The Port Gibson herald, and correspondent., 1850-07-12
From the Louisville Journal.
FOREIGN CORRESPONDENCE.
CoNsTANTINoPLE, l649.


have four wives and is not expected to shave,
feel as if had fallen into a new word, or else
that the old one was INDUCING in a general
masquerade. | am bewildered by rare sights
and sounds-every thing is strange, novel, and
exciting; and city is bound to be interesting
where the very rags Of beggary assume the pie
turesque.
Through the narrow, dirty streets. rush
dense mass of human beings, noisy chafing
against each other as they roll along; but the
sullen roar of these living waves is not height
ened by the clatter Of carriages and the noise of
drays, wagons and carts. But, instead of these,
bare legged turbaned porters are seen bending
under their enormous loads, which are corded
upon their backs like the packs Of camels. You
see eight or ten laborers bearing heavy cask
or some other weighty burden, swung between
two long poles, the ends OF which they support
upon their shoulders, and force their way through
the crowded thoroughfares with the most discor-
dant cries. Long lines of miserable looking
horses, with each ones halter attached to the
others packsaddle, stagger under their immense
loads of hay, frewood, or bales Of goods that al
most hide them. Troops of donkeys loaded
with tiles climb the steep hills, or bear along
boards which are arranged in the form of the
figure five, one end dragging the ground and
the other mounting high in air, with the unfortu.
nate donkey between. Strange fashioned Tur-
kist vehicles, full Of women, with one horse,
and the driver walking by the side, are occa-
sionaly seen j0lting sloWlS along. Now u you
can imma CINE mammoth goose egg, VITA open
sides, rudely carved and gided, that is, painted
flaming red or sky blne. you will have as cor
rect an idea of these clumsy conveyances as
can convey by description. They are halffilled
BY several large soft cashions, or rather small
beds, among which three or four women are
slowed away without much regard for order or
comfort. The driver, holding lis rens, walks
| by the door and urges on his horse by constant
applications of the whip and all sorts of dToli
noises. The wretched beast struggles up the
rough street, the carriage joits and bounces,
whist the veled heads of the fair ones within
pop out o. the windows, and bump against the
top OF the carriage and against each o;her In a
manner truly startling, considering the very brit
| tie materials Of which they are made. But, so
! conventional are all our IDEAS of enjoyment in
this world, that the wealihier ladies OF Constan-
| tinople who are alone able TO afford the luxury,
ride for pleasure in these crazy rattieraps over
/ streets that would disiocate, am certain, any
/ christian bones or wheels in less than halt
/ hours ride Yet rude as these gaudy convey
ances are in their construction, they never ial
| i'm passing through a crowded thoroughiare lo
create much greater sensation than the mosl
snlendid carriage of London or Paris, for, the
streets being too narrow 10 admit OF even then
passing without difficulty. they compel each un
| lucky oot-passenger TO take refuge in the dool
Of some shop, or, backed up against dirty wall
to incur the danger Of having his shns barket
by their encroachng wheels.
Various as are the noisy breakers Of human
beings that dash through the hithy streets, TN
same red crest crowns them all, for the tarbouch
is universal. Turks, Christians, Greeks, Ar
menians, and Jews, and beggars, old and yonng
rich and poor, all wear the bright scarlet skull
cap with its gracefully flowing blue silk tassel
and those who still adhere to the exploded Tnr
kish fashions .wine about the tarbouche the tWlS
ted rolls Of their white or green turbanS. These
favorite coors are sacred to the Turks, and tht
green is only permitted to such of them who art
renuted descendants OF the Prophet. But from
the numerous, especially dirty looking intlvidu
ais whom have seen sporting the Prophet
colors, ] am inclined to think that the greer
turban is often assumed by those who have nj
better claims to being descendants of Aloham
|
j Goo. But the turban is rapidly disappearing
and except among the lower orders, the red tar
bouche is nearly al. that remains Of the old Iur
kish costume.
Yet one sees every variety Of fashion, from tn
gay butterfly custome OF the rich Turk, VIII
still clings to the customs OF his fathers
through all the gradual changes from this I
the stiff, ungrateful chrysalls dress OF the Eu
| 4i,,E .,
late sultan Mahmoud had lived some twent
years later, or that had visited his capital tina
, much sooner, when each wealthy Turk rustic
, in the flowing garments OF rich silk, and wa
clothed in the jeweled and gold-embroldered YES
which made the oriental costume the dehgl
alike of poets and painters. Then was bis bear
allowed to fall upon his broad chest and hi
porlly person was girded with rare cashner
; shawIs Of immense value; then were twIne
{ about the rich folds of his ample turban string
, of priceless pearls, and rubies and diamond
olittered in the crescent that adorned lis iron
then costly arms loaded his golden bet-on on
side were stuck his pistols, whose long barrel
i were of dazzling brightness. and whose handle
4 were beautifully Dlaid with silver and god-o
, the other was his yatagan, with its gold elame
: led scabbard and handle OF exquisite tilagre
work set with precious stones; and then by hi
side hung his crooked soimitar OF famous d.
mascus, made with handle of amber sparklin
It with diamonds, and its sheath Of richly wrougl
), GOLD. But alas the example Of Mahmoud hf
j wrought as great change in dress among til
It wealhier classes of his subjects as he has eec
h ed in the uniform and discipline Of his arm
il And, among those capable of displaying all i
d richness, the graceful and picturesque costum
y of the East has universally yielded to the st
e inelegant dress in which European dandes biz
l. their limbs.
IS The days Of Turkish magnfcence have passe
g The glory and the splendor Of the Ottoman En-
b pire are gene forever. The victories and Il
g sumptuous displays of Suleyman the magni6ce
@ are alike unknown, and the Turks have cease
If to be either the terror or the wonder ol their +
e ropean neighbors. The court of the Easter
Of monarch is no longer the favorite theme of d
e scrptun for the imaginative poets OF the Ian
n nor does it afford subject Of wonder and delig
t. TO the astonished traveller. When he now hoI
e divan, all is changed-everything is Europ
Is an. His chief officers no longer appear in the
e costly garments of various colored silks, decor
ir ted with diamonds, which might be compared
r. a rich parterre Of flowers upon whose leaves y
Of fingered the sparkling dew.drops. The Tui
:. has sunk from the hight of barbarous magni
cence to the lowest round of European civilizi
ton where fear he will remain sometime wit
1T out ascending. The great innovator Mahmou
,. in changing the dress Of his subjects, seemed
= fo..o+ rooro ,D,nor,aOt nhincfs of imnrovonoor