to do so. Indeed,
he is said to believe that if he were to stop building he would die.
Seraglio Point has been abandoned by the court, and the sultan lives
in a palace on the Bosphorus, and one of the loveliest spots on earth
is left to decay. We entered through the magnificent gate of the
Sublime Porte, passed the barracks, which are still occupied by
the soldiers, visited the arsenal and saw the wax figures of the
Janizaries and others in Turkish costume. The upper part of the
pleasure-grounds is in a neglected state, and those near the water are
entirely destroyed. In one of the buildings are the crown-jewels and a
valuable collection of other articles. There were elegant toilet sets
mounted in gold; the most exquisitely delicate china; daggers, swords
and guns of splendid workmanship and sparkling with jewels; Chinese
work and carving; golden dishes, cups and vases, and silver pitchers
thickly encrusted with precious stones; horse trappings and velvet
hangings worked stiff with pearls, gold and silver thread, bits
of coral, and jewels; three emeralds as large as small hen's eggs,
forming the handle of a dirk; and in a large glass case magnificent
ornaments for the turban. There must have been thousands of diamonds
in these head-pieces, besides some of the largest pearls I have ever
seen; a ruby three-quarters of an inch square; four emeralds nearly
two inches long; and a great variety of all kinds of precious stones.
The handle and sheath of one sword were entirely covered with diamonds
and rubies. There were rings and clasps, and antique bowls filled
with uncut stones, particularly emeralds. It recalled the tales of the
_Arabian Nights_. The collection is poorly arranged, and the jewels
dusty, so that you cannot examine closely or judge very well of the
quality. Those I have mentioned interested me most, but there were
many elegant articles of European manufacture which had been presented
to the sultan by various monarchs. Near the treasury is a very
handsome pavilion, built of white marble, one story high, with fine
large plate-glass windows. A broad hall runs through the centre,
with parlors on each side. The walls were frescoed, and on the
handsomely-inlaid and highly-polished floors were beautiful rugs. The
divans were gilt and heavy silk damask--one room crimson, one blue and
another a delicate buff. A few large vases and several inlaid Japanese
cabinets completed the furniture: the Koran does not allow picture