, 1870-05-28
was the apartment where the Foreign Ambas-
sado1n sze usually recaived..

PAsha sppeared and wAved, with his right
hand, in most courteous manner, indicating
for me- to take my seat on the red eilk dlTan
On his right side. After having exchanged
the preliminary conversation and couItenes,
His E1celenc5 slapped, with both his hands,
three or four times, on which young beauti-
ful negro boy appeared. The Minister told
him in Turkish to bring Textbook, which neans
a long Turkiah pipe, and two cups Of coffee.
highest distinction Of hospitality After a
few minutes, tho little negro appeared with
| The ordered articles, and presented me sill
vef cup, in the form Of an egg, in which
he poured the delicious Mocha. That VAS the
frst time in my Life that was obliged to eat
! my coffee, for the Turks prepare their coffee
20 thick that one is almost obliged to masi-
cate it. They put neither sugar nor milk in it;
After His E1cellcncy had inquired the object
OF my travels in Persia, Dokhara, etc. be dis
missed me in most courteous manner, prom
the future. In quitting the apartment q All
Pasha, I met with Aber Enend Under seete-
tary Of State for Foreign Adairs( in the corn
| dor. AB was recommended to nun also' Y ~
vited me to follow hin: 70 bis cabinet aInved
there, tie same cereldones OF cnloooh ,;a.taa ~
of conversation an old Turkish General, with
a 1one beard. dressed in Oriental costume. en-
tcred Aber ETerdi rose and received him
With the words: "salem Alclk1n," which
| EfrpffleH - IEaCG DC Will AuSCJ LIE VIZ 6C4"
eral answered "Aeiikum Salem" "Peace be
with thee" Also After = while they begnn
| turkish conversation, OF which only under
stood the words. which were partly Arabian
and partly Pereian, for at that lime had not
| studied the Tartar dialect.
1 TURKISH MOSQUE.
| After having left the cabinet OF Aber Efendi,
| went down one staircase, TO Gee the mosque,
| which Is attached to the Sublime Porte. This
mosque is no more than common large
| apartment, with carpets on the floor, and
! n kind Of altar erected in the direction
Of Mecca and Medina What surprised
4 me On this occasion were the religious ceremo-
\ nies OF the Mahometans. I was told by
huge Turk, with immensely large shoulders, to
| take OF my boots, and leave them 1t the door
immediately told to put it on again. turned
my heAd near the window, and Was directly
\ told to put it in tho direction OF Mecca;
obeyed. Pressed By SO many half savage
| Turks, l felt myself rather Inundated; but I
fell back on ny philosophy, P!,l aud thought i 1
! teresting Of the nannern, customs, and re-
| igion Of these people. But was not ittlc
| surprised, when I saw some Of those huge
Turks fall down f1at on their bellies in tho d.
rection OF Mecca, touching with their forehesds
the ground, and then standing up again elevat-
| with q profound base voice Alash Allah,
Alash Alah"-"My God, my God" The
Tl1rks of Const antinople are OF puro Tartar
race, generally tail and well formed, with
large shoulders, strong breast and deep base
voices. Ny honorable readers may imagine
TO themselves how I, - European, who had
never seen Turkish life, felt at that time, when
those huge Turks cried out 'fAlash A1lah,'
| and were striking their boards, with great
! many other fanatical fornAlities. On my re-
turn to pe1ra, or the so-called Europeon part
Of constantinoplel my guide asa,Is LED me MT By
large mosque. I was astonished to see
on the top Of the spire Of the mosque
a Turkish kpnest, With large white turban,
singing and ctying aloud, "Allah, Allah !" and
| come prayers OF the Koran. l ask my Arme-
nian guide. who spoke Italian, what this signi-
| ties and he told me as this YVES Friday, the
Sabbath Of the Turkz, this dervish or priest,
was recitipg the Sabbath prayers. The whole
scene appearcd to me ridiculous, as the people
| IN the street kept their stores open, business
the Lallooing Of the priest It appeared TO me
| great contrast with the fauaticism Of the
Mosque had left at the Sublime Porte.
| TIRE SULTAN.
The following Friday went to see the pro-
cession Of the Sultan to the Imperial Mosque.
the appointed RENDEZVOUS, where met with
q Russian gentleman, who came for the same
purpoee. I came to the Serial, or the new
palace of the Sultan, an hour before time,
In order to get good place OF stand As no
stranger neSlects to see the Calf, or the So
sion to the Imperial Mosque on Friday, SO my
readers can think what q crowd Of strangers
md people were assembled together on that
occasion. Precisely at 10 O'Clock the Sultan
marched out OF the palace on beautiful Ara-
bian horse, covered with gilded saddle and
He WIS accompanied BY several Minister'S and
Grand Pashas, all shining with gold and en-
broidery, and the whole procession had
an imposing and majestic aspect. The Islam
lsss regard their Sultan not only as their chief
Of religion. but also as higher being, pre-
VIII of God A soon As The Sultan appeared
the Turks fell fat on their bellies on the earth,
bowed their forehe4ds in the direction Of
Mecca and elevated their hands to heaven, cry
ing, "Mash-Alah, Mash-Allah," as long as
they could breath. After this they recited
I and prosperity Of their chief. As the Impenal
I Mosque vas SO crowded that could not enter,
an obliged to conclude the description Of this
ceremony, but shall present to your readers
4 BONE sketches On the wives and harems Of the
Sultan. have been told by high Official Turks
that Sultan has seven regular wives, of which
one only is the Sultana- He has, besides, sew
| eral harens in the city and Oh the shores Of
the Bosphorns. 1partculasly had occasion to
see tue outside Of one Of the greatest haEems
Of Constantinoplo. Here are more than :
hundred beautiful Cilcassian girls, from 16 t
| = years Of age. All these nre brought from
the Caucasus, and are paid for by the Sultal
at very high prices. These harems ar'
watched, according to Oriental manners
with the greatest Jealousy and severity
| The apartments and doors are watched b,
| numerous eunuchs Of tall aud handsome size
| No man can enter the harems Of the Sultan
. not even his own brother. With regard to tht
court etiquette of the Sultan. may say tbs
it is perhaps the severest in the world No
body can gain admittance to the Sultan with
out being introduced By the Grand Vizier
Fuad pasha Che died 1ately). Even Ali Pasha
the Minister Of Foreign Affairs, cannot reAc}
the Sultan without the introduction Of tht
\ Grind Vizier. Since int1i guing at court is pre-
. ! vented fW gentlemen BY these severe formal.
ties, the Foreign Ambassadors avail them,
selves of the help OF their wives. The Euro
tnittance to the sultana- For instance, il the
French Ambassador has to communicate q
secret project to the Sultan without
wishing that the Grand Vizier shall
know anything about he telia
his wife to ask private audience Of the Sui
Sultana will then present tho project to the
Sultan, and the whole will remain secret.
Having been at Constandpop1e about five
weeks, I fell in with young EHendi, who lived
in stambon1- This young gentlemen had 8
highly cultivated mind. aaa spoke French per
atdche ut the Turkieh Legation in Paris for
several years. In this refined and polished
French capital lie hnd had the opportunity Of
culavatng European literature and society,
and WAS well satisfied to have shnken of Ma
homet1n fanaticism and superstition. We
soon became friends, and went on calm cven-
ings in = little boat on the beautiful waters Of
the Boaphorug