eafie rates; the cormorants and other ravenous waterfowl, which the Turks will not fuffer to be deftroy'd, or otherwise molested, preying also upon them.

The weather in fome months is very inconftant, great heats and colds happenning the fame day upon the change of the wind.

The winters at Conftantinople are fometimes extraordinary fevere. I have heard it related by feveral old Greeks, as a thing moft certain, that the Bosphorus was frozen over in the time of Achmed, and that a Hare was courfed over it. It happened thus; that upon a thaw, huge cakes of ice came floating down the Danube into the Black Sea, and were driven by the current into the Bosphorus, where, upon the return of the froft, they were fixed fo hard, that it became paffable. In the year 1669, there was ice in the haven, to the great amazement of the Turks; and fome were fo frighted at this unufal accident, that they look'd upon it as a difmal prodigy, and concluded that the world would be at an end that year. The Aguglia, or Obelisk, in the Hypodrome, is betwixt fifty and fixty foot. high.

The hiftorical pillars in baffo relievo, raised in honour of the Emperors Arcadius and Honorius, may be in height about an hundred and forty seven feet.

Alexus Comnenus, lies buried in the patriarchal church against the wall, and his daughter Anna Comnena, the historian, who lived about the year of Chrift 1117. They pretend to fhew there, the relics of St Anaftafia, who fuffered martyrdom under the Emperor Valerianus, and of St Euphemia, virgin and martyr, who loft her life most gloriously for Chrift's holy religion at Chalcedon under Dioclefian.

In Sancta Sophia, there are pillars fo great, that a man can scarce fathom them at twice. At the end of the gallery that joins the other two, each about thirty of my paces wide, there is a piece of tranfparent marble, two or three inches thick. In the north gallery, upon the pavement, is a reddifh fort of a marble stone, brought, as the Turks and Chriftians relate, from Pa-. leftine, on which they fable, that the Bleffed Virgin ufed to wash the linnen of our Saviour.

I obferved but one step from the body of the church to the Bema, or place where the altar formerly stood. The great mofque at Chafim-baffa on Pera fide to the weft, was formerly a church dedicated to St Theodofia. Gianghir, a mofque fo called upon a hill at Fondaclee near Tophana.

In Conftantinople there are feveral narrow streets of trade, clofed up with fheds and penthouses, which I fuppofe were in ufe before the Greeks loft their empire, and are the fame with the σκεπαὶ νὰ φρακτοὶ δρόμοι, in Chryfalaloras's Epiftle, p. 119. But befides thefe places, feveral trades have their diftant quarters. The streets are raised for the most part on each fide for the greater convenience.

Not far from Suleimania, is the house of the Aga, or General of the Janizaries, which fo often changes it's mafters.

Pompey's pillar, as the Franks erroneously call it, is of the Corinthian order, curiously wrought, about eighteen foot in height, and three in diameter.

Beshiktah, a village within three or four miles of Conftantinople, towards the Bofphorus, where lies buried the famous pirate Ariadin, whom the Chriftian writers call Barbaroffa, who built here a handsome mosque, having two rows of pillars at the entrance. The captain Bashaw usually,before he puts to fea with his Armada of gallies, vifits the tomb of this fortunate robber, who had made feveral thousand Chriftians flaves, and and makes his prayers at the neighbouring church for the good fuccefs of his expedition.

They reckon in the city above a hundred public baths, every street almost affording one. They are efteemed works of great piety and charity, there being a continual ufe of them, not only upon the account of religion, but of health and cleanliness: For their diet being for the most part hot spiced meats in the winter, and crude fruits in the fummer; their liquor fountain water or coffee, to which we may add their lazy kind of life (for walking is never ufed by them for digeftion, or otherwife in the way of diverfion) frequent bathing becomes neceffary.

There

There are feveral receptacles of water under ground, and one particularly under the church of Sancta Sophia, as I was informed; but I did not think it worth my curiofity to defcend into it. These were of great use to the poor Greeks in the last fatal fiege; but the Turks are fo fecure, that they do not think that they deserve either coft or pains to keep the waters sweet, or the cifterns in repair.

The aqueducts, which anfwer to thofe glorious aqueduct near Pyrgos, and convey the water to the great ciftern near Sultan Selim's mosque, are in that part of Conftantinople which lies between the mosque of Mahomet the Great and Shazade.

The Turks began to befiege Conftantinople on the fifth of April, and took it the twenty-ninth of May, on Whitfun-tuesday morning, 1453, or as the Turks reckon in the year 857, of the Hegira, or flight of Mahomet, the twenty-fecond day of the first Jomad.

The chapel where Ejub Sultan is interred, at whose head and feet I obferved great wax candles, is inclosed with latten wire grates, for the better accommodation of fuch religious Turks, as come to pay their respect to the memory of this great Musulman Saint. In the middle of the area, there is raised a building sustained by excellent marble pillars, afcended by two several pair of stairs, where the new Emperor is inaugurated, and where he ufually goes in Biram time.

An

An account of the city of Prufa in Bythinia, and a continuation of the hiftorical obfervations relating to Conftantinople; by the reverend and learned Tho. Smith, D. D. fellow of Magd. Coll. Oxon. and of the Royal Society.

M

ONTANE A, formerly called Nicopolis, ac

cording to Bellonius, or rather Cios, the bay hence called Sinus Cianus, lies in the bottom of a bay about fourfcore miles from Conftantinople, and is the fcale or landing place for Prufa, from which it may be about twelve miles; in the middle way to which, is the village Mouffanpoula.

Prufa, now call'd by the Turks Burfia, the chief city of Bythinia, is feated at the foot partly, and partly upon the rifing of the mount Olympus, which is one of the highest hills of the leffer Afia. It's top is covered with fnow for nine or tenth months of the year, feveral ftreams of water flowing down the hill continually, accounted very unwholfome from the fnow mixed with it. In the upper part of the city to the north-weft, lies the Seraglio, which is walled round; but the Emperors not refiding here fince their acquists in Thrace, or fcarce making vifits to this imperial city, and none of their fons living here of late, according to the former policy of the Turkish Emperors, who did not permit their fons, when grown up, to be near them, but fent them to fome honourable employment, accompanied with a Bafhaw or Cadi, to inftruct them in the arts of war and government; it lies now neglected and defpoiled of all it's ornaments.

In this part alfo are the fepulchres, of Qfman, the founder of the family which now reigns, and his fon Urchan, who took the city, near a mofque, formerly a Chriftian church dedicated to St John, and where was formerly a convent of religious, built by Conftantinus Iconomachus, where I faw the figure of a crofs ftill remaining

maining upon the wall. Here hangs up a great drum of a vast bigness, fuch as they carry upon the backs of camels, and I fuppofe is one of thofe which they used in the taking of the place.

In the lower part, near the bottom of the hill, Norad II. the father of Mahomet the Great, lies buried; near whereunto was formerly the metropolitical church of the holy Apoftles. The Bezeften, or exchange, feems to be much better and larger than the great one at Conftantinople, as are the feveral Caravanferais built for the ufe and accommodation of Merchants and travellers; in one of which, the Rice-chane, I took up my quarters.

λαίλαψ.

Without the city, toward the eaft, is the mofque and fepulchre of the Emperor Bajazid I. whom the Turks call Filderim, or lightening, and the Greek writers λaina. Not far from hence, is the mofque of Mahomet I. and his fepulchre. Toward the weft, upon the fide of the hill, is the mofque of Morad I. whom they call Gazi, or the Conqueror, near which he lies buried. There are in the whole about 124 mofques, several of which were formerly Christian churches, and between fifty and fixty chanes. The caftles built by Ofman, when he befieged the city, are flighted and altogether unfortified, the one to the north, the other to the fouth-weft.

At Checkerghe, about a mile and a half out of town, are the hot baths, much frequented both by Chriftians and Turks. They are made very convenient to bathe in, and are covered over, that they may be used in all weathers. Among others, there is a large round bafon, where they ufually divert themfelves by fwimming.

What opinions the Turks have of our Bleffed Saviour, and the Chriftian religion, I fhall briefly fhew, as they lie difperfed in feveral chapters of the Koran, according to which they frame their difcourfe whenfoever either zeal or curiofity puts them upon this topic; for Mahomet, upon his fetting up to be the author of a new religion, finding fuch a confiderable part of the world profeffing the doctrine of Chrift, with all the mysteries of faith therein contained, was caft upon a neceffity of faying fomething both concerning him and it. By