Travels in Turkey, Asia Minor, Syria, and across the desert into Egypt ...

SYRIA, EGYPT, GERMANY, &C. 85
towns in the Turkish provinces, to levy contributions, and take in
a supply of biscuit for the voyage.
The weather was at this time become warm, settled, and agreeable.
In the course of the morning, a party being made, we took
boat, and crossed over to Asia. We landed near the ruins of an
ancient imperial palace, over which we walked. On our penetrating
-into the country, we found the state of vegetation several
weeks more advanced than on the European side. The fields were
overspread with flowers and odoriferous shrubs in bloom; the
wheat was already formed in the ear ; and the grass in the meadows
nearly fit for mowing. In short, the general appearance of
the country, and the smiling and verdant scenes by which we were
surrounded, formed altogether
a
striking
contrast to what we had
recently contemplated on the other side of the water. We walked
over the plain of the ancient Chalcedon, on the site of which
stands a Turkish village, called Cadi/ Kui. There, beneath the
shade of the branches o{ a fine oriental plane tree, we took our
coffee on the grass, absorbed in the contemplation of the objects
by which we were encompassed. In addition to the fine prospects
which the interior of the country afforded, we had a distinct view
of the gulf of Nicomedia, and of the Dcemonesi, or Princes' 1
Islands. If we could judge from the numerous groups of men and
women scattered over this delightful country, it must have been well
peopled. Among them I saw, for the first time, a Turkish woman
at her pravers, in the open field. Such an incident, which is
very
common among the men, very rarely occurs among the females.
Towards the afternoon the weather became oppressively hot ; and
this hastened our return at three o'clock, when we took boat to
cross to the European side.
On the 30th letters were received from Captain Lacy, and
from Mr. lilorier, secretary to Lord Elgin, who had spent some
time with the Turkish army, with the details of the defeat of the
army of the Grand Vizier, by the Trench troops commanded by
General Kleber.
On the 1st of May, garfands
of flowers were hung over the doors
of several houses, in the suburb in which I resided, in commemoration
of the
day. I was told that in several parts of Turkey, more
particularly at thePrinces1 Islands, this festival was celebrated by
the Greeks and others by great public rejoicings.
On the following dav, in walking through the streets in the vi-
cinity of Tophana, I saw a great number of sheep collected in pens