The Dallas weekly herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1885, 1882-09-14
The Sultan,

ABDUL hamlu, Vle preSeHb iuei VI VIZ
Turks, is in many ways remarkable man
and it is misfortune.for both himself ant
the English that he had not been better un
derstood and had more allowance made fol
the difficulties of this very exceptional pos
ition. Placed upon the throne of his ances
tors under circumstances that could not fai
to engender in his mind suspicion and dis
trust Of all those about him, the first care
of his majesty was naturally to make him
selfsecure.
Far from being the mere tool in the hands
of designing pashas, as at first imagined
he has gradually worked round them all
andd having broken up entirely and dis
persed all the elements of the combination
by which the ruin of his Inflated uncle
was brought about, he reigns at the present
time the most powerful sultan Turkey has
seen since the days of Mahmoud the re-
former. Nothing is more remarkable than
the manner in which he has made himself
master OF the empire. Surrounded as he
was at first by ambitious spirits who thought
| to rule the country through him at pleasure
| he had to bow for q time at their WILL fol
the easy task the deposition of his two pre-
decessors had proved was still fresh in the
minds of many, and would have naturally
acted as an incentive to fresh action of the
the commencement. Shrewder than the
men with whom he had to deal, his majesty
commenced by fixing his abode at Yildiz
small kiosk on the top of hill overlook
ing the Bosphorus, a position of no mean
strategic importance. Here he surrounded
himself quietly by such defences as could
not be easily oyercome-faithiul
guards and numerous seryitorss whom he
could fully trust. an army OF inspectors
permeating all classes of society, and thus
keeping treason in check from fear of de
lection. Gathering around him large staff
of intelligent natives, making their fortunes
his care, he bound them to himself, and re-
lying on their fidelity was able gradually to
replace with them every official who held
any position of trust at the time OF the
great coup d'etat. With the assistance OF
these men he has gradually concentrated
the whole administrative power of the gov
eminent into his own hands.
Whereas, during the last two reigns the
porte was everything, and the palace
naught, the Turkish ministry in the present
day is only such in name, each department
being subordinate to the sultan's private
council. Not the slightest latitude is al
lowed, even the smallest matter having to
be submitted to the approval of his majesty
before action can be taken thereon, and SO
well is the sultan kept informed of all that
is going on that minister daring to act on
his own initiative would soon find himself
relegated to the retirement of his "Conak''
disgraced official.
The sultan is man of grand ideas, and
coming to the throne under happier cir
cumstances would undoubtedly prove q
beneficent ruler. Although his privy
purse absorbs alarge amount of the public
revenue, it is not wasted as during the pre-
yious reigns on the building of palaces and
the presentation ofjewelry to court favor
ties, but is largely spent for po-
litical purposes and the purchase &C.
Ca SSb there of Uork money stores n i9e
chest of the particular department inter-
ested. Abdul Hamid, with an empire torn
to pieces as o result of disastrous war, set
himself steadily to work to repair the raw
ages in the military strength ofthe country.
The scattered soldiers that had fought so
well were brought together, and every open
space about the military centres becoming
drill-ground for the training of the new
leyies, to the surprise of many q new army
shortly sprang up to replace that which
had been destroyed by disease and
incessant conflict with the enemy. How
these fellows are likely to bear themselves
in new war ask of the military critics who
have watched a march past at the
"Selamlik" on Friday when the sultan
goes in state to mosque. Tall strapping,
StalWdrG IellOWS, Win u lilO bOaA
ing in spite of the free and easy movement
of the limbs that sayors somewhat of lax
ness at drill, they are the admira-
ton of all who see them, They are
none the worse for the want of
stiffness, as it is quality rather undestra-
Bile than otherwise in troops, en- Champagne,
however much its absence on parade may
offend the eye ofthe martinez. With plenty
of men there is no lack of arms, for the
Turks are amply provided with field artil-
lery, Kraup guns of light calibre, but long
range, and have stand Of Martini Pea;
body rifles of not less than five hundred
thousand. Seeing how much Of his powerin
Europe was lost with the emancipation. OF
the old tributary states. and the formation
of new ones, to say nothing Of the enforced
cessien of territory Of foreign governments,
It is hardly surprising that the sultan
should have turned his thoughts to the con-
solidation of the Asiatic portions OF the
empire. To regain in Asia the prestige OF
which the "sultanate', had been shorn in
Europe would naturally commend II TO o
lofty mind as very noble object OF ambi-
iion.-[N. Y. Herald.