s no
more a suburb of Constantinople, than Westminster is a suburb to
London. All the ambassadors are lodged very near each other. One
part of our house shews us the port, the city, and the seraglio, and
the distant hills of Asia; perhaps, all together, the most beautiful
prospect in the world.

A CERTAIN French author says, Constantinople is twice as big as
Paris. Mr W----y is unwilling to own 'tis bigger than London, though
I confess it appears to me to be so; but I don't believe it is so
populous. The burying fields about it are certainly much larger than
the whole city. 'Tis surprising what a vast deal of land is lost
this way in Turkey. Sometimes I have seen burying places of several
miles, belonging to very inconsiderable villages, which were formerly
great towns, and retain no other mark of their ancient grandeur, than
this dismal one. On no occasion do they ever remove a stone that
serves for a monument. Some of them are costly enough, being of very
fine marble. They set up a pillar, with a carved turbant on the top
of it, to the memory of a man; and as the turbants, by their
different shapes, shew the quality or profession, 'tis in a manner
putting up the arms of the deceased; besides, the pillar commonly
bears an inscription in gold letters. The ladies have a simple
pillar without other ornament, except those that die unmarried, who
have a rose on the top of their monument. The sepulchres of
particular families are railed in, and planted round with trees.
Those of the sultans, and some great men, have lamps constantly
burning in them.

WHEN I spoke of their religion, I forgot to mention two
particularities, one of which I have read of, but it seemed so odd to
me, I could not believe it; yet 'tis certainly true; that when a man
has divorced his wife, in the most solemn manner, he can take her
again, upon no other terms, than permitting another man to pass a
night with her; and there are some examples of those who have
submitted to this law, rather than not have back their beloved. The
other point of doctrine is very extraordinary. Any woman that dies
unmarried is looked upon to die in a state of reprobation. To
confirm this belief, they reason, that the end of the creation of
woman is to increase and multiply; and that she is only properly
employed in the works of her calling, when she is bringing forth
children, or taking care of them, which are all the virtues that God
expects from her. And