The word “Seraglio” is generally supposed in England to apply exclusively to a palace in which the Grand Signior’s women are kept. This idea, however, is erroneous; the Sultan’s residence in town is called “Seraglio.” His women, indeed, reside also within its walls, but their apartment is called “Harem.” The seraglio occupies the whole extent of ground on which the city of Byzantium stood, and is surrounded by the original Byzantine walls. Footnote 34: New military institution, explained in the Appendix, No. 5. Footnote 35: Mr. Adair. Footnote 36: Sir Arthur Paget had made a fruitless attempt in 1807. Footnote 37: Letter addressed by the Emperors Alexander and Napoleon to the King of Great Britain, dated at Erfurth, October, 1808, and official correspondence that followed it between the ministers of foreign affairs of the three sovereigns.—Official Papers published in 1809. Footnote 38: The same whose premature appointment in 1805 had partly given rise to the misunderstanding at Constantinople. Footnote 39: Corporals. Footnote 40: See the Appendix, No. 3. Footnote 41: See the Appendix, No. 4. Footnote 42: Voltaire’s Philosophical Dictionary, vol. iv. p. 199. Footnote 43: “It may be questioned whether it ever entered into the contemplation of the Russian cabinet to ameliorate the condition of the inhabitants of Wallachia and Moldavia, since no instance can be produced of any exertion of influence on the part of the Russian consuls to alleviate the distresses of the people, to check and restrain the tyranny of the Greeks, or to promote any plan of permanent benefit to the oppressed inhabitants.”—_Thornton_’s Present State of Turkey, p. 435. Mere motives of good-will on the part of the Russian cabinet, are certainly questionable; but several instances of interference have occurred. In the official note given as a declaration of war in 1789, by the Turkish government to the Russian envoy, the composition of which was then attributed to the English ambassador, Sir Robert Ainslie, one of the principal grievances alleged was the conduct of the Russian consul-general at Yassi, who, it was said, had abused the right of interference in a most insulting manner. It may be supposed that the consul had acted in conformity to instructions from his court, who sought to create motives for a rupture; but after the conclusion of pence, nearly the same line of conduct was continued by his successors: I have seen many official documents which prove it; and during my residence in the principalities, several instances have occurred, within my observation, of very active exertion on the part of Russia to keep the accustomed system of extortion in restraint, and to relieve the inhabitants from oppression; and such exertion has certainly on many occasions prevented the condition of the inhabitants from becoming worse. Footnote 44: