Evening star., 1923-10-08
Secretary of Egyptian Legation
Is a Distinguished Explorer
By THE MARaUIsE DE FoNTENoY.

BY THE MARaUIsE DE FONTENoY.
King Fuads appointment Of Ahmed
Bey Hassanein, the well known ex-
plorer, to the first secretaryship and
office of counselor or of the new Bgyp-
tian legation in the United States
may interfere with the projected
American lecture tour of Mrs. Rosita
Forbes. For his nomination to wash
ington cannot fail to recall to mind
his controversy with her about their
Joint visit to Kafra, the headquarters
of the great Mosiem religious sect OF
the Senussi in the Libyan desert, and
which had never, up to the time OF
their visit In 1920-21, been seen oy
any European traveller, still less py
European woman. When they re
turned to civilization she was the
heroine OF the hour and was called
upon to give all sorts of newspaper
interviews, public addresses. to write
magazine articles and TO pnbiish
widely read book about this piece or
exploration. She took all the credit
to herself and only occasionally re-
ferred to Ahmed Hassanein as her
interpreter and secretary: that Is 10
say. Il clever servant of the ordinary
dragoman kind, blend between q
courier and domestic.
Now, while Ahmed Hussanetn was
perfectly content to leave to her the
principal glory and kudos or the ar
fair his resentment was aroused py
the rather contemptuous way IN
which she referred to him as mere
uuimpertant member of her suite,
and his friends. notably Dr. e u.
Hoearth. director of the Ashmoleon
Museum at Oxford and probably tne
greatest living authority on every
thing connected with Araplan aisco,r. ,a
cry, lore and knowledge OF the people.
took up his defense. Dr. H0garth Is
well known on this side of the ATTAIN
tic and has received many american
honors for his discoveries and ex-
plorations in Asia Minor ana ,ha the 1rrxel @
medal OF the University of Pennsyi-
yania. Dr. Hogarth called attention
to the fact that Ahmed Hassanein
was no mere dragoman. but ney o.
the first class or high-caste Egyptian
government official, with rank
Equivalent to that Of colonel In the
army: that he was the son OF a very
celebrated Moslem divine; that ne
had taken his degree and hign nonoTs
at oxford, where he was Ballioi man;
that during the great war he had
been atttachei. with the rank OF
colonel. to the staff of the British
commander TN chief in Egypt and was
a member OF the British headquarters
he had been intrusted on several oc-
casions, by the British government
with difficult and delicate missions,
In one instance to the grand master
! Of the Order OF the Senussi az kulra'
which had important and, to England
very advantageous bearing upon the
ultimate issue of the great war.
At DR.. Hosarths request and press
Do
laid before Sir Frank Younghusband.
the then president Of the Royal Geo
graphical Society, and before the
T principal governors of that body,
proofs that the expedition to kufra
| was his idea and not hers. that the
caravan which carried the expedi-
tion was lent, or given, to him by one
of the Senussi emirs, or princes. with
no cost whatever to Mrs. Forbes and
+! tnat this favor and courtesy was due
| 70 the friendship which he, Ahmed
| Bey. had formed with the emir In
vious visit to the. grand master OF
the Senussi at Kufra, In his capacity
as special envoy of the British gov
| ernment Moreover, he showed Sir
| Frank Younghusband and his 1elioW
directors of the Royal Geographical
Society that in all the passports and
native credentials carried by the ex-
| peditfon, including lette cs of RECON-
mendat!on from King Feisal OF Meso-
| notamia and from his father, King
| Hussein Of the He1jaz, who reigns
| at Mecca-that is to say, the principal
| living members of the family of the
| founder Of Islam--his name, that is,
! the name of Ahmed Bey. figures in
| ali Of them before that Of Mrs. Forbes.
| which would scarcely have been the
| case had he been merely the drago-
| mar. the courier and the sort OF up
per servant of Mrs Forbes.
| Rosita Forbes, who was formerly
Miss Rosita Torr of Swinderlee, In
tf,incolnshire,i and the divorced wife
of Col. Ronald Forbes of Rothenay
castle, Banfshire, and who Is now
ma arried to Lieut.. Col. McGrath of the
war once. whitehall. came OF dis
tinctly second best In the controversy.
which would never have taken place
/ had she not exasperated Ahmed Bey
and his friends, in Egypt as well a.
In scientific circles in England, by
infreuuent references to him and then
/ only in such terms as to convey the
idea that he was mere native serv-
ant. instead of an officer holding the
rank OF colonel in the Anglo Egyptian
army, and in the Egyptian civil serv-
Ice, and as man who had already,