Evening star., 1932-09-01
SULTAN SC0RNED
FILLMORE LETTER
Muscat Ruler Perhaps Hurt
by Presidents Inability
to Accept Lions.

The Sultan of Muscat, who made an
American consul at Tangier room with
a lion and lioness some 90 years ago,
never did nor will his descendants an
swer the letter President Fillmore and
Secretary of State Daniel Webster wrote
to him in 1851.
The State Department, after looking
through its mail every day for 80 years
in the hope of finding reply. is ready
to admit that none of the SultanS ever
will get around to writing that letter.
1t is likely, the department says. that
the lion incident may have something
to do with it. Or, if it was not the
lions, it may have been the business OF
two white horses and a string of pearls.
At any rate there has been no an
swer to Fillmore and Webster's polite
little note and the diplomats have con-
cMded the explanation probably Is in
their own archives.
In the early 1905 the United States
made Near Eastern treaties which in
cluded the provinces of the Sultan OF
Muscat. That gentleman, being of
vehemently generous nature, decided he
would send the President of the United
States few gifts to improve relations
between the two countries.
Gifts for the President.
Consequently in 1899, during the ad-
ministration of President Martin Van
Buren,, the Sultan sent fine young lion
and lioness down to the American con-
sulate at Tangier.
These" said the messenger who ac-
companied the felines ARE gift from
the Sultan of Muscat to the President
Of the United States"
The consul explained that under the
law no American Federal official could
accept such gifts while In power.
And who" the Sultans emissary
said, ARE you to say whether the Presi-
dent of the United States will accept
cracks about what my Sultan could or
could not do, he would have my head
Topped off" ....
The consul stood by his guns. He ex-
planned the thing was impossible, by act
of Congress
Then give them to Congress" the
Moor suggested.
Congress" said the consul, "only
represents the American people"
VERY WE'LL" the Oriental replied,
''give them to the American people"
The consul still refused.
Forced to Deliver.
i. "Well my friend, you are going to
take these lions whether you want them
or not, because the Sultan said he was
going to give them to the Americans
and If I do not give them to you I will
be, in effect, telling the Sultan he is not
going to do any such thing. AS I have
remarked before, my head will get cut
of in no time at all If make such re-
marks. And I do not intend to- part
with my head any sooner than Is nee
essary for the good of the state"
The consul remained unimpresSed.
ALAS, then" said the emissary, Il
will have to turn them loose in the
street before your house and let you de-
eide what you want to do with your
lions after that"
These tactics made great and i'm
mediate impression upon the consul, he
said in his letter reporting the incident.
AS the street was a cul-de-Sac, the
Oriental proposed to free the lions in
the center Of the block, place guard
at the open end and resign the problem
TO other hands.
Overcome by the possibilities of this
plan. the consul agreed to take the
beasts into his rooms" where he was
keeping them when he wrote hurried
dispatch to the department at home
In the same letter the consul stated
that he heard rumors the Sultan also
was planning to give away four or five
horses and not wishing to give up the
last bed room to them, he asked for
instructions to dispose of the animals
when they appeared. The State De-
partment replied that he might send on
the lions and the horses, too, If neces-
sary.
Fate Of Gifts Doubtful.
Apparently the lion vender went back
and reported he had been eninently
successful in delivering his gifts. The
Sultan was encouraged and promptly
sent two fine Arabian stations, string
of $50 pearls, a carpet, a bottle OF oil
of roses, four Cashmere shawls, five
demijohns of rose water and a gold
mounted sword to President Van Buren,
who was fiabbergasted and asked Con-
greSs what to do about the articles the
Sultan called mere trifieS from a
friend"
The ultimate fate of the lion, the
lioness and the horses. the pearls and
the rose water remains a mystery. At
least, no one has been able to find rec
ords to show whether the State Depart
men turned the lions loose on the
American people, as the Moor suggest
ed; put them in its own bed rooms, OF
what.
Had President Fillmore and Secre-
tary Of State Webster been aware oi
all this, perhaps they would never have
wondered why the Sultan did not seno
a prompt answer to their very polite
note.
ITO Our Great and Good Friend, HiE
Majesty Seyed Syeed Bin, Sultan ot