Evening star., 1901-04-30

with every kind of object of use and lux
ury that Europe can supply. he passes
among them an existence harasSed by
every kind of suspicion and fear that could
assail d potentate of the Arabian Nights.
The elaborate ceremony of precaution with
which his meals are prepared engages the
attention of the highest and most trust ed
of his officials. The cooking is done in a
separate and strongly guarded chamber,
and the chef does everything beneath the
eye of the sultan's confidential servant. A
solemn procession conveys the food and
water to the sale manger the carafe be-
ing sealed and the dishes covered with
cloths which are also sealed upon them
These precautions against poison by no
means satisfy the sultan. At any moment
he may command the official who overiooks
the cookery to taste dish, and number
of pet animals are kept to which the first
morsels are given by the royal hand. In
his tastes the commander of the faithful is
prudentfy abStemious No man could watch
ms health more closely in this respect and
TO put on flesh Is the dream of his exist
ence But man so much victim to
nervous worry can hardly look to get fat
ana to whatever food Abdul Hamid treats
nimself his frame continues shrunken and
debiiitated.
In the taste for tobacco, on the other
hand. he practices no moderation: this is
craving stronger than any taste for food
and the cigarette that is between his lips
from morning till night can do little to i'm
prove a nervous system already shaft cred
by ankieties. In the matter of LIQUOR the
sultan is no strict Mussulman, and pleads
ms health as an excuse for the indulgence
IN an occasional glass of champagne 1t is
SAID that he habitually drinks some cor
dfat before receiving ambassadors and WIS.,
itoFs, IN order to give a temporary bril-
lance to his eyes and compile xion: for the
SICK Man cannot bear to be thought an
invalid, and has never yet allowed his
seXereSt attacks of illness to be publicly
announced lie even goes so far AS to doc
TOR himself for most of his ailments The
plt1able state of his nerves makes the night
recurring terror to him. He fears dark
ness like a child. and the whole of the
apartments occupied by him. with the sur
rounding gardens are brilliantly lit up
from the moment the light falls. Silence
100. is terrible to him, and he can ONLY
sleep with the noise of his guard tramping
before the palace in his ears From his
sleep he Will start up to summon an inter
prefer 1or dream, or to go out and SWeen
the hofizon with strong glasses. Usually
he is sent with difficulty to sIeen hy the
reading aloud of his brother or a fayorite
servant, Next to the reports of his snieS
the literature that appeals most strongly
TO his taste is that of the sensational novel
ana the more horror there is to stimulate
a morbid taste, the better is he pleased II
is characteristic of him that the only SNORT
III winch he eNcels is rifle and pistoI ,trac
tice, at this he could show the way to
most men. ~
These are few of the details regarding
the life of Abdul Hamid which we haye
gathered from the work of Adossides Rev
lie has no cause to love the s1ltau prbnsa
persecution of the young Turks drove bi1e
from his country; but We believe his ac
count TO be faithful. and we have selected
only Such matter seemed unlikely to he
unged by prejudice.