The Ashland union. [volume] (Ashland, Ashland County, Ohio) 1854-1868, 1855-05-30
NO aud pavinp the price demanded.

' ing aud paying the price demanded
t Such, however, is not the case, for /
+ sooner is the amount mentioned, inrar
t ably three times the worth of the articl
, and which will ultimately be taken fc
r it, than the purchaser, Ia his indignatio
at this attempt to cheat him, pours fort
euch a torrent of words, and in so viz
f lent a state, that one wondefs wher
they are all obtained SO readily upo
such short notice. Stopping to tax
breath, the seller takes his turn, and
by no means behind him, either in volu
bility or vehemenee, in praising good
and disclaiming the charge. The pur
chaser Indignantly throws down the ar
ticle, hurriedly starts off, as one woul,
think, to find it elsewhere, but no, tn
dealer cries out, "ghel;" he returns
the second price is then asked, and tn,
same scene is repeated. This going ans
coming frequently takes place three d
four times before the price can beagree,
upon, and always amid the most violen
gesticulations and the greatest volley o
words. The article is then wrapped up
and one would naturally suppose thai
nothing remained save paying the
amount and finishing the bargain. Bui
it is far otherwise, the storm that has
just past is but a tempest in a teapot
in comparison to the one that follows
Now is the purchasers time taking of
his turban and unwinding the end of it.
which serves him as bank, he picks
out from among the various coins one
which he scarcely knows, and consequent
ly which he wishes to pass off for double
its value.
If Constantinople is a Babel of Ian.
guages, it certainly is also the receptacle
for the different species of money in the
world. Everything in the shape of a
coin is current, and I was not little
amused not long since, in having offer
ed me small copper medal, struck in
1887, to commemorate the suspension of
specie payments in America, and was
told it was the money of the United
States and equivalent to plaster, four of
our cents. No sooner does the seller
take the offered coin and hears the val
ue placed upon it, than his wrath be-
comes indescribable. Nor is it COFFIN
ed solely to him, for the other shopmen
who have been listlessly smoking the ir
chiboques apparently inattentive spec
tators to the foregoing scene, no sooner
hear that foreign coin is being attempt
ed to be passed off at double its value
upon one of their fraternity, than they
immediately, considering such an out
rage as sapping the very foundations of
legitimate trade, in which they are all
deeply interested, become indignant
Like women, it being impossible that
any difference of opinion can take place
among them without every one within
hearing taking an active part in it, the
quarrel becomes general. They quick
ly uncoil themselves and rush to see the
coin; some rub it, some taste it, while
others delicately weigh it upon the tip
of their fingers, aud looked at it with
such eagerness that one would imagine
they were examining some rare novel
production of7naturc
The pur chaser, if he b. a person of
but little consideration, is overwhelmed
with abuse, but he manfully stands his
ground, and threatens to deposit it again
in his safe and leave the article. Mutu-
al concessions are, however, made, and
the money taken generally at its real
value. The bargain is finished, the
shopmen return to squat upon their rugs,
and apply themselves with renewed Wig
or to their chiboques, awaiting other
purchasers. 80
Nearly all the bargains between the
Greeks, Jews and Armenians are con-
Quoted after this fashion, but they are
only battles of words, rendering the ba-
Hoi ., III -bLO Lu1A biOS VI OuSlueSSJ IdtneT
exciting and amusing places. No arti-
Gle seems to have a fixed value, and what
to day may be bought cheap will to- NOR
row command, for no apparent reason,
twice the amount. Every dealer places
such price upon his goods as he thinks
the purchaser is able to pay, aud is nev-
er governed by any intrinsic value of the
article themselves Of course, under
such state of things, no one ever dreams
of Offering more than the third or even
a fourth of the amount that is asked,
and it not unfrequently occurs that the
purchaser, when he seems but little in
clined to buy, is asked what he will give,
and obtains it at his own price. There
is 10 better place to see and study the
and customs of the heterogene-
GUS population of Constantinople than
in the bazars; the language of every
people is heard and the costumes of eve
ry country seen.
Affairs in the Crimea prove conclu-
sively that the English soldier is totally
untitled for foreign and active cam
paign. He possesses, perhaps, in less
degree than any other that adaptability
to climate and circumstances. which is
an essential ingredient in the formation
of a good and efficient soldier. He
has no idea nor has be any desire to pro-