Vandalia Whig and Illinois intelligencer. [volume] (Vandalia, Ill.) 1832-183?, 1833-10-16

we were apprised that her labors had on
|ly begun. According to the custom of
the country, there we're only some thirty
or forty dishes in reserve, all Of which
must at least be tasted, in order to do hon.
or to our host. II was practical illus
tration of the old saw, sto kill with kind
ness" but as there was no escape, we
braced ourselves for the task. The same
savage custom prevails in some remote
parts of our own country, we regret to
say, and under even more horrid shape.
We still remember with loathng and dis.
gust an occasion of this kind, in which
our efforts to be civil nearly cost US our
life. Our worthy hostess had succeeded
in heaping on our plate molly mixture
of meat, vegetables, and sauce of such
prodigious Dimensions, that we fear to
name them, lest we should be suspected
ofexageration. Wemay, however, men.
ton, that we could not feed from lis sum
nit, without arising from our chair, and
to attack the TANKS of this artificial mound
might have caused the whole to toppIe
down headlong and bury us in prema,
ture grave. Thanks TO the organization
Of the societies for the suppression Of vice,
these eHormities are now rarely perpetra.
ted. The Turkish practices offer few OF
those Inconvenience; for, provided one
merely tastes dish it is sufficient, but
many of them were so exquisite, that we
should have been pleased with an oppor-
) tuniiy of discussing them AS whole meal.
They were all new to us, and many OF
them exceedingly savory-one in partic
: ular seemed worthy Of a byevet d'impor
: tatlon into our hemisphere. II appears
e in the shape of an immense custard, and
: owes its peculiar excellent flavor to the
f presence of the breasts of very young
J chickens, WHICH are by some means so in
n timately blended and incorporated with
: the custard as to be scarcely distinguish
! able. 1t is certainly an exquisite dish
1, and worthy of being classed with that
French sauce which is said TO be so pala
table, that a person might be tempted TO
{ eat with it his own grandfather. We re-
Jected, as unworthy of credit, the sugges,
ton of one of our American friends near
US, who limited that he knew how TO make
this dish in very compendous way; as
only the breasts of very young chickens
ale employed, he proposed to prepare the
custard by using chickens in the shell.
Alter the appearance and removal of at
least forty dishes, and the Champaign and
Margaux had freely circulated, we we're
) favored with visit from Turkish digni-
tary, who dropped in very unceremoni-
ously, and entered with great freedom in
to the festivities of the evening. He was
an intimate friend Of our host, and if we
remember right, was chief secretary to
the captain Pacha. Shortly after his ap-
Pearance, we were invited to propose
toasts, and accordingly commenced, as in
duty bound, with the health Of the Sultan.
This was received at first with a stare Of
surprise, and was quickly followed by loud
/ applause. The Sultan is such a sacred
topic among his subjects, that we antci-
pated solemn silence, but our new
friends offered to appreciate our motives,
and accordingly loud and enthusiastic af-
f"ir'ns! {bravos) rcsoundcd through the
hall.
But what shall we say of the conversa-
ton, the table talk among people so ha.
bitually grave and tenacious as the Turks.
4 religion is never discussed in mixed soci-
ETY., politics they leave to the Padir Shah,
who is emphatically called the party in
Turkey, which all are interested in main.
tanning. These simple souls never drca-
med of the discovery made in modern
times, omong the freest governments, by
which nearly one half of the community
are excluded from all offices and honors,
on the score Of their belonging to another
party. From their retired modes of lv-
ing, scandal can have no existence, and
we are informed that they have not even
name for it in their language. The con-
versation turned upon manners and Gus
toms OF our respective countries; and it
appeared to be mark of breeding 10
avoid inquiries concerning our religi on,
government or women.
| ANDREW JACKSON.
From Mackenzie's sketches of Canada and the
! United States.
| WASUINGroN Tune 1900