. The Turk and the land of Haig; or, Turkey and Armenia: descriptive, historical, and picturesque . slaves, astrologers,sultanas, kadines, Circassian and Georgian odalisques,dancing women, etc. To cover the annual expensesof such a large household and table twelve milliondollars is required. That the Turkish Empire is bank-rupt is a matter of course, and it simply exists by themercenary sufferance of powerful creditors and by theperplexed nature of European politics. I have a very vivid recollection of my first view ofthe Sultan. It was an unusually cool and pleasant dayin midsummer of 1889, w
. The Turk and the land of Haig; or, Turkey and Armenia: descriptive, historical, and picturesque . slaves, astrologers,sultanas, kadines, Circassian and Georgian odalisques,dancing women, etc. To cover the annual expensesof such a large household and table twelve milliondollars is required. That the Turkish Empire is bank-rupt is a matter of course, and it simply exists by themercenary sufferance of powerful creditors and by theperplexed nature of European politics. I have a very vivid recollection of my first view ofthe Sultan. It was an unusually cool and pleasant dayin midsummer of 1889, when I started to witness theimperial pageant of Selemlik—the Sultans going toprayers. Upon my arrival near the Yildiz Kiosk, Ifound, that almost every available inch of space betweenthe mosque and the palace was filled with Turkish sol-diers and with people of every nation. Happily, Ichanced to find a base- and ragged-looking Jew, who hadcome early and secured a high and commanding posi-tion above the heads of the soldiers. Nothing but thejingle of coins would induce him to give up his SULTAN ABDUL-AZIZ. 240 THE TURK AND THE LAND OF HAIG. With a few paras, and less parley, I succeeded in ex-changing places with him. He thought he had the bestof the bargain, but I would not have given up the placefor five times the amount I paid him. The new Mosqueof Hamadieh, in which the present Sultan worships, issome eighty or one hundred yards from the palace, theYildiz Kiosk. He rides to it, however, every Fridaynoon, in an elegant barouche, with all the pomp ofelaborate ritual and imposing ceremony. From thepalace to the mosque the streets are lined on either side,four ranks deep, with brightly uniformed regimentsof gorgeous soldiers, representing every part of thedominion in their picturesque and varied uniforms andwith their regimental banners. The roadway on whichthe Sultan js to drive is carpeted a half-inch deep withfine, clean sand. Pashas and beys, foreign ambassadorsand
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