Spent most of the day in house in company with Mr. Sandford - who proposed to provide himself with a tent and pass a few days in the cool regions of Mount Olympus - wishes me to join him in the excursion and afterwards proceed on, tenting Nice & Nicomedia - which I declined - he speaks very highly of the sketches of Lewis the artist who took a drawing of a very pretty arminian girl the sister in law of the Keeper of the hotel - ovanes - she comes occasionally to the house - is young and sprightly - among other ornaments she has a bandage of turkish gold coins to wear on the head, and of some value -

In the evening rode out in the environs of Broussa - in a romantic place where is the Arminian burial ground saw the ruins of several mosques and a strong building which we supposed had been a greek palace - understood the mosques to have been ruined by earthquakes -

In the night went to a turkish Theatre - a number of people seated in a place partly covered with and partly with vines, nearly all smoking or drinking coffee - at our end was a kind of screen thro which were seen marionets - little figures who kept up a dialogue much to the amusement of the audience - shitan the turkish devil was a principal character - in the interacts were songs in a nasal tone accompanied by very primitive music - the exhibition was of a very obscene nature - the consul went out when shitan first mode his appearance - myself & Mr. Sanford remained longer - a tray was handed about for contributions - the audience was of course all men - and very orderly - - -

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Rode to Checkerby and bathed in the chalybiate hot bath - the water too hot to take more than one immersion - immediately dried and dressed felt very pleasant afterward - riding back stopped at the Mausoleum of Amurath the 1st who was killed in battle in Wallachia - his turban and Green cloak (all in tatters) were shewn to us as also some rusted chain armour

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Spent most of these two days at the hotel - Mr. Sanford an English gentleman is the only guest beside myself - he is very much taken with Broussa and has been here several weeks - examining the farms and land in the neighbourhood - thinks there is a fine opening here for an agricultural speculation by introducing improved farming implements &c - no one can own land but a turkish subject - foreignors therefore have to buy in the name of an Arminian or Greek - and those married to the women of these nations hold property in the name of their wife -

Mr. S is intimate in the family of Mr. Sanderson the english consul who is an intelligent scotch gentleman - it appears Mrs. Sanderson is putting some of the Arminian ladies up to resisting the humiliating treatment of the men who in many things follow the customs of the turks --as in saluting the women kiss the hands of the men - and wait on them in the house, &c and muffle when they go out &rc - it appears some of the Arminian ladies of Broussa are endeavouring to resist these things

Mr. Sneider is an american missionary here & is of seven years standing at Broussa - he is a plain man and dare say does all he can but did not learn that he has yet made any protestant converts - it appears the greeks are disposed to be intolerant as the bibles that he had distributed were recently destroyed by order of the priests -

Saw several young greeks at his house who had learnt to speak english - Mr. Sneider occupies a large comfortable house, but did not observe any luxuries - Mr. Brown the American Consul at Pera - says the missionaries to turkey are a humbug - mere sinecures without any beneficial results.

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A fine cool morning - mounted at half past four for the ascent of Olympus - in company with Giovanni and a surrogee - ascended along a narrow steep path the lower part of the mountain shaded with the cypress and fig tree - further on were oaks and chesnuts at this part of the mountain met mules loaded with wood for Broussa and others from the summit with snow for Stamboul -

After an ascent of four hours came to the pine region here passes thro lies - covered with the finest grass on which were thousands of horses feeding with flocks of goats & sheep all of which looked in the finest condition - we appeared to be in another country from the one we left in the morning - for during the two hours that we rode along this flat ridge of the mountain we passed several villages of turcomans - or mountain shepperds - in habits and appearance quite different from the people of the lowlands - their huts were large and oblong - covered with felt with crowds of hearty rugged looking children

We stopped at one hut and partook of Kaymak a sort of buttermilk and bread - they sat round looking at us & talking with Giovanni in a turkish dialect - on leaving them a woman came and very pressingly requested me as a tand physician to prescribe for her husband who from what I could learn was old phisical -

They have fine large dogs which keep off the bears of which there are some in the upper parts of the mountain - these people remain on the mountains 3 or 4 months every year - Giovanni says their winter villages are very poor and miserable - they are cleanly and well clad & their extensive flocks denoted anything but poverty - the women were at work - some milking and others washing - we came upon one who was performing her ablutions in a retired place alone - as she perceived us approaching she couched down covering herself - in complexion they are fair skinned race -

In the rivulets were men fishing for trout - by feeling under the stones - the trout are small but considered a great delicacy - we also saw hares of a good size - but the people do not seem to make use of them as food for a man brought one to me alive which he made me to understand he had caught while asleep by throwing his coat over it - when I declined to buy it he let it go and off it ran up the mountain -

When at the foot of the snowy region we dismounted & ascended the summit on foot - and very fatiguing it was taking an hour and a half - tho we had previously recruited our strength by breakfasting on the cold chicken and Broussas wine brought in the bag of the surrogee - on the highest summit found a hole in the rock to which I crept as a shelter from the wind that almost took away my breath - from this elevated situation the hills and valleys of Anatolia for a great distance around lay at your feet - to the east was lake ascanio - on which is or rather was situated the city of Nice - for I am told that nothing but the walls remain to attest its former greatness - and a little farther can be faintly distinguished the extremity of the bay of Nicomedia of the city of that name nothing remains - as the modern turkish Nismid is some two miles from the site of its ancient predecessor - towards the north lay the bay of Modohia and the sea of Marmora with its islands - to the west the extensive inland lake of Appolonia and Mount Ida - as there was some haze in the atmosphere Stamboul could not be descried -

In these etherial regions I remained better part of an hour - and got back to our horses at 2 o'clock - walking over some of the snow drifts it took near five hours to descend to Broussa and stupidly took the sunny side of the valley with the broiling sun in our face.

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Before breakfast this morning ventured out alone at the risk of losing myself in the winding narrow streets or rather passages - crossed a ravine that runs from a gorge of the mount and walked a short way up the Gigantic Olympus - from whence I had a fine view of nearly the whole of Broussa - in which there is said to be 360 Mosques - most of these must be in ruins for I could only count the minarets of 150 - and that is a great number - Never saw a city of such a verdant appearance - has the appearance of one immense garden - green & fresh - for clear running streams flow through it in every direction

The mausoleum and mosque of Sultan Mahomet the first are conspicuous objects - went to see it in the course of the day - the Keeper of the mausoleum a venerable old man, very intelligent & sociable - well acquainted with turkish history - informed me there are the tombs of six of the first Sultans at Broussa - who lived before the conquest of Constantinople - beginning with Osman the 1st sultan and ending with the 2nd - this mosque and tomb were erected and endowed with land & houses in the life time of Mahomet the 1st though previous to his death he had removed the seat of the Ottoman empire to Adrianople in Europe the mausoleum is an octagon building with a fine dome - the sultans body and some of his sons are in coffins covered with cashmeres - and surmounted with turbans took leave of the old keeper who invited us to drink at the marble fountain at the door saying that it was esteemed the sweetest water of all the fountains of Broussa -

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Tirip to Broussa
Visitors to Constantinople seldom leave Turkey without seeing Broussa the ancient capital of Bithynia - and mount Olympus - a Teskeray or turkish passport must be procured - so with a Kavash crossed to the city and applied at an office where were crowds of turkish countrymen getting teskeries to go to Asia like ourselves -

The chief of the office made out to read my name written in turkish - Mr. Ferrier from Dublin accompanied me - we were desired to sit down on the divan that surrounded the office - on which were seated near a dozen clerks or secretaries - some signing and others writing in books - turkish like hebrew is written from right to left - and appears rather a slow operation - the following is my name (see image on the left) and they write with reed pens - sometimes with steel pens - among the clerks was rather a good looking mulatto man writing among the rest -

At two o'clock embarked on the Austrian companys boat - the Crescent - of small dimensions - and running Gimlick and several other small ports on the Sea of Marmora - among the passengers were three english officers going to Broussa like ourselves - Mr. Holmes an american missionary and his wife - who constituted the cabin passengers - the decks were crowded with turks - and a grim looking Franciscan monk - there was also the harem of the governor of Broussa who were moving from somewhere in Europe where their Lord & master had before been stationed there were five in all -

Two greek women slaves not very young & three wives who were of a more delicate figure - and genteel appearance - one of them had two children - the others one each except the youngest wife - in dress they were very plain and closely muffled up in muslin about the face they were accompanied by two old women and several armed Kavashes - they as usual with turkish women made very good use of their eyes - sometimes they stood up and looked over the side of the vessel, but most of the time kept seated on their carpets when down in the cabin at dinner could see them peeping down the window Giovanni our dragoman told me their curiosity was much excited at seeing the captains wife and Mrs. Holmes drinking wine with the gentlemen - they appeared very friendly among themselves - but the three wifes sat apart from the two greek women - have no doubt these greeks have been taken quite young as slaves and brot up for the harem - their lot is far from a kind one as they no doubt have equal respect paid to them as to other turkish women -

Guimleek is situated at the bottom of a Gulf called Mudania- and immediately adjoining the gulf of Nicomedia - it is about twenty miles from Nice and about the same distance from Broussa - arrived a little before midnight - Giovanni immediately went ashore to provide horses to carry us to Broussa - took several hours repose on deck - the wind blew rather fresh which gave me a little cold -

Was serenaded by a loud croaking of frogs from the neighboring valley which the Captain calls the musicians of Guimleek - awoke at half past two - and went ashore - but had to wait for the horses till near daylight - numbers of camels were already starting to the interior - with heavy loads of wheat - these slow moving but immensely strong beasts rest in the heat of the day -

We had four horses - as we are obliged to be accompanied by a surrogee - a turk who owns the horses and carries our carpet bags - the ride to Broussa occupied five hours the road running successively thro hill and dale - when about half way came first in sight of the city - romantically situated with its domes and minarets at the bottom of mount Olympus - while with its snow capped summit rises magestically in the back ground the valley of Broussa of great fertility is 4 or 5 miles wide by twice as much in length and thickly planted with mulberry trees - which are of a lively green colour so that the whole looks like a garden - the numerous streams flowing from the mountain - form large pools in the centre of the valley - adding to the productiveness of the soil but not to the salubrity of the air -

Crossing the valley got separated from our surrogee and took a wrong road - but the city being in sight crossed some fields and resumed the proper direction - not understanding a word of turkish amdus such a situation very embarassing -

The seasons of feeding the silk worms is over - the people are busy with their grain harvest— after some difficulty found a house called the franc hotel kept by an Arminian - Ovanes - the rooms are large and cool - myself and Ferrier took one of the largest - no guest in the house but Mr. Sanford an English gentleman-Lewis the artist had left some ten days before— in less than an hour the three english officers came up - felt rather fatigued from the ride and the heat

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(Henry Shaw's personal map pictured right)

From the slight cold caught on the deck of the steamer coming from Const did not go with the gentlemen travellors to Mount Olympus - went about Broussa mostly with Giovanni the dragoman the Bazars are extensive where goods are sold at retail there an also Khans where the wholesale dealers in raw silks reside - their counting houses and warehouses are little low arched rooms rather dark but very secure - looked at a number of things in the bazars - and purchased three pieces of Broussas silk, at 80 piastres each - as the weather was warm put on a Silk turkish gown purchased at Constantinople observed that it attracted the notice of some people in the bazars -

Mr. Sanderson the English consul told me in the evening - that they had been enquiring of him who the franc was that wore a hat and turkish costume - and if it was done in ridicule of them - as I am now in Asia must pay more regard & not infringe on the costume of the country -

There is no objection here to strangers visiting the mosques - providing the shoes are taken off - went into the principal one - which is a magnificent edifice covered by a number of cupolas of the same size - supported by massive arches & columns - in the midst is a large resevoir and fountain - which differs from other mosques that I have seen - where the ablutions are performed before entering the sacred temple - among others at their devotions saw the pacha or governor - whose harem was just arrived - perhaps returning thanks for the safe arrival of his wives and children - he was dressed in a surtout and fez - of a cheerful look & younger than the two greek women of his harem -

I was kindly permitted to ascend the minaret & while there viewing the surrounding scenery up came two young turks one of whom was the Muezzim - who commenced crying Allah - There is no God but God & Mahomet is his prophet - during which there was no objection to my staying - which is very different from their conduct to strangers at Stamboul -

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