The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1852-12-21
1ne Expenses or the American Legations
Europe.
LETruR From HON. Gg0RGs MARSH
LEGATION or The UNITED STATES, !


LETruR FROM HON. GgoEGsP MARSH
LEGATION OF The UNITED STATES,
COssTANTINOPLA Dec IL. 1851
SIE-I have the honor to oksowiedgs the receipt
Of your letter Of Nov 4, 1851 (No. I7), comment
eating . resolution adopted ~ the Bsaase on tho
Slss OF January last, and asking specific and accu
rate information respecting the expenses incident to
my Iesidebcs in my official character as CONSTANT
nop's
Ia replying to this communication, ! may be psr.
mitted 10 premise generally, that both from my
ewn observation ana frcm the current testimony of
the entire diplomstic corps 81 Constantinopie, |
believe the necessary expenses Of living are oonsi-
dersbiy greater at this city than st any Earopsan
capital, with the possible exception Ut st. Peters
burg, respecting which have no detailed informs
ton The reason of this IL 10 be found partly IN
tie low state Of agriculture and manufactures IN
Turkey, and partly IN the established modes Of lie
at the capital, to which every person In ypoc.a
BILE polticsi or social position, and especially every
foreign RESIDENT Is obliged. In greater OF less do
gree, TO conform
Ia oone quek CO of the almost total want Of faoii
ties Of communication between CODstantinoplc and
the interior, nearly every article Of domestic use or
consumption, excepting the 6arest necessdries OF
animal lite, but including msny Of the conmonesr
vegeta olee, may instsIce the potatos and aspara'
pus,) and oil the proaucts of the dairy, we'll
hOuseb old furniture Of every description and every
material for clothing Is brought from distant
tries, snd Of sold 1t tar higher rates than At
tho place of 10 production, and Ican safely estimate
the express Of supplyng table and providing for
the other ordinary wants of family at Constanti-
pople, At vice thrice tho cost of main tanning
like establishment Mt Washington IL 10 trae, the
ordinary market price of the .necessaries Of life
would perhaps not indicate difference 20 eonside-
rable rs have stated; but article Of sale mas
here fixed and regular value, end everything pur-
chased on account of q foreign minister, or 0,her
person Of distinction, must DO paid for at rates
somewhat proportional TO the sellers esti mate Of
tho rank and lheans Of tho purchaser
alluded sb owe TO the established modes of life at
espHu Aluiu
1t 10 difficult to enter into explanation this snb
ject, wMhou. going much into wearisome and petty
detail; but may mention the necessity Of keeping
. much larger nunber OF servants than are else
where required as an important item Servants
here are trained TO . narrow range Of duties, be-
yoDd which they cannot be prevailed upon to 20,
ard, even in their own Departmental, they in geuo-
raj perform much less than persons Of their class ia
the United States. The nominal wages Of servants
are quite as high here as a. ,shipgton, but they
expect frequent presents IN addition, and they ota
ana receive . commissio upon AL purchases made
by them for their employers, and find tho expense
Of this part Of my household to bs ~ least fonr
and think five, times as great IL with
family OF the sane average number Exclusive Of
seIvants) NJ Washington.
deem IL due 10 myself to say, that In fixing the
number OF my servants, have not exceeded the
limits Of strict necessity and have waived al at
tempt ut complying With that custom Of the counsry
which makes large resinue, as we'll As many other
torns of display, essential the responsibility in
the eyes Of the yet but half civilized inh
Of tho Turkish capital
The largest single item in tas expenass Of livir
at Constnntinopls Is house rent With tho ex zap
ton Of Ibe representatives. Of two three of vac
less important European powers, all the foreign
ministers are provided by tDeir respec,iss govern
neDts with winter palaces NJ Pers, (c graat part
furnished and summer Iesiden ,es at b. yuiuiere,
Therass;a, or elsewhere
All the officers Of the Porte reside in The country
in ssnner and Al ConstaDtilople in the winter and
every reason of official convenience, as we'll ~ of
md a.a,tnr iFv.
change OF residence on tle part o. the foreign mi.
nisteTs
With the exception Of the sip'omasi, resi- len 20
the number Of houses at Pera Mt ali suitable for
foreign ministers or indeed for pers0a of any con
ditiop. aceui tones to the comforts, oonvenienoes
and decencies Of European and American life is
very small; and house US good q, The average Of
tbose occupied by the members of the diplomatic
corps at Washirg ton, of our IN cabinet, could
not be hired at Pera for les than NV snty five hun
dred or three thousand dollars year. Rents in tho
country, though lower, are still very high For my
own house, plain, small and cheap WOO 5en struc.
tuie, at Therassia, l paid At irsrone hundred dol
lars per month, and is only by engaging it for
tenn Of year and . half. including swo ~insers-
period WHEN country houses usually reDail I'M
ten0nted--that [ WAS able to reduce she rent to
shout eight hundred dollars per snnum
1t wss With .1gsl reluctance taxt eeteruaiuei
upon IenounciDg winter residence at Psrx, and
occupying, for the entire year, situation in many
respects so neon enient and remote from to wn;
but the lowest rates at which could find hssis
able mansion nearer Constantinople from
twelve hundred and fifty to seventeen hundred and
fifty dollars per annum, and this payable in ad-
vance
fought, perhaps, to add, that spssk throus bout
OF the rent OF houses not only unfurnished but-in
the country at least uuprovided with fire places,
stoves or even chinneys.
Another expensive iten is fuel. Tho climate Of
the Bospborus, during the winter months, is not
unlike that of the city of New York, but the cold
weather, though somewhat less sevsre ia Of longer
continuance coal CRATES and GOAL stoves not in
use, except 10 two three of the diplomatic resi-
dencos, Ard Of course wood and charcoal must be
resorted 10
Wood, as well M charcoal. is sold BY weight and
the price Of the former, (even wbea-as is seldom
tho caseit is found dry. and difference in price
is made on this accouut) including the expense Of
cutting and storing, e not less than fifteen dollars
per co1d.
! may add that the day wages Of common labor
ers, the prco OF triGing seroises of every jsserp
ton, the cost Of every species of mechanical Dor,
the expense Of boat and carriage hire OF medical A.
Tendance, snd IN short. of all the coatiogsus on.
goes of domestic life, much higher here than
II any part Of Europe the United Ssstes, aoi l
have accordingly found, as migot be supposed from
the statement have gwen my salary 90 ;irely ia
adequate to dtrsy The xpenses of estsbiish
suited wiz not say to my official position, bu; to
that Of private gentlemsn
The salaries of the high officers of tho Turkish
goverDmert. rad OF ths Eorop.sp d plomttic corps
at the Porte are, believe, con sid ably ME nor
than at any European court; and these funston
aries all recsive IN addition numerous large allow
ances, clsoshere unknown, to cover ths eztrsoeii-
nary expenses to which the peculiar circumstances
and coneiiions Of public and private life 81 Constan
tjnople pose them an far from asking or adj
vocatins corresponding rase Of npens alton for
the representative Of tho United States tho Porte;
but At the ssms tine must be pardoned for say.
ing, that believe no person acquainted with tis
actual state Of things here can doubt, that both
justice to the ncum bent and tho honor aud inter
Gets OF the AmericsH government would be best
consulted by considerable increase of the salary
now allowed to the minister AT Coustantiapple
have tho honor to DO, sir, your obedisut ser
want, Gno p MApau
Hon DANIEL WsBsTER, Secretary OF State.
LETTER FROM Mr. sCsBSCK
LEGATION or THE UNITED Sra Bs
RIO DE JASErRo, March III, 1852 {
SIR: ! bad the honor 10 acknowledge. ia my last
despatch tie receipt Of your circus, of he tsn No
yember last, communicating the resolution passed.