Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1878-09-18

Seraglio, whose buildings stretch to the
length Ola mile and halfsOn the Bos-
phorus, contains more than 5000 in
mates, and it is city in itself. Here
the government of the empire is carried
on chiefly by women and slaves. The
vlziers and ministers are but the SER
wants OF these secluded creatures; and
although at times statesman support
ed by strong palace clique may WELD
real power, he seldom does so for long,
nor IS his power very great. From the
moment when he enters Office he is Sc
cretly assailed by a host of enemies
whom he does not see, and whom he
cannot disarm or propitiate. All he
knows Is that while these foes are in
triguing against him the women and
slaves to whose influence he owed his
place are fighting for him, and that so
long as they keep the upper hand he
will be safe. But he may be upset at
any moment by sudden shifting of the
majority in the secret female Parlia-
ment which rules the land: and under
such circumstances he cannot be ex-
pected to throw much zeal into his pol
icy. A Turkish minister who is advised
to begin reforms may promise all that
an ambassador demands: but he we'll
knows that any innovation he attempted
would disturb vested interests which
might happen to be defended by some
Clrcasslan favorite of the sultans, or by
some insolent boltadji, confidential SER
want for the time being of the Sultana
Vallde. AS for the sultan, as rule he
IS as much at their mercy as his minis
tiers. A puppet in the hands of women,
he never knows exactly who rules him,
but Is obliged, for peace sake, to do as
his mother, sisters, kadines or favorites
order More than one sultan, weary to
death OF Seraglio intrigues, would have
been glad to make a clean sweep Of his
female court; but any step in this direc-
ton would have led to conspiracy and
deposition. In country where the
laws of succession to the throne are
very confused sultan is obliged to act
very cautiously, lest he should stir up
pretenders whose claims to the throne
might prove quite as good as his own.
The loyalty Of the people, which is great
toward he Office of Padishah, is al
most null as regards the individual
who holds the office; so that, provided
there be sultan, the people care very
little VINO he is, nor would they be
disposed to take up arms for any Pa
dishah who had been deposed by pal
ace plot.
The Seraglios-for there are two: the
new one where the court Of the reign
ing sultan resides, and the old one to
which the favorites of depated sultans
are regulated-harbor between them
some 1000 persons, and are source of
ruinous expense to the treasury. Not
only are the allowances Of the sultan's
kadines, ikbals (favorites) and guieuzdes
(aspirant favorites) large, but the ways
Of the place are extravagant. Each of
the imperial ladies has her daira, or
retinue Of companions, male and fe-
male servants; and all these people
scatter gold about without counting
whenever they have whim to satisfy.
sultans do not contract regular mar
riages, and the reigning lady in the
seraglio is never the sultan's wife, but
his mother. She bears the title Of
Sultana Valide, and all the inmates of
the seraglio owe her servile obedience.
Her household consists of about 200
servants and guards. Next to her in
rank comes the hasnadar ousta, or mis-
tress of the treasury, who is generally
shrewd old woman promoted from the
ranks of domestictity for her talents in
gossip and housekeeping. II the Sui
tana Valide dies, the hasnadar succeeds
her as queen of the. seraglio; and this
arrangement sometimes leads to strange
consequences. Under Abdul Medjid
the palace was ruled for years by a
hasnadar who had been a washerwo.
man, and whose chief adviser was a
churlish bartadji (hewer of wood) who
could not read, but who had the power
of dismissing viziers. 1t was, in fact,
baltadji who ruled Turkey. After the
hasnadar comes the sultan's semi-law-
full wives and favorites in the following
order: First, the four kadines, who rank
as spouses until his majesty divorces
them and gives them in marriage to
some pasha, which he does pretty often;
the ikbals, or favortes, to the number
of five or SIX; and then the guieuzdes,
or aspirant favorites, whose number is
unlimited. A girl in the seraglio, even
if she be a simple cavedji, or coffee
bearer, becomes a guieuzde from the
mere fact of the sultan making COM
plimentary remark on her. The word
is derived from yuie,ss, eye, and it
means u girl who has attracted her
masters glance. If, for instance, his
majesty, while visiting one of his rela-
tives, remarks carelessly, What a pref
ty girl that is who brought in the coffee"
the dansel is at once and without