I never saw any place the position of which struck me as son magnificent as that of constantine It is built on a high plateau round which rushes a rapid river called the Rhumel It is called by the arabs Belad-el-Haoua(the city of the air) 
Constantine is divided into two distinct towns of which i need not say that the Arab is the only one which is interesting the street are excessively narrow the différent trades live each in their srparate quarters there is one for shoemakers another for workers in leather another for jewellers and so on for bakers butchers and all other trades(...)
We walked through a narrow passage just behind our hotel (hotel d'orient)and came into a court round which were a number of little rooms in which were squatted the Weaver of burnouses and haiks It is estimated that more than thirty thousand burnouses and sixty thousand thirty haiks are annually woven in constantine alone the dearest and most beautiful are the gandouras which are a mixture of silk and wool they are only worn by the higher classes(...)
Leaving the burnous court we walked on to the chose bazaar where every description of bright_coloured leather shoe and slipper(rihyia or babouche)was being embroidered It is impossible to describe in Worlds the beauty of these eastern bazaars