Journal of a Visit to Constantinople and Some of the Greek Islands in the Spring and Summer of 1833 — Context and Discussion

Between Romance and Skepticism

Auldjo's description of the Seven Towers exemplifies his dual stance. He recounts the 'mystery and romance' attached to the fortress, where 'Eastern imaginations' and Western ones combined to produce 'tales of horror, dark, deep, and tragical.' Yet he immediately undercuts this Gothic atmosphere by attributing the worst details to guides catering to a 'morbid taste for the horrible.' The Turkish guide points out the 'Well of Blood' and claims it 'has often overflowed with human gore,' but Auldjo adds that 'for the honour of human nature, one is desirous of believing that the greater portion of them are mere fables.' This tension between the allure of the exotic and a rationalist's skepticism is a recurring motif.

The passage also reveals Auldjo's reliance on local intermediaries. The guide is both a source of information and a potential fabricator. Auldjo does not resolve the ambiguity; he presents the claims and his doubts side by side, leaving the reader to weigh the evidence. This approach aligns with his prefatory admission that the journal is a 'faint outline' rather than a finished picture.

The Tomb of Ali Pasha: A Study in Contrasts

In the section on the tomb of Ali Pasha, Auldjo's descriptive style comes to the fore. The tomb is 'a low square piece of rough masonry' set in a 'small verdant grove' under a 'magnificent plane tree.' He contrasts the 'smiling verdure and blossom-loaded boughs' with the 'dark funereal cypress, the emblem of death.' The inscription on the five sculptured stones records the heads of Ali Pasha, his three sons, and his grandson—a stark reminder of Ottoman political violence. Auldjo does not editorialize; he lets the juxtaposition of natural beauty and brutal history speak for itself.

This passage is one of the few where Auldjo provides a direct translation of an inscription, grounding his account in documentary evidence. The tomb's location 'near the gate Selyori' and the need for a firman to visit the Seven Towers earlier underscore the bureaucratic realities of travel in the Ottoman Empire. Auldjo's attention to such practical details—routes, permissions, guides—gives the journal a texture that goes beyond mere sightseeing.

Encounters with Authority and Nationality

The catalog subject 'Russians -- Turkey' finds only indirect support in the excerpts. The heading 'Russian Insolence' appears, but the text that follows is truncated in the excerpts. However, a later passage mentions a dinner in Pera with Hodgson and 'a friend of his from Beiroot,' identified as the American Vice-consul in Syria, who has come to Constantinople to recover money. This brief glimpse suggests a network of foreign consuls and travelers, each with their own agendas. Auldjo himself is a British gentleman-scholar, a Fellow of the Geological Society, and his journal is dedicated to Sir William Gell, a noted antiquary.

The presence of multiple nationalities—British, American, Turkish, Russian—hints at the geopolitical currents of the 1830s. Auldjo does not expound on these, but his casual mentions of firman requirements, guide services, and consular business reveal the infrastructure of European travel in the Levant. The journal thus serves as a document of cross-cultural encounter, filtered through the author's own position as a privileged observer.

Auldjo's journal is best approached as a series of discrete observations rather than a unified narrative. Readers interested in the texture of early 19th-century travel—the practicalities, the reliance on local guides, the interplay of expectation and experience—will find much here. The author's willingness to record his doubts alongside his impressions makes the text a valuable primary source for understanding how Western travelers negotiated the Ottoman world. The incomplete excerpts caution against assuming a coherent argument; instead, the journal rewards those who dip into its pages for specific moments of description and reflection.