of
the American and French schools and colleges established in the
provinces and at the capital. More than thirty foreign educational
institutions flourish in Constantinople itself, and they are largely
attended by the youth belonging to the native communities of the
country. The Greek population is provided with excellent schools and
gymnasia, and the Armenians also maintain schools of a high grade. The
Turkish government itself became, moreover, impressed with the
importance of education, and as a consequence the whole system of public
instruction for the Moslem portion of the population was, during the
reign of Sultan Abd-ul-Hamid II., more widely extended and improved.
Beside the schools of the old type attached to the mosques, schools of a
better class were established under the direct control of the minister
of education, which, although open to improvement, certainly aimed at a
higher standard than that reached in former days. The progress of
education became noticeable even among Moslem girls. The social and
political influence of this intellectual improvement among the various
communities of the empire soon made itself felt, and had much to do with
the startling success of the constitutional revolution carried out,
under the direction of the Committee of Union and Progress, in the
autumn of 1908.

_Climate._--The climate of the city is healthy, but relaxing. It is damp
and liable to sudden and great changes of temperature. The winds from
the north and those from the south are at constant feud, and blow cold
or hot in the most capricious manner, often in the course of the same
day. "There are two climates at Constantinople, that of the north and
that of the south wind." The winters may be severe, but when mild they
are wet and not invigorating. In summer the heat is tempered by the
prevalence of a north-east wind that blows down the channel of the
Bosporus. Observations at Constantinople and at Scutari give the
following results, for a period of twenty years.

+------------------------+-----------------+--------------+
| | Constantinople. | Scutari. |
+------------------------+-----------------+--------------+
| Mean temperature | 57 deg. 7' | 58 deg. 1' |
| Maximum | 99 deg. 1' | 103 deg. 6' |
| Minimum | 17 deg. 2' | 13 deg. 0' |
| Rain | 28.3 in. | 29.29 in. |