The star of the north. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1849-1866, 1858-01-13
TRAFFIC In CIRCAssIAN WOMEN. =.

1 pNNON@'
is copied from late London Morning
Post:
"There has been lately an unusually large
number of Circassians going about the
streets of Constantinople. Many of them
no doubt, belonged to the deputation which
came 10 petition the Porte that their coun
try might be taken under the sovereignty Of
The Sultan. A considerable portion, how
ever, Of the Circassians now in the capital
have quite another mission than political
one 10 fulfil. They are here as slave-deal.
ers, charged with the disposal of the numer.
Gus parcels of Circassian girls that have
been for some time pouring into his mar
ket. Percoiving that when the Russians
shall have re-occupied the coast of the
Caucasus this traffic in white slaves will be
over, the Circassian dealers have redoubled
their efforts, ever since the commencement
of the peace conferences, 10 introduce into
Turkey the greatest possible number of wo-
men while the opportunity of doing SO
lasted.
"They have been so successful, notwith-
standing the prohibition of the trade by the
Porte, and the presence of so many of her
Majesty,s ships in the Black Sea, that never,
at any former period was white flesh so
cheap as it is at this moment. There is an
absolute glut in the market, and dealers are
obliged to throw away their goods owing 10
the extent of the supply, which in many in
stances has been brought by steam under
the British flag In former times "gool
middling" Circassian girl was thought very
cheap at one hundred pounds, but a, the
present moment the same description of
goods may be'had for five pounds! In fact
the creatures are eating their heads off, and
must be disposed of at any sacrifice, howev-
er alarming. Independent of all humane
and Christian objections 10 this abominable
state of things, there are several practical
ones Which have even forced themselves on
the attention OF the Turks. With low prices,
a low class of purchasers come into mar
ket.
formerly Circassian slave girl was
pretty sure of being brought into good
family, where not only good treatment, but
often rank and fortune, awaited her; bnt at
the present low rates she may be taken by
any huckster who never thought of keeping
slave before. Another is that the tempta-
ton TO posyess Circassian girl at such low
prices is So great in ft1c iriurts UfIre furks,
that many who cannot afford TO keep sever.
al slaves have been sending their slaves to
market, in order to make room for newly
purchased white girl. The consequence is,
that numbers of black women, after being
as many as eight or ten years in the same
hands, have lately been consigned to the
broker for disposal. Not a few of these
wretched creatures are in state quite unfit
for being sold.
"l have on the authority Of respectable
slave-broker, that at the present moment
there have been thrown on the market unu-
sually large numbers of negresses in the
family way, some of them even slaves of
pachas and men of rank. He finds them so
unsaleable that he has been obliged to de-
cline 10 receive any more. A single obser-
yation will explainthe reason of.this, which
might appear strange when compared with
the value that is attached even 10 an unborn
black baby in some countries. In Constan-
tinople it is evident that there is large
number Of negresses living and having hab-
itual intercourse with their Turkish masters
yet it is rare thing to see a mulatto-
What becomes of the progeny of such inter-
course? have no hesitation in saying
that ii is got rid of by infaniicide, and that
there is hardly a family in Stambole where
iufanticide is not practiced in such cases as
a mere matter of necessity, and without the
least remorse or dread