When our frigate reached the two forts that commanded the entrance to Constantinople, Captain Bainbridge decided that he would save the time that would be spent in entering the port in the usual formal way. We approached the anchorage as if we meant to come to a stop. We clewed up our courses, let go the topsails, and seemed to be complying with the rules of the port. Then our commander ordered that a salute be fired, but, when the guns of the fort replied, he ordered sail to be made under cover of the smoke. By this trick, we passed by the guns under the smoke screen, and were inside the harbor and beyond range before the Turks realized it. An officer rowed out to ask to what country our ship belonged. "The United States," answered our commander. The officer returned to shore. A half-hour later he again rowed out to inform Captain Bainbridge that the Sultan had never heard of the United States, and desired to know more about it. Our captain replied that he came from the new world discovered by Columbus. Again the officer went ashore and returned, bringing this time a lamb and a bunch of flowers, as tokens of peace and welcome. The admiral of the Turkish fleet, Capudan Pasha, took the _George Washington_ under his protection. The Sultan gave Captain Bainbridge a certificate which entitled him to special protection in any part of the Turkish empire. With the ambassadors from the Dey of Algiers matters went very differently. When the messenger was received on board Capudan Pasha's ship, the admiral snatched from the envoy's hand the Dey's letter, and then, in a great rage, spat and stamped upon it. He was then told to inform his master that the admiral meant to spit and trample upon him when the two met. The Sultan was equally harsh. He told the ambassador that he would force the Dey to declare war against France within sixty days, and threatened to punish the ruler if he did not send to him an immense sum of money. The presents of tigers and other animals were viewed by him with supreme contempt. The sight of the American flag, flown for the first time in this section of the world, created a sensation. It was said that, seeing the stars in the American flag, the Sultan decided that since there was represented on his flag one of the heavenly bodies, his country and ours must have the same religion. The foreign consuls at Constantinople welcomed Captain Bainbridge and he in turn entertained them. At one dinner he had on the table food and drink from all quarters of the globe, representing places at which he had stopped--Europe, Asia, Africa, and America, and men from each of these countries sat at his table. We returned to Algiers with a disgruntled ambassador. The Sultan, while he treated our commander with great courtesy, found fault with the Dey of Algiers' gifts and threatened to punish both him and his envoy if more valuable presents were not forthcoming. All of which delighted us hugely.