Arizona republican., 1922-03-24
SULTAN HAD MANY HOBBIES

The Rabat correspondent of the
London Mail writes that he has had
a chat with Kaid Lieut.. T. II. Bald
ing. the last Englishmen in the Cher
ifian service, who has retired after
being in command for eighteen years
of the bodyguard of the sultan OF
Morocco. He served under the three
sultans, but his "reminiscences are
mostly of the monarch with whom
he was on more familiar and friendly
terms than with the other two
that extraordinary man the Sultan
Mulai Add FL Azziz. who was wont
to prophesy that, whatever happened
he would be the last real sultan Of
Morocco"
Add FL Azziz. Balding says, was a
highly intelligent man who yet had
not the slightest notion of the value
of money His delight was to order
indiscriminately all kinds of articles
Of European, origin without ever con-
sidering the cost. He was a keen
amateur photographer and possessed
a collection of the most expensive
cameras, including one made of Is
carat gold set with diamonds and
precious stones.
He was not only an expert but
also a trick cyclist. and bought suf-
ficient bicycles to equip an army.
One of them was made Of solid silver
At billiards it would have been hard
to find his match, and he spent a
small fortune on billiard tables made
of carved ebony. Many of these were
never even unpacked.
At one time he was bitten with the
craze for motor launches and ordered
them wholesale in every imaginable
form. AS they were quite useless to
him at his inland capital of Fez, sep
arated in those days by a long jour
ney by camel from the seaport OF
Rabat. together with an enormous
collection Of motor cars, motor lorries,
carriages and traction engines and
similar objects which could not be
transported by camel.
When this warehouse was opened
recently it was found that the roof
had been leaking for years and that
everything was ruined The contents
sold by auction for next to nothing.
Add FL Azziz. the Kaid says, was
like all Moors, passionateiy fond OF
wild animals, and he installed me-
nagerie at Fez. 1t was completed by
Queen Victoria. who sent Add FL
Azziz a white elephant called Stokes
The climate however, disagreed with
it, and ultimately poor Stokes died.
But of all the sultan's hobbies the
greatest was his passion for fire.
works. A firework specialist from
England was attached TO the Moorish
court to superintend the magnificent
displays which took place in the
palace grounds every evening. These
displays were said to be unequaled
anywhere in the world for their cost
illness and lavish variety and IN thls
way Kaid Lieutenant Balding says,
huge fortune must have been
blown into the air.
All government posts were SOLD.
and although the accounts rendered
to Fee were palpably falsified they
were never scrutinized. The sultan
never bothered his head about IL
nance. The only thing he cared
about was that money should arrive
at Fez at regular intervals. 1t came
periodically on comels packed In
boxes OF uniform pattern and was
Immediately stored in a warehouse,
one of several where treasure. the
accumulation OF centuries was stored.
For this money was never touched
If payments had to be made an order
was given on one of the custom
houses.
The stock OF presents received by
the sultan was even more valuable
than his treasure. Among them fig
ured a most luxurious hanson cab. .
gift of Queen Victoria. The Moorish
court officials were greatly puzzled
by this extraordinary looking car
riage and ultimately banned it from
the sultan's coach house on the
ground that his majesty could not
ride in a carriage where the driver
sat higher than the sultan. But one
day some one was struck by the
bright idea The drivers seat and the
wheels were removed and the body
slung on two poles between two
horses. one fore and one aft. so that
e Innked like a sedan chair.