Montgomery County sentinel., 1877-01-05
An Eastern Slave sale.
cIRCAssIAN GIRLS SOLD BY AUCTION AT coNsTAN-
TIYopLE-vWID DESCRIPTION.

clRcAssIAN GIRLS SOLD BY AUCTION AT coNsTAN-
TISopLE-vNID DESCRIPTION.
A correspondent of the Paris Gaulois de-
scribes a recent visit TO slave sale in Constan-
| tinople. Notwithstanding the nominal aboli-
ton of the slave trade 10 Turkey, through the
efforts of the civilized European governments,
il still continues in furtive way. As long ms
the harem exists this trade will exist. The
sale was il a house All the windows facing
the street were closed. The correspondent ac-
companied an Egyptian friend and his valet in
Il carriage 10 The mosque of the Sultan Ma
homet, at which point they turned into narrow
and complicated streets, which finally became
| impsssabe They alighted before pile Of mud
| which could be crossed only on foot. Reach
! ing the house, they were introduced into the
seiamlik, or chamber reserved for male visitors
! Here they found the slave dealer standing, "A
short pipe in hand. lie was little old Trip
olitan, Gassurgi- Messoud-Aga by name. lie
has followed the business for forty years
After the customary salutalions, pipes and
coffee were offered ana taken with the silence
usual to Orientals before any business transac-
ton. An ebony Young ennuch soon entered
and whispered in Messoud' S ear The latter
mnde sign Of acqnieScencc, and turning 10
the guests, said " Bouyouronn" tperinit me
The guests rose and followed him into the
room Of the harem. long dvan, about
foot and a half high and four feet wide, sur
rounded three sides Of the chamber. An exca-
vation in the wall held the cushions and COW
ereiens used at night The floor was covered
with mats and loose pieces Of carpet. Upon
the divan Mas seated, side by side, two white
girls from Circassia, in the dress OF their coun-
try Opposite were three other women, one
Of whom was white, from Georgia, and the
others black All arose as the visitors en-
tered One of the CrcasSans seemed scarcely
fourteen She had bright chestnut hair, long,
dark eyelashes, which shaded eyes of lunid
blue; light wel-rounded form and regular
features overcast with melancholy. She was
a beauty Of the first class. Her companion,
aged eighteen, was slightly less beautiful, but
was performer on the kemeneja, or Turkish
violin. In addition, she was recommended as
good cook, seamslress and washer. Her
brown hair fell to her knees She looked at
TIE visitors coolly, and fixed her eyes on the
Egyptian with an expression that seemed to
ask him to purchase her At sign from
Messoud one of the black girls disrobed the
Circassians. This was not complicated pro-
cess, as their dress was simply tunic, n pair
of trousers and chemise. The Younger
SeeIHeu ulStTcSSeu, luc OineT Simply HAeu ner
eyes upon the floor. Messoud passing his
hands over them. called attention 10 their good
points, and made them show their regular,
peary teeth. He dwell; also upon the strict
decorum of their antecedeuts. After an exam
ination of the Georgian and a glance AT the
black girls the party returned 10 the selamlik
to close the bargain. The youngest Circnssian
was quoted at 1900 Turkish, the elder II:
El3e. the Georgian at fl20. The Egyptian
found them too high-prced, and took one of
the black girls for f3S. lie simply wanted
house servant. The sale being completed, the
party were again served with pipes and coffee,
and left the house. The preiminaries to this
were conducted with great caution. The valet
Of the Egyptian was sent the day before to an
nounce his masters desire, and Messoud i'm
mediatrly came 10 the latter 10 assure himself
that all was right by personal inspection Of
his customer. AS mere visitor TO the harem
would have been eyed askance, the correspon-
dent was introduced as Tahir Bey, Syrian
gentleman who wished 10 take chambermaid
home with him.