Weekly Trinity journal., 1869-06-12
The Court and Harems Of Constantinople

A series of letters from Constantnope, re-
Gently published in the Perseverance, of Milan,
contain information about the conrt and domes-
tic life of the Turkish capital. The following
are interesting:
The Sultan is an indolent man, of lymphatic
temperament he has not much education and
understands no European language but French,
of which he can speak few words His favorite
occupation is to look after his poultry yard which
contains the rarest specimen of hens, ducks,
geese swans, etc. He gives enormous prices for
rare birds, and passes hours in feeding his hens
and watching his cocks fight. Among the higher
officials of his court there are few able men,
but the great majority of them, like the general
body of the employees OF the State, are ignorant
and inefficient. All the places under govern
ment are given by favor, which is usually gained
by services which cannot be openly acknow-
ledged. But the inetiiciency Of the administra-
ton and the nullity of the sovereign are a small
evil compared with the influence exercised by
foreign diplomacy and foreigners in general. x
These are really at Constantinople as
many governments as foreign representatives,
each of whom gives his countrymen far more
protection than they would be entitled to at
home.
The power which exercises the greatest lnhu-
ence is Russia. She is the real promoter of the
demands of the various nationalites, and espe
cially OF the 100 900 Greek inhabitants of Con-
staEtinople, who still dream of the restoration of
the Byzantine empire. Even in outward ap-
pearance the Russian embassy is easily distin-
guished from all the others. 1t occupies mag
nificent palace, which, being built on the heights
of Pera, commands the whole of the capital, and
looks down upon the residence of the Sultan,
the Golden Horn and the distant roofs of SIAM
boul, as If its wide portals only awaited the en-
try of the Gear. During the winter season the
palace is open to all the higher society of the
town, aud in the brilliantly lighted rooms balls
and concerts are frequently given. At Constan-
tinople an ambassador is respected and feared in
proportion to the magnifcence Of his surround
ings.
Through the interior of a harem is still-not-
withstanding the spread of European notions
among the Turks-strctly closed to all male Wis
itors, the society of foreign ladies is eagerly
sought by the wives of all the higher function
aries. The rooms they occupy, even in the
wealthiest houses, are low and dark and furn-
ished in very bad taste, chiefly owing to the
mania of the Turkish women for tawdry orna-
ments from Vienna or Paris. By the side of the
finest specimens of oriental art may frequently
be seen vase of common Bohemian glass, with
dusty wax flowers, which they prize more highly
than any of the beautiful ornaments of their ma
tive manufacture. The same is the case with
their dress which is a carcature of
the fashions of Paris. They have discarded the
velvet jacket and trowsers for stays, boots, long
trains and immense chignons. 1t has
also become the fashion to learn music, and
teacher on the piano-forte (of course LADY, has
made fortune by giving lessons in the harems
Another fashion is to have your portrait taken.
Their favorite artist is an Engishmoman-a Miss
Curtis. Some time ago this lady was commits.
stoned to paint full-ength portrait of one OF
the Sultanas. The Sultana was short and stout,
and Miss Curtis painted her accordingly. This,
however gave great offense, and the Sultana in
sisted on her being made foot taller, saying
that as she was only nineteen years old, she
would be sure to grow to that size. But instead
of growing taller, the Sultana only grew stouter;
so that at the end of II twelve month the portrait
was almost unrecognizable. Miss Curtis was
then requested to paint the picture third time,
and it is now nailed up to the ceiling of the
harem.