, 1876-07-23

4 Constantinople letter to tic New York
Times says: Abdul Aziz's private collection Of
| icwelry has been seized and turned over to the
Finance Department., to be converted into hard
| cash as soon as purchasers can be found for the
6,00o 1000 Turkish pounds at which it is estilnat-
ed. There is one beautiful piece on sale, which
can recommend to any millionaire dcstrous of
having something entirely unique regardless OF
expense. It is coTee-Service, that is to say, q
cofTcc-scrvicc according to Oriental ideas, nci-
ther coilce-pot, sugar-bowl, nor cream-iug;
merely j salrcr, with twelve cups and
sauccrs, the former being about the size
OF an egg-gg1ass, but all in solid gold,
each piece incrusted with brliants and enc
raids, and the whole cost about el0, 600, or about
Sol 0O0 in American currency. This last will
surely be sufficient induccment to tempt some
millionaire across the Atlantic, at least so the
correspondence with New York has, know,
been authorized to write there on the subject.
It must not, however, be supposed that such ex-
aEip!cs OF extravaganza as the above are gen
eral in Turkey, where, if they exist at all, they
arc confined within the walls of the scraglio,
which by the way means palace, and has no ref
crcncc whatever to the fair ladies' who NAV or
may not bc It's occupants, or Of the conaq, or
dwelling Of the wealthy Pa*ha. Externally one
secs nothing Indicative OF the prncely fortunes
which really do exist; there are no fine
cquIpagcs, and the Turkish women dress
With more than plinness-at least so far as the
stranger can .sCe-a slapcless feredji Of silk,
with long sleeves dcsce1lGs to the lcet, and |
when it hutters open In the wind gives you a |
glimpse OF baygy trousers coming halfway |
uo'sn to very thick ankle incascd in the coars-
est OF ill-iittl' stockings, terminated by Il pair
Of splay feet IN hccllcss boots Or yellow Slip !
pcrs. II she be the property Of SWELL she will |
wear gloves, but these are Of silk or cotton, !
never Of kid. The hcM is tied up in silk
handkerchief, wrapped around with 4 very thin
ycil,-sometlmcs, but rarely, she has earrings,
which arc generally of the cheap Palais Royal |
kind The toilet is completed with an umbrcl-
Ia, and this, in rain or sunshine, at early dawn
or dewy eve, the Turkish woman always carries
open. Possibly III the harem she NAV be ror-
gcous and beautiful, but certainly beyond its
sacred precincts, where none but the eve Of her
licgc lord eau gaze upon her, she is Simply q |
llldcous bundle vi old clothes. There was q
time when Oriental splendor really existed, but
all that is OF tho past, and the days have gsne
BY forever when Pisnas, and Bcys, and even the
tall coiored man, known rs the Kizlar Agha,
who watches over tie fidelity Of the ladies Of
the harenl, were wont to parade the streets on
glistened With gold and gems, accompanied Dy
1 brilliant rctinuc Respondent with rich en-
orodery and bristling with jcwelrd weapons.
Abdul Aziz loved dearly to waste money on
liinsclf, Ibis speciality was palace building, but
nc discouraged 1t In others, so he enacted sump-
;ua7y laws to check tho extravaganza Of his suo-
ccts, while he invented new taxes in order to |
i'll his own coIers lor, after nlj, boarding. not
pending, money was his ruling passion, and in
llis he was particularly encouraged by his |
mamma, the Su1ta,El Valide.