Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1855-03-28
Visit to the seragIio Palace.

Palace flrman or permit must be had from
the Government, and that is to be paid for
roundly. An officer or two must attend
with his sword and staff, and they must be
feed well. Then at every mosque and
other sacred place you visit there are SER
wants to be feed, and if party gettbrough
the days excursion for forty dollars they
do very well. Mr.. Brown, the Dragoman
of the United States Legation, kindly pro-
cured for us frman and sent his own ce-
vase to lead us. The Government sent
another, so that we were we'll provided
with an escort. Several ladies' Joined our
party, and added largely to the pleasure of
that delightful and interesting day.
Where the Golden Horn sets up from
the Bospborus the old city Of Byzantium
stood, and Mohammed ii. selected this un-
riyaled site for his p4lace, and laid out the
grounds, and prepared a residence that had
no equal in the Eastern world. Armed
sentines admitted us by the great pavil-
lion, which is called the Porte-a gate,
and from this the Ottoman Empire takes
its name. Fifty men are the usual guard
at this door. We were at once in the
midst of vast courtyard, (the whole pal
ace grounds are three miles IN circult and
passing across it we were conducted into
the palace. A flight of stairs brought US TO
the audience-chamber, wide apartment,
carpeted and surrounded with rich divan.
The throne room was furnished with chairs
and sofas, showing conformity to West
ern customs.
Another and another chamber, and we
entered the Sultan's bath-luxuriously fit
ted up, but withous some of the contrivan-
ces for comfort which poorer people enjoy.
A brass bar across door we were passing,
told US, or at least the guides informed US,
that this was the entrance to the harem.-
No profane foot may Cross that threshold.
No man but the husband is allowed to en-
ter the Turks apartments for his wives
But long gallery opening near, was now
entered, hung ON one side with engravings,
chiefly of Napoleons battles; and on the
other side, row of windows looked out on
the court. This Is the hall in which the
hundred and fifty wives of the Sultan are
daily assembled for the amusement of their
common lord. Here each one of them may
exert her art to win his favor; and it is
said that he drops his handkerchief at the
| feet of the one who has been the most sue
cessful.
Through this hall we were led along to
the private armory of the Sultan, and while
admiring the pistols, swords, dlrks, yatag-
hans, cimeters, sabres, etc., OF elegant
workmanship, adorned with gold and pre-
cious stones, my attention was called to an
adjoining apartment the Sultan's bedcham-
Der. Two janizaries with boyoneted guns,
stood before the open door, and permitted
me to look IN, but not enter. II was re-
ported among the company in the o'her
room, that gentlemen were not allowed to
90 in /; and the ladies presumng on their
privilege, fastened 10 step in, but the
crossed guns of the guards brought them to
sudden halt on the threshold. We could
see the magnificent couch and its gold and
crimson damask canopy, and the sumptu-
Gus furniture Of the chamber, where the
most uneasy man in the Turkish empire
has often sought in vain for sleep, that
comes unwocd 20 him who earns 1t with the
sweat of his brow, and does not wear a
crown.
In the gardens of the palace, and near
the waters edge. are many beautiful but
small cottages, which from time to time have
been erected at the desire OF one or another
of the Sultan's favorite wives. Fitted up
according 10 the taste of each fair inmate,
we could see in the low windows that open
on the walks that they were very elegant
and very oriental. The Sultan has the
range of them all, as cages in which hlspet
birds are confined. And then we gathered
some flowers, for in the last of December
the roses We're in full bloom IN the open
air. and every thing was fresh and green
as May. Underneath the palace was the
kitchen, and fires going as il an Amy were
to be fed from the great ranges and furnaces
on which the dinner was even now cooking
Some of the pastry was served to US, and
proved to be excellent though we did eat
it in the kitchen.
Won Hammer says that there are nine
several kitchens, and that forty thousand
oxen are yearly killed here and cooked,
200 sheep daily, 100 ambs..or goats, and ooo
fowls But the Sultan does not reside IN
the Seragio; he is at one OF his many
palaces along the Bosphorus, and the cock
ing now in process was merely for the re-
tainers of the palace. His future residence
will be in the marble palace on the BosPho-
rus.
A thousand horses stand IN the royal
stables, which We passed on our way out
and the harness and trapplngs covered
with jewelry, are displayed in a room over
the stalls.
1t required an hour to look through the
old armory, containing one OF the rarest
and richest collections of helmets, greayes,
breast plates IN form of stars, guns oi
strange patterns in use before locks were in
vented; and implements of war now obso-
lete, but terribly effective in their day, and
yerv curious now. The stacks of arms all
ready for use were fast diminishing by the
dailv demand for the war; and probably
some of the poor fellows that came on the
steamer with me, were by this time equip
ped from this armory and marching to the
field. In gallery was collection of the
famous swords of successive Sultans, from
the splendid Damascus blade of Mohammed
II. Here, too, are the keys of all the cities
of Turkey, mounted with gold, and depos.
tied in token of their fealty TO the Porte
For days one might be amused and instruct.
ed among these extraordinary gatherings ol
ancient and modern tlmes.-Prime's Trav.
els in Europe and the East.
A FORMIDABLE UNDERTAKINc.-Acon con.
temporary puts the tobacco question iate
the following shape Suppose tobacco
cbewer is addicted to the habit of chewing
tobacco fifty years of his life, and tha
each day of that time he consumes two