;fe%ww' B 3 IMl fifi3 \. j^MIV^uiHn^^MV^ '^ '' y*'> J J . , ^^Wu^^'^^l^wD ^■f m M l^'" yV,fL , p!^ -v^tisi r-S. f«^'^«fW I^^^W^ ■^ "Mm u&^^ym TEf'f ^5^11 ^1 l^w*^^ ^*l^^^ '^^v, 44/> WFt- N MEMORIAM JESSICA PEIXOTTO 1864-1941 a iisit tn tl)p Inlij laiili. BY MADAME IDA PFEIFFER. LONDON. INGRAM COOKE & Co. 1852. VISIT HOLY LAND, EGYPT, AND ITALY. BY MADAME IDA PFEIFFER, AUTHOR OF "a WOMAN'S JOURNEY ROUND THE WORLD," "VISIT TO ICELAND," ETC. ^x&ml&Utj from t^t ©erman BY H. W. DULCKEK WITH EIGHT TINTED ENGRAVINGS. SECOND EDITION. LONDON: INGRAM, COOKE, AND CO. 227 STRAND. 1853. 0)^47 IS 3 PRINTED BY LEVEY, ROBSON, AND FBANKLYN, Great New Street and Fetter Lane. PEEFACE BY THE VIENNA PUBLISHER. For two centuries the princes and nations of the West were accus- tomed to wander towards the land of the morning. In vain was the noblest blood poured forth in streams in the effort to wrest the country of our heavenly Teacher from the grasp of the infidel ; and though the Christian Europe of the present day forbears to renew a struggle which, considering the strength that has been gradually increasing for the last six hundred years, might prove an easy one, we cannot wonder that millions of the votaries of Christianity should cherish an earnest longing to wander in the paths the Redeemer has trod, and to view with their own eyes the traces of the Saviour's progress from the cradle to the grave. In the generality of cases, however, the hardships, dangers, and difficulties of such a journey were sufficient to overthrow the bravest resolution ; and thus the wishes of the majority remained unfulfilled. Few men were found to possess the degree of strength and endurance requi:jite for the carrying out of such an undertaking ; mMIS?^^ 7^,*jfc VIU PREFACE. but that a delicate lady of the higher classes, a native of Vienna, should have the heroism to do what thousands of men failed to achieve, seemed almost incredible. In her earliest youth she earnestly desired to perform this journey ; descriptions of the Holy Land were perused by her with peculiar interest, and a book of Eastern travel had more charms for her than the most glowing accounts of Paris or London. It was not, however, until our Authoress had reached a riper age, and had finished the education of her sons, that she suc- ceeded in carrying into effect the ardent aspiration of her youth. On the 2d of March, 1842, she commenced her journey cHone, without companions, but fully prepared to bear every ill, to bid defiance to every danger, and to combat every diflficulty. That this undertaking should have succeeded may almost be looked upon as a wonder. Far from desiring publicity, she merely kept a diary, in order to retain the recollections of her tour during her later Kfe, and to impart to her nearest relatives the story of her fortunes. Every evening, though often greatly exhausted with heat, thirst, and the hardships of travel, she never failed to make notes in pencil of the occurrences of the day, frequently using a sand-mound or the back of a camel as a table, while the other members of the caravan lay stretched around her, completely tired out. It was in the house of my friend Halm that I first heard of this remarkable woman, at a time when she had not yet com- pleted her journey ; and every subsequent account of Madame Pfeiffer increased my desire to make her acquaintance. PREFACE. IX In manners and appearance I found her to resemble many other women who have distinguished themselves by fortitude, firmness of soul, and magnanimity ; and who are in private life the most simple and unaffected, the most modest, and conse- quently also the most agreeable of beings. My request to read our Authoress's journal was granted with some timidity ; and I am ready to assert that seldom has a book so irresistibly attracted me, or so completely fixed my attention from beginning to end, as this. The simple and unadorned relation of facts, the candour, combined with strong sound sense, which appear throughout, might put to shame the bombastic striving after originality of many a modern author. The scheme and execution of the work are complete and agreeable ; strict truth shines forth from every page, and no one can doubt but that so pure and noble a mind must see things in a right point of view. This circumstance is sufficient in itself to raise the book above many descriptions of travel to the Holy Land, whose authors, trusting to the fact that their assertions could not easily be disproved, have indulged their fancy, seeking to impart interest to their works by the relation of imaginary dangers, and by exaggeration of every kind, for the sake of gaining praise and admiration. Many such men might blush with shame on reading this journal of a simple, truth- loving woman. After much trouble I succeeded in persuading the Authoress to allow her journal to appear in print. My efforts were called forth by the desire to furnish the read- X PBEFACE. ing public, and particularly the female portion, with a very inter- esting and attractive, and at the same time a strictly authentic picture of the Holy Land, and of Madame Pfeiflfer's entire journey. e-'-^^^O^^xC^X^V^--^ CONTENTS. CHAPTER I. PAGE Departure from Vienna — Scene on board the steamer — Hamburg — Presburg — The ''Coronation-mount" — Pesth — Ofen — The steamer Galata — Mohacs — The fortress Peterwardein — Discomfort and bad management on board the steamer — Semlin — Belgrade — Pancsova — Austrian soldiers — The rock Babakay — Drenkova — Falls of Danube — Alt-Orsova — The " Iron Gate" — Cattle-breeding — Cal- lafat — Vexatious delay 17 CHAPTER II. Giurgewo — Interior of the town — BraUa — Sanitary precautions — Galatz — Scarcity of good water — Ridiculous fear of the plague — The steamer i^ercZt/iawc?— Entrance into the Black Sea — Stormy wea- ther and sea-sickness — Arrival at Constantinople — Pictvu-esque appearance of the city — Mosques — The dancing Dervishes — The Sultan and his barge — Pera — The great and little Campo — Wild dogs— Dirty state of the streets — Preparations in case of fire . 32 CHAPTER III. Scutari — Kaiks — The howling Dervishes — The Achmaidon, or place of arrows — The tower in Galata — The bazaar at Constantinople — Mosques — Slave-market — The old Serail — The Hippodrome — Coffee-houses — Story-tellers — Excursion to Ejub — Houses, thea- tres, and carriages CONTENTS. CHAPTER IV. PACK Walks and drives of the townspeople— The " Sweet Waters"— Chalce- donia — Balukhd — The great and little Campo — Feasts in Con- stantinople — Anniversary of Mahomet's death — Easter holy days of the Greeks — Gladiators and wrestlers— Excursion to Bnissa — Olive-trees — Mosques at Brussa — Stone bridge — WUd dogs — Baths and mineral springs — Eetum to Constantinople .... 62 CHAPTER V. Contradictory reports — Departure from Constantinople on board the Archduke John — Scene on the steamer — Galipoli — The Darda- nelles — Tschenekalesi and KiUdil Bahar — The field of Troy — Tene- dos — Smyrna — HaUzar — The date-palm — Bumaba — The Acropolis — Female beauty — Khodes — Strong fortifications — Deserted ap- pearance of the town — Cyprus CHAPTER VI. Arrival at Beyrout — Fellahs — Backsheesh — Uncomfortable quarters — Saida — Tyre — St. Jean d'Acre — Caesarea — Exciu'sion among the ruins — Jafia — An Eastern family — The Indian fig-tree — An Orien- tal dinner — Costume of the women of Jaffa — Oppressive heat — Gnats — Eamla— Syrian convents — Bedouins and Arabs— Kariet el Areb, or Emmaus — The scheikh — Arrival at Jerusalem . . 91 CHAPTER VII. Residence at Jerusalem — Catholic church — The "Nuova Casa" — Via dolorosa — Pilate's house — The Mosque Omar — Herod's house — Church of the Holy Sepvilchre — Disturbances at the Greek Easter feasts — Knights of the Holy Sepulchre — Mount of OUves — Adven- ture among the ruins— Mount of Offence — Valley of Jehosaphat — Snoam — Moimt Sion— Jeremiah's Grotto — Graves . , . 109 CHAPTER VIII. Bethlehem — Rachel's grave — Convent at Bethlehem — Beggars — Grotto of the Nativity — Solomon's cisterns — St. John's — Franciscan church at Jerusalem — Mourning women — Eastern weddings — Mish-mish — Excursion to the Jordan and the Dead Sea — Wilder- ness near Jerusalem— Convent of St. Saba . . . . . 123 CONTENTS. CHAPTER IX. PAGE Kide through the wilderness to the Dead Sea — The Dead Sea — The river Jordan — Horde of Bedouins — Arab horses — The Sultan's well — Bivouac in the open air — Return to Jerusalem — Bethany— De- parture from Jerusalem — Jacob's grave — Nablus or Sichem — Se- basta — Costume of Samaritan woman — Plain of Esdralon — Sagun . 137 CHAPTER X. Arrival at Nazareth — Franciscan convent — Tabarith — Mount Tabor — Lake of Gennesareth — Baths — Mount Carmel — Grotto of the pro- phet Elijah — Acre — The pacha's harem— Oriental women — Their hstlessness and ignorance — Sm* or Tyre 152 CHAPTER XI. River Mishmir — Saida — Amauts — Desert-path — Residence of Lady Hester Stanhope — Beyrout — The consul's — Uncomfortable quarters — Sickness— The Bazaar — Vexatious delays — Departtire from Bey- rout — Beautiful views — Syrian costumes — Damascus — Aspect of the city. — House of the consul 167 CHAPTER XII. The bazaar at Damascus — The khan — Grotto of St. Paul — Fanaticism of the inhabitants — Departure from Damascus — The desert— Mili- tary escort — Heliopolis or Balbeck — Stupendous ruins— Continua- tion of our voyage through the desert — The plague — The Lebanon range — Cedar-trees — Druses and Maronites— Importunate beggars — Thievish propensities of the Arabs 183 CHAPTER XIII. The Lebanon — Druses and Maronites — Illness of Herr Sattler — Djebel or Byblus — Rocky passes — Dog's-river — Return to Beyrout — Sick- ness — Departure for Alexandria — Roguery of the captain — Disa- greeables on board — Limasol — Alarm of pirates — Cowardice of the crew — Arrival at Alexandria 200 XIV CONTENTS. CHAPTER XIV. PAGE Alexandria — Keeping quarantine — Want of arrangement in the quaran- tine-hoxise — Bad water — Fumigating of the rooms — Release — Aspect of the city — Departure by boat for AU6 — Mehemet Ali — Arrival at Atf^ — Excellence of the Nile water — Good-nature of the Arab women — The Delta of the Nile — The Libyan desert — The pyramids— Arrival at Cairo 214 CHAPTER XV. Cairo — Quarrel with the captain — Eapacity of the beggars — The cus- tom-house — The consulate — Aspect of Cairo — Narrow and crowded streets— Costumes — The mad-house — Disgusting exhibition — Jo- seph's well — Palace of Mehemet Ali — Dates — Mosques at Cairo — Excursion to the pyramids of Gizeh— Gizeh — Eggs hatched by ar- tificial heat — Ascent of the pyramids — The sphynx — Return to Cairo CHAPTER XVI. Christian chtirches at Cairo — The Esbekie-square — Theatre — Howling dervishes — Mashdalansher, the birthday of Mahomet — Proces- sion and religious ceremony — Shubra— Excursion through the de- sert to Suez — Hardships of the journey — Scenes in the desert — The camel — Caravans — Mirage — The Red Sea — Suez — Bedouin Camp— Quarrel with the camel-driver — Departure for Alexandria 245 CHAPTER XVII. Return to Alexandria— Egyptian burials — Catacombs of Alexandria — Viceroy's palace — Departure from Alexandria — The steamer £!u- rotas — Candia — Syra — Pares and Antiparos — The Morea — Fire on board — Malta — Quarantine — St. Augustine's chm-ch — Clergymen • Costmnes — Soldiers — Civita Vecchia .... 260 CHAPTER XVIII. The steamer Hercules — Syracuse — Neapolis — Ruins — Catanea — Convent of St. Nicholas — Messina — The Duke of Calabria— Palermo — The royal palace— Chvirch of St. Theresa — St. Ignazio— Catacombs of the Augustine convent — Skeletons — OUvuzza — Royal villa "Fa- vorite " — St. Rosalia — Brutality of the Itahan mob — Luxuriant vegetation — Arrival at Naples 272 CONTENTS. CHAPTER XIX. PAGE Sojourn at Naples — Sickness — Laziness of the people — Eoyal palace — Rotunda — Strada Chiaga and Toledo — St. Carlo Theatre — Largo del Castello — Medina Square — Marionettes — St. Jesu Nuovo — St. Jesu Maggiore — St. Maria di Piedigrotta — Public gardens — Aca- demy '' degli Studii" — Cathedral of St. Januarius — St. Jeronimi — St. Paula Maggiore — St. Chiara — Baths of Nero — Solfatara — Grotto ''del Cane" — Resina — Ascent of Vesuvius — Caserta . .289 CHAPTER XX. Caserta — Costume of the peasants — Rome — Piazza del Popolo — Dogana — St. Peter's — Palaces — Borghese, Barberini, Colonna, &c. — Churches— Ancient Rome — The Colliseum — Departure for Flo- rence — Bad weather — Picturesque scenery — Siena — Florence — Cathedral and palaces — Departure from Florence — Bologna — Ferrara — Conclusion . . . 308 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS. PAGE JERUS AT.KM— (frontispiece). NAZARETH (tiTLe). CHURCHYARD AT SCUTARI . . 48 THE DEAD SEA . . . . . . 138 MOUNT CARMEL 160 LEBANON 190 BALBECK ...... 194 ISTHMUS OF SUEZ . . . . . 257 VISIT TO THE HOLY LAND, ETC. ETC. c--^..£=<5«^&4^>4i.— :> CHAPTEE I. Departui'e from Vienna — Scene on board the steamer — Hainburg — Pres- burg-— The *' Coronation-mount"— Pesth—Ofen— The steamer Galata — Mohacs — The fortress Peterwardein — Discomfort and bad manage- ment on board the steamer — SemUn — Belgrade — Pancsova — Austrian soldiers— The rock Babakay—Drenkova— Falls of the Danube— Alt- Orsova — The ^' Iron Gate " — Cattle - breeding — Callafat — Vexatious delay. I HAD for years clierislied the wish to undertake a journey to the Holy Land; years are, indeed, required to famiharise one with the idea of so hazardous an enterprise. When, therefore, my domestic arrangements at length admitted of my absence for at least a year, my chief employment was to prepare myself for this journey. I read many works bearing on the subject, and was moreover fortunate enough to make the acquaintance of a gentleman who had travelled in the Holy Land some years be- fore. I was thus enabled to gam mucli oral information and advice respecting the means of prosecuting my dangerous pil- grimage. My friends and relations attempted in vain to turn me from my purpose by painting, in the most glowmg colours, all the dan- gers and difficulties which await the traveller in those regions. B 18 VISIT TO THE HOLY LAND, " Men," they said, " were obliged gravely to consider if they had physical strength to endure the fatigues of such a journey, and strength of mind bravely to face the dangers of the plague, the climate, the attacks of insects, bad diet, &c. And to think of a woman's venturing alone, without protection of any kind, into the wide world, across sea and mountain and plain, — it was quite preposterous." This was the opinion of my friends. I had nothing to advance in opposition to all this but my firm unchanging determination. My trust in Providence gave me calmness and strength to set my house in every respect in order. I made my will, and arranged all my worldly affairs in such a manner that, in the case of my death (an event which I considered \. more probable than my safe return), my family should find every thing perfectly arranged. And thus, on the 22d of March 1842, I commenced my jouniey from Viemia. At one o'clock in the afternoon I drove to the Kaisermiihlen (Emperor's Mills), from which place the steamboats start for Pesth. I was joyfully suriDrised by the presence of several of my relations and friends, who wished to say farewell once more. The parting was certainly most bitter, for the thought involuntarily obtruded itself, " Should we ever meet again in tliis world?" Our moumfiil meditations were in some degree disturbed by a loud dispute on board the vessel. At the request of a gentleman present, one of the passengers was compelled, instead of flying, ;as he had intended, with bag and baggage to Hungary, to return to Vienna in company of the poHce. It appeared he owed the gentleman 1300 florins, and had wished to abscond, but was luckily overtaken before the departure of the boat. This afiair was hardly concluded when the bell rang, the wheels began to revolve, and too soon, alas, my dear ones were out of sight ! I had but few fellow-passengers. The weather was indeed ^e and mild ; but the season was not far enough advanced to , EGYPT, AND ITALY. ' l9 lure travellers into the wide world, excepting men of business, and those who had cosmopolitan ideas, hke myself. Most of those on board were gomg only to Presburg, or at farthest to Pesth. The captain having mentioned that a woman was on board who intended travelling to Constantinople, I was immediately sur- rounded by cmious gazers. A gentleman who was bound to the same port stepped forward, and offered his services in case I should ever stand in need of them ; he aftei-^-ards frequently took me under his protection. The fine mild weather changed to cold and wind as we mt fairly out into the great Danube. I wrapped myself in my cloak, and remained on deck, in order to see the scenery between Vieima and Presburg, which, no doubt, appears lovely enough when na- ture is clad in the garment of spring ; but now I only saw leafless trees and fallow ground — a dreary picture of winter. Hainburg with its old castle on a rock, Theben with its re- markable fortress, and farther on the large free city of Presburg, have all a striking appearance. In three homes' time we reached Presburg, and landed in the neighbourhood of the Coronation-hill, an artificial mound, on which the kmg must stand in Ms royal robes, and brandish his sword towards the four quarters of the heavens, as a token that he is ready to defend his kingdom against all enemies, from whatever direction they may approach. Not far from this hiU is situate the handsome inn called the " Two Green Trees," where the charges are as high, if not higher, than in Vienna. Until we have passed Pesth, passengers going down the river are not allowed to remain on board through the night. March 23d. This morning we continued our journey at six o'clock. Im- mediately below Presburg the Danube divides mto two arms, forming the fertile island of Schiitt, which is about forty-six miles long and twenty- eight in breadth. Till we reach Gran the scenery S^ VISIT TO THE HOLY LAND, is monotonous enough, but here it improves. Beautiful hills and several mountains surround the place, imparting a charm of variety to the landscape. In the evening, at about seven o'clock, we arrived at Pestb. Unfortunately it was ah-eady quite dark. The magnificent houses, or rather palaces, skirting the left bank of the Danube, and the celebrated ancient fortress and town of Ofen on the right, form a splendid spectacle, and invite the traveller to a longer sojourn. As I had passed some days at Pesth several years before, I now only stayed there for one night. As the traveller must change steamers here, it behoves him to keep a careftd eye upon the luggage he has not dehvered up at the office in Vienna. I put up at the " Hunting-horn," a fine hotel, but ridiculously expensive. A Httle back room cost me 45 kreutzers (about one shilling and eightpence) for one night. The whole day I had felt exceedingly unwell. A violent headache, accompanied by nausea and fever, made me fear the approach of a fit of illness which would interrupt my journey. These symptoms were probably a consequence of the painM ex- citement of parting with my friends, added to the change of air. With some difficulty I gained my modest chamber, and imme- diately went to bed. My good constitution was lucidly proof against the attacks of all enemies, and wakmg the next mom- mg, on March 24th, in tolerable health, I betook myself on boai'd our new steam- boat the Galata, of sixty -horse power: this boat did not, however, appear to me so tidy and neat as the Marianna, in which we had proceeded fi-om Vienna to Pesth. Our jomney was a rapid one ; at ten o'clock in the morning we were already at Feldviir, a place which seems at a distance to be of some magni- tude, but wliich melts away hl^e a soap-bubble on a ueai-er ap- EGYPT, AND ITALY, 21 proacli. By two o'clock we had reached Paks; here, as at all other places of note, we stopped for a quarter of an hour. A boat TOWS off from the shore, bringing and fetching back passengers with such marvellous speed, that you have scarcely finished the sentence you are saying to yoiu: neighbour before he has van- ished. There is no time even to say farewell. At about eight o'clock in the evening we reached the market- town of Mohacs, celebrated as the scene of two battles. The for- tress here is used as a prison for criminals. We could distinguish nothing either of the fortress or the town. It was already night when we arrived, and at two o'clock m the mornirig of March 25th we weighed anchor. I was assured, however, that I had lost nothing by this haste. Some hours afterwards, our ship suddenly struck with so severe a shock, that all hastened on deck to see what was the matter. Our steersman, who had most probably been more asleep than awake, had given the ship an unskilful turn, in consequence of which, one of the paddles was entangled with some trunks of trees projecting above the sm^face of the water. The sailors hurried into the boats, the engine was backed, and after much difficulty we were once more afloat. Stopping for a few moments at Daluia and Berkara, we passed the beautiful ruin of Count Palffy's castle at about two o'clock. The castle of lUok, situate on a hill, and belonging to Prince Odescalchi, presents a still more picturesque appearance. At about four o'clock we landed near the little free town of Neusatz, opposite the celebrated fortress of Peterwardein, the out- works of which extend over a tongue of land stretching far out into the Danube. Of the little free town of Neusatz we could not see much, hidden as it is by hills wliich at this point confine the bed of the river. The Danube is here crossed by a bridge of boats, and this place also forms the military boundary of Austria. m YISIT TO THE HOLY LAND, The siirroimdmg landscape appeared sufficiently picturesque ; the little tovm of Karlowitz, lying at a short distance from the shore, among liills covered with vineyards, has a peculiarly good effect. Farther on, however, as far as Semlin, the sceneiy is rather mono- tonous. Here the Danuhe already spreads itself out to a vast breadth, resembling rather a lake than a river. At nine o'clock at night we reached the city of Semlin, in the vicinity of which we halted. Semlin is a fortified place, situated at the junction of the Save mth the Danube ; it contains 13,000 inhabitants, and is the last Austrian town on the right bank of the Danube. On approaching Semlin, a few small cannons were fired off on board our boat. Unfortunately the steward did not receive notice of this event early enough to allow" of his opening the win- dows, consequently one was shattered: this was a serious mis- fortune for us, as the temperature had sunk to zero, and all the landscape around was covered with snow. Before leaving Vienna, the cabin stove had been banished from its place, as the sun had sent forth its mild beams for a few days, and a continuance of the warm w^eather was rashly relied on. On the w^hole, I would not advise any traveller to take a second-class berth on board a steamer belonging to the Viennese company. A greater want of order than we find in these vessels could scarcely be met with. The traveller whose fonds will not permit of his paying first-class fare wUl do better to content himself with a third-class, i.e. a deck-passage, particularly if he purposes journeying no far- ther than Mohacs. If the weather is fine, it is more agreeable to remain on deck, watching the panorama of the Danube as it glides past. Should the day be unfavom-able, the traveller can go, without ceremony, into the second-class cabin, for no one makes a distinction between the second and third-class places. During the daytime, at any rate, it is quite as agreeable to remain on deck as to venture below. Travelling down the river from Pesth, the 'women are compelled to pass the night in the same cabin with the EGYPT, AND ITALY. 23 men; an arrangement as uncomfortable as it is indecorous. I ■ afterwards had some experience of steamers belonging to the Austrian Lloyds, on whose vessels I always found a proper sepa- ration of the two sexes, and a due regard for the comfort of second-class passengers. The cold was so severe, that we would gladly have closed ■every window, but for the close atmosphere engendered by the number of poor people, mostly Jews, who form the larger portion of passengers on board a Hungarian steamer. When the weather is unfavourable, these men are accustomed to hasten from their third-class places to those of the second class, where their presence" ; renders it immediately desirable to open every outlet for purposes of ventilation. "What the traveller has to endure on board these " vessels would scarcely be behoved. Uncushioned benches serve for seats by day and for beds by night. A separation of the two sexes is nowhere attempted, not even on board the Ferdinand, in which you enter the Black Sea, and are exposed to the mer- ciless attacks of sea-sickness. Considering the high rate of passage-money demanded on this journey, I really think the traveller might expect better accom- modation. The first-class to Constantinople costs 120 florins,* the second 85 florins, exclusive of provisions, and without reckon- ing the hotel expenses at Presburg. March 26th. Last night was not a period of rest, but of noise for us travel- lers. Not one of us could close his eyes. Semlm is a place of considerable importance as a commercial town: above 180 cwt. of goods were unloaded here from our ves- sel ; and in exchange we took on board coals, wood, and wares of various descriptions. The damaged wheel, too, had to be repaired ; and every thmg was done with so much crashing and noise, that we almost imagined the whole steamer was coming to pieces. * A florin is worth about 2^. Id. 24: VISIT TO THE HOLY LAND, Added to tliis, the cold wind drove in continually through the broken pane, and made the place a real purgatoiy to us. At length, at six o'clock in the morning, we got afloat once more. One ad- vantage, however, resulted from this fortuitous stoppage : we had a very good view of Belgrade, a town of 20,000 inhabitants, situate opposite to Semlin. It is the first Turkish fortified city m Ser\da. The aspect of Belgrade is exceedmgly beautiful. The fortifi- cations extend upwards on a rock from the Danube in the form of steps. The city itself, with its graceM mmarets, lies half a mile farther uiland. Here I saw the first mosques and minarets. The mosques, as far as I could observe fr'om the steamer, are built in a circular form, not very high, and sm^mounted by a cupola flanked by one or two minarets, a kind of high roimd pillar. The loftiest among these buildings is the palace of Prince Milosch. From this point our voyage becomes very interestmg, presentmg a rich and varied succession of delightful landscape- views. The river is hemmed in on either side by moimtains, until it spreads itself forth free and unrestrained, m the neigh- bourhood of Pancsova, to a breadth of 800 fathoms. Pancsova, on the left bank of the Danube, m the territory' of Banata, is a military station. As the stoppages are only for a few moments, Httle oppor- tunity is afforded of seeing the interior of the towns, or of visiting most of the places at which we touch. At such times all is hurry and confusion ; suddenly the bell rings, the planks are withdrawn, and the unlucky stranger who has loitered on board for a few moments is obUged to proceed with us to the next station. At Neusatz this happened to a servant, in consequence of his carrying his master's luggage into the cabin instead of merely throwing it dossil on the deck. The poor man was conveyed on to Semhn, and had to travel on foot for a day and a half to regain his home. A very pleasant journey of two hours from Pancsova brought us to the Turkish fortress Semendria, the situation of which is truly beautiful. The numerous angles of its walls and EGYPT, AND ITALY. 25 towers, built in the Moorish style, impart to this place a peculiar chann. As a rule, the Turkish fortresses are remarkable for picturesque effect. But the villages, pai-ticularly those on the Servian shore, had the same poverty-stricken look I had frequently noticed in Galicia. Wretched clay huts, thatched with straw, lay scattered around ; and far and wide not a tree or a shrub appeared to rejoice the eye of the traveller or of the sojourner in these parts, under the shade of which the poor peasant might recruit his weary frame, while it would conceal from the eye of the traveller, in some degree, the poverty and nakedness of habitations on which no feeling mind can gaze without emotions of pity. The left bank of the river belongs to Hungary, and is called the " Banat ;" it presents an appearance somewhat less desolate. Much, however, remains to be desired ; and the poverty that reigns aroimd is here more to be wondered at, from the fact that this strip of land is so rich in the productions of nature as to have obtamed the name of the " Gamer of Hungary." On the Austrian side of the Danube sentries are posted at every two or three hundred paces — an arrangement which has been imitated by the governments on the left bank, and is carried out to the point where the river empties itself into the Black Sea. It would, however, be erroneous to suppose that these sol- diers mount guard in their miifonns. They take up their positions, for a week at a time, in their wretched tattered garments ; fre- quently they are barefoot, and their huts look like stables. I entered some of these huts to view the internal arrangements. They could scarcely have been more sunple. In one comer I found a hearth ; m another, an apology for a stove, clumsily fashioned out of clay. An unsightly hole in the wall, stopped with paper instead of glass, forms the window ; the furniture is comprised in a single wooden bench. Whatever the inhabitant requires in the way of provisions he must bring with him ; for this he is allowed by the government to cultivate the land. 26 VISIT TO THE HOLY LAND, Throughout the Kussian territory the soldiers at least wear uniform. Our journey becomes more and more charming. Frequently the mighty river rushes foaming and roaring past the rocks, which seem scarcely to allow it a passage ; at other times it glides serenely onwards. At every tiun we behold new beauties, and scarcely know on which side to turn our eager eyes. Meanwhile the ship sails swiftly on, gliding majestically through wildly romantic scenery. At one o'clock in the afternoon we reached Pasiest, where there is nothing to be seen but a large store of coals for the steamers and a few huts. Of the town itself nothing can be distinguished. A couple of miles below Pasiest we enjoy an imposing spec- tacle. It is the solitary rock Babakay, risiog from the midst of the waters. Together with the beautiful ruin Golumbacz, on the Servian shore, it forms a magnificent view. March 27th. How unfortunate it is that all advantages are so seldom found combined ! We are now travelling amid glorious scenery, which we hoped should recompense us for the manifold discomforts we have hitherto endured ; but the weather is unpropitious. The drivrn«f snow sends us all into the cabin. The Danube is so fiercely agitated by the stormy wind, that it rises into waves Hke a sea. We are suffering lamentably from cold ; unable to warm ourselves, we stand gazing ruefully at the place where the stove stood — once upon a time. At four o'clock we reached Drenkova without accident, but completely benumbed : we hurried into the inn built by the steam- boat company, where we found capital fare, a warm room, and tolerably comfortable beds. This was the first place we had reached since leaving Pesth at which we could thoroughly warm and refresh ourselves. EGYPT, AND ITALY, 27. At Drenkova itself there is nothing to be seen but the inn just mentioned and a barrack for soldiers. We were here shewn the vessel which was wrecked, with passengers on board, in 1839, in a journey up the Danube. Eight persons who happened to be in the cabin lost their hves, and those only who were on deck were saved. March 28th. Early in the morning we embarked on board the TiXnte, a vessel ftimished with a cabin. The bed of the Danube is here more and more hemmed in by mountains and rocks, so that in some places it is not above eighty fathoms broad, and ghdes with redoubled swiftness towards its goal, the Pontus Euxinus or Black Sea. On account of the falls which it is necessary to pass, between Drenkova and Fetislav, the steamer must be changed for a small sailing vessel. The voyage down the stream could indeed be accompHshed without danger, but the return would be attended with many difficulties. The steamers, therefore, remain behind at Drenkova, and passengers are conveyed down the river in barks, and upwards (since the accident of 1839) in good com- modious carriages. To-day the cold was quite as severe as it had been yesterday ; so that but for the politeness of a fellow-passenger, who lent me' his hunda (great Hungarian fur), I should have been com- pelled to remain in the little cabin, and should thus have missed the most interesting points of the Danube. As it was, however, I wrapped myself from head to foot in the fur cloak, took my seat on a bench outside the cabin, and had ftill leisure to store my memory with a succession of lovely scenery, presenting almost the appearance of a series of lake views, which continued equally picturesque until we had almost reached Alt-Orsova. A couple of miles below Drenkova, near Islas, the sailors sud- denly cried, " The first fall I" I looked up in a fever of expec^ tation. The water was rising in small waves, the stream ran somewhat faster, and a slight rushing sound was to be heard. If. 28 VISIT TO THE HOLY LAND, I had not been told that the Danube forms a waterfall here, I should certainly never have suspected it to be the case. Between Lenz and Ki'ems I did not find either the rocks or the power of the stream much more formidable. We had, however, a high tide, a circumstance which duninishes both the danger of the journey and the subhmity of the view. The numerous rocky points, peering threateningly forth at low tide, among which the steersman must pick his way with great care, were all hidden from om' sight. We glided safely over them, and in about twenty mmutes had left the first fall beliind us. The two succeeding falls are less considerable. On the Austro-Wallachian side a road extends over a distance of fourteen to sixteen miles, frequently strengthened with ma- sonry, and at some points hevm out of the sohd rock. In the midst of this road, on a high wall of rock, we see the celebrated "Veteran Cave," one of the most impregnable points on the banks of the Danube. It is surrounded by redoubts, and is admirably calculated to command the passage of the river. This cave is said to be sufiiciently spacious to contaui 500 men. So far back as the time of the Romans it was already used as a point of defence for the Danube. Some five miles below it we notice the *' Trajan's Tablet," hewn out of a protruding rock. On the Turco-Servian side the masses of rock jut out so far into the stream, that no room is left for a footway. Here the famous Trajan's Road once existed. No traces of this work remain, save that the traveller notices, for fifteen or twenty miles, holes cut here and there in the rock. In these holes strong trunks of trees were fastened ; these supported the planks of which the road is said to have been formed. At eleven in the forenoon we reached Alt-Orsova, the last Austrian town on the mihtary frontier of Banata or Wallachia. We were obhged to remain here for half a day. The town has rather a pretty effect, being composed mostly of new houses. The house belonging to the steamboat company is EGYPT, AND ITALY. 29 particularly remarkable. It is not, however, devoted to the accom- modation of travellers, as at Drenkova. Here, as at Presburg and Pesth, eacli passenger is required to pay for his night's expenses, — an arrangement which I could not help finding somewhat strange, inasmuch as every passenger is made to pay twice ; namely, for his place on the steamer and for his room in the inn. It was Sunday when we arrived, and I saw many people pro- ceeding to church. The peasants are dressed tolerably neatly and weU. Both men and women wear long garments of blue cloth. The women have on their heads large handkerchiefs of white linen, which hang down their backs, and on their feet stout boots; the men wear roimd felt hats, and sandals made of the bark of trees. March 29th. After having completely refireshed ourselves at the good inn called the " Golden Stag," we this morning embarked on a new craft, the Saturnus^ which is only covered m overhead, and is open on all sides. So soon as a traveller has stepped upon tliis vessel he is looked upon as unclean, and may not go on shore without keeping quarantine : an ofiicer accompanied us as far as Galatz. Immediately below Alt-Orsova we entirely quit the Austrian territory. We are now brought nearer every moment to the most dan- gerous part of the river, the " Iron Gate," called by the Turks Demir kaju. Half an hour before we reached the spot, the rushmg sound of the water announced the perilous proximity. Numerous reefs of rocks here traverse the stream, and the current runs eddy- ing among them. We passed this dangerous place in about fifteen minutes. Here, at the Iron Gate, the high tide beMended us, as it did at the former falls. I found these falls, and indeed almost every thing we passed, far below the anticipations I had formed from reading descriptions, 30 \^SIT TO THE HOLY LAND, frequently of great poetic beauty. I wish to represent every" thing as I found it, as it appeared before my eyes ; without adorn- ment indeed, but truly. After passing the Iron Gate we come to a village, in the neighbourhood of which some fragments of the Trajan's Bridge can be discerned at low water. The country now becomes flatter, particularly on the left bank, where extend the immense plains of Wallachia, and the eye finds no object on which it can rest. On the right hand rise terrace- like rows of hills and mountains, and the background is bounded by the sharply- defined Hnes of the Balkan range, rendered cele- brated by the passage of the Russians in 1829. The villages, scattered thinly along the banks, become more and more miserable ; they rather resemble stables for cattle than human dweUings. The beasts remain in the open fields, though the cHmate does not appear to be much milder than with us in Austria ; for to-day, nearly at the beginning of April, the thermometer stood one de- gree below zero, and yesterday we had only five degrees of warmth (reckoning by Reaumur). The expeditious and easy manner in which cattle are here de- clared to be free from the plague also struck me as remarkable. When the creatures are brought from an infected place to one pronoimced healthy, the ship is brought to some forty or fiftj'^ paces from the shore, and each animal is thrown into the water and driven towards the bank, where people are waiting to receive it. After this simple operation the beasts are considered free from infectious matter. Cattle-rearmg seems to be here canied on to a considerable extent. Everywhere I noticed large herds of homed beasts and many buffaloes. Numerous flocks of goats and sheep also appear. On the Saturnus we travelled at the most for two hours, after which we embarked, opposite the fortress of Fetislav, on board the steamer Zriny. . . At five o'clock in the evenmg we passed the fortress of Wid- EaYPT, AND ITALY. 31 din, opposite which we stopped, in the neighbourhood of the town of Callafat. It was intended merely to land goods here, and then to proceed immediately on our voyage ; but the agent was no- where to be found, and so we poor travellers were made the vic- tuns of this carelessness, and compelled to remain here at anchor all night, March 30th. As the agent had not yet made his appearance, the captain had no choice but to leave the steward behind to watch over the goods. At half-past six m the morning the engmes were at length set in motion, and after a very agreeable passage of six hours we reached Nicopohs. All the Turkish fortresses on the Danube are situated on the right bank, mostly amid beautiful scenery. The larger towns and villages are surrounded by gardens and trees, which give them a very pleasant appearance. The interior of these towns, however, is said not to be quite so inviting as one would suppose from a distant view, for it is asserted that dirty narrow streets, dilapi- dated houses, &c., oifend the stranger's sight at every step. We did not land at any of these fortresses or towns ; for us the right bank of the river was a forbidden paradise ; so we only saw what was beautiful, and escaped being disenchanted. Rather late in the evening we cast anchor opposite a village of no note. 32 VISIT TO THE HOLY LAND, CHAPTER II. Givirgewo — Intei-ior of the town — Braila — Sanitary precautions — Galatz — Scarcity of good water — Kidiculous fear of the plague — The steamer Ferdinand — Entrance into the Black Sea — Stormy weather and sea- sickness — Arrival at Constantinople — Picturesque appearance of the city — Mosques— The dancing Dervishes — The Sultan and his barge — Pera — The great and Httle Campo — Wild dogs — Du'ty state of the streets — Preparations in case of fire. March 31st. WE Started early this morning, and at eight o'clock had already reached Giurgewo. This town is situate on the left bank of the Danube, opposite the fortress of Rustschuk. It contains 16,000 inhabitants, and is one of the chief trading towns of Wallachia. We were detained here until four o'clock in the afternoon ; for we had to unload above 600 cwt. of goods and eight carriages, and to take coals on board in exchange. Thus we had time to view the interior of this Wallachian city. With what disappointed surprise did my fellow-passengers view the ugliness of this town, which from a distance promises so much ! On me it made but little impression, for I had seen towns pre- cisely similar in Galicia. The streets and squares are full of pits V. and holes ; the houses are built without the slightest regard to taste or symmetry, one perhaps projecting halfway across the street, while its neighbour falls quite into the background. In some places wooden booths were erected along each side of the street for the sale of the commonest necessaries of life and articles of food, and these places were dignified by the name of " bazaars." Curiosity led us into a wine-shop and mto a coffee-house. In both of these we found only wooden tables and benches ; there were hardly any guests ; and the few persons present belonged to the EGYPT, AND ITALY. 33 humblest classes. Glasses and cups are handed to the company without undergomg the ceremony of rinsmg. We pm'chased some eggs and butter, and went into the house of one of the townspeople to prepare ourselves a dish after the Oerman fashion. I had thus an oi^portunity of noticing the inter- nal arrangements of a house of this description. The floor of the room was not boarded, and the window was only half glazed, the remaining portion being filled up with paper or thin bladder. For the rest, every thing was neat and simple enough. Even a good comfortable divan was not wanting. At four o'clock we quitted the to-«Ti. The Danube is now only broad for short distances at a time. It is, as it were, sown mth islands, and its waters are therefore more frequently parted into several streams than united into one. In the villages we already notice Greek and Turkish costumes, but the women and girls do not yet wear veils. Unfortunately it was so late when we reached the fortress of Silistria that I could see nothing of it. A Httle lower down we cast anchor for the night. At an early hour on April 1st we sailed past Hirsova, and at two o'clock stopped at Braila, a fortress occupied by the Bussians since the year 1828. Here passengers were not allowed to land, as they were considered infected with the plague ; but our ofiicer stepped fori\^ard, and vouched for the fact that we had neither landed nor taken up any one on the right bank of the river ; thereupon the strangers were allowed to set foot on terra firma. By four o'clock we were opposite Galatz, one of the most considerable commercial towns, with 8000 inhabitants, — the only harbour the Russians possess on the Danube. Here we saw the first merchant-ships and barques of all lands coming fi:om the Black Sea. Some sea-gidls also, heralds of the neighbouring ocean, soared above our heads. c 34 VISIT TO THE HOLY LAND, The scene here is one of traffic and bustle ; Galatz being the place of rendezvous for merchants and travellers from two quar- ters of the globe, Europe and Asia. It is the pomt of junction of three great empires — ^Austria, Russia, and Turkey. After the officer had repeated his assurances as at Braila, we were permitted to leave the ship. I had a letter of recommenda- tion to the Austrian consul, who accidentally came on board ; after reading my letter he received me very Idndly, and most obligingly procured quarters for me. The town promises much, but proves to be just such a miser- able dirty place as Giurgewo. The houses are generally built of wood or clay, thatched with straw ; those alone belonging to the consul and the rich merchants are of stone. The finest build- ings are the Christian church and the Moldavian hotel. Though Galatz hes on the Danube, water for drinking is a dear article among the inhabitants. Wells are to be found neither in the houses nor in the squares. The townspeople are com- pelled to bring all the water they require from the Danube, which is a great hardship for the poor people, and a considerable expense for the rich ; in wmter a small tub of water costs from 10 to 12 kreutzers (about 4c?. or 6d.) in the more distant quarters of the town. At every corner you meet water-carriers, and little wagons loaded with tubs of water. Attempts have frequently been made to procure this indispensable element by digging ; water has, indeed, in some instances gushed forth, but it always had a brackish taste. In Galatz we made a halt of twenty-four hours : the delay was not of the most agreeable kind, as neither the town itself nor its environs offer any thing worthy of remark. Still I always think of these days with pleasure. Herr Consul Huber is a po- lite and obliging man ; himself a traveller, he gave me many a hint and many a piece of advice for my journey. The air of quiet comfort which reigned throughout his house was also not to be despised by one who had just endured many days of privation ; at Herr Huber's I found relief both for body and mind. EGYPT, AND ITALY. 35 April 2d. . The scenery round the town is so far from being inviting, that I did not feel the least inclination to explore it. I therefore re- mained in the town, and went up hill and down dale through the ill-paved streets. Coffee-houses appear in great abundance ; but if it were not for the people sitting in front of them drinking coffee and smoking tobacco, no one would do these dirty rooms the honour of taking them for places of entertainment. In the market and the squares we notice a great prepon- derance of the male sex over the female. The former are seen bustling about every where, and, hke the Italians, perform some duties which usually fall to the lot of the softer sex. AVe notice a mixture of the most different nations, and among them a parti- cularly large number of Jews. The bazaar is overloaded with southern fruits of all kinds. Oranges and lemons are seen here in great numbers, like the com- monest of om' fruits. The prices are of course very trifling. The cauliflowers brought from Asia Minor are particularly fine. I noticed many as large as a man's head. In the evening I was required to repair to the harbour and re-embark. It is almost impossible to form an idea of the confusion which reigns here. A wooden railing forms the barrier between the healthy people and those who come from or intend travelling to a country infected with the plague. Whoever passes this line of demarcation is not allowed to return. Soldiers, officers, go- vernment officials, and superintendents, the latter of whom are armed with sticks and pairs of tongs, stand at the entrance to drive those forcibly back who will not be content with fair words. Provisions and other articles are either thrown over the barrier or left in front of it. In the latter case, however, they may not be touched until the bearers have departed. A gentleman on the " plague" side wished to give a letter to one on the other ; it was immediately snatched from his hand and handed across by means 36 VISIT TO THE HOLY LAND, of a pair of tongs. And all this time such a noise and hubbub is going on, that you can scarcely hear the sound of your own voice. *' Pray hand me over my luggage !" cries one. " Keep farther away ! don't come near me, and mind you don't touch me !" anxiously exclaims another. And then the superintendents keep shouting — " Stand back, stand back !" &c. I was highly entertained by this spectacle; the scene was entirely new to me. But on my retm-n, when I shall be one of the piisoners, I fear I may find it rather tedious. For tins time I was not at all hindered in the prosecution of my journey. On the whole, these timid precautions seemed to me exceed- ingly uncalled for, particularly at a time when neither the plague nor any kind of contagious disease prevailed in Turkey. One of my fellow-passengers had been banished to our ship on the pre- vious day because he had had the misfortune to brush agamst an official on going to see after his luggage. At seven o'clock the tattoo is beaten, the grating is shut, and the farce ends. We now repaired to the fourth and last steamer, the Ferdinand. From first to last we changed vessels six times during a journey fi:om Vienna to Constantinople ; we travelled by four steamers and twice in boats ; a cncumstance w^hich cannot be reckoned among the pleasures of a trip down the Danube. Though not a large boat, the Ferdinand is comfortable and well built. Even the second-class cabin is neatly arranged, and a pretty stove diffused a warmth which was peculiarly gratefiil ta us all, as the thermometer shewed only six to eight degrees above zero. Unfortunately even here the men and women are not sepa- rated in the second-class cabin ; but care is at least taken that third-class passengers do not mtrude. Twelve berths are arranged round the walls, and m front of these are placed broad benches well cushioned. Apiil 3d. At five o'clock in the morning we steamed out of the harbour of Galatz. Shortly afterwards basins and towels were handed to EGYPT, AND ITALY. 37 lis ; a custom totally unknown upon former vessels. For provi- sions, which are tolerably good, we are charged 1 fl. 40 kr. per diem. Towards ten o'clock we reached Tehussa, a Bessarabian vil- lage of most miserable appearance, where we stopped for a quarter of an hour; after wliich we proceeded without further delay to- wards the Black Sea. I had long rejoiced in the expectation of reaching the Black Sea, and imagined that near its mouth the Danube itself would appear like a sea. But as it generally happens m life, " gi-eat expectations, small realisations," so it was the case here also. At Galatz the Danube is very broad ; but some distance from its mouth it divides itself into so many branches that not one of them can be termed majestic. Towards three o'clock in the afternoon we at length entered the Black Sea. Here the arms of the Danube rush forward from every quar- ter, driving the sea tumultuously back, so that w^e can only dis- tinguish m the far distance a stripe of green. For above an hour we glide on over the yellow, clayey, strongly agitated fresh water, until at length the boundary is passed, and we are careering over the salt waves of the sea. Unfortmiately for us, equinoctial gales and heavy weather still so powerfully maintained their sway, that the deck was completely flooded with the salt brine. We could hardly stand upon our feet, and could not manage to reach the cabin- door, where the bell was ringing for dumer, without the as- sistance of some sailors. Several of the passengers, myself among the number, did little honour to the cook's skill. We had scarcely begun to eat our soup, before we were so powerfully attacked by sea- sickness, that we were obhged to quit the table precipitately. I laid myself down at once, feeling unable to move about, or even to drag myself on deck to admire the magnificent spectacle of nature. The waves frequently ran so high as to overtop the flue of our stove, and from time to time whole streams of water poured into the cabin. 38 VISIT TO THE HOLY LAND, Aiml4th. Since yesterday the stonn has increased considerably, so that we are obliged to hold fast by our cribs to avoid being thrown out. This misfortune really happened to one of the passengers, who was too ill to hold sufficiently tight. As I already felt somewhat better, I attempted to rise, but was thrown in the same instant with such force against a table which stood opposite, that for a long time I felt no inchnation to try again. There was not the slightest chance of obtaining any sleep all night. The dreadfiil howhng of the wind among the masts and cordage, the fearful straining of the ship, which seemed as though its timbers were starting, the continual pitching and rolling, the ratthng of the heavy cables above us, the cries, orders, and shouting of the captain and his sailors, all combined to form a din which did not allow us to enjoy a moment's rest. In the mommg, ill as I felt myself, I managed to gain the deck with the help of the steward, and sat do^Ti near the steersman to enjoy the aspect of that grandest of nature's phenomena — a storm at sea. Holding tightly on, I bade defiance to the waves, which broke over the ship and wetted me all over, as though to cool my feverish heat. I could now form a clear and vivid conception of a storm at sea. I saw* the waves rush foaming on, and the ship now div- ing into an abyss, and anon rising with the speed of hghtning to the peak of the highest wave. It was a thrilling, fearful sight ; — absorbed in its contemplation, I soon ceased to think of my sickness. Late at night the violence of the storm abated in some degree ; we could now run in and cast anchor in the harbour of Varna, which under ordinary circumstances we should have reached twelve hours sooner. April 5th. This morning I had leisure to admire this fine fortress-town, which was besieged and taken by the Russians in 1828. We remained here several hours. The upper portion of the ship was here loaded with fowl of aU descriptions, to such a degree that the EGYPT, AND ITALY. 39 Space left for us travellers was exceedingly circumscribed. This article of consumption seems to be in great demand in Constanti- nople both among Turks and Franks ; for our captain assured me that his vessel was laden with this kind of ware every time he quitted Varna, and that he carried it to Stamboul. AprU 6th. The shades of night prevented my seeing one of the finest sights in the world, in anticipation of which I had rejoiced ever since my departure from Vienna — the passage through the Bos- phorus. A few days afterwards, however, I made the excursion in a kaik (a very small and hght boat), and enjoyed to my heart's content views and scenes which it is totally beyond my descriptive power to portray. At three o'clock in the morning, when we entered the harbour of Constantinople, every one, with the exception of the sailors, lay wrapped in sleep. I stood watching on deck, and saw the sun rise in its full glory over the imperial city, so justly and universally admired. We had cast anchor in the neighbourhood of Topona; the city of cities lay spread out before my eyes, built on several hills, each bearing a separate town, and all blending into a grand and harmonious whole. The town of Constantinople, properly speaking, is separated from Galata and Pera by the so-called " Golden-Horn ;" the means of communication is by a long and broad wooden bridge. .Scutari and Bulgurlu rise in the form of terraces on the Asiatic -shore. Scutari is surrounded, within and without, by a splendid :WOod of magnificent cypresses. In the foreground, on the top of the mountain, lie the spacious and handsome barracks, wliich can contaui 10,000 men. The beautiful mosques, with their graceful minarets — the .palaces and harems, kiosks and great barracks — the gardens, shrubberies, and cj-press-woods — the gaily painted houses, among 40 VISIT TO THE HOLY LAND, which single cypresses often rear their slender heads, — these, together with the immense forest of masts, combine to form an indescribably strikuig spectacle. When the bustle of Hfe began, on the shore and on the sea, my eyes scarcely sufficed to take in all I saw. The " Golden Horn" became gradually covered as far as the eye could reach with a countless multitude of kaiks. The restless turmoil of life on shore, the passing to and fro of men of all nations and colours, from the pale inhabitant of Em-ope to the blackest Ethiopian, the combination of varied and characteristic costumes, — this, and much more which I cannot describe, held me speU-bound to the deck. The hours flew past like minutes, and even the time of debarca- tion came much too early for me, though I had stood on deck and gazed from three o'clock until eight. I found myself richly repaid for all the toils of my journey, and rejoiced in the sight of these wonderful Eastern pictures ; I could only wish I were a poet, that I might fitly portray the mag- nificent gorgeousness of the sight. To land at Topona, and to be immediately smTOunded by hired servants and hamaks (porters), is the fate of every traveller. The stranger is no longer master either of his will or his luggage. One man praises this mn, the other that.* The porters hustle and beat each other for your effects, so that the custom-house officers frequently come forward with their sticks to restore order. The boxes are then searched, — a ceremony wliich can, however, be considerably accelerated by a fee of from ten to twenty kreutzers. It is very advisable to fix on an hotel before lea\ing the boat. There are always passengers on board who are resident at Con- stantinople, or at least know the town well, and who are poHte enough to give advice on the subject to strangers. By this means you rid yourself at once of the greedy servants, and need only tell a porter the name of your inn. a They receive a dollar from the landlord for every guest whom they bring to his house. EGYPT, AND ITALY. 41 The inns for the Franks (a term used in the East to designate all Europeans) are in Pera. I stayed at the hotel of Madame Balbiani, a widow lady, in whose house the guests are made com- fortable in every respect. Clean rooms, with a beautiful view to- wards the sea, healthy, well-selected, and palatable fare, and good prompt attendance, are advantages which every one values ; and all these are found at Madame Balbiani's, besides constant readi- ness to oblige on the part of the hostess and her family. The good lady took quite a v^^arm interest in me ; and I can say, with- out hesitation, that had not my good fortune led me imder her roof, I should have been badly off. I had several letters of intro- duction ; but not bemg fortunate enough to travel in great pomp or with a great name, my countrymen did not consider it worth while to trouble themselves about me. I am ashamed, for their sakes, to be obliged to make this con- fession ; but as I have resolved to narrate circumstantially not only all I saw, but all that happened to me on this jom-ney, I must note down this circumstance with the rest. I felt the more deeply the kindness of these strangers, who, mthout recommendation or the tie of country, took so hearty an interest m the well-being of a lonely woman. I am truly rejoiced when an opportunity occurs of expressing my sincere gratitude for the agreeable hours I spent among them. The distance from Vienna to Constantinople is about 1000 sea miles. RESIDENCE AT CONSTANTINOPLE. — THE DANCING DERVISHES. I arrived at Constantinople on a Tuesday, and immediately inquired what was worth seeing. I was advised to go and see the dancmg dervishes, as this was the day on which tliey held their rehgious exercises in Pera. As I reached the mosque an hour too soon, I betook myself in the meantime to the adjoining garden, which is set apart as the place of meeting of the Turkisli women. Here several hundred 42 VISIT TO THE HOLY LAND, ladies reclined on the grass in varied groups, surrounded by JJieir children and their nurses, the latter of whom are all negresses. Many of these Turldsh women were smoking pipes of tobacco with an appearance of extreme enjoyment, and drinking small cups of coffee without milk. Two or three friends often made use of the same pipe, which was passed round from mouth to mouth. These ladies seemed also to be partial to dainties : most of them were well provided with raisins, figs, sugared nuts, cakes, &c., and ate as much as the Httle ones. They seemed to treat their slaves very kindly ; the black servants sat among their mistresses, and munched away bravely : the slaves are well dressed, and could scarcely be distinguished from their owners, were it not for their sable hue. During my whole journey I remarked with pleasure that the lot of a slave in the house of a Mussulman is not nearly so hard as we believe. The Turkish women are no great admirers of animated conversations ; still there was more talkmg m their societies than in the assemblies of the men, who sit silent and half asleep in the coffee-houses, languidly Hstenmg to the narrations of a story-teller. The ladies' garden resembles a churchyard. Funeral monu- ments peer forth at intervals between the cypresses, beneath wliicli the visitors sit talking and joking cheerfully. Every now and then one would suddenly start up, spread a carpet beside her com- panions, and kneel down to perform her devotions. As no one of the male sex was allowed to be present, all were unveiled. I noticed many pretty faces among them, but^ngt a single instance of rare or striking beauty. Fancy large brilhant eyes, pale cheeks, broad faces, and an occasional tendency to cor- pulence, and you have the ladies' portrait. Small-pox must still be rather prevalent in these parts, for I saw marks of it on many faces. ^-^ The Turkish ladies' costume is not very tasteftd. When they "go abroad, they are completely swathed in an upper garment, , EGYPT, AND ITALY. 43 generally made of dark merino. In the liarem, or in any place where men are not admitted, they doff this garment, and also the white cloth in which they wrap their heads and fiices. Their cos- tume consists, properly speaking, of very wide trousers drawn together below the ancle, a petticoat with large wide sleeves, and a broad sash round the waist. Over this sash some wear a caftan, others only a spencer, generally of sill^. On their feet they wear delicate boots, and over these sUppers of yellow morocco ; on their heads a small fez-cap, from beneath which their hair falls on their shoulders in a number of thin plaits. Those Turks, male and female, who are descended from Mahomet, have either a green caftan or a green tm-ban. This colour is here held so sacred, that scarcely any one may wear it. I would even advise the Franl^s to avoid green in their dresses, as they may expose themselves to annoyance by using it. After I had had more than an hour's leisure to notice all these circumstances, a noise suddenly arose in the courtyard, which pro- duced a stir among the women. I considered from these appear- ances that it was time to go to the temple, and hastened to join my party. A great crowd was waiting in the courtyard, for the Sultan was expected. I was glad to have the good fortune to behold him on the very day of my arrival. As a stranger, I was allowed, without opposition, a place in the front ranks, — a trait of good breeding on the part of the Turks which many a Frank would do well to imitate. In a Turk, moreover, this politeness is doubly praiseworthy, from the fact that he looks upon my poor sex with great disrespect ; indeed^according to his creed, we havg. not even a soul. I had only stood a few moments, when the Sultan appeared on horseback, surrounded by his train. He alone rode into the courtyard ; the others all dismounted at the gate, and entered on foot. The horse on which the Sultan rode was of rare beauty, and, as they told me, of the true Arabian breed ; the saddle-cloth was richly embroidered with gold, and the stirrups, of the same 44 VISIT TO THE HOLY LAND, precious metal, were in the form of shoes,