parallel rows on the
carpeted floor. The priests read and chanted
much the same as in the Catholic service. but
the wOrshipers went through many genuf1ex-
Ions, rislne. kneeling. touching the face to the
floor and the like. The presence of SC MANY
people gives one much more cheerful impress
sion OF the vast place than st. Peters, where
immense spacewas merely dotted here and there
with a strOlng tourist or a black robed priest
Tradition says that when the city was cap
tured crowd OF IugitiveS took refuge in the
church: they were not disturbed until the VIC
torious Sultan MahOmet H.. rode in through the
great doorway, covered with blood, and fol-
lowed by great crowd Of soldiers when he
stamped his bloody hand on one of the pillars
and cried: "There is no God but God and Ma
hoTuet is his prophet" and then began the mas
sacre and p!llage. There is now shown a rough
outline of a hand on one of the pillars but Ma
homet must have been more than Samson to
have accomplished it.
AN UNDERGROUND PASSAGE
From the mosque to the seraglio Is but q few
moments walk; in fact. the two are connected
by subterranean passage, by which the sultan
could attend service secretly. he having closed
pavilion in the mosque. The seraglio is row
deserted, being used as barracks museum and
mint. The grounds have been allowed to run
to ruin, and but little beauty remains-a rail-
road track passes through them. There are
many beautiful views and shaded walks but the
buildings ugly and of all shapes and sizes.
One of them has roof consisting of double
row OF small dOmes, each one surmOunted by a
chi.lney, the whole presenting the appearance
OF a row of immense wine bottles projecting out
OF mammoth box.
THE SUBLIME PORTE,
the gateway which gives the Ottoman empire its
familiar name, is the entrance to the former
offices Of the grand vizer and pachas forming
the sultan's cabinet. Its Turkish name is Pacha
CapOussOn or Gate of the Pachas
Another point of great interest, and one which