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5 September 1881 — Ca’ Capello, Venice | |
Monday. 5th [September 1881]. Rearranged the drawing room. Men came from the Stabilimento & put up some chandeliers to be ready for the illuminations next week. Modelled from 11 to 1.30. Matilda sat to me as usual till 12.30. After lunch (1.30) had a visit from M. Kokhovsky the Russian Commissioner for the Geo: Congress. At 2.30 M. & Mme Vambery & the boy of 9 & Miss Poulsky called. Vambery is a funny little lame man very loquacious & amusing. We talked of Turkey where he had lived a long time & he said he had known the present Sultan when he was a boy. He said he had taught Sir Henry Bulwer Turkish for 9 months & he wished he had written down all his eccentricities & all he had gone thro’ with him. He said he was a curious man whose delight was to make people believe that he was mad—but Vambery believed him to be quite sane but very affected. We talked of Genl. Mehemet Ali P. the German & Vambery said he remembered when he became a renegade. That the Turks rather discouraged him. He had been introduced to Ali P. (the father of Ali Fuad the present Sultans secy) by a German called Schultz & had made up his mind to become a servant of the Porte. Ali P. told Vambery to try & dissuade Mehemet Ali from changing his religion but on hearing he was determined Vambery was charged with giving him his first lessons on the Koran & so Vambery the Hungarian gave the German his first elementary teachings in the Mohammedan religion. He said the Turks did not value their convert & his murder by the Albanians would never be avenged as the Turks in their hearts regarded him as a Giasar. Mrs Vambery is a curious little lady dark & silent—perhaps because her husband left her no time to talk. We spoke of Burton the traveller & Mr Vambery said Mrs V. had one objection to him which was that he dyed his moustaches so black that when he eat the black came off on the napkins & spoilt them. Abt 3 Henry & I went out to go to the Geo: Exhibition. As we went to S. Moise we met Mme Marcello coming to us. She got into our gondola & came with us & we went to the Piazza all 3 together. Went to Naya’s & got an album for signatures & took a turn under the procuratie. Met P. Teano, Conte Michiele & Mrs Nevile & left Andriana with them. Left cards on Sig. Cesnola & went to Clerle to get some old silk for transferring old embroidered flowers. When we returned home found Cortelazzo arrived to stay with us. Talked to him. Pasted into despatch book till dinner. After dinner we took a row in the moonlight. Cribbage—bed– | |
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