New Hampshire Statesman

SALE OF CIRCASSIAN WOMEN.

From Captains Irby and Mangles' travels in Nubia, Syria, &c.

At Hamah, we witnessed a melancholy scene the few evenings we were here; there arrived one evening four shabby-looking-ill-dressed Turks, attired somewhat like soldiers, and an elderly knave better clad, though no better looking than the others. These people brought with them eleven Georgian girls, the remnant of between forty and fifty, as we were informed, whom they had stolen or kidnapped from their parents on the confines of Georgia; they were brought to be sold as slaves or mistresses to such wealthy Turks as could afford to bid high sums for such unfortunate victims. These poor girls were lodged in the cells contiguous to ours; they were mostly between fifteen and twenty years of age; two were younger, being about twelve. They were all exceedingly pretty, with black sparkling eyes, rosy cheeks, long black hair, and very fair complexions, giving a very strong contradiction to the account which Volney writes of the Georgian and Circassian women, where he says, 'that their fame for beauty arises more from the fancy of travellers, heightened by the difficulty they have always found to get a sight of them, than from any real merit they possess in this respect.' The prices which were demanded and offered for these girls is the best proof of the estimation in which they are held by the Turks, especially when it is known that these people are allowed a plurality of wives. We were present at the bidding for one girl by a rich Turk, when fourteen purses, each purse being five hundred (18l.), were demanded, and although he offered ten, they would not abate one para; the poor girl, who was about fifteen, standing up all the while, and hearing the disputes about her purchase. They were all taken out four different times, and conducted through the town to the rich Turkish houses to be viewed and bid for, the same as any other merchandize; and on two occasions considerable parties of the principal inhabitants came to our khan, and examined and bid for the unhappy creatures at the door of their cells; they being obliged to stand up in a row, while their several merits were discussed by the rival bidders. We saw several candidates for purchasing, of upwards of fifty years of age, while the friendless object of his choice was only fifteen. The diet of these poor unfortunates, considering their sex, was of a character with the rest of their treatment, consisting only of a loaf of bread and a small piece of cheese twice a day; and although we were buying oranges at only two paras (a halfpenny) each, we never saw one amongst them all. Whenever the owners went abroad, they locked their charge up in the cells, and carried away the key. Being returned from one of their tours through the town, we heard some bitter lamenting in the cell next to ours, and found that it proceeded from one of the young girls being about to be sold, and consequently separated from her sister and companions. The mode of conducting these girls from town to town is on horseback; in this manner they had been brought from Georgia being exposed for sale at all the principal towns as they came along; they were now destined for Damascus, where it was thought a good mart would be found for them; they set out on their melancholy journey two days before we did. Bruce has given some account of the Georgian and Circassian women, which you can read and compare with this; I think in this instance he comes much nearer the truth than Volney.