THE SULTAN OF ZANZIBAR AT THE BRITISH MUSEUM.

Thames Star, Volume VII, Issue 2070, 23 August 1875, Page 3

THE SULTAN OF ZANZIBAR AT THE BRITISH MUSEUM.

Yesterday afternoon the Sultan, accompanied .by. four members of his suite, paid a visit ;td ''-iM X British Mtseum. A large crowd assembled outside the gates to see him, but admission to the Museum was limited to- a very few persons, and his Highness was enabled to view everything with ease.and..comfort. , On his arrival he: was received by Mr Winter Jones*, the principal librarian, and conducted to the great central hall, where Dr Badger explained* how the readers obtained admission, and the system on which books were given out. The party next.^ntiCeddhCcorridorSr'ana- inspected tho reading room from one of the galleries. While returning the Sultan asked if there were many more books; and on Dr Badger telling him that what he had seen was " but a drop in the ocean," he expressed th« greatest surprise, exclaimihg "It is a city-of jbboksV'l. Lithe North Library some volumes in Arabic attracted the

.Sultan's attention, and he turned them wver carefully, stopping hero and there to ■oad a passage, telling Dr Badger at the time in what dialect they were written. \' Irt th^e King's Library .anenormous A tlas^ dedicated to Charles ll'. fJbyjthe Dutch, and printed in 1662, was ofsened. The cover ran on wheels, and this seemed to surprise the Sultan very much. Just at the moment lie was surrounded by.books. = on every side ing up his 'handstand shakjnghis head, he declared i;hat he" hardly knew where he was. In the manuscript^ room his Highness-asked to\s"ee~a"Koran,7sf which' the Archbishop of Canterbury had told him when i calling that morning. One volume. ■yras- w ajready ; ly ng jpn : . the table ready ' for'hir" inspection, biit he expressed a wish* to see all the books, and the remaining six volumes were accordingly got down. The date of this work, which is on paper, most beautifully, illuminated, is ; 775 -of 'theHHegira,>or about 1305 of bur era. Like many other valuable works, it was bought some years ago very cheapiforithe-MusQum. As he turned over the leaves, occasionally reading passages, the Sultan showed that he is by no means a strict Mohammedan. He occasionally lifted the leaves with his left hand—a thing no Turk or Persian would have done. : Only under the direst necessity will they touch the leaves of the sacred volume with the left hand, considering it an insult to the book. Several volumes in the old Kufic or monumental character, used by the JMiohammedans for the first 200 years in which they possessed manuscripts, were next brought down, and these also were closely examined. "I must come another day and look at these books," said the Sultan on leaving the rdonv adding that his head was overcome by seeing so much, and he was afraid he should not remember it all. It was now nearly time to go,, and it was determined: just \to take his Highness intp;one of the sculpture galleries and then, to leave. Accordingly;he just looked down the long corridors and began his r farewell. " I must come again early in the -morning, when I am not tired," he said, as he shook hands with Mr Winter Jones, Just, at that moment, one of the suite, walking farther on, caught sight of some Etruscan.figures, under a glass case, and, laughing loudly "at their strange uncouth attitudes, 1 drew the Sultan's attention-to. them. "No, I am not tired," said his Highness quickly, and turning back he was soon examining - these ancient figures more than twenty-six centuries old. From these he passed on to the winged man-headed bulls brought by Sir Henry Ea'wlinson from Khorsabad. Dr Badger's explanation of how these great stone monsters were conveyed to England was interrupted by a question whether these exhibits were not merely _ copies of what were supposed to have existed in Nineveh. An immediate answer that they were the originals was not at first fully accepted, and for some moments Dr Badger underwent* a sharp cross-examination by the Sultan and. one or two. of the suite, from which he came out triumphant, after havipg fully described the. wayin which these sculptures were found, raised and brought over., Greater.interest was shown by:the Sultan in this part of the Museum than .-in : any other part he' visited; through the ancient traditions of his country he was. acquainted with the name of Nineveh, arid knew a little of its history as an ancient city, but he was amazed to find in the Museum statues and sculptures • which had been' brought thence. After looking at these for some time he turned y to' go, again telling Mr Winter Jones that he " must come again soon." A number of ladies and gentlemen from the reading rooms and galleries assembled to see him leave, and he replied to their salutations with a. graceful downward wave of the right hand, smiling at the same time most pleasantly. To his attendants he said that he had enjoyed nothing so much since his arrival, with the exception of his visit to the Prince of Wales, where he. was especially pleased with the Eoyal children, and he several f times said that he hoped to. be able: to 'pay a much longer visit. —Daily News.