URKISH AND EGYPTIAN FLEET KANDALI. 307

smiling villages adorned with cypress, plane and olive trees, make up the prospect.

About two miles from the Black Sea we came to a fine bay, in which lay at anchor the noble fleet of Turkey and Egypt. They are exceedingly fine-looking ships; some of them are of immense size. One-the Mahmoud-is a four-decker, and looks as large as any ship I ever saw. They all have the old squarebuilt sterns, with side galleries. I reckoned about thirty ships, and there were probably not fewer than ten or twelve steamers, and a vast number of tenders and other craft engaged in supplies for the fleet.

Not far from this spot is Therapia, a most charming retreat, where the foreign ministers reside in the summer. Here, I suppose, was Mr. Marsh, of whom we saw nothing during our stay.

The light-house on the mouth of the Bosphorus, at the entrance to the Black Sea, was the limit of our excursion east. Just opposite to it are the Symplegades of mythology. We now came down the Asiatic side, passing the fortress of Riva; the cape of Jum Burun; Poiras, which fortress stands opposite to the European castle; Anatoli; the Giant's Mountain, which is the loftiest elevation on the Bosphorus; Unkiar Skelessi, or the landing place of the Sultan, and once a favorite resort of royalty, but now the site of a paper-mill; Begkos, a pretty village; Sultania, a pleasant bend of the Bosphorus; Kandali, the most beautiful place on the Asiatic side, and renowned for the purity of the air. Here we all landed, so that the entire party might claim to have been in Asia. We were politely invited to visit a mansion on the hill, owned by a French gentleman, but our time would not permit. We took coffee at the little café on the dock. I never saw a place where I so longed to tarry, and enjoy the unnumbered beauties of the scene. Every word that Murray says is true. "Vain is the attempt to describe the separate or collective beauties of hills and dales; of bights and bays; of meadows and springs; of dark cypress groves and light rose

308

DEPARTURE FROM CONSTANTINOPLE.

beds; of roaring currents and flowing streams; of golden kiosks and marble fountains; this confusion of flag-bearing masts and towering minarets; of cupolas floating in air, and caiques cleav ing the waves." From the eminence you can see the Euxine and the Sea of Marmora by only turning your head. Again in our little steamer, we pass by several charming places, as Begler-beg, Istawros and Kusghundschik, which is hard by Scutari; and at five o'clock we were on board the North Star, having spent a day which is ever to be remembered by us with pleasure in future life.

We now prepared for our departure, and Mr. Giacombo, our kind and indefatigable agent, was busy with us putting our supplies on board. At six o'clock we took leave of Mr. and Mrs. Brown, to whose friendly attentions we were much indebted during our short stay.

We left Constantinople August 26, at eight o'clock P. M., with the finest weather.

In the Sea of Marmora we passed Mr. Leyland's yacht, which sailed forty hours before us. Our back course lay to the north of Tenedos, and we steered between that island and Lemnos, and made for the Doro Straits, leaving St. Estraite and Skiros to the northward. Passing the Sea of Candi, we steered between Zea and Macronisi, and directed our course for St. Angelo and Matapan. Never, perhaps, was weather more propitious than we now had it, and our progress was rapid. On the 28th, we observed divine service. On the 29th, at two P. M., we passed Cape Passaro and the rocky shore of Sicily near Cape Scalambra, a few villages dotting the coast. The 30th, we made the island of Pantellaria, known to the ancients as Cossyra; it is about thirty miles in circumference, and is of volcanic origin. Passing to the north of this island, we steered up to Cape Bon, on the coast of Africa; and here the weather became too intensely hot for comfort, and coats and neckcloths were oppressive.

Heading north and by west for Cape Bianco, we thence

ROCK OF GIBRALTAR.

311

steamed westery, and at noon on 31st we were off Cape Mavera light, having passed the island of Galita, and made a west course along the coast of Algiers, which we passed September 1st, at noon, the weather hazy, so that we only saw the outline of the shore. At twelve o'clock, on the 2d, we were just north of the small island or rock of Alboran, and in the evening there came up a terrible thunder-storm, accompanied by a gale from the westward. Our ship behaved well; but it was decidedly a rough night, and the breeze came on us charged with the cold air of the Atlantic, and felt very different from the atmosphere we had enjoyed for the past month. We lay off the harbor of Gibraltar at half-past twelve, thus performing our voyage from Constantinople to the Rock in seven days; a thing which has never before occurred, yet we only used two boilers, and had the power to have made the passage in five and a half. The distance was one thousand eight hundred and forty miles.

All ships coming from the Levant are compelled to undergo a quarantine. We were kindly limited to one day, and during that time suffered to commence coaling. We had abundant opportunity, during this quiet time, to notice the position of the celebrated town and its circumjacent country.

At first sight, we can hardly believe that the rock is connected with the main land; but, on inspection, there is seen a long, low, sandy bar, which unites it to Spain, and is well known as the neutral ground. The rock is two and three-quarter miles in length, and about three-quarters of a mile wide. The side. towards the Mediterranean is almost perpendicular, and so is the north side. The side towards the harbor has a very gentle ascent from the water, and then at once becomes precipitous. At the south end of the rock are two different planes of the formation; the upper one is called Windmill Hill; the most elevated spot above these planes is called O'Hara, after the general of that name. It is above the lower plane that the 44th regiment is in barracks. The telegraph station is, I think, very