The streets of Const and Pera are so winding and crooked - and in width more properly passages - that have neither names nor houses with numbers that a stranger can by no means find his way as the other day I got lost in coming up from the landing at Tophanna to my boarding house -

Today I prepared myself for a ramble alone by examining the position of several of the principal mosques - and gates of the city - so crossing the principal Street of Pera - and thro a Turkish cementery found my way to the floating bridge - a fine structure of the Kind made a few years ago by the late Sultan Mahmoud it crosses the golden horn about a mile and a half from Seraglio point -

The bridge was crowded with passengers - asses -camels and turkish officers on horseback - the asses are the common beasts of burthen and carry tiles stones, and timber for building - when a long piece is to be carried an ass is fastened to each end of it -

At the termination of the bridge are numbers of tobacco shops and coffee houses with crowds of Turks, smoking chibouks, and & nargales - the former is a long stick pipe not unlike the indian Calumet and the latter a water pipe -

Next came to a street were all the ships were filled with grain of various sorts - at some distance further to a street entirely occupied by workers in brass - all kinds of door furniture was for sale - large and small brass trays - dishes for placing the bowls of the pipes when smoking - lamps & candlesticks of patterns and sizes without end - & many things the use of which I did not know - and unable to enquire -

The large space of ground surrounded by a high wall next claimed my attention - it is called the old Seraglio - and occupied as barracks close by is the pigeon mosk built by the Sultan Bujuzet - the square court before the entrance of the mosque is galleried all round with magnificient arches supported by green marble and Egyptian granit columns - the family of pigeons now increased to many thousands and frequenting the place for two centuries or more since the building of the edifice are held in great respect by the muslims and fed by a venerable old man —

The turks are very humane, to animals - vultures and gulls fly about like domestic fowls - and storks are venerated and encouraged to build their nests in the trees adjoining the mosques —

From this I wandered about toward the gate of the Walidi Kapussi - passing among streets out of the way of business - and when in the absense of all wheel carriages the greatest stillness prevails - Seeking a cayique among the numbers that are waiting for passengers - called out Tophanna and in quarter of an hour was accross the golden horn and at Pera for 1-1/2 piastres

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