The Opelousas journal. [volume] (Opelousas, La.) 1868-1878, 1877-07-07
TREASURES IN THE SER4GLTO AT
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Let us drop in at the seraglio, The
tongue of Stambotl Is thrust into the
midst of the waters of the Golden Horn,
the Bosphorus and the sea Of Marmora.
It is an oblong hill crowned with white
walls, domes and minarets, and hedged
about with groves of black, funeral cy-
presses. Here stahd1 the seraglio, which
was for fifteen centuries the abiding
place of the Ottoman emperors. 1t is
now used only on state occasions, and the
palace, the courts and the innumerable
tenements that cover the p~romentory-
the ground plan of the seraglio is nearly
three miles in circumference-are bat
tered, dusty and out of repair. The sub
lime porte is singularly ugly and any
thing but sublime. The buildings that
cluster about the several courts have
not, for the most part he slightest pre-
tensions to architectural beauty Or even
dignity. The second court is fanked by
a row OF nine kitchens, looking very
much like nine limekilns. They are
domed, but without chimneys, so the
smoke passes out through a hole in the
roof. Here the sultan and his court
consumed annually 10000 oxen, and
there were daily brought to the table 200
sheep, 100 lambs, 10 calves, 200 hens, 200
pairs of pulIets, 100 pairs of pigeons, and
| so green geese. The late Sultan Abdul
Aziz was accustomed to feeding his fam
lily as beautifully, and still he Was not
happy. In the stables by the water
| side n thousand horses were formerly
| stalled; and among the cannon that
swept the sea and the mouth of the Bos-
phorus is one huge old fellow at whose
hoarse voice Babylon surrendered to
Sultan Murad. The chief attraction of
the seraglio is the treasury. Here, in a
chamber by no means large, is gathered
treasure such as one reads of in tales of
the genii. The actual value of this store
of jewels is almost beyond conception.
Each sultan seeks to succeed his prede-
cessCr in the richness of his additions to
the collection, and the result is a daz-
zling but not very expressive array of
notwithstanding properties, that might
just as we'll be made of glass and tinsel-
the effect upon the spectator would be as
pleasing. Imagine to yourself g carpet
crusted with pearls. many of them as
large as sparrow eggs a throne of gold,
frosted with pearls; draperics for the
horses ridden by the sultan, embroidered
with pearls and rubies; a cradle coated
with precious stones; InIaid armor, Jew
eled hemlets, sword hilts-one of these
are decorated with fifteen diamonds,
each Il as large as the top of a mans
thunnb, ouneo tr"y1 vf 0bUuy, With a
double row of enormous diamonds, set
close together; pipe stems, nargilehs,
sword belts, baskets and bushels of neck
laces of the most splendid description,
heaped together in glass showcases and
flashing like tire-fies in the dark. The
most costly article in the treasury is a
toilet table, of lapis lazuli and other val.
liable material, richly inlaid with pre-
cious stones of every description. The
pillars that support the mirror are set
with diamonds; the stem and claws of
the table are covered with diamonds,
emeralds, rubies, %carbuncles, etc; along
the edge of the table hangs a deep fringe
of diamonds, with immense solitaire tas-
sells. The whole is a gorgeous-bore.
Multitudes of attendants are stationed
Through the apartment, and you may be
sure that you are never left for a second
unobserved by these watchful guardians
of the treasure house. What a relief it.
is to withdraw into the kiosk of Bagdad,
tire private library of the sultan, sit
within eight walls that close about Won
like the exquisite panels of an ivory or
tortoiseshell ian, under a dome of rose
tint and gold mosaic, and, shutting the
doors of bronze inlaid. with pearls.
against the world, to think how pleasant
a thing it is to be poor but honest. On
the shelves of the library there are
several codices brought from the collec-
lion Of King Matthias Corvinus at Buda,
and there are dainty rolls and folios of
parchment laid away, each in its separate
case, and all looking very much as if
they were not often disturbed. From
the kiosk of Bagdad it is pleasant to
look down into the deep garden of the
hours, sloping to the swift Bospho rous,
and to mediate On the lights of the
harem that have suddenly gone out for
ever, quenched in that fatal food, but,
thinking OF the stifed cries and the
Shiny shrouds dragged down into the
pitiless deep, it is still pleasanter to rise
superior to this situation, fee and custo-
dian, and thank Heaven that you are
not q girl-C. " 4oddard in San Fran
Chronicle.
ONE EVIL OF STANDING ARMIES.
IN a Lotto hooJ- rV,L1SsLnJ L. H. r