Early voyages and travels in the Levant : I.—The diary of Master Thomas Dallam, 1599-1600. II.—Extracts from the diaries of Dr. John Covel, 1670-1679. With some account of the Levant Company of Turkey merchants.

In this volume listeners hear the vivid, day‑by‑day impressions of two Englishmen who lived in Constantinople a century apart. Thomas Dallam, a master organ‑builder, arrived in 1599 with a magnificent instrument intended as a gift for Sultan Mahmud III, and his diary records the negotiations, court ceremonies, and bustling streets of the early Levant Company era. His keen eye captures the clash of music and politics, the splendor of the imperial palace, and the practical challenges of moving a massive organ across the Mediterranean.

Nearly a hundred years later, Dr. John Covel, a Cambridge scholar serving as chaplain to the English embassy, offers a contrasting portrait of Ottoman life. His extracts describe daily worship, scholarly exchanges, and the rhythm of market activity under the watchful eyes of Levant Company merchants. Covel’s observations show how English trade and diplomacy intertwined with the empire’s culture, giving listeners a layered sense of continuity and change. Together the diaries sketch a remarkable picture of early modern cross‑cultural encounters.