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606 UN DEBAT : DES MENTALITES COLLECTIVES 16

Night, We now got little to eat but Rice which I unfortunately hate. I <jrammed it down however by the help of water. — We now travelled on through one continual fiat of many miles with little Yariety to Ternova which is situated araongst romantic Rocka but is quite a Turkish Town having Houses of Wood — We were sixteen Hours on Horaeback this first day & were very glad to repose with three of four Turka in a common €aravansera that Night. — The next Morn we set ont again & on leaving the Town saw a Mana Head stuck upon a Pole not higher than a Hedge-Stake close to the Road aide & grinning horribly. — Soon after the Road begins to be one Plain of sun burnt grass with a few Bushes here & there & thus continues to Mount Haemus which is the Separation between Bułgaria & Ancient Thrace. — This Mountain ia very high & the descent very rugged it is entirely covered with Wood mostly Beech & ao much infested with Banditti that there is Hut built at the Top where there ave a few Turkish Soldiers always posted for the safeguard of Travellers.— Onr Janissary wehadtaken at Buchoreati told us it was never safe there but in Day-light & not then except the Company was somewhat nurae-rous. The Mountain is beautiful & we descended it by a very rap id descent to a hot fiat plain through which runs the River called Hebrus by the Ancients so famous for the story of Orpheus. — We followed the course of this most of the way to Adrianople which is a large old Town with a fine Mosąue built by the Sułtan Selim. — We were allowed to go into it taking off our Shoes & were much struck with the size & appearance of the Dornę. — It is lighted by 999 Lampa ¹ ² suspended from the Top & in the middle is a fountain of elear Water of which we drank a little & found it very pleasant. — It has a fine Portico with granite Pillars 30 Feet high & above four in diameter. — We ascended one of the Minarets & had a complete view of the Town. — In three Days from thence we a>rrived at this Place which must strike all travellers with the singularity of its situation & appearance. The Houses & Streets are remarkably bad when you are in the Town but the view of the Town from any Eminence is strikingly fine & magnificent the multitude of Mosąues with their Minarets which are often gilded the great number of Cypress Trees which are intermixed with them & the admixture of Gardens with the Houses forms one of the prettiest things you can conceive. — A great object however & which is the chief picture in the Yiew is the Sea & the opposite Hills of Asia. —¹ The Harbour is large & deep continual! y covered with a number of Boats sailing rowing &c. — One branch of the Harbour is the Bos-phorus leading into the black Sea which is distant only about 16 iniles the other is the Harbour as it is called on the side of which is placed Constantinople. At the cud of the Promontory on which Constantinople is placed is situated the Seraglio which is a large extensive Building inter-raixed ^vith Trees & Gardens & all these surrounded by a high Wall within which nobody but Eunuchs black slaves & the special officera of the Court can enter. There ia an outward Court opening into the Streets into which People do sometimes pass but this was refused to oUr Party the other Day.

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For a different explanation, see the letter of RandU Wilbraham to Mrs. Wilbraham Bootle, Constantinople, 8 August 1794.