them immediately began to play some soft airs on instruments between a lute and a guitar, which they accompanied with their voices, while the others danced by turns. This dance was very different from what I had seen before. Nothing could be more artful, or more proper, to raise certain ideas. The tunes so soft-the motions so languishing-accompanied with pauses and dying eyes, half falling back, and then recovering themselves in so artful a manner, that I am very positive the coldest and most rigid prude upon earth could not have looked upon them without thinking of something not to be spoken of. The music is extremely pathetic; 'tis true I am inclined to prefer the Italian, but perhaps I am partial. When the dance was over, four fair slaves came into the room with silver censers in their hands, and perfumed the air with amber, aloes-wood, and other scents. After this, they served me coffee upon their knees in the finest china, with soucoups of silver, gilt. The lovely Fatima entertained me all this while in the most polite agreeable manner; calling me often guzel sultanum, or the beautiful sultana, and desiring my friendship with the best grace in the world, lamenting that she could not entertain me in my own language. When I took my leave, two maids brought in a fine silver basket of embroidered handkerchiefs; she begged I would wear the richest for her sake, and give the others to my wo

men and interpretess. I retired through the same ceremonies as before, and could not help thinking I had been some time in Mahomet's Paradise, so much was I charmed with what I had seen."

This entertaining writer, in another letter to her sister, gives the following interesting account of a bride's first visit to the bath :

"I was three years ago at one of the finest baths in the town, and had an opportunity of seeing a Turkish bride received there, and all the ceremony used upon such occasions, which made me recollect the epithalamium of Helen, by Theocritus; and it seems to me that the same customs have continued ever since. All the female friends and relations of the newly-allied families met at the bagnio; several others assembled out of curiosity; there were not less in the whole than two hundred. Those who were or had been married placed themselves round the rooms on marble sofas; but the virgins hastily undressed, having no other covering than their fine heads of hair: two of them met the bride at the door, to which she was conducted by her mother and another grave relation. She was a beautiful person about seventeen, very richly dressed, but soon reduced to a state of nature. Two others filled silver gilt pots with perfume, with which they scented the room. They then began the procession, following in pairs to the number of thirty, the leaders singing an

ephithalamium, answered in chorus by the others; the two last leading the bride, having her eyes fixed on the ground with a most charming air of modesty. In this order they walked round the three largest rooms in the bagnio. It is not easy to describe the beauty of this sight, most of them being well-proportioned and finely skinned, which is improved by their frequent bathing. having made the tour, they lead the bride to every one in the room, who compliments her either with a jewel, or some other valuable present.'

After

Lady Montague is of opinion, that the Turkish ladies enjoy more liberty than the European, for the following reasons:-" No woman of what rank soever is ever permitted to go into the streets without being covered with two mulins; one that covers her face all but her eyes, the other that hides the whole dress of her head, and hangs half-way down her back. Their shapes are also wholly concealed by an article of deep white they call a ferigee, which no woman of any sort appears without. This has straight sleeves that reach to the fingers' ends, and laps round them not unlike a riding hood. You may guess then how effectual this disguises their persons, so that there is no distinguishing between the lady and her slave. It is impossible for the most jealous husband to know his wife when he meets her; and no man dare touch or follow a woman in the street. This per

petual masquerade gives them an entire liberty of following their inclinations without danger of dis

covery.

"The most usual method of intriguing is to send an appointment to the lover to meet the lady at a Jew's shop, which are as notoriously convenient as our Indian houses. The great ladies seldom let their gallants know who they are; and so difficult is it to find out, that they but very seldom can guess at her name, though they may have corresponded together for above half a year.

"You may easily imagine the number of faithful wives very small in a country where they have nothing to fear from a lover's indiscretion, since we see so many have the courage to expose themselves to that in this world, and all the threatened punishments in the next, which is never preached to the Turkish damsels. Neither have they much to apprehend from the anger of their husbands, those ladies that are rich having all their own money in their own hands. Upon the whole, I look upon the Turkish women as the only free people in the empire; the very divan pays respect to them; and the Grand Signior himself, when a pasha is executed, never violates the privileges of the harem, which remains unsearched, and entire to the widow.

They are queens of their slaves, whom the husband has not permission so much as to look

upon, except it be an old woman or two whom the wife chooses. It is true their law permits them four wives, but there is no instance of a man of quality that makes use of this liberty, or of a woman of rank that would suffer it. When a husband happens to be inconstant, (which will sometimes happen,) he keeps his mistress in a house apart, and visits her as privately as possible, just as it is with you. Amongst all the great men here, I only know the tefterdar, i. e. (treasurer,) that keeps a number of she-slaves for his own use, that is to say, on his own side of the house; for a slave once given to serve a lady, is ever after at her disposal; and he is spoken of as a libertine, or what we should call a rake, if he were to interfere with them; and the wife won't see him, though she continue to live in his house,"

In a Turkish house there are no chambers exclusively appropriated as bed-rooms; the usual way of sleeping is on a light mattress, which is spread on the sopha or in the middle of the chamber, and sometimes in the gallery, according to the season of the year, and the temperature of the weather. Neither men nor women lie down completely undressed, but have night-dresses, resembling, except in the inferior quality of the materials, the under-clothes which they wear in the day. The bed-furniture, which, in its greatest perfection, consists but of a quilted coverlet, a shect, and a