A ROMANCE OF THE HAREM.

New Zealand Spectator and Cook's Strait Guardian, Volume VII, Issue 590, 29 March 1851, Page 3

A ROMANCE OF THE HAREM.

The following singular narrative is given in a letter to the “ Semaphore of Marseilles “ A few years ago a Greek girl of uncommon beauty was married to Mr. Melinger, an English physician residing at Constantinople, where he had acquired a high reputation. Several children were born of this marriage, which, to all appearances, seemed likely to I continue a happy one. Thanks to his profession and to his distinguished merits, Mr. Melinger received frequent visits from the highest dignitaries of the empire, and among others from his Excellency Fethi-Pacha, now son-in-law of the Sultan. It would appear that the doctor having discovered the existence of an intrigue between this gentleman and his wife, resolved upon quitting Constantinople, and taking the guilty one over to England; but the Greek refused to submit, doubtless bent upon other schemes, for she soon after obtained a divorce, and abandoned her children and her husband. After her divorce the connexion of Madame'Melinger with FethiPacha was but of short duration. But she shortly accomplished the conquest of Mehemet Pacha, who had just been appointed to the Governorship of Belgrade ; and in order the more entirely to captivate this distinguished personage, she became a Mussulman —a circumstance which immediately induced the enamoured Pacha to take her with him to his seat of government, and, finally, to make her his wife. Although greatly attached to his wife,. Mehemet’s happiness was not complete, as there was reason to fear that their, union would be sterile. Accordingly,he one day ventured a kind of reproach to his wife on the subject, who immediately replied with a smile, ‘ Is this the cause of your dejection, my Lord ? why did you not mention it sooner ?’• ‘ How so ?’ ‘ Would you prefer a boy or a girl V ‘A boy by all means.’ ‘ You shall; have one.’ After a short interval the crafty.

Greek feigned to be in the condition her lord desired, while every means were employed prudently to exile him from his wife’s apartments. The blindness of his passion rendered this an easy task, nor did a doubt cross bis mind as to the legitimacy of the infant presented to him, which he named Belgrade Bey, and the town showed itself duly sensible of its sponsorial honours by the most splendid rejoicings. A short time afterwards his Excellency Mehemet Pacha was recalled to Constantinople, and subsequently appointed Ambassador of the Oltomau Porte in London. But previous to his departure he expressed,a wish that he might have another boy, a brother and a companion for the beloved Belgrade. His happiness, he said, would not be completed unless he had two flue children almost of the same age, of whose future career he already formed the most brilliant anticipations. As she had done in the first instance, his wife replied, ‘ You shall have one.’ ‘ Impossible !’ exclaimed the husband, at first astounded. ‘As truly as Mahomet is our prophet.’ 5 Well,’ replied Mehemet, ‘ God is great ■ and it was thus that you annuuuced my first-born.’ At the end of a month she declared herself enciente, and the Pacha was the most delighted of men, but he was soon cbliI ged to set out for London, and his wife was left at Constantinople to complete her accouchement. This was all the Greek desired, and using the same means as before, she presented one fine morning to her assembled slaves, and to a few persons of her husband’s family, a fine child of the male sex, who received the name of Usned Bey. After the lapse of a few days the child fell seriously ill, and was sent, by order of the physicians, to Pera, under the care of its governess. Pera, as every one knows, is a suburb of Constantinople, inhabited by the mercantile community and by the European Ambassadors. Its air is purer than that of the city, and, accordingly! young Usnud was soon brought back in perfect health by his governess —tire same woman who had performed the office of nurse at the birth of Belgrade. Singularly enough, however, an old black eunuch who had brought up the Pacha, possessed his entire confidence, and managed his entire household, could by no means recognise Usned Bey in the child that was thus brought back, and in the presence of several slaves said to his mistress, ‘ Well, my lady, if that child be Usned Bey, he has become singularly altered by his sojourn at Pera among the infidels.’ The mother remained silent, and carried off the child, directing a fierce glance at the eunuch. Doubt had established itself, however, in the old man’s mind ; moreover, he had long been enlightened with respect to his mistress’s doings; he knew the whole history of Belgrade Bey, and the reason he had not mentioned it to his master was, that at the time he discovered the trick the Pacha had already grown fond of the little being whom he believed to be his son, and the eunnch had not had the courage to undeceive him. But, two supposititious children, in the first place, and then the impudent substitution of another child to the one which had been received as a legitimate offspring, ■ formed a complication of knavery of which the indignant old man refused to render himself an accomplice by remaining longer inactive. He betook himself to Pera, and proceeding step by step in bis investigations with that cautious prudence and insinuating artifice so peculiar to people of the East, and especially to the inmates of the harem, he succeeded iu acquiring positive evidence of the death of the veritable Usnud Bey, and of the substitution of a child of the same age, purchased of parents in the lowest grade of life. The eunuch then returned, and pointing to the pretended Usnud Bey, said to his mistress, ‘ Madam, let me beg of you to send that child back to his father—Mossul, the fisherman ; I know all.’ At these words the woman became livid, and left him, saying, ‘ It is well.’ “ Shortly before the time of afternoon prayer she sent for the eunuch, and was told he was taking a bath. No sooner did ' she hear this than her project was immediately formed. The old man, as we have said, was governor of the Pacha’s household, and as such, occupied a sumptuous apartment to which a bath-room was attached for his private, use • it was here that his mistress sought him out. The eunuch was attended by two slaves ; she dismissed them with an imperious glance, and remained alone with the old man. ‘ You were determined to find it out, then ?’ ‘Yes, and I did find it out.’ ‘To whom have you spoken about what you have discovered?’ ‘To no one, yet, but I shall write to my master.* ‘ How much do you want to hold your tongue?’ ‘ Nothing, lam determined to speak.’—/ And to write?’ ‘Yes, I mean to write.’ ‘Then take that to seal your letter with.’ At these words she threw a noose round the neck of the wretched old man, and commenced strangling him. The eunuch was feeble, and, taken by surprise, could offer hut little resistance. He struggled in vain;, his assassin continued to draw the fatal noose tighter and tighter still, and as she redoubled her efforts

she exclaimed with the rage of a fury, ‘ Ah, you wanted to know all—you shall know more than you bargained for ; you sought for light, did you ? here’s eternal darkness 1 Now, write to your master —write, old fool!’ At the vociferations of the assassin and the groans of the victim, one of the slaves returned into the apartment, and at the sight of the horrible scene, rushed out, and began crying all over the house, * The khanum (mistress of the house) is murdering—the khanum is strangling the eunuch!’ A scene of general confusion ensued. Some of the slaves rushed terror-struck into the street, repeating one after the other, ‘ The khanum is murdering ! the khanum is murdering !’ Others hastened to the bath-room, and only reached it as the old eunuch, overpowered, was stretched out senseless upon the marble floor. “ Betraying no alarm at the publicity of her deed, the khanum loosened the noose, and slowly retired between a double row of her servants, whose imprecations followed her to the door of her apartment. The eunuch had been kind to the slaves, and they lamented his loss. One of them raised him from the ground, and discovered that he still breathed 1 they rubbed him, and a physician was sent for’ but it was too late. The wretched man returned to life for a few moments, and found sufficient strength completely to denounce the guilty one, and to give a detailed account of his assassination, but he expired immediately after. All Constantinople was soon thrown into a state of agitation at the news of the crime, which spread with the rapidity of lightning. Tho Cadi arrived, and in spite of the khanum's rank, the authorities determined that she should be arrested and conveyed to prison. A courier was then despatched to London to apprise Mehemet Pacha of the fatal occurrence. The culprit has already been examined several times, and up to the present time the only defence she has set up is that she possessed a power of life and death over the eunuch, whom she considered as her slave. The affair remains at this stage for the present, and all further proceedings will be suspended until the arrival of a communication from London, or of the husband himself. As yon may imagine, this mournful event has created a sensation in the higher circles of the Mussulman society. It is presumed, however, that the Sultan will not be deterred by the rank of the criminal, and that the punishment of the crime will be signal.”— Sun, 28th Sept.