, 1878-02-01
Dining with the Sultan.

A remarkable event recently took place
in Con>tantinople, causing lively sen.
sation in that capital Mrs. Layard, the
wife of the British Ambassador, WAS in
vited, with her husband, to dine with the
Sultan Abdul IIamid at his palace,
To those who do not know the eti-
qnet,e Of the Turkish court, this event
would not seem "A strange one. The
wives of diplomatists often sit at other
courts ut the tables of sovereigns.
These are days when royalty is social
and hospitabe and deigns to be fa-
miiar with people Of lesser rank.
But Mrs. Layard is the first lady
not of royal dignity who has ever been
honored with an invitation to sit at table
with Turkish Sultan and the fact
that she has done so marks great
and striking change in the customs and
pr>jddices Of Turkish royalty.
In the Sultan's palace there are two
separate sots of apartments, One is
called the "IIeramlyk,' and here live the
Snltan's many wives, apart from the
rest Of the world. The other is the
"Selamlyk," where the Sultan himself re-
sides, and where the ceremonies and de.
| liberatiODs of the court take place.
Foreign ladies, like Lady Mary Wort
ley Montague, have often been invited to
dine in the Heramlyk, with the ladies of
the Sultan's household; but Mrs. Layard
is the first who has sat down to dinner
in the Selamlyk.
1t has not been many years indeed,
since the Sutans were in the habit of
taking their meals in solitary state. They
used to sit at dinner quite alone and
apart from the rest Of the world. Not
even their sons or brothers were allowed
to sit at the same table. The Sultan
was regarded as too exalted parsonage
to break bread with any other mortal.
Finally, the imperial princes were ad-
mitted to this privilege; and at last the
Sultan Abdul ASH went 80 far as to in
vite to dinner his great ministers of state,
and the pashas and beys of the highest
rank.
LESS than century ago, all foreigners
were considered as "dogs" by the Sui
tans. An English ambassador once
entered the presence of the Sultan Selim,
early in this century, to prepare his
credentials. He was obliged to wear a
shabby cloak, lined with catslSin, and
was almost iterally pushed into the i'm
perial reception room. The Sultan did
not deign to notice him, but conversed
with him through a Turkish dragoman,
or interpreter. This official Selim asked,
has the dog dinedl" On receiving a
negative answer, the Sultan said, "then
let the dog be fed" and the ambassador
was hustled out again.
A great change has indeed come over
the Turkish court, when the Sultan can
sit down socially at his own table with
an English lady, who has not even title
attached to her name. 1t shows that
even in Turkey the world moves, and
new and more intelligent ideas are being
adopted. 1t indicates that the Sultan,
taught by calamity and example, is dis
posed to put away some old Oriental no.
tions that have long ruled in his palace,
and TO adopt the more enlightened and
reasonable customs Of Christian Europe.
If Sultan can dine socially with an
English lady there is some hope that he
may adopt other and more important re-
forms, such Is his long-oppresscd sub
jects sorely need, and the want of which
has brought many disaster upon pre-
ceding Sultans and upon himself, rs we'll
as upon the mass of the population.