The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1882-09-20

ment sometimes leads to strange conse-
quences. Under Abdul Mediid the palace
was ruled for years by hasnadar who
had been washer woman, and whose
chief adviser was churlish baltadii thew
er of WOODY who could not read. but had
the power to dismiss viZiers. 1t was in
fact the baltadji who ruled Turkey. After
the hasnadar come the sultan's semi-lawful
wives and favorites in the following or
der: First the four kadines, who rank as
spouses until his majesty divorces them
and gives them in marriage to some pasha,
which he does pretty often, then the TX
balls or favorites, to the number of five or
six, and then the aspirant favorites, whose
number is unlimited.
A girl in the seraglio, even if she be a
simple cavedji or coffee bearer becomes a
guieuzdes or aspi1ant favorite, from the
mere fact of the sultan's making a com
plimentary remark on her. The word is
derived from guieuZ, eye, and it means a
girl which has attracted the masters glanc-
es. If, for instance, his majesty, while
visiting one of his relatives, remarks care
lessly, what a pretty girl that is who
brought in the coffee" the
damsel is at once and without further
parley promoted to the rank of guieuzdi
which gives her suit of apartments,
daira and claim on the imperial exchequer
for the remainder of her life, or until
such time as the Sultan finds her hus-
band
As every one who marrieS from she
seraglio takes with her her clothes, her
jewels, furniture, servants, carriages and
lump of money, which often amounts to
thousands of dollars, it may be imagined
how the civil list is mulcted when there
are many aspirant favorites. After the
Sultan's favorites, precedence is given to
the kadines-effendis, mother of some
prince or princess of the blood, and finallv
to the foster sisters of the Sultan or prin-
cess and princesses; then the sultanas, un-
married princesses of the blood Foster
parents and their children are always re-
garded as permanent members of Turk s
household, and during several years Nahir
Panoun, Abdul Medjed's foster sister, held
a paramount influence in his household.
Coming now to the male members of the
seraglio. we find in addition to the neces-
sary staff of chamberlain, secretaries, guards,
eunuchs, solutions and cooks, a crop of
200 pages and musicians and very
army of BARRIERS, shampooners, test
ers of sultans food, athletes, buffoons,
ram-fghters, astrologers and grooms The
ram fighters were appointed to amuse
Abdul Aziz, but they have been main
tanned by the present sultan because it is
almost impossible to dismiss any one who
has once held office in the palace without
giving him a pension. The same may be
said of astrologers, whose functions have
become sinecure, though they are occa-
sionally summoned into the haremlik to
entertain the ladies by fortune telling AS
for the buffoons and dwarfs. they have
always been numerous, for ladies living in
seclusion must be made to laugh when
time hangs heavy on their hands, and
when the music and jigging of the dancing
girls begin to pale. These dancing girls
form corps of 800 strong. and as they
are splendidly dressed and richly fed, they
cost more to keep than a cavalry regi-
ment. / need not enumerate the staff of
servants and officials required for the
stables, (Which contain 500 horses,) for the
kitchen, the baths and gardens, nor yet the
staff of court priests, but enough has been
said, perhaps, to warrant the inference that
the sultan's court is at once the costliest |
and LATEST of the world |