Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1856-03-14
-~Lo,oell Courier.


The SULTAN AT THE MASKED BALL.-.On
the 3lst of January the rumor spread all at
once that the Sultan would attend the bal de
costume at the English embassy in Constanti-
nople. Early in the afternoon the narrow
main street of Peru bore an unusually excit-
ed aspect. Al eight n'clock, fire lighted on
The heights above the imperial palace of Tche-
ragan, followed by salvo OF artillery from
Galata Serai, was the signal that the Sultan
had left his palace. A little before nine he
arrived at the gate of the embassy, escorted
by detachment of the 18th Lancers, and
guard of honor composed of British officers Of
all arms. AT his approach, the troops who
lined the outer courtyard presented arms, md
the band struck up the "Sultan's March"
and I" God Save the Queen"
AT The great staircase, which was crowded
with officers OF the allied armies and Turkish
dignitaries, the Sultan was received By the
ambassador and his whole personnel. Ac-
companied by them he passed amid the crowd
Of guests into the ball room. There an arm
chair on raised das, covered with carpets,
was prepared for him, to which he was con.
Quoted. Having sat down, with the repre-
sentatives of the foreign powers on one side,
and the Turkish dignltaries in attendance on
the other, he had several of the ladies pre-
sented to him. Then the dancing began,
which seemed to excite his interest consider
ably, and he stood up in order to have bet
ter view OF the proceedings. After looking
on for about an hour. he expressed his desire
to be shown into the refreshmeut room, where
he partook of some slight refreshment. TAX
ing tile ambassador by the hand, he descend
ed the staircase, accompanied in the same
manner as on his arrival, and soon the guns
Of Galata Serai announced that lie was OH his
way back.
1t is the first time that sultan of the Or
toman empire has honoreh the house of the
representative of foreign power with his
presence. 1t required a certain amount of
moral courage in the sultan to make this first
step to break down these false but cherished
ideas by his own free will. The way in which
this was done shows. however, that he enter
ed fully into the spirit of this new Losition.-
His taking refreshments, however trivial it
may seem to Europeans, is full Of meaning
in this respect. Every act of the sultan pri-
vate life is so jealously concealed from every
eye that nobody except his chief eunuch is
allowed to attend at his meals. Every con-
tact with his person is likewise strictly for
hidden by usage to all strangers and at the
ball, he took the ambassador by the hand and
walked down with him the whole length of
the staircase TO his carriage, in the presence of
crowd of attendants and foreigners.
But this act gains the greatest Importance
from the time at which it happens. 1t is
kind of sanction to the concessions which are
TO be made to the non Mahomedan subjects
of the Porte. With the abolition OF the priv
ileges Of the Mahomedan ruling race, their
head, the sultan, descends by his own free
will, from the exceptional position which he
has hitherto observed with regard to the rep.
rescntatives Of Christian powers. Old Tur-
key is dead and gone; the ball on Thursday
last was the burial ceremony, and the lively
Strain Of polkas and waltzes its funeral
march.