Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1895-11-30

elear the way for him, and his road from
the palace to the mosque YVES walled with
soldiers. With a wealthy MahoT1e;au l sat
In a second-noor room, the windows of which
overhu1S the street. and saw this man rid
Ing along with his then most famous eeEcr-
al, Osman Pasha and with perhaps a hum
dred carriages containing the fayor;te ladies
OF his harem following behind. His saddle
horse and another carriage We're in the pro-
ccssio3. and until the last moment it was
not known whether he would come to Siam
boul by boat CT across the Golden Horn by
bridge The sultan has never allowed any
enc to know CT his movements beforehand.
He has only trusted those closest to him.
was told that he ate no food but that cook
ed in his own kitchens, and that every dish
was tasted before he partook of 1t.
The Palaces of the Sultan.
He had no confidence in any of his PAL
aces except that of Yild;z which he thought
he had so fortified that revolution could not
attack him He was frightened almost 20
death when the car. Alexander ii of Rus
STA was assassinated some years ago. and
his life has been one of continuous unrest.
He has, all told. from thirty to forty pal
aces, a number of which are on the banks
of the Bosphorus. Yild'z Is situated on
hill, and its grounds contain acres of ra-
vines, of forests and lakes, of parks and
gardens. Not far from il is the great pal
ace of Delna Bsgtche. where Abdul-Aziz,
the brother of this sultan, committed sui
eide in order that another brother named
Murad might be raised TO the throne. Mu-
rad pulled down BY other consD-ra tors,
who charged that he was crazy, and it is
said that he is piring in the Dungeons of
lone of the palaces along the BosphoI us.
Abdul-Az.Z furnished this Dolml Bagtche
palace He spent S3,oU,cO0 a year on his
harcm, and within twelve months expended
s6n.0D for pictures alone. I went through
the palace while l was IN Constantinople,
through a special permit from the sultan.
1t has crystal posts as large around as the
body of man and more than six feet tall.
1t has luxurious touches and magnificent
furniture, bat Abdul-iiamid has feared 1t
because it is too near the water and he
has only used It for public receptions. 1t
is sad that Abdul-AZ,z warned him to keep
out of it If he should ever become sultan,
and the result is that he has confined HIM
self to the palace Of iildiZ.
A Pen Picture of Abdul-Hnmid.
But let me tell you how Abdul-Hamid
locked as l saw him on his way to mosque
about six years ago. He sat in an open
carriage drawn by magnificent black
horses, and driven by coachman whose
body Respondent in a red velvet suit
embroidered with gold. The sultan sat on
the back seat, and was more simply dressed
than any one of the 10000 soldiers about
him. There was red fez cap on his head,
the tassel of which hung almost to his
shoulders. He wore suit of black clothes,
the coat cut high like that of preacher,
save that the coat was edged with red cord.
He wore a Write shirt and turnover collar.
and there was sign of sword or pistol
about him The Turkish cap has no brim.
and l got good view OF his features.
They were almost Jewish in cast, and they
reminded me much of those of the late Jay
Gould. His complexion was sallow, and
the lower part of his face was covered
with short. luXuriant glossy, black whisk-
ers. His eyes were large, black and lus-
trous. the white about them having that
yellow tinge which indicates a derange-
ment of the liver. These eyes shifted to
and fro as he rode toward the mosque, and
1t seemed to me that / could see the fear
in them. He looked as though he had lost
sleep, and he was nervous and worn. AS he
rose to get out of the carriage and go into
the mosque, l noted that he was about
five feet nine inches high, and he weighed
then, / judge. about $50 pounds. l could
see his hands as they rested on his knees.
They were as long and as thin as the hands
of Chinaman. and I saw that one of
them was doubled up into fist When he
came out of the mosque he took a differ
ent vehicle to ride back to the palace. His
favorite saddle horse was present, but he
passed this by and stepped into a pony
carriage, taking the lines into his own
hands. and walking the ponies until he got
outside of the crowd. The road to the
mosque was covered with well-watered
through which the sultan rides are always
protected in this way In order that his
royal bones may not be jolted in going over
the cobble stones and macadam.
The Sultan's Horses.
During my stay l had chance 20 see
some Of the sutan's horses. He has about
R0O0 In his stables. and among these are
specimens Of nearly every breed in the