Koulleli.-Here Soliman lay hid during three years from his father Selim I., who had condemned him to death. TchengelKeni is so called from the old anchor found on the shore by Mohammed II. BeylerbeyKeni, a large village with a magnificent palace, finished in 1867. At Istavros is a very pretty mosque with two minarets, formerly a Greek church. afterward Jason, on his return from Col- | house which crowns the hill Idjadieh above chis, erected altars and offered sacrifices. the village. The Giant's Mountain is the highest on the shores of the Bosphorus, and rises 580 feet above the level of the sea. It is called Toucha-Dagh by the Turks, and at the foot diverges into two capes, separated by the little Bay of Amour Ieri, which lies opposite the Gulf of Buyuk - Dere. On the mountains are the ruins of the Church of St. Pantaleon, built by Justinian; also the tomb of Joshua (?) as shown by the Turks. Some distance along the shore lies Hounkiar-Iskelessi. This has always been a favorite residence of the sultans. Mohammed II. here built a kiosk, and Soliman the Magnificent a palace, which was again rebuilt by Mahmoud I., in 1746. The present kiosk was built and offered to the sultan by Mehemet Ali, pacha of Egypt. It is said to have cost six million francs. In 1833 a Russian army encamped in the valley; and on June 26th the famous treaty of Hounkiar-Iskelessi was signed, which closed the Dardanelles to foreign fleets. Kousgoundjouk is the last stopping-place on the Asiatic coast before arriving at Scutari. Scutari is regarded as a suburb of the Turkish capital, although the arm of the sea is nearly a mile wide which flows between them. This is the starting-point of the roads leading to the Asiatic provinces of the empire. It has eight mosques, the principal of which are the Buyuk-Ijami and the Mosque of the Sultana Valide. The latter enjoys the privilege of being illuminated during the nights of Ramadan, like the imperial mosques in Constantinople. The cemetery of Scutari is one of the largest in the East. It is an immense wood of cypress-trees, crossed by large alleys, which extend nearly three miles. The soil of Scutari is considered as sacred ground. Here the Ottoman dynasty was founded, and from here Islamism spread itself in Europe. Many illustrious men have therefore desired to be buried in this cemetery. One tomb attracts particular attention; it is a dome sustained by six mar the Sultan Mahmoud buried his favorite horse. The Convent of the Rufai, or howling dervishes, should be visited by the traveler, their manner of worship being very novel and interesting. Continuing along the shore, we come to the village of Bey-Kos, which stands on the gulf of the same name. This gulf was formerly called the Bay of Amycus: here the king of the Bebryces was slain by Pollux on the return of the Argonantic expedition. A laurel, planted at the place of his defeat, had the singular effect of rendering insensible those who gathered its branches. The bay of Bey-Kos was formerly cele-ble columns, and marks the place where brated for its swordfish; they have now, however, entirely disappeared from the Bosphorus. Continuing along the coast, we pass Indjir-Keni, Ichibouklon, and Kanlidje, the bloody village. Here is a fine kiosk erected by Mehemet Ali. AnadouliHissar (the castle of Asia) lies opposite Roumili- Hissar, and, like that fortress, was built by Mohammed II. It is now in ruins, and presents nothing to the view but four dismantled towers. The Sweet Waters of Asia is one of the most charming spots on the Bosphorus. Here the lovely beauties of the harem come to pass the summer months. In the centre of the promenade is a large white marble fountain, covered with inscriptions in letters of gold, covered by a large projecting roof, and little domes surmounted by crescents. Kandili derives its name from the light Steamers leave Constantinople weekly for the Danube, Salonica, Varna, Odessa, Trebizond, Marseilles, and the Syrian coast. Travelers wishing to go up the Danube take the Austrian Lloyds steamers to Varna, and then go by rail to Rustchuk, where they join the mail steamer, and proceed up the Danube to Basiasch. Here they may take the railroad to Pesth and Vienna, or continue on the Danube as far as Pesth. To visit the Crimea you must go by the way of Odessa, taking a weekly steamer from thence to Sebastopol. Fifty dollars will be sufficient to pay the passage both ways; and the different battle-fields, as well as the ancient caves of the Crimea, are well worth a visit. The English have left there two monuments of their nationality-a splendid macadamized road from Balaklava to Sebastopol, the only one in the country, and an immense pyramid of broken porter-bottles, solidified in such a manner by the weather that its perpetuity is likely to rival the Pyramids of Egypt. From Constantinople to Genoa, viâ Athens, the time is eight days. Fare, 500 fr. = $100. To Athens, 41 hours: this fare varies considerably. THE ISLES OF GREECE. After passing through the Dardanelles, or Hellespont, we are again among the "Isles of Greece," so beautifully described by Byron in the following verses, which we quote in full, as no description we could give would so well while away the hours as we pass between them: "The isles of Greece, the isles of Greece, Where burning Sappho loved and sung, Where grew the arts of war and peace, Where Delos rose and Phoebus sprung; Eternal summer gilds them yet, But all, except their sun, is set. "The Scian and the Teian muse, The hero's harp, the lover's lute, And Marathon looks on the sea; I dreamt that Greece might still be free; "A king sat on the rocky brow Which looks o'er sea-born Salamis, The heroic bosom beats no more! Though linked among a fettered race, Even as I sing, suffuse my face; Earth, render back from out thy breast Ah! no: the voices of the dead And shed the blood of Scio's vine! Where is the Pyrrhic phalanx gone? The nobler and the manlier one? We will not think of themes like these! He served but served Polycrates- Was freedom's best and bravest friend; Oh! that the present hour could lend Such as the Doric mothers bore; They have a king who buys and sells Our virgins dance beneath the shade- Where nothing, save the waves and I, May hear our mutual murmurs sweep; There, swan-like, let me sing and die: A land of slaves shall ne'er be mineDash down yon cup of Samian wine!" The French steamers remain generally at Piræus, the sea-port of Athens, four or five hours-sufficient time to examine the ruins of the Acropolis. There is little else to be seen at Athens. If you have time, you can remain one week, until the next boat arrives. |