San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1888-10-01

management OF this enormous household is
clear, for there is scarcely ever jar or
hitch, even under the impulse of the most
untimely demands. Every different depart
ment is under the control of person who is
directly responsible for that, and he hasa
corps of servants and slaves under his order
who obey him only, and he is subject to the
treasurer Of the household Women have,no
voice whatever in the management of any
thing in any department. Their sole occuPa-
ton is to wait upon their respective mis-
Uresses, or to servo the sultan in some speei-
lied capacity.
THE sULTAN'S CAPRICES.
The chamberlain is mostly occupied in.
minstering to the wants and caprices Of the
sultan, and is in almost constant attendance
upon him. so the treasurer of the household
has the burden of the housekeeping on his
burly shoulders, He his an organized force
Of buyers, who are each charged with the
purchase of certain supplies for their irdi-
vidual departments, each having his helpers,
servants and slaves. One man is charged
with the duty of supplying all the fish, and as
to furnishing fish for certainly 5000 persons
is no light undertaking in place where there
are no great markets, as there are in all other
men to scour the various small markets and
buy of the fishermen, and each of these men
has two others to carry the fish they buy. 1t
requires about ten tons of fish week.
There are nearly $1,000 pounds of bread
eaten daily, for the Turks are large bread
eaters. and this is all baked in the enormous
ovens situated at some distance from the
palace. The kitchens are detached from all
the palaces and kiosks 1t requires a large
force Of bakers to make the bread and an
other to bring it to the palace and another
force of buyers who purchase the -four and
fuel. The bringing of the most of the wood
and charcoal is done by the unhappy caniels,
who carry it on their backs. There is a cook
for each separate course, and he has his as
sistants and solutions, so that there are in all
nearly 400 men working in the kitchens In
| addition to the aids each chief cook has a
body servant.
The lord high chamberlain chooses his
| corps of buyers and the chiefs of different
departments to suit himself, usually making
such choice more from some occult reasoning
than fitness for the position. He then trusts
the departments to those persons and trans
mits his imperative orders through the second
chamberlain. After him in Importance is
the treasurer of the household, who receives
all the bills, looks them over and then for
wards them to the sublime porte, where they
are paid-in time
THE PURCHASING DEPARTMENT.
The providing for the material wants of all
these persons, then, really falls upon the
chamberlain. He appoints a chibouk-kiassi
who provides all the pipes used in and about
the palace both for the men and the women,
incl ba napphilas Than tbara is
tutunkaiassi, who sees that the whole palace
is literally supplied with tobacco. The
espap-kiassi furnishes the clothes for the sui
tan's wear-that is, he buys them. Another
buys the sultan's shoes and slippers. Those
who buy the personal effects of the sultan
have by no means a sinecure, as he never
wears the same garment or pair Of shoes
twice, nor does he ever sleep in the same
sheets or bedding second time, 1t is sup
posed that all clothing and bedding which
have touched the sacred person of the sultan
are destroyed Immediately after he has dis
carded them
The chamberlain has chief Of the buyers
for the kitchen supplies and another for each
of the household departments. and these
have from ten to twenty aids, and these
again have underlings, who all must be fed
W thC iOJd ohN WY GIL iCSciNo
their salaries, large or small. The chief Of
each department receives and weighs or APP
praises the value of all the articles of food
purchased, and then, attesting to the correct
ness of the weight or value, hands his ac-
counts to the treasurer of the household. In
this way stealing is not so easy as foreigners
imagine it.
The buyers of the furniture, of the carpets,
the glassware, silver and gold plate, the
jewels, the soap, perfumery and cosmetics,
the candies and dried fruits, the kitchen
utensils, and, in short, for every department
are all subject to the same strict system.
The buving for the harem is done by the
same persons, with the exception Of dresses
and other feminine toilet articles, which the
women now buy for themselves generally.
They ride out and shop very much like other
women, only they have no idea as to the
value of money, and they order whatever
strikes their fancy, no matter what it is, and
the bills are sent to the chief eunuch, who
hands them, after supervision, to the treas
urer of the household, who has to get the
high chamberlain's counter signature. The
sewing is done by women who have nothing
,lse to do-that is, such of it as is done
there. Whenever it is possible the garments
are bought ready made.-New York Herald.