 | Lady Layard’s Journal Go to a Date Search the Journal |
|
Previous Entry
|
Following Entry
| |
26 September 1879 — Damascus | |
Friday. 26th [September 1879]. Wassif Effi made his appearance soon after breakfast. I had to receive some Christian ladies & Jewesses—they all came veiled that is with a large white kind of sheet thrown over their heads & held across the mouth so as only to leave the eyes visible. The Stambouli ladies came to beg Henry to get their fathers’ claim paid. It appears he lent the Porte £12000 & now claims £40000—but Henry succeeded in persuading him to accept £25000– Alice & I went off with Wassif Effi to Midhat P’s house to lunch there. Midhat received us & took us into a small kiosque where we were received by his wife—a tall big woman with a very intelligent face abt 60—dressed in white muslin—& very dignified. Breakfast was soon announced & taking me by the hand she led me thro’ the garden to another kiosque here we went upstairs & were presented to his 2nd wife a very pretty Circassian—dressed also in white muslin with olive complexion & large almond shaped eyes—she was dark—& some European ladies. When we went in to breakfast in a room on the ground floor I sat at the head of the table with the chief wife at my side & a European Drs wife on the other– Midhat sat opposite with Alice on his right & his 2nd wife on his left. The whole time a very handsome Jewess & her daughter sang Arabic music to wh they were accompanied by a shabby blind girl on a kind of guitar. Both the women were dressed up & painted thickly. The girl was said to be 16 but was fat & pudgy & looked 30– They said the mother had been a beauty in her day & one of the Governors of Damascus had lost his Pashalic for her sake. They were dressed in velvet & jewelry & had their hair plaited & pomaded. The mother in Jewish fashion wore a wig. The Breakfast was good & half à la Turka half à la Franca. We went upstairs again & there the Jewesses sang & played & at last the girl was encouraged to dance wh she did most wonderfully gracefully considering her size & ungainly figure. She moved in a stately way singing & going thro’ the different movements wh explained her words & she had a peculiar way of shaking her shoulders from the waist upwards. Abt 3 we got away having exhausted the patience of Wassif & carried with us 2 lovely carpets & some handsome keffiehs & a piece of china crêpe as presents. We stopped to visit the military hospital wh we found very well kept & Dr Temple Bey was there to take us round with the Turkish medical officers. We distributed cigarettes to the patients, took coffee with the Drs & received huge bouquets & went home to rest—& then dressed & Henry & I went off to the Public gardens in an open carriage where we were received by all the municipality. It was still daylight & there were crowds to see us pass & a good many people in the gardens tickets having been distributed. We waited in the Club kiosque & walked in the gardens & all the people rose as we passed & I got quite clever at doing the “[illegible word]”. At dusk we went down to partake of the banquet given in our honor. I on Midhat’s arm– It was the 1st specimen of a public dinner ever seen at Damascus. I had Djeodet P. on my right. The dinner was long & not good. We were abt 40 at table. Henry proposed the Sultan’s health in a speech in French. Midhat returned by the Queens and then there were speeches in Arabic & all were translated right off in the cleverest way by the Dragomen. Midhat proposed my health with many pretty compliments wh being in Turkish I took second hand & then we cut off some of the interminable courses & went up stairs to see the fireworks—there was such a tremendous crush at the gates of the gardens that Midhat had to order them to be thrown open. The fireworks were very pretty & caused great pleasure being a novelty in the town. After the fireworks we went to an open air Turkish theatre—the Company being Armenians—but the best actor was a Turk. They played “The two Sergeants” translated into Turkish & at the melodramatic scenes wh were indifferently acted that I was near laughing I was dismayed to find all the Turks, including Midhat, in tears. Afterwards there was a Palais Royal farce & very well done but we were too tired to see it out. | |
|
Previous Entry
|
Following Entry
| |