Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-05-07

Paris in 1883, having returned from Egypt.
when he received letter from Gen. Lew
Wallace. United States minister to Tur-
key. There was insurrection among the
Bedouins of the Yemen and the sui
tan required the services of Off
Ger of experience and speaking Arabic TO
confer directly with the insurgent chiefs.
The United States minister a personal
friend and had become acquainted with the
character of the services the writer had
rendered the United States government and
had written him q letter of congratulatfon.
The writer cites Gen. Wallace's letter not
only because of his distinction. but to show
already that the sultan was endeavoring to
remedy the evils suffered by the inhabitants
of Yemen:
"CONSTANTINOPLE, JAM 5. 1884.
MY Dear Colonel: have two matters to
submit to you. growing out Of a converse
ton had with the sultan yesterday.
First, his majesty had heard of ma
chine which casts a torpedo He spoke of
1t as gun BY his account 1t is French
invention. manufactured In Paris. and
spoken of as a tube throwing projectiles.'
on? If SO, by whom is 1t manufactured?
What It's cost? Has it been tested by the
French government? Are the owners will
ing to bring or send the machine here for
opinion of its value? An answer. giving all
that occurs to you as of Importance or in
terest In the connection, will be favor to
the sultan.
Next. 1 am requested by his majesty to
ask II you will enter his service.
This. | know, presents a matter of the
greatest Importance to you personally. as.
If you should decide affirma lively, it will
operate change of your life 1t is just,
therefore that you should have particulars
in aid of your judgment.
X
Speaking about the gun alluded to, his
majesty asked me If knew anything about
1t. I said No He said
foslt1on then that 1t was Of French
Preferred. origin and manufactured in
Paris, and that he had seen
model of 1t. which he described. When
he had finished 1 remarked that he inter-
ested me very much, and that had judi
cious friend in Paris to whom could write
IL he wished me to do SO, and get all nect,s-
sary particulars. He asked me my friends
name. l gave him yours and proceeded
to tell him about you. The sultan be-
came much interested. and asked me
where you were residing and IL you were
receiving pension from the khedive. I
replied that you were practicing law be-
fore the international tribunals in Egypt
and that 1 did not believe you had any
present connection with the late khedive or
the present one. though l knew you were
highly appreciated by the latter. 1 then
recounted how. being in Alexandria in 1882,
at the period of the massacre, the United
States representatives abandoned their
posts and fled from the country: that the
CHltcu OldlcS government requested you TO
take charge; that you saved hundreds of
lives, and among these the khediye, the
prince. his son, and harem, and aided by
United States sailors and marines and
their officers, you saved the city of Alex
andria. The khedive proffered you the
rank of brigadier general, but that you had
declined 1T because you would not desert
the United States government, which had
and dignity. The United States govern
ment addressed you letter of thanks; the
khed1ve gave you the decoration Of the
Osmanieh, ETC., etc.
THE sultan asked me If you spoke Arabic.
thought you did. I knew you spoke
French. He wished to know
Leading then IT. you could be pre-
Questions vailed upon to enter his serv-
Ice. By this time thought
1 had discovered. something better than a
mere decoration. So I replied l did not
know, but II he desired could write you
privately upon the subject He then called
his grand master of ceremonies, and die
tated a paper, which I inclose herewith,
containing offers and conditions, and asked
me to write to you. and present the paper
for your consideration. Some of the points
appear vague, but with your knowledge of
the east and eastern service you can make
them out sufficiently. l prefer sending you
a copy of the paper just as 1t is, as in a
matter Of SO much moment to you I do
not wish to assume unnecessary response
bility. I will give you, however, certain
impressions raised In my mind by the sui
tan's manner and words. I think he is
really anxious to secure your services; he
particularly wishes to makesuse of your-ex-
perience with the peoples and tribes in the
Interior of his own dominions and just now
in the Yemen. He wishes to make a con-
fldential officer of you. One ground for
these impressions is that you are to be con-
tracted with by the minister of the civil list
fYact aad nf na nfniS nf xxyar Gtynh
tract. you will doubtless understand,
makes you an officer Of the imperial house
hold, and secures your pay from the civil
list, which makes it certain and regular
you have now, MY dear colonel, enough
to enable you to at least see what the offer
is Under no circumstances should 1t get
out until after you have decided definitely
what you will do. The intrigues in the khe-
son with what goes on in that line in Yildiz.
Il refrain from recommendation. not
knowing what your present engagements
are. You have enough to know that l am,
VERY truly, your friend.
LEW WALLACE.
''P. S.-Let me have answer Immediately
Such was the sultans desire. l.. W."
The writer felt that his life of adventure
was quite replete. Nevertheless the char
acter Of the service was at
Unavailing tractive. It was essentially
AcceDtance diplomatic and the probable
ity of restoring peace and
order among the ill-used peoples Of Yemen
induced him to accept the proposition Of
the sultan at the same time that the In
formation about tube projectiles and tor
pedoes was sent him promptly.
The writer adds that Gen. Lew Wallace
never learned more of the proposition made
to him by the sultan. He concluded that
the intrigants of Yildiz kiosk had reported
the matter to a certain embassy in Siam
boul very powerful at that time in the
councils of the sultan and little DESTROYS
of establishing peace in Yemen or Araby
the Blest. CHI. CHAILLE-LONG,
Elk. U. s. charge d affaires in Egypt.