Journal 40, page 12

looking.

Finest horses I have ever seen

#Tahir Bey comes up & talks to us in excellent English & tells us his name & rank ("superintendent of the Police") saying "I suppose I shall be in your diary"-& touches his hat politely. He has been in all parts of the world-is a perfect gentleman-says "Thanks" when we say we are glad to have met him-talks about the government &c-praises America & makes himself generally agreeable. Nice [?] [..]

April 29, 1870

Friday. The Moslem Sabbath. The sultan goes to prayer.

-We get a carriage & are on hand in good season. Men are watering the streets in front of the splendid palace of & the array of Turkish ladies in cloaks of every color of the rainbow make a splendid display & remind one of a parterre in the Champs Elysee. Salmon, orange, ochre, purple, mauve, rose-the whole color gamut is sounded. They have come, like us, to see the Sultan. Horses splendidly caparisoned, with tassels of gold cord & the famous Bulgarian bridle of silk, with saddle crimson & gold & the square shovel_íshaped stirrup, are prancing along mounted by fat solemn

[written in right margin:] blue, red, green, black gloves & yellow pantaloons, scarlet gowns & diamond [........ ] white [................ ]

faced officers also in gold cord. One of the Sultan's sons-a boy of twelve-caracoles [?] past us, with his suite. I see little hope for the Empire in his face. Gend'armes in great numbers file past at a slow run, leaning forward as they go. The band, with curious instruments, some of them Chinese & looking as if the might rival the dervishes in discord, pass along to take up a position near the mosque to which "The Shadow of God" is going to pray. Cavalry men next pass, on splendid prancing horses of grey- their guns curiously fastened beside their saddles in front

[written along the right margin and left margin of following page:] The carriage of the Sultan-plain black but very elegant-& his four caigues [umlaut over a], gorgeously painted, are- all in readiness as until the last minute his Highness does not signify by which one of three methods open to him he is pleased to go to the Mosque.

muzzles down. Broad breasted officers covered with decorations saunter pass, cigar in mouth & hand on sword.

Carriages filled with Turkish ladies looking like baskets full of flowers go slowly along. Several carriages belonging to the Sultan, & drawn by six black horses apiece, go down to the Mosque