This day I crossed the water from _Galata_ to visit the antient _Chalcédon_, where I saw the poor Greek church dedicated to _St. Euphemia_[80]; and a little distant from the present village, the place where was held the fourth general council. Returning we row under the shore, to see the _Grand Signior’s_ beautiful _seraglio_ near _Scutari_. When _Chalcédon_ was an eminent city, which is now reduced to a slender village; _Scutari_, which by a contrary event is at present a fair and spatious city, was a poor and ignoble village, tho it then had the name of _Chrysopolis_, as we find by _Zosimus_[81]. April xxviii. I retired to _Belgrade_, a small Greek village, seated about twelve miles from _Constantinople_, and about five from the _Euxine_ sea; where the English ambassador has a countrey seat. It is pleasantly situated among large woods of oak, beech, chesnut, and other trees, and enjoys an healthy air and water. Here I took the opportunity of riding to visit the famous aqueducts of _Constantinople_, distant from this village about six miles, which were built by _Valentinian_ the first[82], _accurante Clearcho praefecto_, as _Cassiodorus_ says[83]; and afterwards repaired by _Solymán_ the _Magnificent_, who exempted twelve adjacent Greek villages from the customary tribute of this empire, for the care he enjoined them of keeping these aqueducts in repair. The most remarkable of them are three great and lofty fabrics, built over so many valleys betwixt the adjoining hills, of which the longest has many but less arches, and may possibly be the entire work of _Solymán_. The other two have the appearance of a more antient and regular architecture, consisting of two rows of arches one over the other; and those of the second row enclosed by pillars cut thro the middle, so as to render the fabric both passable like a bridge, and useful for the conveyance of water. The more considerable of these two consists only of four large arches, each twenty yards long, and something above twenty high, supported by octangular pillars of about fifty six yards in circumference towards the bottom. The village of _Belgrade_ is likewise honoured with two royal _kiosks_, the one of the _Grand Signior_, the other of the _Validée_; each situated in two delightful recesses of the neighbouring wood, and adorned with natural avenues thro lofty groves of beech, oak, and chesnut. At each of these _kiosks_ the waters of the public aqueduct are gathered into fair and ample cisterns of hewn stone, from whence they pass in arched chanels under ground to the royal city. May vii. After a pleasant retirement of ten days at _Belgrade_ I returned to my lodgings at _Galata_, to take the opportunity of seeing the remaining curiosities of _Constantinople_. May viii.