gracefully
neglect their business in order to bark and howl dismally all night,
would ruin the best hotel in creation. Therefore, if in the summer, I
should advise any man to go to the Summer Palace Hotel at Therapia, a
few miles from the city, on the Bosphorus, which is perfectly
delightful, and to run into Constantinople by river steamer to visit the
mosques, bazaars, etc.--but this by the way.

The best restaurant in Constantinople is Tokatlian's, in the Rue de
Pera; it is very good but expensive, for all wines, spirits, etc.,
coming into Turkey have to pay a heavy duty. There is a strong native
wine of a sauterne character made in Turkey, also Duzico, a sort of
Kuemmel liqueur, not bad, and Mastic, another _chasse_, especially
nasty. You can obtain Turkish dishes at Tokatlian's. The Turkish
_kahabs_ and _pilaffs_ of chicken are good, but their appearance is not
appetising and they are too satisfying. A little rice and beef, rather
aromatic in taste, is wrapped round with a thin vine leaf, in balls the
size of a walnut, and eaten either hot or cold. This is called _Yalandji
Dolmas_. _Yaourt_ or _Lait Caille_ is a milk curd, rather like what is
called _Dicke Milch_ in Germany. _Aubergines_ are eaten in every form;
one method of cooking them, and that one not easily forgotten, is to
smother a cold _aubergine_ in onion, garlic, salt, and oil; this is
named _Ymam Bayldi_. _Keinfte_ are small meatballs tasting strongly of
onions. Plaki fish, eaten cold; Picti fish in aspic; small octopi stewed
in oil; _Moussaka_, vegetable marrows sliced, with chopped meat between
the slices and baked; _Yachni_, meat stewed with celery and other
vegetables; _Kebap_, "kabobs" with a bay-leaf between each little bit of
meat; _Kastanato_, roasted chestnuts stewed in honey, and quinces
treated in the same manner; vermicelli stewed in honey; and preserves of
rose leaves, orange flowers, and jessamine, all are to be found in the
Turkish cuisine. The _Roti Kouzoum_ is lamb impaled whole on a spit like
a sucking-pig, which it rather resembles in size, being very small. It
is well over-roasted and sent up whole. I am informed on the best
authority that when a host wishes to do you honour he tears pieces off
it with his fingers and places them before you, and you have to devour
them in the same manner.

When I was in Turkey last year I had the misfortune not to be
introduced to the privacy of a Turkish family gathering, so I have to
confess that