Richland beacon. [volume] (Rayville, La.) 1869-1890, 1878-11-30
THE SULTAN'S SERAGLIO.
The Commander of the Faithful mt
the Mercy of His Women
and Ministers.

To estimate the difficulty Of reform
ing Turkey, one must get an idea OF
what the Sultan's Court is.
The magnificent seraglio, whose
stretch to the length OF
mile and half on the shore of the
BOsphorus, contains more than 1000
inmates, and is city within itself
Here the government is carried on
chiefly by women and slaves. The
vizicrs and ministers are but the ser
wants of these secluded creatures; and
although at times . statesman. sup
ported by the palace clique. NAV wlrId
real power, he seldom does 80 for long.
nor is bis power very great From
the moment when he enters Office be
is secretly a,saled by host of enc
mics, whom he does not see, and
whom be cannot di>aru or propitiate.
All he kncws is. tba, while these foes
are intriguing against hin, the women
and slaves to whose influence he owed
his place, are fighting for him, and
that so long as they keep the upper
band be will be safe.
The Sultan, as a rule, is as much AT
the mercy of the women as his minis
ters. A puppet in the hands OF his
women, he never knows exactly who
rules him. but is obliged. for pcace's
sake, to do as his no hers, sisters
or favorires order. More than one
Sultan, who has become weary of
seraglio intrigues, would have been
glad to make a clean sweep of his fe-
male court; but any step in this drec-
ton would have led to conspiracy and
despotism. In a country where the
Jaws Of succession to the throne are
very confused, Sultan is obliged to
act cautiously lest he should excite the
curiosity of pre;ender whose claims
to the throne might prove quite as
good as bis own.
There are two seraglios. The
new one, where the reigning Sultan
resides. and the old one to which the
favo-iies of the departed Sul1ans are
relegaled, and they are a source OF ru'
inous expenses TO the treasury. Not
only are the allowances of he SuiIanns
and favorites large, but the WAYS 0
the place are eXtravagan'. Each O
the imperial ladies has a retinue o.
com panions. III ale anu female servants
aud all their people scatter god il
prOfusion whenever they have wbiu
TO satisfy. Under Abdul Mcdjid, the
palace was ruled COR years by beau
tiful Circassian, who could not read
but who rad the power of dismissinl
viziers. A girl in the seragli0. ever
if ,he be simple coiiee-bearer. be
comes gueuzde from the mere fac
of the Sultan making complimentary,
remark on her. The word means ,
girl who has attracted the MASTER
glance. Wba, pretty girl that il
who brought in the coffee. "-and th'
damsel is u, once and without furtbe
parley promoted TO the rank of ga
euzde, which gives her suite of apart
ments and claim on the Imperial eS
chequer for the remainder of her life
or until such a time as the Sultal
finds her a husband. AS every wO
man who marries from the seraglio
takes with her clothes, jewels, furul
ture, servants, carriages and a lum
sum in money, which often amount
to many thousands of dollars, it ma
be imagined how the civil list is mule
ed where there are many guieuzde'
OF male members Of the seraglio ther
are, in addition to the necessary sta
of chamberlains. secretaries, eunuch:
scullions and cooks, corps of 20
pages and musicians, and an army {
BARRIERS, shampOoers. tasters OF th
Sultan's food. athletes, buffoons, cOcl
lighters, ram-6ghters, astrologers an
grooms. The butfoOns have alway
been numerous, for ladies living in 81
clusion must be made to laugh whe
time hangs heavily on their hands, an
when the music and jigging of tt
dancing girls begin to pail. Tbes
dancing girls form corps 800 stron,
+ and, as they are splendidly dresse
, and richly fed. they cost more than
cavalry regiment. One need not en-
merate the staff of servants and of
GERS required for the stables, (whit
contain 500 horses, nor yet the sta
of coirt priests-enough has been sa
to warrant the inference that the ST
tan's court is at once The costliest ar
LATEST in the world.