The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1889-05-31
TROUBLE I'M THG HARRM.
The sultAn Finds Three Hundred Wives Too
Many,

The suItAn Finds Three Hundred Wives Toe
| Many
From he GlaICOw Herald,
There is screw loose In Turkey
Some plot or other has been discovered
and the consequences have been seen in
q number Of mysterious arrests, and in
wholesale measures Of punishment
against the press, The Times has been
three times conascated within a month,
and the Daily Chronicle has been inter-
dicted altogether. The fact appears to
b. that u serious palace conspiracy for
deposlng the Sultan was detected In the
very nick OF time. The Sultan was so
nnnerved by the discovery that he sent
for Sir William White and asked for his
advice, Sir William answered that the
Sultan could only live in safety II
he put down his harem, not as q Ques-
ton Of morals but as matter OF policy,
seeing that 1t was impossible to ex-
erCise supervision over an establishment
OF 800 ladies. The Sultan, who is prac-
tiCally monogamist, would be glad
enough to get rid OF his 200 brevet
spouses, but the customs OF his dynasty
forbid him to do this, On his birthday
aud on twenty other days in the year he
invariably receives from his mother the
present OF beautiful slave, and this
young lady has forthwith to be transfer.
red to his establishment in the capacity
Of harem dame, with q household OF
her own, consisting OF at least four eu-
nuChs and six female servants-to say
nothing Of horses, carriages and grooms.
Multiply the number OF these house,
holds by 800, and 1t ceases TO be aston
ishing that the expenditure OF the Sui
toms Civil List should amount to 4,000,-
900 pounds year. A large item In
this sum represents the dowers which
the Sultan pays his slaves when he mar
ries them. To iavorite officials, about
100 girls are married from the Palace
yearly, and each Of them is entitled
to receive 10, 900 pounds. Unfortunately,
the bridegroom who takes wife from
tho Sultan's hands must, at his earliest
convenience, make present OF slave
to keep the staG Of the Imperial sera-
Clio up to Its proper figure. The Sultan
loathes the whole thing, but what Is he
to doP There aro too many vested inter-
ests engaged In keeping the Imperial
harem supplied with wives, and II the
Sultan were to cashier his entire female
establishment he would certainly be de-
posed or murdered. Sir William White
Is said to have advised his Majesty to 70.
duce his establishment by not filling up
the vacancies, but this Is not easy, seeing
that every Cabinet Minister and Pacha
OF motto looks 10 passing his daughter
through the Sultan's harem as q simple
means Of securing her a marriage por-
ton, with the title OF Valide, which may
DO construed as Princess.
Tho man who would come to the
throne II Abdul Hamid were deposed is
his brother, ReChad Pacha. This
ReChad Is virtually a prisoner in Yildiz
Kiosk, for he cannot 20 outside tho gar.
den gates without leave, aud he never
gets permission 10 take d walk or drive
alone. Hemust always DO surrounded
by guards aud eunuChs. Rechad, how
ever, Is q man OF modern ideas, and late
ly he fell in love with an English girl
whom he met boating on the Bosphorus,
and to whom he proposed marriage after
after weeks Rcqnaintanceship. The
Sultan, hearing OF this affair, has nipped
his brothers suit in the bud by ordering
the young lady 10 leave Constantlnople.