The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1888-08-15

who have no earthly right except what the
laws of hospitality give. 1t is q sort OF per-
petual free lunch, and beggars as well as
rich men avail themselves of this royal
bounty.
The laundry where all the linen from the
Dolma Bagtche palace is washed is under
the direction of a man, but the work is all
done by women. They have no washboards
and rub the garments in their hands. They
do rot boil the clothes at all, and they are
white as snow. They wash the clothes
through two waters and then pack them
tightly in baskets, covering them with
towels, which they strew thickly with wood
ashes and sliced lemons. Boiling water is
then poured over them, and the clothes re-
main thus all night, and in the morning are
rinsed and hung out.
The Sultan has a number of very large
farms, some Of them covering miles In ex-
tent, both in European Turkey and Aslatic
Turkey, and these are intended to supply
all those things which farms can produce to
the palace One of these farms is near
Tchatchaldja, where the government is now
about building a fortress, and another at
Ali-Bey-Keni, both of these within easy
ride from Constantinople. There are two
others at Kouchoukchickmdejea and Boyouk-
choukmedje- These are all near CONSTANT
nople The others are in Asia Minor On
these much of the grain and food of the
horses are raised. They are, or were, titled
by the compulsory labor of the Bugarians,
large numbers of them eing obliged by
CONSUMPTION to serve so many months
year on these farms. They were tied to-
gether like cattle and brought by force
and treated like brutes. This was sort
Of tax duty which they were obliged to
pay in labor. 1t may not be SO now, but
probably is.
The soil in Turkey is very fertile and pro-
a
brought on donkeys and in boats tons upon
tons of vegetables of all kinds, milk, butter
and cheese, mutton, eggs, poultry and fruit.
The amount in the aggregate is stupendous,
and yet it is not a quarter enough for the
needs of that household. Nearly all the
tobacco, however, comes from these farms
and is of the finest quality.
TON OF RICE PER DAY
They do not grow rice, and, in conse-
quence, buy nearly one ton of rice per day
for the inevitable pilaff, 600 pounds Of
sugar, as much coffee, to say nothing of
the other groceries, fruit, vegetables and
meat. Rice and mutton and bread form the
greater part of the food for the majority of
Turks, yet aside from these, they get away
with one ton of beef and half ton of veal
per day, 10 say nothing of the other viands
and fish, Sweetmeats, confectionery, nuts
and dried and fresh fruits.
The waste aud extravaganza In the
kitchen are enormous. and enough is threwn
away every day to maintain a hundred
families. Much of this is gathered up by
beggars, and the dogs eat the rest.
All the water for the sultan's use and the
drinking water for all the household is
brought in barrels from Beicos and Kanli
Karak, two pretty streams at different
| places in the Bos?horus, toward the Black
sea. Whom the sultan takes a notion to
leave Donna Bagtche for one Of his other
palaces or kioskS, it does not appear 20
cause much arrangement in household
arrangements. By the time he reaches the
place he goes to all is ready for bin, even
| to his meals. Each palace is left in charge
| os a bekjihashi or manager, who is obliged
| to keep everything in instant readiness for
| sometimes the sultan takes caprice in the
| middle of the night to go to another place.
Another one of the lord higl chamber
| lain,s functions is to seq that a horse is kept
in constant readiness, and also a carriage
| night and day, in case the Padisha should
wan to change his residence, as he often
does at moments notice. The p, esent
| sultan prefers Yildiz Kiosk The largest
palace is that of Beschiktasch.
WHAT IT COSTS.
The estimate is that it costs per year to
supply the food for the sultan's household.
horses and animals, aside from the value of
the product OF tho vast farms, very nearly
if not quite $5,0O0,000; cost of furniture,
bedding and carpets, SO 10000 drugs,
womens clothes, Jewels cosmetics, $1,000,
| 600; caprices of all kinds, $l5, 000,0 900; sui
tans clothes and bedding, $4,000, 900; sun
| dries, presents and servants wages, 81 ,000,-
600; plate, gold and silver dishes, $780,
600; carriages, Ara of them, $474 200; total
estimated expenses, SAL ,474 600.
That is snug little sum, but it is an
| under rather than over estimate, as every
one who has lived long in Turkey and had
means of judging and seeing the reckless
| extravaganza of the royal household will
| concede Every little while one of the sui
tanas will tire of her furniture and order
| her rooms refurnished, instantly and this
| will cause the others to insist upon having
| theirs done 500, too, and all these changes
| are very costly and come under the head of
| household exposes. So that large as the
! sum appears it is still not large enough.