Galata, situated on the eastern shore of the Golden Horn, is the business port of Constanti nople. Here are found the warehouses, banking houses, exchanges, and the custom-house. The town is built of stone, and the streets in some sections are new and regular. The Galata Tower. formerly known as the Tower of Christ, is 150 feet high, and is divided into several stories and surrounded by galleries. It serves as a fire signal station.
Fern. the foreigners' quarter and the most modern part of Constantinople. lies beyond Ga lata. Ilere are the foreign embassies and the residences of the Europeans. Ilere also is the Grande Rue, lined with fashionable shops and hotels. Pera has a fine park, barracks, and sev eral cemeteries which are occasionally used as festival grounds.
dmiaistration.—As to government. Constan tinople, including the town of Scutari across the Bosporus. forms a separate district, under the administration of a prefect. It is probably the only city in Turkey where the police force is not recruited from the regular army. The fire de partment is utterly inadequate, and the sys tem of alums used is most primitive. Sys tematic street-cleaning is attempted only in the European section of the city. In the native quarters the dogs are the principal scavengers. The water-wo•ks of Constantinople, dating in part from tht reigns of Justinian and Valens, are regarded .aniong the finest remaining speci mens of ancient engineering. Sonic of the cis terns are the largest in the world; the roof of one of them is supported by 336 marble eolumns. The water comes from the reservoirs of Belgrade, and also from Lake Be•kos, the latter source of supply being exploited by a French company.
The numerous elementary public schools are attached to the mosques and offer instruction free. Colleges, or 'inedre,se,,' some 1.50 in num ber, with public libraries, are found in connec tion with the principal places of worship. A university was opened in 1900, with faculties of philosophy, Mussulman theology. mathematics, law, and medicine. The Imperial Art School is not without importance. The French conduct several schools for the children of the wealthier classes. Many of the libraries are filled with valuable volumes and manuscripts. Within the inclosnre of the Seraglio is the Royal Museum of Antiquities, containing a fine collection of cu rious tombs tones. sarcophagi. Turkish art ob
jects, natural-histo•y specimens, etc. The benevo lent institutions are to be counted by the score; indeed, almost every craft has a benevolent guild.
The industrial importance of Constantinople is not great. The few large establishments manufacture tobacco products, fezzes, and iron wares. The hand-made products, on the con trary. are important, both as regards variety and quantity: and to the trade in these small articles the life of the city lend, itself most in terestingly, with its bustling little shops, its noisy street traffic before the mosques, and its curious and picturesque trade customs. The geo graphical position and natural harbor facilities of Constantinople are unsurpassed. The Golden Horn affords accommodation for over 1000 ves sels of the heaviest draught. It is divided by its two bridges into the outer and inner ports of trade, and the port of war.
Not until 1888 did the city have railway con nection with the rest of the world. Since the establidiment of direct steam communication be tween Persia, Syria, Arabia, and Southern Eu rope, and the opening up of Central Asia by Russia, Constantinople has lost a considerable part of its commerce. Important imports are food products. textiles, coal, metalware, instru ments and implements of all kinds, petroleum, and wood. The exports are largely confined to carpets and rugs. lambskins and wool, attar of roses, embroideries, and filigree-work. The an nual entrances and clearances of shipping com prise about 14,500 vessels, with a tonnage of about 10.500.000. Of these about 11.000 repre sent foreign trade. The number of Turkish ves sels is over 6000, lint their total tonnage is com paratively light. For local transportation there are omnibuses, four ho•se-car lines. and one underground eagle road. The Constantinople Adrianople line has several stations within the city limits. Small steamers and ferries ply be tween Stambul and Galata.
The population of Constantinople proper num bers about 650,000. This figure is increased to over 1,100.000 by including the suburbs. In the city proper nearly two-thirds of the popula tion are Mohammedans.