being a son of a military officer, saint clair joined the british army and took part in the crimean war. he was promoted to the rank of captain in 1859. after the war, in 1862 he started work as a clerk in the british counselate in burgas, then part of the ottoman empire. two years later, he became a british consul in varna. at that time, however, he frequently visited his home country, where in 1863 he joined the anti-russian january uprising that failed. in bulgaria, he purchased an estate (a "chiflik") in akdere, intending to settle in the ottoman empire. around this time he started calling himself hidayet pasha ("the guided general") thus claiming a military rank ("pasha" is the ottoman equivalent of a general) that was never assigned to him. around this time saint clair co-authored a book with charles brophy titled "a residence in bulgaria. notes on the resources and the administration of turkey", published in 1869 in london. the book contains a negative portrayal of bulgarians.