The Osceola times., 1881-07-09
AN ORIENTAL PEABODY,
The Richest ana Nest Generous Msrchap,
of ConstaDtinopIe.

The Richest and Nest Generous Merchapi
of ConstaDtinopIe.
Constantinople Cor. of the London Globe,
Constantinople is renowned for It's
beggars and its blackguards. l shall
never forget the sight / saw few days
ago, when passing one of the principal
commercial khans in Galata. could
scarcely make way through a crowd OF
al least 800 or 800 people, assembled be-
fore the gateway OF this khan. / thought
some accident had occurred, SO / ques.
toned one OF the Europeans near me as
to the reason for this curious crowd. He
smiled and said, ut is Saturday, and
these beggars are waiting for George
Zariti." Piqued by curiosity, | elbowed
my way through the crowd and got close
10 the Office door of Zarifi & Co, and
around it / counted 1872 beggars, male.
female and children, blind, lame and
sickly, Turks, Jews, Armenians, Italians,
Greeks, etc. ! was curious 10 see this
George Zarif, ;" and what would be the
end of this extraordinary gathering.
did not wait long before / perceived a
| quiet, contented.looking, unassuming
middle>sized man of about sixty years
OF age, and looking very much like any
other man, elbow his way gently throush Ia
the crowd, and enter the office door on
posite to me. A few of the habitues had
taken off their head covering, a few had
otherwise sauted, muttering some unin-
telligib.e words. In few minutes aittI
ward a clerk came out of the Office dool
with brown bag and then there was a
general stir among the beggars, who be =.
gan to file off before the clerk, and each
| received "beshlik" (about a shillng)
and went on his or her way happy and
conteuted-looking. ! remarked to a
man standing next to me, 81 dare say
that more than one blackguard has got
an undeserved 'beshlikp' His reply
was, "Mr. Zarifi says it is better to give
unwittingly to dozen blackguards than
to deprive one deserving beggar OF his
piece of bread!" |; appears that almost
the same kind of thing occurs when Mr..
IIriti leaves his office, when many of
those disappointed begears who could
not arrive in time wait tor his exit, and
he has literally to pay his way, about
fifty yards, between his office door and
his carriage. His Saturdays visit to his
office must cost him about fl5 or goo in
this way.
was anxious to learn more about this
"Constantinople Peabody" so inquired
right and left. The present Zlrif, the
| hero of this paragraph, is the son OF a
highly respectable and generally esteem
| ed Greek merchant of Galata. His sons
continued their fathers business, and
are now reported the most wealthy and
most respectable merchants in the Le-
want, George Zariti happened to have
| been the banker, friend and adviser OF
| the reigning Sultan from his youth, and
when he had not the slightest idea that
he would ever wield the scepter OF the
| Osmanls. Mr.. Zarii befriended HIM at
! the time when he had little or poor Sc
| curity to offer; and from the time when
| Sultan Abdul Hamid IL. mounted the
| throne. Mr.. Xlriti has been continually
and more intimately his welcome guest
and counselor. The Sultan often calls
him "Papa!" 1t is only natural that the
/ Sultan and his Government should have
| favored Mr. Zirih, and thus it is that he
manipulales some of the most important
operations in the empire; but he has
never been known to exact excessive
conditions, nor TO take any mean ad-
vantage of the Sultan's favors. His
employees can be counted by the hund-
red but find no one who speaks dis
paIingly either OF the commercial enter
prises or Of the moral character of the
| Zarifs. II is said that they have never
! had a law suit, pro or con, and that Is
saying great deal, when one considers
| the nature of the country and the enor-
nous wealth and transactions of Iariti,
wealth reputed at e4,000000. On strik-
/ ing their last balance sheet, the division
oftwo years profits was thus per cent
OF net profits to chief clerk, which gave
him G32 600; 5 per cent or equal amount
/ to general manager; 3 per cent, or el9,-
200, divided among the staff of clerks; 2
per cent, or Gl2, 500, for different Chart
les; and so per cent, or G5l2,000, between
| the two brothers, and thus the gross
profit of Zariti & Co., for two years was
| G040000.
George Zanf is no missr, therewthal.
lie entertains Hospitality, but unostenta.
/ tously, and he spends annually in Con-
stantinople at least 100000, large
amount of which goes to the numerous
/ charities, without distinction.
1t is said that the Sultan, who reveres
/ his wbite-headed friend, has needed
much to the counsels of Mr.. Iarih, not
only in matters of finance and reform,
| but likewise on the Greek question, and
| the peace of Europe may be doubtless
much indebted to George Zarifi.