Morning journal and courier., 1882-04-14

the Bankrupt Ruler Of a Ruined People
 The Funds of Islam
 From the New York worId-l
 On Wednesday last, as was announced in cable dispatch to the World, the American ministers to Turkey and Austria, General Wallace and Mr. Phelps, received permis- sion-now very rarely granted-to inspect the Imperial Treasury and were surprised at the amount of treasure in the vaults and the great number of precious stones displayed. There were forty officials in attendance the dispatch went on, ''who opened the locks with many formaIities" Not the least curl ous of the anomalies to be noticed at Con stantinople 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 pur- poses MT. Dwight, in his Turkish Life in War Time" gives interesting de- scription of a visit to the Imperial Treasury at Constantinople, which IS situated within fhe inner court of the Seraglio, in one of the heavy stone outbuildings of the ancient pal ace. 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 roofed with lead, and having 8 single door of mas sive iron. 4 low arched doorway leads to tie interior, two connecting chambers, each about eighteen feet square, heavily vauIted and lighted by small windows with strong iron gratings. Round each room runs gal Iery, and the wall space to the ceiling is oc- eupied by glass cases, while in the center of each apartment IS a large glass showcase There is guard at the outer door, and at in. teryals of four or five feet all round the walls stand santinels, mute and motionless, all clad in the everlasting black brosdcloth and red fez, introduced by the last of the great Sul- tans, Mahmoud the Reformer. One gallery is occupied with efigies of the Sultans, each in the robes and jewels and armor of the monarch as he lived. The dresses are most ly of silk brocade and cloth of gold, and many of the figures are weighed down with jewels and magnificent arms Prominent among them is Mohammed IL, 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 be- decked with diamonds, the exceptions being little Osman IT., butchered in his boyhood, and Mahmoud the Reformer, whose efigy is the last in the list He appears in European broadcloth, with the red fez the head cover ing however, being ornamented with plume of bird of paradise feathers, caught up by great spray of diamonds. Two thrones are in the outer room. One-that of Nadir Shah, of Persia,-is of fine, darkHwood, deli cately inlaid with pearl and ivory, and having A canopy of the same material, from which is suspended great golden ball. decorated with precious stones. The other Is about as splendid and uncomfortable seat as could be devised. It is platform about two and one-half feet square, with cushion of cloth of gold, embroidered with rubies, diamonds and pearls. Around three sides of the cush- ion is low rail supported by miniature col umns and standing some eight inches high; it is of gold studded with clusters of rubies, and the whole throne Is covered with plates of gold. In one cabinet is shown theI state cradle of many sultans, which stands low on it's rockers like those still in use in the East. The two ends rise a foot above the mattress, and are connected at the top by bar running lengthwise a support for a curtain. The whole is of solid gold, crust
 ed on the outside with pearls. diamonds,
 rubies and turquoises. 1t would not be pos
 sible to describe in detail the con Mir Dwight, antique arms and armor heavy
 with gold and jewels; there gre innumerable
 horse-trappings and saddles. covered with
 plates of gold and studded with emeralds, rubies topazes, diamonds and pearls; there
 are saddle-cioths embroidered with precious stones Several sofa covers hang in the cab
 inets as background to the smaller articles they are worth SI5O,OO0 apiece and gre of heavy cloth of gold embroidered with seed pearls {" There are bird cages of gold, sone
 with clocks. face downward. at the bottom sacks of velvet embroidered with gold and
 pearls and diamonds samplers" of red
 velvet on which texts from the Koran are
 embroidered in diamonds; amber mouth pieees for pipes studded with diamonds and
 rubies ' vases of crystal, agate and onyx many enriched with jewels; inkstands and snuff boxes innumerable, coffee sets, tea-ssts, knives forks and spoons of solid gold, with jewels on their handles; an immense array of clocks fans beyond counting; umbrellas
 of white silk, exquisitely embroidered with gold and having for handles matchless sprays of coral yard long; tea sets of tortoise
 shell as thin as paper. MT. Dwight describes one toy-''a figure of Sultan seated on his throne under golden canopy ribbed with alternate rubies and emeralds the whole structure being perhaps six inches high The body of the figure is & simple huge pearl the lower extremities are carved from a blue 1 turquoise. and the turban is a solid mass of diamonds" "After every conceivable use has been made of the jewels, the surplus un- mounted stones are gathered by handfuls in- ! to crystal bowls in one of which are three uncut emeralds, the largest the size of ' mans fist, and the smallest as big as a hens egg. During the late war the government | pledged some of it's jewels to the baEks for | loan of $50, o00. 900. The banks removed | to their own vaults precious stones of | value sufficient to secure the loan fully. yet | the contents of the three small boxes left no | appreciable gap in the great accumulation. | Such is the treasure house of the bankrupt i ruler of a ruined nation. The Commander | of the Faithful, it may be added, has at his disposition, under certain circumstances. i still more remarkable accumulation Of wealth This is the Treasure of Islam, the offer | ines of gold and silver deposited by Asny | successive generations of pilgrims to the l three Holy Places-the Caaba st Mecca. the 1 vaults of the Mosque of SolimAn at JerUsa- | lem and the crypt of the tomb of Ali Rt the | gates of Baoiad The funds thus collected
 are designed solely for the defense of Islam
 in its extremity. and their guardians would
 yield them for no other purpose. According
 sixteenth century undertook to obtain pos | Ali, but the force he sent to despoil i tine shrine was miraculously hindered
 the soldiers legs being stifened almost
 into stone, so that they could not approach
 the sanctuary, and the spirits of the air, con- trolled by Soliman, are fabled to have con
 cealed the treasures at Jerusalem during the
 occupation by the Crusaders 4 oontempo- l rary calculator has placed the rate of accu- | mutation at $6O0. .OOi a year, and the total | value of the funds at $60d, ,O00, GOO; but these 1 figures are by less enthusiastic authorities re-
 Rsrded ss largely beyond the truth and 1t is | added that on several occssions in modern | times the Sultan has drawn upon the funds for war expenditures Nevertheless the
 Treasures of Islam" must amount to many
 millions of money.