Port Tobacco times, and Charles County advertiser. (Port Tobacco, Md.) 1845-1898, 1874-02-27
Number a..
Harem Life in Turkey.

AOAAS OA "a 0OAS4AAoAs PtSI CASoANA0 p ga "
given in Madame Kibrili Mehemet
Pacha's book, ssThirty Years in the
Harem," in regard to the private life
of the late Abdul Medjid, Sultan of
Turkey. She says that the Sultan's
harem gave examples of frightful de-
baucheries. The caprices and extrav-
agances of the Sultanas ruined the
country. In the space of two years
the entire seraglio was four times re-
furnished, the articles being of the
most expensive quality. Covered with
precious stones, and followed by slaves
almost as magni6cently dressed as their
mistresses, these shameless women
went abroad in sumptuous equipages;
and scarcely yelled, traversed the city
and the bazaars. At night they call
ed to passers-by from the windows, in
troduced whom they pleased into the
palace, and sometimes accompanied
their favors with presents which al
most made the fortunes of those who
received them. It was a case of per-
petual pillage. The Sultana Valide,
the mother of the sovereign, surpassed
all the others in prodigality. Abdul
Medjid would not pay attention to any
accusation brought against his women,
and he refused them nothing. His fee
BILE character was particularly mani
tested in regard to Besme Hanum, who
by singular favor was raised from
the position of slave to the rank of a
wife. The Sultan, moreover, confded
to her his eldest boy, whose mother
was dead. Besme in the meantime
descended to the vilest intrigues with
even low servants of the palace. She
cruelty illtreated the child whom she
considered an obstacle to he ambition,
since, if she should have any boy of
her own, he could not reign while the
other lived. Accordingly she did not !,
hesitate to attempt the poor child's
life. No one dared to tell the Sultan
of this outrage, but in the East there
exists an indirect method of telling the
truth to great personages- meth
od of Hamlet-the comedy of allusions.
A devoted adherent of the Sultan had
recourse to this method, and by means
Of the shadow-drama, so common and
popular in Turkey, revealed to Abdul
Medjid that he had an adulterous wife,
who was, moreover, ,purpQsing the muir
4ersef his son. s1he SaIts5Isaierstood
the- play, and discovered all the cruel
ties which liadsbeen practiced on the
little prince. AS. a punishment he
simply dismissed Besme, and, feeble
even his vengeance, he Jet her carry
Formerly 1taueaa, ,ii,sr ftrx with which he had
got out of the seraglio she continueu-+
her infamous conduct, and finished by
marrying Tefk-P -Pacha, one Of her low
ers. This, however, was an outrage
which could not be pardoned; to take
the wife of misrepresentation of Maho-
met was nothing less than sacrilege
and treason. At first, however, the
Sultan feigned Indifference; he even
offered Besme one of his palaces for
residence; then, upon a futile pretext,
he exiled the pair to Broussa; then, in
conformity with the strange, tortuous,
and mysterious policy of the Orientals,
he pretended to receive Tefik again in
to favor, and ordered him to come to
Constantinople. There dose of hem-
lock speedily put an end to him. No
body, however, suspected the poison-
ing, and imperial clemency still SPAR
ed Besme. When we read this strange
story of manners which in reality put
the men under the domination of de-
graded creatures, whom they had ex-
pected to make their playthings, we
can understand the paradox of Lady
Mary Wortley- Montague, that "the
women only are free in Turkey" But
what liberty! A stolen liberty, so
to speak, obtained by endless articles
and incessant lying-which, however,
are but reprisals for injurious con-
tempt.