Audubon Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Iowa) 1894-1925, 1895-08-22
NAMING THE GRAND vIzlER.
One of the Most Striking Scenes Connected
with the Turkish Court.

One of the Most Striking Scenes Connected
with the Turkish Court.
The ceremony of naming the new
grand vizier is one Of the most inn
pressive sights Imaginable; and, as it
has seldom, if ever, been described, an
attempt to convey some idea of it may
not be without interest. 1t was
toward four o'clock on Saturday after
noon that the servants commenced to
carry out from Djevad Pasha's rooms
at the Sublime Porte his books,
papers, pens and other private
paraphernalia. This was the first
intimation given to the world that
the grand vizier had fallen. Shortly
afterward troops filed up the hill and
lined both sides of the road from the
landing stage at Slrkidjy to the doors
of the porte. The news spread like
fire under wind, and by five o'clock
all preparations were completed for
the reception of the occupant of the
principal office in the empire. In the
great council chamber the scene was
unique in its quiet dignity. The room
was crowded with all the high officials
present and past, and though an hour
two previously none there had even
guessed what was about to happen,
each one took his place silently and
regularly, without confusion or mis-
take, awaiting the advent of the still
| unknown chief.
At the head of the hall small va.
can't space was left, around which
grouped the present ministers and
those who had previously held port
folios. As each came in he paced slow"
ly up the carpet with one short salute.
AS soon as he reached the end all pres.
ent returned the temena'a with
sweep of the hand to the ground,
breast and forehead. This rhy thmical
greeting. accentuated by the move
ment of scarlet fezes in unison with
open hands, given in silence and in the
dim curtained light of the council
chamber, defies adequate description
by the pen. And then the newcomer
returned the salutes separately, be-
ginning at the left-hand side,
round the square of his col
leagues, subordinates and superiors,
and one more candidate for the
VlZlcEdIe WAS clldCtu. TOT uOpOUy
knew upon whom the choice of the sui
tan had fallen. Many names were
whispered round, but as their owners
entered the circle of greeting their
chances were seen to be extinguished.
One after another they followed on,
till by process of reduction it became
a question of only two or three, all the
rest of Turkeys statesmen, and all her
greatest pashas, having already trod-
den the carpet, and taken their seats
of expectation. Then from the win
dows could be seen small procession
winding up the ascent. In front were
two horsemen, he on the left little
man, well known to all the watchers
in the chamber, and on the right the
Sheikh ul Islam, shining in the sun
light with his robes of pure white and
gold.
In the passing of breath the name
of "Ketchuk Said" futtered round the
room, and a few moments later the
new grand vizier, who had already
thrice gone through the same cere-
mony, was standing in the center of
the ministerial group. There he drew
from his breast green silk bag, and
extracting from it the imperial HIATT,
he pressed the parchment to his lips
and forehead The dark bearded
sheikh repeated this homage to the
words of his imperial master and the
HIATT was handed to the evrak mudiri,
or keeper of the archives, who read
aloud that his imperial majesty, the
sultan, knowing. the devotion, well
proved, of Said Pasha, intrusted
to him the duties of grand
vizier, and that, having full con-
fdence in the piety of the
Sheikh ul Islam, he prolonged his term
of Office; being anxious in all things
for the best welfare of his people, and
might Almighty God bless their efforts
toward that end. Then again wave
of sweeping hands and bending heads
went round, and the sheilzh, in full,
deep tones, offered up a prayer for the
sultan and the empire. In moment
the council chamber was transformed
into a holy place, and the politicians,
pashas and scribes, with upturned
palms, seemed to have forgotten for
space the world and it's vanities. 1t
would be hard to imagine anything
more striking than this prayer, amid
such surroundings and on such an oc.
casion.
With it terminated the investiture.
The new grand vizier adjourned to his
room with his ministry for coffee and
a perfunctory cabinet council, and
later on the old and new viziers and
ministers repaired to Yildiz to pay
their first or last, respects, to their
lord. Meanwhile, another HIATT had
arrived, changing the occupant of the
western wing of the porte, for Said
eign affairs for nine years, was hidden
to vacate his familiar chair in favor of
Turkhan Pasha.-London Standard.