The Democratic banner. (Mt. Vernon, Ohio) 1898-192?, 1915-03-23
THE TURK CAPITAL
MAY YIELD RICHES

| 'CiSSIeu Ill dTCudeOlOSy. w ucluei Iue
| Turks will not destroy the city before
eyacuating it and whether, when a
thorough examination is made, any
thing of real value will be found?
There are all sorts of promising
hunting grounds, the most promising
| being the mysterious vaults under the
great Agia Sophia Mosque, formerly
the Church of St. Sophia, originally
built by Constantine in 326 opposite
his palace and dedicated to the Divine
Wisdom (Sophia). The church as 1t
exists today, one of the greatest build
ings in the world, was erected in 532-
537 by the Emperor Justinian. Anthe-
mois of Tralleis and Isidors of Miletos
were the architects. Fossati, an Ital-
ian architect, undertook a thorough
restoration of the exterior of the build
ing in 1847, when it was painted yell
low with red stripes.
IL is in what may lie under st. Soph-
ia that the interest of archaelogists
will center These vaults have always
been jealously guarded by the Turks,
and few indeed have been the outsid-
ers allowed peep at them.
One of those who saw the most was
the late Moberly Bell, manager of the
London Times, who for period was
employed by the Turkish Tobacco Re.
gle. Mr. Bell some years ago described
to the writer of this article his i'm
pressions of what he had seen. AS q
matter of fact, 1t was not great deal
but it was tantalizing.
There were great piles of material,
covered with the accumulated dust of
four and half centuries. The gloom
mde it impossible to distinguish any
Of the objects, and the Turks would
not permit close examination.
Fascinating possibilities exist in the
thought of what the dust that has beea
accommodating since the year of the
conquest by Mohammed II. may con.
ceal. 1t is doubtful if many treasures
in gold and silver and gems will be
found, though even this is possible.
But the chances that precious manu-
scripts of the classics may be discov-
cred are greater.
Some years ago the ex-Slade Profess
sor Sir Charles WaIdstein, who was
born in New York, made great effort
to interest the Governments of the
{ leading countries of the world and the
richest men of the world in his project
for the excavation of Herculaneum.
The plan fell through owing to the
jealousy of Italy regarding what she
viewed as outside interference with
her internal affairs.
Splendid libraries conta ining, prob
ably practically all the lost classics,
are undoubtedly buried at Herculan.
cum, but even easier and more direct
methods Of finding the lyrics of Sap
pho, the plays of Nenander, the lost
books of Livy and Aristotle will offer
themselves to the present-day repre-.
sentatives OF the old Humansts when
Constantinople is taken.
There are known to be 1900 manu-.
scripts in the Sultan's library, which
have been seen, and that only hastily
by few foreigners. In indication OF
the treasures in the way of ancient
manuscripts waiting to be discovered
in the city was furnished in 1907
when. in going over collection oi
palimpsests in the Convent of the Holy
Grave, Prof. Heiberg, of Copenhagen
found manuscript of Archimedes
written by a monk about the year 900
A, ID. The Turks let Prof Heibere
copy the manuscript, but would MOI
permit him to take 1t away. AS fal
as that goes, one cannot blame them
Among the buildings that Frederic
Harrison wants thoroughly explored
is the Imperial Seraglio. He believe.
that 1t will be found to contain Greek
Roman, and Byzantine treasures of ex
traordinary value. Another worl
awaiting the archaeologists is the ex
cavation Of the site of the Imperia
palace to the east of st. Sophia found
ed by Constantine and extended by hi,
successors. There were many de
tached buildings in beautiful gardens
commanding views over the Sea O
Marmora and across to the heights O
the Asiatic Coast. There were thre,
groups of buildings the Chalce
Daphne, and the Sacred palace" Sew
eral archaeologists, guided by the &C
counts furnished by Byzantine writer's
have tried reconstructions of the pal
aces. Among these archaeologists arr
notably Labarte and Paspates, but herr
again, says DR.. Alexander van Millin
gen, Professor of History at Rober
College, Constantinople, the writer o
the article on Constantinople in tn,
last edition of the Encyclopaedia Bri