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5 August 1879 — Therapia | |
Tuesday. 5th [August 1879]. Messenger went off. Copied for Henry spent a long time trimming up a bouquet with red satin & lace to send to the Sultan as it is his fête day. Had my Turkish lesson. At 2 oclock (after luncheon) we went on board the Antelope. We had with us the Belgian Minister & his wife & daughters, Hatzfeldt, Nelly & Ittersum, the Mantillas, Dicksons & some of our own secretaries. We went to the Islands & we first stopped at Halki where Henry, Blanche & I landed to call on old Sali P. at the Naval school. The old gentleman expected us & the scholars were drawn up as a guard of honor. Woods Bey was also there. We went over the establishment & Woods tried to show us a galvanic battery & torpedo affair & it wd not go off! We afterwards heard that one of the boys had in his pocket the connecting link! We returned to the Antelope & went on to Prinkipo & all the party except Henry & I & Hatzfeldt, Ittersum & Mantilla landed to have a donkey ride & see the Island. When they returned a little after 8 we were all hungry & there was a delay wh I cd not acct for; on going down to see I found that the Captain’s steward had drunk up all the claret cup wh Giovanni had prepared & was tipsy. However more cup was made & we got to dinner but as it went on the Steward fell down & had to be banished. When we got near Consple we found that there were great illuminations for the Sultans fete & as it was a lovely calm moonlit night we had a lovely journey home. The illuminations in some places were very effective & gave one some idea of what they must have been in the good old times. We were very sorry that owing to our having been unaware of the intentions to illuminate we had none at our Embassy & Therapia was the darkest village on the Bosphorus. | |
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