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2 August 1879 — Therapia | |
Saturday. 2nd [August 1879]. At 10 o’cl we went on board Hobart P.’s yacht the Hawk & he took us (Blanche & Edward, Alice & Mr Oliphant) down to town. We got down abt 12 & anchored close to Dolmabaghcheh gardens & then sent his captain on shore to ask when the ceremony for the blessing of the camels & the departure of the Imperial presents took place. He came back to say it wd come off at once & that the Sultan “will come to one window & pray one hour.” So we went ashore & landed at the guard house where there were a great many ADCs of the Sultan, amongst whom I recognised Shefyk Bey, Ahmed Vefyk’s son & spoke to him; he at once took us up to the ADC’s appartment where we had coffee in pink enamel zarfs with small diamonds. After waiting a little while we were taken to another appartment– It appeared that Shefyk had telegraphed to Munir Bey at the Palace to say I was there & Munir ordered that we shd be taken to the appartment where Hayreddin P. had been lodged on his first arrival here in the country. We had to wait some time there & it began to grow somewhat tedious so we were glad of lemonade & then a visit from Tahir Bey & Col. Baker V.C. who asked if we wd like to go down to see the camels loaded. So we went down to the garden & saw a high kind of scaffold all covered with bright coloured silks lifted & put on the back of the kneeling camel. While we were watching this Mrs Hobart & Alice said they wd like to go to the gate to see the Sultan arrive & they had scarcely gone when Munir Bey came breathless to beg we would go into the Palace as the Sultan had heard of my being there & offered us to see the ceremony from the windows. We ran after Munir as the ceremony was waiting to begin & ran past a long row of Ulemas & of ADCs who were drawn up. We found ourselves on the ground floor in a room where were many ADCs & amongst them the Frenchman Dreyssé who was presented to me—a very second rate common looking man & also Dr Blanc an old French Dr off the Messagerie’s Maritimes who seemed to be in his dotage. He was placed in the Palace by Fournier. After waiting a few minutes the 2 camels made their appearance. The first was led by an old gentleman who they said was 2nd master of the ceremonies & the 2nd who was only for show was led by a servant. They went round & round for an hour while the Sultan & Sheikh ul Islam prayed in a upper window & then the Sultan’s letter was sent down in a green satin envelope & delivered by the ADC to the [illegible words] who was going to Mecca to deliver the letter & presents from H.M. When he had recd the letter he walked away & the camels after him & then came another procession a lot of common men shouting & jumping representing pilgrims. They bore on their shoulders an old man standing bolt up & resting on 2 sticks wh they held up to him. Behind them came a string of mules with coffers laden with money & a smart palanquin borne by mules. I suppose there were abt 12 mules altogether when they had followed the camels out at the great gate the ceremony was over & the mullahs & ADC’s were released from their duty & filed off. Amongst the ADCs there was an Englishman of the gendarmerie Col. Baker V.C. & in the middle of the ceremony the Sultan, who did not know him sent down to ask his name. Izzet Bey was also there & we amused ourselves with bowing to him in order to embarrass him as he only dared make the smallest inclination of his head. When the ceremony was over we prepared to depart but were stopped by Munir Bey who came to say the Sultan wished to see me as soon as he had changed his uniform. Very shortly after Munir fetched me & H.M. recd me in the long gallery of the palace. He was most amiable & kind & said he only wished I had let him know that I wished to come & he wd have prepared, that he did not look on Henry & myself as Ambassador & Ambss but as friends and we were to come & go to the Palace when we liked. On thanking H.M. I said I thought I had given proof of how I had taken him at his word in venturing thus to present myself at the Palace unbidden. When H.M. enquired after Henry I told him that he had not accompanied me on what he considered a wild goose chase & that he naturally would have no idea of seeing H.M. I admired the pictures & the view from the windows. At that moment a large English steamer passed & H.M. remarked that he hoped soon there wd be Turkish steamers of the same sort. He then said that as we had friends he wd not keep me & I declared that not having lunched I was hungry & so I joined the rest & we returned to Hobart’s yacht & set to work to lunch as soon as we cd; in the middle of the meal the Master came down & announced “one man from Palace with table.” On going to see it turned out to be Munir Bey with a lovely mother’s pearl bookcase wh the Sultan sent me. It is very fine & has an inlaid inscription wh I have had thus translated “May the books of commentary of the Koran & the Traditions of the Prophet remain in this bookcase as long as the happy Emperor remains on the throne, the Sultan Mehmoud, the reformer, the just the noble the equitable monarch whose court resembles that of Djern-chid–” We hoisted the bookcase on the top of the steam launch & carried it home. We stopped at Mrs Willie’s to leave May Boyd & got some tea & to pick up Mrs Arthur Hanson who is come to stay a day or two with us. Got home abt 6 rather tired. | |
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