Gedik Pasha Mission House

By the time that this service is finished the visitor is tired and wants to go back to the hotel for dinner. But the missionary says firmly but gently, “ You have come out to see the missionary work in the city and you ought to finish seeing it.” So they go on another half mile into the very heart of the old part of the city, and come to a shabby old shed which they enter, and see empty seats for some two hundred people, with a few of the congregation of Armenians which has just been dismissed, lingering to finish their chat before they go home. Near by, they enter a great stone house, which the visitor is told is the Gedik Pasha Mission House of the Woman’s Board of Missions. Some American ladies receive them cordially and give them a lunch at railroad speed, because Sunday School begins at half-past twelve.

After lunch the whole of the Mission House is a bee-hive for a couple of hours. There is no room in it large enough to seat all the people at once, so that for the preliminary exercises all sit as they can in adjoining rooms with doors wide open. The visitor is taken through the house to see the various classes; the old men and the young men, the old women and the young women, and the boys graded by themselves and the girls by themselves, and the infant classes with their pictures and their frequent hymns. He is shown, also, the further subdivisions made necessary by the fact that some of the people who come know Greek only, and some, Armenian only, and some, Turkish only. And he is caused to note that the work is not done by the missionary ladies alone, but that natives have come forward to do the work of the teacher tailor-made bulgaria tours.

Sabbath School at the Mission House

Right there is an illustration of the manner in which the missionary work does its most effective and permanent good service. It is in multiplying workers, so that by the grace of God the single labourers become a hundred or a thousand because the Gospel cannot be hid nor can it abide alone when it has fallen into the sincere heart. He sees also an illustration of the capabilities of this city as a place in which to do the work of the missionary. Not half of the people in the Sabbath School at the Mission House are permanent residents of Constantinople. The other half are from distant portions of the country to which they will take what is taught them here in this Mission House, to brood over the lesson until it causes at least some improvement in life. As these facts are pointed out to the visitor, lie can not but feel enthusiasm when the reckoning of attendance is given him, and he finds that about three hundred people will attend the Bible lessons at the Mission House almost any Sunday.

Perhaps the stranger is more than satisfied with his morning’s work. But he is not allowed to stop his travels about the great city. He is made to go back to the Bible House again that he may see there at three o’clock a meeting of the Young Men’s Christian Association managed by a clear-headed young Armenian. From there again he is taken across the city to a district near the old harbour of the Wheat Merchants on the Sea of Marmora, where he finds another congregation of Greeks, coming down stairs from an upper room which serves as a chapel at Ivoumkapou, and where he sits a while to hear the missionary preach in Turkish to another congregation which collects as the Greeks disperse.

The road toward Buyukdere

The afternoon of the Levantine brings out carriages full of ladies and gentlemen, and sends them spinning over the hills toward the Sweet Waters of Europe, or far up the road toward Buyukdere. The reputation of Constantinople for its bodge podge of races is justified by study of the types seen in any gathering of the ladies of the European colony. There is the long-featured, fair-haired English woman, who clings to the London cut of her dress, notwithstanding its power to attract the astonished eyes of all other nations; there is the stout and crimson German woman, with her fondness for startling buttons; there is the slight and smiling French woman, serene in the midst of a colour scheme harmoniously worked out to the tips of her dainty shoes. There is the Italian woman, black of hair and brilliant of eye, who loves to introduce into her neat dress discords of gold chains, and a hat al-ways too ambitious. There is the buxom brunette of an Armenian, with full lips and too full a nose, and there is the Greek, most celebrated of all the southern peoples for features that are irregular, a voice that is mellow, and eyes that have a special glaze upon them for concealing thought behind a crystal promise of frankness.

Greek from Athens

If there is a woman in all the crowd less liable than any other to find acceptance as a type of beauty in feature or in complexion, for some mysterious reason that woman is sure to be a Greek from Athens. But next to her is the Levantine, who is colourless in her complexion and composite in her features, who assures you that she is English, or French, or Italian, but who knows no environment save that of Pera, although she can talk to you in French or English or Italian or Greek or Turkish, and in either language shows by her accent that it is not quite her own. She too will never venture in her conversation outside of the safe limits of the Levantine quadrilateral, devised to avoid giving offence to unknown and incomputable susceptibilities guided istanbul tour.

The principle of assuming the existence of difficulties unknown and unknowable in a medley of races, limits the character of the social life of Pera. This life is like that in a house where visitors unacquainted with each other have been brought together and must be amused by such devices as the hostess commands. It is marked by a frenzied pursuit of amusements known to be found in every country. One cannot give a dinner party without having it followed by a ball, and preferably a ball in costume or in masque, and as the Turk bent on a tour of exploration among the curiosities of Pera, discovers that Pera ladies, are ogled by lines of young men as they come out of the church of Santa Maria, or gently carried to the ball in Sedan chairs through the narrow streets, he fancies that in this tenderness toward woman he has seen the source of the peculiar power of the European to push his affairs, to succeed in business, and to live in what seems like limitless luxury. Perhaps he has.

Rythmical blows the waters of the sea of Marmora

CONSTANTINOPLE

Rhythmical blows the waters of the sea of Marmora, the most placid of inland seas. This sea is sheltered from serious turmoil of storm, by the friendly approach to each other of the two continents of Europe and Asia. The measured stroke of the propeller helps one to sleep in peace, after the first strangeness has worn off. It is like the “ All’s well! ” of the watchman of old. If not heard there is reason for instant waking. As it pounds out its beats at half speed, there appears in the dreams a half-consciousness that it is beating time to music. Finally, a persistent monotony of musical impressions destroys the power of sleep; the senses gain control and re-establish connections between the various ganglia, and then the beating of the propeller is found to be accompanied in actual fact by a singular wailing chant. One has to go on deck to learn the meaning of the strange and mournful sound.

By the cool, limpid light of early dawn, the deck passengers, Greeks, Turks and Albanians, have spied the landmarks of the approach to Constantinople, and have let their emotion break forth in song. West and East differ in temperament and in habits of thought and expression, and never more so than in their music. Even with words of joy the music of Turkey is always in the minor key; as though the people had not yet felt joy real and irrepressible. The minor strains of the song of the passengers clustered at the bow of the ship, might seem to imply sorrow. But to them their song is a sweet brooding of reminiscence, like “ Home, Sweet Home.” It is the tribute of their hearts to the greatness of the city to which they are drawing nigh private tours istanbul.

The sun was soon to rise from behind the blue mountains of Asia, and had already kindled a rosy glow amid the haze along their crests. The glassy sea, which near at hand is blue as no other sea is blue, paled into a silver sheet where its level surface passed into the distance and reflected in strange tints the overhanging hills. Up-‘n the sea, twenty miles away to the right, lay the rounded knolls of the Princes’ Islands. Still farther to the right, and some distance behind the coast hills of Asia, was the lofty Bythinian Olympus, a white pile cold as an iceberg and pure as the Jungfrau in springtime. On the left, but close at hand, lay the bare brown hills of Europe, rising from a shore dotted with groups of houses and gardens, and churches, and white-steeled mosques.

Suddenly the sun arose. The haze of the distant hills blazed with a golden glory. Europe reddened at the greeting of the rays, while the mighty curve with which Asia swept around to meet the Western lands, was still dark under the lingering shadows of the hills. A shout went up from the motley crowd at the bulwarks of the bows. “There it is! There it is! Stamboul, Oh, Stamboul! ”

The top of the hill of Bulgarin

A very hot walk of an hour took us to the top of the hill of Bulgarin, from which the finest panorama of Constantinople, tho Sea of Marmora, Prince’s Islands, and the contiguous Asiatic country, can be seen.

1 was much pleased, ou my return to the hotel, to find on my key-hook a card left by Lord Mandeville, who was staying at Misseri’s. He had been attacked by robbers, a day’s journey from Smyrna; and they had taken everything that he had about him. Whilst talking of the affair, a report arrived that Mr. Urquhart had suffered also from thieves, but on the sea — his boat having been attacked by pirates. These two misadventures made sufficient noise to prove that such robberies upon Eastern travellers were of rare occurrence.

The way in which the first robbery came about was this. The steamers of the Austrian Lloyd’s Company, arriving at Smyrna in the morning, do not start again until noon the nest day, and so Lord Mandeville, and a gentleman who accompanied him,—Mr. Percy Herbert, — determined to spend their time in riding to Nimfi; where, a short time ago, one of the most ancient monuments of the world was discovered, in the shape of an enormous human figure, sculptured in the solid rock. It agrees closely with the description of a monument given by Herodotus, and is said to be a trophy of Sesostris.

Our travellers placed themselves first in the hands of a doubtful dragoman, — as great a robber, by their account, as any they were attacked by, — and left him to make the arrangements for the journey, Nimfi being about five hours distant from Smyrna. He engaged a Surroudjee, or horse-attendant, to be at the inn about four o’clock in the afternoon, with five horses.

Before starting, they thought it would be advisable to go to the consul, and mention their plans and arrangements. They found an old gentleman in an ill temper, wrapped up in a flannel gown, and groaning, as he said, from rheumatism. Upon asking him if the price they paid for the horses was just, he replied that he knew nothing at all about it, and, indeed, appeared to be bored at being thus troubled : so they went away local ephesus tour guides.

Having started at the appointed time, for a wonder, they were stopped at the first guard-house they came to, which is about half an hour out of Smyrna, and asked for their Teskcre, which is a species of passport, combined with an order for post-horses and other matters connected with Turkish travelling. Neither the consul nor tho dragoman had thought about this, and so they were compelled to wait two hours at the guard-house, whilst the latter returned for the necessary permit.

Reach Nimfi

As last, he arrived; but, from this delay and other causes, they did not reach Nimfi until the middle of the night. The dragoman, who had assured them that he had often been there before, was now unable to find the house they were to sleep in; and they must have couched a la belle etoile, had they not, by chance, found a man sitting up in some place where wine was being made, who directed them.

They started again at daylight, the next morning, for the spot where the monument is to be seen, distant from Nimfi about an hour and a half. After a pleasant ride of eight or nine miles, through a very pretty country, they went up a small path, leading through a narrow gorge in the hills, where there was barely room for more than the stream running through it, the way being sometimes in the course of the stream, and sometimes on one side of it, twisting about, to pass the blocks which had rolled down from the sides of the hills.

They were passing one of these masses, with some brushwood on the other side of the path, when two men sprang forward and stopped the Surruudjee. At the same moment, two other fellows appeared in the rear, and they were directly afterwards joined by a fifth. All these men were armed. They made the travellers dismount, tore off their coats to see if they wore armed, which, fortunately, they were not; and then quietly rifled their pockets taking all they wanted. Fortunately, Lord Mandeville had nothing of great value about him, except a gold watch. This, of course, they appropriated, as well as his sash, his pocket-handkerchief, and even a strip of silk lie wore round his neck. Just as he was remounting, one of the rascals saw a ring on his finger. They tried to get this off, but as it, had been a lady’s, it was not very easy, and tho chief of the party drew his yatagan to take away finger and all. The dragoman, however, interfered, and contrived to release it with his mouth. When everything available had been taken, the fellows departed.

Stambonl may be termed Constantinople

Stambonl may be termed Constantinople proper, inhabited by the Turks, and containing the seraglio, chief mosques, great public offices, bazaars, and places of government and general business. It is the most ancient and most important part, j)ar excellence. Galata is tho Wapping of the city : here we find dirty shops for ships’ stores, merchants’ counting-houses, ami tipsy sailors. Tophant is so called from the large gun-factory close at hand. Both these suburbs are situated at the base of a very steep hill; the upper part of which is Pera, the district allotted to the Franks, or foreigners, and containing the palaces of the ambassadors, the hotels, the European shops, and the most motley population under the sun. Scutari is to Stamboul, as Birkenhead to Liverpool ; and is in Asia. It is important in its way, as being the starting-place of all the caravans going inland. There are some other districts of less interest to the average tourist.

As soon as we left the landing-place, and entered the steep lane that leads up to Pera, all the enchantment vanished. In an instant, I felt that I had been taken behind the scenes of a great “ effect.” The Constantinople of Yaushall Gardens, a few years ago, did not differ more, when viewed, in front from the gallery, and behind from the dirty little alleys bordering the river. The miserable, narrow, ill-paved thoroughfare did not present one redeeming feature, — not even picturesque dreariness. The roadway was paved with all sorts of ragged stones, jammed down together without any regard to level surface ; and encumbered with dead rats, melon-rinds, dogs, rags, brickbats, and rub- bi.’h, that had fallen througli the mules’ baskets, as they toiled along it. The houses were of wood — old and rotten ; and bearing traces of having been onee painted red. There had been evidently never any attempt made to clean them, or their windows or doorways. Here and there, where a building had been burnt, or had tumbled down, all the ruins remained as they had fallen. Even the better class of houses had an uncared-for, mouldy, plague- imbued, decaying look about them ; and with their grimy lattices, instead of windows, on the upper stories, and dilapidated sh’utters and doors on the ground floors, it was difficult to imagine that they were inhabited by people who had such notions, according to report, of home and cleanliness, that they never sought for society apart from their own divans, or harems, and never were fit for prayers until they had, moro or less effectively, washed them* selves jeep safari bulgaria.

We found our hotel possessed the double advantage of being a stone building, and completely insulated — a great comfort in so combustible a district as Pera. I got a good bedroom, that overlooked the Sosphorus, part of the Golden Horn, and a few of the Mosques; came to an understanding about expenses,—which is always advisable; had the inexpressible comfort of washing and dressing in a large well-appointed room, after the confined closet of the Scamandre; and then we all sat down to breakfast, learning that everything was to be had in Constantinople but fresh butter. Some white bitter compound, perfectly uneatable, was produced once or twice during my stay; but it was so unpalatable, that we usually preferred “ Irish ;” and at last came to cat, with a relish, what many of our Kngli.>h servants would have turned up their noses at. The tea was excellent, and so were the cutlets; but there was some wine on the table,— a native production, I believe, — like very bad siill champagne, sickened with coarse moist sugar, to which I preferred the grapes in their natural state.

The strict Moslem costume

All the Turks were old, and wore turbans. There was but one in the simple fez. They were evidently sticklers for the strict Moslem costume, and clung to its decaying insignia, as old country-gentlemen with us now and then are still seen with Hessian boots, powder, and bygone hats. One ancient Turk had a turban so high that its volutes were twisted six or seven times round his head; and I fancied that each day it increased in importance. Another—a Circassian—had a very strange head-dress, looking for all the world like a felt sugar-loaf pushed through a black mop. He was armed to the teeth, and never laid any of his accoutrements aside during the voyage. The only one in a fez was the head eunuch of the royal seraglio. He was grandly dressed in yellow silk, spotted with scarlet, and blue trousers. He, however, wore European boots — the only Frank innovation to be seen amongst them.

Yet we had not got entirely away from English enterprise; for on going down to supper, although the plates bore the motto, “ Naviyazione a v a pore del Lloyd Austriaco,” yet on the back there was the name of “Davenport,” on the familiar scroll. The cabin was small, but the berths were clean, and we had our choice of the entire twelve. I did not, however, sleep very well, for the pillows and mattress were of horsehair, with nothing but a fine sheet over them, so that the little ends coming through caused me to hear nearly all the hells, all the night through.

Dardanelles early next morning

We were in the Dardanelles early next morning; and the process of washing and dressing, in the cabin, was of the greatest interest to two young Arabs, who watched us through the sky-light with the keenest curiosity. They called one of their fellows after a time, and especially directed his attention to the nailbrush, and mimicked what I had been doing with it. In the cabin, the rules of the boat were hung up, in five languages—Italian, German, Greek, French, and English. From the latter I copied, “Rule 12. Passengers having a right to be treated as persons of education, will no doubt conform themselves to the rules of good society, by respecting their fellow- travellers, and paying a due regard to the fair sex.” This was a sensible rule; and, indeed, the others were equally so. I never saw any of them broken, at any time, on the Mediterranean: this will show the great superiority of the second-class places in the foreign boats, over the same division in our own. I am sorry to confess this, but it is the case.

We passed the Dardanelles that day, from which the people put off with crockery as before, and the Turks each purchased a huge water-jug. At night I saw the most beautiful sunset I had ever witnessed. The sky in the west was at first like burnished gold, with silver edges to the clouds. This turned to a bright orange, streaked horizontally with vermilion, whilst the mountains of Asia Minor on our left were tinted with the richest purple, and the whole of the eastern heavens were glowing with a lovely violet guided istanbul tours.

There was very little wind; the sea was as smooth as a canal, and about eight on the following morning we were onee more at Smyrna.

We now found that we were to change our boat, and as this transfer led to a most annoying and unpardonable occurrence, I shall give the Austrian Lloyd’s Company the entire benefit—or otherwise— of its publicity. We had been assured at their office in Galata, there would be no quarantine on our arrival at Alexandria. The same intimation was given to us at Smyrna, during the day and a half we stopped there, on this present occasion ; and so far as that went, our minds were at rest.

We spent the next morning in making a few farewell purchases—a carpet or two ; some drums of choice figs and raisins, and some minor souvenirs which were left in the eare of Messrs. Hansom to be forwarded by the first ship to England; and on the afternoon of the 28th, took final leave of Turkey.

An officer from the health office accompanied us in the boat to the Wien, another vessel belonging to the Austrian Lloyd’s fleet. I supposed this was usual, and thought no more about the matter, until looking up by chance, after I got on board, I saw the yellow flag flying. I asked what it meant, of one of the officers, but he was very busy, and passed on without deigning to reply. Presently the engineer erupt out of the engine-room, and he had such an English face that I addressed him at one in my own tongue.