crimes committed at Constantinople and elsewhere, are sufficiently industrious.

Before sunset, we returned to Kosloo, and found a crowd of Turkish workmen assembled in front of the house, who, under the direction of a negro foreman, were answering to their names, as they were read out by an Englishman, who was sitting at a window upstairs.

I thought them a pallid, unhealthy-looking set, but was assured that they are capable of undergoing great fatigue and hardship, that they are remarkably docile, but never seem to take any interest in their work. Their principal foreman is the negro. He was selected in a great measure by themselves to fill that post, is far more intelligent and thoughtful than the villagers, and is a great 'swell' among them.

There are only four English workmen here now. When the sickly season is over (July and August) some others will be sent out from England. Till men are acclimated here, they are invariably seriously ill during these months. Englishmen are of little use, except

VOL. II.

L

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ENGLISHMEN ABROAD.

as mere workmen, until they have learnt something of the language, so as to be able to become foremen.

The men now here Mr. Barkley speaks very highly of. Each of them is in charge of some particular department, and has been (on an average) more than two years from home. They are paid high wages, and can (and do) save a considerable portion of them. This is more than can be said for the corresponding class of Englishmen on board the foreign steamers in the Levant, who, receiving high wages, think it necessary to show their spirit by spending them as fast as possible. They are a comical queer lot, and a troop of them may be seen every Sunday adorned in gorgeous apparel, and with 'rings on their fingers' and brandy in their heads, galloping about the suburbs of Pera on miserable hacks.

CHAPTER XI.

KOSLOO (CONTINUED).

THERE is an English commissariat-officer stationed here to keep the money affairs in order. There ought also to be an officer of the French commissariat, but he prefers living at Heraclea, and paying occasional visits to this place, when the interest of his government requires it. He came round by sea this evening, bringing with him the Turkish governor or Mudir of Heraclea. The Frenchman proved a very pleasant fellow indeed, and very highly accomplished.

What with myself and this fresh influx of

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AN ABSTEMIOUS TURK.

visitors, there was a difficulty about finding beds and rooms, but this was, in some measure, surmounted by the thoughtful consideration of the Turkish governor, who got drunk before dinner with the most surprising facility. Having asked for some brandy, he was supplied with a bottle, of which he drank stoutly, finishing two tumblers, with barely a suspicion of water, in a few minutes. Dinner over, he took a third 'go,' and, being very 'screwed' indeed, was assisted out of the room by his attendants, who conducted him to the lower regions. After this we saw no more of him till the morning, when we found him smoking his pipe with much composure in front of the house, and learnt that he had slept admirably in the saddlers' room, under the influence of the brandy; and that he only required a little more to be perfectly contented.

In the house at Kosloo the managers have reserved two or three rooms for their own use, the remainder being allotted to the commissariat-officers, doctors, overseers, and

others.

I cannot say much for the luxury they enjoy.

A WRESTLING MATCH.

149

As yet, they have no glass in the windowframes of their bed-rooms, which are stopped with old copies of the Times. However, that will be remedied, for the glass has arrived, and will soon be put in. All the rooms in the house have fire-places like those at home, which must add immensely to their comfort in the winter, and this improvement has been introduced also into the log huts built for the native workmen.

After dinner was over, and the boozy governor had retired, we presided over a great wrestling match among the native Turks, which had been in preparation for some time previously, and which came off that evening after working hours. A great number of workmen, six or seven hundred, I should suppose, collected under our window, and there formed a large ring. The persons composing the innermost circles sat down, and those further off stood. A large body of Croats perched themselves on a slight eminence at a little distance, and the windows of the house were crowded with spectators. One side of the ring was allotted to the men of the Hera