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A Cruise in the Bosphorus, and in the Marmora, and Aegean Seas
A Cruise in the Bosphorus and in the Marmora and Aegean Seas Author:George Fyler Townsend Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: CHAPTER II. The Bosphorus. " The sun who sheds on thee his parting smiles, Sees not in alt his wide career a scene Lovelier, nor more exuberantly bless'd B... more »y bounteous earth and heaven."—SoUTHKT. The Length and Width of the Bosphorus.—Embarkation at Varna.—-Voyage on the Black Sea.—Entrance of the Bosphorus; its ancient Legends.—Expedition of Jason.—The Cyanean Rocks.—The Course of the Bosphorus.—Its Special Objects of Attraction; its Castles; its Scenery; its numerous Shipping. —Arrival at the Golden Horn.—A Welcome Reception.—A Cricket Match in Asia; its Accompaniments.—An Eastern Crowd.—A dangerous Sail.—Restless Birds.—Turkish mode of Fishing.—Rides in Asia.—The Sweet Waters.—Rencontre of a mounted Turkish and English Lady.—An unruly Sheep Dog.—A splendid View.—Impressions of the Bosphorus. |HE Strait of the Bosphorus forms the most splendid of highways to the famous city of Constantinople. This narrow streak of silver sea, which divides Asia from Europe, and unites the Euxine with the Pro- pontis, extends from end to end to the distance of sixteen miles, and to a width at its greatest point of a mile and a half. Its course lies amidst scenery of the extremest beauty. I reached Varna by railway from Eustchuck at 8 p.m. on Thursday, October 8th. The night was dark and stormy, with a strong wind blowing, and big, angry-looking waves rolling into the harbour, and dashing violently against the pier. We soon learned, to our dismay, that the only mode of reaching the steamer, which lay nearly a mile off, was by embarking in a large open lighter, pulled by four men, several of which were ready in waiting. I entered one of these barges, in which there were already twenty persons with their luggage, and after an unpleasant tossing, reached safely the good ship Vulcan, a ...« less