New-York tribune., 1880-02-15
ATURKIsH TREArURE-HOUSE

THAT WOULD PUT 10 rhANr ih' NM" "
XIGHrs-A BANKRUPT GOVERNMENTS tsELfSS
RICHES.
rrRou Az OCCASIONAL CORREsPoSDTNT or THE rRiBUNhL
Covsr.x1rvoPLr. Jan. 20.-The list Of lions
"a bc seen at Constantinople is quite small. Inc
natural beauties Of the place are its prIncpll ~
Traction - those travellers who have no time or no
inclination 10 study the archaeology Of the cify.
is in fact relief 10 one stated with Sightseeing IN
Epypt and Palestine to find at COnstahtihopio
little besides the Bosph0rus to attract MS weary
cves But St. Sophia and one or two other mo ques
must be seen in any case. 10 do thlS one mas W
apply 10 the Legation. Armed with Autographed
card Of introduction. the traveller next proceeds
IN person or by deputy. 20 the Sublime Forte
Here he climbs the fifty wooden stairs ana
discovers in the FOREIGN Affairs Department
door labelled, Grand Mastery Of Ceremonies"
This is the Mecca of his pilgrimage and here the
traveller presents his card. short tunc'onary'
n,n, q clo.ejy-cropped gray beard and with an
mctuous smile upon his coantenance. peguseS the
card and saw that it IL all right but viii Monsieur
disqrrance himself far as to Elias Ehendis
,oo;o and present the card there. The Grand
Master of Ceremonies is not in the habit Of attend
ING to such business in person. at least IN the case
Of np,itlrd travellers. Elias Efen1H5 Office s fur
nished IN a very dI liercnt STYLE from the room
whose red velvet and red aul gold damaSk comfort
the soul Of ii, gtolt chief Of tha etiquette of the
Turkish Court. The contrast is that between
palace and howell Nevertheless, the clerk prep res
seyeral cards of admission, one for each mosque
that is TO he visited. His surroundings concern YOU
little so long as they do not interfere with the pro-
ducion of the tickets. The tickets are ut last ilied
out, sealed with great seal, and handed over to
stout gentleman in blue broadcloth. This gentle
man is armed with huge sword and decorated with
a broad gold sword belt. You are told that IT Is
not the custom to give the tickets of the Grand Mas
teIy Of Ceremonies into the hands of travellers.
Hence the tickets aud the travellers are committed
TO him of the blue broadcloth.
Among the tickets is one which calls for adnis-
sion to the Treasury A. this Treasury is the least
known of the sights of Constantnoplc, and in some
respects the most interesting. 1t will bear descrp-
tion. The building Is one of the heavy stone out
buildings of the ancient Palace OF the Sultans 1t
il situated IN the inner court of the Serago Three
massive walls must be passed by him who would
enter this court from the city. In front of the
building is n wide portco. supported by slender
marble columns ana rooted with sheet lead The
lead and the walls are of one hue
the dull gray hue of age. On
either side of the heavy iron door ere
glass cases containing ancient arms aud armor
Half-a-dozen gentlemen IN black broadcloth ana
wearing the everlasting red iez cap, are standing
about the door. They examine the ticket OF adnis-
sion critically question your porly attendant. ana
study you, from head TO foot. srspiclously. AZ
last. rs if against their own judgment, they unlock
the unwiedy doors, turning the huge key three or
four times to accomplish that result. You pass the
low arch Of the ancient doorway. and find yourself
in y heavily vaulted room, some eighteen feet
SQUARE hghted by small windows that arc grated
like those of n prison. A door on one side
leads 10 another room of about tho same
size, aud In every respect similar. Both
the rooms have galleries around the four
sides. which are reached by winding staircase.
The four sides Of both rooms and Of their galleries
are occupied by glass cabinets which extend from
floor to ceiling In the centre q! each room Is large
glass silver case. All these cabinets and cases are
filled TO overfowing with relics Of tile old Sutans
of Turkey that VS. TO say. with gold and precious
stones Of inestimable money value. Tbs - the
Treasure House of tho decrcpit, bankrupt Turkish
Empire.
THE THRONE ROOM.
I'm the centre of the first room Is Throne. IL Is
platform about two aud One-half feet square with
cushion of cloth of gold embroidered with pearls. ru-
bes and diamonds Around three sides OF The cush-
ion is q low rail supported by miniature columns
and standing about eight inches high. Tho who'll
the rail is studded with clusters of rubies synmetrI-
caIly arranged. The first thought that strikes one
on seeing this throne is the SURPRISING value Of its
Jewels. and the second Is the superaiyc discomfort
of the concern viewed a reSllng-place. The raIl
which answers for arms and back il perpendicular
and rectangular. and coud neither the arms
nor the back OF the enthroned Sultan. Uneasy the
man that sits the throne must be the Turkish
equivalent of the proverb concerning the wcarer OF
the crown. In one corner of the room Is another
throne said to be the throne OF Nadr Shah. Of Per
sia IL is of some d1rk wood delicatey inlald with
ivory and pearl. and has canopy Of the same ma
terias from the centre of which hangs a great gold
ball decorated with precious stones
In one of the cabinets is the cradle Of the impe-
rial babies II stands low on its rockers. like the
cradles now IN Turkey. The two ends rise
foot above tho mattress and are connected at the
top by bar which runs leugthwiso Of the cradle.
The whole is Of solid gold, and the outside of the
cradle ia crusted with pearls, diamonds rublos aud
tnrquOses.
In one of the galleries the efli9ies of all the
Sultans OF Turkey down to MahmOud the Rolorner
The ieures are dressed in what Processes to be the
state robes actually worn by the Sultans which
they represent he costumes all different and
differ very much in cut, indicating the changes
of fashion during the last 500 years But
all these dresses agree in the feature
of richness Cloth of gold and silk
brocade are the materials. and many of the figures
are weighed down with Jewels. The swords or dag
gers which all OF the fgures wear especially
magnificent in their display of precious stones The
dagger of Sultan Mahomet H., the cOnquer0r of
Constantin0Do. has IN its handle AN emerald full
two inches long and inch thick ! use the
adjective "thick" advisedly. for sodity OF spendor
Is the impression left on the mind by that emerald
of Ogutlpmeu he
decked their turbans with diamonds. The only
exceptions are seen in the case Of the boy
ianissaries before he had attained mans es-
tate and in the case of Sultan Mahmond.
the Reformer who alone of all his kinsmen appear,
i'm European broadclotb. His head-drcss is the fez
a.I.1I Of hIrdn OF naradIsn