134 THE HOSPITAL LIBRARY. we saw the palace falling into pieces that its fury was spent, when suddenly behind the cypresses the forked flames burst out, catching the villa and destroying it. It is thus that the fires in Turkey spread, so that when they once begin the whole village often falls. In this case, however, when the villa was burnt the fire was arrested. It was a striking sight to see the volume of bright flame behind those dark trees, which it did not attempt to touch, and lower down the hill the burning blackened ruins of the palace, falling piece by piece into the blue Bosphorus, while the lurid glare of the fire mingled with the bright sunshine of that cloudless summer morning. During the summer the hospital library was established. A large room fitted with shelves was given for this purpose. It was under the charge of Mr. Coney, the Church of England chaplain. He requested the ladies would assist him in getting it into order. THE BOOK ARRIVALS. 135 The superintendent had no one whom she could send, so she added the charge to her own numerous duties. The task of sorting and arranging was a long and tedious one. Numbers of cases arrived and contained many nice books; but a quantity of rubbish among them, reports of charities, old encyclopædias, &c., &c. Then would come most provoking portions of books; fragments of all the Waverley novels, with not one complete; odd numbers of ancient magazines. Next would come a number of little books for Sunday scholars, which we certainly deemed as much below the capacity of the men as the number of essays on abstruse subjects which were sent were above them. A great many nice books came too. Mr. Albert Smith's handsome present had arrived long months before; but of course many of his books furnished the library shelves. The arrangement of the library was a 136 ADVANTAGES OF THE LIBRARY. great comfort. Before it was opened the books were kept in the chaplain's quarters; we used to go there and hunt through the cases for the kind we wanted. Now they were all arranged in order. Bibles and prayer-books by themselves, religious books in another part, instructive works in a third, and the novels and tales in a fourth; magazines by themselves, while those who wished to read the mutilated Waverley, &c. could find them on a top shelf. There was a good store of Bibles and prayer-books, but we were always asking for more from England, as the chaplains gave them to each man not possessing them when he left either for home or camp. The Catholic religious books were generally sent to the Catholic chaplain or Sisters. If they came into the library they were forwarded to them. Five hundred Catholic Testaments were sent by kind friends, and were much valued. Other packets of books BOOKS SENT BY THE DUCHESS OF KENT. 137 arrived, but many others shared the frequent fate of parcels to the East, and never reached their destination. Several hundreds of Scotch Bibles with the Psalms, as used in the Kirk, came to the general library, and were forwarded by Mr. Coney to the Presbyterian chaplain for the exclusive use of his congregation. Secular books were of course for all classes alike, and, after they had been sorted, the ladies and sisters had free access to the library, and could take as many as they pleased. How the men did delight in those books! Every ward had a little lending library of its own, books taken from the general library, and lent and changed from one to another all round the ward. Books were sent out by the Duchess of Kent; amongst them were many copies of St. John's history of the present war which was a great favourite. CHAPTER IX. Chaplains appointed to Koulali-Arrangements respecting the various services-The ward used for the English service-Establishment of daily morning prayers-The Sunday congregation-Singing classes in Koulali hospital-The Presbyterian services-The Catholic priest-Beneficial results of his exertions-Morning sunlight on ConstantinopleThe religious spirit in the British army-Its previous neglect―The honourable cowardice of a brave man. THERE were three chaplains appointed to Koulali the Church of England, the Catholic, and the Presbyterian (sometimes there were two of the first-mentioned). When the wards were so crowded no place was set apart for public worship, and the men being chiefly in their beds or unable to walk, it was only the men on duty who attended the services. At that time the English and Scotch ser |