The Vancouver independent. (Vancouver, W.T. [Wash.]) 1875-1910, 1882-05-25
Bushels Of Cold and Gems.

On Wednesday last, according to the
cable dispatches, our Minister to Turkey,
General Lew Wallace, and our Minister
to Austria, Mr.. Phelps, were permitted
to inspect the Imperial treasury at Con-
stantinople. The privilege, it was added,
is one very rarely granted, and the two
diplomatists were impressed at the
amount of treasure displayed to their
view, when the forty officials in attend
ance had with many formalities, opened
the locks. The Sultan's treasury, to
which so few strangers are ever admitted,
is situated in the inner court of the Sc
raglio, in one of the heavy stone out
buildings of the ancient palace. Three
massive walls have to be passed ere the
building, rooted with lead and closed
by heavy iron doors kept constantly
leads into a heavily-vaulted room about
eighteen feet square, lighted by small,
grated windows. Another room of the
same size opens from it. Each room has
a gallery running round all four sides,
and the walls of the floors and galleries
are occupied by glass cabinets, while in
the center of each apartment there is a
large glass showcases Guards in black
broadcloth and red freezes stand motion
less around the walls at an interval of
four or five feet. In the center OF the
first room is throne about yard
square, with cushion of cloth of gold,
embroidered with diamonds, rubbies and
pearls, surrounded on three sides by
low rail supported by miniature columns
about eight inches high. 1t is all COW
cred with plates of gold, and the rail is
crusted with clusters of blazing dia-
monds, rubies and pearls. In a corner
is the throne of Nadir, Shah of Persia,
the seat and the canopy of wood inlaid
with ivory and pearl, and having sus-
pended over the occupants head huge
ball of gold, decorated with precious
stones Even more costly is cradle for
the babies born to to the crown, or cord
of solid gold, bassinet, and rockers, the
two ends foot high, connected by
golden bar on which to hang curtain
or veil. EveIy inch of it, Mr.. Dwight
records, is crusted with rubies, pearls,
and torquoises. In the galleries are eff
gies of all the Sultans down to Maha
moud the Reformer, clad in the sover
eigns represented, weighed down with
jewels, with large turbans bedecked with
diamonds, and weapons of priceless cost.
Thus, the dagger Of the conquer of Con-
stantinople has for hilt an emerald two
inches long and nearly as thick. The last
of the series alone appears in European
costume, but with the plume of the bird
of paradise fastened by an aigrette of
diamonds. There are antique arms and
armor heavy with gold and jewels; innu
merable horse trappipgs and saddles,
covered with plates of gold and studded
with emeralds, rubies, topazes, diamonds
and pearls, and saddle-cloths embroider
ed with precious stones. As backgrounds
to the articles in the various cabinets
hang sofa-covers of cloths of gold, en-
broidered with seed pearls, some of them
worth $50, 900. There are golden bird
cages, some with clocks at the bottom,
face downward, for the convenience of
the darlings of the harem, lying lazily
upon the divans beneath; school sachels
of velvet, embroidered with diamonds,
pearls and gold; samplers" of red vel
been worked in beads of diamonds; am
Der mouthpieces, studded with diamonds
and rubies; coffee-sets and tea-sets of all
degrees of magnifcence, and vases of
crystal, agate and onyx, some of them
profusely bejewelled. There are
inkstands and snuff-boxes innumera-
BILE, all glittering with priceless gems.
There are royal knives and forks and
spoons of solid gold, with jewels on their
handles. and there is vast array of
clocks. OF toys there are many. For
instance, there is tea-set of tortoise
shell as thin as paper; q parasol of white
silk exquisitely embroidered with gold
and having for its staff one single spray
of red coral, unique in the world; there
are fans innumerable. There is one toy
"A throned Sultan sitting under canopy
of gold ribbed with rubies and emeralds,
the whole structure being some six
inches in height. The turban of this
doll is made OF diamonds; Its body is a
single huge pearl; the lower extremities
were carved out of a turtuoise. After
every conceivable uee has been
made of jewels, the surplus
unmounted stones are gathered by hand
fuls into the crystal bowls at one end Of
the cabinets in the second room, among
them being such triAes as three uncut
emeralds, the largest Is big as man g
fist, and the smallest larger than o hens
egg. Apart from the historic value Of
the treasures there collected, the intrin-
sic value is incalculable. During the
last war with Russia the government
borrowed $50 900 900 from the bank, the
| officers of which took away to their own