Daily State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis, Ind.) 1861-1865, 1865-01-13

lt h q common notion that the women lead a
very retired lite. in the seclusion OF the hirem.
Notbing csa be more erroneous. In passing up
and down the Bosphorus. nearly half the passen
gers sere Turkish women Three times. a
whole hsrem. consisting of fifteen or twenty NO
men. rArtly wives. partly slaves. came on board. .
from the palace OF some rich old Turk, uader
the care OF black guard. with terrific sword
By bis side, TO go down to Constantinople on a
frolic: or perhaps to go shopping in the 5azaars.
They we're dressed in various coiors, green. blue,
mouse-colored. pink The veil, or yashnoh. was
drawn over the forehead, and the lower part of
the face. up % the middle of the nose. leaving
only space for pair OF very black eyes 20 fash
out | never could help laughing at the figure
the negresses made under this disguise I took
some pains 10 watch these people, and twice
happened 10 be in the same part Of the boat
where they Sat. They laughed and chatted with
one another, and sometimes with the men stand
ing around them. merrily as so many chris
tiaas. Nov and then, ii the face was pretty
and there were many pretty faces-the yashmah
would be gradually withdrawn, and | had the
opportunity Of observing quite at my leisure.
In each barem there were two or three Circas
sian ladies OF the most exquisite beauty. These
we're probably the thirty thousand plaster wives.
But there was no variety in their expression
Some of the women were immensely fat, and
they roll along bundled up their robes. in the
most !ulicrous manner One OF the most laugh
able sights ever saw was an old Turkish lady,
with pair Of spectaeles on her nose. and exact
~ filing the aperture OF the yashmah. while she
was eagerly cheapening piece Of silk. The
common women ruu aboat, looking like bundles
OF dry linen going to the wash of their own
cord; others, little higher up the social scale.
look like bundles of linen coming home from
the wash. lt Is very amusing to the little
girls OF ten or twelve years. How any OF them
keep their clothes on | cannot imagine
When the sultan went TO the mosque, the
windows of the houses along the streets, though
protected By jalouses were filed with black ewes
peepiBs enfiouslv out. and a very fat Turkish la
dy. with about thousand yards of Brousa silk
wound around her. stopped her carriage just
There we were standing. and waited 10 his
highness pass. Nearly opposite the palace is a
Low. broad wall. the top of which crowded
with green, pink. yellow. and mOuse-c olOred
bundles, containing women, with negresses 10 at
tendance.
In the afternoon OF the same day Friday the
Turkish Sabbath we took a caique and rode 10
the Sweet waters on the Asiatic side of the
Bosphorus. This is favorite resort, being q
little valley. with stream. and trees overshad
owing 10. Here found large number oil
Turkish ladies with their attendants, reclining on
carpets bostered up by luxurious cushions. and
slipping their coffee sherbet, while their lords
were amusing themselves in another part of the
ground. Some Of these again were beautiful
but of the same order with those have already
mentioned. and scarcely to be distinguished from
one another. We met there company of gip-
sizes. very merry and very ssucy.
Do ron know what an ARABIA isl | will ex
plain. An ARABIA is the height Of fashion and
luxury. and employed in the very best society
IL is clumsy carriage, like very old fashioned
family coach. drawn by yoke of the white oxen
=. -. i'll. l. l..
and the sides lined with cushions Here lies
buried the Turkish beauty on her way to sip her
coffee at the Sweet Waters Certainly nothing
is more redolent TO lazy enjoyment than a Cir
cassian dame rolling about in the ARABIA, as her
oxen driven by a couple of turbaned Turks or
an Ethiopian slave. slowly drag the ancient ma
chine along the road.
Polygamy is approved by the Koran. and is
uniyerssl among the rich classes. The best men
in Turkey-the men who have reputation. like
Reschid Pachs. the minister of foreign affairs
have harems OF wives aud slaves, no one can tell
how many. The sultan has innumerable wives,
and increases their number every year Ii is a
common practice of the great pschas. on every
occasion of great festival, to send present of
some young woman. whom they have bought of
their parents for this purpose; and there il moth
ing dsIeputable TO them or 10 the girl in this; on
the contrary. it is high and enviable honor to
her. And the sultan can pay no greater compli-
men. TO the proudest dgnitary of his empire
than to make hm present of one of his wives.
Iwas assured by a Greek physician. who has a
large practice among all the nationalities OF
Constantnople. that nfanticide is fcarfully prev
alent. Female children are articles of commerce.
They are purchased by dealers when young aud
carefully brought up for sale These, however
are not slaves but wives They are taught to
dance and play on some musical instrument. but
nothing more. and their health is carefully at
tended to. The price of wife-say from eiSh
teen to twenty years OF age-varies from htteer
to twenty thous md piasters. that is, from thous
and TO twenty FIVE hundred dollars according &c
her personal attractions and the supply OF th'
market.