Frostburg mining journal. [volume] (Frostburg, Md.) 1871-1913, 1880-10-02
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HE TURKISH SLAVE TRADE.

A Geneva letter to the Manchester
(England) Examiner says: Slavery is
still an institution in Europe, and the
slave trade, all assertions to the contrary
Notwithstanding, still fourishes in the
city of the sultan. The sultan has slaves
in his palace, the pashas, the sheik-ul.
Islam, the ulemas, the great officers oi
state, officers of the army, and well-to-do
tradespeople have slaves in their houses,
all of whom have been bought in Con-
stantinople, and when they want to re-
plenish their stock they know where to
60. Domestic slavery, in fact, is a neces-
sary adjunct of the Mohammedan Ie-
hgion and the social system of Turkey.
The institution of the harem demands
1t. Without slavery it is hard to see
how supply of eunuchs could be forth
coming. Women who do the menial
work OF a household must almost oi
necessity be slaves, for no free woman is
allowed t. appear unveiled in the pres
ence of man. A pasha, for instance,
who had no female slaves, would not be
able to enter his own harem without
giving notice OF his intention, so that the
servants might cover their faces. an in
convenience-in his eyes degradation
to which he would probably rather die
than submit.
Though the public slave market of
Constantinople has been long sup
pressed, there are various private marts
in and about the capital where brisk
business in black and white slaves,
young and old, is constantly carried on.
Il is, however, difficult almost to i'm
possibility for an intidel to find out their
whereabouts, or obtain trustworthy in
formation on the subject. Nevertheless
an adventurous German contrived not
long ago to obtain access to slave
shop, and to his account of what he
saw and heard on the occasion subse-
quently published in German paper
am mainly indebted for the following
facts:
The headquarters of the white slave
trade are in the Bostandchi quarter,
which comprises number of small,
narrow streets between Pera, Galata,
and Tophane. The .rade is conducted
by tribe of the Tcherkesses known as
Tessirdchis. Families generally work
together. One brother, for example,
stops at home and minds the shop while
the other goes abroad and purchases and
forwards the raw material of the COM
merce. Negotiations with purchasers
are conducted through the intermediary
of Arab brokers, who call regularly on
their patrons to inquire if they are want
ing anything in black eunuchs or white
girls. The rendezvous of these gentry is
a coffee-house in the Bostandchi quar-
ter, the entry of which is strictly forbid
den to all save followers of the prophet.
A white boy in good health, from eight
to fourteen years old, costs forty to fifty
lire (if this means italian lire, the
English equivalent means thirty to forty
shillings); if he has any requirements,
such, for instance, as a knowledge of
cookery or other housework, he will
command twice as much. A girl under
ten years old may be had for twenty
lire, while a maiden between twelve
and sixteen, especially if she can read
and write apd strum u little on the
zittar, is worth f5OO. A female slave,
of exceptional beauty, young, white, and
virgin-the style most in vogue are
blondes with black eyes-fetches from
fl,O0O to fl,5OO. For q very choice
specimen, with smattering of French,
and able to play few airs on the piano,
a rich amateur has been known to pay
rs much as f2,7OO. But, as may be sup
posed, the demand for articles of this
description has greatly fallen off since
the halcyon time of perpetual loans and
profuse expenditure. Black slaves,
who are brought principally from
Africa, are either sold direct by the i'm
porters to the proprietors of harems, or
to dealers, two of whom have expensive
private marts in Stamboul. These gen.
orally keep on hand from one hundred
to two hundred and twenty slaves each.
There are also depots in Scutari and in
several villages on the Bosporus. A
strong black slave sells for about eco;
black maiden Els to Els; a full
eunuch, EFT to f2O, and half eunuch,
ESQ to ESQ.
Not the least interesting part of the
account from which l quote is the
writer's description of his visit to a
slave-dealer's den in the neighborhood
of Scutari, the next locality of which
he was sworn not to reveal. His COM
panion was an Arab broker, whom he
had to backsheesh heavily for his SER
vices. He assumed the character and
represented himself in the garb of a
Hungarian renegade officer in the
Turkish army, the ostensible object of
his visit being the purchase of haraiks
or house slave. The slave
dealers warehouse was a large
wooden building the slave
dealer himself a dignifed Turk
OF the old school, bearded, turbaned,
and loftily polite. Pipes and coffee were
OF course produced, and after due in
terchange of complimentary phrases
business began. The dealers head man,
aassan, a gigantic Nubian, was sum-
moned and told to bring forth a number
Of slaves for the inspection of the broker
and his friend. Thirty negro women of
various ages, and a number of boys were