near two hundred yards long, and the line of Pashas, each
surrounded with the officers of his staff, made a most dazzling show. The
lowest in rank came first. I cannot recollect the precise order, nor the
names of all of them, which, in fact, are of little consequence, while
power and place are such uncertain matters in Turkey.

Each Pasha wore the red fez on his head, a frock-coat of blue cloth, the
breast of which was entirely covered with gold lace, while a broad band of
the same decorated the skirts, and white pantaloons. One of the Ministers,
Mehemet Ali Pasha, the brother-in-law of the Sultan, was formerly a
cooper's apprentice, but taken, when a boy, by the late Sultan Mahmoud, to
be a playmate for his son, on account of his extraordinary beauty. Rescind
Pasha, the Grand Vizier, is a man of about sixty years of age. He is
frequently called Giaour, or Infidel, by the Turks, on account of his
liberal policy, which has made him many enemies. The expression of his
face denotes intelligence, but lacks the energy necessary to accomplish
great reforms. His son, a boy of about seventeen, already possesses the
rank of Pasha, and is affianced to the Sultan's daughter, a child of ten,
or twelve years old. He is a fat, handsome youth, with a sprightly face,
and acted his part in the ceremonies with a nonchalance which made him
appear graceful beside his stiff, dignified elders.

After the Pashas came the entire household of the Sultan, including even
his eunuchs, cooks, and constables. The Kislar Aga, or Chief Eunuch, a
tall African in resplendent costume, is one of the most important
personages connected with the Court. The Sultan's favorite dwarf, a little
man about forty years old and three feet high, bestrode his horse with as
consequential an air as any of them. A few years ago, this man took a
notion to marry, and applied to the Sultan for a wife. The latter gave him
permission to go into his harem and take the one whom he could kiss. The
dwarf, like all short men, was ambitious to have a long wife. While the
Sultan's five hundred women, who knew the terms according to which the
dwarf was permitted to choose, were laughing at the amorous mannikin, he
went up to one of the tallest and handsomest of them, and struck her a
sudden blow on the stomach. She collapsed with the pain, and before she
could recover he caught her by the neck and gave her the dreaded kiss. The
Sultan kept his word, and the tall beauty is now the mot