We passed through many large rooms or saloons, very handsome as to size, and richly ornamented with painting and gilding; but we thought them too low for their length, a defect that is increased by the heavy decorations of the ceilings. There was but little furniture--only a few hard chairs besides the usual divan, and sometimes a console table with a French clock upon it. Some of the smaller rooms were painted in arabesques, and had portières of blue or red satin over the doors. From the position of the Palace, however, the views from the great recesses, full of windows, were quite enchanting. A long low passage, hung with indifferent French and English prints, representing naval battles, storms at sea, &c., led to the bath-rooms--a pretty little set of apartments, with domed ceilings, beautifully fretted and painted. The Sultan, however, has long ceased to reside here, and only comes on certain stated occasions, such as after the feast of the Bairam. The grand procession from the mosque on that day is a magnificent pageant. A crowd of court pages, resplendent with gold embroidery and brilliant dresses, precede the monarch, who, mounted on a matchless snow-white Arabian steed, rides slowly on, surrounded by all the great dignitaries of the Empire. The Pashas, habited in their state uniforms, are a mass of gold and precious stones, their saddles and the trappings of their horses being equally gorgeous. Amidst all the magnificence of this group the Sultan alone is dressed with simplicity. He wears a dark frock coat with but little embroidery about it; but on the front of his fez and on the hilt of his sword blaze the enormous diamonds that are the pride of the Imperial treasury, while the housings of his Arab are almost hidden by the pearls and precious stones by which they are adorned. On arriving at the Seraglio the Sultan proceeds to the throne-room, and there receives all his great officers of state. Ambassadors and foreign ministers are received at other times. The Sultan goes in state to the mosque every Friday, and when he is then passing through the streets his people may approach him to present petitions. The "temennah," as the ordinary mode of salutation is termed, is a very graceful gesticulation. The hand is bent towards the ground, as if to take up the hem of the superior's garment, and then pressed on the heart, forehead, and lips, to signify both humility and affection.