102 The Sultan's Selamlik [ J ^93 



tide. The one practical question I want to ask the Sultan is whether, 

 if the English Government were willing to open negotiations on the 

 lines of the Wolff Convention, he also would be willing, but Jemal ed 

 Din thinks it would be impossible at a first audience to go so far as 

 that. 



" 28th April. — To the Selamlik with Judith and the Walter Blunts 

 (Anne being still laid up), a really splendid spectacle. It was held in 

 front of the new mosque at Yildiz, and everything had been done to 

 make it impressive, as there were ninety officers of the French fleet 

 present, brought especially by the Sultan's yachts from the Dardanelles. 

 Sarah Bernhardt, too, was there, to whom the display must have had 

 a special spectacular meaning. What interested me most was the large 

 number of Mohammedan Sheykhs and dignitaries from distant prov- 

 inces of the empire, who followed the prayer outside the mosque and 

 took part in the procession. This has been the triumph of Abdul 

 Hamid's reign. In one of the tribunes were a couple of old Druse 

 Sheykhs in splendid attire, with whom I exchanged a few words, and 

 one of them recognized me, having been at Salkhat when Anne and I 

 passed through it on our way to Nejd in 1878. They were then, and as 

 late as 1881, at war with the Sultan, now they are his guests, clothed in 

 robes of honour. 



" When it was over I went with General Blunt to call on Emin Pasha, 

 the Chamberlain, and got from him permission to visit the Imperial 

 Arab stud at the Sweet Waters ; the General would have gone with me 

 also to Munir Pasha, but I explained that perhaps Munir would sooner 

 see me alone ; so presently the superintendent came for me and took 

 me to Munir. There was with him an officious little man whom I 

 afterwards found to be Guarracino, the ' Times ' correspondent ; but 

 Munir sent him away. He then read my letter from Mukhtar and 

 became cordial. We talked a little about the affairs of Egypt, and a 

 little about my travels, and he said he would inform the Sultan of my 

 arrival. 



' In the Diplomatic Box which we occupied at the Selamlik, I found 

 our old friend Sabunji, 1 now in fine feather, having a permanent post 

 as translator to the Sultan. He lives at Prinkipo and comes in twice 

 a week to Yildiz. He told me he had had my article ' Lord Cromer and 

 the Khedive ' given him to translate, and that the Sultan certainly had 

 read it. He advised me to ask for an audience, but I told him I had no 

 time. General Blunt whispered me that he was ' a palace spy,' which 

 of course he is, and therein lies his value ; he may be of great use to 

 us here. The day was lovely, the view splendid, and I enjoyed the 

 pageant as I seldom do things of the sort. 



" In the evening we drove to the Sweet Waters and were shown the 



1 See " Secret History." 



