Abbeville progress. (Abbeville, Vermilion Parish, La.) 1913-1944, 1913-07-19
po,ruSFICr. STAnboUL

the Bosphorus possesses an indentar
ton of similar shape on the other
shore. This no doubt Is what gave
rise to the superstition. AS l crossed
the Bosphorus in one of the frail barks
known to the natives as caique. re-
called what Horace said:
ITO the mad Bospohrus my bark III
guide.
And tempt the terrors OF It's raging
tide"
The caiaue Is very much like an
Indian canoe, and | must confess that
I had no desire to guide the one
which carried me to Scutari.
At the narrowest part Of the Bos-
phorus. about seven miles above Con-
stantinople. the Greeks in olden days
had built towers, one on the Asiatlc'
the other on the European shore.
These guarded the passage OF the
strait. The Greeks had abandoned the
tower on the Asiatic shore and had
permitted 1t to become a ruin. Inc
Ottoman, seeing its value, TOOK pos
session of 1t, and, as the Greeks raised
but feeble objection, they soon pos
sessed themselves of the other tower
scarcely two thousand feet away
which they rebuilt and strongly forth
fed. and this was their first start to-
wards the subjugation OF southwestern
Europe. These towers still exist, the
one on the Anatolian shore being
called Anadoli Hissar. named also
"the tower of Oblivion" because pris-
oners confined there were never heard
of more: the other bearing the name
of Roumeli Hissar. or the tower OF
the Romans. These towers are AZ
about the very narrowest part OF the
Bosphorus, of which Pliny said. You
can hear in one continent the dogs
bark and the birds sing in the other.
You can also hear the OK believing
the name Bosphorus being derived
from the Greek name for OK. bous
: Once Roman Capital.
: Under the name Byzantion city wal
, built on the site now occupied bI
Stamboul, long before the founding O.
: Rome. and like Rome. 1t was built OF
} seven hills. When Constantine hat
Z concluded to remove his seat OF EN-
{ pire from Rome to the east. he saw
. the beauty and superiority OF this 10
! cation over that of Rome. and hence
+ in 330 he made Byzantion his capital
] and the capital Of the Roman empire
naming It for himself. Constantinopl<
!. II has been a capital ever since. an
> II will likely continue to be capita
Q for all time. Turk or no Turk. becaus
= II IL the situation for great capita
+ city.
Its septicollian feature is a matte
/, of the distant past. and 1t is today
}. city of many hills, which with the II
q termediate valleys have been covere
Q in all directions with buildings 9
>. every description. These are mainl
r. Of wood. of inferior architecture an
q construction, ready for a fire at mi
~ ment's notice, although intersperse
D. among them are many noble edince
ID The new palace of Dolma-Bagtche.
r. the Bosphorus. is at once oeautir'
70 and superb In dimensions. constructe
of marble, with a front Of about Isl
At feet. aud said to possess one OF tt
a most complete interiors Of any in q
~ rome and here the Padishah of all II
Mt Ottomans resides When Abdul II
IL Damned" was master. 1t was estime
T. ed that there were 400 pianos In
Be each one "womaned" by one Of b
at ladies. but | must confess my only q
of thority for this is a newspaper. II