mp
against him with such force as to take the breath out of his body, and was
out of his reach before he had recovered himself. I saw several Turkish
women striking right and left in their endeavors to escape, and place
their hands against the faces of those who opposed them, pushing them
aside. This crowd was contrived by thieves, for the purpose of plunder,
and, from what I have since learned, must have been very successful.

I visited to-day the College of the Mevlevi Dervishes at Pera, and
witnessed their peculiar ceremonies. They assemble in a large hall, where
they take their seats in a semi-circle, facing the shekh. After going
through several times with the usual Moslem prayer, they move in slow
march around the room, while a choir in the gallery chants Arabic phrases
in a manner very similar to the mass in Catholic churches. I could
distinguish the sentences "God is great," "Praise be to God," and other
similar ejaculations. The chant was accompanied with a drum and flute, and
had not lasted long before the Dervishes set themselves in a rotary
motion, spinning slowly around the shekh, who stood in the centre. They
stretched both arms out, dropped their heads on one side, and glided
around with a steady, regular motion, their long white gowns spread out
and floating on the air. Their steps were very similar to those of the
modern waltz, which, it is possible, may have been derived from the dance
of the Mevlevis. Baron Von Hammer finds in this ceremony an imitation of
the dance of the spheres, in the ancient Samothracian Mysteries; but I see
no reason to go so far back for its origin. The dance lasted for about
twenty minutes, and the Dervishes appeared very much exhausted at the
close, as they are obliged to observe the fast very strictly.

Chapter XXVII.

The Solemnities of Bairam.

The Appearance of the New Moon--The Festival of Bairam--The Interior of
the Seraglio--The Pomp of the Sultan's Court--Rescind Pasha--The
Sultan's Dwarf--Arabian Stallions--The Imperial Guard--Appearance of the
Sultan--The Inner Court--Return of the Procession--The Sultan on his
Throne--The Homage of the Pashas--An Oriental Picture--Kissing the
Scarf--The Shekh el-Islam--The Descendant of the Caliphs--Bairam
Commences.

Constantinople, _Monday_, _July_ 19, 1852.

Saturday was the last day of the fast-month of Ramazan, and yesterday the
celebration of the solemn festival of Bairam took place. The moon cha