The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1901-06-20
THE SULTAN'S WORKSHOPS.
Where His Costly Presents for For
eign Princes are Made.

! elSn PrlnceS are Made.
During my last visit to Constantine
pie had the opportunity of making a
close study of the sultan's workshops
They are situated on the right hand of
het entrance to the Yildiz Kiosk, and
consist Of a mechanical workshop with
a goundry, joiner's shop, wood carving
and carpentry shops, and designing and
modelling room. which give employ
ment to from fifty to sixty workmen.
The work turned out in these work
shops is exclusively for the Imperial
palace, and in them are made the cost
ly presents which the sultan is so fond
of sending to foreign princes. 1t is said
that 1.-THE Ruler Of the Faithful often
lends hand in some special piece of
work, but that Is not quite true; the
most that the sultan does is to i'm
prove a design which has been made
according to his suggestions, and laid
before him by the director of the work.
shops. The latter Is no less person
than the general Of division, and he
| presents very imposing figure with
his face full of energy and his long
white beard. With kindly smile from
his blue eyes his excellency received me
with great courtesy and personally con-
Quoted me in my walk through the
workshops. His thoroughly friendly
reception, his bule eyes and especially
his absolutely perfect French accent
made me doubt his nationality in spite
of his Turkish name; however, I VEN
tured to pay him discreet compliment
upon his perfect French, and the Pa
cha confessed to me with a smile that
he was not a Turk but Belgian. He
told me that he had been a captain in
the Belgian army, and that shortly be-
fore the outbreak of the Russo Turkish
war he had left the Belgian service and
entered that of Turkey He made rap
Id advance in his new home, ristin-
guished himself in several battles, and
finally was appointed a general of di-
vision and director of the sultans
workshops. Highly esteemed by the
sultan on account of his services to
by his former countrymen, for they
cannot forgive him for having en-
braced the Mahometan faith with all
the fervor of pervert.
l could scarcely restrain my surprise
when my guide drew attention to the
various workmen engaged in the i'm
perial workshops for they turned out to
be in many cases higher officers of the
Turkish army on active service. Here
was colonel of infantry energetically
planning a window frame for one Of the
rooms in the harem. At little dis
lance was q riding master busily occu-
pied with piece Of raw iron on turn
ing bench, while in the smithy COM
mander Of a detachment was working
away and turning out iron stakes for
use in the park The other workmen
are, for the most part. soldiers. The
Turkish workman is uncommonly clev-
err, and is especially conspicuous by the
astonishing readiness which he dis
plays in initiating strange work. Thus,
was shown an initiate of a German
and the original could
scarcely be distinguished from the
copy In the goldsmiths art the
Turks are extremely adroit, and most
of the Turkish orders are made in the
sultans workshops The objects des-
tined to be sent to foreign potentates
are generally cabinet work, Such, |
pieces of furniture which are often the |
work of many years, are inlaid most |
with ivory, mother-of-
pearl, ebony and precious metals, and
they are thus of great value. In addi- |
lion to- these workshops the sultan pos
sesses a porcelain mandatory, which
IS managed by French expert, and |
.urns out very sterling examples of the
ootters art.-London Globe.