The Reiss Effendi—Devlehaï Hanoum—The Fair Circassian—The
Pasha—Ceremonious Observances of the Harem—An
Interview—Namik Pasha _versus_ Nourri Effendi—Imperial
Decorations—The Diploma—Turkish Gallantry—The Chibouks—The
Salemliek—The Garden—Holy Horror—The Kiosk—The Breakfast—A
Party in the Harem—Nèsibè Hanoum—The Yashmac—The
Masquerade—Turkish Compliments—The Slave and the Fruit
Merchant—Departure from the Palace.
As I was contemplating a second visit to the Palace of the Reiss
Effendi, an invitation reached me from the Minister himself, who
requested me to meet him at six o’clock the following morning in his
harem, previously to his departure for the Sublime Porte. I started
accordingly, accompanied by a young Greek lady who officiated as my
interpreter; and at the hour appointed we landed on the marble terrace,
and were instantly admitted.
I have elsewhere remarked on the early habits of the Turkish ladies, and
on the present occasion they were already astir, and the slaves hurrying
in every direction with sweetmeats and coffee. Devlehäi Hanoum was shut
into her chamber at prayers, and the door was guarded by a little slave
not more than six years of age; one of seven children recently purchased
from a slave-ship, so meagre and miserable, that the poor little
innocents had evidently been half-starved on their passage from
Circassia. One of them had been stolen from the very bosom of its
mother, and on its arrival in the harem was immediately provided with a
nurse.
On the conclusion of her prayer, the beautiful Georgian entered the
saloon in which we were awaiting her; and welcomed us most cordially.
Early as it was, the Minister was already, she told us, engaged with an
Ambassadorial Dragoman; and meanwhile sweetmeats, water, and coffee were
offered to me, of all which I gladly partook, and afterwards strolled
into the garden among the sweet-scented lemon trees, to await my summons
to the Pasha.
I had taken but two turns in the orangery, when the soft-eyed Conjefèm
Hanoum advanced smilingly towards me; and taking me by the hand (a great
mark of distinction from a Turkish lady) led me up stairs to the
apartment to which I have already alluded as having been honoured by the
temporary occupation of the Sultan. When we reached the door, she
released my hand, and fell back a few paces, in order that I should
approach the Minister alone.
As the room was very spacious, I had an excellent opportunity of
obtaining a good view of His Excellency, previously to our entering
into conversation; and the first glimpse which I had of him prepossessed
me in his favour. He occupied the upper end of the sofa, and was almost
buried amid piles of cushions, near an open window looking upon the
garden of the harem, whose myriad blossoms filled the apartment with
perfume.
Had I not known to the contrary, I never should have supposed him to
have been more than sixty years of age; his eye is still so bright, and
his brow so smooth. He wore the _fèz_ rather flung back; and his robe
was of flesh-coloured silk, lined with ermine.
When I entered, he was busily engaged with his chibouk, which was of the
most costly description, the large amber mouthpiece being of the
faintest yellow, and divided at mid-depth by a band of turquoise studded
with brilliants. He suffered me to advance nearly to the centre of the
apartment before he looked up; but he did so at length with a smile of
such kindness that I at once forgave him for his etiquettical
punctiliousness.
Devlehäi Hanoum was standing about twenty paces from the sofa with her
arms folded before her; and the fair Circassian, having, in obedience to
a signal from the Minister, placed an armchair for me close to his own
seat, immediately took up her position beside her. The Greek lady by
whom I was accompanied was not, to my great annoyance, included in the
courtesy extended to me; and during the two hours that I spent with the
Pasha, she consequently remained standing, or leaning on the back of my
seat.
After thanking me for the favour I had done him, and assuring me that he
had long wished to make my acquaintance, he desired to know if I would
smoke a chibouk; and was much amused when I told him that if he desired
I should return to my own country, to prove my gratitude to the Turks
for all the kindness and courtesy which they had shewn to me, he must
exempt me from the peril of such an encounter with “the scented weed.”
He accepted the apology at once, assuring me that he was desirous only
to give me pleasure; although, as I was the first Frank lady to whom he
had ever spoken, he might probably not succeed in proving his sincerity.
Sweetmeats were then handed to me by a slave; and subsequently coffee by
the fair hands of Conjefèm Hanoum, but my poor young friend was still
excluded from the courtesy. Water is never offered in the presence of a
great personage.
I had not been half an hour with the Minister ere I was convinced that
he was rather a good than a great man. There was a gentleness and
benevolence about him that were delightful; and as he stroked down his
white beard, and looked towards me with a smile of mingled amusement and
curiosity, I thought that I had never seen a more “green old age;” but
although he touched on a variety of subjects, and asked a variety of
questions, they were of the most commonplace description; and he
appeared infinitely more gratified by the admiration which I expressed
of the magnificent marriage festivities of the Princess, than by the
compliments that I paid to the rapid progress of civilization and
improvement among the people.
The only subject in which he took a marked interest, was the degree of
popularity enjoyed by the present Turkish Ambassador in London.
He asked if I had known Nourri Effendi, and I answered affirmatively:
upon which he immediately inquired if he were popular in London.
I replied candidly that since he did me the honour to ask my opinion, I
should say, judging from what had fallen under my own observation,
decidedly not. That I believed Nourri Effendi to be a very good man; but
that he was extremely ill-calculated to make his way in England; or to
give so favourable an impression of the nation which he represented, as,
since I had resided among the Turkish people, I felt anxious should be
produced on the minds of my own countrymen. That he could not speak any
European language, had forbidding manners, and made no attempt to
identify himself with the feelings and habits of the people among whom
he resided.
He next mentioned Namik Pasha, and said laughingly: “I know that the
ladies of England preferred him; and I have heard that the ladies are
very influential in your country—Yes, yes—the Pasha was young,
well-looking, and gallant; and spoke French fluently. Nourri Effendi
will never make his way among you as his predecessor did, but he is,
nevertheless, a good man; and perhaps they were not aware in England
that he was Secretary to the Porte.”
I observed that Namik Pasha lent himself willingly to European customs,
and made himself acceptable to every society into which he entered; and
that, in so far, he was consequently infinitely better fitted than his
successor for the post of Ambassador at a foreign Court. The Minister
looked steadily at me for a moment, and then said playfully; “You are
half a diplomatist yourself. I had heard as much before—this is the
first time in my life that I ever conversed with a Frank female; and
since we have fallen upon this subject, I should like to ask you one
more question before we abandon it. You have now been many months in the
country; and were you at liberty to select the next Turkish Ambassador
to England, tell me frankly whom should you choose?”
I could not forbear smiling in my turn: but I replied without
hesitation; “Reschid Bey—the present Minister at Paris.—It is such
individuals as Reschid Bey who prove to Europe what the Turks already
are, and what they are capable of becoming—Men of fine mind and
gentlemanlike manners, as well as of sound judgment and high
character.—Had the Sublime Porte sent Reschid Bey to London, a year or
two ago, the English would have had a more exalted opinion of its
diplomacy than they now have.”
Little did I imagine when I thus undisguisedly gave my opinion of the
Turkish Minister to Youssouf Pasha, that the Firman would be so soon
despatched which contained his transfer to the Court of England; and I
was not a little amused when I was told some time afterwards that the
Reiss Effendi, in giving the information of Reschid Bey’s arrival in
London to a friend of mine, added with a quiet smile: “You may as well
tell your Frank friend that the new _Ilchí_ is in England before her.
She will perhaps be glad to hear that he is the individual whom she
would have herself selected.”
From the Turkish Ambassador he digressed to the King of England, and
assured me that there was no European Monarch for whom the Grand
Seignior entertained a more affectionate regard. Indeed, he talked so
long and so fondly, not only of our good Sovereign, but of his people
also, that had I not previously known him to be deeply in the Russian
interest, I should have believed him to be as sincere an Anglo-Turk as
any individual throughout the Sultan’s dominions.
An apology for having received me in his morning dress, rather than keep
me waiting, led us to the subject of costume generally; for I could not
offer a better reply to his politeness than by expressing my admiration
of that which he wore, and declaring how much I considered it preferable
to the European frock-coat. He appeared gratified by the assurance, and
took this opportunity of desiring Conjefèm Hanoum to bring out his
decorations, in order that I might judge of the taste and magnificence
of the Sultan; and truly I never beheld anything more costly.
The first, which had been delivered to him with his diploma of Vèzir,
was an elaborately mounted medal of gold, inscribed with the cipher of
the Sultan, and the rank of the wearer, splendidly framed with
brilliants. But the diploma itself interested me much more; it was
enclosed in a wrapper of white satin, fastened with a cord and tassels
of gold, and occupied an immense sheet of stout paper; the name of Allah
stood at the head of the page, and immediately beneath it, but in much
larger characters, figured the cipher of the Sultan; these were written
in gold, as were also the name of the Vèzir himself which occurred in
the body of the document, and the word Stamboul at the foot of the page
on the left hand. The remainder of the contents were simply traced in
ink, but the characters were beautifully formed; and at the back of the
sheet were the signatures of Nourri Effendi who had drawn up the
document, as a voucher for its accuracy, and that of the Pasha himself,
as an acknowledgment of the duties to which it pledged him.
Having replaced the diploma, the Minister next put into my hands a
miniature portrait of the Sultan, surrounded by a wreath, of which the
flowers were diamonds, and the leaves wrought in enamel; enclosed within
a second frame-work of the same precious gems, formed into emblematical
devices, and dazzlingly brilliant. This magnificent decoration was
appended to a chain of fine gold, and secured by a diamond clasp.
When I had sufficiently admired it, the gallant old man begged me to
wear it for an instant in order that it might acquire an additional
value in his eyes; and the gentle Conjefèm Hanoum flung it over my head,
and entangled the chain in my ringlets, to the great delight of the
Vèzir, who watched the progress of its release with genuine enjoyment,
and told me that he had never before seen his decoration to so much
advantage.
The only drawback to these costly ornaments exists in the fact that they
are insecure possessions; as in case of death, or dismission from
office, they are returned to the Sultan. It was consequently with even
more pride, that the Minister exhibited to me a smaller, and perhaps
more elegant order, bestowed upon him by his Sovereign as an
acknowledgment of his faithful services to the Porte; accompanied by an
intimation that on his decease it was to be transferred to his eldest
son, in order that it might serve to record the regard and gratitude of
his master for the exemplary manner in which he had ever done his duty
to his country.
I was not a little amused at the epicurean manner in which the Vèzir
smoked. Every ten minutes his chibouk was changed by one or other of his
wives, by which means he merely imbibed the aroma of the tobacco, while
he had an opportunity of displaying the variety and costliness of his
pipes, without being guilty of any apparent ostentation; but, handsome
as several of them undoubtedly were, that of which he was making use
when I entered was infinitely the most beautiful.
When I rose to take my leave, my courteous entertainer begged that I
would remain as long as I found any amusement in the Palace, assuring me
that every effort should be made to render my visit agreeable; and that
the Salemliek should be as free for me as the harem, if I desired to
see it. Of course I accepted the offer; and, on leaving the Pasha, I
found Emin Bey and a negro waiting to conduct my friend and myself
through the mysterious passages which connect the two portions of the
establishment. In the Salemliek itself there was nothing remarkable. It
was a handsome house, well fitted up, and exquisitely clean; the
greatest charm to me existed in its open windows, which, after the
closely-latticed and stifling apartments of the women, were truly
agreeable; nor was the feeling of enjoyment lessened by the sight of a
crowd of birds, that, entering through the wide casements, with the
sunshine glittering on their wings, and the song of liberty gushing from
their throats, sailed to and fro the vast apartments, as though they
could appreciate their magnificent comfort.
But the garden was a little paradise, with its fountains of white
marble, its avenues of orange trees, its beds of roses, and verbena, and
geraniums, formed into a thousand fanciful devices! And before I could
make up my mind to leave it, the young Bey had so loaded me with the
fairest flowers he could select, that I breathed nothing but perfume.
We were greatly amused, on passing one of the marble bridges which are
flung over the street to connect the grounds, at the astonishment of a
party of worthy Musselmauns who chanced to look up as we were crossing,
attracted by the unwonted sounds of female voices; and the “Mashallàhs!”
with which they greeted our apparition. “Who can they be?” asked one:
“And how came they there?” “She with the fair hair is a Frank as well as
a Giaour;” was the reply of a second: “I would swear it on the Prophet’s
beard.—The infidels are making way among us indeed when their women are
thus at liberty to shew their unveiled faces in the Salemliek of one of
our great Pashas—but it is no affair of mine—Mashallàh—I trust in
God!”
The Kiosk of the Reiss Effendi was by far the most beautiful that I had
yet seen—A painted dome, representing the shores of the channel,
occupied the centre of the roof; and beneath it a graceful _jet d’eau_
threw up its sparkling waters, which fell back into a capacious bason.
The walls were washed by the Bosphorus on the one side, and covered with
parasites on the other; and it was floored with marble of the most
dazzling whiteness. Here were collected the younger sons of the
Minister, and three or four other children, amusing themselves by
running barefooted round the basin, and suffering the glittering dew of
the fountain to fall upon them in its descent; while each was laughing
out in his young joyousness as he marked the dripping condition of his
companions, and forgot that he was himself in the same predicament.
On our return to the harem we found the breakfast served; and sat down,
attended by Conjefèm Hanoum and ten female slaves, to partake of a
repast, of which the dishes had been sent from the table of the
Minister, who was also about to make his morning meal. Confectionary,
pillauf, and stewed meats, were succeeded by some delicious fruits; and
when these had been removed, and I had emptied a goblet of sherbet the
colour of amber, we joined the party in the great saloon.
And a numerous party it was! About a dozen Hanoums, all splendidly
dressed, and with their turbans sparkling with diamonds, were squatted
in a group upon the sofa; and in an instant I took my place in the very
midst of them, with my feet doubled under me, to watch the departure of
the Pasha, whose barge, manned by ten rowers, and covered with Persian
carpets, was waiting to convey him to the Sublime Porte.
Away he went at last in fine style, attended by his secretary, his
chiboukjhe, three officers of his household, and two soldiers; and as
soon as he was fairly out of sight, the curiosity of all the party
centered upon me. They ran their hands along the satin of my pelisse,
asked me if the brooch that confined my collar was gold, whether I made
my own gloves, and if I would teach them to curl their hair. Having
satisfied them on all these points, I looked round the circle in my
turn, and made an acquaintance with the young and bright-eyed Nèsibè
Hanoum, the sister-in-law of the Minister, and her lovely infant.
As the supreme high breeding of the harem is no longer its perpetual
idleness, several of the ladies were engaged in needlework, principally
in embroidering handkerchiefs, and knitting a coarse kind of lace for
trimming the bosoms of their chemisettes; and when each had settled
herself to her employment, Conjefèm Hanoum proposed giving me a lesson
in the art of arranging a yashmac, an achievement sufficiently
difficult.
A slave was accordingly despatched into her chamber in search of the
long scarf of muslin necessary to the operation; and in five minutes I
had undergone so perfect a metamorphose that I could scarcely recognize
myself when I glanced into the mirror. The delight of the whole party
was unbounded; and nothing would satisfy them but my adding a feridjhe
to my veil, and presenting myself to the Buyuk Hanoum. The voluminous
cloak of dark cloth was accordingly thrown over me, and with
considerable difficulty I was taught to manage it with some degree of
grace; after which the laughing girl dragged me towards the apartment
of the venerable lady; and entering before me, announced that a
_mussafir_, or guest, desired to be admitted.
On the invitation of its occupant, I advanced, making the _temina_[6]
with all the ceremony necessary to continue the deceit; and it was
not until I had kissed the hand of the Buyuk Hanoum, and stood
upright before her, that she detected the masquerade; but when she
did so, I was overwhelmed with exclamations and intreaties—I was
beautiful—resistless—I should turn the head of every True Believer in
Stamboul—Why did I desire to return to England, when there was not a
Pasha in Constantinople who would not consider me ‘the Light of the
Harem’—Would I become a Turk?—and a thousand other ejaculations of
like import.
When the sensation had partially subsided, I returned to the saloon; and
as the yashmac had previously been arranged in the manner in which it is
worn by the ladies of the Seraï, I took a second lesson, to enable me to
put it on in the more general fashion; and I then amused myself for five
minutes in watching the manœuvres of a slave who was purchasing some
water-melons from a fruit-caïque. Nothing could be more ludicrous: the
great gate of the harem was ajar, and one of the caïquejhes stood on
the terrace, and took the fruit from his companion; after which he
advanced towards the entrance, and rolled it through the open space on
to the marble floor beyond: the slave running after each as it appeared,
and grasping it with both hands, as she held it to her ear, to ascertain
if it would give out the splashing sound without which it is of no
value—laying aside those that she approved, and rolling back the others
with a velocity that gave her the appearance of being engaged at a game
of bowls with the Greeks on the terrace; talking, moreover, all the time
with an earnestness worthy of the occasion.
I loitered away another hour with my amiable hostesses, and then,
looking at my watch, I urged a previous engagement, in order to overcome
their kindly entreaties that I would spend the remainder of the day with
them; and having bade adieu to the Buyuk Hanoum and her numerous guests,
and promised to pay her another visit before I left Constantinople, I
once more quitted the hospitable halls of the Reiss Effendi; carrying
away with me the liveliest feeling of gratitude for all the attentions
which I had experienced from every member of his family.