The Birmingham age-herald., 1906-02-11

miles. population 54,s40 and Egypt 400,Oo0 square miles, with population ot D. S2l, 100.
 There is established In Turkey gov ernmental agricultural bank with S6S agencies, for assisting the farmers, usual ly on the security of real property. The capital is 2,62O,60O pounds sterling, and is supplied by a light tax on agricultural property.
 For some centuries it has not been the custom of the Sultans to contract reg ular marriages. All children born in the ha- rem, whether offspring of free women or of slaves, are legitimate and of equal lineage.
 Abdul-Hamid II. Is the thirty-fourth ruler in male descent of the house or Othman, and the twenty-eighth Sultan since the conquest of Constantnople.
 Ladies of the imperial harem, almost without exception, wear European dress, and these Sultanas have French maids and order their hats and gowns from Paris.
 The public bonds now outstanding amount to $75O,OO0, 600. and the govern ment revenues scarcely pay the inter- est.
 For years the Sultan has not been out side of the palace grounds at Yildiz eX- cept when he attends public prayers at d mosque built just outside the palace gates Even then he is so guarded and hemmed in by soldiers that not one spec tator can get within rods of him. The palace is a fortress in itself. Vast bar racks surround 1t and surround the park, into which no stranger may enter, while off Dolonia Baghtche, on the Bosphor- ous, two imperial yachts lie always at anchor, one of which has steam up day and night. Spies patrol the city, lurlk' in the public places and worm their ways into families, whom by one lying phrase they can ruin
 A Turkish soldier goes into battle with out ever having fired a rifle in his life, as not even blank cartridges are served out to regiments on drill, so great is the fear of an uprising.
 The Turk practices no trade. engages in no commerce.. They have proverb which says: "rhe Frank has science, the Armenian commerce the Osmanli majes- ty." But as majesty wont fill stomachs those who do not serve as soldiers strive to become functonaries, and the men of the small villages, failing in this, do nothing and the work of the fields and house fall upon the shoulders of the wom- en. One chronicle states that occasionally the man of the house crochets a stocking or minds the baby for q short period. Hospitality is a striking characteristic of the Turk: in fact, it Is against the precepts of his religion to turn away a guest who seeks shelter and lodging at his hands.
 1 Turkey has on the Dardaneles (ancient i HellesponD probably the most formidable | Notifications in the world, no other works even approximating them in strength eX- l cept those at Gibraltar. This narrow | channel unites the Sea of Marmora with | the Grecian archipelago Ii is about for 1 ty miles in length and varies in width | from less than one mile to four miles. 1 No matter what else In Turkey may de- | cay. these works always are kept up to date, with guns of the latest pattern and largest calibre. There Is frequent l talk of forcing the Dardaueless to at- tack Constaniinopfe, but more than one recognized authority has expressed doubt If the combined ndvies of the world could succeed in getting single ship through. so formidable are the batteries.