Sunbury American. [volume] (Sunbury, Pa.) 1848-1879, 1852-03-13

THE BAzAARs OF C0NsTANTIN0PLE.

The finest bazaars in the world are at
Constantinoplp. Having visited those OF
Cairo and Damascus, and seen some that
were very curious in Syria, and made little
purchases in all, can praise those of STAIN
( boul with good grace Like the Eastern
shops elsewhere, each article is sold in its
spperate quarter ; here jewels, there moth
| ing but shoes; mere drugs, there only fruit.
Each merchant has very small stock, and
his Office is in proportion, six feet by four;
just room enough Tor row OF shelves be-
hind him, and space in front to lie down
and sleep, pray or smoke. The Oriental
fashion of smoking and drinking coffee be-
fore the conclusion Of bargain is not
thought Of now, except for large purchasers.
never was offered the chibouque by
shopkeeper in Constantinople, and but
twice at Demascus. But the popularity of
the Constantinople bazaars is, that they are
so well built and, instead OF being covered
with ragged mats, like those of Damascus,
or only here and there grim arch, as at
Acre, the vast extent is covered with
solid stone root, arching over the street for
miles. From the main trunk run smaller
ones, also arched, at right angles, and at in
tervalS occur the khans or lodging houses
for strange merchants, and exchanges Tor
the wholesale trade. These bear the name
of some Sultan or Sultana by whom they
were built, and are pretty nearly free to
the public. In these the storage room is of
course larger, but not to compare with
L.. /
found them everywhere dark dlngy and
old. In Damascus the shops were framed
OF rough, unpainted wood, and the covers
or shutters, which Were locked every night,
but never closed il the merchant only went
to the mosque, were no better than the
commonest barn door in Connecticut. In
Consantinople, these were always finished
with neatness, with low, carved baus-
trade in front the same idea very differ
emily expressed. The most striking arti-
cles here were some Persian embroidered
merinoes and silks, which attracted much
notice at the London Exhibition. 1t struck
me there were fewer conveniences for
sleeping, and fewer still so pleasantly oc-
cupled, than in the other great Eastern
cities. The truth is, the almost daily arri-
val of steamers in the Golden Horn has
sadly disturbed this Sleepy Hollow; has
really excited many quiet MusSulman
has made sad havoc in all his habits, good
and bad, and made him familiar with cheat
! ing in business, intemperance in drink, in
trigue and inhospltality.
! The slave mart, have said, was nearly
closed. My dragoman insisted upon it that
| the vigorous efforts of the British AmbasSa-
dor had entirely swept it away. He has
done all he could, and no single man could
do more. Long familiar with this court,
his tact, decision, energy, fearlessness, have
all but trumphed. Yet, in the old spot,
right under the most magnificent mosque
in the world, in number of small apart
ments, were sundry sooty damsels and
few white ones, very anxious to find pur-
chaser; and occasionally a Turk was OBJ
served Studying the hand and form, or NOV
ing round the persons of the living mer-
chandise. Being alone, excepting my timid
servant, which was worse than being quite
by myself, | could not discover much !;
onl ly that these were the best dressed slaves
had seen-far better than the almost ma
ked things on the Nile; that they had the
muffled face like Turkish ladies', were ex-
ceedingly iocose, even TO singing out to me
''Good, good" and desrouS TO Sind new
home" somewhere as soon as possible.
saw no beauties among them-those are
reserved for Sutans and Pachas; but none
SO filthy and chimney-sweepish as at Cairo
and Assouan. ~
l was struck by the honesty OF mosque
servant close by. We were alone Of
fered him several dollars just to enter the
sacred edi6ce, which was empty at that
moment. There can hardly be a doubt
that he was poor enough TO be tempted
but he would not yield; perhaps he said
with the apostle. "Thy gold perish with
thee" / had to be content with distant
peep at the large, carpet-covered floor, and
the fine dome hanging with many lamps