The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1885-08-15
Our Olio.
The Treasury of the old Seralio at
Constantinople.
Lieutenant e. ". lStwdj, U. s. N, i,
Hdrper'S Bazn.


Sultan intimatcs that it would give him
pleasure to open the doors of the Treasury
for your inspection, you should not lose
the opportunity. 1t is privilege not
easily obtained Through the august
Gate, within the walls of the old Seraglio,
you can penetrate; over the lawns and
around the three of the .Janissaries you can
wander; but at the 'Gate of Health" a
Turkish guard demands your irman-that
talisman without which all cntreaties are
useless. IF, after waiting, this frman is
brought in person by an aide-de-camp Of
the Sultan, what was civility becomes def
erence. The guards who a moment ago
waved you aside that a black eunuch
might pass and be saluted, now present
arms to you, and another eunuch, tall,
white fellow, comes forth to receive his
highness' command.
To the Treasury is but step, and whence
all these attendants so suddenly spring is
surprising You are not, as you imagined,
alone with the aide-de-camp and the white
eunuch, for here are twenty or moreguar-
dians of the Treasury ranged on either side
! Il
entering is in itself imposing The locks
are elaborate and the mechanism intricate
The chief of the guards unlocks one bolt,
which he hands to the man on his right
A paddock he gives to an assistant on his
left, and then along this dignifed line he
slowly distributes one piece after another of
the ponderous combination
The door is thrown open, and the Treas
ury is before you. At the entrance stand
the famous throne which in 1914 was cap
tured from the Shah of Persia. And it is
here that you utter your first exclamations
of wonder and admiration expressions of
feeling increase in intensity as your eyes rest
upon the dazzling display, until words and
thoughts fail to convey even to yourself
any estimate of the wealth about you.
This throne is perhaps three feet high and
about the same across, and is one mass of
diamonds, emeralds, rubies, turquoises.
Over it is suspended golden egg of more
than foot in diameter, and this egg
sparkles and glitters with the precious
stones with which it is studded. In the
cases on every hand are rare treasures
Diamonds are everywhere quarts of dia-
monds; there are turquoises around acd be-
tween these diamonds s-pecks of turquoises;
this is no exaggeration. There are emer-
aids of such wonderful size and value as to
be beyond any estimate. In two cases
there are two emeralds, one the size of
mans clinched hand, the other fiat and as
large as a hand extended. There are sword
hits of solid emeralds. The famous jewel
of Bangkok must be overshadowed in COM
parison.
To realize the pearls, imagine table
cover of beautiful pattern and exquisite
embroidery, and then fancy that there has
been hail of pearls for ten minutes, and
that they have all clung to this cover
That would be one piece of tapestry, and
there are scores of them hanging in this
room; and the pearls are as large as peas.
| That was bead-work in the reign of some
! Ottoman ruler.
There are gems in bulk rare old China
vases filled to the brim with huge emeralds;
Japanese tureens everfowing with magnif-
cent pearls; decorated plates heaped up
with coral beads like ripe cherries golden
salvers blazing with the light of hundreds
of immense diamonds and scattered about
with lavish hand lie the pale and beauti-
full turquoises like blooming flowers, an
unpretending bed for all this wondrous
beauty.
There is the cradle in which ten Sultans
have rocked, and whose every motion sent
forth rays as brilliant as the glory Of their
career their little school bags hang here,
and still simmer in their crust of gems.
Diamonds, diamonds everywhere is the
glitter of diamonds Surely they must
have been guardians of the Treasury who
first dreamed of the Arabian Nights. Pre-
sents from foreign magnates rival each
other in value and splendor. Here is another
jeweled throne, and over it hang a ruby
and an emerald of fabulous size. An In
dian rajah's gift, marvel of beauty, is in
height four inches only, but in design most
exquisite. A rajah is seated on throne
over the throne is a canopy; in front is
slave. The body of the rajah is a single
pearl the waist and trunk of the slave is
another pearl of curious shape; the legs
and arms are solid masses of diamonds
the canopy is of diamonds The effect is
beyond description You feel such sur
roundings you cease to talk-what, in
deed, can you say? Turn as you will, the
diamonds flash at you, the rubies fire at
you, the pearls sooth you, and the whole
intoxicates you. You see the aide-de-
camp smiling, but proud of his Sultan's
treasures, the accumulated treasure of over
thirty rulers of the great Ottoman Umpire.
With an odd mixture of half-formed
thoughts you pass to another ROOM A
golden column confronts you, model of
the Trajan monument; over six feet in
height and eight inches in diameter, it is
imposing, but does not surprise you. You
are prepared to see walls and floors of solid
gold-you almost expect it. Over your
head hang golden bird-cages with clocks
at the base. As is proper and becoming,
the hours are indicated by diamond figures.
Here are cases of china-ware-old and
curious china-ware-bu as if to assert
their value, they are covered with gems
set in fantastic fligree. There are guns
and cimeters one blaze of light, more
cloths of gold rescued from a shower of
pearls, more golden eggs, more measures of
gems, more whirling in your brain.
You mount to a gallery and look at the !
original costumes of a score of dead rulers,
The robes are magnifcently embroidered
the turbans are immense, diamonds are
tangled in the plumes, and the sword hits
are single gems. The older the date the
richer the dress, but all with turbans and
robes, until the thirtieth sovereign adopts |
the fez and the red trousers in use to-day |
There is yet another room of equal
splendor Your bewilderment increases
as you move on and when at last you are
bowed out by those grave watchmen, you
wonder if they are not all sultans, and if
you have not been dreaming.
There are places within the sacred en-
closure of the old Seraglio to which the
Frank is never admitted, but you will be
taken to the kiosks, where former sultaps
passed portions of the summer day. And
then there is a room whose associations are
of special interest, Here stands an old
throne taken from former palace that
was burned The framework is of bronze,
and, of course, studded with emeralds and
rubies. Many of these stones show plainly