air and light. From these cisterns the water was distributed as desired. The grand fountain in the Court of the Lions was thus fed. The fountain was in the centre of this magnificent O court. Twelve lions support on their backs an alabaster basin, richly decorated, elevated above which was a smaller basin. A great volume of water rose through pipes into the upper basin, which fell into that below, and was thence conducted through the mouth of the lions, to a black marble reservoir, from which, as a fountain head, the water was distri- buted in marble channels to different apartments. This palace, and its luxurious and expensive adornments, date back to the twelfth century. Constantinople had its aqueducts, also, of Roman construction, by the Emperor Valens, in the 4th, and Justinian, in the 6th century, of which the remains in the valley of Bourgas, still exist. One of our own countrymen, Dr. Dekay, in his sketches of Turkey in 1831 — 2, thus describes the remains of these aqueducts : • Bourgoanne, Spain, vol. i., p. 19. PRELIMINARY ESSAY. 41 Under the Greek emperors, Constantinople was supplied with water by the means of aqueducts, and large reservoirs were established in different parts of the city. These latter, however, have now gone into disuse, as expensive and inadequate for the purposes intended. Under the present system, all the water-works about Constantinople are under the management of an officer, termed the 500 naziri, or inspector of waters. It is his business to keep them in good repair, and he is responsible for any accidents which may obstruct or diminish the supply. As no time is to be lost to repair injuries, this officer is clothed with great power, and he compels every one to assist in restoring the line of com- munication. This resembles the corvee of old France in some measure, but is much more oppressive ; for the 500 naziri fines most rigorously all who dwell in the vicinity of any breach, or injury, unless they give immediate information of the disaster. So impor- tant are these water-courses considered, that the sultans have always been in the habit of making annually a formal visit of inspection, which is accompanied with much ceremony, and ordering such improvements and alterations as are deemed necessary. " It is impossible to travel any where in the vicinity of Constantinople, without being struck with the great pains taken by the Turks to treasure up every rill, or the minutest trickle from the face of the rocks. These are carefully collected in marble or brick reser- voirs, and the surplus is conveyed by pipes to the main stream. In passing through sequestered dells, the traveller frequently comes suddenly upon one of these sculptured marble fountains, which adds just enough of ornament to embellish the rural scene. They are frequently decorated with inscriptions, setting forth the greatness and goodness of Providence, and inviting the weary traveller to make due acknowledgement for the same. Unlike our civilized ostentation, the name of the benevolent constructor never appears on these sculptured stones. The quaint Turkish adage, which serves as a rule of conduct, is well exemplified in this as well as in many other instances ; " Do good and throw it into the sea ; if the fishes don't know it, God will." " Among the hills at various distances, from fifteen to twenty miles from the city, are constructed large artificial reservoirs. These are termed bendts, a word of Persian origin, and are built in the following manner : advantage is taken of a natural situation, such as a narrow valley or gorge between two mountains, and a strong and substantial work of masonry is carried across, sufficiently high to give the water its required level. Four of these bendts were visited and examined, but there are several others which we did not see. A description of one of the largest will give an idea of the manner in which they are constructed. " A solid wall of marble masonry, eighty feet wide, and supported by two largs buttresses, rises to the height of a hundred arid thirty feet from the bottom of the valley, It is four hundred feet long, and the top is covered with large marble slabs of dazzling 11 42 PREL1MINARYESSAY. brilliancy. On the side next the reservoir, a substantial marble balustrade, three feet in height, gives a finish to this Cyclopean undertaking. A tall marble tablet indicates the date of its erection, or more probably of its repair or reconstruction. From the date, 1211, it appears to have been built about forty-six years ago. It is called the Validay Bendt, and is said to have been built by the mother of the reigning sultan. It is furnished with a waste gate,