re ever seen to prefer
the dance and song, to the pipe and coffee-cup; the twinkling feet, and
sparkling smile, to the grave nod and solemn demeanour of their former
tyrants. A little below Jene Keni, near one of the Turkish batteries,
the Turkish Punchinello was exhibiting his grotesque antics. It is long
since this merry devil has been allowed to stroll about, and amuse the
lower orders; but he does sometimes make his appearance. A transparent
skreen, illuminated from behind, concealed him from the spectators, so
that his shadow was the sole actor of all his tricks and adventures,
which appeared to resemble very closely those of his English and
Neapolitan namesake. His conversation must have been exceedingly
humorous, from the bursts of laughter which it extorted from the
soldiers and boatmen; for I lay to some time, in order to give them a
view of master Punch, who appeared to have his hands fully occupied with
the contests of his white and black slaves. On one occasion, his four
wives, jealous of his favourite black sultana, attacked him together;
but he eventually got the upper hand, by thrashing them all. Of course
he breaks the head of a pasha; sets the bowstring at defiance;
decapitates the eunuch sent to perform that merciful office on himself;
and at last provokes the attack of the Shaitanculy, or devil's
assistant. Just, however, as the prince of darkness had made his
appearance, an alarm was given, away scampered the crowd, out went the
lights, Punch disappeared, and before my men had the caique well on her
way again, all was quiet and solitary, as if nothing forbidden had been
there.

[Sidenote: BEAUTIFUL NIGHT SCENE.] How lovely Terapia appears as I
approach it; not a breath of wind ruffles the surface of the water,
while the blaze of innumerable lights, which flash and glitter through
the leafy skreen of the casement-covered hill, reminds me of the fabled
splendours of Aladdin's cave. An almost perfect silence prevails,
interrupted only at intervals by the faint splash of some distant oar,
or the notes of thousands of nightingales, which swarm in every
rose-garden and orange grove, pouring forth "their amorous descant
through the livelong night."

The only persons I met, were the soldiers composing the Turkish guard,
which perambulates the streets every hour. Their leader carries a staff
armed with a large iron ferrule, which he strikes against the pavement,
to give notice that he is on duty.

[Sideno