The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1869-03-29
TURKISH .HAREIM.S.
The Sultan and SuItanas-COurt Life at
COnstautinODIe,

The following are extracts from a series of
Constantinople letters published in the PerSe.
Uerdnzd OF Milan:-
The Sultan is an indolent man, of lymphatic
temperament: he has not had much education,
aud understands no European language but
French, OF which he can speak few words.
His tavorite occupation is to look after his
poultry-yard, which contains the rarest speci-
mems 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 a few able men, but the great
majority of them, like the general body of the
employees of the State, are ignorant and lnetfi-
cient. All the places under government are
given by favor, which is usually gained by SER
vices that cannet be openly acknow weledged. But
the inetfiCiency of the administration and the
nullity Of the sovereign are small evil COM
pared with the influence exercised by foreign
diplomacy and foreigners in general. =
| There are really at Constantinople as many gov
| ernments as foreign representatives, each OF
whom gives his couDtrymen far more protection
| than they would be entitled to at home.
The power which exercises the greatest in
| fuence is Russia. She is the real promoter of
| the demands of the various nationaities, and
especially of the 100000 Greek inhabitants of
Constantinople, who still dream of the restora-
tion OF the Byzantine empire. Even in out ward
appearance the Russian embassy is easily dis
tinguished from all the others. 1t occupies a
magnificent 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 Stambou, as if its wide portals only
awaited the entry of the Gar. During the
winter season the palace is opened to all the
higher society of the town, and in the bril-
liantly lighted rooms balls aud concerts are
frequently given. At Constantinope an ambas.
sador IS res pected and feared in proportion to
the magnifcenCe of his SURROUNDINGS.
Though the interior OF Il harem is stil-not-
withstanding the spread of European notions
among the Turks-strictly closed to all male
visitors, the society of foreign ladies is eagerly
sought by the wives OF all the higher junction
aries. The rooms they occupy, even in the
wealthiest houses, are low and dark, and fur
nished in very bad taste, chiefly owing to the
mania OF Turkish women for tawdry orna-
meHts from Vienna or Paris. By the
sides of the finest specimens of Orien.
tai art may frequently be seen vase
of common Bohemian glass, with dusty
wax flowers, which they prize more highly
than many of the beautiful ornaments of their
native manufacture. The same is the case with
their dress which is carlcature of
the fashions of Paris. They have discarded
tue velvet jacket and trowsers for stays, shiny
boots, long trains. and chignons II
has also become the fashion to learn music, and
teacher on the pianotorte (of course LADY,
mas made a fortune oy giving lessons in tue
harems. Another fashion is to have your portrait
taken. Their favorite artist is an Eng lish wo-
man, Miss Curtis. Some time ago this lady
was commissioned to paint fulllength por.
tralt 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 insisted on her being made a
loot taller, saying that as she was only nineteen
years Old she would be sure to grow to that
size. But instead of gro wing taller, the Sultana
only grew stouter; so that at the end of a
twelvemonth the portrait was almost unrecog-
nizable Miss Curtis was then requested TO
paint the picture a third time, and it is now
nailed up TO the ceiling OF the harem.