e of the Koran, or, indeed, any religious
book, they either snatched it away, or interposed themselves in such a
manner, that I could not touch the object of this extraordinary
precaution.

[Sidenote: CURIOUS MANUSCRIPTS.] I bought one book, which the owner said
was a treatise on mathematics; it however appeared to me to be more
like a genealogical tree, and so it turned out. My friend Hodgson, who
is well versed in the Oriental languages, pronounced it to be a
Silsileh-nameh, or genealogy of the Ottoman emperors from Adam to the
present Sultan; a work of extreme rarity, and the most complete he had
ever seen. Through his assistance I procured a very good copy of the
Koran, and also a firman, signed by Sultan Selim, granting permission to
a rich Turk to bequeath his fortune as an endowment for four priests, on
condition that they employed themselves in sweeping the mosque at Mecca.
This document, which is very long, is beautifully written on gold, and
is altogether a very splendid specimen of Oriental penmanship. I also
bought some Turkish spelling-books, very tastefully painted and
ornamented, such as are used in the schools.

_Monday, 3d._--As the heat of the weather begins to be oppressive, my
companion and myself have determined to remove to Terapia, where we
have, after some difficulty, engaged a house close to the back gate of
the English palace, and commanding a fine view of the Bosphorus. This
morning we took possession of our abode, which is furnished by its
proprietor, Mauvromati, with all we required; and we have hired one
Demetrio, a most obliging, clever fellow, who speaks Persian, Turkish,
Greek, French, and English; besides these accomplishments, he is an
excellent cook.

The mids of the Actaeon found a name for the establishment immediately:
pipes, porter, bread and cheese, and whisky toddy, became the order of
the day, and night, too; and these jovial youths have transferred their
berth to the "Jolly Landsmen."

[Sidenote: NAVAL BANQUET.] But there was another inducement to move to
Terapia; for the midshipmen of the Actaeon gave their brother officers of
the French frigate Galatea a dinner, in return for one to which they had
been invited. The starboard side of the main deck was partitioned off by
sails, and converted into a very handsome cabin, which was hung with a
drapery of the flags of all nations, except the Rusky, whom we
unanimously voted unworthy to hold companionship with the Jack and the