Marcian’s Column, called by the Turks _Kestachi_, which is situated in the garden of a Turkish house near the gate of Adrianople, is a splendid remain, of which the capital is supported by four magnificent eagles. The hexagonal pedestal is ornamented with wreaths of oak leaves, and the height of the shaft is nearly eighty feet. Of the remains of the Aqueduct of Justinian I have already spoken; and hundreds of beautiful and graceful columns, and thousands of sculptured fragments, are to be seen intermingled with the masonry of the city walls. The ancient Palace of Constantine, vulgarly named the Palace of Belisarius, stands in that quarter of the city called Balata, a corruption of _Balati_, “the gate of the palace.” It is impossible to visit this curious ruin with any pleasure, as it has been given up to the needy Jews, who have established within its walls a species of pauper barrack, redolent of filth. It is of considerable extent, and principally remarkable for the curious arrangement of its brick-work; there are, however, the remains of a handsome doorway, and outworks of great strength. About ten days before I left the country, some workmen, employed in digging the foundation of an outbuilding at the Arsenal, brought to light a handsome sarcophagus of red marble, containing the bodies of Heraclius, a Greek Emperor, who flourished during the reign of Mahomet, and his consort. The two figures representing the Imperial pair are nearly perfect. That of the Emperor holds in one hand a globe, and with the other grasps a sceptre; while the Empress is represented with her crown resting upon her open palm. At their feet are the busts of two worthies, supposed to be portraits of celebrated warriors, but the inscriptions beneath them are nearly obliterated. Immediately that the identity of the occupants of this lordly tomb was ascertained, orders were given that an iron railing, breast-high, should be erected to protect the relic from injury, the Turks having a tradition that Heraclius died a Mahomedan. The fact is, however, more than doubtful; although it is well known that Mahomet sent him an invitation to abjure Christianity, and to become a True Believer; but, at the period of this occurrence, Heraclius was bowed by years, and sunk in sensual enjoyments. Anxious to evade a war with Mahomet, whose successes were then at their height, he despatched an ambiguous reply to the message, and died ere he had given the Musselmauns reason to suspect the real motive of his supineness. Hence the Turks claimed the sarcophagus of Heraclius as the tomb of a True Believer; and a marble mausoleum is to be built over it, similar to those which contain the ashes of the Sultans. [Illustration: Miss Pardoe del. Day & Haghe Lith^{rs}. to the King. THE SEVEN TOWERS. _Pub^d. by H. Colburn, 13 G^t. Marlborough S^t._]