The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1877-07-12
Egyptian Slavery.


vided into white and black. although the
shades of color between these two ex-
tremes are very numerous. To the one
class belong the fair-skinned Circassian
and the dusky, but often beautiful, Abys.
sinian; and to the other. the darker, but
still straight haired, Gala, and the negro
from Nubia, Kordofan or Darfour. The
extinction of the Mamlouks, and the in.
discriminate admission of Arabs and
C0pts alike to the public service, have
practically put an end to the importation
of white male slaves, who are now rarely
or never met with as adults. Some few
boys are occasionally purchased as play
fellows for the sons of the weather. Beys
or Pashas, bat, in almost every instance,
as soon as they reach full age they are lib
Grated, married off-frequently to their
masters daughters-and in some way es-
tablished in life. In fact, the relations of
this very limited class to their owners just
falls short of adoption, which was former
ly very common, but is less 80 now. The
relatively great mortality among the chill
dren of white mothers who have them
selves not been born in the country, con-
tributes to maintain the demand for Cir
cassian girls, the vast majority of whom,
however, find not merely purchasers. but
husbands, among the sons of the Weather
classes. But the importation of these
Circassian luxuries has greatly fallen of
since the cessation of the regular traffic
between COnstantinople and the coast of
Arabs. reduced the supply, and CORE
spondingly raised the price of the SNUG.
gled article. Most of the few who now
reach Egypt singly or in couples, where
thirty years ago they came in scores, be-
long to the Circassian Colonies in ROume
liza or Asia Minor, and the difficulties of
even their import under the eyes of jeal-
our foreign Consuls are such that the trade
has virtually ceased. At any rate, it is
only in the very wealthiest harems that
these exotic beauties are now to be found.
They are mostly bought at from
ten to twelve years of age, and after
being we'll nurtured for three or four
years, and right the usual Eastern &C.
compliments, are, as rule, either mar.
ried by the master of the house or given
as wives to his sons. In strict law mar.
riage does not confer freedom, but the
girl is nearly always first liberated, and
the offspring are, in any case, born free.
One especial reason why these white girls
they wear much longer than either native
GSy ptINu AtsuACS VI 1tIySoIul0uS, tCt0luIuk
their fine physique to thirty-five or even
forty years of age, while the. latter are
generally withered and passee before
twenty Tbs is an important consid-
Grafton, in view of the now prevailing
fashion among the upper classes of having
only one wife, but the much higher cost
of these white beauties places them be-
yond the reach of all but the wealthiest,
and except for these the harem market is
now chiefly supplied with Abyssinians,
who, at fifth, or even eighth or tenth OF
the price, are in all but color and wear
physically equal to the best OF their white
rivals. Some of these c0pper.sklnned
hours are indeed very mOdelsof Southern
beauty. Many of the wives of the middle
and nearly all the concubines OF the upper
classes are taken from this source of sup
Div. as free Arab girls never enter harem
in this latter capacity. There are also
MANY Abyssinian male slaves, whose EN-
Dloyment and treatment are similar to
those of their white fellows, and,
who. once liberated, may, like
the latter, rise to any attainable rank in
the public service. The other class Of
wholly black slaves is much more numer-
GUS, and is generally employed in lower
kinds of domestic work thar those just
noticed. They comprise specimens of
every black race known to Northern and