ket, which latter terminates at Byt Bazary Gate. This gate conducts to an open space, which, as well as the covered market to the right, derives its unpleasant name from being the place for sale of cast-off garments and second-hand articles of every denomination. On the death of individuals and consequent division of property among heirs, or upon seizure and legal sale, their arms, clothes, saddlery, and furniture are here disposed of by auction.

The Byt Bazary company, mostly ex-janissaries and bostanjees, have their kihaya, inspectors, and criers. Notwithstanding the nature of their dealings, they are generally wealthy, and frequently expose for sale, dresses, shawls, girdles, and pelisses, of great beauty and freshness. As pawnbrokers' shops and monts de piété do not exist, people, hard pressed for ready money, frequently pledge their goods to obtain it, without infringing as they suppose the laws against usury. For instance, they say, "Here is a pelisse, worth one thousand piastres - I will sell it to you for five hundred, on condition that I may re-purchase it for the same sum within a given period." The merchant says, "I agree," and delivers a receipt. If the seller can afford to re-purchase within the stated period, he refunds the money, adding perhaps ten or twenty per cent. as a present. If, on the other hand, the repurchase is not effected within the time specified, the merchant retains the article, and generally sells it at a fair profit. This enables customers to make good bargains in this bazar.

This is not the only way in which the usury laws are evaded. The Government itself shows the example of infringing the precepts, by which usury is declared to be an unpardonable sin. The mode adopted upon this occasion is as follows:Supposing an individual to possess a sum which he does not care to leave unfructifying in his coffers. There being no public funds or banks, of which he can obtain interest, he carries this sum to the Treasury, and proposes to lend it to Government, on the payment of certain interest, varying from ten to twelve per cent., according to amount, age of lender, and nature of the contract.