810
MX7KHTAE-PACHA.
aptitude for military studiesj and at the expiration of five years he passed from the school first of his class. Entering the Military Aca- demy at Constantinople, he re- mained four years as pupil, when, in consequence of his progress, he was promoted, while still pursuing his studies, to the grade of lieu- tenant. When he left, as a further reward of merit, he was made cap- tain on the staff, and in that capa- city he, in 1860, joined the head- quarters of the Serdar Ekrem Omer Pacha, in Montenegro. Nor was he long here before he found occa- sion to distinguish himself. To- wards the close of the campaign he found himself one day with some cavalry near the defile of TJstruck, then in the possession of a consider- able force of the enemy. Seeing an opportunity, he went at the Monte- negrins, drove them out of the de- file, and although twice wounded managed to hold it for some hours until reinforcements arrived. For this feat Omer Pacha confen*ed on him the Fifth Class of the Medjidie and the rank of coulasse, or sulju- tant-major. After i>eace was tem- porarily made Ahmed Mukhtar re- turned to the Militaiy Academy, where he was appointed to the post of Professor of Astronomy, Military Architecture, and Fortification. In this somewhat mixed capacity he remained until 1863, when he was sent as binbashi or major and chief of the staff of the division of Isla- heye — a division of organisation — at Alexandretta, under the com- mand of Dervish Pacha, now Mushir at Batoum. At the end of 1864 the young soldier was ap- pointed caimakam, or lieutenant- colonel, and tutor to Prince Yous- souf Issedin, the eldest son of Sul- tan Abdul Aziz, who was believed to be anxious that his son should succeed t6 the throne instead of the eldest male of the family, as the Ottoman rule is. In order to qualify this rather wilful young Pnnce — whom some flatterers called "the
Prince Imperial" — ^f or this position it was resolved that he should make the grand tour, and under the charge of Lieut. -Colonel Ahmed MulAtar the youth visited England, France, Germany, and Austria. During this trip European Sove- reigns showered honours on the "Governor" of Yousseuf Issedin. He received the Legion of Honour, the Bed Eagle, and the Crown of Iron among other decorations, and in 1867 returned to Constantinople. At that time Prince Yousseuf be- came colonel of the Imperial Guards and was emancii>ated from the trammels of pupilage. Ahmed Mukhtar was appointed one of the Commi8si6ners for regulating the frontier of Montenegro, in which capacity he served until 1869, by his poficy saving to Turkey the strategical point of Veil Malou Berdu, between Spitz and Podgo- ritza, while as the ex-prof ^ssor of fortifications he made the tMe d« pont of Yezir Eeupri. So enraged were the Montenegrins at this last moment that a paoty of them fired on the young colonel — for now he had the full rank— killing another officer of the same erade at his side. For these services he was promoted to the Third Class of the Medjidie, and returning to Stamboul was made a member of the Council of War. Three months later he was nominated general of brigade, un- der Bedif Pacha, then commanding the Yemen expedition against the Ai^bs. Soon after Mukhtar's arri- val Bedif fell ill, and the command feU into the haiids of the young liwa, or major-general. He took the city of Yedy, and was promoted for that achievement to me grade of ferik, or general of division, and chief of all the corps in Yemen, Bedif becoming Governor, until he was superseded, on the ground of illness, by Essad Pacha. When Ali Pacha, the Minister of War, died, Essad Pachabecame Seraskier, and Mukhtar was promoted to mushir (or full gen€^) and the
