Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1877-01-03

THE SULTAN'S SEKAHLIO.
Its Treasures and Gloomy Rcminiscen,

"Tne apartment in the Seraglio,"
says Z. u. Warner in letter from Con-
stantinople, which is the object of Gu
riosity and desire, is the treasure room.
lsuppose it is the richest in the world
In gems; it is certainly a most weari-
some place, and gave me a contempt
for earthly treasure. In the center
stands a Persian throne-a chair en-
crusted With rubies, pearls, emeralds
and diamonds; there are toilet tables
covered to the feet with diamonds,
pipe-stems glstening with huge dia-
monds, old armor thickly set with
precious stones, saddle-cloths and stir
rups stiff with diamonds and emeralds,
and robes embroidered with pearls.
Nothing is so cheap as wealth lavished
In this manner. At first we were daz-
zled by the flashing display, but after a
time theseEheaps of gems seemed as
common in our eyes as pebbles in the
street. did not even covet an emer-
aid as large as my fist, nor sword-hilt
in which were fifteen diamonds, each
as large as the end of my thumb, nor a
carpet sown with pearls, some of which
were the size of pigeons eggs, nor
algrettes which were blazing with in
ternal fires, nor chairs of state, clocks
and vases, the whole surfaces of which
were on fire with jewels. [ have seen
an old oaken table, carved in the ff-
teenth century, which gave me more
pleasure than one of lapis lazuli, which
is exhibited as the most costly article
in this collection; though it is inlaid
with precious stones, and the pillars
that support the mirror are set with
diamonds, rubles, carbuncles emeralds,
topazes, etc., and huge diamond pend
ants ornament it, and the deep fringe
in front is altogether of diamonds.
This is but barbarous, ostentatious
nd tasteless use of the beautiful. and
suppose gives one an idea of the in
artistic magniticence of the Oriental
courts in centuries gone by.
This treasury-house has, I presume.
nothing that belonged TO the byzantine
Emperors before the Moslem conquest.
some Of whom exceeded IN magnii.
cence any of the Osmanli Sultans.
Arcadius, the first Eastern Emperor
after the division of the Roman world
rivaled in the appointments of his pal
aces (which stood upon this spot), and
IN his dress the magnifcence of the
Persian monarchs; and perhaps the lux
urious Califs of Bagdad at later dav
did not equal his splendor. His robes
were of purple, color reserved exclu-
sively for his sacred person, and of silk.
embroidered with golden dragons; his
diadem of gold set with gems of in
estimable worth: his throne was massive
gold, and when he went abroad he rode
in chariot of solid, pure gold, drawn
by two milk-white mules shining in har-
ness and trappings Of gold.
No spot on earth has been the scene
of such luxury, cruelty, treachery.
murder, inhdelity of women and "a.
pacity of men, as this sight of the old
palace; and the records of the Chris
tian Emperors-the occasionally inter.
rupted anarchy and usurpation of g.
thousand years-loses nothing in these
respects in comparison with the Turk
ish occupation, although the world
shudders at the unrevealed secrets of
the Seraglio. At least we may suppose
that nobody's conscience was violated
if q pretty woman was occasionally
dropped in the Bosphorus, and there
was the authority of custom for the
of all the children of the sis.
tiers Of the Sultan, so that the succession
might not be embarrassed"
The actor Murdoch, who persisted in
the Brooklyn fire, was playing Pierre
in "The Two Orphans" when the catas-
trophe occurred. 1t is said his last
words were spoken when the cripple
unscrews the bolt in the large door
If I open this door, it may be my
DEATH" The Gates Ajar soon opened
to receive him.