The Greek Manuscripts in the Old Seraglio at Constantinople

THE GREEK MANUSCRIPTS IN THE OLD SERAGLIO AT CONSTANTINOPLE

It was announced that one result of the Young Turk regime The Young Turk Revolution of 1908 established a constitutional government in the Ottoman Empire. would be the publication of a careful and complete catalogue of the small collection of Greek manuscripts known to exist in the Old Seraglio The palace complex of the Ottoman Sultans in Istanbul.. Exaggerated stories about them had long circulated in the West; indeed, some believed them to be the remains of the Palace Library of the Byzantine Emperors.

In the current state of world history, it seems that the appearance of this catalogue may be long delayed. I have therefore thought it worthwhile to share the results of my personal inspection of them seven years ago. The following journal of my visit to Constantinople was written on the spot and immediately after the events; I have presented it without modification. The interest currently taken in all the political shifts in Turkey over the last decade will excuse the inclusion of descriptive material only remotely connected to the Classics. I happened to stumble upon the final effort of Abdul Hamid The Ottoman Sultan deposed following the 1909 counter-coup. to recover the power he had lost during the Young Turk revolution. Though ideally unsuited to describe a major historical event, I found myself accidentally in the middle of rather exciting circumstances. I wrote down exactly what I saw as soon as I could put pen to paper, intending to keep my observations clear in my own mind before I had the chance to discuss them with anyone else. The greater part of what follows was written on board the steamer on the