The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1900-07-12
THE KEHEDIVE OF EGYPT.
Mode of Life and characteristics c
Abbas,

AbbaS
The life of his hghness is very diff
ferent from that which in the western
world is usually associated with an
eastern sovereign. To begin with, the
khedive has received splendid Euro
pean education. He learned English as
child under tutors specially selected
and sent to Cairo for his benefit and
that Of his brother, Prince Mehemet.
When twelve years of age he entered
the celebrated Haxius school at Gene
va, and afterward continued his scho-
lastic career at the Theresianum at vi
emma, from which he was called by the
sudden death Of his father, the Khedive
Tewflk, to ascend the throne of Egypt
at the age of eighteen, In 1892 At vi
emma he was something Of a favorite
with the Austrian emperor, who also
saw that the prince was given mill
tary training in addition to his ordi-
nary school work. Naturally highly in
telligent, Abbas proved himself both In
dustrious and capable. He has the gift
of tongues, and can talk in at least six
languages-E French, German,
Italian, Turkish and Arabic, the last
being in common use throughout Egypt.
Every official day Of his life he will most
probably converse in at least four of
these languages.
His highness has a prodigious MEM
DRY and great capacity for mastering
detail He Is a hard worker, and every
moment of his time is parcelled out
with exactness. He usually rises at $50
in the morning and then goes out rid
ing, an exercise of which he Is passion
ately fond, till about s, when he has
breakfast Soon afterward he is busily
engaged in state affairs with his secre-
taries and ministers, and this fills up
the forenoon till luncheon but, that
meal over, he Is at work again with his
staff until his public reception hour
comes around, when he meets all those
who have the right to call upon him
and a good number who haven't. In
the evening there are dinners. balls, re-
ceptions, the opera and the theater. All
this gives one the impression, a per-
fectly correct one, that Abbas is no lam
guild Oriental, but a prince Of high abil-
ity and remarkable energy.
Nor Is he less interesting from the
purely domestic point OF view. AS
sovereign he has to be a great deal at
the state palaces of Abdn, at Cairo and
Ras-el-Tin at Alexandria. the former
being the winter, the latter the summer
capital of Egypt, but he likes nothing
better than to leave these for his more
private palaces Of Koubbeh or Monta-
zah, his seaside place. Koubbeh is some
five miles from Cairo, and here his high
ness.lives after much the same fashion
as might great English landowner Of
the most modern type He keeps a
splendid stud and his beautiful horses,
English bred as we'll as Arabs, are his
special pride. On the estate itself he
has brought into use the latest things
in American agricultural machinery,
and he takes an active part in the SUI
pervision Of his numerous farms and
cotton plantations in the Nile valley
from which, indeed, he derives the larg-
er part of his vast private wealth. His
official income is G100000 year. and
an equal amount is paid to the other
members of the khedival family Be-
sides his pronounced taste for the life
of a country gentleman, Abbas has a
taste, or rather passion. which is not
generally shared by country gentlemen.
to music. He keeps a private band OF
about fifty performers, who find In him
a generous patron, but a relentless crit
ic Woe betide the man who makes a
false note!
His highness Is strict Mahometan,
and as such eschews both wines and
spirits. His abstinence goes even fur
Their, for in a country where everybody
smokes he will have nothing to do with
the fragrant weed Like his father, he
is monogamist, although his religion
allows himfour wives-if he wants
them He is known to be greatly at
tached to his consort, who was Cir
cassion lady of the khedival household
before her marriage They have sever
al daughters and one son, the heir APP
parent. who was born In February Of /
last year, BY a special decree Of the
sultan. who is still suzerain of Egypt,
the khediviate descends directly from
father to son in the western manner.
The domestic encourage of the khedive
is presided over by the dowager khedi- |
yah, or khedivah mere, as the princess
Is called. This is in accordance with |
usual Oriental custom, which accords |
to a mans mother over his |
Chronicle.