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 pictures
or statuary. The view from the windows, and especially from the marble
terrace in front, is one of the finest I have ever seen. The pavilion
stands on the highest part of Seraglio Point, two hundred feet above
the water: below it are the ruins of the palace, and the gardens
running down to the shore. Just before you the Bosphorus empties
into the Marmora; in a deep bay on the Asiatic shore opposite are the
islands of Prinkipo, Prote and several others; and on the mainland the
view is bounded by the snow-capped mountains of Olympus. On the
right is the Sea of Marmora. To the left, as far as you can see, the
Bosphorus stretches away toward the Black Sea, its shores dotted with
towns, cemeteries and palaces; on the extreme left the Golden Horn