The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1900-07-28

out another franc or two is himself per
mitted to pass out to the steamer. You
friends go with you as far as the par
rier, but unless they have sut1icien
pull to obtain a permit from the pre-
| ternatuarlly fat and solemn Turk Wh(
sways the destinies of mankind In tins
regard they cannot accompany you OF
board the ship, so jealousy does the
spider fasten in his net the creature:
once in his power.
Bakshish involved in going in anc
coming out of Turkey is an Insignia
cant indication of its possibilities in
comercial way at the custom house
Has the inspector doubt as to the char
acter of certain goods, even of their adj
instability? Bakshish, automatically
administered, helps wonderfully te
smooth out troubles. A package OF
! iewelry, a box of perfumery, cases oi
| edible goods seldom reach the con
signee intact as per invoice Certain
important consignments of American
flour were excluded by the authorities
The chemist of the school of medicine
attached to the custom house reported
that the flour did not conform to the
tests required. AS a mater of fact later
and impartial analysis determined
clearly that it did meet even these an
tiquated tests. But the -four was only
admitted finally through the energetic
efforts of the United States consul. The
real trouble? Common gossip about
the city at the time had it that band
of local millers had formed a pool, con-
tributed thousand pounds sterling
and distributed it where it would be
most effective in stopping the importa-
ton of the thousands of bags of cheap
American flour which threatened to be-
come a really serious matter for them
in the way of prices
Newspaper dispatches recently an
nounced that the Porte had promul-
gated an trade forbidding the importa-
ton OF American pork products. Wash
ington correspondence made light of
the matter, asserting that the busine SIS
was an insignificant one at best and
that statistics showed exports in these
lines 20 Turkey amounting to only SIG
during the past year. A fig for stalls
tics. The writer was in Constantinople
when two conslgnments of American
hams of many times this value arrived
and were promptly thrown into the sea
by the jealous people in the custom
house because they We're spoiled" 1t
might seem a bit queer to the shippers
who are doing millions of dollars
worth of export business and presume
bly, know how to pack their goods, but
the chemists official certificate attested
the fact and what was to be done?
The Pera Palace hotel in Constant
nople and the Summer Palace hotel at
Therapia are lighted by electricity. 1t
is said that their installations, first and
last, cost them 10000. Outside Of them
electricity does not scintillate to any
appreciate extent in Constantinople,
while the newest trade reported as
amanating from the Porte forbids the
entry of any sort of electrical appara-
tus, even of electric bells. 1t is COM
monty said that the Sultan has been
persuaded by his jealous keepers ever
anxious to remind him of his perpetual
danger that a dynamo is first cousin
to dynamite and a very desirable arti-
Gle to leave severely alone. A local mer-
chant assured the writer with a grin
that he was getting out two dynamos
which were to be invoiced as 'old en-
gines." If the customs people were at
all suspicious, there remained the ever
available resource of bakshish.
AS for teephone-but what an OPP
portunity they would afford for whis-
pering treason! Why. people could ac-
own capital and the Sultan's spies have
-.
1t is said that a local postal service
was tried few years ago in CONSTANT
nope But some foolish fellow devel-
oped mania for writing postal cards
to the Grand Vizier, explaining in lucid
language Just how poor an opinion he
OF him and of the establish
ed order of things in general. There
was no way Of discovering who was the
guilty wretch, so the local post was
abolished.
Years ago the Americans and English
residents in C1nstantinople contributed
quite a large aount of omney to estab-
lish a reading room and library for the
natives. They failed to secure the
requisite permission from the Porte,
which does not encourage the gather
ing together Of its subjects where they
are likely to have opportunities Of talk
ing and Matching out all manner Of
rude schemes, and the money still lies
In bank, source of some embarrass-
ment to the treasurer of the fund.
Just what a 'young Turk" may be I
am by no means sure. But it Is as
serted that the younger generation of
Turks are manfesting a decided incli-
nation to forsake traditional habits and
religious mandates once imperative.
People say that the fez is actually re-
moved on occasion, that they do drink
wine, the rascals, and worst Of all in
public and that soc OF thmem actually
eat pork. The established order of
things may, then, be said to change
even in Turkey and pertile countries
in Europe and Asia will get their
chance. People look for change when
Abdul Hamid II. dies or retires And
yet this rule has not been SO blighting
as it might have been, judging from
precedent. Commercial opportunities
to the outside world, and the
Germans, among others, are eagerly
them. There exist at least
four German trade papers printed in
The French language. and aimed exclu-
sively at the markets of the Levant. |
Colonies Of German commercial agents |
ARE growing up in Conslantinople. in |
Smyrna and in all the principal centers. |