The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1902-04-12
ON A MEDITERRANEAN STEAMER

You meet all sorts OF people travelling
over here. interesting and embarrassing,
writes ". F. Curtis from syria 10 the
Chicago Record Herald. There are rep
resentatives OF every race and religion in
the Turkish empire and the states in the
interior Of Asia aId those upon the Med
! iterranean coast OF Africa furnish many
picturesque characters
Among other passengers CT our steamer
was the new Turkish governor Of SYRIA
He is handsome man. with q gentle. re-
fined face, a melancholy eve and defer
entail way about him, although perhaps
he IS not as aIniable as he looks Appear
snces as 10 Turks are said 70 be yer.
deceptive. I have been told that the
ulildest-man nered men amo1g them are
the most feroclous. relentless ard H-incic-
tive, and il times Of massacre and tor
turing come out particularly strong Bur
We could not help admirlng the gentie-
ness Of demeancr. the perfect cornrosilre
ana graceful courtesy Of this Turkish
official. who seemed 10 be SO Uuselhsh and
eonsiderate, and the sultan has the same
winning WAYS. People who know him
well say that he is one OF the most
charming and attractive OF men; that
he would not inJure a fly.
Our gentle governor had been for
many years a private secretary OF AbdCi
Hamid, and perhaps may have acquired
had just been appointed and was on mis-
way 10 his new post OF duty Many peo-
pie came down TO the steamer at Con-
stantinople TO see him of. and the ex-
IRENE Difference they paid him showed
that he is either q powerful or a popular
man. They kissed his hands and the skirt
OF his coat and the servants who at
tended him bowed their heads to the floor
and touched their lips 20 his shoes.
Another passenger was NJ. Nikola. a
native OF Syria, who has been engaged In
business in New York for ten OF twelve
years. and has not been home during all
that time. he told ne that there are
not fewer than a. 600 Syrians in the Uni
ted States ard between two and three
thousand in Chicago.
We had with rs also doctor who had
been graduated at the American College
at Beyrout and had gone 10 the United
States for medical lectures.
Two German scientists. Professor
Schultz and Heinrich Kohl, from the Uni
versity Of Berlin, are on their way 10
Baalbek TO spend two years in making
excavations among the ruins OF the pagan
temples at the expense of the German
kaiser. who has obtained a special mr.
man from the sultan which allows him 10
remove to Germany the objects they may
recover. This is an extraordinary favor.
Permission TO excavate In Turkey is OBJ
tanned with great difficulty and is never
granted without the stipulation that ev-
cry article Of value recovered shall go
into tbs Imperial Museum in CONSTANT
nople. The man who pays the expense
and does the work must be contented
with the reputation. He is allowed to pub
lish report OF his transactions and dis
cOveries, and that is all he receives for
his pains. The German emperor, how
ever, can obtain almost any favor he
wants. particularly Just now since he re-
Gently stood between the sultan and the
French government, and he makes the
most of his opportunities. obtaining con-
cessiOns for German subjects in every
direction.
Our most interesting passenger. how
ever, was a merchant from Bokhars on
his wsy to China 10 buy tea His route
seemed a little roundabout but he ex-
pected to be home again SIX months
from the date Of his departure. We saw
many Bokharans in COnscantinople They
can be easily Identified by their cos
tune. like the representatives OF the
other Asiatic races-the rough. wild-look-
ing fellows in long sheepskin coats from
the Caucasus Mountains, the Persians !
with feZzes made OF black lambs wool. I,
and the people from Turkestan. who have /
strong Monaghan features. Bol<hara is (
one Of the west side Of the Hindu-Khoh /
range of mountains. which divides the /
of Buddha from those Of Mo- +
BANNED. and Il is through that region .
that Russia has advanced with threat
ening hand toward British India.
The Bokharans are handsome men with 4
Greek features. fine dark eyes black hair
thin boards and mustaches and Eight
brown compilations. They wear long sur
touts OF light blue color and fezzes Of
gray lambs wool.