No. XVII.

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THE TURKS.

_(For the Mirror.)_

The Turks have a manly and prepossessing demeanour; being generally of a
good stature, and remarkably well formed in their limbs. The men shave
their heads, but wear long beards, and are extremely proud of their
mustaches, which are usually turned downwards, and which give the other
features of the face a cast of peculiar pensiveness. They wear turbans,
sometimes white, of an enormous size on their heads, and never remove
them but when they go to repose. Their breeches, or drawers, are united
with their stockings, and they have slippers, which they never put off
but when they enter a mosque, or the house of a great man. Large shirts
are worn, and over them is a vest tied with a sash; the outer garment
being a sort of loose gown. Every man, in whatever station he is,
carries a dagger in his sash. The women's attire much resembles that of
the other sex, only they have a cap on their heads, something like a
bishop's mitre, instead of a turban. Their hair is beautiful and long,
mostly black, but their faces, which are remarkably handsome, are so
covered when they walk out, that nothing is to be seen but their eyes.
The ladies of the sultan's _haram_ are lovely virgins, either captives
taken during war, or presents from the governors of provinces. They are
never allowed to stir abroad except when the grand signior removes; and
then they are put into close chariots, signals being made at certain
distances that no man may approach the road through which the ladies