Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1861-08-23

The gayest sight we ever saw was the sweet
waters Of Asia, to which lady Bulwer kindly
took us, on the great day of the year-the Fri
day after Kourban Baram. This is the sum-
mer Hyde Park of Constantinople--th sweet
waters of Europe being only fashion during
the winter season there is no beauty in the
spot, save that OF a few fine trees, beneath
whose shade the women sit the whole day.
The place was excessively crowded. and one
could not have a better opportunity Of study
ing Turkish women they did not seem to be
enormously unlike the pictures drawn of them
by those OF our modern poets, who describe
them as fair and modest pearls, sitting like
snowdrops enclosed in one of Wards patent
sealed cases, the damp dews on the inside of
the glass answering to the jdlouSieS through
which the almond-shaped eyes CLEAN in halt
yelled light
Here the gay Haunting flowers of the Bos
phorine harems were sitting in a closely pack.
ed mass upon the green sward, under the
shade of the oak and the elm, the colors jun
bed into each other, like the pattern Of bril-
liant Partisan carpet, thrown up upon ground
work of their white wells, almost dazzling in
its confused brightness, while the harsh, bird
like, ceaseess chatter of the ladies' tongues
was almost reiieUed by the occasional cry of a
spoiled child or the squeak of a swaddled ba
by. Each group of two or three women had
their own mattress, qoolleh (clay jar) of water,
and an embroidered handkerchief containing
their comestibes Tor the day-chiefly raw Gu.
cumbers, of which they eat from morning till
highland most of them We're smoking mar
gilehs. The richer ladies were driving round
and round the small meadow, seated in gilded
and painted tetgdS, something like our royal
state coach, only two or three of which had
curtains drawn to conceal the inmates
Some of the sultan's family were there each
lady with a couple of slaves on the back seat
of the carriage, dressed gaily, if not as rich
ly, as herself; many of the slaves are petted
up almost as much as their mistresses, and
their slavery is sometimes the extreme of
luxury. Since the last few years, the yash-
max has ceased 10 be a SNARE, and has be-
come only a "delusion, - once it concealed
the features of its wearer, now it only sets off
and enhances their beauty
'sLike the ndistinct, golden and vaporous fleece
Which surrounded and hid the celesials in Greece,
From the chances OF men,"
the single fold of gossamer gauze across the
mouth and chin acting far less jealousy on the
fair faces Of the Constantinople ladies than the
''voiettes," or the shady riding hats of the la
dies of our own country.
There were some beauties among them and
some OF those more remarkable for intelligence
than the others, reminded me Of sweet, gentle
faces at home; but these were few for, in gen
eral, they looked sadly insane. And yet we
were assured on the best authority that they
do not now by any means lead the entirely
vacant lives we are accustomed to believe they
do; there is scarcely harem belonging to a
toerably rich person, where the ladies do not
read French and play on the piano forte be.
sides occupying themselves with many kinds
of embroidery, and some even sing and draw:
one pasha's wife was mentioned to us who lad
lately played the whole of the "Troyatore'