The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-01-26

respectful tones passes 10 on 10 his lmper-
ial master. The imperial reply reaches the
auihas-s ior 90 the same roundabout way.
and then the visitors are conducted away
10 be- entertained with cigarettes. each
accompanied by a delicate amber mouth
piece. and coffee served in iewellad cups
When diplomatists are invited 70 dine at
liloiZ DO occasionally happens that the
sultan sits az the same table with tnems
but more often he sits I'm his own apart
meut sends his guests certain dishes from
his oHn table as "A mark OF special court
esq., and receives them afterward
Private visitors are treated with muen
less ceremony. though they are subjected
10 a great deal OF inspection before they
actually reach the imperial presence Il
Is not at all difficult 10 secure an audience
Infinitely easier. in fact than in any otn-
er European capital one condition only
friend OF Turkey and a defender OF TURK
ism rule. Any journalist Of position, Tor IN
stance. who could point 20 articles ne had
written sympatniZIug with Turkish views
and who let 10 be known that he was pre-
pared TO continue on the same lines, would
he quite safe 20 have his request Tor an
audience granted. More than this. " ne
would send 10 his neWspaper-alWays sup
posing it TO be one which the sultan knew
and feared-certain statements or alleged
fact and opinion which the sultan would
dictate TO him, representing them as de-
rived from his own knowledge ana eNper-
fence. he could have much more tnan an
audience. A bag OF gold, diamond brooch
for his wife, Turkish decoration IOf MS
buttonhOle-hc would only have 10 drop
yelled hint. and the thing would De done
But he would be wise TO leave CONSTANT
uople soon afterwaTd for secrets are not
kept I'm an Oriental country, and ne would
find cold shoulders at the club In fact,
Turkish money smells, ana soon DetIays
its presence in anybOdy's pocket. A par
ticularly fragrant case occurred Few
months ago. \ Continental Journalist
turned up In COnstantinople. at once had
a long interview with the sultan. left
again Immediately with Zoo and Turkish
order. and his journal-one Of the most in
fuential in EurOpe-publlshed a long aru-
Gle pOOh-pOOhing the Armenian massacre
and praising 20 the skies the sultans ben
eVOlent rule. The French press is regular
~ bribed by the Turkish embassy in Pa
ris. just as IL is by NJ. Blanc, the director
Of Monte Carlo.
Woodworking man. His ministers ana
creatures are liable TO be summoned 10
YiIdiz at any hour of the day or night.
a man ] know. supposed at Hildiz TO have
certain relations with the English press,
was reused at Z o'clock one morning by
an aide-de-camp of the sultan IN run
uniform. and carried of then ana there
to the palace, the messenger barely al
lowing him time to fling on few clothes;
He was so nervous at this sensational
and hurried summons that he scrubbed
note 10 me and left IL at my rooms as he
passed. saying that If he returned all
right ne would call upon me at noon All
the sultan wanted was for him to tele-
graph a long message to the London Morn
ing Post. cOuched in terms of almost ID
dtion of Turkey. In vain my acquaint-
ance assured the sultan that no English
newspaper would dream Of inserting smcn
an article. no matter who sent II, Inc
sultan only replied telling him TO alter
few words If necessary, and TO ask IN re-
turn for anything he would ike; one day
/ had an appointment with the late grand
vizier at his house. The hour fixed was
8 O'Clock in the morning, and while l was
drinking a cup of coffee in his ante-room
a smart carriage and pair dashed up,
palace officer sprang out, and minute
later Kiamil Pasha sent his secretary TO
me to beg me TO excuse him as ne had
that moment been urgently summoned
to the sultan's presence. Abdul Hamid
whim may demand the attendance of his
ministers at any moment, while, on the
other hand they may be unable TO see
him for fortnight on business which
they know to be urgent. For instance,
when | was last in Constantinople, ktamii
Pasha had not been able to secure an au-
dience for many days. He had been re
peatedly TO the palace, sent IN written re-
ports, been kept waiting several hours.
and then dismissed with contemptuOuS
verbal message brought to him by a eu-
much. 1t must be borne IN nina that
whereas previously ministers of state
gathered in council at the sublime porte,
the headquarters of the ottoman govern
ment in Stamboul, used to exercise real
powers the sultan acting upon their ad-
vice Abdul Hamid has taken the reins
of authority entirely into his own hands,
and most OF the ministers to-day are the
merest fgure-heads, having little more
influence
any readers Of these lines. They are APP
pointed and dismissed in accordance with
petty personal motives, or in order to
throw dust in the eyes Of Europe set
of wax images could do their work The
sultan does everything himself. An ac-
quantance of mine saw him one day deep
~ immersed in voluminous document. A
few DAYS afterward he had the oppor-
tunity of inspecting the document at the
office of Nozim Pasha, minister OF police.
il was the official report upon scufhe
4 Ma In 70 oh tim 4
between Greek and a Jew. The Shadow
of God was giving hours of his time to a
miserable incident that in London or New
York a police magistrate would nave us
missed in five minutes.
There are four people in the Turkish
empire with whom the sultan takes coun-
whom / have already spoken, who sits
in the same carriage as his master when
the latter is driven, at every FRIDAY $
selamlik 200 yards from the palace gate
to the private mosque for prayer, while
5000 troops fiji the streets all around and
rend the air with two savage simultaneous
shouts of welcome. The second is Hassan
Pasha minister of marine, who has shar-
ed with the sultan the populations which
have reduced the once fine Turkish Meet
to mass of rusting iron ana rottlng wood,
unable ever again to leave its moorings
in the Golden Horn. The third is his own
body servant, a man of the lowest eXtrac-
ton. The fourth is his private mollah, OF
priest a creature of the profoundest ig-
norance and fanaticsm. And the two
latter are far more influential than the
two former If to these be added the
name Of Ills Excellency. Yefer Agha,
! chief Eunuch." there is nobody else IN
he whole Turkish empire who counts
] must pay this man the compliment OF
saying that he is TIE most reDulsve OBJ
| tect in human shape that ! have ever sci
| eyes upon. At the Friday Selamlik he is
| the last person to pass before the sultan
| arrives The broad incline from the gates
| of Yildig to the portals of the Hamidieh
/ mosque is crowded with troops in a dozen
| picturesque uniforms, squadrons of cav
| airy block every approach, brilliant aides
| de-camp and general officers stand in gen.
| eral groups, the clash and clang of a
| dozen military bands has suddenly ceased
i in the reception pavilion the diplomatists
/ are posted at one window and the favored
/ guests at another, the roadway has been
| sDrinkled with sand, every twig carried
off, every wind-swept leaf removed, every
foot mark erased by a long broom, and
the whole gathering is petrihed in spec
/ tacular attention, when from the palace
1 a huge figure energies, dressed in fez and
| a long black frock coat, and marches
! down the middle with slow, waddline
/ steps casting arrogant and insulting
glances to right and left. This is the chiei
| eunuch, and he is followed by a dozen OF
! his unspeakable tribe. Formerly theil
| horrid Interpretations were concealed un-
] der long robes. Now these are emDha.