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15 May 1880 — Therapia | |
Saturday. 15th May [1880]. We started for town in the carriage at 10. It was not a very fine day unfortunately & we were sorry as we wanted to show off the country to the Gregorys– We drove straight to the photographers & I left the 3 there to be photod. I went to Mme Mantilla and asked her if she wd take me out this afternoon & then I went to the Embassy to settle about the packg wh Giovanni was already beginning for we had decided to pack everything & leave it ready as we are pretty certain not to return here. We all lunched with the Secretarys mess room with MM. St John & Leveson Gower. Hatzfeldt came to see us. Henry went off with the Gregorys to show them the mosques & the treasury. Mme Mantilla sent the carriage for me & then we went together to the French hospital to see Mrs Burness. We sat for a long time in the parlour with her hearing the whole acct in detail as she was close by him at the time. One man spoke to the coachman of their carriage & threatened him unless he turned his horses & went in the opposite direction & then went up to Burness & seized his watch chain. On his resisting he threw him down & then Burness gave up the watch. The thief called out to his companions “yet vour”—& they rushed on Burness & stabbed him on each side & then cut his throat– The women all the time were running in an opposite direction & got the carriage & brought it back. Burness managed to stumble up & they got him into the carriage & got to the guardhouse—gave the alarm & went on to the hospital. Two men were taken the same night & recognized. We went from the hospital down to Dolmabaghcheh to meet the mouche—but as we were too early we went to call on Mme Kiasim & Pss Aziza– Mme K received us & as the Pss was in bed from the effects of a miscarriage we were taken up to her room. We went thro’ a broken down house with dirty aspect to an upper floor & we found the Pss in a lovely room hung with bright blue satin in a French bed with blue satin tester– She had a pink satin quilt in the middle of wh was embroidered her name in an elaborate monogram. She had sheets with lace– She wore a white quilted satin jacket & her short hair dyed golden was fluffed out round her head like a halo. We stayed a few minutes & then returned to Mme Kiasim’s room & then returned to the waterside– We were not kept long waiting the launch soon arrived. There was a great excitement at the news that Zarifi who had gone to Brusa had been taken by brigands but it turned out afterwards to be untrue. We had tea in the launch out of my tea basket. There was a good deal of talk about the Sultan having gone yesterday to the Salaamlik at St Sofia’a & after to the Sweet Waters in a caique & ridden home. It is the first time he has been out since the Ali Suavi attempt to put Murad on the throne again. We had a dinner party P. Halim Pasha, Mr [illegible word], Sir A. Sandison, Mr Preziosi & Mr Ash; A B. & Gregorys. Hayreddin P. was to have come but excused himself at the last moment. | |
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