Daily evening star. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1852-1854, 1853-08-26
Sultana's Abroad.

Sultana's Abroad.
Nearly all Turkish women sallv out
every Friday to take the air, away from
the town, on the banks of the Bospho-
rous, or to some of the places where water
and shade may be found. The wealthy
60 in carts without springs, of unwieldy
and primitive construction; six or seven
heaped together; and sometimes their
husbands lead the oxen or horses to the
chosen spot, and then go, away, leaving
the women perfectly free to enjoy them
selves as they please. The most popular
amusements are the singing and music of
the gypsy women, who repair thither for
the purpose-music which is amorously
languid, and singing which is detestably
indecent. A lunch is generally brought
out, and when this is despatched, smok-
ing and drinking commence
not of sherbet, but of good brandy, or
other liquors, which soon induce bois-
ferrous ga;ety, so that the sultanas whom
we often imagine as pining away impris-
oned, may be seen rolling in commissions
of inextinguishable laughter on the turf,
or huddled up in still more advanced
stage of intoxication, like bundles of rags.
Their Montenegrin servants, who are the
privileged beholders of these scenes, are
often compelled to haul them into their
carts, in which they are jolted back to
the harem.
Those who are not too far gone fire.
quently pull up in passing through the
Christian quarter, at the doors of taverns,
to get more drink; and file of hundred
carts may often be seen stopping in one
street, all full of women, some made bold
and chattering by their excess, others
hanging sleepily about and murmuring to
be taken home. There is walk planted
with elm trees, not far from the city,
where only women are admitted. Two
or three thousand assemble there at a
time, and, sitting upon verdant slope,
enjoy the indescribable pantomime of a
comedy, which some infamous Jews,
hired for the purpose, perform on thelimits
OF the forbidden ground for their amuse-
ment. Europeans, of course, cannot enter
the walk itself, but they may see the
crowds collected at distance, and hear
the shrill applause which every act more
than usually beastly of the mountebanks
creates in the female crowd. On these
| occasions it would scarcely be possible
for stranger to recognise eastern life
fipm the descriptions he is accustomed to
read. The free conduct of the women
has more than once attracted the atten-
ton of the government, which not very
long ago published an edict, complaining
that they remained out late at night; that
they rode forth in coaches with young
Christian drivers; that they venturcd into
shops, especially those Of apothecaries !;
and even pushed their audacity so far as
to eat ices in the Frankish coffee houses
of Galata and Pera.
The edict accordingly recommended
that early hours should be kept, and for
babe women to enter shops of any kind,
or be driven about by young coachmen.
These interferences with manners which
were supposed to be great advances in
| civilization, and which seem strangely
accompanied by proclamations giving per-
mission to women to appear on the pub
lie prOmcnades, were of course Intellectual.
The women continue their old customs.
though some have been hanged or drown.
ed for being found in the back shops of
christians. 1t will require something
else besides repressive measures to bring
about reforn in this respect. All laws
in the East, moreover, have the Temporal
~ character of proclamations. They are
applied for a day and forgotten. 1t is
forbidden, for example, most expressly
for sho pmen to have any other than old
men as servants; and they almost with
out exception have spruce dashing young
attendants.
1.-THE present Sultan is the first
Turkish monarch who has not murdered
his brother! This dangerous relative
lives, and is regarded as the head Of the
old Turkish party. The Sultan abhors
war, and detests capital puniShments.-
He has a great fondness for music, but,
after learning it all his life, he has only
been able to play one tune on the piano;
it is march, which the Sultan bligingly
plays for every body, on all occasions. He
is also very fond of Champagne, which
he drinks, under the pretence that the
Koran only forbids fermented drink.
JCardinal Wiseman is endeavo ring
to prove that the curse of INTERRUPTED sue
cession has lain on the English monarchy
and peerage ever since the spoliation of