The Prince granted an audience to the Consuls of the Powers on the following day to receive the congratulations of their Governments upon his recognition by the Porte before setting out on his journey to Constantinople. At Rustchuk the Governor of the Danubian vilayet, Midhat Pacha, received the Prince with the utmost ceremony. On arriving at Varna Prince Charles embarked at once on the Imperial steam yacht _Issedin_, which had brought Djemil Pacha and Memduh Bey to escort him to the Golden Horn. On his arrival at Constantinople the Prince landed at Beglerby, where an imperial palace had been destined for his reception. Thence the Prince, in the uniform of a Roumanian general, proceeded to Dolma Bagdsche, where the Sultan came to the door of his cabinet to welcome him. Next the sofa on which the Sultan was to sit a chair was placed for the Prince, but he pushed it gently aside, and as a Prince of Hohenzollern sat down next to his Suzerain. The conversation which then ensued turned first upon the Prince's journey, and afterwards on the state of affairs in Roumania. At the conclusion of the audience the Sultan handed Prince Charles a paper, which he laid on the table without looking at it, and then asked for permission to present his suite, one of whom took charge of the firman. The Sultan took a hearty leave of the Prince, who then visited the Sublime Porte, where the Grand Vizier welcomed him and presented to him the various Turkish great dignitaries of the Ottoman Empire. On October 26 Prince Charles received the Ambassadors of the Powers, amongst their number Lord Lyons, who had been of material assistance in obtaining the recognition of the Prince, but who was strongly opposed to any slackening of the bonds between Turkey and the Vassal States. The impression left in the Prince's mind by the magnificent reception was that it was due more to his descent from the House of Hohenzollern than to the fact that he was ruler of Roumania, for the Hospodars had been treated merely as highly placed officials, and as a symbol of their vassaldom were obliged to hold the Sultan's stirrup as he mounted.