the Black Sea,―rigging, masts, all swept away. The cold of the East is sharp and pinching—just as if old Winter had caught you between his finger and thumb. How the poor must suffer in this miserable valley! I often look, in a morning, to see if the tents in the ruins are still standing among the pools of mud and water, and think with horror that they are the only shelter of many children, and even babies. A few wretched wooden houses are inhabited only by Jews: the casements are still unfinished, and the famished. and dripping wild-dogs prowl in and out at their pleasure. On Friday evenings these poor Jew people light little lamps for their expected Messiah; they flicker faintly over a scene of wretchedness such as only an Eastern village can show.

But I must say adieu. The twilight is short here, and the Muezzin is calling the faithful to evening prayer. My little stove is burning brightly, my kettle singing its usual merry tune, my birds settling to roost, and Fuad watching for his master's return. So you see how cheerful I am after all.

LETTER XXV.

GOING TO A BALL.-THE TELEKI.-JOURNEY TO PERA. -MONUMENTS. -ADMINISTRATION.-DOLMA BATCHE.-BAD ROADS.-CEMETERY

AT PERA.CYPRESSES.-SOLDIERS.-ILLUMINATIONS.-BALL AT THE EMBASSY. THE SULTAN.-CHIEF OF THE EUNUCHS.-A BEAR AT THE BALL.-ESPINU'S ENTHUSIASM.

Orta-kioy, February 8th, 1856.

My dearest Mother, GOING to a ball from a village near Constantinople is a very different thing to going to one in England, as you may suppose. Edmund had directed our two caïquejees to be ready by four o'clock, to take me in to Pera, but by noon a tremendous north wind came rushing down from the Black Sea, and the Bosphorus was soon lashed into fury.

Of course a caïque was now quite out of the question, even to me, who glory in a good rough sea; so, after a short consultation, Vassili sallied forth into the village in search of an araba, or teleki, and after an immense amount of bargaining and disputing, the dilapidated affair (which we had often seen moulder

VOL. I.

M

ing in a ruined outhouse) was announced as likely to be ready to take me to Pera within half an hour.

After many difficulties, my Spanish dress was finished to perfection. The difficulty, of my little Greek maid being too young and too pretty to be left for many hours alone in a palace, was got over by Mrs. Barker most kindly offering to lend one of her servants. Espinu was highly delighted, and an object of the greatest envy to Nicoletta and the rest of the servants in the dark-red Turkish house above us.

Espinu speaks only Greek, of which I know but a few words, so, as you may imagine, I should have infinitely preferred Nicoletta, who speaks Italian. However, if not useful to me, Espinu was at least highly ornamental. She is really a very handsome woman; and all her little finery was displayed on this occasion. A dress of bright-green silk and gold bracelets, a fez on her head, with the thick purple tassel combed down all over it, and bound round by two immense plaits of splendid black hair, a gaily embroidered handkerchief round her neck, very prettily put on,-in fact, quite a saint's-day toilet.

How I laughed when the crazy teleki came to the door! Imagine a very dirty, tawdry, diminutive Lord Mayor's coach, or a halfpenny edition of Cinderella's pumpkin, with two most wretched white horses tied to it by a strange entanglement of lea

The Greek

ther thongs and rope. A "charm," of blue and red beads, against the "evil eye," hung round the neck of each of these poor animals, whose appearance certainly was far more likely to inspire feelings of pity than of envy. "Are we to carry the horses, or are they to carry us?" said I to Vassili, as I stood with the magnificent Espinu at the gate. driver laughed heartily on this being translated to him, but declared that his cattle would do the journey well. Having got the vehicle, the next difficulty to be overcome was how to get into it. No step, no door! I saw with dismay that Espinu and I (neither of us at all in the fairy style) must inevitably take a flying leap through the window, which was obligingly opened for us. I must say that my heart rather misgave me for a moment, especially as I saw the Armenian bishop's eyes gleaming through the opposite lattice; but presently taking shame to myself that an Englishwoman should quail at anything, and invoking the spirit of the clown I had seen so cheerfully risk his neck in the last pantomime, I tucked up my petticoats as high as consideration for the Armenian bishop would permit, and one spring from the loose stone at our door settled me comfortably on "all-fours" at the bottom of the teleki, with no other injury than a slight knock on the head. Espinu was still more fortunate, for her husband,

Nicola, came down to see her off, and giving several efficient "shoves" in the midst of his adieus, she was soon packed by my side.

Vassili then put the portmanteau and Edmund's cocked-hat-case and sword upon the opposite seat, the Greek driver seized the tattered reins, yelled in the most frightful manner at his horses, and off we started.

Jolt No. 1 knocked our two heads together; No. 2 nearly sent us through the glass in front; No. 3, down came the cocked-hat-case into my lap; No. 4, down went the portmanteau upon our feet. At first we tried to recover the things and put them into the seat again; but some fearful swayings to and fro and bumpings in going down the hill, soon made us regardless of everything but holding fast, and saving our heads as much as possible.

The shaking we suffered was really something frightful. Every now and then you think that nothing can possibly prevent the whole concern from toppling over. You say to yourself, "Is it possible that we are going over those enormous stones, or round that frightfully unprotected corner, or through that sea of mud?" You think, "Well, we must be over now!" but crash goes the painted, crazy thing, destitute of springs, over immense holes, then perhaps over half-a-dozen huge, loose paving-stones, again wallows into another