St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1894-05-13
THE NEW EGYPTIAN PREMIER.
Nubar Pacha, One of the Most Remark
able Men in Oriental Politics.

Nubar Pacha, who has just become Primo
Minister Of Egypt, is one of the most remark
able men in Oriental politics. His name is
as familiar in LONDON, Paris and Berlin as it
is at Cairo and Constantinople.
His has been no ordinary career, for he has
worked his way up from mere mental posi-
ton In the Russian Consulate at Smyrna, to :.
the post Of Prime Minister of Egypt, and to ;
the dignity Of grand cross Of the English
Order of st. Michael and st. George, and Of,
the French Legion of Honor. This remark
able rise from the lowest to the highest POSI- |.
ton has been obtained by means which are
not altogether unexceptionable, and there
are some very shady sides to his history. 1T
was his uncle, an Armenian named BogaS
Bey, who first brought him from Smyrna to,
Egypt, and secured him a position in the
household OF the Viceroy, old Mehemet Ali.
During the reign of the latter's successor
Abbas, who was one of the wickedest mon.
sters who ever disgraced an Oriental throne
Nubar occupied the post of reader and secre.
tary to him. When Abbas was at length
assassinated in one of his desert palaces BY
two Of the inmates of his harem, his sucf
cessor, Said, who admired Nubar's cleverness
but distrusted his loyalty, removed him from
the household and appointed him director Of
the newly constructed railroad between Cairo
and Alexandria. p
1t was while holding this Office that the
most important event of Nubar's lifei
occurred-one which has never yet been SAT-
isfactorily explained. He became the bosom
friend Of Prince Ismail, the younger brothe.
Of Prince Achmet who was the heir to the
throne. Ismail was as INSCRIPTIONS as he
was ambitious, and never ceased eursing the
fact that he was only younger brother. :.
In the spring of one of the years fmne-
diately preceding Said's death, the latter gave
great garden party at Alexandria, to which
he sent invitations to all the members ofshis
family and to other prominent personages.
special train was ordered to convey the
princes and their suites from Cairo to Alex
andria. Curiously enough, Prince Issnail
excused himself at the last moment from
going on the plea of sudden illness, while, by
strange coincidence, Nubar, whose duty it
was as head OF the Railway Department, to
accompany Prince Achmet's special train,
just as it was about to steam out of the depot 5
pretended to be seized with Similar fndis-
position, which forced him to remain behind
at Cairo. ,st- -
The train proceeded safely on its way until
it reached Kafar Zavat, about half way be-
tween Cairo and Alexandria where the trains
pass over a splendid iron bridge that spans.
the Nile. A swing bridge opens and shuts to,
permit the passage of steamers and other
craft. AS the train bearing its royal freight
came laundering down the slope which leads
to the bridge, the engine driver saw to his
horror that the swing bridge was open, leay-
ing yawning space over the dark and rapid
river, whose muddy waters rushed along fully
sixty feet below. It was too late to avert the
danger. The entire train was precipitatf !
into the river and Prince Achmet and his sN D
persisted, thus leaving the succession to the
throne clear for his brother Ismail OF
course the result of this was the temporary
disgrace of Nubar, who found it prudent to
betake himself to Europe, where he remained
until Said's death. AS soon, however, as his
friend Ismail assembled the throne in 1862. he
summoned Nubar to his side and appointed
him Prime Minister, besides bestowing mag
nificent presents, both of land and money,
upon the man to whom he owed SO much.
Nubar had now become very wealthy man
and was determined to maintain possession
of what he had got at all costs. Under the
existing circumstances any security in the
matter was out of the question. There was
absolutely nothing to prevent the Khedivs
from confiscating all the estates which he had
bestowed upon his Prime Minister. 1t was
necessary to place some check upon the con-
fscatory powers Of the throne, which had
until then remained unquestionable and
supreme. Accordingly Nubar insiduously
suggested to his sovereign that the creation OF
what are now called the international tribu-
nails would vastly increase his facilities fo1
borrowing money on the European market,
since that would enable a European creditor
to obtain by legal process the possession Oh
his debtors property.
The tribunals, which are Nubar's handis
work, and on which the United States has
couple of seats, have proved the ruin of tho.
country and the source of much of the enor.
nous wealth of Nubar. Until the institution
of the tribunals, the borrowing powers of the
natives were limited, for sales and distrainf
are expressly forbidden by the Koran, and
hence the creditor had no means of forcing
debtor to liquidate his debt; consequently the
usurers were very chary about lending
money.
Now, however, all that is changed, and the
present intense misery of the peasantry is
due to the fact that almost all the land has
passed into the hands OF the foreign money
lenders. Nubar, moreover, became tbs
naturalized and protected subject of France,
thus effectively placing his property beyond
the reach of his master, who cannot touch
any portion of it except through the lega'
process of the international tribunals.
In personal appearance Nubar. who is ths
only Christian holding the rank OF Field
Marshal of the Ottoman Empire, is exceed
ingly handsome, his presence is stately and
majestic and his manner with his equals
winning and dignifed. twill be interesting
to watch what effect his influence will have
on the proud and mettlesome young Khedive
AppaS. L NJ D. S.