Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1861-11-16

Abuui ZANiA anu AAth
On the authority OF one Of the court physi-
clans, the COnstanlinople correspondent OF tile
London Mornn Post spois the agreeable
story that the new sultan had struck heavy
blow at polygamy by declaring his intention
to reform his harem bill by keeping only one
vile Ills majesty has already increased
his liarvm to four kddnS, several kpaiS, and
tolerably strong contingent OF guSdeS, which,
being interpreted, means the lofty in rank,
those who have found favor and those who
please the eve The first OF these Categories
may be increased to seven and includes the
fortunate ladies whose rank is as. nearly as
possible equivalent to that of wives Tor it
is western tallacy that the sultan ever
'marries The first seven Of his ladies have,
in the order OF their accession, wiiely rank
but marriage ceremony, such as binds other
true believers, there is in his august case none
Next to these in the haremC hierarchy come
the ikpais fortunate fair ones, from whom the
supreme seven are generally recruited i'll case
ol death or penal best0wment on pasha
While each ot the kddiHS has a suite of about
forty attendants, these second class hours
have sevcrally an attendance Of some twenty.
five or thirty They are themselves either
singled out by the imperial taste from amongst
the retinue OF the kadiHS, or are special
purchases and presents TO his majesty by one
OF these latter. The guides, like the KpajS,
are limited to no number and differ from the
latter rather IN the degree of their hold on the
Imperial eye than in original inieriority Of
rank in the household. But " hen they have
gratifed the sublime optic, be it only for once,
they cease to belong to the rank and file Of the
great female brigade, and attain substantive
status and attendance OF their own.
X \
1t was said weeks ago, and locally believed
by all Para, that the whole OF the late Sultan's
haren had been shipped over to the old serag-
Ho, and there installed ON the meagrest of
board wages Well, the informant above re-
ferred 20 now assures me that not one of Alb
du Medjid's whole eight hundred has vet
left D0lmabaktche. Apartments are, indeed,
beng prepared Tor them at the old serai, but
as yet they remain at the new palace, swelling
the total of womankind now within its pre-
cinctS to nearly thirteen hundred. The Valide
Su'tana has a suit Of sixty female attendants.
besides strong contingent Of eunuchs each
OF the kadinS, as | have said has forty with
'neutraIs' to match, aud the inferior iavorites
their double suites, in proportion. Add
to these an establishment for each OF
the six sons of the late sultan, and
for even the fve.yearold son Ct the pres
ent, for whom little Circassian girl playfel-
low was bought the other day at a cost OF 3d.
coo p, (someIhing under G300 and you have,
with the aggregate Of Abdul Medjid's women,
the monsrOus total above stated. 1t is quite
true that hundreds of paid and fed male oilers
have been swept out of the household into the
army, navy. or other employment and that the
imperial stud of horses has also been immense
ly reduced, whilst the salaries of many of the
employees who remain, and the pensions of
others who formerly held office, have at the
same time been greatly cut down but this
vast and costly army Of women remains
stubborn fact nor if present appearances
mean anything is there a likelihood of its
growing less Abdul Axis may prove vigor.
Gus reiormer, and may even restore Turkey
to something like her old time solvency and
independently but monogamic economist he
is not, nor is likely to become"