nd the evening was delightfully spent on
the vessel. The American Consul and his wife came on board to meet some
friends and to welcome all the Americans. Then, according to a plan
which had been made by the managers of the tour, a resident of the city
delivered an instructive address on the history of Constantinople. The
lecturer told of Constantine the Great, first Christian emperor and
founder of the city; of Justinian, the imperial legislator and builder,
and his empress Theodora, the beautiful comedian who became a queen; of
the heroic warrior Belisarius and his emperor's ingratitude; of the
Greek girl Irene who rose to supreme power; of the bloody religious
riots and theological disputes; of the Nicene Council and adoption of
the Nicene creed; and of the pillage of Constantinople by the ruthless
Crusaders. He told also of the marriage ceremonies, of the art and
commerce, and of the places of interest about the city. His remarks
about the former trade and literature of the city were most interesting.

"During the earlier centuries of the Eastern Roman Empire," said the
lecturer, "Constantinople, the capital, was a great centre of trade, an
exchange market for the products of the world. Caravans brought the
treasures of the East to the storehouses here to be bartered for the
cargoes of produce which came in ships from the West. This exchange
brought wealth and prosperity to the city. In later centuries the
Venetians and Genoese succeeded in transferring much of this business to
Venice and Genoa and the trade of Constantinople declined. In modern
days steamships and the Suez canal have completely changed the route of
commerce.

"Constantinople, not only was a centre of trade, but in the Twelfth and
Thirteenth centuries it was the centre of literature. During the dark
ages, when the study of literature was generally neglected in other
places, the lamp of learning burned brightly in this city. Libraries
were established and manuscripts accumulated; but at the time of the
Turkish invasion a multitude of the most valuable documents were
destroyed. When the Renaissance brought new life to the western shores,
the centre of literature moved to Italy, and printed books took the
place of manuscripts."

[Illustration: OUR CARRIAGES RATTLED OVER THE PLANK BRIDGE.]

When we thought of the present standing of Turkey among the nations of
the world, it was difficult to realize that for centuries Constantinople
was the commercia