Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1882-04-14
THE SUITAN'S TREASURY.
The Priceless Gems and Untold Gold OF
the bankrupt Ruler OF Ruined
PeOple-Thc Fund&ofIslam.

The SUlTANS TREASURY.
The Priceless Gems and Untold Gold of
the Bankrupt Ruler OF n Ruined
PeOple-The Fund&oTIsIam.
On Wednesday last, rs was announc-
Gd in a cable despatch to the NeW York,
World the American Ministers to Turkey
and Austria, General Wallace and Mr..
Phelps, "received permisSion-now very
rarely granted-tO inspect the Imperial
Treasury and were surprised at the
amount oftreaSure in the vaults and
the great number of precious stone dis
played. There were forty officials in
attendance" the despatch went on,
who opened the locks with many
fOrmalitieS." Not the least curious of
the anomalies TO BE- noticed at Con-
stantinOplc is the existence of this
Treasury, perhaps the richest in the
world, while at the same time the
Government is hOpelessly in debt -
bankrupt to all intentS and purposes.
Mr.. Dwight, in his Turkish Life in
War Time" gives an interesting le-
ScriptiOn Of 4 visit To the imperial
Treasury at COnstantinople, which is
situated within the inner court of the
SeragliO, in one of the heavy stone
Outbuildings of the ancient palace. One
going thither from the city must pass
through three massive walls ere he en-
terS the court where stands the treasure
house, a building of dull gray stone
rooted with lead, and having a single
door of massive iron. A low, arched
doorway leads To the interior, two con-
Meeting chambers, each about eighteen
feet square, heavily vaulted and lighted
10y small windows with strong iron
gratings. Round each room runs q
gallery, and the wall space to the ceiling
Is occupied by glass cases,
while in the centre of each
apartment is large glass
showcase. There is guard at the
outer door, and at intervals of four or
five feet all round the walls stand
Sentinels, mute and mOtionless, all clad
in the everlasting black broadclOth and
red fez, introduced by the last of the
great SultanS, Mahmoud the RefOrmer.
One gallery is occupied with efligieS of
the Sultans, each in the robes and jew
els and armOr Of the monarch as he liv-
ed. The dresses are mostly of silk
brocade and cloth of gold, and many of
the figures are weighed down with
Prominent among them is MOhammed
H., the cOnquerOr of COnstantinOple,
who left the mark of his bloody hand
high up on the pillar of what is now
the mosque Of st. Sophia; the hilt OF
his dagger is single emerald two
Inches long and half as large. All the
figures save two wear the turban bedeck-
ed with diamonds, the exceptions being
little Osman H., butchered in his boy
hood, and MahmOud the RefOrmer,
whose effigy is the last in the list. He
appears in European broadclOth, with
tie red fez; the head-cOvering, however,
being Ornamented with a plume of
bird of paradise feathers, caught up by q
great spray of diamonds. Tho thrones
are i'm the outer room. One-that OF
Nadir Shah, of Persia, Is of fine, dark
wood, dClicately inlaid with pearl and
ivory, and having canopy OF the same
material, from which is suspended a
great golden ball, decorated with
precious stones. The other is about as
Splendid and uncomfortable seat as
could be devised. II is platform about
two and One-half feet square, with a
cushion of cloth of gold, embroidered
with rubies, diamonds and pearls.
Around three sides of the cushion IS y
low rail supported by miniature columns
and standing some eight inches high;
il is of gold studded with clusters OF
rubies, and the whole throne is covered
with plates of gold. In one cabinet Is
shown the state cradle of many SultanS,
which stands low on its rockers like
those still in use in the East. The two
ends rise a foot above the mattress, and
are connect ed at the top by bar run
ming lengthwise as u support for a
curtain. The whole is of solid gold,
crusted on the outside with pearls,
diamonds, rubies and turquOises. 1t
would not be possible to describe III
detail the contents of these rooms.
'GThere are" says Mr.. Dwight,
"antiuue arms and armOr, heavy with
gold and Jewels; there are innumerable
Rorse-trappings and saddles, covered
with plates of gold and studded with
emeralds, rubies, tOpazes, diamonds and
pearls: there are saddle-clOths en-
broidered with precious stones. Several
sOfa-cOvers hang i'll the cabinets as
BACKGROUND to the smaller articles
they are worth $50, 900 apiece and are
of heavy cloth of gold embroidered with
seed pears" There are bird cages OF
gold, some with clocks, face downward,
ar the bottom; sacks of velvet en-
broidered with gold and pearls and
diamonds: samplers" Ofred velvet on
which texts from theKoran are en-
brOidered in diamonds; amber mouth
pieces for pipes studded with diamonds
and rubies; vases of crystal, agate and
ONYX, many enriched with jewels;
inkStaDds and snuffboXes innumerable,
g, ffIc-setS, tea-Sets, knives, forks anu
sroons of solid gold, with jewels on tnelr
handles; an immense array OF CLOCKS;
fans beyond counting; un0reiiaS OF
white silk, eXquisitely emoroluereu
with gold and having for handles match-
less spays of coral yard long; leases
of tortOiSe-shell as thin as paper. MT.
Dwight describes one toy-"a inquire ol
n Sultan seated OH his throne under a
conopy ribbed with alternate ruoles anu
emeraIds, the whole structure 0elhg
nerhaps six inches high. The body. oil
The figure is a single huge pearl; the
lower extremities are carved from !,
blue turquoise, and the truoan Is souOl
mass of diamonds" "After every
conceivable use has been made OF the
levels. the surplus unmounted stones
are gathered by handfgls into eryst Sa
howls.U i'm one of which are three
uncut emeralds, the largest the size Oh
q mans fist. and the smallest as Dig aS
a hens egg. During the late war the Inc
Government pledged some of its Jewels SeG
to the banks for q loan of $SO,OOo,OoO'
The bankers removed to their own
vaults precious stones of value sufficient It
m secure the loan fully, yet the contents
of the three small boxes left no apprecl-
able gap in the great aceummulsti on
Snch is the treasure-house OF the
bankrupt ruler OF a ruined nation. Inc ne
Commander of the Faithful, it may DC
| added, has at his disposition, unuel
certain circumstances, still mor'
remarkable accumulation OF wealth
| This is the Treasure of lslam, th'
offerings Of gold and silver deposi!eu oS