In the gentleman’s receiving rooms of the Damascus palaces is a curious ornament. A few feet below the ceiling is a broad cornice, supported by Saracenic sculptures running quite around the room; and ranged on this is an unbroken line of China bowls of the largest dimensions that it is possible to procure. The wealth of the individual is supposed to be indicated by the number and the size of these bowls. In one palace I counted near two hundred in a single room; they are of the finest China, and are colored; and in rooms where, as in these countries, the only furniture consists of carpets and ottomans, may assist in preventing the apartment from looking too naked; but I did not much admire the taste. Almost every family has some of these bowls; there were several in our sleeping room at Mr. Farrah’s, which we put to the desecrating use of wash-bowls. From this we proceeded to the palaces of Ali Aga and Abdi El Belzah Aga, which were also splendid, though smaller than that of Abdallah Bey. In one of them was a chamber not more than fourteen feet square, the finishing of the walls and ceiling of which had cost 7000 dollars. They were composed of mirrors in small compartments, and were further highly enriched with mother of pearl, gilding, and with arabesques and Saracenic mouldings in a great variety of forms. We finished with Mr. Farran’s town-house or palace, for such it truly is; and where, to oriental splendor we found united English elegance and comfort. The furniture from his own country was made to harmonize very well with the eastern architectural taste.