The sun., 1883-11-04


athlete. Nevertheless he spent good deal OF
time in the gymnasium. and could do clever
things on the parallel bars and the trapeze,
Once he found a bar at the top Of st. Johns
Chapel tower. which was then building. and
swung from 1t. too and heel. hanging over a
drop OF 800 feet He loved TO 70 a-lshing In
out-of-the-way places. and would walk miles to
spend day with gypsies Ho was always
sketching painting and drawing. and was ex-
coedinaly happy In caricature. Burlcsquo
writing was another favorite amuse-
ment OF his and he spent good
deal Of his leisure In private theatricals.
exhibiting a real gift for acting. About the
year 1868 ho was very strongly attracted by
oonjuring. and acquired astonishing skill in
manipulation. Subsequently he began an in
vestigation Of splrltualistic phenomena, and
performed almost all the tricks for which Sade.
Foster. and other adopts have obtained noto-
riety. He made for instance. an electric rap
ping table, by means Of which surprising COM
munications were effected from great men
departed. He was very successful In producing
tho deviation deusion under which body
is seen floating in the dim twilight. Ho also
acquired the knack Of drawing what are
known as spirit portraits. tho faces be-
ing skOtched without looking on the pa
per. and while the artists eyes are
he arrived at results quito as extraordinary
as those recorded of Mr.. Bishop. With regard
to these things however. he was always ready
to point out how he did them. and expressed.
latterly at least. an unfegned contempt for all
pretcnder5 to supernatural! powers. Yet he
had u fondness for weird and strange stories.
and his biographer believes that there WAS "A
time in his life when he would have been re-
jotced could he have found the pretensions OF
Spirituaism warranted. Perhaps his reading
law should be included among his recreations.
About the year 1870 he entered the Middle
Temple. probably with tho thought OF going
some day to India. IIo was called to the bar
in 1874. and for two three years was
seen regularly on the Eastern circuit. He Is
said TO have got fair amount OF business. but
il was Interrupted and quito destroyed by tho
long illness OF his first wife. who died OF con-
sumption in 1879. leaving him terribly embar-
rassed by debts incurred on her account. 1t
was. by the way. in pursuance OF an attempt to
meet those obligations that Palmer plunged
into Journalistic work on the staff of the
Standard. II reading law was n relaxation.
after tho deciphcring of Arabic manuscript
there Is no doubt that Palmer counted the
rapid acquisition OF modern European tongues
among his diversions. Mr.. Besant assures us
that he had completely mastered all the
Teutonc languages with their dialects;
besides these he knew modern Greek; he knew
Welsh. he had begun tho Slavonc languages.
and knew some Russian and little Polish.
The amusing Portuguese handbook for learning
English. in which the author. Sonhor Fonscca.
evolved a language of his own. was known
and laughed about in England. long before 1t
WAS discovered in Now York. and Palmer loved
to talk its grotosuue pigeon English and used
1t for some clever verses which are published
in Dobson's "Poetical Ingenuities." Palmer
was. in short. one Of the most many-sided.
inuuisitlve. and unconventional of men. for
whom the ordinary standpoints of observation
did not su1lce. He regarded humanity from Il
Mosem as we'll as Christian point OF view or
rather from the different point Of view which
belongs to every different nation.
Such was tho man to whom the British Gov
ernment had recourse for most important
stroke OF secret service. in June. 1882. when
the expedition against Egypt had been decided
on. At this junoturs. the thing most dreaded
was the destruction OF the Suez Canal and
this. it was feared would be effected Ly the
Bedouin trbes on its eastern side. Tho Glad
stono Cabinet became convinced that no time
ought to be lost in detachng those tribes If
possible from Arab Pasha. and in quieting
fanatcism which might assume such proper
who had been applied to by tho Admiralty for
information. stated his belief that the Bedouin
shciks might IL some cmissary could be got
to go quietly among them. DO persuaded to sit
down and do nothing. and perhaps to even
take an active part against tho rebels. 1t
was determined that an effort must be made
in this direction and when Lord North
brook put the question to him. e. DO you know
any ono who would go?' he replied, :" will go
myself" 1t has since been asked repeatedly
why Palmer, man OF peace Il scholar should
wish to meddlc with soldiers business. 1t is
true that there were other Englishmen who
wcre Arabic scholars and there were one or
two like Captain Richard Burton. who had
lived with tho Bodouins as one of themselves
and were accustomed to so about in nom ontary
peril Of death. But Palmer was the only man
who personally knew tho sheiks OF the Teya-
hah and Terebin Arabs and might, perhaps
therefore travel among them as an old friend.
He seemed. accordingly. the only En.lishman
who could oven attempt to avert the danger
and as the service ho would render his coun-
try by merely making tho attempt was GER
tainly very great. and might provo beyond all
power OF reward if he should succeed. he con-
sented to 20. His mission WAS to proceed by
way OF JANA and GAIA To tho desert and ponin-
suln of Sinai. to get thore best he could at
tribe. and to ascertain in the first place the OK
font OF tho excitement aroused among them.
and how far they we're minded to Join Arab.
lie WAS ncSt to strive for tho detachment OF tho
whole OF the tribes II practicable from tho |
Egyptian cause. and. with this object to find
out on what terms each sheik would consent |
to make his people sit down In peace. or. II |
necessary. join and fight with the British
forcos. Thirdly. AS to the canal he was to tako
whatever steps h. thought best for an effective |
guarding OF the waterway on tho eastern side.
or for tho repair of it in case Arab should ut
tempt its destruction.
In pursuance Of this plan. Palmer. assuming
tho name OF Sheik Ablullah by which he had
boon previously known to tho Bcdouins. left !
Gaza on July 15 1882 with native servant.
hired in Jaffa. for his sole companion. and was
not heard of again until he reached Suez on.
Aug. !. In this preliminary run through the |
desert he had succeeded beyond his most ex-
trayagant hopes although he had to contend |
against the influence exertcl by emssaries
from Cairo, and although repeated his life had
hitnu Ul,nt 4,