. Soon
after, the rest of the suite followed; and the Actaeon was now left to
quiet and regular duty. The cabins fitted up for the party were cleared
away in the course of an hour; and before the dinner drum beat, the main
deck had been again restored to its just proportions. In the evening, my
companion and self also left the ship, and went down to Pera, to
establish ourselves for the present in the house of Master Tongo; a name
by which I find our landlord is better known than by that of Vitali.

_Sunday, 5th._--On looking out of window into the street this morning, I
beheld crowds of Armenian and Greek women proceeding to church, the
former wearing the gashmak, or veil, and their long dark feridges, or
cloaks, with red morocco slippers just peeping out beneath. They differ
from the Turkish women only in not covering the nose, and having red
instead of yellow slippers, in which they shuffle along slowly to their
worship. Of the Greeks, however, some wore over their hair embroidered
handkerchiefs, arranged _a la Francaise_ in the shape of a toque; others
were muffled in cloaks of a snuff-brown colour, with a white muslin veil
arranged upon the back of the head, and having both ends brought round
upon the breast: thus exposing the whole face, and setting off to the
best advantage the handsome regular features, and the dark eye, with its
long black silky lash.

[Sidenote: VISIT TO THE BAZAARS.] After breakfast, a party was made to
visit the bazaars; and we embarked at the new custom-house stairs, in
Galata, where numbers of caiques lie ready for hire, and where the same
scramble occurs for passengers as at Blackfriars or Tower Stairs in
England. We glided rapidly across, skilfully avoiding the numerous
caiques that were plying in a contrary direction, the boatman calling
out, "On the European side,"--"On the Asiatic side," as it suited his
purpose to pass to the right or left, there appearing to be no
established law for regulating their motions.

On landing at the Balouk[9], or fish bazaar, we passed through the
bazaar of drugs, called also that of Alexandria, an extensive covered
building, where rhubarb, paints, senna, and other commodities of that
sort, are sold in stalls fitted up on both sides of the passage. The
articles are all exposed in the most tempting manner, according to the
fancy of the vendor, who sits cross-legged on the shop-board behind,
waiting anxiously for his customer; and when any one stops but f