The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1895-01-20
ORIENTAL MILLIONAIRES.
Men Enormously Rich Found From
Egypt to Japan.
From the New York Sun.

lone hears much talk of millionaires
in America" said an Engishman that
has lived in the East Indies. but there
is a good deal less of such talk in the
Orient, though there are many enor-
mously rich men all over the east from
Egypt to Japan. 1 can speak more par
ticularly of Bombay where I knew a few
reputed mnlionaires, and met them in
somewhat different relation from ones
usual relations with milllonaires else
where. ! don't mean the native princes.
but business men that have made great
fortunes in trade.
The Oriental millionaire of this sort
is commonly a man Of simple life a home,
though the famous Chinese millionaire
of Penang, VAN Poa. known to all trav-
elers in the east, maintains magnificent
gardens and throws them open as pub
lie park. One of the most remarkable
men l have ever known was a reputed
millionaire of Bombay. who was at the
same time the chief business man of Alden.
Everybody making any stay on the 18th
mus knew this man. l met an American
naval officer here some years ago who
had stayed a his house. At certain times
of the year my millionaire acquaintance
lived in great luxury at Paris or London
ed into the brown sea of the native quar-
ter that Kipling has so strikingly describ-
ed, and lived the simple life of his peo-
pie.
The Sassoons, an immensely wealthy
Jewish family of Bombay, long preserved
the native costume, and lived in most re-
spects the life of the people about them.
The younger representatives of the family
now live in much luxury at London, but
/ have no doubt that youll find the older
Sassoons at Bombay in native costume
and marked with the strong character
istics of the true Oriental Hebrew. No
body can guess the wealth of such people
and I have taken care to say 'reputed
millionaires' because of that very fact
However, there can be no doubt about the
SassOons Their reputation has reached
America. l knew one remarkable in
stance of the sudden dissipation of a largo
Oriental fortune. The father of the fam
lily, man long conspicuous in the trade
of Bombay died and left his wealth to
his sons, and the young men, contrary
TO Oriental precedent, at once plunged
into European extravaganza, set up rae
ing stables, lived in magnihcence, and
soon ran through with their patrimony.
My faithful old friend Hadji Cassin
IS an interesting type of the Oriental mill
Honaire. l don't know his parentage; I
only know that he was a devout Moham-
medan, and that, as his title Hadji i'm
plies, he had performed the hadii or nil
grimage to Mecca, thus making himself
sure of everlasting bliss in a future world.
He began his business life as boxwallah
or pedlar, on the streets of Bombay. and
he sold suspenders, shoe laces, or what
ever else in Oriental attire corresponds to
them, to the Europeans of that CITY T
doubt not his counterparts are to be found
by the score to-day on the Bowery. save
that they lack his dignity of character
streets he took 10 peddlng in the har-
Dor. He would go out in a bumboat to
meet the mail ships sighted off ApoIlo
Bunder and follow them down the harbor
He came in time to know just what were
the wants of the officers, men and mas
sengers aboard these vessels, and they
depended upon him for everything He
was always ready TO buy or sell. Like all
oriental merchants he knew the value
of jewels and precious stones and II
happens that sailors often pick up such
trihes, He always had ready money 10
give in exchange for what officers and
men had to offer. Gradually from bIv-
ing the cast off clothes of the officers he
came to buy the cast off ships of the com
pany. The lifetime of an ocean steam
ship is shorter and shorter because of the
strain put upon such ships, and it is a
problem with every great company how
to get rid of its superannuated shfps
Hadji Cassim was ready to buy. and he
got them at a bargain.
Although Hadii Cassim was a devout
Mohammedan he was not above turn
ing an honest penny out of the supersti-
ton, shall I say, of his fellow believers.
He had made the hadj. and he used the
still seaworthy old steamers 10 help his
fellow Mohammedans to perform the
same pious pilgrimage. There is an
elaborate system of ticket selling for the
pilgrimage all over India and the nil
grims come down from the hill country
by the thousand. They swarmed on
Hadji Cassims ships and were carried to
Jedda, the port of Mecca, TO go thence to
the sacred city by caravan. The English
officers of one of the pilgrim ships were
in a terrific funk because the engines
threatened to give out, and il seemed
likely that the pilgrims would reach
Jedda too late for the last caravan 70