“May God bless and make easy the voyage, Amen!” On Friday at Yemish-iskeleh, after having performed the Friday prayer in the mosque of Akhí Chelebí, where I remembered the vision I had had there of the Prophet, whose hand I kissed, saying, “Siyáhat (travels)” instead of “Shifá’at (intercession) O prophet of God!” and having given thanks and prayed for health and faith, we embarked on our voyage, saying “In God’s name!” (Bis millah). With a fresh breeze we weathered the point of the Seraglio, passed Chalcedonia, the point of Tener-baghjeh and ran straight before the wind to Darija, a square castle on a chalk cliff eighty miles from Constantinople. This castle is built of stone, has one gate, which looks on the harbour, thirty houses faced with brick, one mosque, but no market or bath, and neither commander nor garrison. It is said to have derived its name from the children of Darius, who were imprisoned here in a cave; it was conquered by Mahommed I. in the year 827 (1423), is ruled by a Súbashí and belongs to the district of Gebízeh. Below the castle there are three hundred neat houses faced with brick, a mosque, a khán, a bath, and small streets; its harbour is the port of Gebízeh. At an hour’s distance from here the road to Erzerúm and Baghdád passes through mountains. The wind not being favourable we rowed to the passage where travellers to Konia, Haleb, Damascus and Mecca embark in flat-bottom boats to pass over to Hersek-dílí on the opposite shore, in order to save the going round the gulf which is eighty miles long, and at the end of which is situated Nicomedia. In the harbour of Gebízeh-dílí (the passage on this side) are two old kháns, two bakers-shops, a búza-shop, two grocers-shops and a fountain, erected by Mustafa Aghá the Bostánjí-báshí of Sultán Murád IV. 1048 (1638). Here we again embarked and after rowing three hours arrived at the mineral spring (Ichmesú), where we disembarked with all our friends, pitched our tents on the shore, and gave ourselves up to quiet and pleasure. _Qualities of a Mineral Spring._