CONSTANTINOPLE IN TIME OF WAR.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XII, Issue 246, 17 October 1877, Page 4

CONSTANTINOPLE IN TIME OF WAR.

A correspondent of the Times at Constantinople says:—" Thare is nothing on the surface of life either in Pera or Stamboul to lead the casual observer to believe that the capital is moved by events which are causing society such profound anxiety all over the outside world. It is true there is an attempt to get up a little excitement as each afternoon's newspaper appear, with their newest batch of semi-official statements, but beyond the loud-voiced men and boys who run up and down the narrow streets, jostling promenaders out of their patb, the fire of enthusiasm seldom seems to spread. To judge by the general appearance of Iha people out of deorp, ther iimore ,

interests taken here in the war than there is ia the advent of the Colorado | beetle. The Russians may come and the Sultan may go, but the every-Jay life of a great city goes steadily for ever. These observations, of course, only apply to the crowd of first, second and third citizens, the Selims and Nicolis of the street. Inside the house of all who have sufficient leisure to think of anything but the struggle for daily broad there is the keenest interest iv all most anxious forecasting of events. Nothing is spoken of but England's probable policy, the cbanoes of the three Turkish armies forming a junction, and the fate in store for Christians if the Sultan's soldiers either decidedly lose or decidedly win. I "The Grande Rue de Pera is orowded all day long. This preten-tiously-named thoroughfare is about as wide as the narrow part of Leather- ! lane. Its houses and shops are the most heterogeneous which could be found in a similar space in tha world. There are the great stone palaces of the French, Dutch, and Swedish em. basßies, and humble wooden shanties in which Indian corn cobs are roasted and served up hot ; fruiterers and jewellers, court hatters and tailors, places where they iron your fez for five farthings, and others where a contractor may get a thousand - guinea bracelet to present ac a thank-offering to a Pasha. The throng which jostles and shambles over the torturing stones is as motley as the buildings are various. And if the streets do not exhibit the Bigns of an active interest being taken in the war, certainly the public gardens do not. Gt these the most popular in Pera is the Concordia, where every aftarnoon and evening there ia music, promenading, and the consumption of iced drinks and coffee. To look in at this place on a Sunday evening, when it is thronged by a well dressed, chattering, and laughing crowd that not a chair or table is vacant to note the busy fiddlers, and watch the waiters flitting here and there through the midsummer foliage, with the general feasting aspect of everything around, makes it difficult to believe that only a few hours suffice to take ua where brave men are being tortured to death in an attempt to solve the Eastern question. Amongst the most prominent of the promenaders when I was there waa a gentleman in the very showy uniform of the Polish Legion. Of all the shallow tricks which this war has given birth to, the " Polish and Hungarian Legion" was perhaps the moac audacious. One hundred and twenty men of all sorts of nationalities except Polish were induced to order fine clothes and accept commissions in this promising corps, which was started by a sanguine individual who got tha ear of the Turks. Arrived at Shumla, the gallant gentleman asked to be introduced to the men they were to command, and who were said to have preceded them. Of course these could not be found, and as a foroe in which every man waa a commissioned officer could scarcely take the field with promise, the corps thawed, melted, and diaaolved itself, every man who had not " torn up his clothes " quietl/ slipping off his uniform aud reappeariog as a civili»n. Several highly-re-spectable young Englishmen, who had come to Constantinople hoping to get a commission in the Turkish army, were inveigled into enrolling themselves in this brilliant corps. Or course, thdy laugh heartily at it now. One sold me his captain's uniform the other dsy for a sovereign, aud I intended to keep it as a souvenir of the bloodless band. " Apropos of the number of respectable young Englishmen who have bean induced by highly-colorored descriptions of the Turks to try their fortunes out here, it is quite time that some firm, kind friend should take them by the hand. Some have come here hoping for commissions in the army, othera in the gendarmerie, nnd others in the navy under HobarJ Pasha. All have been bitterly disappointed, and it is no S9cret that some are suffering the bitterest privations in consequence. I have known cases of tenderly-reared men of good social position at home, ex-officera of our army, who, as brave ac English soldiers alwaya are, have been for weeks hiding themselves in shabby lodgings thinking themeelves lucky if they get one meal in two days, and keeping thoir poverty as gallantly secret as the Spartan boy did the stolen box."