Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1869-04-03
TURKISH HAREsEs.
The sultan and Sulfanas-COurt Life
at COnsfanfinopfe.


at COnsfanfIn0pfe.
The following are extracts from
a series of Constantinople letters
published in the Perseverance, Of
Milan:
| The Sultan is an indolent man, oil
Emphatic temperament; he has not
had much education, and under
stands no European language but
French, of which he can speak a few
words. His favorite occupation is
to look after his poultry~yard, which
contains the rarest specimens 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 in
efficient. All the places under gov
eminent are given by favor, which
is usually gained by services that
can not be openly acknowledged
But the inefficiency of the admins
tration and the nullity Of the SOW
ereign are a small evil compared
with the influence exercised by for
eign diplomacy and foreigners in
general. x + There
are really at Constinople as many
governments as foreign representa-
tives, each of whom gives his coun-
trymen far more protection than
they would be entitled to at home.
The power which exercises the |
greatest influence is Russia. She is
the real promoter Of the demands of |
the various nationalities, and es-
pecially of the one hundred thou
sand Greek inhabitants of Con
stantinople, who still dream of the |
restoration of the Byzantine empire. |
Even in outward appearance the
Russian embassy is easily distin-
from all the others. 1t
occupies 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 Stamboul, as if
its wide portals only awaited the en-
try of the Gar. During the winter
season the palace is opened to all
the higher society of the town, and
in the brilliantly lighted rooms balls
and concerts are frequently given.
At ConstantinOple an ambassador
is respected and feared in proper
ton to the magnifeenee of his sur,
roundings.
Though the interior of harem is
misunderstanding the spread of
European notions among the Turks
strictly closed to all male visitors,
The society of foreign ladies is
sought by the wives of all
,he higher funetiOnaries. The rooms
hey occupy, even in the wealthiest
houses, are low and dark, and fur
lished in very bad taste, chiefly
owing to the mania Of Turkish
women for tawdry ornaments from
Vienna or Paris. BY the sides of
the finest specimens of Oriental art
may frequently be seen a vase of
common Bohemian glass, with dusty
wax flowers, which they prize more
highly than many Of the beautiful
ornaments of their native manufac-
ture. The same is the case with
their dress K X X which is a caris
eature of the fashions of Paris.
They have discarded the velvet
JACKET and trowsers for stays, shiny
boots, long trains and chignons.
x x 1t has also become the
fashion to learn music, and teacher
IN the pianO-forte (of course LADY, |
has made fortune by giving les
sons in the harems. Another fash
on is to have your portrait taken.
Their favorite artist is an English
woman, a Miss Curtis. Some time
lgo this lady was commissioned to
paint a full length portrait of one
Of the Sultanas. The Sultana was
short and stout, and Miss Curtis
painted her accordingly. This,
however, gave great offense, and
he Sultana insisted 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
1t the end of twelvemonth the
portrait was almost unacceptable.
Miss Curtis was then requested to
paint the picture third time, and
It is now nailed up TO the ceiling Of
he harem.