the month of October, 1838, the Sultan embarked on board a steamer, and repaired to his palace in the island of Chalchy, to witness the manœuvres of the squadron which was about to sail for the Levant. The bad state of the weather was the reason assigned for his sudden return: but it was whispered that, ill-humour, and not the weather, was the real cause, an incident having occurred which, not only ruffled his temper, but exerted a powerful influence over his mind. Whilst in the act of ascending the vessel's side, the Imperial Sword, which had been loosely buckled round His Highness's waist, dropped into the sea, and was instantly lost! The Sultan could not conceal the impression which this circumstance produced on him :-he remained speechless for several minutes, evidently absorbed in thoughts of the blackest hue. Not one of his terrified courtiers dared to utter a syllable-until at last, the Seraskier, who, like most of the Members of the Divan, was averse to the renewal of hostilities with the Pascha of Egypt, (but had never presumed to oppose the Emperor's determination,)—seeing at once, how much the interpretation of this ominous circumstance might be rendered favourable to the furtherance of his own views,-threw himself at his master's feet, and exclaimed, "Long live our Lord! Let his soul rejoice, and not mourn at this sign-which cannot be mistaken! Behold! the Prophet has decided the question which has so much agitated the Councils of the Sublime Porte! He has declared that Mohammed's sword is not to be drawn under the present juncture !" For a moment, His Highness's countenance brightened; and the explanation which had been offered, being afterwards confirmed by the "Astrologue," he ordered the fleet to return to its anchorage:-but he never entirely recovered his spirits; and nine months afterwards,—he died! His son, the youthful Abd'-ul-Med'gid who succeeded him, has the reputation of being a zealous Mussulmaun; in testimony whereof, it is said that he issued a Firmaun interdicting the use of wine, under no less a penalty than the confiscation of property; and that to prove his sincerity, he ordered a magnificent stock of wine, and a superb service of crystal, which had belonged to his father, and was estimated at about a million of piastres, to be thrown into the Bosphorus! The following is an authenticated account of the homage rendered to the Sultan Med'gid on his accession to the throne : "The Sultana-mother, Valisè, wishing to give to the ladies of Messieurs Duz, the Directors of the Mint, a testimony of her esteem, invited them to the Imperial palace, to be present at the entrance of her son into the Seraglio. The ladies were conveyed in the private barges of the Sultan, and received with a kindness very rarely shown by Turkish Chiefs towards their Christian subjects. From the threshold of the Gynecæum to the principal room, the floor was covered with the richest brocaded stuffs and splendid cashmeres, for the young Padisha of the Osmanlis to walk over, to a magnificent chair or throne, embroidered with pearls, rubies, and emeralds. The Sultana-mother approached, and, with invocations to God, gave her blessing to her son. Next came the Sultana Isma, his aunt, who presented him with a young female slave, a gift with which Abd'-ul Med'gid appeared to be much gratified, and placed the girl upon a seat nearly as rich as his own. A thousand slaves came in turn, and prostrated themselves at the feet of the Sultan. During the ceremony, young Circassian girls showered handfuls of sequins in the apartment, in such profusion, that it became difficult to walk in it, the feet slipping from treading on them. When all the fair recluses of the Harem had paid their tribute of homage to the Sultan, Mesdames Duz did the same, and afterwards attempted to kiss the feet of Her who had become the Companion of the Grand Seigneur, but she resisted, until the Sultana Valisè desired her to accept this act of homage, as being due to her station. She then submitted, but with a timidity which made the Sultan smile. On taking leave of the Sultana Valisè, Mesdames Duz each received a salver of silver gilt, with six stands for cups, in chased gold, enriched with diamonds, and a cassolette for perfume, of the same metal. The Sultana also presented to all, a handkerchief containing 1000 piastres in gold coin, recommending that they should be carefully preserved in commemoration of the accession of their Sovereign to the throne." THE MOHAMMEDAN YEAR. The Era of the Mohammedans is reckoned from the "Hegira" or "Flight of Mohammed," and is dated from the 16th of July, A. D. 622. The Mohammedan Lunar year contains 354 days, 8 hours, 48 minutes, or 12 months, which the Arabs thus designate, in reference to their religious festivals : 1.-Mohhar'ram, the sacred month, the 1st day of which corresponds with the 21st of May, has 30 days. 2.-Sufar, the happy month, 1st i. e. the 3.-Rabee'a el-Ow'wal, 1st i. e. the 4.-Rabee'a el-Ta'nee, 1st i. e. the 5.-D'gooma'd el-Ow'wal, or D'gooma' 19th of June 29 99 19th of July 30 99 15th of Sept. da-l-Oo'la, 1st i. e. the 6.-D'gooma'd et-Ta'nee, or D'gooma-15th of Oct. da-t-Ta'niyeh, 1st i. e. the 7.-Red'geb, the noble month, 1st i. e. the 13th of Nov. 8.-Shaaba'n, the glorious month, 1st i.e. the 15th of Dec. 9.—Rh'amad'han, the honored month, 11th of Jan. 1st i. e. the 10.-Shaw'wa'l, 1st i. e. the 11.—Zoo-l-Cka'adeh, or El-Cka'adeh, 1st i. e. the 12. Zoo-1-Hheg'geh, or El Heg'geh, the holy month, when the pilgrimage to Mekkah is made, 1st i. e. the During Leap Year, the latter has 30 days. 30 days. 21st of April The above varies from year to year, as relates to the seasons; because the Arabs do not reckon intercalary days, to make up the difference between the Lunar year and the Solar year; and thus the same month may occur in the spring, summer, autumn, or winter. From what I have stated, it appears that the modern Egyptians have no geographical knowledge; they are equally ignorant of the system of the universe: they conceive that the earth is a plain, surrounded or bound by two beltsthe ocean, and a chain of lofty mountains-the mountains of Ckaf, the abode of Spirits which are constantly passing and repassing between Heaven and Earth; and if any man were so rash as to assert that we inhabit a ball which is in constant motion, turning on its own axis, and revolving about the sun, and that moreover, the latter is a fixed body, they would declare, with few exceptions, that his wits were disturbed, and that he ought to be looked after. Of course, they understand nothing about eclipses, the tides, or the seasons; they are equally learned on the subject of the planets, and believe that a "falling star" is a fiery dart aimed by the "Great Spirit," at one of the "Ghinnies" (Fairies).† MOHAMMEDAN PRINCIPLES-THE PATRIARCHS— The Osmanlis believe our Saviour to be a Prophet, but not the "Son of God;" and they have a respect for almost all those whom the Bible declares to have obtained favour at the hands of God. They profess great veneration for the Old Testament and the Law of Moses:-the fact is, the Khoran is founded on the Mosaic Dispensation:-they imagine that the true religion was altered, and that Mohammed the Prophet was sent by the Almighty from Heaven, to purify it. Accordingly, this same Prophet and his followers are declared to be descended from For an account of the Arab method of computing time, see Vol. I, p. 345. + See Vol. I. p. 372. et esq., also Vol. II. Chap. IX; compare this with p. 303. Ismael and Abraham, in whose seed, "all the nations of the earth shall be blessed." Noah, or "Nouh," is in high estimation with them; because they believe he saved the world from absolute destruction; and they assert that Abraham left his country to become the "Father of the Faithful," in obedience to the express commands of God. At the same time, they do not deny the miracles of our Saviour, who in the Khoran is designated "D'Issa,”—and they even attribute others to Him which are set forth in the Talmud, and the books of the Jewish Rabbis: -they place implicit confidence in the account which the Bible gives of the " Passage of the Red Sea," *—and they revere the memory of Solomon, Job, or "Ayoub," and Jonas or "Younès." They profess to hate the Devil and his Angels, and to abhor Cain, Nimrod, the Pharaohs of Egypt, and all the Heathen Idols of Arabia,-as "Lat," "Minat,' "Ozza," &c. The Prophet assumed to himself three names, "Mohammed," "Mahomet," or "Mehemet" on earth; and generally pronounced by the Arabs as if it were written "Am’hh’ammed”—“ Ahmed,” or "Achmet" in Heaven ;—and "Mahmoud" in Hell! All these, but especially the two first, are held sacred, and it is thought that those who bear them will go to Paradise. The Mussulmauns think less of titles than we do; but they glory in being able to claim relationship with the Prophet:those who think themselves entitled to this honour, or who have made the pilgrimage to Mekkah, are called "Hadgi:"-they are generally great fanatics, insolent and overbearing-although their religion teaches that "all men are equal before God!" There is scarcely a Mohammedan who does not believe in astrology, magic, and sorcery :-all are more or less under the influence of superstition: anything mysterious is attributed by them to supernatural agency-evil spirits, fairies, or the "Evil Eye:"-they are continually asking for "talismans" and 66 waraga," or charms; and they have great faith in "amulets," or invocations, to produce good, preserve from harm, and procure the fulfilment of their desires :-to this end, fumigations and mirrors are thought to have a most remarkable effect, quotations from the Khoran suspended about the person, and mystical signs, and writing in some strange language. At one period, the dogs in and about Constantinople, became so numerous and so noisy, that the Divan published a decree that they should be carried over to the Asiatic side of the Bosphorus, and there turned loose-it being contrary to the doctrines of the Khoran to destroy life, otherwise they would have been shot;-the decree was immediately enforced, to the delight of everybody: but it so happened that a fire broke out the same evening, in Turk-town, which disconcerted the Authorities not a little, and repenting of the rash act which they * See Vol. II. p. 52 and 310, + See Vol. I. p. 265, et seq. VOL. I. Vol. I. p. 367, et seq.; also p. 206 and 343. K K had just committed, another decree was issued that the dogs should be brought back again, with all possible dispatch, which was accordingly done, and it was most ludicrous to see a procession of boats traversing the Bosphorus for the next forty-eight hours, laden with grave Osmanlis and mangy curs! * FINANCIAL ADMINISTRATION IN TURKEY. According to the system which has been so long in force throughout the Ottoman Empire, the delegates of the Sultan resident in the Provinces, have it in their power to practise the grossest tyranny and injustice. Take the following as an illustration. A certain Governor of Philippopoli having offered a larger sum than his competitors to Emim Pascha of Adrianople, for the farming of its revenues, did not fail from the day his administration commenced, to employ all the means in his power, to render his speculation lucrative. The failure of the crops throughout the district, however, occasioned so much misery, that he began to foresee-instead of the golden harvest he anticipated,—a considerable loss, unless he called into operation the powers of threats and violence. Bent on schemes of spoliation, he summoned into his pre sence the Osmanli and Greek Municipal Officers, to inform them, that having considered it meet to rebuild the palace of the Governor at Philippopoli, he expected they would provide him with the necessary funds. The principal architect, a Greek, was sent for, who, after examining the plan laid before him by the Governor, declared his readiness to undertake the building for the sum of 150,000 piastres-an estimate, considering the cheapness of building materials in the Province, and the low rate of wages, altogether exorbitant. The Agahs and Greek Primates withdrew, without venturing to make any observation, much less a remonstrance, assuring the Governor that they would themselves concert with their constituents, as to the means of raising the required contribution. The Greek architect alone, at the Governor's invitation, remained behind with the Mollah. The two magistrates, after using fair promises and the fiercest threats, ultimately prevailed upon him to draw out a fresh estimate of expenses, double that first mentioned, and then to present it to the Turkish and Greek community! To prevent the Governor from suspecting the steps they were secretly taking against him, the Municipal Officers advanced him the sum of 60,000 piastres, declaring they would pay the rest of the contribution, on obtaining a loan. The building was rapidly being raised, and the two * See ante, p. 328; and Vol. II. p. 595. |