The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1852-12-21
the Expenses or the American Legations In
Europe.
LETr1R From HON. GsoRGR r MARSH
LEGATION OF TIE UNIrED STATES, !

Tine Expenses OF the American Legations In
LETrzs From HON. GsoRaE MARSH
LEGATION OF THE UkIrED STATES,
CORsTANTINOPLA Dec IL. 1851
SR-i have the honor to sos ledge the recspt
your letter Of Nov. 4, 1861 (No. I7), comment
eating resolution adopted ny the 6snaso on tho
3lss Of January last and asking specific and accu
rate Information respecting the expenses incident to
my residences in my official character as CONSTANT
nopls
Ia replying to this communication, I may be psr-
mitted 10 premise generally, that both from my
ewn observation and frcm the current testimony Of
the entire diplomstic corps 81 ConstsntnOple, |
believe the necessary expenses Of living are consi
dersbiy greater ct this cisy than IT any Earcpssn
capital, with the possible exception Of ST. Peters
burg, respecting which have no detailed Informs
tion The reason of this Ia TO DO found partly In
the low state of agriculture and manufactures IN
Turkey, and partly IN the established modes Of life
at the cspi.a, to which evcry person In 70 pecsa
BILE politicsi social position, and especially every
foreign resident, Is obliged, In greater OF less do
gree, TO conform.
In oonsequex CO Of the almost total want Of facl.
ties Of communication between CODsJantinoplo and
the interior. nearly every artisie Of domestic
consumption, excepting the barest necessities Of
animal lite, but ircndiDg many Of the commonest
vegetables, may instance the potatos and aspsra.
Pus,) and all the pr0aucts Of the dairy, as we'll
houteh old furniture Of every description and every
material for clothing, il brought from distant csuo
tries, snd of sold 1t tar higher rates than At
tho place of production, and can safely estimate
the per Of SUPPLY ing table and providing for
tie other ordinary wants Of a family az COnstanti-
Dope, At twice or thrice tho cost of main tanning
like establishment 1T Washington IL 10 trae, the
ordinary market price Of the .necessaries OF life
would perhaps not indicate difference 20 eonside
rable as / have stated; but no article Of sale mas
here fixed and regular value, and everything pur
chased on account of q foreign minister, or O,her
person IF distinction, must be paid for at rates
somewhat proportional 10 the sellers esti nate Of
tho rank ard means Of tho Purchaser
alluded above the established modes Of life at
amir inv vir tpan ~ mana
It 10 difficult to enter into explanation on this snb-
ject, without going much into wearlsome and petty
detail; but may mention the ne cessty Of keeping
. much larger aunber OF servants than else
where required as an important item Servants
here trained TO . narrow range Of duties, be-
You'd which they cannot be prevailed upon to 20,
ard, even in their own departments, they, in geuo
rail- perform much less than persons OF their class ia
the United States The nomioal wages Of servants
quite as high here as ~ sshiogton, but they
expect frequent presents in addition, and they cain
ana receive commission upon al purchases made
by them for their employers, and find the expense
OF this part Of my household to bs ~ least tonr,
mud think five, times Ms great as IL was with a
family Of the same average number (exousive Of
seIvants) II Washington
deem il due TO myself to say, that in fixing the
ru4ber of my servants, have not exceeded the
Limits of strict necessity, and have waived al at
tempt ut complying with that custom Of the country
which makes large retinue, as we'll many other
forns Of display, essential to the responsibility in
the eyes of the yet but half civilized inhabitants
Of tho Turkish capital
The largest single item in tue expenses Of livirg
at Constantinopls is house rent With tho ex,ep
ton Of lbe representatives Of two or three OF tas
less important European powers, all the toreisn
ministers are provided by their res oeciss govern.
nepts with winter palaces NJ Psra, (io grs.t part
furnished and supmer Iesiden ses az Buyuladsre,
/ Iherass;a, or elsewhere
All the officers Of the Porte reside in the country
in ssmDer and at Constanttnople in the 1tnter, and
every reason Of official enoc, as wui "a of
health and comfort, requires esponing
change Of residence on tao part o. tho foreign hi.
| nisteys
With the exception of the Diplomatic resi- ienscs,
! the number IF houses at Pera, ut all suitable for
foreign Minister, or indeed for persoa of any
! ditiop. accntomes to the comforts, oonyenieaoes
\ and decencies OF European and American life, is
1 very small; ard house US good a. tho average Of
! tbote occupied by the members of the d pomatic
j corps ut ashngion. or of our cabinet, could
not be hired at Pera for less than twenty five hun
I dred or three thousand dollars year. Rents in the
country, though lower, are still very high For my
own bOuse, plain, email and cheap oien struc
tuie, at rheTassia, ! paid AT frstone nundIed aol
tenn Of year and = half, including Two winters
period when country houses usually reDaia un-
tennnted-shat { WAS able to reduce she rent to
about eight hundred dollars per snnum
IL Was With .lnel rcuctanoo tast ceiermiuei
upon renounciDg winter residence at Psrx and
occupying for the entire year. situation in many
respects SO inconvenent and DO emste from to wn;
but the lowest rates at which could find habit
able mansion nearer Constantinople were from
| twelve hundred and fifty to seventeen hundred and
Fifty dollars per annum, and this payable 10 sd-
vance
fought, perhaps, to add, that spssk throus hous
OF the lent OF houses not only unfinished but-in
the country at least unprovided with fire places,
stoves or even chinneys.
Another expensive item is fuel The climate Of
the Bosphorus, during the winter months. is not
unlike that of the city Of New York, bus the cold
weather, though somewhat less severe 10 of longer
contnuance; coal CRATES and GOAL stoves ara not ia
use, except In two or three of the diplomatic resi-
dences, AID Of course wood and charcoal must DO
resorted TO
the price Of the former, (even wbea--as is seldom
\ tho case-it is found dry. and difference in price
is made on this aecouut) including tie expense Of
cutting and storing s not less than fifteen dollars
\ per cord.
i lmoy add that the day wages Of common labor
ers, the prcc OF triling services of every jsserp
ton, the cost Of every species of mechanical Ia Dor
the expense OF boat and carriage hire OF medical
tendanec, and Ia short, of all the coaticgsns on.
4 goes Of domestic life. are much higher here than
\ II any part Of Europe or the United Saves, aoi
have accordingly found. "a migct be supposed from
the statement have given, my salary .irely in
adequate % dtfrsy tho xpenses of an establish
suited. VIII not say to my official position, bu; to
that OF rfiyate gentem8n
The salaries OF The hgh officers of the Turkish
government, and Of the Eorop-&u d,plom tito corps
at the Forte are. believe, considerably higher
than as any European court; and these funston
aries ai receive IN addition, numerous large allow
anccs cisoahere unknown, to cover the eztrsorii-
nary EXPENSES to which the peculiar circumstances
and corti'ions Of public and private life Conssan
ijnoplc expose them lam far from asking or adj
vocatns corresponding rate Of CD npens stion for
the representative of the United States tho Porse
but At the rsne time must be pardoHed for say.
ipg, that believe no person acquainted with tls
actual state OF things here can doubt, that both
justice to the ncum bent AMI the honor apd inter
ests OF tho Americsn government would be- oest
consulted by considerable increase Of the salary
now allowed to the ninistsr at CoastaDtiaope,
have the honor to De, sir, your obedisnt ser
want, Ggo 2 MApsH
Hon. DASIsL WEBSTER, Secretary OF State.
LETTER FROM Mr. sCagNCK
LEGATION or THE UNITED SrArBs.
Rro DE JAHErRo March III, 1852 {
SIR; bad the honor TO goSnowlssge. in my lest
despatch, tie receipt of your circular Of he ttn No.
vcuber last, Communicating the resolution passed
by the S.nRtA nu tho zig: Ianuatr 1871 And 70