I F E OF AL I PASH

OF T E Pfih E NL

V I Z I E R O F E P I R U S

SURNAM E ")

M an, or ti) :al ien.

BY R. A. DAVENPORT .

T here isno more mercy inhim thanthere ismi lk inamale tiger.

G o forwardand be choked by thyambi tion.

"-_Sum smm s.

D14101 1 7251 564

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7 3, CHE APS ID E .

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AD VERTISEMENT.

the cause s of i ts decline. While, on i ts frontier, i t wasrepeatedlyattack ed by its encroachingand unprincipledneighbou r, the Moscovi te , i ts efforts were palsied by a

T he present Sul tan, Mahmoud,aman of tal ent andresol u tion, hasmade strenuou s,and not wholly fru itless,exer tions to remedy these crying evils. It ismuch to

be W ished that his labours may be crowned wi th fu llsu c c e ss—for i t ismanifest, that the regenerationof T ur

k ey ,so as to render her an efficient power

,would emi

u entl y contribu te to preserve the peace ofE urope.

Su ch be ing the case, the Proprietor of the Family

and actions ofone of the most celebrated of the Ottomanpashas—one of the numerou s di lapidators of Turkishr esou rces,and scourges of the T urk i sh people—wi ll befavou rably received by the publ ic. The reader will here

vi AD VE R T ISE M ENT .

see with what vampyre efi'

ect subaltern tyrants canexhaust the vi tal principle ofanextensive empire.

A Life of Ali Pashawas publi shed, in French, byM . Beau cha'mp

,shortly after the fall of the Albanian

ch ief. It was translated into E ngl ish, something wasadded

,and it went through twoedi tions. To reprint this

translation,correctedand enlarged,wasat first the intou

tion of the Proprietor of the Fam ily Library. On ex

emining it, however, I found i t so inaccu rateand incomplete initsstatements,and so defective ini tsarrangementand composition

,that I resolved to substituteanewwork

in its stead. It must be owned,that some of its fau lts

were unavoidable—at the time when i t waswri tten thematerials were so scanty

,that i t was impossible to form

from themany thing bu tan imperfect narrative. Manydocuments on the subject have since been given to theworld ; and these I have careful ly consu lted . I hopethat the reader wi ll derive suchaportionofamusementand information from my‘

laboursas will indu ce him to

consider themas not wholly thrownaway.

R . A. D .

C O T E NT S .

PAGE

CONTENT S .

PAGE

CONTENT S .

PAGE

CONTENT S .

CONTE NT S.

PAGE

CONTENT S .

C HAPTE R XV .

Appr ehensions ofAl i—He destroys Ioannina- His Resources-The TurkishArmyarrives- Stratagem ofAli—The SonsofAl i

surrender—Daring Conduct of ShainitzaThe Turks routedinaSal ly—Ali conceals his Treasures—State of his M indImpolicy of Ismael Pasha—Ali gains over the Sul iots—Victoriesobtained by the Sul iote—Ismael is removed from the Commandof the Army—Ismael defeats Al i—Kurschid Pashatakes the

Command of the besieging Army—Ali opensaCorreSpond encewi thhim—Ali ’s Proposals—Theyare rejec —The Greek Revolution breaks out—The Turks foiled inan Assau lt- Deathof Shaini tza— Frui tless Negociations—Intrigues of Kurschid

Success of them—Al i surrenders—Death of Ali , and of his

Eami ly

LI F E OF AL I PASHA.

CHAPTE R I.

Interesting Natu re ofAl i Pasha's History—History of Epirus

The Molossians—Actions of Pyrrhus—Cruel Treatment of theE pi rots by the Romans—Nicopol is—E pirusrepeatedlyFi rst Appearance oftheName ofAlbania—E xploi tsofScanderbeg._ Death ofScanderbeg—Albaniareduced under the Sway of theT urks—Progress of the Mahometan Rel igion in AlbaniaDescripti on of Albania—The Natives cal l themselves Sk ipebars“ Al banian T r ibes—Mannersand Cu stoms of the AlbaniansCharacter of Al banianSoldiers—Occupations of the Albanians.

T H E rugged and imperfectly known territory of

E pirus has, at various periods, given birth to manyremarkable personages . Among those personagesthere are three, who, born inages far remote fromeach other, occupy aprominent station in historicalrecord ; the martialand conquering but magnanimou sPyrrhu s, the patrioticand invincible Scanderbeg,andthe subtle, treacherou s,and sangu inary Ali ofTepel eni . It mu st be owned, indeed, that inthe characterand exploits ofAli we vainly seek for those virtuesand heroic deeds which redeemed the defects of

Pyrrhu s and Scanderbeg ; but, on the other hand,from its infinite variety, and its being connected withou r own times and political interests, his story rivetsm o re firmly our attention ,and it is far better calculated than theirs to give beneficial lessons tomankind.

B

2 L IFE o r AL I PASHA .

H is lifeand deathare eminently qualified to pointamoralandadornatale.

” From the rise of Ali to thesummit of power, we learn how much may beachievedby stubborn perseveranceand “courage never to submitor yield his utter contempt of truthand honou r,andhis reckless shedding of blood,afford amelancholyproof of the evils which result from the possession ofunlimited authority, and the absence of moral andreligious restraints ; and his fall, mainly if not whollycau sed by his own ambition,avarice, and quenchlessthirst of revenge

,bears incontrovertible testimony to

the danger which, sooner or later, springs from the

passions being permitted to triumph over reason.Before we enter upon the narrative ofAli’sactions,

it may not be improper to pau seamoment, for thepurpose of castingaglance upon the history ofEpirus,the nature of the country, and the manners of itsinhabitants . And firstas to its history.Epiru sappears originally to have been divided into

fourteen states ; if, indeed, the term states may beapplied to such diminutive portions of territory. Molossis, which was the most important of them, eventuallyabsorbedall the others. It was blessed withafertile soil,and within its limits stood the venerableoracle ofDodona, which wasconsidered to be the mostancient in Greece. The Molossian constitution isdeservedly praised by Aristotle. The governmentwasamonarchy, hereditary but not despotic . It wasthe custom of the Molossians to meetat Passaron, thecapital , where, after sacrifices had been offered toJupiter the warrior, mutual oaths were taken by theprinceand the people . The former swore to ru leaccording to the laws ; the latter as solemnly bound themselves to defend the royal succession . Fabu lou shistory traces back the origin of the Molossiandom to the time of D eucalion’s flood ; but the reign

L I FE or ALI rasm i . 3

ing fam i l y we re content with deriving their descentfrom Ne opto lemu s . Pyrrhu s the son ofAchilles, whomigrated from Thessaly, overthrew Echetus, andbecam e m onarch of M olossis. As Epirus took noprom inent part in Grecianaffai rs, fewci rcumstances ofits hi sto ry have been recorded. It wasat the courtof Adm e tus, its ruler, that anasylum was sought bythe banished Them i stocles ; and, though the Lacedmmoniansand Athenians demanded that the noble exileshou ld be del ivered up to them, Admetu s braved theiranger by giving himasafe conduct from his dominions.During the Pe lo ponnesianwar, while Tharyps,aminor,was on the th rone, abody of Molossian troops, commended by the regent, joined the Lacedaamonianforces in Acarnania. Tharypsappears to have beenawise and vi rtu ou s prince. He is declared to havevisited Athens, for the purpo se ofacqu iring knowledge,and to have been bothalearned manandanenlightened monarch, who introduced many improvementsamong his su bj ects . The next striking event in theannals of thi s country is the marriage of Philip of

Macedon wi th Olympias, the daughter of Neoptolemus . Alexander I ., the son and successor toNeoptolemu s, who was killed in Italy, is said to havebeenaprince of greatabili tyand valour.But the glory ofall the other sovereignsofEpirus

is dimmed by that of the celebrated Pyrrhus. TakingAlexande r the Great for his model, he longed to rivalhim in renown . H is l ife wasaseries of strangeandrapid v ic issitudes. Twice he lost his kingdom,andasoften recovered it. He won the crown ofMacedonia,and hel d it for some time , but wasat length compelledto relinqui sh it. Being called into Italy, to theassistance of the Tarentines, be twice defeated the Romans,and advanced to within ashort distance of Rome .

Finding, however, that the republicans, though vanB 2

4 L IFE or ALI PA SHA .

quished, were not to be subdued, he turned hisarmsagainst Sicily, in which island he signalised his valou ron various occasions. Returning again to Italy, berenewed the war with Rome, but he was defeated byManlius, and found it necessary to lead his forcesback to Epirus. For this defeat fortune indemnifiedhim, by restoring to

‘

him the kingdom of Macedon,which he regained in asingle battle. H is restlesscareerwas closedat theassau lt ofArgos. A woman ’shand brought him to the ground, by throwing atileon him from the roof ofahouse,and he wasdespatchedby the soldiers ofAntigonus. Pyrrhus was one of the

greatest captains ofantiqu ity ; by the highau thorityofAnnibal he was pronounced to be second only toAlexander the Great. H is merit was not confined towaralone. Fierceashewas in battle,” saysan intelligent writer, he wasmildand gentle to his subjectsand adherents ; notallowing h imself to be easily provoked, and more eager to requ ite akindness thanresent awrong. A pecuniary debt,’ he observed,‘ may be repaid to the heirs of the creditor ; butasareturn of kindness can only be made while our friendsare living,agoodand upright manwill severely regrethishaving lost the opportunity of requ iting them.

’

The

whole of his history shows, that he was m isled bypassions not sufficiently controlled, but that his understanding was powerful, quick,andacute .

”

Alexander, the son of Pyrrhu s, was not unworthyof his father. He recovered his throne, which hadbeen wrested from him by Demetrius,and be defeatedthe Illyrians ; but with him departed the glory of

E pirus . After three ingloriou s reigns, with the last ofwhich terminated the race of Achilles, the countryadopted arepublican form of government. Epiruspreserved its independence till the downfal ofPerseu s,king ofMacedon; when, having made commoncause

L I F E or ALI PA SHA. 5

with himagainst the Romans, it was involved in hismin. The R oman senate determined to takeaterriblevengeance u pon the Epirots,and the task ofexactingit was comm itted to Paulus fEmilius. As the valourand despai r of the Epirots, had they been aware of

what was in tended , might have been productive offatalconsequence s , the high- souled Romans stooped tomask their design underafraud. Pretending that itwas meant to wi thdrawall the garrisons, that the Epirots m ight be freeas wellas the Macedonians, Paulussent smal l bodies of troops into the cities,and distributed the r emainder of hisarmy in suchamannerthat it m igh t be able to act simultaneously. At thesame hou r, the work of pillage and destruction wascommenced throughout the country,and the people,thus taken by su rprise, were unable to offerany resistance. A hu ndredandfifty thousand persons were madecaptive,and so ld into slavery ; the principal personswere sent to Rome, where most of them were condemned to death,and the walls of no less than seventycities were le ve lled with the ground . This event wasadeath blow to the greatness of Epirus .After the se disastrou s events, the gove rnment of

Epiru s was in the hands of Roman prefects . Twicewas the empire of the world contended for within thelimits ofthe ancient dominions ofPyrrhus ; by land,atPharsalia; by sea,at Actium. On the coast ofActium,

Octavius, the conqueror of Antony, founded Nicopolis, or the city of victory, to immortalise the battlewhich had rendered him the master of the Wide dominions of Rome. After having peopled it from the

neighbou ring towns, be erected superb edifices withinits walls, organisedasenate, institu ted games,and conferred. on it immunitiesand privileges, whi ch inashorttime made it one ofthe most flouri shing ci ties ofEpirus .At Nicopolis, St . Paul sowed the seeds of the Ohm

6 L IFE o r ALI PASHA .

tianfaith, which he had previously been disseminatingin Macedonia.Under Constantine the Great, Epirus formedapart

of the province ofPannonia. Like the rest ofGreece,it was favou red by the emperor Julian, who repairedseveral of its cities. For several centu ries all thathistory records of this province is, that it was successively ravaged by merciless invaders. Alaric, Attila,the Huns, the Vandals,and the Bulgarians, swept overi t likeatempest. Towards the latter end of the ninthcentu ry, the Bulgarians succeeded in establishing themselves iaEpirus,and formingakingdom ;and thoughthey sustained asevere defeat from Basil II ., whowas su rnamed the Bulgarian -killer, they maintainedtheir ground. In the eleventh century, Robert Gu iscardand his son Bohemond led their Normans hither,and it is immediatelyafter the battle of Durazzo thatwe find the fir st mention ofAlbaniansas inhabitantsofEpirus.The conquest of Constantinople by the Franks, in

1 204 , gave rise to the despotate of Epiru s, ofwhichIoanninawasthe capital. The narrative ofwhat occurred during the existence of the despotate, we shallpostpone to the third chapter, which contains the description of Ioannina,and the vicissitudes of that city,and shall pass over to the next great event in theannals of Epirus, or,as we mu st begin to call it, ofAlbania. We have nowarrivedat the gloriou s struggle which was maintained by Scanderbegagainst theTurkish power, when that power was yet in all itsyouthfu l vigou r.Among the pettyprinces, or despots, ofAlbania,who

submitted to Amurath, was John Castriot. He ruledoverasmall territory, in the north of Albania, whichwas then called Emathia, and now forms the districtof M oghlena. Its capital was Cro

’

ia,about midway

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8 L IFE o r AL I PA SHA .

seven days, left in aforest six hundred menwhomhe had hastily collected,and then proceeded to thecity, the keys ofwhich were delivered to him by theu nsu specting governor . In the course of the night,he introduced his followers, and the Turki sh garrison was put to the sword. This took place towardsthe close of November, 1 4 4 3 . The massacre of the

Turksat Cro’iawas succeeded by that ofthe Ottomansin the surrounding towns. In less than amonth,allthe strong places of the country, with the exceptionof Sfetigrad, were in the hands of Scanderbeg. H is

next step was to convokeameeting of the numerousChristian tribu tary princes of this part of Albania.He was unanimously recognised as their leader,andanarmy of seven thousand foot and three thou sandhorse was brought into the field by the confederates.The Turkish army of forty thousand men, com

manded byaleader named Ali Pasha,advanced rapidlyto suppress the revolt. Scanderbeg, who by this timewasat the head offifteen thousand men, took post inthe Lower Dibra, and allowed the enemy to movethrough the passes. But, as soon as they wereenclosed within acircle of mountains, he began hisattack upon them. Hotly cannonaded from the

heights, harassed by the Christians in the plain,andunable, from the confined space, to bring their strengthinto efli cient action, the Turks were utterly routed.

Barletius, doubtless with much exaggeration, statesthat twenty two thou sand of them lay dead on the

field. It is certain the victory was complete.

The Hungarian war , and theabdi cation of Amurath ,afl'orded ashort breathing time to Scanderbeg.

On the renewal of the war , he successively defeatedtwo Turkish generals,and drove them from Epirus.H e was next engaged inacontest with the Venetians,who had seized upon the fortress of Dayna; but he

L I F E or AL I PA SHA . 9

made peace , in o rder to oppose the Ottomans, whowereagainadvanc ing into his territory. A sangu inarybattle ensu ed , and Mustafa, the Turkish general, wasoverthrown, w i th the loss often thousand men.

To wipe off the disgrace of these defeats, Amurathhimself to ok the field, in 1 4 4 9, with anarmy ofahundred tho u sand men. He began the campaign bythe sieges of S fe tigradand Dibra. Unable to meetthe enormou s fo r ce ofthe sultan in battle, Scanderbegwore it down by perpetual alarms and attacks. He

displayed the m o st daring bravery on all occasions,and slew in sing le combat Firouz Pasha, one of the

Ottoman gene rals. Amurath gained the two fortresses, bu t i t wasat the cost of twenty thou sand ofhis be st troops. As he could make no further progress, he led back his diminished army to Adrianople.

In the fol lowing year, however, he returned and laidsiege to Cro

’

ia. From the latter end of April till themiddle of au tumn, all the resources of war wereemployed to r ed uce the stubborn fortress . Repeatedmi nes were spru ng, and an incessant cannonade waskept up from ar tillery of immense magnitude. Ponderons stone bullets, such as were fired at theB r itish squad ron on its passage ofthe Dardanelles in1 8 07 ,appear to have been first usedagainst the wallsof Cro

’

ia. The count d'

Uracontes, the governor,bamedall the efforts of the besiegers ; nor was he tobe moved by the twice repeated offer ofasplendidbribe to sedu ce him from his duty. Scanderbeg, meanwhile ,allowed notamoment ’s repose to the Ottomans ;he cu t off the ir convoys, penetrated nightly into theircamp, threw succours into the place, and reducedthem to the necessity of covering their camp byentrenchm ents. Inasingle encounter eight thou sandof them fe ll . Hopeless of success in the siege, Amu

rath offered to leave Scanderbeg in peaceable posses

10 L IFE or AL" pasna.sion of the country, onconditionofhis payingasmallannual tribute. The offer was disdainfully rejected.

Foiled inall hisattempts,the sultan decamped ; but,

in its retrograde march through the mountains, hisarmy suffered severely from his indefatigable enemy.During the next eleven years, the life of Scanderbeg

wasaseries ofastonishing exertionsandalmost uniform successes. Though Mohammed,after his accession to the throne, was too much occupied in givingthe last mortal blows to the Greek empire toallow of

his concentrating his effortsagainst the hero ofAlbania,he continued the war onaless extensive scale. Atlength, Scanderbeg su stained adefeat,and was compalled to rai se the siege of Albanian Belgrade, byanoverpowering Turkish force , under the command of

Sewal i. This reverse was embittered by the desertionofMoses ofDibra, one ofhis old companions inarms,which was followed by that of his nephew Hamza,to both ofwhom Mohammed confided armies, toactagainst the Albanian prince . Moses was so com

pletely routed by Scanderbeg, that, despairing of pardon from the sultan, he threw himselfat the feet of

the victor,and was forgiven. Hamza,at the head offorty thousand men, next encountered his uncle, whohad only eleven thousand. The battle was fought onthe plain ofAlessio,and it terminated in the destruotion of the Turkisharmy, three fourths ofwhich laystretched on the field . This event brought aboutatruce with the sultan, during the continuance ofwhichScanderbeg visited the court of Ferdinand, king of

Naples,andaided him in the war against the king ofFrance. In 1 4 61 , the truce was converted into apeace, by which Scanderbeg was left in fulland freepossession ofAlbania.The treaty continued unbrokenfor three years ; nor

must the violationof it beattr ibuted to Mahommed.

L I FE or ALI u se s . 1 1

The war was r ecommenced by Scanderbeg. Pepe

Pins 1 1 . had preached acrusade against the Turks ;and,at the so li citation of the Venetian ambassador,the papal legate, and his friend and counsellor, thearchbisho p of D urazzo, the Albanian prince resumedhisarms. Pao lo Angelo, thearchbishop, was themainactor in th is affair,and he i s said to have qu ieted thescruples of his friend by the detestable doctrine, thatfaith is not to be kept with anunbeliever. A cardinal ’s hat was the reward of his convenient logic.The first general whom the sultan despatched intoAlbaniawas Scherametbeg. With only tenmen, S canderbeg defeated him near C obrida, and slewasmany Tu rksas there were combatants in his own

army. To repair this check, Mohammed sent eighteenthou sand men, headed by Balaban Badera, who haddistingu i shed himselfat the storming of Constantinople, whe re he was the first to mount the breach.Balaban began by obtainingaconsiderableadvantageover hisadve rsary . But he did not long enj oy histriumph ; he was completely overthrown, and withdifficulty effected his escape . In this action Scanderbegwas se verely wounded. Undismayed by his disaster, Balaban retu rned with afresh army, and wasagainput to the rout. From the field of victory Scanderbeg was hastily summoned, to stop the progressof Yacub, who , with sixteen thousand men, had penetrated on the side ofBerat,and waswasting the countIy with fire and sword. The Albanian prince cameup with him near the river Argilata, slew him insingle combat,andnearlyannihilated the Turkish host ;four thou sand fell, six thousand were taken prisoners .Scanderbeg returned to Cro’iaamidst the plaudits of

his subjects.Resolved to overwhelm his enemy, Mohammed in

person, withahundred thousand men, entered the

1 2 L IFE o r ALI PA SHA.

dominions ofScanderbeg in June 1 4 65 . After havingreduced Sfetigrade, Belgrade,and some other places,but not without aheavy loss of men, he sat downbefore Cro

‘

ia. Dayand night he was harassed byScanderbeg, who was posted in the neighbouringmountains. At last, tired ofasiege in which hemadeno progress, Mohammed departed, leaving Balabanwith eighty thousand troops, to blockade the city.

Learning that Yunis wasadvancing with areinforcement to join his brother Balaban , Scanderbeg fell“upon him, scattered his division ,and took him captivetogether with his son Khizr. He then loaded his twocaptives with chains,and exposed them to the view of

the blockading troops. The Ottomans were struckwith consternationat the sight,and before they cou ldrecover from it they were attacked by their enemy.

Balaban was mortally wounded, the blockade of Cro'

iawasabandoned,and, before it could effect its retreatthrough the defiles,afearfu l havoc was made in theimperialarmy.This was the last battle of Scanderbeg. He died

shortlyafter at Alessio, on the 1 4 thofJanuary, 1 4 67 ,at the age of sixty three . H is son , John Castriot,thenaminor, succeeded him, under the guardianshipofthe Venetians. John did not long enjoy his sovereignty ; he was expelled from it by Mohammed, in1 4 7 7 ,and took refuge in the kingdom ofNaples, withmany of his subjects, who would not submit to theMussulman yoke. The su rrender of Scutari ,and itssubsequent cession to the Sultan by the Venetians,may be considered as pu tting the finishing stroke tothe conquest ofAlbania.The doctrines of Mahomet made but aslow pro

gress among the Albanians for aconsiderable timeafter the country had submitted to the Turks. It wasnot ti ll towards the close of the sixteenth century that

L I FE or ALI pasna. 1 3

they began to make numerou s proselytes ; at thatperiod the Po r te promulgated alaw, which assuredthe possession of their property to those Albanianfamilies who wou ld bring up one of their children inthe Mu ssu lman faith. This law was productive of

two resu l ts : the one, thatafar less number ofTurkssettled in E pirus than in the rest of Turkey ; theother, that i t cau sedavast proportion of property tobe transferred into the hands of the Mussu lmans. So

great was i ts u l terior effect, that, at various periods,villages, towns, and even whole districts, were seenvoluntar ily reno u ncing the religion of their fathers, inorder to obtain afew political advantages . On theother hand, the Christians, by ranging themselvesamong the warriors of the Crescent, were exoneratedfrom the odiou s tribute of the Karatch,and acqu iredmany franchisesand immunities . Thus both mosquesand churches are to be foundamong the Albanians,but the frequ enters of the formerareas littleacknowledged by the Tu rks for true Mussulmans,as thoseof the latte r areallowed by the Greeks to be orthodcx Chr istians .The Alban ians, once so hostile to the Turkish

sway, have long been devoted to the su ltans,andarebecome not only their bravest warriors, but the mostfaithfu land incorruptible of subjects. Ever since thetime of Bajazetand Amu rath, they have held rank inthe corps of Janissaries,and distingu ished themselvesin innumerable battles ; and for centuries they havebeen to be met with inall the pashaliks of the Ottoman em pire,and in the Barbary provinces, as sub

sidised vo lunteers, known by the name of Arnauts.Albaniais bounded on the west, for more than two

hundred m iles, by the Adriatic and Ionian seas. Itsnorth and north-west limits are Bosnia, Servia, andTu rk ish Dalmatia; its eastand south - east frontier is

1 4 L IFE OF ALI PASHA .

Rumeli or Rumelia; and its southern, the gulf of

Arts. It isanexceedingly mountainous country, fu llof defiles and deep ravines, some of the mountainsrising to the height of betweenfourand five thousandfeet. The principal riversare the Boyana, the Drin ,andthe Voiussa; of which the first hasacourse ofmorethanahundred miles, the second, betweenahundredand fifty andahundredand sixty,and the third, ofahundredand thirty. In the lower regions ofAlbania,the c limate is nearly of the Italian temperature, but issubject to droughtsand violent north winds ; south of

forty degrees latitude, it is colder than in Greece .

Of its commerce we shall speak when we come to

describe the capital of Ali Pasha. The popu lation issupposed to consist ofabou tamillionandaquarterof souls.Though the name of Albanians is that by which

they are generally known throughout Europe, theappellation is not recognised by the natives ; they callthemselves Skipetars,and their country Skiperi . Theirlanguage is pecu liar to themselves,and bears no resemblance toany ofthe idioms ofthe neighbouring nations.Theyare divided into tribes, of which the principalare the Guegues ; the M irdites, who are of the Latinchurch the Toske, Toskides, or Toxides ; the Tzami ;and the Liape, which is the poorest,and the most dirtyd predatory of themall .The Albanians are of middle stature, mu scular,

erect,agile, stately in their walkand carriage, fond ofornaments, dancing,and music, frugal in their modeof living,and eager toacqu ire money, but not for thepurpose ofhoarding. An Albanian Turk wasaskedinour hearing,” (says Mr. Hobhouse) “ what he likedbest. Wine P No. ’ Pistols No WomenNo, no.

’ What then ? Why,’ replied the young

manwith great frankness, I likemoney best ; becau se

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1 6 L IFE o r ALI PA SHA.

time serves for the purposes ofaknapsack,ahandker-v

The Albanian soldiers, accustomed to the coldtemperature of their mountains,and dressed inacloakof some considerable thickness, dread neither cold norheat, which they equally withstand without changingtheir clothes. In the winter

,wrapped up in their cloaks,

and in the summer extended on them, theysleep on thehard ground ; they seldom take pains to construct barracks for themselves,and still more rarely make use of

tents. Theyare extremely sober ; and their mil itaryration, consisting of two pounds of flour of mai ze,wheat, or buckwheat,and this frequently reduced toone half, is sufficient for them, withafew black olivesor pilchards, which they purchase out of their pay, ofwhich they are extremely economical . They rarelyreceive meat,and still more so wine. With the exceptionof some rich beys, who dress withacertai n degree of

elegance, the Albanian soldiersare in general meanlyclad. They wear their clothes till they fall to pieces inrags,andadirty tunic isamong themasignofbravery.Theyare more active than the Osmanlis, or originalTurks,among whom they enjoy such renown, that thereis notapashaofany consequence who is not desirou s ofhaving some of these Arnauts in his pay. Theyare ingeneral brave,and ready to run into danger,and thefear of deathmakes no impression upon them. Amidstanumber of examples tending to corroborate thisassertion , theauthor will only quote one fact which happened in his own presence. Anindividual ofthe Liapisclan, being condemned to death,was brought out to beconveyed to the place of execution , which was situatedwithou t the walls of Prevesa. Being arrived aboutmidway, he passed byalarge fig- tree . Why,

’

saidhe to those who conducted him, do you wish me totravel halfaleague fur ther in the hottest part of the

LIFE or AL I PA SHA . 1 7

day? Can’

t you hang me here P This favour wasgranted him , and he himself put the rope about hisown nec k . A fewhoursafterwards, another Liapispassed by the same place,and seeing that the clothesof the d e c eased were better than his own, with the

greatest ind iffe rence he began to undress him,and ex

changed them for his own rags.The Albanian soldiers, however, have the defect

of being vai nand presumptuous, of exaggerating therecital of the i r own feats, and even frequ ently of

boasti ng of imaginary victories . The title ofhonour, inwhich they take the greatest delight, is that ofpalekar i,which signifie s brave. With regard to the tributaryand disarm ed Greeks, they take pleasu re in callingthem by the appellation ofmore, which is synonymou swith mor es, foolish. In their expeditions they haveno ideaof regu lar discipline,and even do not knowwhat it i s to be placed in rank and file. Each troopcollects arou nd its respective chief,and fights separately from i ts neighbouring one . They usually enterthe battle wi th shrieksand reproaches, in which theydelight, something like the heroes ofHomer,and thenthe fire comm ences entirelyat the will of the soldiers .After the battle has lasted for some time,asuspensiono farms u sually takes place, when the invectives andreproache s again commence ; successivelyafterwardsthe engagement is resumed,and ifat the expiration of

some time neither party has been compelled to retreat,they come to close quarters, and make use of theiratagansand sabres. Their marchesare equallyas diso rderlyas their order ofbattle,and frequentlyacolumno f six thou sand menoccupiesaspace of ground equalto five or six leagues. The u sualarms of the Albaniansare two pistols, which they carry in their sash org i rdle ; anatagan, oraspecies of cutlass slightly bentfo rwards, the cutting part ofwhich is in the concavity,

c

1 8 L IFE o r ALI PASHA .

and something resembling the harpion of theancientGreeks ; asabre, bent backwards, hung toabelt,andplaced horizontally andalsoalongmusket, ofthe calibre of from five eighths to seven eighths ofan ounce .

The exclusive professions of the Albanians arethose of shepherd,agriculturist,and warrior. There isstillafourth which might beadded, since they follow itasmuchas the other three,and thi s is that of robberThis trade is to themakind of schooling in theart ofwar, whence the name ofklephtes or robber, is by no

The reader must notadix to the term klephte. or robber, qu itethe same stigmathat belongs to i t in more civi lised countries.

The Armatoli , or Greek mi l itia,” says lieutenant colonel Leake,wasanestabl ishment of the Byzantine empire ; their most impor

tant employment was to keep the roads free from dan er,and to

guard the mountain passes, whichare so frequent in reece,andof so much m il itary importance. The Ottomans found i t usees

sary to maintain the same kind of pol ice ; in some instances theinhabitants of the districtadjacent to the passeswere made responsible for the safety of the roads, were au thorised to maintainarmatol i for this pu rpose, and, in consideration of the trust andexpense, were al lowed certain privi leges, suchas that of beingexempted from the customary burthenof entertaining persons travelling in the service or under the protectionof the government."“As some of the most secluded districts of NorthernGreece heldoutagainstAl i ti ll the last, andashisarmatol i were oftenprovokedby hisavariceand treachery to jointhearmed insurgents, hishabi tualopponents

, the klephtes,were never entirely suppressed . And hencei twi ll be easily understood that thearmatol iand klephtesofGreecediffered only in the circumstances inwhich they were placed ; andthat,although the latter were often obl iged by necessi ty to resortto pl under, and to imitate the cruelty of their opponents, theywere less to be considered as robbers, thanas rebelsagainst thegovernment. Like the pirates of thenean

, in the earlyages of

Greece,their name carried no disgrace wi th i t. On the contrary,

their cause beingconnectedwi ththeassertionofnationaland christianfreedomagainst infidel oppression, and their l ife being passed incontinual dangers, amidst the most romantic scenery, were calculated to cal l forth the poetical and enthusiastic spiri t inherent inthe people,and to keepaliveamong them the love of libertyand thehope of independenc e.

"

L IF E or AL I PASHA . 1 9

meansarep roac hamong them,and the most celebratedchiefs of band i tti are sure to make their fortunesandarriveat honou rs, in testimony ofwhich, we have AliPasha. Thi s i deais so deeply imprintedamong them,

and the exam plesare so frequent, thatanAlbanian ofthis class, whenasked what occupation he follows, willgravelyanswe r , {pair Zpo d edu ce, I amarobber. Thiscustom i s not , however, general in all the cantons ofSou thern Albania. The Liapis, indeed, scarcely followany other call ing, bu t the Philates have very fewbanditti among them . The Zagoriats, successors of thePelagonians,and who have voluntarily submitted to thepashas ofIoann ina, knownothing ofbrigandage. Mildand hospitable, they have preserved the rigorousmanners and ~character of the ancient Greeks ; but,although the fierce and unfeeling qualities noticedamong the o ther Albanians have di sappeared fromamong them , theyare not the less brave.

”

CHAPTE R I I .

Ancestors of Al i—State of Albanian Society—Grandfather andFather ofAl i—Al i ’s early years—Precepts of Khamco his M o

ther—Her Projects—Atrocious Injury done to her and herdaughter Shaini tza—Early Struggles of Al i—Singu lar E ventwhich enabled him to retri eve hisLosses—He is takenPrisoner._ Acqui res the Friendship ofKurd Pasha—HemarriesE mi l iaHisTreachery to Capelan—Marriage ofShainitzaF—HisStratagcmto obtainPossession of Tepeleni— Murder of Shaini tza’s Hus

band—H is perfidious Conduct to Sel im—He ismade PashaofTrikala,and Inspector ofRoadsand

O

Passes—He servesagainst theRussians—Enters into aCorrespondence wi th Prince Potemkin—Death ofhisMother—Machinations bywhich he obtained thePashal ik of Ioannina.

TH E precise periodat which Ali Pashafirst sawthelight it is now impossible toascertain but itappearsto be certain that he was born'between the years 1 7 4 0

c 2

20 L IFE o r AL I PAS HA .

and 1 7 50,and probably nearer to the earliest than thelatest ofthese dates. Itwas, no doubt, policy thatmadehimalwaysaffect toappear younger than he reallywas.

To have owned to extreme age might have affordedencouragement to his '

numerou s enemies, who wou ldhave calculated upon his exertions being relaxed,andhis course being speedily terminated.

The birthplace of Ali was Tepeleni or Tebelenabou t thirty miles to the south - east of Avlona, andseventy m iles to the north -west of Ioannina. It isseated on the left bank of the Voiussa, the ancientAiius, inagloomyand treeless valley, surrounded bybleak and desert mountains, and subject to violenthurricanes. It fell under the sway of the Turks in1 4 01 ,and for centuries continued obscureand oflittleimportance, till it wasat length raised into importanceby being the natal place of Ali,and was enlargedand embellished by the partiality of the triumphantasha.I)

Some uncertainty hangsalso over the origin ofhisfamily. The su rname hom e by the family is H issasand heaffirmed that he was descended from Issa, orJesus, the head ofanancient Natolian race, who passedfrom AsiaMinor into Epiru s, with the hordes of thatBajazet whose rapid movementsand destructive progress gained for him the appellation Ilderim or lightning. Of this, however, he could give no proof. Itwould, on the contrary, seem to be indubitable, thatAli was ofan Albanian stock. His ancestors, whowere of the race of the Toxides,are believed to haveheld, from time immemorial , the rank of beys, orlords, at Tepeleni, and to have distingu ished themselvesas leaders of their countrymen in predatoryandprivate warfare . Their pedigree, however, can be

M . VonHammer , whose au thori ty is of greatweight, declaresthe proper name of this place to be D epedeleu .

L I F E OF ALI PAS HA . 2 1

traced back no fu rther than towards the close of the

fifteenth centu ry .

The first of A li’

s progenitors, whose name historyhas preserved , l ived at amuch later period, andwonamo re honou rable fame than that ofachief ofrobbers. T his was M ouctar, grandfather ofAli . He

rose to the digni ty ofapashaof two tails, and com

manded aTu rk i sh division at the siege of Corfu, in1 7 16, where he signalised himselfby his courage, butwas finally slain, in one of the desperate contestsbetween the be siegers and the garrison under the

gallant count Schu lemberg. He had scaled the ramparts of the fortress,and fell while encouraging histroops to follow him. He left three sons, Salek, M e

hemet,and Ve l i .At the per iod whenM ouctar fell , Albaniawas not

yet under the ru le ofanabsolute vizier. The Albanians consequ ently enjoyed aconsiderable po rtion of

rude freedom . Each district, and frequently eachtown, wasaspecies of self-governed republic, dividedinto pharas, or parties ; and the authority of the

pashas,appo inted by the Porte, was likewise counterpoised by great feudatories . Such being the state of

things, the Ottoman government did not place entirereliance on even its Mahometan subjects in this province. It strove to balance and restrain them,

byforming bands of Christian Armatoles, toactasasortof poli ce ; which hands, however, were under the

orders of Osmanli pashas. But this measure of pre

caution was only partially successful . Hating andsuspe cting the Turkish pashas, both the Mahometanand Chr istian Albanians perpetually combined tothwart their proceedings , circumscribe theirauthority;and prevent them from extending the term of theirsway beyond the lunar year, to which it was limitedby the commissionof the sultan . The efforts of the

2 2 L IFE OF ALI PA SHA .

coalesced parties generally succeeded ; so far so, indeed, that, iaconsequence of them, the deposition ofthe pashas themselves was not unfrequently procuredfrom the Porte. But scarcely were they relieved,”says M. Fouqueville, from the fears which the pashashad inspired, than the fickle Schipetars turned theirarmsagainst each other, tribeagainst tribe, Armatolesagainst Armatoles, so that no tranqu illity was everknown. Notwithstanding the collision which it occasioned, this state ofanarchy, inthe warsarising fromwhich little blood was shed, had the advantage of

keeping up awarlike spirit among the E pirots, andespecially of rendering them attentive to the maintenance of their l iberties, ofwhich they were exceedinglyjealous . Slaves every where else, the Christians, bybeing ranked among the Armatolesand the warriorsin the pay of the nobles, were freed from the serviletribute of the karatch, knew nothing of the sultan buthis name,and enjoyed particular respect among theTurks, whom they sometimes made tremble. Theyhad, by their courage, preserved the patrimony of

their ancestors,and they had obtained free di stricts,the privilege of nominating the ofli cers by whom theywou ld be commanded,and franchises founded on spec ial grants from the su ltan. Such was in those daysthe political situation ofEpiru s.”

This anomalou s condition of society, though itmight be favourable to the liberties of the Albanians,was fatally calculated to stimulate the passions, corrupt the morals,and hardenthe heart. Its maleficentinfluence was powerfully seconded by the Mussulmanpractice of polygamy, which is destructive ofall thedomestic affections. It is justly observed, by

‘

Pou

quevi lle, that the fraternal spirit whichanimates brethren sprung from the same blood is never felt bythe ofi

'

spring of polygamy ; that every child of the

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2 4 L I FE OF ALI PA SHA .

already not wholly unacquainted . Whatever were hisdefects, want of daring and activity was not amongthem . He carried on his depredations with such spiritand good fortune, that, in the course ofafewyears , henot only enriched himself, but gathered round himaband of hardy, unscrupulous,and attached partisans,ready to undertake any enterprise which their leadermight command.The long- desired moment was now come when he

cou ld take vengeance for the wrongs which he had suf

fered. He hadmet with but little mercy from SalekandlVIehemet,and be resolved to show them still less. Conducting his followers to Tepeleni, he easily forced hi swayinto the town ,and compelled his brothers to seek forshelter intheir castle,which theybarricaded,andessayedto defend. But their resistance was unavailing ; and,the doors oftheirabode being broken open, they fled toapavilion . Thither they were pursued by the fu riousVeli, who consummated his revenge by setting fire tothe pavilion,and seeing them perish in the flames.

After this fratricidal triumph, Veli fixed his residence at Tepeleni, of which he became the principalAga. He relinqu ished

,at least forawhile , the hazard

ous occupationofarobber. He hadalready ofl’springbyaslave ; but policyprompted him to strengthen hisinterest by analliance with some powerful hou se.

Khamco, daughter ofahey ofKonitza, was the objectofhis choice,and her congenial nature rendered herapartner worthy of him. By this marriage heacqu iredaconnexion with several of the chief Toscarianfamilies,and especially with Kurd Pasha, vizier of Berat,who was said to be descended from the race of Seanderbeg.

Veli now obtained the dignity ofsandj iak ofDelvino,aconsiderable town , several leagues to the southwardofTepeleni. But his prosperity was not of long con

L I F E OF ALI PA SHA . 2 5

tinuance. E i the r his own conduct, or the intrigues ofhis enemies, d rew onhim the displeasure of the Ports,and he was su pe rseded inhis ofli ce by Selim Bey. Atthe same t im e , he was engaged in virulent quarrelswith his ne ighbou rs ; quarrels which probablyarosefromhi s hav ing r esumed his habits ofmaking free withthe prope rty of o thers. Flocks of sheepand goatsaresaid to have been occasionally swept off by hisarmedbands. The beys of Kaminitza, Klissura, Premiti ,andArgyro Castro , c onfederatedagainst him ;and, thoughhe madeanobstinate resistance, heat last succumbed,and the greate st part of his inheritance as wrestedfrom him . H e died soonafter,at theage 0 orty

-five.

His death i s attribu ted by some to excessive fatigueand abroken heart, and by others, to bacchanalianexcesses . By Khamco he left two ch ildren, Ali,who became so celebrated, and adaughter, namedShainitza; by his favourite slave, three chi ldrenremained .

The boyhoo d OfAli gave evident indications that itwould he succeeded byadarkand tumu ltuous manhood. By one who knew him iahis early years hischaracter is thu s described . His turbulent dispositiou was manifest from the very moment of hisqu itting the harem ; for there was remarked in himapetulanceand activity which are not usual in youngTurks

,whoare naturally haughtyand of sedate man

ners. Whenever he cou ld steal out of the paternalmansion , it was for the purpose of traversing the mountains, over which he wandered in the midst offorestsand tracts of snow. It was in vain that his fatherendeavou red to fixtheattention ofAli . Equally obstinate and indocile, he escaped from the hands of histu tor, whom he even maltreated, whenever he thoughthe cou ld do so with impunity. It was not till he grewup to be ayouth, and had lost his father, that he

26 L IFE OF ALI PASHA .

would learn to read, and appeared to be somewhattamed. He then turned his afl'ections towards hismother ; be complied with her slightest wishes,andhad no other rule than her advice. Above all things,she taught him to hate his half- brothers ; sedulou slyfomenting inhis heart the jealous passions which wereboiling within it.”

The enthusiastic admiration and attachment withwhich,at his outset in life, Khamco inspired her son,remained undiminished to the close of his existence.

To sound her praises was his delight. I owe,”

said he, to the French consul, every thing to mymother, for, when he died, my father left me only amere dogholeandafewfields. Fired by the counselsofher who twice gave me life, - since it was she whomade me aman, andaviz ier—my imagination revealed to me the secret of my destiny. From thatmoment Tepeleni was nothing more in my eyes thanthe natal eyry, from which I was to swoop downupon the prey which in ideaIalready devoured. Idreamt of nought but power, treasures, palaces, inshort, of that which time has real ised,and that whichit still promises ; for the point at which I havearrived is not the summ it ofmy hopes .

”

The purport of the precepts delivered byKhamco toher son mayalmost be summed up in afew emphaticwords, which Shakspeare pu ts into the mouth of the

weird sisters in Macbeth be bloody, bold, andresolute.

” We have seen with what demoniacal malignity she laboured to excite himagainst his half- brothers ;and, too impatient to wait for his tardyaid, sheis even suspected to have putan end to the eldest ofthem by poison,and to have reduced the second toimbecility by similar means . Devoid ofall principle,practised in simu latinganddissimu lating

,u nforgivingly

v i ndictive,and regarding powerand weal th, by what

L I F E OF AL I PA SHA . 2 7

ever means attained,as the supreme good, Khamcowasan instru c t re ss whose lessons could not fail torender her pu pil one of the scourges of mankind.Success, she incessantly told him, sanctified everything. M y son,

”exclaimed she, he who does not

his pat rim ony, deserves to lose it. Remember,e prope r ty of others belongs to them only by

the right of the strongest,and ifyou canwrest it fromthem, i t bel ongs to you .

” By inculcating doctrines ofasimilar k ind , she i saffirmed to have likewise encou

raged him to indulge freely in the most licentiousexcesses . Like the Roman empress, Ju liaDomna(who, howeve r, was most probably in this instance,calumniated) , she boldly taught that, to men in highstation ,all that was pleasing was lawful .Khamco was notamere theorist ; she had courage

enough to exec u te any plan which her interest or herfeelings cou ld suggest. During the life - time ofher husband , she gave , indeed, no signs ofbeing qualified toactthe part ofaheroine ; but no sooner were his eyes closedin death than her latent spirit blazed forth. Far frombeing intim idated by the calamitou s circumstances inwhich she was placed, she not only resolved to stemthe torrent of ill fortune which threatened to overwhelm her , bu t also, hopeless as the design m ightseem , to re store her family to its pristine splendou r.Abandon ingat once the habits of her sex, she threwaside the distad'and the veil,andappeared inWithanAmazonian spirit, she put herselfat the headofher late husband ’s remaining followers,and she issaid not even to have spared personal blandishments

Qum quum esset pulcherrima, et quasi per negligentiam so

maximacorporisparts nudasset, dixissetque Antoninus, Vellem,

si li ceret respondiese fertu r , Si l ihet, l icet. Annescis te im

peratorem ease, et leges dare, nonaccipere —Spwr tianus in

2 8 L IFE OF AL I PASHA ,

and favours, to increase the number of her parti sans.By her arts she succeeded in gathering round heraformidable band, to which she fervently recommendedthe cause of her favourite son ; nor did she delay totry

,in variou s skirmishes, her strength against the

enemies of her race. In her excursions she wasaccompanied by Ali, whose wrath and eag erness forplunder she never failed to rou se, by pointing out tohim the lands ofwhich he had been despoiled,and theterritories of the despoilers .The growing resourcesand influence of this daring

family,and her evidentlyambitiou s schemes,at lengthexcited alarm'

in the tribes which dwelt in the neighbourhood of Chormovoand Gardiki. Asany longerdelay in pu tting astop to her career might endangertheir independence, they began to make preparationsfor combating the haughty widow of Tepeleni . But,awake to their intentions, Khamco anticipated thesenew enemies byan instant declaration ofwar . Leading her clans against them, she set every danger atdefiance, sometimes fought,and perpetually intrigued,and for aconsiderable time severely harassed themby her hosti litiesand her equally prejudicialarts . Pi

nally, however, her good fortune deserted her , andabsolute ruinappeared to be inevitable. Having falleninto anambush, she was made prisoner,along withAliand Shainitzaher daughter,and they were thrownintoadungeonat Gardiki .Disastrousas was the situation of the captives, the

misery of the females was soon wofullyaggravated, bytheir being subjected to the last and worst insultwhich can be inflicted on their sex. Both Khamcoand her daughter were exposed to thehorror of violation,and compelled to sufl

'

er the brutal embraces ofthe principal inhabitants. The vengeance which thisact called forth was long delayed, but it was terrible.

L IFE OF ALI PASHA . 2 9

The pr i sone r s would perhaps have spent the rest of

their days in slavery, brooding over their mi sfortunes,andwr i thing under the tyranny of their captors, hadthey no t be en restored to liberty by the benevolenceofMal i c ovo , aGreek merchant of Argyro Castro,who advanc e d for their ransom asum amounting tonearly fou r tho usand pounds sterling. They werethus enab led to return once more to their nativeplace" .

Afte r he r re turn to Tepeleni, Khamco ceased personally to take part in the civil broil s of Epiru s .Her time was spent in t e - establishing her fallen fortunes,and t raining up the you thful Alias theavenger ofher wrongs. Her exertions were not fruitless.D istingu i she das much for his courage and addressas for hisapparent sweetness of disposition , Ali wontheaffection of the soldieryand of the principal vassals of his hou se. Eager to enter on the career of

arms, he stu died the warlike deeds of his ancestorsand of hi s fe llow countrymen , and, that he mightacqu ire asto ck of usefu l knowledge for his futureoperation s, he made himself informed, in the minu testdetail, Of the strength, character,and connections ofhis enem ies. The whole ofwhat he learned be com

mitted carefu l ly to memory, and by this means bestrengthened that faculty to suchawonderfu l degreethat noth ing ever escaped it ; circumstances apparently the m ost trivial, aname, adate, were recalledto m ind with the utmost facility and correctnessafter the lapse of many years .Gifted with astrong constitution, and avigorou s

intellect, i t is notastonishing that Ali shou ld acqu ireadistingu ished pre- eminence inall the martial exer

M . F ou quevilleasserts that the merchant, to whom Khamcoand her childrenwere indebted for their l iberty, was poisoned in1 8 07 ,at E leu thero Chori , by order ofAli Pasha.

30 L I FE OF AL I FASHA .

cises of his country,and, embued as he was with theprinciples inculcated by his mother, it isas little sur

prising that he should be anxious to shake off the

trammels ofdependence,andaggrandise himselfat theexpense of his neighbou rs. He hadalready tried, onasmall scale, his predatory talents . At the age of

only fourteen , aided by some companions, he hadbegun to make inroads upon the flocks of sheepandgoats in the surrounding districts, and with suchsuccess that he soon‘ acqu ired aconsiderable booty.

Weary, however, of this obscure system of pillage, henow longed to expatiate in awider field,and be com

municated to Khamco his wishesand his plans. But

the schemes of Ali , for dividing his enemies, andseparately defeating and destroying them,appear tohave been too vast for even her to embrace themunder the present circumstances. Her means weremuch reduced,andasingle reverse might leave herwholly destitute. Besides, there seemedatto be insuperable obstacles to his success. Epiru s,says M . Fouqueville, was then governed by threepashas : those .of Ioannina, Delvino ,and Paramithia.Under theirpatronage,Kimara,Gardiki, Zulati,ArgyroCastro, and Suli, were regarded as free cities andcantons. Kurd Pasha, apowerfuland dreaded vizierruled over central and lower Albania, and al l theSchipetars were subject to his orders. There was,therefore, no likel ihood of innovating ; time seemedeven to have cemented theanarchical liberty ofEpirus ;for , when any one of the cantons was menaced byanambitious neighbour, the others came to i tsaid,and re- established the equ ilibrium. Thus, in the

midst of barbarism, there wasasort of pol itical balance , composed of leagues knit together by chance ,regulated by cu stom,and gu ided byapolitical instinct.”At length, however, impatient of inactivity, he

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32 L IFE OF ALI PASHA .

rather scanty proportion of the former, which is common to chiefs ofhis class . After having obtained some

advantages in the vicinity of Tepeleni, he is said tohave directed his course to the mountain chain of the

Pindus,and to have been there defeated and takenprisoner by the vizier of l oannina. He was, nevertheless

,saved from death by the policy of the vizier.

The beys ofIoannina, ofArgyro Castro,and Premiti,as well as Selim, pashaof Delvino,” says general deVaudoncourt, “ insisted that capital punishment shouldbe inflicted upon him . The vizier of Ioannina, however, dreaded the beys of the very district over whichhe presided, at all times ripe for arevolt : and hecould not confide in those ofArgyro Castroand Premiti, much less in Selim, pashaof Delvino, whoseconnections with the Venetians rendered him ex

tremely liable to suspicion . He was not sorry tohave it in his power to afford him fresh occupation,and he released Ali, who gave him no further causefor uneasiness during the remainder ofhis days.”Again Ali returned to the charge, but fortune still

continued to frown upon him. Near the sources ofthe Chelydnus, he received such adecisive defeatthat the whole of his followers were either killed ordispersed, and he himself was compelled to takerefuge alone on mount M ertzika. His cimeter andhis horse were all that he saved,and such was thestate of extreme want to which he was reduced, thathe was obliged to pledge his weapon to obtainbarleyfor his starvingand wearied steed.The wrath of his mother wasagain roused by his

discomfitures, but he succeeded inappeasing it. She

gave himasum of money to raise another band of

followers ; warning him at the same time to expectno furtheraid,and enjoining him either to vanquish ordie

,and never again to appear asafugitive amidst

L I F E OF ALI PAS HA . 33

the tombs'

of his forefathers and his countrymen.

Once mo re Al l departed, and once more his hopeswere fru strated. H e directed his cou rse asecondtime th rough the valley of the Chelydnus towardsmount M ertzikaand Premiti. A combat took place,and he was o verthrown wi thheavy loss.Stripped of the means of retrieving his losses,and

dreading to face hisangry parent, Ali resolved to tryhis fortune in another quarter. He passed over toNegropon t, at the head of thirty picked men, andentered into the service of the vizier of that island.Either he was ill- paid or ill- treated, or the life whichhe led there was not sufli ciently adventurous andstimulant, fo r he soon quitted Negropont,and enteredThessaly, where be resumed his occupation ofarobber . By his daringnessandactivity he reapedarichharvest of plunder. He then penetrated into the

chain of Pindus, and pillaged several villages in thedistrict of Zagori . In that country healso acquiredfriends, by whom his pecuniary resources were greatlyincreased . H e likewise began to enter into correspondence with the Armatoles of Thessaly, E tolia,and Acarnania.It was probablyataperiod subsequent to the de

partu re ofAll from Negropont,and while he was yetstrugglingwith hisadverse fate, thatanevent occurred,which is related by general de Vaudoncourt ; bu twhich he , erroneously it wou ld seem,

dates immediately after the second combat on the Chelydnus.

The fact itself is, indeed, denied by M . Fouqueville,who

, somewhat unceremoniously, denominates thegeneral anadventurer, and asserts that Ali himselftold him the story was afalsehood, invented byalying G reek schoolmaster. Bu t theauthori ty ofM. de

Vau doncou rt, amanof honour and talent, who declares that he, too, obtained his information from Ali ,

D

34 L I FE OF AL I FAsIIA.

is at least equal to that of M . Fouquevi lle ; and, inspeaking to the French consul, Ali, never remarkableforastrict adherence to truth, m ight choose that hissuccess should be ascribed wholly to his own talents,instead of being considered as partly the work of

blind chance .

Ali,after adefeat, bad encamped the remnant ofhis troops near aru ined chapel, not far from Valera.To rest himself,as well as to meditate on the meansof repairinghis losses, he entered the desolate bu ilding. There,

” said he, “I stood foralong while, pondering onmy disasters,and onwhat could be done toameliorate my situation,and comparing the weaknessof my resources with the magnitude of those whichwere opposed to me by my enemies. While I wasthu s engaged, the violence of my feelings made memechanically rake up the ground with the point ofastick which I held in myhand. Suddenly,myattentionwas recalled from my thoughts by some solid bodyresisting the stick,and giving forth asound. I examined the hole, continued to remove the soil,andwas so fortunateas to discover acod'er full of gold,which had no doubt been hidden there during one of

the revolutions by which the country had so oftenbeen desolated. With this gold I took into pay twothousand men, and at their head I returned intriumph to Tepeleni.”

Whatever were the means by which he aecomplished his object, it is beyond doubt that Ali revisitedTepeleni with his finances recruited. To enjoy hisgains in peace was, however, repugnant to his nature,and heaccordingly recommenced his predatory operations with greater daring and inawider circle thanbefore . He spread his bandittiamongall the defileswhich lead through the mountain chain ofPindus intoThessaly, Epirus, and Macedonia, pillaged and ran

L IFE OF ALI PA SHA . 35

somed trave ller sand caravans, levied contributions onthe vil lages, and sacked several small defencelesstowns: I t i s probable that, in these exploits, he wasseconded by the Armatoles of Thessaly and otherprovinces, wi th whom he had entered into correspondence afte r hi s leaving Negropont .So extensive did the ravages ofAli become, that

they at last came to the knowledge of the divan .

Orders to pu t an immediate stop to them were inconsequ ence sent to Kurd Pasha, who then held theOffice of dervendj i pasha, or inspector general ofhighroads and passe s . Having been worsted by the

troops wh ich Ku rd despatched against him, Ali fellinto the ir hands,and was led in bonds to Berat. Hisfate seemed now certain. H is companions, who hadbeen captu red in the skirm ish, were hanged, and hewas threatene d with the same punishment. But hisbette r fo rtu ne prevailed . His youth, his personalbeau ty, his eloquence, his cou rage and activity, hisrelationship to the vizier,and perhaps the prospect ofconverting him into an u seful ally, induced KurdPashato be merciful to the captive robber.The pasharetai ned Allat his court for some y ears,

loade d him with favours,and endeavoured, it is said,to r e claim him from his v iciou s pursuits . The lowstandard Of Albanian morality may ju stifyasupposition, that the

'

efforts of the vizier to reclaim his pupildid not go much further than to convert him froma

on the high road toarobber of citiesand prov inces. In his contests with the neighbouring chiefshe did not scruple to avail himselfofAli’s assistancein the field ; and to him he is affirmed to have beenindebted fo r victories, which enabled him to makeanadvantageou s peace with the vizier of Scu tari , Atl ength, moved by the entreaties of Khamco, whonever ceased to importune him, be restored her son

D 2

36 L IFE OF ALI PA SHA .’

to liberty. A strict friendship was thenceforth maintained between Al iand the vizier of Berat.From this period, through more than halfacentu ry,

the cou rse ofAli wasmarked by uninterrupted pros

perity,and he rose to an eminence, the possibility ofreaching which he could hardly at his outset haveventured to contemplate. H is first step, after againbecoming his own master, was to offer hisaid to suchof the neighbouring chiefs as were engaged in feuds.His courage and address being well known , his services were eagerly accepted, and l iberally rewarded ;‘and he thus acqu ired many powerful friends, and adistingu ished station among the beys of the country.When he was abou t twenty-four years ofage, bemuch increased his influence, by gaining the hand ofthe beautifuland virtuou s Emina, daughter of Capelan,pashaof Delvino, who residedat Argyro Castro,andwhose ferocityand turbulence had earned for him the

repu lsive appellation of the tiger Emina, unlike

Such feroci ty,and such appellations, were not uncommon

among the Tu rkish governors. Several instances of them aregiven, inhisHistory ofModernGreece, by JacovakyRizoNeroulos,who had been prime minister to the Hospodars ofWallachiaandM oldavia. The E uropeans,” says be, “ having had no connec

tion except wi th two of the Ottoman pashas, have beenstruck bythe feroci ty of those monsters ; Iallude to D jezzarand Ali . It is

bel ieved that those two pashaswere the most remarkable for theirtyrannical proceed ingsand their crimes ; bu t if E urope had knownthe other Turkish governors, it would not have considered "thosetwo tyrantsasexceptions. What would it have sai d of the vizier

who was surnamed Kih Pasha, or the Stifler, from the pleasurewhich he took in strangl ing hisvi ctimsP Or ofanother, cal ledBek ir, who,whenbe condemnedanunfortunate being, used to sayto his sanguinary satel li tes, Takeaway that dog, and give him agood lesson.

”The lessonwasalways death. A thi rd pashawas

cal led C ujudzy, because he ordered to be thrown intoawell thevictims who incurred his resentment. Haki Pasha, agovernor ofE u ropeanT u rkey, under the reign ofSel im,always breakfasted onaturret of his palace,and this was the time that he chose for

L I FE OF ALI PA SHA . 3 7

her father, was u niversally beloved ; and, when she

had ceased to exist, her . memory was long held inveneration by the natives of Epir us.Capelan Pasha, of whose family Ali was now be

comeamembe r, was one of those rebels and oppres

sors so common in Turkey, who, because they areatagreat distance from the seat of government, believethat they may with impunity despoil and dishonourthose who have the misfortune to be subjected to theirauthority. He , like many pashas, was also desirousto render himself wholly, or at least nearly, independent ; and he had hoped that, by means of his son - in

law, he shou ld obtain the support of other chiefs tor eali se his favourite scheme. Circumstances seemedto he propitiou s ; for the Ru ssians were now preparingtoassist the Greeks to throw Off the yoke, or, rathen,they were cheating the latter with the shadow of

assi stance, in order to accomplish their own selfishpurposes . Ali feigned to enter warmly into the

views of his relative, but he was solelyanxious to insvolve himin inexpiable gu ilt, that he might profit byhis fall.Thearri val ofthe -Ru ssian expedition, under Orlod',

was preluded by the breaking out Of insurrections invariou s parts ofAlbania,and i ts vicinity : the Monbaving brought before him

,to be executed, the personswhom he

had doomed to death. The pashaofWiddin, HafizAl i , having defeated some Mahometanrebels, ordered their heads to be pu t intoasack, to be sent, wi thaletter , to the reigning sul tan. By mistakethe secre tary stated in the letteralarger number ofheads thanthesack contained . He prepared to correct hiserror, by recopying thel etter ; the pasha, however , simpl ified the operation. He orderedhis officers to go through the stree ts, and kil l men enough to

make up the number which was mentioned in the letter. He

was punctual ly obeyed ; his officers murdered forty Chfifl ifl fl ssthe firstwho came in their way,and thus the sack was fil ledandsent ofl’ to the Ports. Such is the conduct of the provincial govero

38 L IFE o r AL I . rasna.tenegrins, the Kimariots, the Sul iots,and the inhabitants of some districts of upper Albania, displayed thebanner of the cross. Alarmed by this outbreak, thedivan issued orders that all the Mu ssulmans shou ldtakearms. The Cadiliskir of Rumeliahastened toPhilippopolis, and the Rumili-Val isee summoned allthe great vassals ofhis government to march againstthe insurgents. To Capelan Pashawasassigned thetask of joining Kurd Pasha, for the pu rpose of reduc ing the Kimar iotsand Suliots to obedience. Fatallymisled by the treacherous counsels of Ali, Capelandi sobeyed the order to formajunction with the vizierof Berat,and, though he did not openlyaid the re

volters, heacted in suchamanneras to throw seriousobstacles in the way of the Ottoman troops who wereopposing them . The consequence ofhis disobediencewas, that the Ottomans could obtain but partial success . The Montenegrins were, indeed, beaten,andthe Kimariots were compelled to retire to their mountains, but no impression whatever could be made on

the Suliots, covered as they were by their almostimpregnable fastnesses.The event, which Ali had so basely laboured to

bring about, was not slow in coming to pass. The

failure of the campaign wasattributed to the criminalnegligence, or the treason, of Capelan, and he wascalled upon to vindicate himself before the RumiliValisee. The evidence, in support of the charge, hadbeen suppl ied by Ali, who, in his secret correspon

dence with the officers of the Porte, had representedthe conduct of his father- in- law in the most unfavou rable point ofview. Eager to seize on the treasuresand power of his relative, which he flattered himselfwou ld fall into his hands, he now carried his perfidy toahigher pitch . That the victim m ight not escape,he advised him to obey the summons of his judge,

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4 0 L IFE o r AL I PASHA .

inhis heart,and, though he cautiouslyand effectuallydissembled his feel ings, he was ever on the watch foran opportunity of ruining the manby whom his hopeshad been frustrated .

The pleasure which the son ofKhamco deri ved fromthe success ofhis mother’s plan was soon poisoned bythe failure ofasimilar project, which he had himselfformed, and which, if he cou ld have carried itinto execution, would have materially forwardedhis ambitious views. He had long flattered himselfthat it would be possible to gain the hand of KurdPasha’ s daughter, on whom his person

,bravery,and

talents,are said to have madeapowerfu l impression .

But be had now the mortificationof receiving intelligence, thatKurd Pashawasdead,and that, on his deathbed, he had betrothed his daughter to Ibrahim, beyofAvlona; intelligence which was rendered sti ll moregalling by the circumstance of Ibrahim being at thesame moment raised to the viziership of central Albania. The rage of Ali on this occasion is said tohave been unbounded, he vowed adeadly hatred toIbrahim,and, though years elapsed before it was fullyaccomplished. the vow was never forgotten.

For some timeafter these events, Ali seems to haveremained in comparative qu iet. H is mind, eanwhile,brooded over his situation,and the result of

°

s redeotim e was not consolatory. Though be had increasedhis property, and acquired the fame ofabraveandintelligent leader, yet theseadvantages were not sufficient to sati sfy his desires, for he was still nudistinguished by titleand place. Every thing short of rankand despoticauthorityappeared to be unworthy of hisnotice. To obtainafulcrum for his future Operations,he at length determined to make himselfabsolu temaster of Tepeleni . The mode in which be effectedhis purpose, he himself, withashameless candour, rec

1 .e or ALI PASHA . 4 1

lated to the French consul. I felt, said he, “ thenecessity of firmly establishing myself in my nativeplace . I had in it partisans who were willing to serveme,and I had likewise formidable enemies, whom itwas necessary for me to push into some crime, that Imight have apretext for exterminating the whole of

them . I therefore conceivedascheme, with which Iought to have begun my career in life. I wasaccustomed,afte r my hunting parties, to takeasiesta, underthe shade ofawood near the Bencha,and by means ofatru sty adherent I caused it to be proposed to myenem ie s to lay inwait for and assassinate me there.

I myse lf ske tched out the plan ofthe conspiracy ; and,havingarrivedat the chosen spot before my intendedassassin s, I mu zzledagoat, tied it down on the ground,and covered it with my riding cloak. Then, disgu isingmyself,and takingaby- road, I returned to the seraglio,while my enem ies imagined they were murdering mebyavolley ofmusquetry. They were notallowed timetoascertain their success forapiquet ofmy soldiersappeared at the very instant that the discharge washeard. M y supposedmurderers entered Tepeleni, vociferating Ali Bey is no more l weare rid of himThese exclamationswere heard even in the interior ofthe harem ,and I immed iately distingu ished the screamsofmymotherand her women, mingled with the exu lting shou ts ofmy foes. I allowed them to enjoy theirfancied triumph,and give the most decisive evidenceof the ir gu ilt : I waited till they were drunk withwineand j oy ; and then,after having undeceived mymother, I rallied my partisans round me, and fellsword in hand upon myadversari es. Justice was onmy side ; they wereallannihilated before dawn ofday3I distribu ted their property, their riches, and theirhabitations,among my creatures ; and from thatment I could say that Tepeleni wasminefif

4 2 L IFE o r ALI PASHA .

By this Machiavelian enterprise Ali gainedafirmfooting. The resou rces and influence which he nowpossessed gave him the means ofacqu iring more ; theywere like the ball of snow which finally swells into theterrificavalanche. He had theability to recompenseservice,and his poli cy taught him towin theaffectionsof his followers, by hisaffable manners,and hisattention to their complaintsand wants.It hasalready been mentioned, that Ali cherishedadeeply rooted hatred against the pashahis brotherin- law ; nor could healways conceal it , in spite ofhistalent for dissimu lation . In vain, by benefitsand sym

pathetic kindness,did his relative endeavour toawaken

the feelings ofgratitude and fraternalaffection . The

implacable sou l of Ali was proofagainst tenderness,and he meditatedacrimealmost unexampled inthe history ofhuman gu ilt. Anxiou s for the destruction ofthemanwhom he detested, he scrupled not to propose tohis sister to destroy her hu sband by poison . Shainitzashrunk from the commission of suchanatrocious act,but sisterly love prevented her from disclosing hiscriminal suggestions. Thu s disappointed, he hadrecourse to duplicity ; he feigned repentance ,alwaysspoke of his relative with respect,and succeeded in

making Shainitzabelieve that he had relinqu ished hismurderous designs. Bu t this was only aperfidiouscalm which preceded the direst of treasons. In theperson of Soliman, brother of the pasha, Ali hadfoundafitaccomplice, towhom,as the reward offratt icide, he promised the hand and fortune of Shainitza,reserving to himself only his pretensi ons to the pashal ik . The secrecy of the compact was secured by themost horrible oaths,and measures were qu ickly takenfor the consummation of the deed. A brother prepared to steep his hands m abrother’8 blood, whileanother brother was to reward the fratricide by the

L I F E o r AL I PA SHA . 4 3

incestu ous“

mar r iage of his sister with her husband’smurderer.The near r elationship of the conspirators to theirintended v i ct im , and their being the sole depositoriesof their secre t, gave them every facility toaccomplishtheir sangu inary purpose. They were in the dailyhabit ofv isiting the palace,and they had noaecomplice whose i ndi scretion or treachery might betraythem. Anopportunity soon occu rred for the work ofi niqu ity. In aprivate interview, which the pashagranted toAliand Soliman, the latter shot his brotherto the heart. The report of the pistol reached theharem, whence Shainitzarushed into the chamber,andbeheld her hu sband stretched lifeless between hisassassins . She wasabout to shriek forassistance, butAli enjoined silence under pain of death,and gaveSoliman the signal to cover her with his pelisse, bywhich ceremony the latter declared her to be his wife ;and, that nothing might be wanting to complete the

horror of the deed, thi s unhallowed marriage is said tohave been completed inthe chamber ofdeath ,and bythe side of the yet warm remains of the slaughteredhusband. A report was then spread by the criminals,thatafit ofapoplexy had putanend to the pasha. Itwas not long, however, ere the tru th became known,andas Shainitzaquickly forgot her grief in thearmsof Soliman, and one of her sons by the late pashadied, it wasgenerally believed that she was participantofthe black catastrophe.

Ali, it has been seen, had hoped to secu re for himself the succession to the vacant pashalik . This object,pursuedat the expense of so much guilt, he failed toattain . The Porte conferred the dignity of pashaofD elvino upon Selim Bey Coka,amember ofone oftheprincipal families ofYapuria. That inasemi- barbarouscountry great crimes, being consideredas indicative

4 4 L I FE or AL I PA SHA .

of great talents, shou ld win for the criminal popularityamong the crowd, is notastonishing ; but that menof

the same rank as the victims, and who may naturally expect to become victims in their tu rn, shou ldblindly confide in abetrayer and assassin, may wel lexcite our wonder. Yet such was the error com

witted by Selim. He treated Ali as his son , lodgedhim in his palace,and relied upon him with implicitconfidence. This conduct is the more su rprising,asSelim himselfwasabenevolent man; and thoughallthe dark deeds ofAli might not have reached the earof the pasha, the wilyand desperate character of the

man could scarcely be qu ite unknown to him. Itseems to have been the striking personalappearance,and especially the bland insinuating manners, ofAli ,by which Selim wasmisled. Ali might truly say, withthe C omus ofMilton,

I under fair pretence of friendly ends,And well - placed Words of glozing courtesy,Bai ted wi th reasonsnot unplausi ble,Wind me into the easy hearted man,And hug him into snares.”

The very virtues ofSelimwere wrested into themeansofhis destruction by the traitor whom he had taken tohis bosom. Variou s circumstances, all ofwhich werehonourable to him, contributed to bringabout his ru in.Irri tated by the insurrectionary movements of the

Greeks, the Porte,at this period, persecutedeably its Christian subjects. Selim, on the contrary,satrined every nerve to protect su ch of them as wereunder his jurisdiction,and hisadministration was dailymarked by wise and beneficentactions. It was notdifficult for his enemies to pervert this really prudentm ode of proceeding into evidence that he was secretlyin league wi th the rebelliou s. Suspicion appeared tobe converted into certainty by the policy ofSelim with

L I FE o r ALI PA SHA .

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4 5

respect to the Venetians. The district which be

governedadjo ined, on one side, the Venetian territoryofBu trinto , the o ccupation of whi ch hadalways beenmatter of dispu te between the Porteand Venice ; but,far from man ifesti ng the same hostile spiritas his predecessors, he was studious to keep upagood understanding with the commissionersat Corfu. This laudableanxiety to avoidadding another enemy to thosewith which the Porte was contending, was misconstrnad intoav io lation ofhis duty. He was, however,unconsci ous of his critical situation,and, to completehismisfortune he took another step which affordedthe treacherou s Ali an opportunity of striking thelong-medi tate d blow. Selim had recently sold to theVenetiansaforest situated near lake Peloda. The salewas confined to the timber, but Ali suppressed thisfact,and denou nced the pashato the government,ashaving alienated aportion of the dominions of hishighness ; adding that, ifhe were not prevented, hewould soon del iver up to the infidels the whole of the

province of Delvino. It cost him, he hypocriticallysaid, the severest pain to make known the plots ofhisbenefactor,and it was solelyaregard for the interestsofthe su ltan , his master, which had determined him todiscloseatran sactionwhich so materiallyaffected bothreligionand the state.

The Venetians were su spected by the Ottomangovernment, though the su spicionwas groundless, ofacting u nderhand in conce rt with the Russians,andfostering the revolts in Greece ; and it was thenceinferred that the pashaof Delvino was undoubtedly

guilty of treason . Asaccusation inTurkey, especiallyofacorrespondence with Christians, is equ ivalent tocondemnation, unless the accused party be powerfulenough to inspire fear, the calumnious charge broughtagainst the pashawas sufficient to destroy him.

4 6 L IFE o r AL" PASHA .

Without instituting any judicial inqu iry, without dedmanding fu rther proof, the divan despatchedafirmanof death against Selim, and charged Ali with itsexecution .

Ali, who, for the better management of his plot,had retired forawhile to Tepeleni, nowhastened backto Delvino, where he was received with more kindnessthan ever by his devoted victim, who lodged him, ashe was wont, in his palace. There, trampling uponthe sacred laws of hospitality,and assisted by some

hired ruffians, he prepared for thc consummation ofthecrime which was to raise him from obscurity. It washis custom to wait every morning upon his host, to

pay him the customary compliments ; but one day,feigning indisposition, he sent to request that Sel imwould visit him in his apartment. In the meanwhile, be concealed theassassins inacloset, orderingthem to rush out when he should give the signal byletting his coffee cup fall. As soonas the unconsciouspashaentered the room, theassassins issued forth,andhe fell, pierced with many wounds, exclaiming,almostin the same wordsas Caesar, Is it thou, my son, whodeprivest me of life PHearing the tumu lt, the guards of Sel im hastened

to the chamher . There, in the m idst oftheassassins,they found Ali standing, with the firman in his hand,exclaiming in threateningaccents, I have killed thetraitor, by order of our gloriou s su ltan . Behold hisimperial mandate.

" At sight of the fatal scroll whichbe displayed, the guards bent low in sign ofobedience,and while the head of Selim was separated from hisbody, they stood motionless in silent terror. Ali thensummoned the cadi, the beys, and the primates, torepair to the palace to attestthat the sentence hadbeen executed. As soon as seals were placed on theproperty of the pasha, his murderer quitted the scene

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4 8 L IFE o r AL I PASHA .

At length , aided again, perhapsfby the seductionof bribes, Aliattained the rankand power which hehad so long coveted. About the year 1 7 8 3, he wasnominated to the pashalik of Trikala, in Thessaly,and the general inspectorship of roadsand passes. Atthe period when heassumed the government, Trikala,andalmostall the towns and villages in the plain ofThessaly, had been burned or plundered by the Albanian Mahometansand the Janissaries of'

Larissa. He

has himselfgivenalively picture of the state of the

people,and ofthe course of policy which be adopted.“ I left behind me in Lower Albania,” says he, aphantom ofapasha, who was the sport of the beys ofIoannina,and I took care not to pass through thattown on myway to my post. I passed through the

Zagori, where the trusty Noutzu,myold friend, - Godbe with his sou l, for hewasanoble fellow— replenishedmypurse. Withoutasking leave of Soliman , whowas

of Epiru s, we raised, with the help ofGod and my brave Skipetars,atrifling contribution,which stood me in good stead ; for , when I reachedTrikala, I found nothing but an exhausted country.They had been hanging acrowd of poor peasants,whose labours enrich such folksas weare. TheagasofLarissahad invented projects of revolt, in order tohaveapretext for seizing their sheep,and their wivesand children . They ate the one, and they sold theother. I saw instantly that there were scarcelyanyother rebelsand thieves than the Turks. I was soon,therefore, inastate ofhostility with the beys ofLari ssa. However, my preliminary step was to pounceupon the Armatoles, who infested the plains, and Idrove them back to their mountains, where I keptthem penned up, as corps de reserve, till I shouldfindafit occasionfor using them. At the same time,

man or ALI PA SHA . 4 9

I sent some heads to Constantinople, to amuse the

sultan and the populace,and some money to hisministe rs, j b r water sleeps, but envy never sleeps.

The condu ct ofAli Pashaas dervendj i was diametrical ly Opposite to. what it had been when he was onlythe l ieu tenant ofadervendji . The motive, however,was the same in both cases ; itwas interest. Keepingabody of troops in his pay,which he gradually augmeated to the number of four thousand men,all wellarmed , he soon showed what might be expected fromhis vigilanceandactivity. He scoured the country inall directions, and routed, dispersed,and drove intotheir mountain fastnesses, the hordes which overranthe plain s,and he often pursued them even to theirremotest haunts. H is severity made the inhabitantsof Larissatremble, and such was the terror of hisname that order and security, toadegree never before known, reappeared, from the chain of Pindus tothe passes of Thermopylae. By thus clearing the

country of the banditti , he not onlyacqu ired the chameter ofaskilful governor, but also the means ofultimately becoming formidable to the Porte. Thosemeans were also augmented by the manner in whichheadm inistered the law. Affectingastrict regard toj ustice , he never seemed to punish for the pleasure of

punishing ; but,at the same time, he took good careto select as. victims the wealthy beys,and other opulent persons, by the confiscation ofwhose property hemight increase the treasure which was to consolidatehis power.The war which broke out, in 1 7 8 7 , between Au

stria, Russia, and Turkey, afforded Ali Pashaanopportunity of acqu iring honourable repu tation inarms. During the campaign of that year, he served,at the head of his Albanian corps, in the army of

Yussuf Pasha, the grand vizier. It is said that hisE

5 0 L IFE or ALI PASHA .

conduct was brilliant,and that his military talentsandthe valour of his soldiers obtained for him generalesteem. But, though be exerted his valourandabilities in the cause of his sovereign, he did not scruple,we are told, to enter intoatreasonable intrigue withthe enemies of his country, in the hope offorwardinghis ownambitious schemes. Knowing,

" says M . de

Vaudoncourt, the projects ofRu ssiaon Greece,andfully aware of the secret measu res of the Russiangovernment in Albania, Epiru s, and the Morea, beresolved to turn himself on that side, in order tosecure to himselfapoint '

of support in case the warproved disadvantageou s to the sultan . Under thepretext of obtaining the r elease of Mahomed Pasha,one of his nephews, who had been made prisoner, heentered intoacorrespondence with prince Potemkin .

This correspondence soon became active,and tookadirection favourable to the interests of Russia, whi chat that time could rely on Ali in case ofafresh expedition in the Mediterranean . The author himselfsawat Ioanninaawatch set in diamonds, which princePotemkin caused to be presented to Ali ,after peacewas signed

,in testimony, as it was then said, of

esteem for his braveryand talents. The correspondence ofAli with Russialasted till he himself becamemaster of Ioannina, as wellas nearly ofall Albania,when he had no longer any direct interest in aidingthat power to establish itself in hi s vicinity.Abou t this time, Khamco, who had long beenamicted with hydrothorax and u terine cancer, terminated her restless career. If the narrative of M .

Pouqueville may be credited, she maintained herdesperate and sangu inary character to the close of

her existence . We may, however, su spect that ,according to his illaudable custom , he has colouredhighly, as well to produce adramatic effect as to

L IFE OF AL I FAsnA. 5 1

gratify his hatred ofall who were connected with Ali .He te ll s us that,after having poisoned the sole remaining half-brother ofAli, she spent her last moments inhearing her will read to her. This document, whichrather resembled the composition of an incarnatefiend than ofahuman being, enjoined Aliand Shainitza, u nder painofher cur

‘

se in case of their neglect,to exterminate as speedi ly as possible the hated inhabitants of Chormovoand Gardiki, pointed out variousi ndividuals who were to be murdered, and villageswhich were to be consumed, recommended to Ali toenrich the soldieryand to trample onthe people,anddirected that apilgrim should be sent to Mecca, inher name, to presentanofi

'

ering on the tomb of the

prophet for the repose ofher soul lAnxiou s to embrace her son in her dying hour,

Khamco had despatched courierafter courier to hastenhis coming, but Heaven denied her that consolation,and she breathed out her impious spirit in thearmsofShainitza. It is said, that she expired in the mostdreadfu l paroxysms of rage,

D icens insoperosasperaverba. Deos.

Ali did notarrive tillan hou rafter she wasno more .

He shedaflood of tears over her remains,and, clasping his sister

’

s hand within his own,they swore , over

the body of Khamco, to pursue and destroy, withoutpause and without mercy, all those whom she haddevoted to spoliationand death.

Grief did not long detain Ali from following uphis projects ofaggrandisement. In truth , the vow

which he had taken , over the corpse of his mother,gave him anadditional motive for pressing their execution. The acqu iring of additional power wouldenable him to gratify not only his love of richesanddomination, butal so of revenge. He had, foracon

E 2

5 2 L I FE OF ALI PASHA .

siderable ‘ time, been eager to bring under his swaythe pachalik of Ioannina, nominally at the head of

which, as we have seen , wasapashawho possessedscarcely the shadow ofauthority.Circumstances were favourable to the designs of

Ali . Since the conquest, the inhabitants of Ioanninahad preserved asemblance, which was now becomebutamockery, of liberty. It was not till 1 7 1 6 thattheywere subjected to pay the haratch, or tribu te,andto be governed by apasha. Even this change waslittle more than in name ; nor had their situation beensince deteriorated by the Porte, except inas faras itsneglect had operated. While, however, because theycould indulge in occasional licence, the people imagined they were free, they were, in reality, the slavesand tools of the beys andagas, who, perpetually warringagainst each other, compelled them to take partin the quarrels of their superiors,and thus exposedthem to be plunderedand ransomed by the contendingfactions. In only one thing did the rival beysagree,which was, in confining the pashas to the old castle inthe lake, harassing them incessantly, and obtainingtheir deposition from the Porte, whenever the despisedgovernors seemed inclined to rou se themselvesandassert the dignity of their office. In Ioanninatherewas, of course, the most complete anarchy. It wasoften unsafe to venture into the streets, and suchatrocious murders were committed in the face ofday,thatat last the very bazar was deserted.The machinations of Ali, to secure his prey, were

skilfully and perseveringly carried on for agreatlength of time. H is local positionwas favourable tothem ; for Trikalabeing situated on the principalcommunication with Constantinople, and also withThessaly, on which prov ince western G reece oftendepends for subsistence, he had in his hands efi'ectual

L IFE or A‘

LI FAsnA; 5 3

means of c ram ping the commerce, and diminishingthe supplies, of Ioannina. Sedu lously fomenting, byhisagents, the dissensions of the people, he succeededinestabli sh ing aparty of his own, which, though itwas bu t asmal l minority of the inhabitants, was'ofessential serv i ce to him. Lastly—and this was hismaster strok e—heavai led himself of the aid of the

armatolesand klephtes ofThessalyand Acarnaniatoharass the te rritory of Ioannina, by perpetual incu rsionsand depredations. This system ofannoyancewas resolved u pon , in 1 7 86, inan interview betweenAli Pashaand Demetrius Paleopoulo, the vaiwode of

E tolia. Paleopoulo was led to believe that Ali mightultimately be indu ced to contribute to the liberationof Greece, and he therefore resolved to second theplans of the pasha, for obtaining anaugmentation ofpower. In this resolution be was j oined by Canavos,his father- in- law, and by Boucovallas, both ofwhom,

like himself, were among the principal leaders of

the Thessalian , Acarnanian and E tolian Armatoles.While the bands of these three chiefs tormentedandruined the u nfortunate people of the pashalik of l oannina, who invain sought for succour from their pashaand the beys, there were not wanting emissaries topoint out to the sufferers how much happier was thelot of the Thessalians, living in peaceand prosperityunder the vigi lant care ofAli . Nor did other emissaries fai l to insinuate, to the Ottoman government,how mu ch the imperial treasury wou ld be benefited,by placing the disturbed district under the controu l ofone, who, l ike the pashaof Trikala, was capable of

putting down resistance,and increasing the revenue.

It is probable that the Divan would have listenedto these suggestions,and displaced the puppet pashawho vegetated at Ioannina, had not some prevail ingarguments been employed to avert achange. The

5 4 L IFE OF ALI FASHA.

beys,always unanimou s when their interest was con»cerned, could not contemplate without dread the

appointment of suchamanas Ali to be their pasha.They well knew that he would never be satisfied withless than implicit obedience,and that he would nothesitate to walk through blood, in order to enforce it.Accordingly, there can be no doubt that they ex

erted all their influence, the influence of bribes, tomaintain in his oflice their nominal ruler. At length,however, the pashadied,and an opening was thusmade for the elevation of Ali. Still, the beys persisted in their abhorrence of him, and, when theybegan to su spect that he wou ld be nominated, theyswore to perish rather than submit to the sonofthe

prostitute .

”He, meanwhile, was silently laughing in

scornat their idle fury,and preparing for their irretrievable ruin.When Ali thought affairs were ripe enough for

his presence," says Mr. Hughes he collected a

considerable number of troops, passed the chain of

mount Pindus,and made hisappearance on the plainsto the north of Ioannina. This manoeuvre causedgreat consternation in the city : the beys, in imminentdanger, stifled their enmity towards each other, j oinedtheir forces together,andadvanced to meet the invader . Inagreat battle, which was foughtat the headof the lake, they were beaten and dr iven back intothe city by Ali, who encamped before it with his victorious troops . Not being strong enough toattemptit by storm, be employed asurer method for success.

He had already gained aconsiderable number of

adherentsamongst the Greeks in the city,and especially in the district of Zagori : these, by briberyand

The narrative of M r. Hughesagrees, inthe mainpoints, withthat of General de Vaudoncourt,and bearsmore internal evidence ofcorrectness thanis to be found inthe story told by M . Pouqueville.

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5 6 L IFE OF ALI PASHA .

’

to the people, he promised protection ; to the beyswho remai ned, rich offices and plunder ; his friendswere amply recompensed,and his enemies reconciledby his frankness and engaging afl‘ability. In the

mean time he putastrong garrison into the castrou orfortress, and thus acqu ired firm possession of the

pashalik before the imposture of the firmanwas discovered . It was now too late to dispossess him of hisacqu isition : his adherents increased daily ; anumerousand respectable deputation, led by SignoreAlessio ’

s

father, carried apetition to Constantinople, and,seconding it with bribes toalarge amount, u ltimatelyprevailed inestablishing his usu rped dominion . Thus,according to custom, despotism succeeded to the

turbulence of faction ,and the people not unwillinglyadmitted the change.

”

The firman,which legalised the seizu re of the

pashalik, was granted by Abdul Hamid towards theclose of 1 7 8 8 , but afewmonths before his decease .

It was confirmed by his successor, Selim, in the fol ilowing year, and thus Ali found himself securelyfixed in his newdignity ; which dignity, however, hedid not regard as the boundary of his career, butmerely asastepping stone in his ascent towards aloftier elevation.

CHAPTE R III .

Valley of Ioannina—Lake of Ioannina—Descriptionof the CityThe Castron—Publ icand private Buildings—Seragl io of Li thu

ritza.—Palaces ofAl i ’s Sons—Pavi l ionof Al i— Institutions forE ducation—Commerce Climate Diseases—Population—TheFounder of Ioanninanot known—Battle fought near it in 108 2

of Ioanninaunder the Great Despotate of E pirus.Tyranny of Thomas—Letter of Sul tanAmurath to the Peopleof Ioannina—The Inhabitants submit to Amurath—Revol t of

Dionysius the Skelosopbist—Subsequent History of Ioannina.SITUATED in the centre of Epirus, the valley

'

of

L’

IFE o r ALI PA SHA . 5 7

Ioannina, which was denominated Hellopiaby theancients, forms an elevated plain , or table land, ex

tending from north to southabout eight leagues, andhavinganaverage breadth ofabout two leagues. Thisferti le and extensive vale, covered with groves, gardens,and plantations,and bearing the richest productions of the country, is bounded by lofty mountains onevery side . To the east rises the triple chain of

Pindu s,adiverging ridge of wh ich, named M itzikeli ,stretches along the shores of the lake of Ioanninatothe lake of Labchistas,and then bends to the north,as faras the defile ofProtopapas. From this pointarange of undu lating hills runs from north to south, tillit reaches the defile of Velchistas, whence it tu rns inaneasterly direction forabou taleague,and then followsasou thward course, ti ll, beyond the khan of St.Dimitri , aram ification of the Five Wells mountainlinks it with the chain of M itzikeli . Behind the nudulating hills, on the west, is the lofty range of

Oli tzika.The central part of the table land is occupied by

two lakes of which the upper bear s the name of

Ioannina, and the lower that of Labchistas. Theselakes are not mentioned by ancient writers, and itseems doubtful whether they have not been producedin later days, either byanearthquake, or by the bursting out of latent springs . On the other hand, M.

Fouqu ev ille is of opinion, that the. greatest portionof

the vale was once overspread with water,and that thelakes were reduced to the present compass by the

opening of the Katavothra,at the western extremity ofthe Labchistas.The upper lake, which in form resembles atrun

cated i so sceles triangle, isabou t fou rteen mi les in circumference. Its base, along which passes the roadfrom M ezzovo, is three- quarters ofaleagu e in extent.

5 8 LIFE or ALI PASHA.

On qu itting the defile ofM ezzovo,the traveller enters

the valley of Barcomoudi , which extends four or fivemiles to the southward. In this are the villages ofBarcamoudi , Catzana,and Choria, inhabited by GreekandWalachian christians, the cultivators of this fertilesoil. Nearly m the middle of the base ofthe lake, onarockymountainofmoderate height,are the ru ins ofanancient Epirotic city, now called Gastritza; themasonry ofwhi ch, in the pseudo Cyclopean

.

style, isextremely fine. The walls of this cityare inseveralplaces surprisingly perfect, and with many of the

towers remain to the height of eighteen or twentyfeet. From the summit of these towers isabeautifulview ofall the easternpart of the basin of Ioannina;but the prospect on the west is interrupted byachainof hills, which commencesat Catchika.At the sou th-western angle of the lake, near the

village ofCatchika, the road from M ezzovo joins thatfrom Arta; and,after passing the khan of Pogoniani,the traveller enters Ioanninab y the gate of CaloTchesmé, near which are two pavilions, erected byAli Pasha.On the north, the lake of Ioanninaterminates at

the village ofPerama. Two channels, flowing for sixmiles throughalarge tract ofmarshy land overgrownwith reeds, connect it with the lake of Labchistas, orlower lake. Westward of these channels, onacircular hill, near the village of Gardikaki , stand someru ins, which have been supposed to be the remains ofthe celebrated Dodona. The summit of the hill, a,truncated cone, is, says Mr. Hughes, entirely surrounded by very fine pseudo Cyclopean walls, dilapidated in many places in that circui t, whichappearsto beabou t amile andahalf, are observed severaltowersand gateways ; but lnthe interior we could notdiscern, after the most patient investigation,anyves

L IFE o r AL" PASHA . 5 9

tiges ofbu i ld ings, exceptafew subterranean vaults orreservoirs .”

In winterand spring, when the mountain torrentsand the m elting snows swell the volume ofwater, lakeLabchistas coversaspace ofaleague square. But insummer it shrinks to half that extent,and the landwhich it has deserted is sewnwith maize. The onlyou tlet of its waters is by subterraneous channels,called Katavothra, of which Mr. Hughes counted between twenty and thirty. They disappear under amountainou s ridge,andagain come to lightatadistance of five miles, where they pour their streams intothe river Velchis, near the village ofVelchistas. “ In

abou t one hou rand ahalf,” says Mr. Hughes, wearr ivedat the '

opposite side of the ridge.and lookeddown upon the picturesque glen,at the head ofwhichthe waters of the lake (as theyare conjectured to be)ooze out of the ground inan infinite number of smallstreams, til l they form alarge body of water ; thisfoams impetuously down the glen, from rock to rock,in avast variety of cascades, and sets inmotion anumber of water-mills, which, together with groups ofAlbanian gi rls, washing linen in the stream, give anair of indescribable lifeand beauty to the scene. Asthe valley widens, the plains of the river Kalamas, orThyamis ofantiquity (those plains where Atticu s, thefriend of Cicero, had his delightful country house, towhich he retired during the most disastrou s times ofthe republic) , come finely into the prospect, boundedby the blue mountains of Thesprotia.”From whatever quarter it isapproached, the city of

Ioanninapresentsabeau tiful aspect. European travellers have usually journeyed to it by the road of

Arta, and, as seen in that direction, they have uni

form ly described it in enthu siastic language. Knowing our vicini ty to Ioannina,” says Dr. Holland, we

60 L I FE or ALI PA SHA .

were now impatient to obtain the first view of thatcity, which is long concealed from the eye by the loweminences traversing the plain . At length, whenlittle more than two miles distant, the whole viewopened suddenly before us amagnificent scene

,and

one that is stil lalmost single in my recollection. Alarge lake spreads its watersalong the base ofaloftyand precipitous mountain, which forms the first ridgeof Pindus on this side,and which,as I hadafterwardsreason to believe,attains an elevation of more than

feet above the level of the plain . Opposed tothe highest summit of this mountai n,and toasmallisland which liesat its base,apeninsu lastretches forwards into the lake from its western shore, terminatedby aperpendicu lar face of rock. This peninsu laforms the fortress of Ioannina: alofty wall is its barrier on the land side ; the waters which liearound itsouter clifi

'

s, reflect from their surface the irregu lar yetsplendid outline ofaTurkish seraglio,and the domesand minarets of two Turkish mosques, environed byancient cypresses . The eye, receding backwards fromthe fortress of the peninsu la, reposes upon the wholeextent of the city, as it stretches along the easternborders of the lake. Repose, indeed, it may notunfitly be called, since both the realityand the fancycombine in giving to the scenery the character ofavastand beautifu l picture spread out before the sight .No volumes of smoke , nor even the sounds ofcarriagesand men, break into this description of the distantview: the tranqu illity of the Turkish character is conveyed to the Tu rkish cityal so,and even to the ca

pital

of the chiefwho governs the warlikeand half-civi '

sed

Albanian tribes. You are not here looking upon alengthenedand uniform mass ofbu ildings, so oftentheonly characteristi c ofanEuropean town but there isbefore the eyeavarietyandarichness in the grouping

L IFE or ALI PASHA . 61

of the objec ts, which is peculiarly in the cities of theEast. The l ofty palaces of the vizier and his sons,the minare ts of numerous mosques, each surroundedby its gro ve of cypresses, which give something of

appropr iate sanctity to the place ; the singular intermixtu re of hou sesand trees through every part of thecity,acircum stance more striking from the want ofwood in the general landscape : these, together withthe noble situation on the lake,and the magnificenceof the surr ou nding mountains,are the features whichwi l l m o st impress the stranger in approaching the

capital ofAli Pasha.”More brief in his description of the scene, Mr.

Hughes i s no lessalive than Dr. Holland to i tsattraetions . Abou t two miles before wearrivedat Ioannina, says be, “weascendedagentle eminence whichbrought the city full into our view, with its glitteringpalacesand mosques, stretchedalong the shore of its

magnificent lake . Theai r was frosty, theatmospheretransparent, and the snowy mountains were beautifully refiec ted in the smooth surface of the water, overwhich anumber of canoes glided lightly, carryingsportsmenafter the myriads ofwild fowl which roseattimes li ke dark clouds into theair . Nothingwaswanting but classical authority to make us believe thesereally to have been the famed Elysian fields ofantiqu ity su rrounding the Acherusian lake.

That part of the city of Ioanninawhich is in theimm ediate vicinity of the lake stands onaflat, bu t thenorth and north-western quarters of it are bu ilt onslope s of risingand uneven ground. The whole lengthof the city is rather more than two miles ; its breadthis variou s, but never more thanamile, not includingthe castrou or fortress . The castrou , which is nearthe m iddle of the city,and inwhich reside only Turksand Jews, formsalarge promontory, ju tting out into

62 e s or ALI PASHA .

the lake, and separated from the other part of thetown by fortificationsandamoat. Thiswas the siteof the primitive town , and its figure is not unaptlycompared to the double head ofaspread eagle, whosewingsare represented by the outstretched habitationsof the city.” The peninsula, which widensas it advances into the lake, is terminated, at theangles, bytwo distinct rocky promontories . One of these iscrowned by alarge mosque, the lofty minaret andextended piazzas of which are shaded by cypresses ;the other is occupied by the old seraglio of the pashasof Ioannina,avast, irregular, but wildly magnificentedifice, over the projecting roofs and painted walls ofwhich rise the minarets and cypresses ofasecondmosque. One of these mosques, that ofCalo Pasha, isornamented with granite columns, brought from the

temple ofPluto inThesprotia.Opposite the castrou ,and more than midway to the

eastern shore of the lake, is asmall rocky island,belonging chiefly to M ouctar Pasha, which is exceedingly picturesque. Near the north- eastern corner isavillage, almost hidden by the luxuriant foliage of

chestnu t and palm trees. It consists ofabout twohundred houses, ofalmost unparalleled neatness . The

vizier hasasmall palace on this island,and here areal so seven convents, which have frequently been u sedas state prisons. From the highest point of the isleisan exqu isite view of the castrou and the city.The principal street of Ioanninaextends the whole

length of the town ; that which is next in importancecrosses itat rightangles, from the fortress to the hills.The interioraspect of Ioannina, says Dr. Holland,except where there is some opening to the landscapethat surrounds it, is gloomy and without splendour.Few of the streets preserveanuniform line ; acircumstance which makes the topography of the place very

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64 L IFE o r ALI PA SHA .

dress canapproach, without running the risk of beingtorn to pieces.To the south of the castrou , stands the new seraglio

of the vizier, which is called the Serai,and sometimesthe castle, of Litharitza. It is an immense pile of

building, lofty in itself,and situated on an eminencewhich gives itacommand over every part of the city.It may not unfitlybe termedapalace uponand withinafortress. Highand massive stone walls, on difl'erentparts of which cannonare mounted, supportasuperstructure of wood, of great extent, but apparentlywithou t any regu larity of plan ; the several porti onsof the edifice seem to have been successivelyadded,as.anecessity was found for enlargement. Yet, notwithstanding this irregularity, the magnitudeand character of the bu ilding give i t anai r of magnificence,which is notalways obtained byamore rigidadherenceto architectural rules. The style of construction isentirely Turkish the roofs projecting far beyond theface of the bu ildings, the windows disposed in longrows underneath, the walls richly decorated with painting, occasionally landscape , but more generally what ismerely ornamental,and withou t uniform design . The

access to the Seraglio is exceedingly mean . It is surrounded by narrowand gloomy streets, withou t anycircumstance to mark the approach to the palace of

the Albanian ruler. Mr. Hughes pithily characterises this fortress seraglio as the picture ofatyrant entrenchedamong his slavesAtashort distance from the seraglio ofAliare the

palaces of M ouctarand Veli, the sons of the Pasha.These edificesare bu iltafter the Turkish fashion,andthe palace ofVeli, which is nearly square in form,andstands on aconsiderable elevation , is handsomer inexternalappearance than his father’s. Bothare chieflyremarkable for being ornamented with fresco paintings,

L I FE or ALI pasna. 65

executed by som e Armenian daubers. The subjectsof these paint ings display the bad taste and the

ferocious spi ri t of the selectors. Over the principalentrance of M onetat ’aabode, he is delineated, sur

rounded by his troops,and witnessing the execution oftwo Greeks, whom the hangman is tying toagibbetwith the same rope. In another place are exhibiteddecapi tated trunks, with the blood spouting fromthem. These are muchadmired, though consideredby the connoisseurs as inferior to anothe r, in whichthe prince appear s seated, su rrounded by oxen,horses, mu les, and asses. The paintings In

palace represent camps, pi les of heads, standards,andsieges. In the latter productions ofArmenian genius,the bombshell s are considerably larger than the

houses.The only remaining building which deserves noticeis the kiosk or pavilion ofAli , in the suburb, at thenorth- west end of the city. It is situated in the

midst of extensive gardens, abounding in fruit andforest trees,and displaying more of the wild graces ofnature than the laboured efforts ofart. Thiswas thevizier ’ s favourite place of retirement. The kiosk,which is of elegant construction, is profusely ornamented with carvingand gilding, in the best Turkishstyle.

“ Its interior is divided into eight compartments, or deep recesses, diverging out of the greatarea, in the middle ofwhich standsacurious jet-d

’

eau .

This consists ofasmall castle, surmounted by cannon ,and su rrounded by regular lines, which play upon eachother, in im itation ofabombardment : between thecannon , on the parapet, stand figures of parrots, lions,and other birds and beasts, who spent water out of

their,

months,as if in mockery ofwhat is going forward : the motion of the water gives voice toasmallorganattached toapillar in theapartment.

F

66 ~L IFE or ALI PASHA .

Thereare two institutionsat Ioanninain which theancient languagesare taught. The first of these, theGymnasium, which was long presided over by SignorPsal ida, aGreek of considerable talent, was founded,nearly forty years ago, by arich merchant namedPicrozoe,andafi‘orded instruction to about one hundred boys. The second was establishedacenturyandahalf since

,by Ghioni,amerchant. The funds for

its support were placed in the bank of Venice,and,after the confiscation of them by the French, in 1 7 9 7 ,the school was entirely indebted for its continuance tothe noble munificence of the family ofZosimas. Thisseminary numberedabout three hundred scholars .The commerce of Ioanninais not insignificant. It is

chiefly carried on with Constantinople, Russia, Venice,and Malta,and the merchantsare travelled men, wellacquainted wi th European habits,and speaking severallanguages. Constantinople sends to Ioannina, shawls,turbans, amber, and variou s toys ; Ru ssiafurnishesoxen, horses, skins, and ermine ; Venice sends richvelvets, red scull- caps, arms, and many articles of

hardware ; and from Maltacomeavariety of Englishmanufacturesand colonial produce. An ad -valor emduty of four

‘

per cent. is pai d on each article at theD ogana. In exchange for these, the experts arecotton, raw silk, Valonean bark, prepared goat andsheep skins,and sometimes grain, though not often .

The distribution of the imports among the towns of

Epiru s is asource of much profit to the merchants.Their domestic manufactures,” says Mr. Hughes,are not numerous : indeed, here,as in other countries, the state of manufactures is afair criterion of

the state of civilisation whilst the workmanship ofallarticles that may conduce to general comfort, couvenience , and utility, or to the interests of philosophyand science, is quite contemptible, great industryand

L I E E or ALI PA SHA . 67

considerable sk il l are exhibited in the embroidery ofcloth, in filagree , i n working silver handles for pistols,muskets, and ataghans, and in ornamenting pipeheads.” An ideaof the low state of the mechanicartsmay be formed from one circumstance. When Lo rdByron visited Ioannina, there was no one in the wholecity who could m endan umbrel la,and only one man,apoor Italian, who was capable ofmakingabedstead .

The climate of Ioanninavaries more than is u sualin Greece. Its situation onatable land, elevated fromathou sand to twelve hundred feetabove the sea,andencircled by lofty mountains, mayaccount for some ofthe peculiarities of its temperature. The heat insummer is extremely Oppressive. In winter it isequally co ld,and isat times very rainy. Evenas lateas the beginning ofApril, snow hasfallen at Ioannina.Fuel is scarce,and of course dear, so that the richerclasses are obliged . to be economical in the use of it,and the poor can with difficulty obtain sufficient tocook their provi sions. The rich , therefore, wrapthemselves up in robes lined with furs,and the com

monpeople shelter their limbs under cloaks of thickhomespun cloth . Earthquakes are common, andmost frequent in the autumn ; they sometimes throwdown the hou ses,and the fish have been known to becast out of the lake upondry ground.

”

Fevers of every kind, especially nervous ones,arecommon at Ioannina; and are principally caused byunhealthy dwellings, di rty habits, filthaccumulated inthe streets , and scanty nutriment, but, above al l, bythe great number ofAlbanian troops, oftenas manyas from ten to forty ofwhomare quartered upon eachinhabitant. The city has been more than once devastated by the plague. In 1 8 1 4 , it was daily expectedonce more to make itsappearance, it having for some

E 2

68 LI E E o r AD I ram /r.

time been raging in the envi rons. This would inevitablyahave been the case had not prompt measuresdo

pted by Ali, who immediately drewastrong

cordon o troops round the infected districts. Iminediate death was the punishment forattempting to passit. At the same time he ordered, that upon the decease ofany person in Ioannina, the hou se was to beclosed till the natu re of the disease had been sacertained ; and headded, that should it be found to bethe plague, every soldier stationed onthe road throughwhich it had been introduced should be put to death,as wellasall the relations of the deceased.The extent of the city would implyalarger popula,

i s Occassioned by the vacant spaces ofthemosquesand Tu rkishburying-grounds,and byall the better houses havingaspac eattached to them, Inwhich thereare commonlyafew trees. Estimates ofthirty-five to fifty thousand person thousandis, perhaps,about the real number. It formsaheterogeneous mass of Greeks, Turks, Albanians, Franks,Jews, Arabs, Moors,and Negroes ; among whom the

Greeksare the mo st numerou s, respectable,and longestablished, many of the fami lies having been settledat Ioanninafor centuries.Such 1 8 , or rather such was, the capital of the ruler

ofAlbania. In speaking of that which the labour ofmancontributed to the erection of Ioannina, the pasttense must be u sed. Its magnificent site, its beautifu llake, its encircling mountains, remain unchanged, butthe palaces

,the mosques, the churches, and all, or

nearlyall, the city, have ceased to exist : they were ,aswe shall soon have occasion to describe, consigned toru in by the desperationand rage ofAli himself,at themoment when he was closely tracked by his enemies,

L I E E or ALI pasIIA. 69

the fabric ofhis power wasat length tottering to itsfall, and l ife was about to terminate indisaster and

or at what time, Ioanninawas founded,is not recorded in history. The manyother adprobable that some establishment was formed thereatm early per iod of the Easternempire. The style of

building, of some anc ient ru ins in the castrou , inducesMr. Hughes to refer the construction of the originaledifice to the re ign ofJustinian . His supposition sequires likelihood from the circumstance ofthe monarch

Macedonia. Thatat leastacastron, or citadel, existedthere long befo re the end of the eleventh century, iscer tain from the Norman Bohemond having found onewhich was di lapidated, no doubt fromage,and whichwas repaired by him.

The first event which gave Ioanninaaplace in theannals of the East was the battle which, in 108 2 , wasfought under its walls, between Bohemond and theemperor Alexis. The combat lasted from sunrise tillsunset,and Alexis,after having displayed prodigies of

valour , was defeated by the Norman . The city isstated to have been subsequently either restored orrefounded

,but writers differ as to the person who

accomplished it, and even the century in which thisoccurrence took place. The work is ascribed,and in

without reason, to JohnCanD ucas, and to Thomas and

John, Epirot despots, ofwhom nothing is known. Insome part of the twelfth century, the rising town issai d to have been destroyed by the combined Normansand Neapo litans, whom the historians of that day denominate Catalansand Latins. It appears, however,to have speedily recovered from this disaster.

7 0 L IFE 01?”

AL I PAsnA.

‘

Weagain lose sight of Ioanninatill after the dis:ruption of the empire, which was the consequence of

the conquest by the Latins. When the great despotate of Epirus, or of the West,as it is sometimes denominated, was established by Michael Angelus, Ioanninawas one of the ci tieswhich he reduced under hissway. After the death of Andronicu s the Third,Epir us was conquered by Stephen D uscian, oral orprince of Servia. This barbarian monarch,

'

who assumed the title of emperor of the Romans, bestowedZE toliaand Acarnaniau pon his brother Simon, or

Sinissa,and Ioannina, Tr iccala,and Larissa, with thedignity of Cae sar, upon Prelupus, one ofhis satraps .Subsequently to the death of Prelupus, Ioanninaacknowledged theauthority of Simon, who, however, inconsequence of his being involved inawar with the

Albanians, seems to have left its inhabitants to governand defend themselves. The city was soonattackedby the Albanians, but the citizens resisted the besiegers with much courage. At length, being drivenalmost to extremity, they sentan embassy to Simon ,to entreat that he wouldassist them. Simon listenedto their prayer,and sent themabody offorces ; bu t,unfortunately, he sent, as their governor, his son- in

lawThomas, whomamanuscript history of the placestigmatises as an imp of darkness and ason of

Satan ,”and who seems, indeed, to have been deservingof those discourteousappellations.The new governor entered the city, with the prin

cess Angelinahis wife,amidst theacclamations of thepopulace ; and for awhile he appeared disposed togovern uprightly. The mask, however, was soondropped, and the people had reason to lament thatthey had resorted to Simon for aid. To pillage theehnrch, in order to enrich his Servian followers, todr1ve into exile the excellent bishop Sebastian,and to

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7 ? L IFE or anThe Albanians in the castrouand in the island on the '

lake were , meanwhile , preparing forageneralassault.The expedition from the island was, however, metand defeated . From this danger," says the veracions chronicler, the citizens were del ivered by theinterposition of Michael thearchangel, who appearedat the head of theirarmament with his flaming sword."For this service Michael

,sti ll continues to be regarded

as the patron of the city. Cut off from all succour,the Albanians in the castrou surrendered at discretion ; they were all put to death, except afew who,deprived of eyes, ears,and noses, were sent backasawarning to their countrymen . The surname of the

Albanian- slayer was now assumed by the vi ctoriousThomas. Spartasavenged this slaughter by ravagingthe vicinity of the city ; and Thomas, in return , hungup before the wallsal l the Albanians whom he took,or sent them mutilated into the camp of their sovere ign .

In the course of the next seven years, the despotfor that title was conferred upon him in 1 38 0,by the emperor Manuel— continued to inflict on hissubjects the most barbarous cruelty, fortified variou sstrong castles inhis own territory, twice called in theaid of the Turks, to help him to devastate Albania,and, by theaid of theseal lies, conquered the cities ofVelas, D rynopolis, Bagenetia,and Catnna. At lengthhis crimes rose to such apitchas to be no longerendurable. Four of the officers of his body- guardcons ired against him,and they effected ton t e night ofDecember the 20th, 1 38 5 ,him in his bed. With him expired the vian government in Epirus .The tyrant had long been alienated from his vir~

tuous and benevolent consort, Angelina. Shortlyafter the death of Thomas, she gave her hand tw

L IFE or Am PASHA . 7 3

Izaus, count ofC ephalonia,anexcellent prince, whomthe citizens of Ioanninajoyfully recognised as theirlord. The Byzantine court sanctioned his election,and gave him the regal title . At home, be exertedhimself to r epair the mischiefwhich had been done byhis pre dec essor ; and, on the frontiers, he efficientlyprotected the country from its enemies ; The onlycalami ty wh ich Ioanninasuffered under his reign wasnot the wo rk of man. In 1 38 7

,the tower of the

convent cal led Archimandreionwas thrown down bylightning,and fourteen persons were crushed toatomsunde r the ru in s.In 1 395 , I znu s lost his wife, Angelina, who died

universally lamented and, in 1 397 , he married Irene,the daughte r of the Albanian prince , Spartas . Shortlyafte r his nuptials, heand his father- in- law rou ted the

Turks, inabloody battle near D risco . He was not sofortunate in the following year ; for he was defeatedand made captive by Ghioni Zenevisi ,apotent Albanian chieftain . He was ransomed, however, for tenthousand florins. He died,at Ioannina, on the 2 9thofApril , 1 4 01 .

Izanawas succeeded by his brother Sghurus, whoalso obtai ned the government ofArta, on the death ofSpartas . Though possessed of more resources thanhis predecessor, he was unable to retain the throne .

He was driven from his dominions by an immensearmy of Servians, Albanians, Bulgarians, and Valachians , headed byacelebrated leader named Bonghoes,which devastated the country, burned townsand vi]lages,and slaughtered thou sands of the inhabitants .W

'

hat became of Sghurus is not known ; there is rea.sonto believe that his fall did not take place tillafterthe year 1 4 1 3.

0

A despot Charles is mentioned as havmg subse

quently reigned at Ioannina,and died in 1 4 30 ; but

7 4’

LIFE o r ALI mi ss“ .

his existence is doubtful,and the city is believed to'

have been governed byanaristocracyafter the ru in of

Sghurus. In 1 4 32 the conquests ofAmurath II ., inGreeceand Macedonia,alarmed the citizens,and theysent adetachment of their best troops to guard thepasses ofMount Pindus . By this detachmentall theTurkish troops opposed to it were cut to pieces . Thi sact ofhostility roused theanger ofAmurath, whoaddressed to the citizens the following letter

Sultan Amurath, Sovereign of the East and the

West, to the people of Ioannina, greetingI counsel you to deliver up to me with good will

your fortress, and to receive me as your sovereign ,lest you should move me to great wrath ,and I shouldcome upagainst you with myarmy and take you rcity with the sword then you will sufferall the calamities that other places have suffered, which refusingto acknowledge my power have been conquered bymy arms ; whose inhabitants have been sold intoslavery through the East and through the West.Come then, let usmakeatreaty,and ratify it withanoath, I on my part that I will respect your rights,andyou onyours that you will obey me faithfully.

The citizens of Ioanninamet to deliberate uponthis brief but peremptory and alarming missive.D read of the sultan’s power prevailed,and they sentan embassy to Thessalonica, the residence ofAmurath, to deliver to him the keys of their fortress. ATurkish garrisonaccompanied the envoy back , totake po ssession ofthe castrou , or rather that part of itwhich was called the gulaor citadel . Having bu ilthouses in that quarter of the city which is named theTurcopaleo, the Mahometans were desirous to com

plete their domestic establishments by theadditifemale partners, and, to accomplish this, the su ltanpermi tted them to take wivesamong the daughters of

L I FE or ALI s na. 7 5

the Greek s. I t would appear, however, that theGreek lad ie s, or their parents, wereaverse from form o

ing unions wi th the professors of Islamism ; and theconsequence was, that the latter adopted the primiative Roman mode of procu ring wives. Watchingthe oppo rtunity ofagreat festival, at which the

Greek fam il ie sattended divine service in the cathedral,they armed themselves secretly, and waited at thedoors of the chu rch ti ll the congregation came out ;

then, each per son seizing upon the damselpleased .him best, carried her off in defiance of her

relations and fr iends. The parents, afte r ashorttime, see ing no remedy for the evil, consented to thenuptials, and gave the customary dowry to the husbands .”This im itation of the rape of the Sabines,and the

destruction of the ancient church of St . Michael,seem to have been the only serious injuries Which thecitizens su stained from the M ussulmans during aperiod of more than acentury and three quarters.They paid amoderate tribute, enjoyedaconsiderabledegree of freedom,and remained in possession of thecastrou , with the exception of the citadel. But, in161 1 ,an event occurred by which their

‘

condition waswoefully altered. The cause of the mischief wasamanof the name ofDionysius, who had been ejectedfrom the bishopric of Triccalafor dabbling in astrologyand magic,and who had somehowacqu ired theludicrou sappellation of the Skelosophist, o r dog- so

phlat. Having dreamt that the sultan rose to receivehim, he considered this dream as prefiguring that hewas destined to deliver his country from the Ottomanyoke. He began the work of deliverance by wanderingabou t, in quest of proselytes, withawallet at hisback, and aflagon of wine by his side. In the

course of his peregrinations, he approached Ioannina,

7 6 L IFE or‘

AL I su ms.

and hearing that the Turkish garrisonwas not numerous,and dwelt out of the fortress, he determined tostrike the first blow in that city. He had by thistime collected alarge troop of followers. In the

night he led them to Ioannina, which place they entared singing the Kyrie Elei son. They were joinedby amu ltitude of the people, and immediately proceeded to their task ; they killed about ahundredMahometans, and burned several houses,and it wasnot without much difficulty that the governor escapedinto the citadel. The next step was to plunder,afterwhich, by anatural progression, they got drunk.This last imprudence was fatal to them. The Turksrallied, fell uponthem while they were in ahelplessstate, slew great numbers of them, and took manyprisoners, who were soon consigned to the severesttortures.Dionysius escaped forawhi le,and found shelter ina

cave, under the north - east precipice of the castron,which isstill called theCave ofthe Skelosophist. Hewassupplied with bread byabaker, one of his partisans ;but wasat length discovered by some Jews,and g ivenup to the Turks. He was flayedalive,and his stuffedskin was sent to Constantinople, that the sultan mightsee it. On its being carried into the seraglio, themonarch is said to have risen to view the spectacle,and thu s to have literally fu lfilled the dream by wh ichthe skelosophist had been so lamentably deluded.After this rebellion ,

” says Mr.Hughes, Ioanninawas treated by the Turks like all other conqueredcities. The principal conspirators, together with manyinnocent persons, were subjected to extreme punishments, some being impaled, others sawnasunder,andmany burnt alive : every Greek church within the

castrou was then razed to the ground, from whichplaceall Christians were banished for ever byaspe

u se o r ALI rAsnA. 7 7

cial firman of the su ltan but the Jews were allowedto retain thei r habitations,and recei ved var ious immuniticain consequence of the assistance they hadrendered to the Mahometans. This expulsion of

the Greeks from the castrou tended greatly to iacrease the city, which soon began to extend its armsalong the banks of the lake. It seems to have enjoyedaconsiderable degree of tranqu illityamidst the con

vulsions that agitated this part of the world duringthe last efforts made by the Christian powers to preserve some por tion of European Turkey from the

over whelm ing force of its Ottoman invaders. It wasgoverned by beys and pashas of two tails, sent by thePor te, bu t never became the head or capital ofasandj iac till the time of Ali . H is experienced eye

soon saw theadvantages of its strong central situation,and from the first be determined to make it thefocus ofhis extended dominion. Under him it hasrisen to that degree of splendour, importance, andpopu lation, which it nowpossesses.

”

CHAPTE R IV .

System of Al i—His treacherousand sangu inary Conduct to the

Chormovi tes—Terror inapired by him—His Designs upon thePashaof Bere t—Marries his Sonto the Pasha’sDaughter—Employs an E missary to poison Saphir Bey—The Sul iote—D escri ption of the Territory inhabited by them—Origin of the

Sul iots—Their Character, Manners, Religion, Customs,and

Appearance—Ali is defeated by them—Thei r Impmdence

Operations ofAl i inNorthernAlbania—He endeavours to c ir

cumvent the Sul iots, but wi thout E ffect—He attacks them

wi tha. large Force- Heroism of Tzavella—Ali is defeatedHe makes Peace—He is inDanger from the Porte—Stmtagemby which he escaped .

HAV ING ,”asaneminent traveller well observes,

established his interest onafirm footing as well inConstantinopleas Alban ia,and wielding the re sources

7 8 L IFE or ALI PABHA.

of an extensive dominion, Ali Pashabegan to actuponalarger scale,and to pursue his grand plan ofconsolidatingan independent power in E pirus,acountry which Nature itself seems to have marked out forindependence by the mountain barriers with whichshe has su rrounded and protected it. The meanswhich be resolved to take for the completion of thisplan, were toamass treasures, to keep agents in payat the Ottoman court, to infuse su spicion of otherpowers into the minds of the divan, to render himselfu sefu l to whatever European state was able to returnhis services,and, final ly, to seize upon the property ofhis neighbours whenever and by whatever methodshe could . In the executionof these measures, hisrapacity was boundless, his penetration deep, hisaggressions innumerable, his perfidymore than Punic,and his success foratime complete .

”

The first care of Ali, on his attaining the highsituation to which he had so long aspired, was tohumble the beys of Ioannina, by stripping them of

their wealth ; he being convinced that he shouldthu s most effectually prevent their forming intriguesagainst him in the divan . At the same time hegained over the Albanians, upon whom he bestowedall employments of consequence. Byasingular innovation upon established customs, he also admittedGreeks into his confidence, whose iriformation andabilities be well knewhow to appreciate. To fu rtherhis interests still more, Ali, who had no respect forany set of religious opinions whatever, conciliated thedifferent sects by avowing, when asuitable opportu

nity occurred,apretended conviction of the truth 0

their tenets . With the Turks he wasazealou s M us

sulman; aPantheist with the Bektadgis he prof It is the bel iefof the Dervises Bek tadgis that God isall ,andal l 1 8 God and that matter, being eternal , never hadacommence

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80 u se o r ALI PASHA .

specified, against whom he had cau se of complaintbut if they were expelled, and their habitationsburned, he would not molest them. When the deputies returned home, ameeting was convened, themessage ofAliwas delivered,and the obnoxiou s families consented to become exiles for the good of theirfellow- citizens. The price of the ir property was paidto them, and they retired to Argyro Castro. The

deputies were again despatched to Ali, with intelligence of thi s peace- offering. He expressed his satisfaction, told them that he would visit their town inafew days, and, to avoid putting them to expense,would bring only two hundred men; but,added he,inthe mean time take back with you some of mypeople, foras yet I canscarcely trust those who haveso often deceived me.

” With this escort, or ratherdetachment of spies, the envoys retraced their steps totheir native place.

Ali shortly after paid his promised visit to Chormovo. Though he brought twelve hundredman insteadof two hundred—acircumstance which was not alittle alarming the Chormovites put on the sem

blance of extreme pleasure, treated him magnificently,and assigned the most comfortable quarters to histroops. The Albanians, however, soon began to quarrel with their hosts. Faithful to his system of deception, the pashasternly reprimanded some of them,

and even punished others,asking them how they daredto insult his .e friends, the good people of

Chormovo, who so kindly invited him into theircity ? Having . thus apparently given proof of his

friendly feeling towards them, he called together theprincipal inhabitants, whom'

he thus addressed Ifeel much for you , my good friends , because my re

siding amongst you must be aheavy burthen on

your finances. I will therefore alleviate the weight

u se o r AL" rxsna. 8 1

by retiring, wi th the major part of my retinue, to themonastery of Tribuchi, where you shall come to me,that we may signarticles offriendshipandalliance .

”

The convent to which Ali declared his intention of

going is s ituated in the mountains near Chormovo,and is ded icated to the Panaghia. Thither he went,and, on the followi ng day, be summoned to aconference abo u t ahundred of the principal citizens . Sowell had he played his deluding part that the victimsfell into the snare, withoutasu spicion of the danger.To give more so lemnity to the '

treaty, i t was to bedrawn upand signed in the church . For the purposeof execu ting thisag reement, the hegumenos, or prior,wasalready stand ing in ful l dress at the high altar.As no Greek ever entersarmed intoaplace of worShip, the citizens left their weapons at the chu rchdoor. Thearms were immediately seized by order of

The shameless mockery was stillacting in thesacred edifice , when one of the Chormovites had occasion to quit the chu rch. Perceiving that the weaponswere gone , he ru shed back into the church, exclaimingthat the priestmight stop proceedings, for they werebetrayed b

fi‘the infidel I” This tardy warning was

fru itless . heAlbanian troops burst into the church,bound the astonished citizens with ropes, and sentthem pr isoners to Tepeleni. Ali then led themagainstChormovo . A multitude of the inhabitants wereslaughtered, the womenand children were sold intoslavery,and the town was levelled with the ground.

One man, the head ofafami ly named Prifti, wasespecially obnoxiou s to Ali, for having participated inthe ou trage upon Khamcoand Shainitza,and he waspunished with commensurate barbarity. A spit wasrun through his body,and he was roasted alive between twO fiX’GS. The horrible task of performingthisact of cruelty was committed by Ali toafoster

G

82 L IFE o r AL I easnn.

brother, who bore theappropriate surname ofthe bleed;drinker. Frightfulas the tragedy ofChormovo was,ayetmore frightful tragedy remained to beacted, thoughafteralong interval, before the vengeance ofAli andShainitzacould be satisfied to the full extentThe consternation inspired by this massacre was

such, that many of the neighbouring tribes could seeno hope of safety bu t in instant submission. The

town of Liboovo, the valley of Caramoutadez, thedistrict ofKonitza,and apart of that ofPremi ti, werein consequenceadded to the dominions ofAli , withouthis having the trouble to strikeasingle blow.

These distr icts belonged to central Albania, whichwas subject to the pashaofBerat. From its richnessand fertility this

,pashalik was the most desirableand

necessary conquest for the pashaof Lower Epirus.As far as regarded mere military operations, it wasalso likely to becomeaneasy one ; foras leader of theKlephts, and as Bey of Tepeleni, Ali had formednumerou s ‘ connexions in the country, the localities ofwhich were perfectly known to him. In addition tothe proximityand the riches of central Albania, thenoble race of horses, which is peculiar to it, renderedits possessionamost valuable object. But,aboveall,the attainment of it was of importance to him, inorder to deprive the inferior beys of the independentcantons of Epiru s of the support which they wereaccu stomed to find in the ruler of Berat. To takepossession of thi s pashalik by force,and that, too, indefiance of the Porte, wou ld, however, have been adifficultand hazardous enterprise. Ali, therefore , re

M r . Hughes states the destructionof Chormovo to have oc

curred before Al i's accession to the pashali k of Ioannina. M .

P ou quevi lle places i t subsequently to that event,and he seems t o

be in the r ight. B ut i t is d ifficu l t toascertain the chronology ofsome ofAl i's exploi ts.

u se or AL I PASHA‘

. 8 3

sorted to i ndirect means, and we shall see that, atlength

,thanks to favouring circumstances,and to his

abilityand perseverance, he efi'

ected his purpose.

The ru le r of Berat was Ibrahim Pasha,adescendant of one of the greatest Arnaut families, who,aswehave seen , had married the reluctant daughter of

Ku rd Pasha, and thus deprived Ali ofami stress, orawife,as wel las of the prospect ofadvancement. Ali ,then onlyabey, had even been subjected, on thatoccasion, to humiliating and ill- founded taunts, withrespect to his extraction. In this instance, therefore ,i t so happened that revengeandambition were com

bined to stimu late him,and that the policy of the new

pashawas in perfectaccordance with the passions of

Though Ali had undoubtedly beenthe first to provoke h osti lities, he was so fortunate as toavoid theonus of being the first to commence them. Indignantat the encroachments made upon his territory,Ibrahim demanded redress. Anabortive negociationensued, which ended in Ibrahim sending into the fieldabody of MasakianToxides, under the command of

his brother Sephe r, Bey of Avlona. To meet thisforce, Ali, whose policy it wasalways to oppose Mahometans to Christian foes,and Christians to Mahome tan , called upon the Armatoles for theirassistance .

H is summons was not unavailing ; glad ofan oppe rtunity to plunder and destroy the enemies of theirfaith , Paleopoulo, Canavos, Boucovalles, his son - in

law Stathas,and other enterprising ch iefs, descendedwith their hands from the mountains of Agrapha,Pindu s , and Olympus . A desultory but harassingand destructive warfare ensued , inwhich carrying cd

'

fl ocks and herds, pillagingand hanging peasants, andb urning villages, were the principal exploits.Ibrahim was soon tired ofacontest inwhichhe was

0 2

8 4 L IFE o r AL" r u ns .

the greatest sufl'erer ,and he sought areconciliation .

Ali, who knew that he could safelyand surelyaecomplish more by secret perfidy than by open violence ,readily consented toapeace . The treaty was negotisted by Emina, the wife ofAli. It wasagreed thatM ouctar, the eldest son of the pashaof Ioannina,should marry the eldest daughter of Ibrahim, andas the dowry of the bride, Ali should retain the

whole of his encroachmentsand conquests . Havingthu s far effected his purpose, Ali dismissed his allies,the Armato les, to whom he gave so richareward, inslaves and money, as to bind them thenceforth devotedly to his service.

Scarcely were the nuptials of M ouctar celebrated,which seemed to guarantee the tranqu illity ofAlbania,before afresh cause of discord arose between the

families of Berat and Ioannina. Anonymou s letterswere sent to Ibrahim,asserting that his wife intendedto poison him, for the purpose ofbeing married toAli ,who had prompted her to the deed. The pretended plotwas dressed up in the most specious colou rs. Any

Turk but Ibrahim,taking suspicion for proof,

would have immed iately inflicted death upon the se

cused but Ibrahim sawthrough the design ofhis concealed enemy

,and was convinced of the innocence of

her whose destruction had been determined upon, forno other reason than that her talents and firmnesswere dreaded.This intrigue, defeated by prudence, remained a

secret between the two families. It was, however,soon followed byanother, which was but too su ccessful. Ali no longer dreaded Ibrahim

,for he had se

quired aknowledge of the weakness of that pasha.But he was extremely jealou s of the influence andabilities of Sepher Bey, the brother of Ibrahim andaccordingly he determined to rid himselfof one who

L IFE o r ALI pasna. 8 5

wasso obno xious ; anenterprise the more difii cultasthe destined victim was on his guard.

The district ofZagori, theancient Perrhzebia, has,from time immemorial, suppliedaconsiderable part ofTu rkey with medical practitioners, whoare known bythe denom ination ofCaloiatr i, or good physicians. Theknowledge of these menis merely traditional , theyare,in fact, only empirics, ignorant of the principles of

medicine and anatomy, though in some surgicaloperations they display much manual dexterity. Itwas one of these quacks that Ali selectedas the iastrument of his crime, and he promised him fortypursesasareward for the destruction of his enemy.No sooner had the doctor taken the road to Berat,than, more effectually to cover his plans, Ali causedhis wife and children to bearrested,as being privy tohis flight,and detained them, ostensibly,as hostages,but in real ity as pledges for the emissary ’s secrecyand fideli ty . At the same time he wrote to Ibrahim,

desiring him to send back the fugitive. Thinking thataman so pe rsecuted must be deserving of his confidence, Sephar Bey took him into his service,and thecanning Perrhmbian so ingratiated himself with hisnew protector, that he became his physician and con

fr iend . A slight illness of Sepher soon furnished the treacherous attendant withanopportunityof consummating his villany. The fatal potion wasadministered. As soon as he had perpetrated the

crime , the assassin , aided by the emissarie s of Ali,took flight, and hastened to Ioanninato receive theprice of blood. Ali complimented him on hisaddress,and gave an order upon the treasury for the sti

pulated am ; but when the hom icide was about toquit the seraglio, he was seized and hanged by com

mand of Ali , who wasanxious to rid himself of the solewi tness of his gu ilt. He eventookadvantage of this

8 6 u se or AL" PASHA .

act ofperfidy, by proclaiming that he had caused the

assassin ofSepher Beyto be punished ;at the same timepublishing the particu lars of the poisoning, the sus

pic ion of which he artfully contrived should fall onthe wife of Ibrahim Pasha, whom he represented asbe ing jealou s ofher brother - in- law’s influence. Thisbase insinuation he was sedulou s in propagating, notonlyat Constantinople, but wherever he possessedanyinterest ; and,although be doubted its being generallycredited, yet he well knew that , notwithstanding the

wounds inflicted by calumny may be healed, theirscars will last for ever. The pertinacity with whichhe slandered the wife of Ibrahim, who had once loved ,and was even believed to have too far yielded to him,

may perhaps be accounted for by her having becomesincerelyattached to her husband,as wellas by Ali’ssupposed dread ofher talentsand resolute character.Pushing still further his mingled hypocrisy and

efi'

rontery, be converted his owncalumnies intoapretext for invasive projects. He began toarm,and,asareason for arming, beassigned his wish to avengethe death of Sepher Bey. As it was obviou s that hishostilities were intended to be directed against Ibrahim, that pashaprudently determined to save Beratfrom invasion , by finding sufficient occupation for Aliinanopposite quarter. Heaccordingly contrived toincite against him the beys of Thesprotia,and theydrew into their league the hardy mountaineers of

Suli, who were already preparing to make war uponthe Turksat the instigation of Russia. It was thusthat originated , in the spring of 1 7 90, the first warbetween the Sul iotsand Ali Pasha.Before we proceed to the narrative of the Sul iot

contest, it maybe proper to giveabriefaccount of thesingular people by whom it was so bravelyand perseW l

'mglymaintained,and of the wildand almost im

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8 8 mm: or AL : ram s .

as not to admit two persons to ride abreast," hereached the central point of the Su liot republic ; andhere, says he, the singu lar and striking features ofthis wild mountain scenery kept us foratime almostbreathless withastonishment ; its huge broken masses,rocks, precipices,and chasms,appeared like the ru insofadisjointed world, or like that picture of poeticconfusion where Pel ion, Ossa,andOlympus,are heapedupon each other by the arms of Titanic monsters.

”

The feelings of D r . Holland were no less excitedthan those of Mr. Hughes by this miraculous scene.On the second day,” says he, I reached apass,

where the river Suli (the Acheron) , making ate

markable bend to the north, enters the magnificentregion of the same name . The landscape here issingu larly fine ; and from the place where I reachedits banks to the castle of Suli,and the plains of Paramithia, the scenery along its course is more singularthan any other I have seen in Greece, strikingasthis country is in all its natural features . Crossingthe river byadeep ford, where it makes this suddenturn to the north, I ascended the mountain on theeastern side ofthe pass or chasm which it now enters,and which is so much contracted by opposing olifl's,to the height of some hundred feetabove the stream,

that no access is possible, except along the higherledges of its mountain boundary. The ascent was’one ofextreme difficulty,and some danger. Skirtingunder the summit of the mountain, upon narrowandbroken ledges of rock, I came to aspot where the

interior of this profound chasm opened suddenly beforeme ; vast, and almost perpendicular prec ipices, conducting the eye downwards to the dark line which theriver forms in flowing beneath . The view from this

place, I have never seen surpassed in grandeur,lf m cleur , indeed, .

be aword which expresses the

L i saonAL I PASHA . 8 9

the scenery : not only its magnitude,bu talso the boldnessand abruptness ofall its forms,and asort of sombre depth and obscurity in all itsfeatu res, to which i t could not be easy to findaparallel . In one view you may trace the progress of the

r iver fo r six or seven miles, between mountains, someof which are upwards of feet in height ; theirpreci pitou s sides beginning to rise even from the

edge of the water ; their projecting cliffs and ledgescovered wi th small oaks and brushwood ; and higherup, where they recede further from the perpendicularline, re taining the same sombre character from the

dark thi cketsand rows ofpines whichappearat interval sam ong the rocks. - I continued my route alongthe valley I have described, on arugged path, whichwinds through the rocks at the height of about600 or 7 00 feet above the river. When advancedabout fou r m iles within the pass, we suddenly turnedto the r ight, throughadeep recess among the mountains . From this there seemed no egress ; vast precipices, covered with pine, meet the eye onall sides ;and no point seems accessible beyond that onwhichyou standat the moment.

”

The traditions of the Suliots,‘

with respect to theorigi n of

‘

the ir community, did not extend farther backthan towards the m iddle of the seventeenth century.

The manner in which it was formed is variouslyrelated . Some per sons (and their opinion is not nuplau sible ) imagine that the nucleu s of the Su liotepopu lati on consisted ofAlbanians, who,after the deathof Scanderbeg, sought refuge in this inaccessible '

dis

trict from the despotism of the Turks . By some it issaid that,aboutacentury and ahalfago, some goatand swine herds, who had led thei ranimals to feed . on

‘

the heights ofKiafl'a, were struck with the eligibility ofthe si te, and occupied it with their families ; while

90 L IFE o r AL" PAsnA.

othersafli rm, that the primitive settlers werefrom the neighbourhood of Gardiki, who flwi th their flocks, to escape from the tyranny of theirOttoman masters. It is obviou s, that the last twostoriesare by no means incompatible with each other.But, however the republic mayhave begun , there seemstobe no doubt that,about the year 1 660, it consisted offour large villages, Kako Suli, Kiafl'a, Avaricos, andSamoniva. These were collectively called the Tetra

They stood dponafine plain, two thousandfeetabove the bed of the Acheron ; the rock, forminganatural breastwork , descended precipitously to

the river,and behind rosealofty chain ofmountains.A single serpentine defile, three miles in length,passing throughalabyrinth of steeps, forests, androcks,and fortifiedat every mile with towers, suppliedthe sole means ofaccess ’ to theseaerial haunts .Forty years subsequent to this period, the popula

tion had so much increased, that the Su liots foundedseven new villages towards the foot of the mountain,in the country which they had subjugated . Thesevillages, Tzicuri , Periosti, Vilia, Alsochori , Kondati,Gionala,and Tzephleki, bore the collectiveappellati onof the Heptachor ion. They constitutedapart of the

general league , called the Warrior Confederacy,andwere consideredasadvanced posts. On thefirstrumourof war, they sent their families up the mountain tothe four parent villages,and took arms to defend theentrance oftheir defiles.In process of time, the Suliots extended their con

quests into theadjacent plains. They had to sustainseveral warsagainst the Agas of Margariti , Paramithia,and Ioannina, inthe course of which they madethemselves masters of sixty- six villages, peopled bymore than seven thou sand inhabitants. Their policy,however, was not equal to their valour. It has often

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92 L l FE onALI PASHA .

chorion five hundred. In the desperate struggles withAli, the Suliotsappear to have increased their forcebyanadditional thou sand men. As soonashostilities.

were begun, the villages m the plain wereabandoned,after having been stripped of their moveablesand provisions,andall the community hastened to the defenceof the passes, each man knowing beforehand the post

he was to occupy. In the day ofaction , thewomen brought foodand ammuniti on to their relatives, encouraged them to fight manfully, coveredthem with reproaches when they gave way,and even,on u rgent occasions, fought with unflinching courage.

Never to fly, never to be dismayed byanynumber ofenemies

,were maxims which were early instilled into

the minds of the mountaineers of Suli ; weapons wereput into the hands of boys at the age of ten years,and the use of them, and adeadly hatred of the

Turks, were the first, and almost the only, lessonswhich they were taught. A Suliot was never separated from his arms not even when he went tochurch, drove his flocks to pasture, ate, or slept.Their tactics were simple and desultory dependingrather on individual intelligence and activity than oncombined and simu ltaneou s efforts . One peculiarityof their military system, if system it can be called,deserves notice . To alarge force they opposed asmall one , toasmall force,alarge one. In the one

case , the lesser number sufli ced to hold the ir ground,and more was not to be hoped from any increasewhich they could make ; in the other theiraim wasto render success as complete as possible, and to

swell theamount of prisoners, that they might enrichthemselves by plunder, sale, or ransom.

One mode which was employed to stimu late the

Suliots displays aconsiderable knowIfaSuliot manifestedany

L I FE or ALI pasns . 93

signs of cowardice, the ignominy was visited upon hiswife in amanner which could not fail to wound herfeelings deeply . When she went to the spring todrawwater, or to take her cattle to drink, her morefortunate companions, though there might beahundred of them , were entitled to keep her aloof fromthe spring, till they were first served . A Suliot

female, who wished toavoid thi s insult, or its repetition, had no other resource than to separate from herhusband, or to rouse him to the retrieving of his character by some signalact of intrepidity.Of the rel igion of the people ofSuli , M Fouque

ville speaks in very unfavourable terms. To fastunder pain of death during the four Lents, to keep thelong se ries of holidays in the Greek calendar, to givesomealms to the churches,and to cross themselvesfrequently, constituted,

” says he, all the religion ofthe Sul iots.

” After darkly hinting at their beingtainted with oriental depravity, headds, the prayerofaSuliot to God was, to ask him for rich booty inhis exPeditions, and the opportunity of sacrificingsome Mahometans . The Turks, on thei r part, believed that they were doing anacceptable service toHeaven , by putting such men to death whenever theycou ld lay hands on them. Thu s barbarism beingopposed to barbarism, and fanaticism to fanaticism,

produced on both sidesanatrocious warfare.

”

There were no courts of justice, no written or unwritten laws , no judicial precedents, inthe republic ofSuli. Whatever differencesarose between individualswere se ttled by the heads of tribes to which the parties belonged, and their sentence was final . The

tribes were called Pharas, and were forty- seven innumber. Each Pharawas presided over by its oldestand most respected member ; and the whole forty

94 u se on pasns .

seven leaders of tribes formed acouncil , whichdecided uponall publicaffairs.Of thei r customs some were curious. M enwere

forbidden to interfere inanyquarrel, whether betweenmen or women , even though their object was to reconcile the quarrellers. Womenalone wereallowed toactthe part of peace-makers. It was doubtless, andwisely,apprehended, that the intervention ofamalemediator, especially as that mediator always borearms, would tend only to envenom adispute, andincrease the number of combatants. Those whobegin by being reconcilers, often end by being inveterate participators in afeud. The lives of womenwere protected byasingu lar custom, which, however,is said to have been effectual. The Suliot who murdered awoman," says M. Fau riel, was condemnedto maintainat his own cost as many citizens as itwas to be presumed the deceased female would haveborne children had she not been killed. ToaSuliot.suchapunishment was worse than death ; and, accordingly, each avoided, withasort of terror, everyoccasion of being inapassion with and striking awoman .

" There were, nevertheless, if M . Pouque

ville may be credited, certain cases in which littlemercy was shown to the softer sex. He tells us that,even on the slightest suspicionof gallantry, ahusband, or the head ofatribe, could orderawife to besown up in asack, and thrown from the summit ofthe rocks into the waters of the Acheron .

The appearance of the Suliots was in unison withtheir character and pursuits. Among them were tobe found models ofform. Exposed constantly to theelements—for they had no tents in their expeditions,and slept on the bare ground wrapt in their shaggycapotes— their skinassumedalmost the hue ofbronze.

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96 L IFE or ALI PAsnA.

of his exploits in this campaign. M . Fouquevilleasserts, that they were confined to see ing the smoke of

the German bivouacs,and to bringing back with himseveral hundred Servians and Bu lgarians, of whomhe formed two small colonies in his pashalik. Thereis, however, no ground for believing that he wouldshrink from the perils ofwar ; awant of courage wasnotamong his faults.In the spring of 1 7 9 1 , the Suliots emerged from

their rocky recesses, and began their operations byplundering and wasting Amphilochia. They pushedtheir incu rsions to suchanextent that commerce withLower Albaniawas entirely interrupted, and it wasimpossible to pass the defiles into the south of the

valley of Ioanninawithout numerou s escorts, whichthey often defeated . They were even daring enoughto extend their ravagesas faras the defiles ofPindusnor did they withdraw to their

.own district till wintercompelled them . In these inroads they were guiltyof more than one act of gross impolicy ; they pillaged friendsas wellas fees,and involved themselvesinaquarrel with the leaders of the Armatoles,andwith various Turkish districts which had hithertobeen friendly to them, or at least neutral . Aliavailed himselfof their imprudence to bind closer tohis interest the chiefs ofthe Armatoles .Finding that their reduction could not easily beaccomplished withou t first depriving them of the support of the pashaof Berat, Ali represented to himthat it was their mutual interest to destroyaChristian confederation , which only served to slay the

followers of Mahomet,and diminish the power of thePorte. He at length succeeded in gaining overIbrahim, who, giving way to his religious preju dices ,conceived that he performed ameritorious deed inabandoning the Sul iots to their fate. The mar riage

L I FE o r ALI PAsnA. 9 7

ofhis youngest daughter with Veli Bey, Ali's second

son, already aflianced to her, confirmed their recon

Previously to renewing the war against Suli, Aliseems to have thought it prudent to secure his northernfrontier. H i s movements in that quarter hadadouble purpo se ; to establish, in the first place,asafecommunication between Ioanninaand his native territory of Tepe len,and, in the next, to hold more com

pletely the pashaofBerat in check. For these endshe seized u pon, and fortified, the strong post of

Klissu ra, on the road to Berat, where the Aous or.Vo

'

iussa, enters the deep defile which was occupied bythe first Macedonian war , and where, till

the key of his position was betrayed, that monarchheldat bay the legions of Flaminius. Ali also madehimself master of the districts along the D esnitza,from its sour ce to its confluence with the Voiussa,and of variou s others in this part ofAlbania.Ali, meanwhi le, was not negligent of his principal

object, the subjugation of Su li. Irritated by the

Suliots, many of the Armatoles had, as we havealready stated, enrolled themselves under his banner ;those who did not join him consented to remain neutral. From the beys of Thesprotia, who were rousedby having been plundered, he obtained reinforcements,and he was joined byacorps ofauxiliaries, suppliedby Ibrahim Pasha. These, with his own troops,formedanarmy offifteen thousand strong, the Mahometan portion of which had sworn on the Koran toconquer or die . The confederates moved from Ioanninaon the I st ofJuly, 1 7 92 .

Largeas his force was, i t was chiefly onaplan forsurpr ising the Suliots that Ali bu ilt his hopes of suc

cess. At the ou tse t, therefore, he did not makepublic his real t he intended to

'

98 .e s or ALI rAsnA.

attack the Mussulman town of Argyre Castro, thebeys of which had early been his enemies,and whohad now rejectedagovernorwhom he had nominated .

Such being his pretended purpose, he strove to lullthe Suliots into security,and deprive them ofapartof their strength, by complimenting their valour,andinviting them to cc - operate in his expedition . The

letter, which he wrote to two of their most celebratedcaptains was conceived in the following terms

My friends Botsariand Tzavella,I, Ali Pasha, salute you , and kiss

”

your eyes .Being wellacquainted with your courage and spirit,and thinking that I stand in the utmost need ofyourassistance, I most earnestly entreat that, on the re

ceipt of this letter, you will, without delay,assembleall your palikars,and come to meet me, that I maymarch against my enemies. The moment is nowarrived, in which you can essentially serve me,and

of your friendship and afl'ectiou . Your1 be doublethat ofmy Albanians, for I know

your valour is superior to theirs. As I shall not goto war before you arrive, I entreat yo u to comequ ickly. This is all I have to communicate at present,and so farewell .A council was called, by Botsari and Tzavella, to

which this letter was read. The artifice of the pashawas seen through by the sharp - sighted Sul iots ; being,however, unwilling to enrage him by showing thatthey had pene trated his secret, they replied, that theirwarriors were wantedat home to defend their country,but that being desirous to oblige his H ighness,andacquire his good will, they had given pe rmissionto”captain Tzavellato join him at the head of seventypalikars . This reinforcement, said they, willsuffice to render you everywhere victorious .

"

Though inly stung by his disappointment, Ali con

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100 L i sao r ALI PAsnA'

.

declared, that no concern for him and his relativesought to have the slightest weight with them,as everymember of his family would glory in sacrificing hisexistence for his country . As soon asall was readyto meet the vizier'sattack, Tzavelladespatched to himthe following letterAli Pasha, I rejoice that I have deceivedadecei

ver : it is to defend my countryagainstarobber thatI am here. My son will die, but I will fearfullyavenge him before my death . Some Turks, likeyourself, will say that I amapitiless father to makemy son avictim for my own l iberation . I answer,that ifyou had taken our mountain , you would havemassacred my son, with all my familyand my countrymen, without my having the power to revengetheir murder. If we are v ictorious, I shall haveother children , for my wife is young. As to my son,youngas he is, be will be happy to sacrifice himselffor his ‘ country, or he is not worthy to live, nor to beacknowledged asachild of mine. He will die withcourage ; if he do not, he does not deserve to becalledaworthy son ofGreece, our country. Advancethen, thou traitor Iamiimpatient for revenge ; I, thysworn enemy, captain Lambro Tzavella.”Exasperatedas he wasat the failure of his scheme,Ali did not deem it expedient to pu t young Tzavellato death

,but sent him to be imprisoned at Ioannina.

When the you th was brought before Veli PashaandAli ’s minister Mahomet E fl'endi , they put his courageto the test, by telling him that they had receivedorders to roast him alive . Have you said theintrepid stripling, then ifmyfather conquers, he willserve you the same. Vel i then directed him to be

confined in one of the monasteries of the island.

Al i seemed at first inclined to try the efli cacy ofablockade in reducing the Suliots. But i ntelligence

L I FE o r AL I PAsnA. 101

which be rece i ved ofaplan formed by them to carryhim off even from the midst ofhis camp, irritated himso much, that be determined to come immediately toaction.

,

As was their wont, the Suliots abandonedthe villages in the plain, and posted themselves intheir towers ,andamong the rocks, for the defence of

the passe s. ~ The Albaniansadvanced, butat the passofKlissu rathe were met by suchaheavy fire fromthe tower of ichosand from the Suliots on the eminences, while fragments of rock were rolled down on

them by the women and children , that they fell byhundreds, the entrance ofthe strait was nearly chokedup by the dead, and the su rvivors began to showsigns of hesitation . Ali, who was watching theirmovements from aneighbouring mountain, restoredthei rardour by the promise of large rewards,and particularly one of five hundred purses to the manwhoshou ld first penetrate " into Kako Suli. Again the

combat was renewed, with redoubled fury, and, atlength ,after several hours’ fighting, the Suliots, ex

hansted, and short ofammunition, fell back towardsKiafl'a. The Tu rks followed, leaving behind them unre

duced the tower ofT i chos. Another struggle, long, desperate,and deadly, ensued, which was only suspendedbyafarther retreat of the Suliots towards their capital, the po sition of Kiafl'abeing no longer tenable .

Even the great fort upon Khungi , which commandedthe profound chasm of the Tripabetween KiaffaandKako Suli, was so weakly garrisonedas to be unableto intercept the pursuers. The retiring Sul iots wereclosely tracked by their exu lting foes. Never beforehad the feet of infidelsadvanced so far into the mountains of Suli. At this moment,and when the fate of

the republic hung as it were by athread, the tide of

war was tu rned by female heroism. Roused by thes of danger, which echoed through the hills,

1 02 o r ALI PASHA .

M osco, the wife of Tzavella, armed the women of

Kako Suli,and rushed forward with them to j oin inthe general d efence . They stopped their recedingcountrymen , and headed them in avigorou s attackupon the assailants, who, breathless wi th climbingthe steeps, were ill able to repel this furious charge .

Allanimated by the same generous passion, the loveof their country, the Suliots, both menand women,seemed now to have but one soul ,and,as it were, onebody. While some, re - supplied with ammunition,kept upahot fire, others united their streng th to rolldown immense masses of rocks on their i nvaders.The Albanians fled ; andat this moment the i r confusion was increased byassau lts upon their flanks. The

Turkish column was broken to its very centre. Thescattered fugitives endeavoured to escape down the

pass, but their number was every moment thinned bytheir pursuers,and when they reached the tower of

T ichos, their flight was efl’ectually intercepte

sally ofthe garrison . Of those who had entereddefile scarcely aman escaped, and the bed of the

Acheron was encumbered wi th the bodies of the

8 am.

Foremost among the victorious republicans wasthe heroine Mosco . On her reaching the tower of

T ichos, she found her nephew lying dead there, withnine other young Suliots, who had died indefendingit Throwing herself on the bleeding corpse, she

k i ssed his lips, covered him with her apron, and ex

claimed, M y beloved nephew, Iam come too late tosave thy life, but I canat leastavenge thy death uponthy murderers.

” Having uttered these fewwords, sheru shed onward with her countrymen to complete thevictory, by crushing the remaining force of the pasha.Nofarther standwasattempted to be made by the

pan i c- smi tten Albanians. They were huntedand cut

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1 04 L IFE o r ALI FAsnA.

‘

his seal , whichappeared sufli c ient to decide his fate .

A capidgi bashi was immediately despatched fromConstantinople to Ioannina, to institu te ajudicial

arrival of the officer, he immediatelyproceeded to open before Ali the evidence of the

pasha's intelligence with the enemies of the Porte ;and for this once truth appeared likely to prevail .But, though the satrap wasalarmed, he did not losehis presence of mind.

“ In the opinion of his highness,

” said he, “ I must be cu lpable, for this is myseal

,and I cannot deny i t ; but the body of the letter

is not inthe writing ofmy secretaries ; some one musthave surreptitiously u sed my seal, for the pu rpose of

ruining me. I entreat you to grant meafew days,that Imay fathom this mystery ofiniqu ity, which compromises me in the sight ofmymasterand ofall goodMussulmans. May God enable me to establish myinnocence, which, thoughappearancesareagainst me,isas pureas the light of the sun.

”

After the lapse ofafew days , during which Aliafl'ected to be engaged inasecret investigation of theplot formedagainst him, but which were really passedinforming plans to extricate himself, he hit upon ascheme which promised to answer his purpose. He

sent foraGreek, on whom he thought he cou ld rely,to whom, withou t betraying its real tenor, be com

municated his design. Thou knowest,”said he, that

I havealways esteemed thee,and the moment is nowcome when I will make thy fortune. From this daythouartmyson, thy childrenare mine.and my palaceshall be ever open to thee . In return for my benefits,Iask from thee butatrifling service,amere matterof form. Thou art aware that the rascall capidgibashi, who arrived here within these few d

v

a hasbrought “with him certain papers, bearing my seal,

L IFE OF ALI FAsnA. 105

whichar e to be made use of to extor t money from me .

I have given too muchalready ;and this time, withoutopening my pu rse, unless toagood servant like thee,I wish to silence my enemy. Therefore, my son, whenI give thee not ice , thou mu st go before the tribunal,and there, in the presence of the capidgi bashi andthe cadi, thou must dec lare that thouart the wr iter ofthe letters attributed to me, and that, without myknowledge, thou didst make use of my seal, in orderto give theman official value .

”

At these words the Greek turned pale,and wasabou t to reply. What dost fear, my beloved friend ?Am I not thy kind master ? Thou gainest myaffectionfor ever. What canst thouapprehend while I protectthee Wou ld the capidgi bashi dare toact here without my leave No I have thrown twenty men ofhis

sort into the lake. Ali Pashais not fallen so lowasto sufl

'

er any one to interfere with his rights. Withasubject 1 would not condescend to resort to entreatybut I am not on such terms with thee, I know thyattachment,and, if thou hast stillany doubts, I swearto thee, in the name of my prophet,and by my ownand my children

’ s heads, that no harm shall befi lltheefr om the cap idg i bashi . But, that ourafiair maysucceedaswe wish , m ind that thou dost not talkaboutwhat I have confided to thee.

”

The Greek , who knew that the sword ofAli impended over his head, was fain to comply : be promised to give the required testimony, and he wasimmediately dismissed . Ali then ordered the capidgibashi to be introduced,and said, with muchapparentemotion , I haveat length got to the bottom of the

infernal plot which has been hatched against me. Itis the work ofaman paid by the implacable enemiesof the empire,anagent ofRussia. I have him in mypower, but have given him hopes ofapardon, pro

106 L IFE or ALI FAsnA.

vided he willmakeample confession . Repair, therefore,to the tribunal,and let the cadi, the judges,and theprimates of the city, beassembled to hear the depositionof the delinquent.”

The court was speedily convened,and the tremblingGreek was asked, in presence of the capi dgi bashi ,whether he knew the hand-writing of the l etters . ‘ f Itis mine. Whose is this seal ? I t is that ofmy master, Ali Pasha.

”How came it at the bot

tom of these letters ? I myselfaffixed it,abusingthe confidence ofmymaster, who sometime s entrustedme wi th it, for the pu rpose of signing his orders.

”

That is enough, withdraw "Anxious for the success ofhis scheme, Ali was en

tering the cadi ’s court- yard, whenasignal from one

of his ofli cers informed him of its prosperous issue.

According to previous order, the deluded G reek, uponqu itting the court, was instantly seized and hanged,without beingallowed to utterasingle sy llable. Alithen entered the justice chamber

,and demanded the

result of the inqu iry. H is innocence was declared byacclamation. It is well ,

” said the satrap,author of the crime which was imputed to me 1 8 nomore ; he has just been banged by my command.Thus perishall the enemies of our gloriou s Sultan.Copies of the examination were then taken, for thepurpose ofbeing sent to Constantinople,and the goodword ofthe capidgi bashi was ensured byapresent offifty purses. Ali,at the same time, forwarded richpresents to many members of the divan , by whoseinfluence he was again restored to the confidence ofthe Grand S ignior.

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108 L IFE or ALI FAsnA:

Seduced by his compliments and his ofl'ers, numbersof them hastened to Ioannina,and his perfidious kindness soon thinned Bossigrad of its bravest defenders .When this was accomplished, Ali despatched somechosen troops, under Yussuf, who traversed the ridgeof Pindu s by unfrequented roads, fell suddenly uponthe town ,and put to the sword or to the tortureallwho dared to resist. At the same time, the Bossigradianawhom he had lured to Ioanninaperished bythe hand of the executioner. This treacherou s conquest opened to the pashathe road to the canton of

Caulonias ; an important position,as it laid open tohimapassage into Centraland Upper Albania.Ali’s expedition against the Bossigradians was

scarcely terminated, when Albaniaexperienced one of

those political storms so commontaphaBusakli, the pashaof Scutari, either gu ilty orsuspected of treasonable designs , was declared fermanli by the Porte, or, in other words, was excom

municated and put to the ban of the empire. The

pashas, beys,and other great feudatories, in cou sequence received orders to marchagainst KaraMustapha, or Black Mustapha, as he was opprobriou slycalled after the passing of the sentenceagainst him.

As in this instance his interest was in unison with hisduty, Ali was one of the first to take the field ; theservice of his sovereign was his pretence, his own

aggrandisement was the real motive. Accordingly,instead of joining the Rumili-valisee, who had proceeded towards B ibres, he marched in the directionofCaulonias. On this occasion, he rallied round hisstandard many of the chiefs of the Armatoles,amongthe most conspicuous ofwhom were Paleopou loandhis brother- in- law Canavos. The valou r di splayedby the se chiefs in variou s skirmishes andassau lts issaid to have exci ted his envy,and of course his hatred.

L I FE o r AL I PASHA . 1 09

Having seized the strong post ofGheor tcha, he tookC obridaby storm, and put the vanquished to thesword. By becoming master of C obrida, he gainedover to his party the neighbouring beys of westernMacedonia, who were naturally jealou s of the authority of the Ports. Nor was thi s the sole advantagearising from the conquest. The province ofOchrida,situated in the mountains between Macedoniaandcentral Albania, includes within i tselfall the defileswhich lead from Constantinople into the pashalik ofBerat. Thu s, Ali not only very nearly cut off the

communication between the Ottoman capital andUpper Albania, but, likewise, flanked the possessionsof Ibrahim Pashaonthe eastand north,as healreadydid on the south, and could in future harass him on

every side except that of the sea. The post of

Gheortchaalso gave him an excellent mi litary position, which coveredaconsiderable part -ofhis northernfronti er, and formed, on the east, the key to the

whole range of Pindus, that divides Epirus fromThessaly.

The real purpose beinganswered for which he hadput his troops in motion, Ali seems to have slackenedin his exertions, if evenhe did not discontinue them.

It is certain that he accomplished nothing moreagainst KaraMustapha; it is not unlikely, that hehad asecret understanding with him. Though he

was sorely pressed by the Ottoman general, the proscribed Mustaphaat length came triumphant ou t of

the contest. Wi th only seventy- two menhe gallantlydefended the castle of Scutariagainst twenty thousandbesiegers, tillageneral insurrection of the Albaniansofhis pashalik, whi ch was provoked by the excesse sof the Turks, compelled the Rumili-valisee to raisethe siege,and fly with his shattered army. Finding

1 10 L IFE o r ALI FAsnA.

that it cou ld not put down Mustapha, the Porte rel

tracted itsanathema, confirmed him in his ofli ce,andevenappointed him Rumili -valisee in the place of his

recent opponent. Either, however, because he had soagreed with Ali, or that the league of Macedonianbeys which theastute pashahad formed was too powerful for him to encounter, Mustapharemainedat Scutari,and made noattempt to take up his residence atMonastir

,which was the official abode ofaRum il i

valisee.

H itherto, the shock of the French revolution, whi chhad convulsed so many European states, had not beenfelt in the Ottoman dominions. Its influence nowbegan to be extended to them. By thei r shamefu lsubversionof the Venetian government, the Frenchrepublic acqu ired the possessions of that governmentinthe Adriatic,and consequently becameaneighbou rofTurkey in that quarter. It appears, too, that projects which as yet perhaps had hardly assumed adefinite shape, but which certainly were not favou rable to the Porte, were being brooded over both bythe directory and by Bonaparte. It is indubitable ,thatacorrespondence was opened by the latter withthe Greeks ofthe Morea,and with the pashas of Sentari, Ioannina,and other Albaniandistricts ; and thathe ordered his officers in the Ionian Islands, to enconrage the Greeks inawish for independence, and totalk ofGreece, ofAthens,and of Sparta.” In one ofhis letters to the directory,atalater period, he says,I have already some intercourse with the pr incipalchiefs of the country,and Greece may yetari se fromits ashes.” To conciliate these expected allies , butostensibly asa“mark of his esteem and friendshipfor the Porte ,

”healso issued aproclamation , direct

ing that, in all Italian ports occupied by the French ,

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1 1 2 L IFE o r ALI PA SHA'

.

These shepherds, unlike the companions ofApollo,those whoabode on the banks of the AlpheusandAm m

phr isas, have exchanged the crook and scrip of the irancestors for the musketand cartridge-box ; the wi ldfig

- tree round which theyassemble is areal guardhouse, whe reasentinel isalways upon duty.

The spirit of robbery is carried to suchapitchamong the Albanians, that the right of escheat, theright of seizing the fragments ofawreck, extends tothe shipwrecked person . A bit of gold lace, asilverbutton,anobject ofthemost trifling value, excites theircupidity,and causes the death ofahuman being.

The appearance ofan Albanian is strange andterrible ; his costume is theancient Greek costume, towhich headdsanenormous mantle of coarse woollencloth withahairy surface, which, when he wraps himselfup in it, gives him the look ofagoat. H is shirt,of coarse linen, with large sleeves,and descending tothe knees,above the pantaloons, bearsaperfect resemblance to theancient tunic.

f‘ H is shoes, like the buskin of old,are fastened tohis legs with straps two monstrousmustachios intersect his sunburnt face ; two pistolsandadagger fastened to his girdle, along sabre, with the handlehanging downward, suspended to his side ,—amu sketslung obliquely behind his back,—acase withapipeand boxes for tobacco, shot,and powder, —such is thecomplete equ ipment ofanAlbanian : he i s awalkingarsenal. Husbandmen, shepherds, robber s , all carryfire-arms, and make uSe of them withaskill whichrealises the prodigy of the manwho could split ballsinto two equal halves by firingat the edge ofaknife.

Some Albanian villages are dependencies on theVenetian possessions, andat this momentare subje ctto the provisional government of Corfu . The rest ofLowerand Upper Albaniabelongs to the Turks, and

L i raor AL" PA SHA . 1 1 3 .

is ru led by two pashas hostile to each other ; theAlbanian s fo l low the fortune of these chiefs, one of

whom ,Ali, pashaof Ioannina, is in open rebellion

against the P orte, while the other, Mustapha, pashaofDelvino, adheres to his sovereign. Frequentandfuriou s combats take place,and frequent conflagrationshasten the depopulation of these deserts, which arestained with blood byawarfare no less obscure thancalam itous .

The two parties equally seek to gain the supportof the French ; Ali Pasha, especially, has made greatadvances. I believe even that he hasaskedand oh

tainedan interview, of the objectand issue of whichonly general Gentili (the governor of Corfu) caninform you .

Besides the war between pashaand pasha, therealso exist in Albaniawars between pashas and individuals. In my short excursion to the coast ofEpirus, I sawapapas (priest) who enjoyed such cred itamong his flock , that, at his mere summons , everyman in the district would fly toarms . Ali, who hasnever been able to subdue him, offers an enormou sprice for his head. This soldier-priest,attended byhis clergy, his stafl-ofi cers, came to visit me, andsolici t the friendship of the French .

The Albanians speak neither Greek, nor Turkish ,nor Italian ; they haveapeculiar idiom,

which is interpreted to us by the Corfiotes, who farm the continental domains ofthe Venetian government. It wouldbe difi cult to keep up the least intercourse with themby means of printing ; the knowledge of reading andwriting be ing still more rareamong them than it is inthe islands, where we correspond with the villagesonly through the medium of the r iests.

This is what I have gathere as to Albania. Ihave likewise procu red some particulars, which may

1 1 4 L IFE o r AL ] PASHA .

be relied on, as to the present state of the Morea.With these I will close my letter, which perhaps isalready too long.

The glory of the French army,and the fame of

your exploits, have resounded amidst the r uins of

Spartaand Athens ; but do not believe that theGreeks are our sincerestadmirers ; the Greeks (except the Mainotes) , degraded and per verted by thesubjection in which the Turks hold them, devotethemselves wholly to husbandryand commerce, whichare despised by the Mussulmans.Thieves, perfidious, inhospitable, they see ina

stranger only an enemy oraprey ; the Turks aloneexpect you , and repeat your name, with enthusiasm,

and, to the shame ofan enlightened people, libertyhas no partisans butamongapeople of tyrants ."Unfavourableas Arnault’s report was to .the Alba

nisu s, there was something in it which , in the judgment of the person to whom it wasaddressed, cou ldnot fail to neutralise all that was saidagainst them.

eyes of Bonaparte, one of the movingarsenals,”as the poet sarcastically called them, was of

more value than ahost of shepherds . Such menwould be fit instruments, incase it became necessary ,as he anticipated it would, to secure ashare of the

spoil inapart ition ofTu rkey. Besides, it was necessaryat present to be on good termswith the pashas ofAlbania, more especially with Ali

,in order to procure

the needful supplies for the Ionian Islands . The

French general, therefore, still continued to carry onacorrespondence with the satrap of Ioannina, the pashaof Scutari,and others, in spite ofM. Arnault’s invec~tive.

Ali, on his part,had more than one reason for beingdesirous of French support. Backed by so powerfulanallyas France, he might hope to establish his power

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1 16 m m o r AL" ru m“

.

guage was highlyflattering to the conqueror of Italy.

The esteemand veneration which I cherish for you ,general ,” said the pasha, and foragreatand powerful nation, have induced me to wish for its friendship,which I cultivate with its ministersand ambassadorsin following the example ofmy sovereign, I satisfyaninclination which is innate in'me. Atall times I havegiven essential proofs of this sincere feeling toall yourcountrymen whom I have had the pleasure of knowingwithin my government, and especially to M. Tozoni ,your vice - consu l here,and to M. D upré, your agentat Arta. They have witnessed my joy on learningyour victories, which bring my friends nearer to me,and my unfeigned wishes for the prosperity of you rrepublic.Your heroic actions , general, which I admire in

common with all the world, make me desire to gainyour personal fri endsh ip ; and the sympathy of our

m ilitary tastes is asure pledge to me that I shallobtain it.It will beagreeable to me to receiveatestimony

of it, and to draw closer with the hero of France thetics of fri endship, which my heart hasalways deeplyfelt for your nation ; it isareal pleasure to me to givethe most distingu ished receptionand the most decisivesupport to every Frenchman who comes within thelimits ofmy government.These feelings, general, embolden me to request

of you the favour to lend me , forayear or two, twobrave masterartillerymen,and two bombardiers, who,however, shallalways beat your orders. I beg ofyou

to send them through the medium ofM. Dupre, you ragentat Arta, who will beanswerable to you for them,

and for the reward of their good services. I shal l beexceedingly grateful to you for this favour.

e s or AL" rxsna. 1 1 7

I wish ardently, general, that time and circumstances may ofl

'

er me the means of giving you proofsofmy esteem and devotedness.”The intercourse thus opened with Bonaparte was

kept up be tween Ali and general . Gentili, who com

manded the French troops inthe Ionian Islands . Asaproof of hisamity, Ali not only exerted himself toafl'ord supplie s to the islands, butalso furnished morethan six hu ndred oxen,and ofl

'

ered, in case ofneed, tofurnish corn and wine, for the squadron ofadmiralBrusya. For these supplies he was never paid by hisnew friends. If, however, Ali failed to obtain the

money which was justly due to him, he did not fail toder ive considerableadvantage from his connexion withthe French. Atanearly period he began to manifestto Gentil i hisanxiety to be master of one of the coasttowns, which ,

had lately belonged to the Venetians ;Butrinto, immediately opposite to Corfu ,was the placewhich he was then desirous to obtain. Gentili, thoughhe believed him to beasincere friend of the repub lic,wou ld not comply with the wishes of the pasha,and hisconduct wasapproved ofby his superior. Bonaparte,nevertheless, was notaverse from seeing Ali aggrandised, provided it were notat the expense of France.

You have done very right, citi zen general,” said he,to refuse g ranting what Ali Pashaclaimed. Yet,while you prevent him from encroaching upon what isours, you must favour himasmuchas you can. It isfor the interest of the republic that the pashashou ldobtain agreat accession of territory, that he shouldbeatall his rivals, in order that he may becomeasufficiently powerful prince to render services to the re

public. Our establishmentsare so close to him, thatit is impossible he should ever cease to haveaninterest

-iabeing our friend. Send engineer .and staff officers

1 1 8 L IFE o r ALI PASIIA.

to him, to procure for you accounts of the situation ,population, and cu stoms of the whole of Albania.Have drawn up geographical and topographical descriptions ofall the country, which is now so interesting to us, from Albaniato the Morea; and contriveto obtainathorough knowledge ofall the intrigues by

it is divided. It is necessary, too , citizen general , that you should treat inaflatter ing mannerall thetribes in the vicinity of Preveas,and, generally, thosewhich border on our possessions,and whichappear tobe so well disposed inour favour.”Though he was disappointed in the hope of obtain

ing ashare in the spoil made by his French allies,Ali soon profited by their disposition to favour himatthe cost of others . He complained bitterly, that theVenetians had never ceased to give indirectassistanceto his enemies, or rather those of the Porte ; and,asastriking proof of their hostile feelings, he instancedthe clause in the treaty which forbad him to navigatethe channel of Corfu . This clau se he described asbeing intended,among other pu rposes, to prevent himfrom reducing to obedience certain towns on the

coast, which had revolted from his author ity. H isremonstrances had the desired efi

'

ect. The Frenchgovernor at Corfu was instructed to further the

schemes of Ali whenever they were not at variancewith those of France,and,accordingly, he gave permission to the pashato sail with his floti llathroughthe strai t of Corfu .

Ali was not tardy in avai li ng himself of this permission . By the first blow that he struck he destroyed two independent tribes,and gainedapositionfrom which he could annoy his enem the pashaofDe lvino. These tribes, who were nu er the protec

tion of the ruler of Berat, inhabited the small towns

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1 20 L i rao r AL" PASHA .

seenall hanging on the same tree, which, in conse

quence, was ever afterwards called the Martyrs’Olive .

” Many were cut to pieces, others died by fire ;to be o nly beheaded was consideredasamercy. The

number sacrificed is said to have been not less thansix thousand. The few survivors Ali transported intoThessaly.Ali immediately fortified the monastery at Aghio

Vasili,asauseful postagainst the pashaof Delvino .

He then extended his conquests along the coast,andacquired the important fisheryat SantaQuaranta,aswellas the capacious and excellent harbour of PortoPalermo, where heafterwards bu iltalarge fort.This catastrophe, in which Christians only had

fered, was generallyagreeable to the Mahometansthe Divan ; the more especiallyas Ali paid tribute to

the sultan for every place be conquered,and held itunderanacknowledged feudal tenure. I t gained forhim the surname of Aslan , or the Lion, by whichappellation he was styled in themilitary firmansaddressedto him b

ythe Divan , when engaged inthe expedition

against t e revolted vizier ofWiddin.Passwan Oglou, the vizier of Widdin, was ofa

charac ter somewhat resembling that ofAli , buthe was‘

ofahigher order of mind than his notorious contemporary ; equally gifted with talent and firmness, hewas far less base and barbarous . He had so longharassedandalarmed the Turki sh government, that itdetermined to make adesperate effort to crush him.

By great exertions, the Porte collected ahundredthou sand men,at the head ofwhom it placed the capitan pashaand grand vizier, Ku tchuk Hussein, withorders to annihilate the rebellious chief. On theapproach of thisarmy , Passwandismissed the greatestpart of his forces, and shut himself up with twelvethousand selected soldiers,and two years

’ ammunition

mm o r ALI rasna. 1 2 1

and provisions, in thealmost inaccessible fortress ofWiddin. When he was summoned by Hussein, hereceived the envoy onaterrace of his palace , whencehe was observing throughatelescope the movementsof his enemies. His reply to the summons was briefand spirited. Go, tell you r master,” said he, that,having had it in mypower to meet him withahundredthou sand men, I have preferred vanqu ishing him withten thou sand.

”The result did not belie the vizier’s

prophetic confidence of success.Such was the managainst whom,at the call of the

Porte, Ali led his contingent of sixteen thousand Arnau tsand Rumeliots; leaving the government of histerritory in the hands of his son M ouctar . It ismore than doubtful, whether his heart was in the

cause for which he took the field. In his H istory ofNapoleon , M. Thibadeauasserts, that, under pretenceof settling abo undary which was in dispute, generalChabot, who had succeeded Gentili, sent captainSchefi

'

er , his aide - de- camp, to Ali , to prevent himfrom declaring against Passwan. Ali complained,that Gentiliand Brusyahad deluded him'

with vainpromises ; that, far fromaiding his schemes of independence , they had not even paid him for the supplieswhich he had furnished to the French fleet ; and thathe cou ld not disobey the Divan, unless he receivedasu ccou r of tenthousand menandahundred thousandsequ ins .

”That he was conscious of being suspected

by his commander»in- chief,and perhaps by his sovereign, appears from ananecdote which is related ofhim. Pretending to wish to bestow public approbat ion on his serv ices, the grand vizier requested Ali ’sattendance in fu ll divan . To declineappearing wouldhave looked like .atacit confession of gu ilt,and he

the summons ; but he took goodu safety, by surrounding the vizier’s

1 2 2‘ L IFE o r AL I PA SHA .

tent with six thou sand of his faithful Arnauts. The

baflled vizier of course received him graciously,anddism issed him speedily.That Bonaparte counted much on theactive cc

operation ofAli,and was exceedinglyanxiou s that theresistance of Pasewan should be successful, there isabundant evidence to .prove, though whether he hadany communication with the latter chief i s uncertain .

In many ofhis letters, written while he was in Egypt,he presses his correspondents to send news of him ;

and he places considerable reliance upon the effect ofthe diversion made by the pashaof Widdin, in preventing the Turks from despatchinganarmyagainsthis own. With respect to Al i , however, Bonapartehad opened adirect correspondence with him, independent on that whichwas carried on by the governorof Corfu . From Malta,as soonas he had seized uponthat island, he sent his aide»de-

c , Lavalette, tobear to the pashaaflattering letter,and to make proposals, the exact nature of which still remainsamystery. After much compliment and profession, theletter darkly says, I have instructed the bearer tomake certain overtures to you on my part ;and,asheis notacquainted with your language, have the goodness to employasure and faithful interpreter in theconversations which he may have with you . I request

you to put faith inall that he may say on my behalf,and to send him back speedily wi th areply, in theTu rkish language,and in your own hand-writing.

”

In his instructions,Lavalette was charged to give the

letter himself into the hands of Ali, that he might besure of the pashahaving read it.” After which,

”

said Bonaparte , you will tell him, that, having mademyselfmaster of Malta,and being in these seas withthirty shipsand fifty thousand men, I shall have connections with him,and that I wish to know whether

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1 24 man or ALt PASHA.

to Ali, to give himanaccount of this interview. Froinwhat be witnessed on this occasion , Rose ventured toassure Bonaparte that, if‘

ever he should undertakeany expedition, he might confidently reckon uponAl iPashaand his sons M ouctarand Veli. Healso iaformed him, that he had received aletter from the

chief of the Maniotes, declaring that he was entirelydevoted to the French republic. Chabot bore testimony, no less strong than that of Rose, to the partiality of Ali for France ; and it is somewhat curiousthat he expressedabelief that,as soonas Ali learnedthe reduction ofMalta,and theapproach of the Frenchtroops, he would do cv thing inhis power to qu itthearmy,and return tmannina.Ali did in real ity return ,as the French general

had foretold. But his returnwas influenced by othermotives than those by which Chabot had expected itto be caused. It was produced by the pashahavingacqu ired the certainty that, irritated by the invasionofEgypt,and pressed by the solicitations of Englandand Russia, the Porte was on the point of declaringwar against France . In this situation ofafl'ai rs itbehoved him toact with cau tion . Though, backed byFrance, he might have ventured to brave the vengeance of the sultan, the chances of failure werealarmingly increased, now that two powerful statesWere taking the field in support ofTurkey. Besides,Ali was, perhaps, not wholly withou t misgivingsas tothe resu lt of his connection with the French, evensupposing them to succeed to the full. He was desi rous ofjustasmuchaid from themas would sufli ce toe stablish his away, but the presence ofalargearmy,and their schemes for rendering Greece independent,o r rather for making it atool of France, were by nomeans to his taste . Still, on the whole, there isr eason to believe, that he would haveadhered to the

L i raor ALI PASHA . 1 2 5

French , had he found that they would beable to retaintheir footing in the Ionian Islands . In the meanwhile,whicheve r s ide he might u ltimately take, policy dictatedto him not toalarm his Gallic neighbours . He thereforeappeared more favourable than ever to them,andwrote to the governor of Corfu, lavishing professionsofattachment,and adding that general Chabot mustnot be su rprised ifhe recalled his troops from Widdin,and raised fresh ones, his only intention being to preserve anarmed neutrality. At alater period , he issaid to have offered, though withatreacherou s intsution , hisalliance to the French general , on conditionthat SantaMau raand the continental Venetian townswere given up to him,andabody ofhis troopsadmitted into Corfu , to participate in its defence. This od

'

erwas, however, declined.

It wou ld, perhaps, have been wise in general Chabotto embrace Ali’s proposal. The pashamight havebeen sincere , in which case hisaid would have turnedthe scale in favour of France ; ifhis perfidy were sus~

pected, precau tions might have beenadopted to foil hisdesign upon Corfu ; while, on the other hand, it wasobviou s, that Chabothadnot the means of successfullydefending the numerou s posts which were intrusted tohim. He had in vain solicited his government for troops,ammunition

,provisions,and money ; he had beenable

to throw up onlyafew imperfect intrenchments on

the most exposed points,and all the force which hecould mu ster did not exceed three thou sand five hundred

'

men. He had been directed by Bonaparte tokeep on his guard, but vigilance was of little availwithou t soldiers,ammunition ,and money.

Affecting the u tmost zeal for the interests of theCrescent, Ali despatched repeated couriers to Constantinople, to represen t to the Divan , that the late Venetian towns commandedamost important line of coast,

1 26 L IFE o r AL I FASIIA.

cut 06 Epirus from all communication with the sea, ‘

and deprived it of everymeans ofexterior military defence. Till this line of coast was in his power heshould not, he declared, either have freedom of com

merce, or security fromattack . H is representationshaving inspired the Divan with the resolutionofseizingthe towns, he offered toact in concert with theallies ,by undertaking himselfthe reduction of the places inquestion . H is offers were accepted,and he receivedfull discretionary powers .Ali had nowanadditional reason for wishing r tc

master without delay the towns on the coast. It wasthe dislike which he felt of having the Russians forhis neighbours. When 'thealliance was first formedbetween England,Turkey,and Russia, itwasarranged,that England should act in the Adriatic,and Russiaand Turkey in Egypt ; and, in consequence, instructions were sent out to lord Nelson , to despatch to theAlbanian shoreadivision ofhis fleet, under sir SidneySmith . The expedition,

” says aneminent traveller,was on the point of sailing, when the scheme wasdisconcerted by the cunning policy ofone of the confederates . The Russians, ever on thealert to sei zeany opportunity of di stinguishing themselves on thistheatre,and of amalgamating themselves with the

cause of Greece, waited only till they had obtainedapassage through the straits of the Dardanelles ,before they declared their intention of sailing immediately for the Ionian Islands instead of Egyptand this they did under the pretext ofmany stronginvitations sent to them by the inhabitants, whodesired liberation and protection at the hands of

anation which professed the same religious faithasthemselves : but that it was onlyapretext,appearedevident from the circumstance, that the greatest partof their crewsand land forces in the expedition, both

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1 28 t urn o r ALI rAsuA.

Whilst engaged in reconnoitring, he was suddenlysu rrounded by Ali's cavalry,and, rather than fall intothe hands of such enemies

,he was on the point of

committing suicide,when he was fortunately delivered

by aplatoon of grenadiers. The French had ju sttime to re- enter the fort,after having lost fifty menand two ofi cers. The general having returned toCorfu, acouncil of war was held, by which it wasresolved to evacuateand destroy the fort ofButrinto .

Though the possession of this town was doubtlessgratifying to Ali,and, as the reader has seen, hadbeen recently coveted by him, it was now but asecondary object. At the entrance of the gu lf ofArta,and commanding that entrance, stands the onceVenetian city of Prevesa. Not far from its site wasfought the naval battle of Actium , wh ich renderedAugu stu s sole and undisputed owner of the Romanempire. At the time of which we are writing, Prevesawasahandsome and flourishing city, with apopulation of sixteen thou sand sou ls . Blessed withadelicious climate and an incomparable fertility of

soil, i t possessedalso the finest fisheries in the Ionianseas ; olive grounds and vineyards which were the

envy of its neighbours ; sheltered harbours,and timher for the whole navy ofGreece inwoods spreadinground the Ambracian gulf; in short, it combinedeveryadvantage both ofagriculture and commerce.

This was the prize which Ali was eager to gain,andhis eagerness was probably increased by the vicinityof Prevesato SantaMau ra, of which island he hadfirmly resolved to become master.Preveas is situated in apeninsula, on the narrow

isthmus ofwhichare the ruins of theancient city of

Nicopol is. The defence ofit was comm itted to generalLa~Salcette, the governor of the two minor divisions ofthe l onian isles. Between sevenandeight hundred men,

L IFE o r ALI rAsnA. 1 2 9

ofwhom only four hundred were French, was all theforcewhich he could spare for the protection oftheplace .

Availing him selfof the localadvantages, be resolvedto cover the isthmu s by aline of intrenchments andredoubts. Bu t scarcely was the work begun before itwas suspended, in consequence of the intrigu es ofAli ,who had gained over to his sideaconsiderable number of the Prevesans. It was artfully suggested byhis partisans, that the most efl

'

ectual mode ofdefending the peninsulawould be to insulate it, by cu ttingadeep and wide canal across the neck of land. Thissuggestion , which was had only because there was nottime to carry it into effect, was readilyadopted by thePrevesans,and the construction of the intrenchmentswas abandoned. LaSalcette was then at SantaMaura,and, when he returned from thence, thoughhe immediately ordered the works to be resumed, itwas too late to complete more than asingle redoubtand asmal l portion of the lines. The general hadnegociated with the Suliote, to makeadiversion in hisfavour,and had sent them asupply ofammunition,and they had promised to cc - operate with him ; but

here again he was disappointed, the watchfu l Alihaving bribed some of their chiefs to thwart the purposed junction with the French .

Such was the situation of LaSalcette when, atmidnight

,on the 2 '2nd of October, he was attacked

by several thousand Albanians, under the commandofAli,and his son M ouctar . This first onset, led byM ouctar , was repulsed, with considerable loss to theassailants. At day-break the contest was renewed.

Watched by Ali from the tower of M ichalitchi , hiswholearmy, brandishing their weapons,and shoutingtheir savage war cr ies, descended the heights, traversed the valley,and rushed impetuou sly upon theFrench.

o They were received with aheavy fire of

1 30 LI FE or AL I ~ FAsnA.

musketryandartille ry,and suffered severely. Twicethey were driven back, and athird time they wereimpelled to the charge by the threatsand exertions ofM ouctarand the dread of Ali, whose eyes they knewto be upon them. At this moment, either fromtreachery or cowardice, several Prevesan captains, inthe centre of the

,French line, took flight with their

soldiers. LaSalcette endeavou red to fill up the void,by closing his wings upon the centre ; but it was toolate ; the Albanians broke through,and soon com

pletelyenveloped thei rantagonists . Afteranhonourable resistance, LaSalcette and the remnant of histroops were compelled to surrender.Those Prevesans who had traitorously lent them

selves to the designs ofAli had soon reason to repentof their conduct. While the main body of the Albau lans was completing the destruction of the French,adivision penetrated to Prevesa, and began the workof ru in and slaughter. For two days the city wasexposed to all the horrors which canbe inflicted byan infuriated and licentious soldiery. A few of the

inhabitants were fortunate enough to escape in boatstoSantaMaura; nearly four hundred others soughtamomentary shelter among the bushes, on the opposite side of the bay. That the latter might not escapehim

, Ali commissioned the archbishop of Arts to

cross the bay,and induce them to return, onapromise ofbeing kindly treated. Placing afatal rel ianceon the pledged faith of their pastor, they consented tosubmit, and Ali put the seal to his wickedness bysending them, with two hundred other Greeks, toSalagora, where, under his own eyes, they were allexecuted.Connected with this infamou s massacre, M. Pouque

ville records anoble instance of presence of mindand humanity. An Ithacan, Gerasimo Sanguinazzo

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1 32 L IFE o r AL I PA SHA .

Playa, opposite SantaMaura,and demanded the sur

render of the island, threatening, in case of resistance ,to treat it like Prevesa. As he hadaconsiderablepartyamong the inhabitants,and the French garrisonwas weak and hopeless of succour, he was on thepoint ofgaining his object, anegociation having beenalready entered into, when his design was frustratedby Russian intervention . After having stopped the

flotillaofAli,and compelled the commander to releaseseveral captured '

boats full of Prevesan citizens andproperty,aGreek ofi cer, the captain ofasmall vesselin the service of Russia, proceeded to SantaMaura,and putan end to all treating with the pasha. Aliwas equally unfortunate in subsequentattempts uponParga, which , backed by Ru ssiaand analliance withthe Suliots, set his threatsat defiance . These circumstances, especially his disappointmentat SantaMaura

,

excited in himadeadly hatred of the Muscovites .It was probably while his feelings were rankling

under this insult, thatAll resumed his correspondencewith the French officers in the Ionian Islands. Tothe governor of SantaMaurahe stated, that he hadbeen obliged to take uparms, because the French hadpassed the boundary line, and he feared that heshou ld beaccused of selling the sultan ’s territory, hadhe not endeavoured to drive them back. To generalChabot he was more explicit. H is motive for seizingRose was, he said, that he might have with him,

apparentlyasahostage, but really as the depositoryofhis secret thoughts, an unacknowledged agent of

France. This assertion derives some support fromthe fact of his having so reluctantly obeyed the com

mands of the Divan,to send Rose aprisoner to the

Ottoman capital . Ali concluded his letter witharguments which were at least specious .

“ There are,”said he. cases of necessity inwhich we are obliged

L IFE or ALI r u ns . 1 33

to subm it. Consider my situation,and let your wisdom judge impartially of it. The Porte has declaredwar against your republic. I am besides informedthat the su ltan has concludedan offensive and defeusive treaty of alliance with Russiaand England,powers whichare the irreconcileable enemies of yourcountryand ours. Their fleetsareadvancing towardsthe Ionian Isles ; ought I to have wai ted till the Bussians were established in Epirus, by the occupying ofthe fou r districts which belonged to Venice I was,therefore, reduced to the hard extremity of makingmyself master of Butrinto and Prevesa; Vonitsaisabou t to open its gates to me ; and I venture to hopethat you will evacuate Parga. Our common interestrequ ires this condescension on your part; By beingthu s beforehand with our enemies, we shall involvethem inaquarrel with the sultan ,and you will ensurein me anally, rendered the more sincere b my localsituation making me independent. I shalenabled to assist you, in the event of your beingblockaded, while the besiegers will be enti rely dependent on me for subsistence, which I shall not fail torefu se them, without compromising myself with thePorts.

”

A circumstance soon afterwards occurred, whichseems to prove that the sentiments expressed in the

letter of Ali were not merely simulated. A Turkishprivateer, which had captured some French ofii cers inthe way to Maltaor Italy, put into the port of Bu ~

trinto, near which the army of Ali was encamped.Two of the prisoners had been delivered up to theTurkishadmiral, but the privateer captain had secretedthree M . Poitevin, colonel of engineers,

‘

M. Charbonnel, colonel ofartillery,and M. Be ssieres, one of the

learned men who had accompanied Bonaparte toEgypt. These he offered to transfer to Ali,and the

1 34 LIFE o r A‘

L I FAe A‘

.

offer was accepted. Ali treated them with greathumanity, and even released their servants from the

clutches of their captor. Through the medium of the

pasha’s secretary, Tosoni, they learnt that his mastercomplained bitterly of the want of confidence manifested by the French generals commanding inCorfu,with whom he had wished to become allied, in orderto make common cau se together. When Ali returnedto Epiru s he took wi th him the French officers ; twoof themaccompanied him to Ioannina,and the third,which was colonel Charbonnel, he employed In estaoblishingamilitary schoolat Bonila,and gave him the

command ofhis cannoneers . At the colonel ’s requestbealso liberatedall his French prisoners from theirclose confinement.The celebrity of Ali was raiscd toahigh pitch by

the recent events,and honours beganto pou r in uponhim. Lord Nelson , who was cruising in the Ioniansea, sent anofficer to compliment him on the victoryof Nicopolisand the fall of Prevesa,and to expressthe regret ofhis lordship that he cou ld not personallypayavisit to the hero of Epiru s. From the sultanhe received public thanks for his eminent services,asuperb pelisse of ermine,asword decorated with brilliants, the dignity ofpashaof three tails, which confersthe title of vizier,and, lastly, the important office of

Rumili-valises, or vi ceroy ofRumelia.

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1 36 L IFE o r ALI FASHA:

his house would have been burned,and he would havefallen avictim to popu lar indi gnation, had not theBritish resident interceded in his favour. Ali becamefuriou s on learning the treaty,and tried every meansto destroy or evade the stipu lations of it. H is efforts,however, were fru itless,and he was obliged to resignhis prey to AbdoullaBey,amember of the Ulema,whom the Porte hadappointed voiwode of the cededtowns. Ali wasalready incensedagai nst the Russians,d from thi s period be cherishedan inveterate hatred

of them.

For the disappointment which he had thus sus

tained, Ali resolved to indemnify himself inanotherquarter, by the destruction of the Sul iots. H isabhorrence of that people was now increased by the vicinityofthe Russians, who could furnish them with supplies,which might render them still moreannoying to himthan theyalready were . But he forebore fromattacking them till, by extortion and intrigue, he shouldhave ensured the means of success.In the mean while, be fixed, foratime, his residenceat Monastir, the seat of his government, as Rumilivalisee. There he carried to ascandalous pitch hissystem of levying heavy contributions, and seizingupon everyarticle which he could turn toany use, allof which he sent ofl

‘

to his magazinesat TepeleniandIoannina. Twelve beautiful bronze busts wereamongthe pillage which he obtained on this occasion; of theseeleven were melted down

,the twelfth escaped, and

was carried to England.After having visited Tepeleni,and erected therea

palace, with avast tower, in which be deposited hiswealth, he returned to Ioannina. H is first care, onarriving in'his capital, was toascertainwhat progresswas made in his newmilitary schoolat Bonila. He

wasaccompanied by the two pashas, his sons,and his

L I FE or ALI FAsuA. 1 37

whole court , to ther with the garrison of Ioannina.Ali was so satis ed with the manner in whi ch bombswere thrown by colonel Charbonnel, that he bestowedvarious marks of favour on him,among which wereapelisseandacomplete Turkish dress.All that depended upon his own exertions be ing

now ready for the executionof his designsagainst theSuliots, Ali resorted toasingularand rather hazardous

use, by the influence of superstition , thecourage of the Albanians. Headdressed to the beysacircular letter, in which heannounced, that the Ottoman empire, being surrounded by enemies, whichenemies he declared to be the Frenchand the Russians, . was on the decline ; but that, even after thedestruction of the empire, Albaniawould, foracertainperiod,

'

be preserved from the enemies of the faith,provided it was firmly united. Such, beaffirmed,wasthe promise made by the Koran . The impious raceof the Suliots must, therefore, be exterminated,andhe consequently called upon his cc- religionists to joinhim,and to swear, in the name ofAllahand the prophet, that they Would conquer Suli or die. The resultofthis circular was the convocation ofanassembly oftheagasand beys, in the presence of the vizier. Tothese persons he producedavenerable sheik, who expounded to them several obscure passages of the

Koran, to which he of course gave the same interpretationas had been given by Ali . Nor did he forgetto dwell on the earthly rewards which would belavished on those combatants who survived, and thestill more splendid prize which was reserved by Hea~ven for those who fell. Some were doubtless convinced by thearguments or heated by the enthusiasmofthe speaker ; while others were induced to comply bythe fear of exciting Ali’s formidable anger all signedtheagreement to ‘ subdue Suli,at whatever cost ; and

1 38 L IFE o r ALI wan tthis agreement was kept so profound asecret, thatthose who were markedas i ts victims remained utterlyignorant of its existence.

Inpursuance of this pact, the beysandagas exertedthemselves to raise their contingents, and, in the

course of three months, twelve thousand of theirtroops were prepared to take the field. To keep theSuliote inthe dark as to the real destination of thisforce, various rumours were spread : Corfu, Egypt,and SantaMaura, were successively mentionedas thepurposed objects ofattack. Though they were notwithout suspiciousand fears, the Suliots were so fardeceived by these reports that they neglected to layin the stores which were necessary for aprotractedcontest.But neither the want of information nor the defi

ciency of supplies was so prejudicial to the Suliots asanother circumstance, which could not be guardedagainst, because there was scarcelyapossibility of itsbeing foreseen . There was atraitor among them ;

and this traitor was.George Botsari, who, in the

former struggle, had distingu ished himself by his courageand patriotism. Disappointedambition is said tohave been the cause of his crime. He had foratimeheld the chief command ; but his countrymen, whowisely thought that it was dangerous to tru st one

person too long with unlimited authority, had refu sedto renew his lease of power, and had substitu tedanother leader in his stead . This disgrace, as bedeemed it, rankled at his heart. A fitting agent wasat hand to excite him to revenge. There had foraconsiderable period been l ivingat Suliaman namedPalasca, who had been the head ofagang of robbersin the mountains of Zagori, and had been so hotlypursued by Ali ’s troops as to be obliged to seek anasylumamong the Suliots. There he, on many occa

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1 4 0 L IFE or ALI PASHA :

Tzavella,and the monk Samuel, the former ofwhom,inhis boyhood, we have seen setting at defiance thetorments with which he was threatened by the sons ofAli . H is manhood did not' belie the promise of his

youth ; for he had been carefully trained up in thepath ofhonour by Mosco, his mother. To the qualities of courage, successful daring, bodily strength,fleetness offoot,acuteness,and sagacity, headded thevirtues of honour, good faith,andagenerous dispo~sition.

But ofall the leaders of the Sul iots the most singular character was undoubtedly the monk Samuel,who is said by M. Fouqueville to have been of the

monastic order of St. Basil. No one knew his country or his origin, or whence he came ; and the mysterywhich this threw roundhim increased the effect whichwas produced by his bravery, his activity, and hisenthusiastic language. From his frequent recurrenceto those words,and the subject of them, hewas usuallyknown by the name ofThe Last Judgment. By turnsaconsoler,anorator,apreacher,andasoldier, he exerc isedaboundless influence over the Suliote. Sometimes, laden with chaplets, relics,and images, he madesuddenvisits to the neighbouring towns, to exchangehis consecrated burthen for provi sions at others, disguisedasabeggar, he ventured into the camps of theTurks, to ascertain their numbers, and procure aknowledge of their designs . The palikars,and eventhe women, followed him to battle with that implicitconfidence which abelief in his doctrine was calculated to inspire . Loss of life was,” he told them,

nothing more than the road leading to afuture,where astonished death and nature should see the

creature reborn in imperishable glory.

”

The vizier nowput in motion hisarmy, whsxsted of nearly twenty thousand men; It advanced

L IFE or AL I PASHA . 1 4 1

along the Ionian shore, from Louro, near the gu lf of

Arta,and, skirmishing as it proceeded, it compelledthe Suliot out-posts to fall back before its superiornumbers . It was summer,and the riversand torrentswere in consequence either dried up or easily fordable .

This circumstance, and the seemingly overwhelmingforce which he had brought into the field, encouragedAli to hope that he might end the war at ablow.

Yelli ng forth their barbarous war cries, the main bodyof the Albanians made adesperate attempt to penetrate by the pass of Glyky, whileadivision of threethousand men, under the selictar of the vizi er, whichhad been lying in ambush, endeavoured to descendupon the rear of the Suliots from the Bogor itzamountain . The main army of the assailants no soonerapproached the chasm, than it was received with astorm of bu llets from behind the sheltering rocks,andof ponderous stones rolled from the impending crags ;the troops led by the selictar fared no better ; they werefallen u pon by Foto Tzavellaat the head of two hundred palikars, and were rputed with great slaughter.After adesperate contest, which cost the satrap fivehundred men, while only twenty of his antagonistswere slain , he was compelled to soundaretreat.The traitor Botzari , who, with all the men of his

phara, had deserted to Allat the commencement oftheattack, had assured him that Suli would certainly besubdued by the first effort ofhis numerou sarmy. Irritated by the recent repulse, Ali bitterly reproachedhim asadeceiver, and insisted that he should provehis sincerity by leading his own menagainst their gallant countrymen . Though honour was dead in hisbosom, shame would have withheld Botsari from takinganactive part, had not the more powerfu l fear ofdeath induced him to comply. Withaheavy heart,therefore, he led his band over the summit of Raitho

1 4 2 LIFE o r ALI rAsrm .

vuni, intending to fall by surprise upon Kako SuliandKiafi'a, while the forces of the vizier called theattentionof the Suliots to another quarter. The schemefailed. The Suliots,aware of it, held the vizier incheck with the bulk of their forces, while with the te

mainder theyassailed Botzar iand his renegade band .

The most of the traitors fell beneath the sword of

their indignant countrymen ; the rest were driven todisgraceful flight. Their unworthy leader escaped thevengeance of those whom he had betrayed, but hedied despisedand hated byall,about five monthsafterhis defeat. Weary ofadishonou red existence, he issaid to have hastened his end by poison .

Ali was now under the mortifying necessity ofdesiringashort tru ce, that he might ransom the dead,the wounded ,and the prisoners. On this occasion theSuliots manifested their scornof the enemy, by thevalue which they set upon them in exchange. The

wounded were bartered for sheep and goats ,and thesoldiers foranequal number of horned cattle. In thesame derisive spirit theyacted at asomewhat laterperiod . An ass belonging to them having strayedinto the Turkish camp, they sent aflag of truce to

request that it might be returned . The captors complied with the request, upon condition of rece ivinganequivalent. The Sul iots sent backanaga,andamessage, stating that, ifhe were not deemedanadequatecompensation , they were willing to give something toboot. Inanother instance, the vizier having issuedaproclamation, offering areward of fifty piastres forevery Suliot head, they retorted byanother, in whichthe utmost worth ofaTurk’s head was estimated atten cartridges .To swell his army still further, Ali obtained from

the Porte afirman, by which Hassan Bey of Margariti, Pronic Agaof Paramithia, Mahmoud Daliani of

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l 4 4 x L IFE or ALI PASHA .

assailed by the Suliots, who ru shed on withappallingshouts,and buffeted and blinded by the storm, theAlbanians scarcely made asemblance of resistance ;they threw down theirarms,and fled over the mountains, not so swiftly, however, but that great numbersof them became captives to their pursuers .Finding that, harassedand discouragedashis troops

were, ofiensive operations cou ldat present only lead tofresh defeats, Ali determined to try what might bedone by the slow but saferand su rer effect ofacloseblockade. Dividing his army into five divisions, hestationedadivision at the entrance of each principalpass. To bar all egress from the passes, sixty-fou rsmall towers Were thrown up in one night. For thesetowers alesser number of redoubts, each capable of

containing frdm two hundred to fou r hundred men,

wereafterwards substitu ted. The Su liots, on their side,formed their force into five battalions, to each ofwhichwasadjoinedatroop offemales, who supplied the soldiers wi th foodandammunition ,and not unfrequentlytookapart with them inactive warfare .

Impatient of the tardy system which he had beenreluctantly compelled toadopt, Ali once more resortedto open force . He had

,however, reason to repent

that he had not adhered to his new plan . Inageneralassault which he ordered, the Albanians sufferedadefeat, and only escaped u tter destruction by takingshelter in their works .As his army had been considerably thinned by

these encounters, Ali obtained from the Porteanotherfirman, directing the Albanian chiefs to fu rnish himwith their contingents. Among those who were thuscalled upon was Ibrahim Pashaof Berat, who wasobliged to send two thousand of his troops. It is notimprobable, that one of the motives ofAli in obtaining

Ltrs o r AL" PASHA. 1 4 5

these firmanswas, to wear down the resources of the

pashasand beysagainst whom he was meditating hosti le designs .Proud of their warlike renown, the soldiers of

Berat desired that aseparate station might be assigned them, where the praise won by their superiorvalour might no t be claimed by colleagues who had noshare in earning it. Their request was granted. Toprove their deserts, they resolved to dislodge anadvanced post of Suliots from an opposite hill. Theyattacked with great spirit,and maintained the combatfor three hou rs, butat length they were driven downthe heights by Tzavella. That gallant leader, however,having outstripped his followers in the pursuit, wasseverely wounded byashot fromaconcealed enemy.As soonas he fell, the Beratians rallied, and asangu inary confl ict with sabres ensued over his body.At length the Suliots succeeded in carrying him off,and he eventually recovered.

While Foto was incapable of taking the field, astratagem which is worthy of record was played off byaSuliot. Having heard thatabody of the newlevieswas on its march to the vizier's camp, he communiosted his plan to his countrymen , and then throwinghimself,as though by chance, in the way of the enemy,he surrendered to them . A sharp firing presentlyarose on aneighbou ring mo untain,and he wasaskedthe cause of it. Aparty of the vizier’s troops were, hesaid, engaged with his countrymen,and, if they wishedto save them, they must hurry . to their assistance .

The deluded Albanians believed this Suliot Sinon,andascended the hill, but they were suddenly placed between two fires, one half of their band was killed orwounded, and few of the surv ivors were able toescape. He, meanwhile, had succeeded inreachingaplace of safety.

1 4 6 u se o r rasna.Ali was again compelled to rely solely upon the

system of blockade. H is soldiers sufi'

ered severelyfrom epidemic diseases, which swept off hundreds of

them ; and they had contracted suchadread of the irrepublican enemies, that they positively refused to

advance into the mountains. The Sul iots, they said,were not human beings; but incarnate fiends, createdfor the express purpose ofkilling men. But even theblockade did not prove as efli cientas the vizier hadexpected. The Suliots were so well acquainted withall the passes, some ofwhich were not k nown to histroops, that availing themselves of dark nights, theymade their way through the investing c ircle, carriedoff cornand cattle from the neighbouring villages,andoccasionally pillaged and spread terror through thecamps of their enemi es .Force and patience failing to achieve his purpose,

Al i tried deceit and treachery. He proposed to putan end to hostilities, on condition that the Suliotsshould give him twenty- four

hostages, asasecurityfor their not making 1ncursi ons into his territory. As,notwithstanding their exertions , they were much inwant of supplies, theyacceded to his proposal . But

no sooner were the hostagesm the power of the vizierthan he imprisoned and threatened them with deathby torture, unless their countrymen would consent toanunconditional surrender. Whenthe notification ofhis pu rpose was made to them, the inflexible mountaineers replied by the following letterVizier Ali Pasha, we greet you .

By such treacherous conduct '

you only sully yourown reputation, and increase our determined resistance. Know this , that we havealready lost seventeenv ictims sacrificed in the ir country’s cause ; let thesetwenty-four then be added to their number : theirmemory will live in the breasts of their fellow- citizens

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1 4 8 L IFE or ALI rasua.but,as- to the eight hundred pu rses, which you ofl

'

er, Ibeg that you will not send them. I should not beable to count them ; and, even if I wereable , I wou ldnot give you in return even asingle pebble of mycountry, much less that country itself. As to the

honours you promise me, I have nothing to do withthem. My honours and riches consist in myarms,with whi ch I immortal ise my name,and defend mybeloved country.

”

Ali next endeavoured to prevail upon them to giveup some districts to him, forapecuniary equ ivalent ;but they refused , saying, We are not merchantsit is by force only that we acquire,and it is to forcealone that we will yield." He threatened to marchagainst them with twenty thou sand men. We wishthat thou mayst live and come," they replied. He

was equally unsuccessful inanattempt to obtain theirsubmissi on by corrupting their spiritual pastor. The

bishop of Paramithia, who was the diocesan of Suli,refused to lend his influence to d estroy the love of

freedom among the Suliots ; and his refusal soaxasperated Ali, that the bishop was under the necessityof taking refugeat Pargato save his life.

Though in the nine months which the war hadlasted Ali had lost nearly four thousand men, hisarmywas kept up to its original magnitude by the pouringin of fresh reinforcements, and the blockade wasclosely maintained. The Suliotsbegan to suffer greatlyfrom the rigorous investing oftheir territory : for the irprovisions were nearly consumed,and the surroundingcountrywas so much exhau sted that they could gatherlittle from it even in their most fortunate excursions.A small supply ofarmsand stores, which was landedabout this time fromaFrench brig, did not last long.and was ratheran injury thanabenefit,as it exciteda

u rn o r rasna. 1 4 9

prejudiceagainst their cause in the minds of the British and Ru ssians, who might otherwise have interposed in the ir favour.When twelve months had passed by, famine began

to press hard upon the Suliots. Roots ,acorns,andherbs,and the bark oftrees boiled withascanty proportion ofmeal, constitu ted the whole of their subsistence . To relieve themselves in somecontr ived to sendall the u seless monthsthe Ionian Islands, where the exiles met with ahospitable reception. As their distress grew daily morepinching, it became necessary for them to resort tosome desperate means of obtaining supplies. A sallywas in consequence resolved upon . Accordingly, fourhundred and thirteen of the bravest palikars, andahundredand seventy-four females , the latter of whomwere headed by Mosco, marched silently, under coverof night, through the pass of Glyky, were fortunateenough to avoid the blockading parties ,and reachedPargain safety. The Parghiotes joyfully greetedthe ir free brothers, feasted them for four days, and

their waywithasmuch provisionsasthey cou ld carry. The Albanians, to the number oftwelve hundred, were waiting to intercept them but,from some unexplained reason , they made no attackon the wearyand burthened republicans . When thelatter reached the ir homes, they were struck withastonishment at the withering effect which want hadproduced during the last five days, in the counte

nances of their compatriots .In some instances, the Suliotsadded to their scant

means by stratagems which may exci te asmile. Xcontrivance of

‘

one Gianni Striviniotispecimen. Learning that the Tu rks had receivedasupply of cattle , be dressed himself in his white capoteand camisc ,and concealed himself till nightfall . Then,

1 50 u se o r rasua.

quitting onall fou rs his hiding place, he mingled with.the herds, remained unseen

,and was stalled with

them. When all around appeared to be buried insleep, he opened the door and drove forth the herdstowardsaparty of his friends. The Albanians heardthe noise ; but fearing thatanambuscade was plantedfor them, they kept within their tents.In the m idst ofall their toils and privations, the

lofty spirit of the Suliots remained unbroken. Onlytwoamong them were weak enough to parley with thee nemy,and breatheawish for peace . CuzzonicaandDiamante Zervawere the leaders who consented tohave interviews with the vizier,and to lay his proposals before the council of the republic. Foremostin moving to reject those proposals were Foto Tzavalla, Dimo Draco, and the monk Samuel . Theytookasolemn oath , in which they invited their fe llowcitizens to join them, that they would continue the

contest till they triumphed over the tyrant, or ceasedto exist. Peace,at the price of concession, was universally disclaimed . Repentant of his error, Diamantebroke off his correspondence with the enemy, andpleaded that he had been induced to enter into it onlybyadesire of procuring the release of the hostages,and asum of money for the public service ; but hisexcuse was listened to withanincredulous ear ,and hefound that the confidence of his fellow- countrymenwas lost for ever.Firmas the Sul iots were, it seemed impossible that

they could hold out much longer against the privations which they were enduring. But,at this criticalmoment of their fate, aplanwas brought to bear,which afl‘

orded themat leastarespite, and which, ifothers had possessedas much courageandactivityasthe republ icans, might have involved their inveterateenemy indestruction. Confederaciesarealmost pro

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1 5 2 u se or ALI PA SHA .

caused to beassassinated, Paleopoulo called into thefield the E tolianArmato les

,and he was seconded bythe beys of Salons. Thu s, fromalmost the northernextremi ty of Albaniatoas faras the gulfof Lepanto,ahost of foes started up against Ali . Had theyacted in conce rt and with only acommon degree of

ability, he must have fallen under their blows ; but theirill-assorted league wasas incoherentasarope ofsand .

The Suliots were, doubtless, too acute to expectthat the newalliance wou ld long hold together. But,however short might be its duration

,incalcu lable

benefit would be derived from it, by its necessaryeffect ofbreaking up the blockade,and enabling themto procure suppl ies . They were not slack in turningit toaccount. No sooner was the treaty signed, thanthey recommenced active operations against the

vizier'

sarmy. They fell upon the weakened outpostsof the enemy, spread slaughter and dismay amongthem,and took many pri soners, whom they disarmedand dismissed, telling them contemptuously to gohome, provide fresh weapons, and then return, forthat the Suliots were sti ll short ofarms. They werenext called uponto extricate from danger their firmestally. Desirous of speedily putting down Pronic Aga,whose territoryadj oined that of the Suliots,and whocou ld therefore lend them more readyassistance, Alimarched alarge force against Paramithia. The

republicans, however, were on the alert, and, withTzavellaand Dimo Draco at their head, they rushedfrom their mountains, routed the invaders,and saved,for the present, their friend from destruction.Though foiled on this side, and enraged by his

defeat, Ali had taken such measures as he was convinced would ultimately bringabou t the dissolution ofthe confederacy. One of its members he hadalready

u se o r Pasna. 1 5 3

detached from it. By dint of bribery he had madehim se lf master of the fortress of Delvino ; aneventwhich had te rrified the feeble Mustafainto the signingofaseparate peace. At Delvino the vizier found thesix hostage s , who had been given by the Suliotsasapledge to the irallies. Of these, in revenge for thedefeatat Paramithia, he hanged four : two,ayoungerbrother ofTzavella,andason ofDimo Draco,he craftilyspared , e ithe r to excite asuspicion that those chiefswere in his interest, or to damp their zeal by thedr ead of losing such near relatives. Whatever washis pu rpose i n this spu rious clemency, it was frustrated . As soonas the two leaders wereapprised ofthe massacre, they convoked their coun men, de

clared that they looked upon their belove relativesas inevitable victims,and desired that they might beprayed for as such . This being done, they led the

Suliots to battle, rou ted the Turks,and took aterrible vengeance upon them for the murder ofthe hostages.Ali, meanwhile, perseveringly followed up his

scheme ofannihilating the confederacy. Gold, no’tsteel, was the weapon which he principally employed.

Inacountry where rivalry and hatred are universal,it was not difli cult to stir up enemies against thechiefs who were leagued with the Sul iots. Moneywas not spared to bring these willingauxiliaries intoplay. The beys ofM usakia, in consequence, revoltedagainst Ibrahim Pasha, and, headed by OmarVriones,at length compelled him to make peacethe satrap of Ioannina. The same system was pursued,and with the same success,against Pronic Ageand the beys of Kimara. Pronic was driven fromParamithia,and such efl

'

ectual means were employedto spread disco rd among the Kimariot leaders thatthey wereabundantly occupied by their own disputes .

1 5 4 L IFE o r AL" PASHA .

The Armatoles and the beys of Salons had net yetarranged the ir plans , and were therefore unable toresi st. Paleopoulo was glad to find shelter 1n the

mountains of Agrapha; and E toliaremained at themercy ofAli, who did not fail to swell his coffers withthe confiscated property ofwealthy delinquents.Though Ali had succeeded in breaking up the hostilealliance, he wasnot immediately able to avai l himselfof this advantage. A circumstance occurred, whichcompelled him to direct his troops toanother quarter,and the Suliots thu s obtainedawelcome respite . The

Porte had occasion for all its forces to quellanewrevolt,and it summoned him to furnish his contingent.The danger to the Ottoman government was considerable ; for Georgim Osman, the pashaof Adrianople,had thrown off his obedience,and there was reason tofear that the still more formidable Passwan Oglouwould recommence hostilities, and effect ajunctionwith Georgim. Ali was, therefore, under the necessityof sendingaconsiderable part of hisarmy toassi st insuppressing the rebellion . M ouctar Pashawas invested with the command of it.It is not improbable that M ouctar wasappointed to

the command, in order toafl'ord Alianopportunity tobreak off an illicit connection which his son hadformed. The vizier accomplished his purpose withhis wonted cruelty. The v i ctim, Phrosini , the daughter of Greek parents, was celebrated at Ioanninaforthe beauty ofher person ,and no less so for the gracesand accomplishments of her mind .

seventeen years ofage, she had long beenWhile her husband wasabsentat Venice, on commercial pursuits, M ouctar became enamou red ofher,and,inanevil hour, the frail fair one yielded to his passion . The influence which she acqu ired over himwas so great that it rou sed the jealousy of his wife,

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1 5 6 e ao r PABHA.

manreplying in the afi rmative,he gave anorder forher release. The execution ofthe rest took place atnight : they were taken inabarge from the church tosome distance on the lake, tied up in sacks,and precipitated into the dee p. Phrosini and her faithfu lmaid, watchinganopportunit when the guards wereinattentive, clasped each ot er in their arms, andplunged into the water to rise no more.

”

Georgim Osman having submitted to the Porte,and all fears with respect to PasswanOglou beingalso removed, M ouctar was on his march homeward,when aletter from Veli disclosed to him the fate of

Phrosini . In the first transports ofhis rage, he shotthe courier who brought the news . He then hurriedin disguise to Ioannina, where be shut himselfup inhis palace. Ali was speedily informed of the returnand the rage of his son ,and he sent himan imperativeo rder to come without delay to his father. He wasobeyed. Approach, M ouc tar ," said the vi zier, holding out his hand to him to he kissed, I will overlookyour bu rsts of passion ; but, in future, never forgetthat he who, like me, braves public opinion, fears nothing on earth . As soonas your troops have retu rnedto Ioannina, and recovered from their fatigue, youmust prepare to march against the Suliote. I willthen make known to you my intentions . You maywithdraw.

"

The Sul iots, meanwhile, had not wholly neglectedto prepare for the contest which wasabout to be re

newed. Samuel the monk had been appointed theirpolemarch, or principal leader, and, under his activesuperintendence , provisions, arms, and ammunition,had been procured ,and additional strength had beengiven to the fort of AgiaParaskevi, on the hil l ofKunghi . During the temporary inaction ofthe vizier'sforces, Foto Tzavella, at the head of forty palikars,

u se o r PA SHA . 1 5 7

accompanied by his no less courageous sister Caidos,had nightly distinguished himself, by surprising thecantonments of their enemies, and carrying offarichbooty in herds and flocks . So brilliantly was hisvalou r displayed in these encounters, that to swear byhis sword becameacustomamong his countrymen.

The su ccessfu l inroads made byTzavellainducedAli to hasten into the field thearmy ofM ouctar. Theson of the vizier was, however, directed toavoid general acti ons,and on] to harass the Suliots by skirmishes, and grad ly shut them up again withinthe ir own narrow boundaries . In the course ofafew weeks this wasaccomplished,and Suli was oncemore inastate of close blockade .

This systemwas, probably,adoptedas much fromawish to leave room for intrigues and gold as fromdread of the enemy’s desperate valour. Ali did notm iscalcu late the effect of those potent auxiliaries .There was no longer among the Saliot leaders thatunanimou s determination, which had formerly inspiredthem, to make no concession whatever. Some were,doubtless, seduced by bribes ; others, perhaps, hadfallen into that state of languorand inaptitude for ex

ertion, which often succeeds to strong excitementandoverstrained energy ; athird class might honestly, ifnot wisely, behave that, by gaining time, they wouldbe enabled to renew the contest with advantage at afuture period. The proposal which Ali now made wasintended to operate on the last two of these classes .He offered to make peace, on condition that he shouldbe allowed to bu ild and garrison in their territory stower for forty men, to prevent inc ursions from beingmade into his pashalik ;and that Foto Tzavellashouldbe obliged to retire from Suli. These propositionswe're laid before the council by Kitzo Botzari and

1 5 8 L IFE o r AL" PA SHA.

Cuzzoni ca, to the former of whom was to be committed the guard of the tower.The proposal to expatriate their bravest leader

m ight well have excited su spicion , and would oncehave done so but suchachange had come over thespirit of the republicans that they were willing toaccede to it. Even some whose patr iotism was unim

peachable were of opinion that it would be politic forhim to retire forawhile from Suli, and thu s put .tothe test the sincerity of the vizier’s desi re to live atpeace with them. Careless of his own interest, butal ive to that of his country, Tzavellao verlooked theinju ry to himself, and only insisted on the danger ofplacing confidence m aman whose treacherou s character was notorious. F inding that hisargumentswe re in vain, I will go, he exclaimed ; “ I willobey you ; but for Heaven’s sake watch over the welfare of our country,and do not suffer the name of ou r

ancestors to be di shonoured. Then, proceeding tohis dwelling, he set it on fire, that “ the house ofaTzavellam ight never be polluted by the footstep ofanenemy. This being done, he withdrew,accompanied by twenty-five of his bravest men, to the villageof Khortia,at some distance from his native mountains . J

Easily provoked to revenge himself,and incapableofforg1 v1ng, Ali had calculated that similar feelingswould render Tzavellaan enemy to his country. Inthe most flattering terms he invited him to Ioannina,in order ,as he said, to settle with him the affairs ofSuli,and obtain to the treaty the signature ofamanwhom he honoured for his signal bravery. It was not,however, till his own countrymen had entreated him todo so, that Foto consented to accept the invitation.

Caresses and compliments were lavished on him by

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1 60 L 1 5 1 : o r ALI rasna.with two hundred men,approached the fort undiscovered. Samueland M itococalis, one of his officers,then stole with aspadeand pickaxe to the foot ofatower, excavated-alarge hole under it, deposited aquantity ofgunpowder inthe mine, laid the train ,andrejoined the Suliot detachment. A loud shout wasthen uttered by them, which brought the Tu rks to thespot where they supposed thatanattack was intended.The train was fired by the besiegers, the m ine ex

ploded ,and nearly forty ofthe enemy perished. The

Sul iots rushed to the breach, entered the central tower,and began to carry off the stores, which they deliveredto the women and children who had followed them.

The remaining Albanians, who had barricaded themselves iathe three towers, were now summoned tosurrender. They threw down theirarms, in token of

submission, but resumed them,and poured inamurderous volley upon the Suliots, while the latter wereadvancing to secure their prisoners . Irritated by thisact of treachery, the republicans heaped up piles ofwood and barrels of pitch before the doors of thetowers,and burned or suffocated the whole of their

perfidious opponents .Roused by this daring enterprise, Ali issued pro

clamations, calling in the most peremptory terms uponall true Mahometans to join his standard, and takevengeance on the Suliots. H is call was obeyed,andinashort time his army was increased to twentythousand men. The command was given to VeliPasha, who stationed his troops in suchamanne ras toclose upall the passes in the mountains of Su li.From May till September the contest was con

tinned, withoutanyadvantage being gained over theSuliote, who, on the contrary, so incessantly harassedtheirantagonists, that the v izier ’s troopsagain beganto murmurat the protractedand profitless warfare in

L IFE o r AL I 2 1 1 3 1 1 11 . 1 61

which they were engaged. But treason was busilyatwork to render valour unavailing. Among the Suliottrai tors the pre- eminence in infamy belongs ‘ to Cuzzonicaand Pylic Gusi, especially to the latter. Havingdisplayed signs of cowardice inan engagement, Gusibecame the laughing- stock of his countrymen,add heresolved to punish their contempt by betraying them.

In pu rsuance ofhis mal ignant purpose, he entered intoanegoc iationwith Veli Pasha,and engaged to concealtwo hundred Albanians in alarge insu lated housewhich he inhabited near one end of the town of Su li.In the night of the 2 2nd of September, the wretchedpatricide led the detachment through by- paths, andreached his dwelling unperceived.On the following morning;according to the plan

which had beenagreed upon with the renegados Gu siand Cuzzonica, Veli Pashaadvanced, with his wholearmy, into the pass which leads to Suli. That townwasat this moment guarded by not more than sixtymen; the rest having been distribu ted in posts whichwere su pposed to be more open to attack . As soonastheapproach of Veli became known , the garri son ofSuli,and as many of their companions as cou ld behastily collected, marched toarrest his progress . But,while they were contendingagainst his superior numbers, they found themselves suddenlyassailed in therear by the two hundred hiddenAlbanians. Thusunexpectedly placed between two fires, they were com

pelled to give ground,and it was not withou t muchdifficulty and loss that they succeeded in reach ingaposition where they could check the career of theirenemies . In the course of the day Samonicaand Avat ikos wereal so evacuated by the Suliots.

K iafl’aand the fort ofKunghi were the only posi.tions which the Suliots retained. The tr00psassignedfor the defence of Kunghi were commanded by the

M

1 62 u rn o r PASHA .

boldand enthusiastic monk Samuel , who was deter-omined not to survive the independence o f his country.

In order to enable his army to follow u p its recentsuccess, Ali despatched M ouctar with re inforcements,and directed that no respite shou ld beal lowed to therepublicans . But the Suliots had recove red from theirastonishmentandalarm,and they now fo ught withalltheir wonted courage. Du ring forty days, incessantassaults were made uponthem , wi thout producinganyother effect than disgraceand loss to theassailants .Notan inch of ground was gained by the soldiers of

Ali had often acted on the system of dividing toconquer,and he nowagain had recour se to it. He

knew that the men who composed the tribe of FotoTzavellawere among the most braveand devoted of

the Suliots,and be doubted not that, ifhe cou ld separate them from their compatriots, he shou ld bring theconte st toaspeedy close . Abou t the beginning of

November , therefore, releasing Foto from hisdungeon ,he proposed to him to return to his native mountains,and lead from them his own tribe, which he mightsettle wherever he pleased. Foto gaveafe ignedassentto this proposal,and departed, leaving his wife andfami lyas hostages in the hands of the vizier. H isfirst step, on reaching the Turkish camp, was to com

municate to Veli thearrangements into which he hadentered , with Ali,and to demandapassport to Pargafor his fo llowers. The passport was readily granted,and hostages were promised to be given for the safetyof those whom i t concerned .

On his arrival at Kiafl'a, Foto disclosed to the

council of the republic the real purpose of his visit.Famine, he rem inded them, wou ld,at no distant period,take from them the power ofresistance. Toavert , oratleast to de lay, this evil, he had been induced to delude

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164 L IFE o r AL I PASHA .

instantly, under pain of being cut to pieces if he delayed . Comeand take them was his laconic reply.To punish this audacity, the vizier put nine thou sandof his best troops in mo tion against Kunghi ,and lavished goldand promises offurther reward to stimu latetheir courage. At the head ofasmall body of men,Foto, with his sister Caidos by his side,advanced tomeet the enemy. TheAlbanians strained every nerveto toil up the steepand craggy hill ; but suchadeadlystorm ofbullets was pou red upon them by their sheltered antagonists, that every attempt to reach the

summit was unavailing. So incessant was the fire

kept up by Tzavella'

s little band, that their musketsbecame too hot to be used,and they resorted to rollingdown fragments of rock. They werenowjoined by thegarrison of the fort,and the defence acqu ired additional v igou r. Vast stones, logs of pine, and who letrees, were hurled from the cliffs upon the hostilemasses below . Afteracontest of seven hour s, findingthat it was impossible to gainanyground, Ali sufferedhis exhaustedand decimatedarmy to retire to its camp .

Seven hundred ofhis best troops were slain ;and morethan thrice that number were wounded. Humil iatedby his overthrow, he would not protract his stay, butreturned to Ioannina, leaving Veli with full powers toconclude the war in whatever manner he might deemmostadvisable.

This defeat envenomed still more Ah s hatred of

the Suliots,and made him redouble his efforts to com

piete their ruin . Reinforcements, ammunition, andprovisions, were dai ly despatched to his army,andthe pay of the soldiers was largely increased. EverySuliot who was takenprisoner was put to death without mercy. So unbounded washis cruelty that, movedby pity,and perhapsalso byafear of the retal iationthat might be exercised upon her sons, his favourite

L IFE o r ALI PA SHA . 1 65

wife Em ina, the mother ofM ouctarand Veli, venturedto intercede with him in behalf of the Suliots. The

very mention of the Suliots excited such frantic emotions in his breast, that he fired apistol at her ,andshe fell . Shewas carried to herapartments,and wasfound not to be wounded. Recovering from his paroxysm of passion , Ali wept, and soon afterwardsproceeded to her bed- room. He was refusedadmission,upon which he forced open the door. This secondshock was too much for the unfortunate Emina, andshe went into convulsions, in which she speedily expired . Ali was deeply affected by this catastrophe.

For many years,at the festal board, the counci l chamber ,and even in his sleep, her spectre seemed to haunthim. He dared not be in aroom by himself; hefeared to put hisarms out ofbed and, in the dead ofthe night, he was often known to start up, exclaimingmy wife "mywife " it is she " save me from her

wrath "”For this domestic calamity the vizier was in some

measu re consoled by the final success of the planwhich he had so greatlyat heart. The momentatlastarrived when it was impossible for the Suliotsanylonger to resist. To famine wasadded the still moreinsufferable evil of thirst . The enemy having cut themoff from the springs, they had no water bu t the scantysupply which they obtained from occasional rains, orfrom letting down sponges into the Acheron . Theseresou rces now failed,and for seven days they werewi thou tadrop of water to moisten their parched lips.Not overcome by val ou r, but worn out by‘

the severestprivations, they finally consented toatreaty with VeliPasha. Forlorn as their condi tion was, he did notdeem it prudent to tempt their despair. Heagreedthat they shou ld retire wheresoever they pleased,andshould be furnished gratu itou sly with the means Of

1 66 L IFE o r AL I PASHA .

conveying their sick and wounded, their womenandchildren, and their property and ammunition . Tothose who might choose to remain in Albania, he promised not only honour, safety,and protect ion," butalso grants of landsand villages in fu ll property ; and,in the most solemn manner, he invoked on his headthe worst earthly disgrace,and the vengeance of Heaven, should he ever violate the treaty. This compactwas signed on the 1 2 th ofDecember, 1 803 .

There was one Su liot who had taken no part in thenegociation, he having resolved not to survive hiscountry ; this was Samuel the monk . He saw nu

moved the Mahometansadvance to take possession ofthe fort of Kunghi,and when they intimated that hehad much to fear from theanger of the vizier, he re

plied, “ He who holds life as cheapas I do has nofear of viziers. He then set fire to the powder,andblew into theair the fortressandall that it contained.It is said that Ali had sworn , if he took him, to flayhimalive,and stuffhis skin.

Whether Ali had really given orders to violate thetreaty, or whether Veli was provoked by this ac t of

the dauntless monk, is not known, but it is certainthat the treaty was perfidiously broken . The Sul iotshad not proceeded far on theirmarch before they werefuriou slyattacked by the troops of the vizier . The

largest column of the Sul iots,about two thousand innumber, under Foto Tzavellaand Dimo Draco, tookits way towards Parga, whence it was to pass over toCorfu. It was pursued by four thou sand Albanians,who came up with it not far from Parga. Sendingforward the main body, which formedahollow square ,containing the women and children , Foto Tzavellawithafeeble rear-guard kept the enemyat bay,andsucceeded in covering the retreat, with no other lossthanasmall portion of the baggage.

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1 63 L IFE or ALI rasna.to force apassage, but, after having displayed the

most undaunted courage, nearly the whole of themwere destroyed. Let us die I exclaimed the

females, when they saw that all was lost ; and, 'withoneaccord, two hundred of them, pressing their babesto their breasts, and followed by - their daughters,plunged

’

into the waves of the Aspropotamos. Ofallthis band ofSuliots only fifty-fivemenand one womanescaped the slaughter,and found safetyat Parga.Equal heroism was manifested, inanother instance ,

byafamily offemales. ‘ By permission ofVeli Pasha,some widowsand children of Sul iotshad taken up theirabodeat the village ofRhimassa, between PargaandPrevesa. These unfortunate beings were now soughtout and sm elly slaughtered. One of them, namedD espo, thewidow ofGeorge Botzi, dwelt with her sevendaughters and daughters - in- law, and three of theirchildren, inalarge tower, called the tower ofD imoula.Theybarricadedthe door ,andfired upon the Turks, whosummoned them to surrender. Convinced that resistance must be unavailing, Despo placed achest ofcartridges in the m iddle of the chamber, called herfamily round her,and holding al ighted match in herhand, asked them whether they preferred death, orbeing captured and dishonoured by the Turks.Death I was the readyand unanimous reply. Assoonas the word was pronounced, the matronappliedthe match to the powder,and the tower withall itsnoble-minded inhabitants was blown into theair .

To massacres onagreat scale succeededaseries of

executions and cruelties which made humanity shudder . When his thirst for blood was somewhat slaked,Ali turned hisattention to the securing ofhis difficultand dearly- pu rchased conquest. He repaired theforts,and bu iltastrong fortress and serai onaloftyinsulated cliff in the vicinity of Kiafl‘a, in which he

rjrr s o r ALI PA SHA. 1 69

placed alarge garrison of his tru stiest Albanians.Partly exterm inated, and partly driven into foreignlands, the Su liotshe be lieved to be extinctasapeople ;and he wou ld doubtless have laughed in scorn , hadit been prophesied to him thatatime was to come,though atadistant period, when he would be profuseof promises and bribe s to gain support from theirarms.

CHAPTE R V II .

Influence acqui red by Al i—He isappointed Rumi li- val isce—HisCampaign—He foilsaScheme of the D ivanto entrap himAdvantages gained by him as Rumili -val ises—H isPersecu tionof the E tol iansand Acarnanians—Tragical Fate of SousmanTreacheryand Barbarity ofVel i Pasha—Fl ight of the ArchbishopofArta—Al i removed from the Government ofThessaly—E lma,hisNephew,appointed to i t—Al i causesthe DeathofE lmas—He

is reappo inted to the Pashal ik of Thessaly—He savesVasilikiRussian Intrigues—Al i negotiates with England—He seeks torecover the good Graces of France—Napoleon appoints M.

Pouquevi l le Consulat Ioannina—Interviews of M . Fouquevillewi thAl i .

TH E destruction of the Sul iots, who for nearlyacentury and ahalf had baffledall the efforts of the Mahometans, and who for the last thirteen years hadmaintained analmost incessant struggle against allthe resources of the power, wealth, craft,and treacheryof Ali , considerably increased the celebrityand influence of their destroyer. H is influence, says Lieutenant- colonel Leaks, found its way into every partof northern Greece,and left very fewretreats in whichthe Greeks could enjoy the fruits of their indu stry in

H is exploits were sung throughou t Albania,and were recounted from . one extrem ity of Tu rkey tothe other. The Turks carried their exaggerati on tosuch apitch as to give him the appellation of the

1 7 0 L IFE o r an PA SHA .

Saviour. His fameat length reached the ears of the

Sultan Selim, who rewarded him, or rather laid asnare for him. by conferring upon Ali the title andau thority of Rumili-valisee , which the pashahad once

At this moment, the office requi redaman ofabold,active,and vigilantwhole of that part of Rumelia, which

formed theancient Macedoniaand Thrace, was suffering severely from numerous predatory bands,posed of Bulgarians, Sclavonians,and other uncivilisedtribes . These plunderers bore the name of Kersalesor Chrysalides, and were commanded by daringleaders . They devastated the environs ofPhilippopolis,and the valleys of Mount Pangeus,and pushed theirmarauding parties even into the canton ofGhiustendil,on the north- eastern verge of Albania. The pashasof Smocovoand Uskiup were su spected of secretlyfavouring these robbers . The caravans could nolonger travel in safety, commerce was interrupted,couriers were rifled,andallauthority was setat defiance . To remedy these evils was the task which wasimposed upon the conqueror of Suli . But, in choosinghim for itsagent, the Porte, which already began tofeel ajealousy of him, was playing adouble game,and expected to benefit whether he succeeded or not.It had found itself incompetent to put down the hordesof robbers, and, consequently, if he achieved thatobject, he would have performedanessential service ;while, on the other hand, if he were hamed, hisfai lure would furnish apretext for his ru in,and hemight be seized with greater ease when he was at adi stance from his owngovernment, where his resourcesand the nature of the country would enable him tomakeaprotracted resistance .

It was, however, no easy undertaking to entrap theprudent Ali . Though he appears to have had no

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1 7 2 u se o r ALI PA SHA .

the least important of the other criminals werealsoput to death ; but those who possessed influence wereretai ned as hostages, perhaps as fu ture instruments,by the politic Ali.His march ,and probably the favou r shown to some

of the gu ilty,and hisastonishingactivity in col lectingso vast anarmy, gave rise to an opinion that hemeditated striking afatal blow against the empire.

He had likewi se levied contributions onall the townsthrough wh ich he passed,and extorted considerablesums from wealthy pe rsons . The supposition that hewished to cast off his allegiance was, nevertheless,unfounded. H is sole ambition ,at the utmost, was toestablishan immense feudal dominion, which he mighttransmit to his children. He was tooacute not to beaware that,as far as regarded any scheme of independence onhis part, no reliance whatever was to beplaced upon thearmy whichhe had so rapidlyassembled. Mmy of the leaders of it were his rivals,andeven his inveterate enemies. Besides, how could heexpect to preserve for any time the union of suchabody ofmen,differing so widely in country, in language,and ininterests, influenced by long- standing jealousies,d speakingaBabe l compound ofthe Turkish, Scia

vonian, Valachianand Bulgarian dialects ? Anarmyso composed contained in itself the seeds of dissolution, and cou ld not fail to be broken up upon the

least dissension or m isu nderstanding.

Obscure hintsand dark rumours had al ready producedaconsiderable fermentationamong this heterogeneousforce . Sedit ious expressions began to be common throughout the camp, revolut ionary songsare saidto have been sung evenby some of the ofli cers

,the

name of Selim was mentioned withaffected contempt,and the intention of raising anew standard was notobscurely avowed. At length an insu rrectionary

L I FE o r ALI rasna. 1 7 3

movement took place. Ali then suspected,and isasse rted to have soon procured proofs, that this movement was organised by the Divan itself. H is intentions were more strongly than ever suspected by theDivan, and it hoped to entrap him intoarebellion ,which would have ensu red his destruction . But the

sharp- sighted pashaavoided,the snare. The muti

users had already seized their arms,and were proneeding to his head-quarters, when, suddenlyappearingbefore them, surrounded by his faithfu l Albanians, heexclaimed, You are weary of inaction ; I applaudyour feel ings. Strike your tents,and let every onefollowme to the general rendezvou sat Sophia.”Ali immediately began his march being convinced

that thi s wou ld be the signal for the withdrawing of

the most mutinou s of the divisions. He was notmistaken , for they seized this opportunity of returninghome, while , on his part, he retook the road toMonastir. . The fears , however, of the Divan werenot wholly allayed till he had repassed the Vardar.

f did not feel secure,till he approached

Epirus, and was once more inafriendly country.

Withou t, however, betraying either suspicion oralarm,

he demanded from the Divanacar te blanche, in caseheshould be required to makeanother campaign . He

immediately received the thanks of the ministers ;but was informed that, satisfied with what the pashahad done, the su ltan deemed it unnecessary to requirethe continuance ofhis services in Rumelia.Theappointment ofRumili-valisee is consideredasabu rthen to the person who rece ives it. But Al iwas accustomed to turnevery thing toadvantage,andhe did not swerve from his system on thi s occasion .

He d rained the provinces by heavy contribu tions ;ransomed those whomhe ought to have punishedcarried off from the fortressesall theartillery which

1 7 4 mu o r AL" PASHA .

’

was transportable ; and re-entered Ioanninaladenwith the spoils of Rumelia. From motives of policy,as wellas from avarice, he left an exhausted countryto h is successor, whose embarrassments he soon

afterwards increased by settingat liberty the klephticchiefs whom he had detainedas hostages.As soonas Ali entered Epiru s, heannounced this

event to the people ; and all who were rich, or'

hadcause to dread his anger, hastened to celebrate hisreturn by giving him splendid entertainments . But

be well knew that these seeming manifestations of

pleasure were hollow, and, accordingly, ‘ far fromremitting in the rigour of his sway, he continuedandeven increased it. While he was doubtful whether heshou ld succeed in bathing the machinations of hisenem iesat the Porte, he had promised that the taxesimposed upon the Alban ians should be diminishedhe now postponed, till the Greek calends, the fulfilment of his promise ; and statute labour, which wasalready too burthensome to the peasantry, he ren

dered still more so. Some consolation was, indeed,afforded to the lower classes by his impartial tyranny.

The beys, their old oppr’

essors, were not sparedanymore than themselves ; the fortified towers and keepsof those petty despots were overthrown, and the

masters of them were reduced, as to power, to thesame levelasthose over whom they had, for centu ries,beenaccustomed to lord it withou t control .Ever greedy of gold, Ali now hit uponanother

means ofgratifying his passion for it. A persecutionwas commencedagainst the rich landed proprietors ofE toliaand Acarnania, on the pretext of their beingin secret confederacy with his hated enemies, the

Suliots. Many of them perished, victims of thisfalse accusation . Among the E tolians whom the

pashasacrificed there was one whose fate wasaecom

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1 7 6 L IFE or ALI PASHA .

him that Ali had restored his favou r to him,and heinvited him to come to Artawith his son , to rece ivepersonally the assurance ofb eing pardoned by sogreataprinceas the vizier, in whose heart he heldaplace. The postscript of this insidious letter was inVeli ’s own handwriting acondescension which , in theeast, is regardedasavery high favour granted byaprince toan inferior. Iam your friend,” said Veli,and will be always you r defender. If thi sassurance

be not sufficient, I convert it into an oath\to defend

you ,and, in the name of religionand by the heads ofmy chi ldren, I swear to you eternal friendship I"The oath of eternal friendship Sousman probably

estimatedat its real value ; bu t he believed that Vel iwas onlyanxious to obtain presents from him ,and that,i f . his cupidity were gratified, he wou ld secure himfrom future persecution. Though he might havefoundanasylum among the Armatoles, or at SantaMaura, to which island he had been invited by theRussians, he was reluctant to qu it his native home,and waswilling to purchase the privilege of remainingthere,at the cost ofaportion ofhis fortune. It was,in vain, therefore, that his family dissuaded him fromtrusting himselfat Arta,and that, when he reachedPrevesa, the caution was repeated by his friends, whostrenuouslyadvised him to discontinue his ominousj ourney.The predoomed victims , the father and the son,

landed at . Salago ra, the post- town of Arta. Therethey found waiting for them horses ,aguard ofhonour,andaGreek named D herman, who had been sent tocompliment them on the part of Veli. Ontheirarrivalat theabode which the pashahad prepared for thematArta, he sent his secretary to we lcomeand invite themto join inabanquetat his palac e , on the morrow.

“H is

mu sicians also came to serenade them, his dancers

LIFE os ALI PASHA . 1 7 7

toamuse them,and hisgardener to presentbouq u e ts ; they were crowned with flowers, and perfumes we re poured on their heads,and they retired torest, de light-6d by their rece

°

ou ,and longing for thedawnof that day the fl ow which they were destinednever to behold.In the morning they were summoned to the palm ,

to whi ch they were conducted on splendidly capari rsoned horses. Veli gave them his hand to kiss,seated them by his side, spoke in the kindest tones,and sm iled at the fears which they had entertained .

H e kept them with him while he dined, andat thecl ose of the meal, when the musicians and buffoonswere in tr oduced, he graciously dismissed them to partake ,as he said, ofabanquet which he had ordered tobe prepared for them. Weare going to divert ourselves here,

”headded, while youare being regaled

in the room below ; and, as soon as you r bu sinessis despatched, you shall be of our party. The two

deluded E tolians bowed respectfully,and retired.

Veli now seizedalyreand struckafewnotesasasignal for the dance rs and musicians to begin, andimmed iately aband of gipsies sang the songs of thecountry in praise of Ali's martial and maraudingexploits. Heated with wine, Veli threw oti

'

his turbanandpel isse to join the lascivious dance,and,at length,maddened by his passions, he disrobed himself of his

remaining clothing,and plungedwithout restraint intothe most revolting excesses that obscenity can i nspire .

While this disgusting revel wasat its height,acryof here they are was heard in the banquetingroom. It was uttered by two executioners, who cameforward with the blood-dropping heads of Sou smanand his son. Veli bu rst into afiendish laugh as helooked on the two bleeding evidences of his basenessand ferocity, Spat on them, and ordered that they

N

1 7 8 L IFE o r ALI PASHA .

should be deposited in silver-gilt dishes. He thencommanded the dance to be resumed ; but not eventhe fear of him could prevent his slavesandaecomplices from betraying the horror which the sangu inaryscene had excited : D hermanfainted, the gipsies werestruck dumb with consternation

, and Veli wasat lastobliged, withafew of his stronger- nerved associates,to retire to his privateapartment, where the whole of

the night was spent in inebrietyand licentious enjoyment.The catastrophe of Sousman and his son took

place in the palace of the archbishop ofArta, whereVeli resided during his stay in the city. We haveseen that thearchbishop was induced to lend his influence to the vizier, to putan end to the gallant resistance of the Suliots. Seeing the fatal consequencewhich it had produced, he had, however, repented ofthat weak or treacherous act ; and now, his disgust,and probably his fear, being excited by the foulslaughter which had been committed in hisabode, heabandoned his diocese,and soughtarefuge at Corfu .

Ali endeavoured, bu t withou t success, to get himagain into his power. At the same time, the pashasent several detachments to attack the Armatoles, inthe mountains of Agrapha, and desolate their territory. The chief pu rpose of these attacks was tocompel them to banish the formidable chief Paleopoulo, whose courage and perseverance he dreaded .

The brave E tolian was finally forced to qu it hiscountry. After having for nearly four years beenadweller in woodsand caves,and suffered the severesthardships, Paleopouloat last went to Constantinople,where he was fortunate enough ‘to obtain protectionfrom the Frenchambassador. Other leaders of theArmatoles concluded treaties with the pasha, andwereadmi tted into his service.

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1 8 0 L IFE o r AL" PASHA .

to place onher establishmentaconfidential physicianand sharp- sighted spies. Asperiodat which the firmanof investment wou ldarrive ,he sent,asapresent to his nephew, afur pelisse of

extraordinary value, suchasmight have been reckoned‘

amagnificent gift fromasovereign and with this hedesired that Elmas might be robed when he received

On the appointed day, Shainitzaput the pel isseu pon E lmas ; and, as is customary in the East, she

was present at the ceremony of investi ture, whichherambition had so much longed for . My son isa.pashal” exclaimed she to thefemales who waited onhe r ;My son isapasha; and mynephews will die of vexation that he is so l Bu t in the cou rse ofafew days hersonbegan to complain ofalanguor in his whole frame.

An i rresistible tendency to dozing, frequent sneezing,andanunnatural lustre inhis eyes, indicatedaser iousdisease the fatal present ofAli hadaccomplished itspurpose. The pelisse, not less deadly than the robeof Nessu s, impregnated with the morbific miasms ofayoung girl who died of the small pox,and who had‘

been purposely wrapped in it, had spread its po isonthrough the frame ofthe unfortunate Elmas, who hadnot been inoculated. An eruption appeared, the

nature of which was unknown to the women whoattended him ; the physician was called in, he bledthe sick man,and his lancet, no less mu rderous than

'adagger, precipitated Elmas into the tomb.

The rage and angu ish of Shainitzawere extreme.

Inthefirst transport ofher furiou s sorrowshe orderedthat the physician should be put to death ; but,anticipating what wou ld be his fate if he ventured to

-e ncounter her anger, he had prudently taken fl ight .As soonas the funeral rites were performed, Shainitza

~returned to Ioannina, to seek for consolationfrom her

LI FE o r AL I PA SHA. 1 8 1

brother. H e, too, seemed overcome wi th grief; andsoably did the subtle deceiver play his part, that shenever su spected by whose hand was dealt the blowwhich destroyed at once her favourite sonand herschemes ofambition .

The fie ld wasagain open to Ali,and he was not aman to loseanadvantage by delay. He immediatelydespatched adeputy to manage for the present theafl’ai rs of Thessaly,and took steps to obtain from thePorte his own restoration to the government of theprovince . H i s intrigues, or his gold, were successfu l,and he was reinstated, without even being under thenecessity of ceding Butrinto to the Russians. Tocrown his good fortune,athird son was bo rn to him.

This lastand most cherished of his ofl'

spr ing was thechild ofaGeorgian slave,and bore the name of SaliBe

{Tom the re—accession of Ali to the pashalik of

Thessaly, arose an event which was u ltimately productive of much happine ss to himself,and, probably,of no smal l benefit to many of his subjects. At thesame time that the Porte forwarded to him his

diplomaof investiture, it also sent him orders todetectand exterminate agang of coiners, which wasestablished at the village of Plichivitza, near the

fronti er of his territory. These coiners not onlycounterfeited the Turkish coin, but also Venetiansequins,and that, too, with such skill that the publictreasury,as wellas individuals, was daily deceived bythe spuriou s money. Ali took his measures so wellthat he su rrounded the de linquent village before daylight,and pounced unawares on the whole group of

coinersand distributors, inthe midst of their moulds,melting pots , and other apparatu s of fraud. The

tools he is said to have retained ; those who had u sedthem he had no interest in sparing. Accordingly,

1 8 2 L IFE or ALI rasua.the chiefof the gang was immediately condemned tothe gibbet,and his house was ordered to be rased toits foundations. The whole population of the villagewasabout to be doomed to death, when it was savedbyafortunate incident. Flying from the soldiers,abeautiful girl, twelve years ofage, rushed up to thevizier, threw herselfat his feet, clasped his knees,and implored him to intercede with the terrible Ali tospare her mother and her brothers . My lord "”

exclaimed she,“ my father is no more, be our pro

tector in his stead ; we have done nothing to deservetheanger of the dreadful master who has killed him .

We are poor children ; my mother never ofl'

ended

him ; I . give myself to you , take me among you rslaves ; you have perhaps children of myage, or amother.’ The youth , beauty,and tearfu l innocenceof the suppliant prevailed,and nature foramomentresumed her rights in the breast ofAli. Pressing herto his bosom, he said, Dismiss you r fears, my dearchild ; I am that wicked vizier. Oh no l no l ”

replied she, you are good, my good master "Be comforted, my child,

” responded Ali, “ mypalace shall be henceforth your home . Show me

your mother and you r brother s ; I will spare them ,

your prayers have saved their lives .” Having said

this he directed that her family should be placed insafety,and that she should be sent to Ioannina. Thisyou thfu l pleader was Vasiliki, whoafterwards becamehis wife.

While his footing was not yet firmly establ ished inAlbania, it had been the policy ofAli to cu ltivate asmuch as possible agood understanding with Russia.But his former friends were now become the objectsof his jealousyand hatred,and he bentall his effortsto the thwarting of their designs. It mu st, indeed,be owned, that he was not without sufficient reasons

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1 8 4'

u se or AL" PASH A .

about to obtain the wished-for order, when his hopeswere completely frustrated by the Ru ssians, whoadroitly prevailed onthe senate to solicit their proteotion . The troops of theautocrat soonafter arrived,and took possession of the islands . By this measureAli’s hatred of the Muscovites was not alittleincreased.But the apprehensions ofAli were not excited byRussiaalone. A still more formidable power wasapproaching towards his bou ndaries. The rapid progress of the French in Dalmatiawould speedily bringthem to his door,and he did not so far misca’lcu latehis resources as to imagine that , even when backedby the forces of the Porte, he could offer anetfective

resistance. In this emergency he deemed it necessaryto strengthenhimself by some efli cieu t alliance ; andhe , in consequence, turned his views towards the

English government, with which he had carried onan active correspondence through the medium of

Lord Collingwood . The immediate resu lt of thisoverture was, that Major Leake, who had this yearbeen sent on acommissi on to Ali,“ was instructed toremain in Albania, for the purpose of taking amilitary survey of the country,and pointing out the bestmeans of defending it against anAli, meanwhile, employed himselfimproving fortresses, reforming the police, clear inghis territory of robbers,and sowing dissensionamonghis enemies .The treaty which fo llowed the victory ofAusterlitz

produced another change ; and it mu st he confessednot an indefensible one, in the policy of Ali. Bythat treaty Dalmatiaand Illyriawere ceded to Napmleon, who thus became the neighbou r of the

The English alliance, however beneficial ithave been .under other c ircumstances, could now

e s or ALI PA SHA. 1 8 5

prove only injurious. It was, therefore, abandoned,and Aliapplied

.

himself to recover the good graces bfthe French sovereign. Napoleon , on his part, wasnot averse from being on amicable terms with thewily Albanian . Byaccepting the proffered friendshipof the pasha, he severed him from the EnglishandRussians, and, whatever course he himself mightu ltimately decide

,upon pursu ing with respect to

Turkey, whe ther heappeared as her protector or herdestroyer, the assistance of Ali would be highlyvaluable .

Befo re, however, Napoleon commenced anegociation, he took the prel iminary step of cau singanexactreport to be made to him ofthe person and characterofAl i , his political situation,and the means which hepossessed ofacting either on the offensive or defensive.

The datawere not difficu lt to be obtained, as twoFrench officers had hadavery near viewof the pasha,hiscourt, his capital,and his dominions.This elaborate report gaveasatisfactoryaccount of

the talents and resources of Ali ; proving that heought to be consideredas no contemptibleally. The

portion of it, however, which was most likely to conciliate Napoleon was that which described the pashaas havingalways beenagreatadmirer of the explo itsperformed by the French armies,attributing them toaspecies of magical influence , by which victory wasever rendered propitious to the Gallic banners . The

report was wound up by reflections upon the importance of the ancient commercial relations betweenFranceand Albania. Before the revolution, France,it said, had imported timber from that country,which , far superior to that procured from the Baltic,had been employed in the dock -

yard of Tou lon withparticu lar success, the finest French frigates havingbeenconstructed of it. But tenyears’ war had inter

1 8 6 L IFE or ALI PasaA.

ruptedall this commerc ial‘Intercourse . The French

interest, being now more widely extended, requ iredamore solid basis . During the reign ofLou is XV I.that monarch had established at Ioanninaaconsulgeneral, for the purpose of promoting commercialrelations with the Albanians. By reviving this sets»blishment great advantages , both civi l and political ,might be expected ; for Ioanninawas not only one of

the mostactive cities in all Greece, but wasalso theseat of the modern power of Ali Pasha. For thesedifferent reasons it was better calcu lated to be the

residence ofaFrench consul -general than eitherArmor Prevesa. Every thing showed that Ali consideredthis distinctionasaparticular mark of the esteem of

the French emperor, for whom he had ever testifiedthe highest regard ; and that, if some trifling dispu tesstill existed between Aliand France, they would soon,beaccommodated, by regu latingand settling the oldoutstandingaccounts for stores, &c. furnished by Alito the French army during its occupation of Corfu.

Besides , by the establishment of an agent in hiscapital, France wou ld be the betterable to cope withher rivals the English, who, being masters of someimportant positions in the Mediterranean , were nowalso directing their views towards Epiru s, for the

purpose of obtaining ship timber,and also of injuringasmuch as possible the French marine inthe south .

In short, by formingan intimate connection with AliPasha, the French would become the betteracquaintedwith the localities,and by that means be enabled todiscover resou rces , which might be of infiniteadvantage to the governmentat home.

Theargumentsadduced by the report were deemedconclu sive in favour ofaconnecti on with Ali. Somevaluable presents were, in the first instance, sent tothe pasha, through the medium of general Massena.

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1 88 mm o r ALI PASHA .

niani and afteratwo days’ march , they met the

vizierat the seraglio of D zitza, who gave them theirfirst audience. The narration it may be as well tocontinue inM. Pouquevi lle

’

s ownwordsMy curiosity was strongly excited I wasat last

abou t to beholdatoo famous man,anewTheseu s,anold warrior covered with scars,asatrap who had growngrey in the trade of arms, the mode rn Pyrrhus ofEpirus—for all thi s had I heard ofhim . We reachedthe gates of the seraglio, which turned groaning ontheir hinges ; we passed throughasilent cou rt,ascendedagloomy staircase,atrap-door was l ifted up,acu rtain was raised,and we found ourselves in theaudience hall ofAli Pasha, who stood waiting for us.

He greeted us, embraced M. Bessieres,and then, fallingback with astaggering motion , he dropped into acorner ofthe sofa, without seeming to have perceivedme. A whi te bearded spectre, dressed in black, whowas with him, honou red me byaslight movement ofthe head, by way of telilng me that I was welcome .

This scene , in which also figu red aGreek secretaryprostrated in theattitude of fear, was illuminated bythe wavering light ofayellow wax candle, placed onthe floor, which justallowed objectsand persons to bedistingu ished.

After the u sual compliments, the private interpreter of the vizier was called, in order to open theconversation, which the pashabegan byasking questions with avolubilit-y very uncommon among the

Turks . Through the half-dispelled gloom of the

apartment I could distingu ish the coruscations of hiseyes, and observe the convulsive workings of his features . I listened to his conversation,apparently vagueand unconnected, yet fu ll of cunning. He swunghimselfabout, he laughed, he talked, but, notwithstanding the rapid dowofhis speech, no word escaped

LIFE or AL I PASHA'

. 1 8 9

him that had not its import. At times he threw scru

tinising glances onme,andat length the black spectre,and theGreek secretary, who wer e stealthily watching the proceedings, were ordered by him to withdraw .

‘We remained with the interpreter, who continued tostammer out the questions and replies ; and, after aconversation of two hou rs, we retired, leaving the

v izier struggling be tween hopesand fears.This inte rview sufficed to destroy some of the

.illusions which I had been under. Ali PashawasneitheraThe seus,aPyrrhus, nor an old soldier co

vered with scars. I qu itted him with qu ite difi'

erent

ideas ; his manners had disgu sted me,and, though Iwas far from foreseeing all the vexatiou s wh ich hecau sed me, I could not but secretly lament that fatehad destined me to live in the court of su chamanashe was.

”

After this interview , the two envoys retired tathemonastery of the prophet Elias, which had been assigned themasaresidence. They were received bythe Greek monks with the u tmost hospitality andkindness. The next day the pashainvited them toasecond conference : he had risen before daylight expecting them. The two envoys proceeded towardsthe seraglio . Two heads, recently severed from theirbodies, were stuck upon stakes, in the middle of the

cou rt-yard, withou tappearing, to excite the leastattention . Wholly unafl'ected by this horrid spectacle ,crowds of suppliants and courtiers w'

ere pressing towards the staircases, inorder toarrive in the presence .

Cahouas, aspecies of u shers carrying long wands ,”

adds M. Fouqueville, “made the crowd fall back tofacilitate ourapproach and for the second time I sawAli Pasha. He was verging on his sixtieth year,andhis figu re , which was not above five feet nine incheshigh

, was deformed by excessive corpulency. H is

1 90 L IFE o r AL" PASHA .

features, loaded with wrinkles, were, however, notwholly efi

'aced ; their flexibility, and the brilliancyof his small blue eyes, had the effect ofamask,in which cunning was joined with ferocity. Amidstthe bursts ofaguttural laugh, many things which hesaid were tinctured withacertain elegance . Eagerlyrece iving the presents brought by M. Bessieres, hebecame qu ite joyous,and launched out intoanumberof common - place protestations of friendship. He

called us his children, his brothers, his kind friends ;and,as though he had seen me for the first time, hecondescended to promise me his protection in the

exercise of my consular functions. It was at lengthdecided that we should set off the next afternoon forIoannina. After this interview, the vizier, who hadorderedagrand hunt, mounted his steed,and the nextmoment numbers of Albanian horsemen were seentracking the game on all sides, and driving themtowards their master.”The chase being ended, the consul -generaland his

friend directed their cou rse towards Ioannina. A boatawaited them at the head of the lake, from whichthey were landedat the castle called Chatirwan, whereapartments had been prepared for them. A large fire,pages, servants,and all the display of eastern tinsel,indemnified them in some measu re for the privations which they had undergone. It wasagreed thatthey should remain incognito, till acourier shouldretu rn from Constantinople , with the customary barator excequatu r

'

for M . Fouqueville, without which hecould not be legally accredited. Finding that dayafter day elapsed without the retu rn of the courier,M. Bessieres was under the necessity of setting off forFrance . I separated from my friend with the greatest heaviness ofheart, says M . Fouqueville. I sawmyself,as it were,abandoned amidst barbarians ; for

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1 92 L i sao r AL ] rAsnA;

CHAPTE R VIII .

PlansofAl i—He obtains the Pashal iks of the Morcaand c antofor his sons Vel i and M ouctar—His conduct at Prevesa—He

visi ts apart of his Terri tories—His sarcasti c Treatment of hisK isya—S ingu lar mode of administering J ustice—Dialoguebetween Ali and aPapas—System of Government in Turkeydescribed—Barbarism of the Prior ofaConvenb—Engl ish shipwrecked Sai lors—Strange manner of clo thing the naked—Al iobtains Office rsand Arti llerymen from Napoleon—He besiegesSantaMaura—Motives ofAli investigated—Ali becomes disgusted wi th the French All iance—He courts the Friendship of

Great Bri tain—His Letter to Lord Col lingwood—A Bri tishAgent is sent to confer wi th him.

TH E ruin of the Suliotes being completed, Ali nextundertook to clear Cassiopeiaof the bands of

Armatoles,bywhich that province wasoverrun . Underpretext of establishing order in the vaiwodol ik of

Arta, he also seized upon Acarnaniaand E tolia.Having nearlyaccomplished the subjugation of theseterritories, he entrusted the finishing ofthe task to bisrelative and lieutenant Yusuf, upon whom he reliedso implicitlyas to make him hisalterago, the executerof his vengeance upon the tribes who yet strove tomaintain their independence. Torrents of blood,therefore,again flowed, the principal towns of the districts which were inarms were consumed, multitudeswere sold into slavery, and aflourishing countrywasreduced to the most u tter state ofdesolation .

Still pursu ing his encroachments,Ali reduced to

obedience Salons,atown near Amphissa, the inhabi

tants of which he insulted by giving themapapas, orpriest, foragovernor, threatening, i f they refused him,

to send them one of his scullions. By the end of

1 8 06, he was, in fact, master of the whole of Greece,with the exception of Boeotiaand Attica, and evenin

L I FE o r ALI PA SHA . 1 93

the latter he contrived to obtainan influence, by procuring one of his creatures to be sent to Athens asvo iwode .

Whilst these enormities were being perpetrated inthe name ofapitiless conqueror, Ali tore from the

arm s of her father the third and last daughter of

Ibrahim Pasha, to bestow her in marriage upon hisnephew Aden Bey, the second son of Shainitza.Had Ibrahim united his daughter to some powerfu lneighbou r, he m ight have found asupport againstAli'sambitiou s projects ; bu t, by this union , no refugewasnow left him. some hepeswere, however, indulgedfrom Ibrahim’

s only son beingaflianced toadaughter ‘

ofVel i Pasha; but Ali had proposed this union merelywithaview ofmore effectually deluding the manuponWhose ru in he had resolved.

At thisperiod, it was the plan of Ali to obtainthepashalik of Salonikafor his nephewAden Bey, to re

place Ibrahim Pashaof Berat by his son M ouctar ,and to establish Vel i in the M orea. He had some

reason to flatter himself that SantaMaurawould fallinto his hands ; and, in that case, he designed, it is said ,to make the gu lf of Artathe centre of apiraticalsystem not less famous than that ofAlgiers. As to hisintention of turning pirate we may, however, beallowedto’

entertain doubts not on the score of his moralitybeing likely to stand in the way of his doing so , bu t

because he was too cunning apolitician to pursue acourse wh ich wou ld inevitably have raised up manypowerfu l enemiesagainst him .

A part of his plan he had the good fortune torealise. General Sebastiani, the French ambassador,was then all powerful in the Divan ; the bribes whichhe distribu tedamong its members, the high renown ofNapoleon ,andavery natu ral dread of Russia, secu redin. the Ottomancounsels the ascendancy of France .

0

1 94 L IFE or AL I rAsHA.

Through the influence of Sebastiani, Ali procured thepashalik of the Moreafor Vel i, and that of Lemntofor M ouctar . Veli was delighted with his promotion

,

but M ouctar was stung with envy at being,as bedeemed it, degraded to the less splendid governmentof M panto . Ali repaid the service which he hadrece ived from the French minister, byaccelerating arupture between Russiaand Turkey. As soonas therupture was dec ided upon, he obtained the perm issionwhich he had so longandardently desi red, to re- occupythe continental dependenci es of the Ionian islands .He lost not amoment in pouncing upon his prey.

Upon taking possession ofPrevesa," says M r .Hughes,he reduced that unfortunate place by systematicoppressionto the state ofabject misery in which wesaw it. Having, in defiance of the treaty of 1 800,deprived most of the original proprietors of their landsand houses, which be distributedamong his Mahometan followers, he demolished two thirds of the ci ty,overthrow the churches, laid the foundation of asplendid Serai ,and bu iltaspaciou s mosque . All thiswas done not only to prevent European states fromtakingan interest in its restitution , but to furnish aplausible pretext to the Ottoman Porte for refusingeverafter to restoreaTurk ish city to the protectionofan infidel power. Vonizzaand Butrinto were inlike manner ru ined, though these places were insignificant when compared with Prevesa. Pargaluckilyescaped the storm, by receivingaRussian garrisoninto its fortress .” At the same time, M. Flory, theRussian consu lat Ioannina,wasarrested, and preparations for war were made onall sides.While his agents were engaged in the political

intrigues and negociations, which we shall presentlyhave occasi on to narrate, Ali determined uponmakingaprogress through various parts ofhis pashalik. In

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1 96 L IFE o r AL I rAsnA.

he pretends that the plague consists ofavast numberofanimalcu les, which m ight be seen throughamagnifying

-glass , if one cou ld be procured of sufficientpower." After having thus amused himselfat the

k iaya’

s expense, he said to him, you shall dine withu s to day. Let us have some of the best wine . You

have no objection toaglass, have you The k iayaexcused himself. Why"you were not so scru

pulous formerly ; and,as you intend to reform r your

conduct, go and dine in the kitchen .

”But, my

lord, the law of our prophet.” Silence l I am aprophet in my own country,

'and if I hadamind,”added he inan ironical tone, I could make you own

it too. At these .words the k isyawithdrew, to takehis meal inanotherapartment.H is splendid retinue of servantsand pages havingarranged the repast upon aservice of silver gilt ; Al iand his gu estate their food from plates of Sevres

porcelain , ornamented with designs by Frenchartists .According to the vizier

’

s custom, there was placedbefore himawhole lamb , weighing twelve pounds, of

which , without masticating it, he devoured more thanhalf, besides cloves ofgarlic, hard eggs,an eel,andagreat variety of other things : contenting himselfafterwards with touching many dishes with his finger,to show that he liked them,and that they m ight beclearedaway. Pilau , or boiled rice, the u sual dessertof the Turks, over which they pour cu rdled cream,

was now brought up. On dipping his spoon into it,the vizier discovered atuft of feathers , which provedthat the rice had been boiled in the same water thathad been u sed to scald off the feathers. At thatinstant

,says M . Fouqueville, I saw the satrap

turn pale ; and immediate symptoms of terror weremanifested by his attendants ." What is this ?how I

”H is voice was completelyaltered, when his

L IFE or AL I PAsnA. 1 97

eyes accidentally meeting mine, he was unable (Iknow not why) to continue his

'

invective, and he

burst intoaloud fit of laughter. You see , my son,how Iam treated ? S ome day or other I shall certainly hang them. That will not teach them bettercookery.

” Oh, indeed, it will . If you knew howessential this is to good order. - f

‘ For this once,however, I hope you will forgive them P Yes ;but they must eat the pilau boiled in the dish water,with all the feathers in it. Had it not been for you,their heads should have been exhibited in the courtyard. At this time there were about halfadozenheads of robbers exposed on stakes, previously to theirbe ing sent to Constantinople . The ludicrou s sentence,passed by Ali onthe cook, was strictly executed.

The su lphu rmine, the object of the journey, uponwhich

”

so many grand projects and speculations hadbeen bu ilt, was found near the surface of the earth .

The native sulphur was contained inablack earthyenvelope. Trials having beenmade upon some spe

cimens of it,orders were given to erect furnaces,and

the peasants were about to be condemned to wastetheir lives in mining, when , fortunately for them, the

stupidity ofan Italian , who was appointed superin

tendent of the works, d i sgu sted the vizier with ascheme which he renounced withas much indifferenceas he had displayed eagerness to undertake it. Thislucky blunder of the Italian consisted in

'attemptingto burn out the su lphur instead of subliming it .On his return to Ioannina, the pashastoppedatanambar i , or granary, where he was

'

joined by the

French consu l. As M. Pouqueville entered, the inhabitants of the neighbouring village of Concoulios

came to present his highness withacup '

of m ilk andafew handsfu l of meal, in token of the prosperityand abundancewhich spring up under the feet ofa

1 98 L IFE o r AL I PAsnA.

powerful man. May you enjoy along and happylife 1 " said they to him ; may you be fu ll of yearsbut we pray that you will either hang or drown us, or

diminish the taxes with which we are overwhelmed.

"

The pasha, without seeming to understand these com

plaints , invited the consu l to sit down by him onapileof maize , covered wi th acarpet. He then made asign to the peasants to retire, telling them to go inpeace,and pray God for him ; assu ring them , that, ifProvidence spared his

‘ life, they should want fornothing. At length his harangue being concluded,the petitioners had already passed the door, whenheordered them to be called back,and upon his sayingto them that he held them near his heart,” the consu lbegan to hope that the vizier had relented towardsthese unfortunate villagers . But his hopes were soonblighted ; for,afteramoment's pau se, Ali proceededto finish his speech In these consoling words As aproofofwhich, you shall build me,at your own ex

pense,aresidehce contiguou s to this storehouse : letit be done in six months withou t fail, or woe be toyou r heads l ” Write ,

” said he to one ofhis secretaries, to whom he dictated the plan, the dimensions,and other particulars ; and he added, amidst loudbursts of laughter, It is amost charming spot ; Ishall often have hunting parties here ; I must havesome place toalightaThis decision was so strange, that, though it ru inedawhole vi llage, the French consul involuntary joinedin the laugh. This is your way,

” said the vizier tohim now the se rascals have been draining medry they owe me heaps of money, interest uponinterest ; besides, they were my father’ s enemies ."

As the poor wretches whom he thus accused wereprobably not born Inthe life- time ofAli ’s father, theconsul, recol lecting the fable of the wolf and the

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200 L IFE o r ALI PASHA'

.

my wife, who is old, and fourteen goats, which shetakes out to feed Inthe mountains. If they wereal lsold, they would not fetch enough to pay for the doorof the tower,and thismy enemies well know. But

there is one thing ofwhich your highness seems tobe ignorant ; namely, that these men, so zealou s inyour service, have owed you for ten years the tithesu pon wine . They, who tax me with drunkenness,make the

poor suppl

ywine, and then they drink itthemse lves. This Isalwas theway Iam served,

”

said the vizier, sighing, and7

yet people wonder thatIam poor—and how much does this come to in ayear ? “More than ten thousand okkes of wine ,wi thout reckoning the brandy they distil .” Yes,

wineand brandy " I have notasou l, positively not asingle sou l, who caresabout my interests ; this Is theway Iam ruined—and howmuch does this make ?— “More than four thou sand piastresayear, my lord,at the very lowest. Let me see "fifty thou sandpiastres,and as much for interest ; for they have, nodoubt, robbed me in many other ways " My son, Iappoint thee codjabashi (primate) , in the place of

thyaccusers, who shall remain in prison till they payme what they owe me . The village mu st rebuildthe towerat its own expense ; and, for thy part, be afaithful servant to me .

’

But, my lord, where shallI live P Iam in rags , who 1 8 to find me clothes POh " I give you the house of this man, said the

vizier, pointing to one of the dismissed codja-bashisthen, turning to one of his secretaries, he added,write an order to the shop- keepers ofIoannina, toclothe the papas from head to foot,and inahandsomestyle, for the loveofme .

’

Having seen enough of this mode ofadmi nisteringju stice, M. Fouqueville quitted the room when

'anothercause was called on. He was followed by the coun

L IFE o r AL I PASHA . 201

sellor, who had made asign to him when he wasgoing to repeat the fable,and who, as soon aswere out of ear - shot ofAliand his officers ,addressedhim in the following words. You have just seenaspecimen of our government. It is u niformly thesame , in great things and in small . I , who am aTurk ,andafavourite of the prince , cannot tell whether I shall sleep to -morrow in my bed. You wishedto plead in behalf of the inhabitants of Coucoulios ;set you r hear t at ease, the hunting- seat will not bebu ilt. Philip (this wasasurname which he gave toAli Pasha, inallusion to the wily father ofAlexander)only wants to ruin the inhabitants, that he may forcethem to sell their landed property,and convert theirvillage intoachifil ick ; this is the whole secret. The

codja-bashis, who have just been turned out, wi ll beplundered ; andas soonashe hasbecome rich enough ,so will the papas who has taken their place. This isthe way every thing goes on " The primates rob theGreeks, the pashas squeeze the primates, the sultaninherits from the viziers, and he is pillaged by hiswivesand his courtiers ; such is the habitual circulati on of the public riches. Here you have afaithfulpicture of our empire ; an empire which, in spite of

its inconsistencies,and of rebellions and the plague,holds together,and will continue to do so,as longasit shall please God toallow of its existence .

M . Fouqueville now took his way to the convent ofJacovo , where he was to lodge for the night. Therehe found the kiayaand his divan efi

'

endi , or chiefsecretary ; and, at supper, they were joined by Dr.Lou is Franck, whowas then physician to Ali. Duringthe repast, the kiaya, who was probably piqued intothis display by the previous sarcasms of his master,madeagreat parade of his learn ing, which, however,was entirely confined to extravagant necromantic tales,

202 L I FE o r ALI pasna.

and dissertations upon judicialastrology ; two favouri tethemes with the Turks. The party then stretchedthemselves to rest on the floor. Soporific as the

prosing of the kiayawas, it failed to produce i tsnatural efi'ect on the French consul, its influence be ingcounteracted by the hard boards on which he waslying, and by the smokiness of the chamber. He

consequently rose to look for some one to conversewith . In one ofthe corridors he found the prior, whowas carding wool. Afteralittle preliminary com ersation, the consul inqu ired if the holy man hadanymanuscripts . Ah I” exclaimed the prior, “ old histories, God keep us from them "weare orthodox,andall that was written by those Jews or Greeks, whoproduced nothing but what was heretical, has beenburnt,and shall be again, if I can catchanymore oftheir But, said M . Fouqueville,the monks were the preservers of those

'

very parchments ,and it is to their care thatweare indebted for thefinest works of antiqu ity.

" I know nothing aboutthat, growled the barbarian ; they wou ld have donebetter to mind only carding their wool .” Disgu stedby such brute stupidity, the consu l hurried back tohis chamber ; but there he found the pitiless kieyeawake, who; inflicted upon him the monotonous andinterminable narrative ofhis life.

The next morning, when it was scarcely daylight,they were informed .byacourier, that the vizier ex

pected themat the khan of Mazaraki , to which place

The caloyers, says M . Fouquevi lle, have destroyed more

manuscriptsand monuments of thear ts than the barbarianswhodesolated Greece. Ifastatue orabasso- rel icvo with figures isfound , “ the sight of them wi l l pol lute the beams of the sun.

"

I t is lucky when they wi l l content themselves wi th burying themagain for they

,oftener make lime of them. It is the same with

inscriptions, &c .

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204 L I FE o r AL I PASHA .

on the Acroceraunian coast,and had been plundered

by the Kimariots. An attempt had been made tocut off the head of one of them,and the wound wasstill open on his neck. The consul, though his country wasatwar with England, was too humaneamannot to interest himselfwarmly for the sufferers,andhe pleaded their cause with effect. Ali, indeed, cou ldhardly beaverse from granting arequest which wasin accordance with his policy as respected England.

The captives wereaccordingly placed at the disposalof M. Fouqueville. He next desired that they m ightbe supplied with clothing, and Ali gave directionsthat it shou ld be done. The business was speedilyand economically accomplished. Accustomed as hewas to similar scenes, it was not without surprise thatM . Fouqueville witnessed the Albanian mode of

clothing the naked . The officer, who was chargedwith this benevolent task, gaveabox on the ear toaGreek, snatched off his cloak ,and threw it over theshou lders of one of the sailors ; another operation of

this kind furnished the second sailor withagarment.“ Dealingabou t his blows uponall who came n ighhim,

” says M . Fouqueville, he in amoment foundshoes and caps for these two men, who were no lessastonished than I was,at ascene which proves howdifficu lt it is, whenwe have to do with atyrant, torender aservice without infl icting inj ury on someperson or other.”

Such is the picture of the progress ofaTurkishviceroy through his territories . It is sufficiently re

pulsive. Yet those who call to mind how j ustice wasoften of old administered even in England,and whatinsufferable nu i sances were royal progresses, will makeallowance for the cu stoms of semi -barbarou s Albania.Badas the situation of the Albanians was under Ali,i t can scarcely be consideredas much worse than that

L IFE o r AL I PA SHA . 205

of our countrymen, in the times when every feudallord was an irresponsible tyrant, when torture by fireor on the rack was in use, when the monarch couldarbitrarily press into his service mu sicians , goldsmiths,embroiderers,and otherartificers,and when,as Burkehappily expresses it, “ the royal purveyors , sallyingforth from under the gothic portcullis, to purchaseprovision with powerand prerogative, instead ofmoney,broughthome the splunderfoflahundred markets,andall that could be seized fromaflyingand hiding country,and deposited .their spoil inahundred caverns, witheach its keeper. The same causes, however, whichoperated to remove these evils in western Europe will,no doubt, u ltimately remove them in Turkey,and thenatives of that country will rise toahigher rank thanisat present occupied by themamong civili sed nations .With much that is fau lty in their character, there isblended much that is worthy ofpraise,and where virtueis not wholly extinct there isalways ground for hopeIn his efforts to aggrandise his dominions Ali was

no less active than in swelling his hoards by everymeans in his power. ‘ To attain possession of the

Seven Islands, o r at least apart of them, was anobject ofwhich he never lost sight. In the most u rgent manner, be pressed the French consul -general toprevail on his government to furnish him withofficers, artillerymen, and more especially ordnance,and military stores, of which he stood in need . III

case ofhis receiving these, he engaged toactagainstthe Russians with such vigour,as not only to em

barrass them in the islands, but also to preventthem from annoying the French in Dalmatia, andsending succours to Cattaro . Early in 1 8 07 his wishesbegan to be gratified. A detachment of twentyl-twoartillerymen , under the command of colonel Ni coleand captain Ponceton, commenced, on the 1 4 th

206 L IFE o r ALI FAsnA.

ofFebruary, their march from Ragusaacross Bosniato the north of Albania. Theseauxiliaries were followed byan entire company from the kingdom of

Naples, with several emeers,acorvette,agun- boat,andaconsiderable quantity ofmilitary stores . Thesetroops, which, on their arrival, were quartered atPorto Palermo, Santi Quaranti , Prevean, Missolonghi ,and Lepanto,were placed, by his government, under thedirection ofM. Fouqueville. Colonel de Vaudoncour t,anofficer of engineers, whom marshal Marmont hadentru sted with am ission to the beys and pashas ofAlbania, remained in Ali ’s dominions to superintendthe defensi ve operations. Under his guidance, Alifirst constructed entrenchments round his capital ; heal so fortified his seraglio ofLitaritza,and raised linesand redoubtsat Prevesa.Ali did not suffer his French auxiliars to remain

long inactive. Having made Prevesahis grand depdt,be resolved to commence his operations by the siege of

SantaMaura. For this service he placed eight thousand Albanians under the command of his favourite ‘

general Yusuf. The French officers were willing tolend theiraid to this enterprise,as, whatever was theresult of it, one consequence of it wou ld be to preventthe enemy from sending succours to Cattaro . WhenM . Fouqueville arrived on the coast , to inspect theartillerymen from Dalmatia, he found the army encamped on the beach ofPlays, opposite SantaMaura,where the channel of the D ioryetos is narrowest. Onthe rising ground ofPeriata,aredoubt had been constructed by the French, facing the hostile forts Alexanderand Constantine,and abridge had been thrownacross the neighbouring stream, to facilitate the com

munciationwith the battery of Teket, whence it wasproposed to cannonade the citadel of SantaMaura.The labourers were also busy in erecting forgesand

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208 L IFE OF ALI PA SHA .

provinces, or of numerou s districts . The vizier of

Ioanninacannot, therefore, be justly charged withbeing

'aetuated byarebelliou s spirit. So far from it,that, inall his relations with the French government,he was careful to preserve the interests of the Turkishempire. In fact, the successive acqu isition ofall thesmall maritime cantons of Epirus was awork of

enlightened policy, and one wh ichwas highlyadvantageous to the interests of Turkey in general . We

should be gu ilty of historical partiality, were we toview only the evils which these small Christian provinces have suffered. As aMussu lman, and as avizier of the Ottoman Porte, Ali could not be expectedto be either the protector of the Christian religion . orthe promoter of European civilisation . Why, then ,shou ld not allowances be made in his favour, for the

principles in which be was brought up,and the vi ewswith which he was naturally inspired by hisr elativeduties to his countryand his sovereign?That the subject ought to be regarded Inthis light,

we have the testimony ofanable and disinterestedwitness, by no means partial to Ali, but who, havingbeen the British envoy at Ioannina, had the bestmeans of correctly estimating his conduct. 3

“ AliPasha

,

” says Lieutenant - colonel Leake,may have

thwarted the execu tion of all the measures of the

Porte which tended to reduce hisanthority, and ingeneral those which did not originate with himself;he may have transmittedalarger sum to Constantineple in the shape of presents to persons in power,than in that of tribute to the imperial treasu ry ; and,in the latter respect, he may never have sentas muchas satisfied the wishes ofgovernment ; nevertheless itis probable that the Porte , during his reign ,wasmoretru ly master of Greece than it had ever been before,and that i t derived, upon the whole,as much revenue

L I FE o r ALI PA SHA . 209

from the country while it is certain , that by leavingAli to oppose thearmed Greeks to one another,andto suppress the spirit of revolt by the military strengthofAlbania, she most effectually secu red herselfagainstthe consequences of foreign intr igues among the

Christian subjects ofEuropean Turkey ; and that theconcentration of power in Ali ’s bands was the bestprotection which the empire could possess onafrontier where it was endangered by the increase of the

power of France, not less than the north- eastern sidewas menaced by the encroachments ofRussia.”Animated by other passions, and actuated by far

different motives, the officersandagents of the Frenchgovernment could not consider Ali in this point of

view. It was easily to be seen , therefore, that nogreat length of time would elapse before the vizierwou ld be regarded by them as afaithless tyrant,ready to sacrifice everything to gratify his own cu

pidity and ambition. Already M. de Vaudoncourtcomplained thatall his plans were counteracted by thevizier’s insatiable avarice. But as he had it in hisinstru ctions to do all that might contribu te to keepthe Russians in check, be submitted to the caprices ofthe pasha, not, however, without complaining of him

very bitterly in his ofli cial correspondence, and describing him in the most unfavourable colours .Ali , meanwhile, resolved to open adirect commu

nicationwith Napoleon , in order to avoid the delayand probable misrepresentation which might be cau sedby his corresponding only with the French ministers.He accordingly appointed as his envoy arenegadeItal ian , named Mellach M ehemet E fl

'

endi, who hadbeen interpreter to Bonaparte in Egypt,and was nowthe pasha’s secretary. The envoy was instru cted toobtainapromise that the Ionian Islands, or at leastSantaMau raand Parga, shou ld be delivered over to

F

2 1 0 LIFE o r AL I PASHA .

Ali whenever apeace was made, and to urge, asareason for the cession , that it would be conformableto the interests of France, by secu ring to herapowerful ally in the Mediterranean . The envoy wasadmitted toan interview,at Warsaw, by Napoleon, whoappears to have put him 03 with that vague kind of

language which keeps hope alive,and yet may eventually be construed as he pleases by the person whohas u sed it. M ehemet followed the victorious monareh to Tilsit, where,at the conferences forapeace,be made another effort to accomplish his master'sobject. But that which Napoleon hadavoided granting while the contest was undecided , he was not disposed to concede at the moment when his triumphwas complete. He was, in truth, secretly hostile tothe Turks, though his ambassador at Constantinoplewas lavishing upon them professions of friendship.H is conduct with respect toanarticle of the treaty of

Tilsitaffords irrefragable proof of his double- dealingin regard to the Porte . By thatarticle, it was stipu

lated that the Russians shou ld evacuate MoldaviaandWallachia, which they had treacherously seized uponwithout adeclaration of war ; but, in conversationswith Alexander of Ru ssiaat Tilsit, the French emperor encouraged him to delay withdrawing the Ru ssianarmy, declared that it was no longer possible totolerate the continuance of the Turks in Eu rope,andtalked ofdriving them into Asia. At last, indeed, hechanged his opinion so faras to say, thatbeallowed to retain Constantinopleand some of the

neighbouring provinces. It was, no doubt, partlywith aview to eventual hosti lities against Turkey,that, by asecret article of the treaty of Tilsit, thedominion of the Ionian Islands was transferred toFrance. Having secured them for himself, Napoleon ,of course, was not disposed to relinqu ishany part of

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2 1 2 L IFE o r ALI PASHA .

the English toattack the Ionian Isles,and settle the irdifferences with the Porte

,and he prepared to sendan

envoy to London , to enter intoanegoc iationwith theBritish court. In taking these steps, he is said tohave had theapprobation of the Ottoman government .At the same time

,to lull suspicion asleep, be de

spatched George Ianco to Venice, where Napoleonthenwas, to make overtures to the French emperor.Napoleon, however, refused to .listen to the envoy.

Take back your despatches, said he, and tellyour master that I will hear no more about him. Iknow how to obtain his punishment from the grandsignior, if he should dare in future to violate the

treaties which exist between France and the OttomanPorte.

” With this briefand bitter message, lancewas dismissed.The receipt of this defiance was the signal for Ali

to expedite his envoy Seid Achmet to the Britishcapital . He did not immediately engage in directhostilitiesagainst the French garrisons in the islands,but his conduct towards them strongly marked hisaversion . Having become exceedingly distressed formoney, the authorities InCorfu sent adeputation tohim solicitingaloan . To thisapplication he haughtilyreplied, that the pashaof Ioanninawas neither abanker noramerchant. To distress the French stillmore , he threwas many obstacles as possible in theway of their procuring supplies of corn, cattle, andfirewood from the continent ; he imposed enormou sduties on those exports,and requ ired that the moneyshould be paid Inadvance. Cai sar Berthier was atlength so irritated

,that be determined to compel Ali

to resign the three ex-Venetian towns on the mainland ; but he delayed so long, that Ali had time to

throw large garrisons into them,and render the con.quest impracticable,

L IFE or ALI FASHAK 2 1 3

A corre spondence, which soon became frequent,had been o pened by Ali with lord Collingwood, theBritishadm i ral i n the Mediterranean, who was blockading Corfu and the other islands. In his letters,his lordship laboured to impress on Ali the dangerwhich he had to apprehend from the vicinity of theFrench,and the necessity of stopping the ir supply of

provisions from Albania. Ali, on his part, was profuse in protestations ofgood-will . Iam persuaded,”says he

,in one of his letters, that it will be most

agreeable to my government at Constantinople to

w the good old friendship that subsi sted with theEnglish,and I feel extremely happy in be ing placedinasituation where I may renderany service to twonations who were once the strictest friendsand al lies.I hope that with you r excellency’s concurrence, I shallere long efl

'

ect the wish ofmy heartof friendship with the illu striou s British nation,andthat the unionof the two kingdoms will be confirmedfor ever. Ifthe machinations of the French beas badas your excellency represents them to be, the eventmust still depend upon the divine will . In God’smercyare all our hopes,and frequentare the examples which we have of it ; for he hasmany times leftou r enem ies deluded with shame. I hope, however,that I shall soon have the pleasure to hear of the triumphs of the Britisharms,and that the enemy will be

in the midst of his evil projects . As forshall ever be the same,atall timesand inall

circumstances . I spoke to Mr . Leake of what Ithought m ost necessaryat present,and I hope he hasmentioned it to your excellency. Ianxiously wish thatit may be pu t in execution as soonas possible, W i l lwe canstop the supplies of troops and provisions fromentering the islands . The Frenchambassador endea

2 1 4 L IFE OF AL I PASHA .

vours, by the most flattering words, to lessen the vigilance and attention of my government ; but all thi swill have no efl

'

ect on theattachment which we bearto the English nation . I beg of your excellency tofavour me with any news you have ;and I shouldbe glad if you wou ld write to me in fu ture .either inItalian , French, or Greek,as I havenotagood interpreter for the English language . In the name of

’

God

I wish you heal th, happiness,and theaccomplishmentofall . your desires . You r sincere and true friend,TH E VIZ IER , AL I PA SHA .

In consequence of this correspondence,anEnglishagent was sent to haveaconference with Ali. The

Pashawas then residingat Prevesa. The mode whichbeadopted to prevent the interview from being knownto the Freneh consul is characteristic of the man.

Having invited M. Fouqueville toarural festival nearVonitza, on the gu lf of Arta, he suddenly left hisguest in the midst of theamu sements, crossed the gulfinaswift- sailing boat, mounted ahorse which was inreadiness,and galloped over the plain to the spot whereour envoy was waiting for him . The meeting tookplaceat m idnight,among the ruins of Nicopolis,andit was in that desolate scene that the future plan of

operations was concerted by the British representativeand the satrap ofAlbania.

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2 1 6 L IFE OF ALI n ews.

he not beenprovoked to take uparms by the perfidyofAli, who employed assassins to way- lay him. In

1 8 04 or 1 805 , in consequence , it is supposed, of hishaving entered into the Ru ssian project of producingan insurrection in Greece, he undertook, with threehundred men,anexpedition into Macedon , intending,it is said, to pass mount Rhodope, and join Pr inceHypsilanti in Wallachia. The Turks were aware of

his purpose, and, near the bridge of Pravi, on the

Karasou , they surrounded him with three thou sandmen. Taking post on aheight, he defended himselffor three daysagainst numerou sattacks, though he hadneither water nor provisions . On the third evening,his menhaving no longerany cartridges, he led themto the charge, broke throughand dispersed the en

circling enemy, forced the passage of the bridge, whichwas closed with iron chains,and took possession of

Pravi, where they halted, and refreshed themselves.As the march towards Wallachiawas now becomeimpossible, Tzaras led his gallant band back to

Thessaly,and reached his native mountains in safety .

He then turned ‘

pirate, and soon became dreaded bythe Turks but, in 1 806 or 1 807 ,as hewas going on

heard his vessel, he was mortally wounded byanAibanian, who firedat him from behindatree . Tzaraswas remarkable for manly beauty,and almost preternaturalagilityand strength ; his menthoughtimpossible which he undertook ; and the Albaniansheld him in such superstitiou s terror that they deemedhim invulnerable. H is death , and the absence of

Paleopoulo , were circumstances which threw ominousconjecture on the whole success ofthe Thessalianinsurrection.

The third leader, E uthemOsBlacavas, or, ashe wasu sually called , Papas E uthemos, was brought up to

the church ; but, when his father

L I FE OF ALI PASHA .

altar,and girded on the sword. H is main object,however, was not plunder ; it was the liberation ofGreece. To him is attributed the first proposal to ‘

efl'

ectarising inThessaly. There is no proof that hetook any part in the Ru ssian project ; nor, indeed,does he appear to have been desirous ofRussianaidin his own . As it was thought imprudent toattemptageneral revolu tionat present, it was resolved, by thethree chiefs, that their early efforts shou ld be confinedto overthrowingAli ,and establ ishingaGreek government in the provinces over which be ruled . For thedestruction of the vi zier, they knew that they mightcalculate upon the co operation ofamultitude of

Turkish agas ; and, if that were accomplished, theymight hope to succeed in rousing toarms the remainder ofGreece.

Notwithstanding the loss of Tzarasand Paleoupolo,Blacavas determined to persevere. A daywas fixedfor the chiefs to meet in the Thessalian part ofPindus,whence they were to descend with all their force intoLower Thessaly, reuse the natives toarms,and thendirect their march on Ioannina. As aprel iminarystep, Blacavas resolved to se ize upon Kastri, apostwhich is the ke of the defiles leading into Macedonand Epirus. His brothers Theodoreand Demetrius,with abou t three hundred men, wereaccordingly despatched to secure it. The town was taken ; but, beforethe brothe rs could put it inastate ofdefence, they weresurrounded by fou r thousand Albanians,at the head ofwhom was M ouctar Pasha. The plan of the insurrection had been betrayed to Ali, byatraitor namedDeli Ghianni ;and, ere the chiefs could draw togethertheir followers, the vi zier had madearrangements tofrustrate their design . Demetriusand Theodore foughtwith the utmost valou r,and were nobly seconded bytheir troops ; but numbers prevailed,and the whole

2 1 8 L I FE OF ALI PASHA .

ofthe Greeks perished. Blacavas, with five hundredmen, still kept the field,and wasaided by .afew otherchiefs . He could, however, efl

'

ectnothing,and his si tuation grew dailymo re desperate. The chiefs were deteched from him by the gold of Ali,and the exhortations of Gabriel, thearchbishop of Larissa, dissuadedthe Thessalians from j oining the standard of revolt.Blacavaswas, therefore, compelled to fly. ‘ It istain whether,as some say, he was delivered up by theCapudanPasha, to whom he fled, or whether he volun

tari ly surrendered, onapromise that his life should bespared. H is fate is not doubtful . He was fruitlesslytortured at Ioannina, in the hope of drawing confesssions from him,and was then cut alive into pieces bythe public executioner.The danger which had threatened Ali from this

insurrection was trifling compared with another perilto which he was soonafter exposed. He wasbelieved,and not withoutanappearance of reason, to have hadashare in fomenting the insurrection of the janissa

e to the Nizam Djedid,and in the anheequent intrigues which led to the deposition of SultanSelim. Mu staphaBairaetar, the pashaofRudschuk,was nowat the head ofapowerfularmy, to resto rehis dethroned sovereign , and to punish the rebels.Ali was, of course, one of the objects of his hatred.In vain did the pashaof Ioanninaendeavour to conciliate this formidable foe. GO back to Ali Tepelen,

” said Mustaphato one of the pasha’s messengers ,tell him that I have prolonged the truce with the

Russians, and that you saw me setting Off to Constantinople to restore order. Henceforth, I will havenothing more to do with that trai tor than what isnecessary to deprive him and his criminal race of

their heads. Let him know that, shou ld I fall in theenterprise which I have undertaken, I have bequeathed

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2 20 L IFE OF AL I FAS IIA.

desolate. I have proposed to your government toprovide against such disposition and its necessaryeffects ; but it is beyond myability alone,and I cannot counteract them unless support be afl'orded me .

Your government, which makes daily so many sacrifices,and sends,as we hear, ships and money to the

Baltic, should not be disheartened . If it cou ld dothe same in this quarter, it wou ld be better servedthan it may u pset, and an Opportunity would beafforded me ofdemonstrating with honour myanxiou szeal and incl ination tos it. Whatever may bethe event ofaffairs in the capital , it is evident that Ishall be the object of persecution ; and as I havededicated myself entirely to your nation , I hope thatit will feelapride in protec ting me,and assisting mein such amanner as may enable me to defend myperson and property, and accomplish these serviceswhich I feel the greatest inclination to render.”It is manifest, from this letter, that Ali had made

up hismind to venture uponacontest with Mu staphaBairactar,and eve n, if it must be so, with the sultan,provided he could procure the support of GreatBritain. H is courage, however, was not put to theproof. The insurrection at Constantinople, in whichBairactar fell, relieved Ali from the danger whichthreatened him. The new su ltan, Mahmoud, confirmed him and his family inall their charges anddignities,and revoked the commission of Rumili- valisee, which had beengiven to Kurschid, the friend ofBairactar. A present of two thou sand purses, fromthe vizier of Ioannina, is said to have influenced thesultan . The gold had doubtless its weight ; but,whatever might be the real opinion and intention ofthe monarch, with respect to Ali, he wasat presentsu rrounded by too many difi cu lties to think of en

gaging inhostilitiesagainst his powerful vassal.

L I FE OF ALI PA SHA . 22 1

Ali now renewed his exertions to bring about apeace betweenTu rkeyand Great Britain . Mr. Adair,the British m inister, had been on the point of qu ittingConstantinople in despair of success, but had beenearnestly dis suaded from it by the vizi er of Ioannina.Early in 1 8 09 , the negociation was conducted to aprosperou s close . As soon

'as it was completed, Alidespatched an envoy to England, to represent theservices which he had rendered . For these servi ceshe hadal ready tried to obtain payment, by procu ringaprom ise from Mr. Adair, toaid him in getting possession of Parga; but the British ambassador hadrefused to consent to that city being delivered up tohim. As, however, Ali had undoubtedly been useful ,the British cabinet rewarded him, by apresent ofseveral hundred Congreve rocketsandafine train ofartillery. Major Leake was sent over with the gift,to teach the Albanian troops the management of it,and toactas English resident. In return

,the vizier

Opened his ports to our cru isers and merchants,and

furnished supplies for the navy,and for thearmies inSpainand Portugal.Being once more firmly fixed in the seat ofgovern

ment, Ali resumed his projects ofambitions He hadfor man years castalonging eye upon the territoryoccupi by Ibrahim, pashaof Berat

,the father- in

law of M ouctar and Veli,andafavou rable opportu

nity for gratifying his longing was now thrown inhisway by the folly of Ibrahim . On the ground thatthe Divan hadabandoned him to an enemy who wassold to the British ministry, the pashaof Berat wroteto the French government, desiring to be taken underits protection, and offering to i t the exclusive com

merce of the port of Avlona, and the admi ssion of

some French artillerymen into the fortress. Thiswas indubitablyanact of treason towards the sultan,

22 2 L IFE OF AL I PA SHA .

as well as of decided hostility against the vizier of

Ioannina, who had every reason to believe that ifFrance obtained afooting at Avlonahis dominionswould not long be safe.

To have disclosed to the Divan the m isconduct ofIbrahim, would have been the proper mode of pro

ceeding for Ali toadopt ; but that would notanswerhis purpose, as the Turkish gove rnment m ight perhaps merely replace the ofl

'

ending pashaby anotherperson,and thus the vizier of Ioanninawould deriveno benefit from the downfal ofIbrahim . Bymakingwaron him himselfhe shou ld become master of the pashalik of Berat, and, he, therefore, resolved to attackhim. The general, to whom he committed the enterprise, was Omer Bey Vrioni. This individual wasapersonal enemy of Ibrahim, who had banished himfrom Beratand confiscated his property. Omer wentto Egypt, where be distingu ished himselfagainst theEngl ish during the invasion in 1 807 and he hadrecently returned from the country, withanenormousfortune,andahigh repu tationfor valour.The character which he hadacqu ired was wel l sus

tained on this occasion by Omer. The citadel ofBeratstands uponaloftyand partly precipitous eminence on

the right bank of the Apsus,and overlooks the city .

Its reduction, had it been well defended, must havebeenawork of time and difficulty. But Omer pliedthe siege so vigorously,and the bombardmentand theCongreve rockets inspired the garrisonwith so muchterror, that in ashort time the fortress capitulated.Ibrahim Pashawas allowed to retire to Avlona, oncondition of giving his only sonasahostage . The

feeble defence made by the castle ofBerat, M . Fouqueville, rather ludicrously, ascribes to the poverty of

Ibrahim , which prevented him from raisingasufli cientgarrison . It is, however, not easy to believe the

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22 4 L IFE OF ALI PABHA.

granted . Instead of barracks, be constructed twoforts, which commanded not only the channel betweenthe continentand the island, but even the citadel ofSantaMaura.Foiled in his expectations at SantaMaura, Ali

found consolation in the triumph which he elsewhereobtained. The Kimariots had long struggled againsthim with courageand good fortune . SO recentlyas thelatter end of 1 8 07 , they had defeatedasuddenattackwhich he made upon them,and caused him aloss of1 500men. Since then he had beenactive in his effortsto disuniteandweaken them

,andhe had succeeded. Be

lieving themtobe sufficiently enfeebled, he nowmarchedhis forcesagainst them ,and, by dint ofbribery as wellasarms, heat last crushed tliem . Their principal village, called Vouno, was betrayed to him by fourbrothers, of the name of Casnezzi . The bravest of theKimariots still held out, and fought sword in hand,with scarcelyany pau se, for three daysafter they hadexpended theirammunition ; the major part of themwere slain, the remainder submitted,and gave hostagesfor their future obedience . Pronio Age ofParamithia,and Hassan Zapari of Margariti, were the next victims they capitulated,and, i nviolation of the treaty,were consigned toadungeonat Ioannina.Ali was now summoned to take the field with his

forces,and join the grand vizierat Schumla. It hasbeen surmised that, in giving these orders, the Sultanwas moved byadesire to drawhim toadistance fromhis friendsand resources, that he m ight safely destroyhim . The pashahimself evidently suspected somesuch design,and determined not to throw himself Inthe way of danger. A positive refusal to obey would,however

,have been nearlyas dangerous and, there

fore, he had recourse to stratagem . He immediatelyretook the road to his capital, causing himself to be

L IFE OF ALI PA SHA‘

. 2 2 5

carried inalitter,as though dangerou sly ill he wrotein the m ost submissive terms to the D ivan , lavishingprofessions ofattachment upon the Sultan,and lamenting that his heavy infirmities kept him from wieldingthe sword for his master ; he wore green spectaclesonaccount of the blindness with which beaffected tobe threatened ; he never appeared in publi c withoutbeing surrou nded byathrong of physicians and bebackedall this by what was ofgreater weight, by magnificent presents,and sti ll more magnificent promises,to the Ottoman ministers. The trick succeeded,andhe wasallowed to send his sons M ouctarand Veliashis substitu tes.The brothers departed with areluctance which

seems to have excited the bile of their father. Our

coxcombs are set said he , shortlyafter, to theach consu l ; unfortunate Ali thou hast hatchednothing but hens i

” It is to be regretted, for the sakeOf humanity, that his brood did not possess the innocence of the bird to which he sarcastically likenedthem.

The twoeldest offspring of Ali have been variouslyde scribed. M. de Vau doncourt represents M ouctaraspossessing personal courage, probity, and ‘ generosity,be ingafriend to theartsand sciences, plain in dress,temperate, unsuspecting,and punctually fu lfilling hisengagements . The Greeks,

” says he, “ love andesteem him,

'and the reverence of the Albanians forhim knows no bounds .” A far different picture of

him is given by Mr. Hughes. He had, says M r.

Hughes, not one virtue to recommend him but hismartial cou rage, nor had he madeany progress du ringhis residence in Albaniato secu re the affections of

any class of his father’s subjects, except perhaps aportion of the Albanian soldiery . Brutal ferocIty,degrading sensual ity, and monstrous perfidy, were

Q

2 26 L I FE OF ALI PASHA .

the leading features of his character : he was cOnsi

dered to be forgetfu l offavoursand adeserter of hisfriends, withou t any portion of that political talentwhich might have enabled him to retain dominion ,iffortune had put it into his hands.” When we callto mind the decorations ofM ouctar ’s palace,and theviolence of his passions we shall be tempted to

believe, that the dark portrait drawn by Mr. Hughesis the true likeness.Of Veli , M. de Vaudoncourt says, he “ in many

respects resembles his father. Like him he is covetous,ambitious, false,and distru stfu l. He is rapacious,and does not perform what he promises. He is oftenin want ofmoney, but does

"

not find people inclined tolend,as his brother does . He isalover ofmagnificenceand show ; dress and furniture are importantconcerns with him ; and his efi'eminate and dissolu teway of life is very expensive. By his extravagancehe has deeply involved himself in debt. Those whoserve himare pai d ill, or notatall . In some of the

l ighter parts of the censure bestowed on Veli, Mr.Hughes concurs ; but his general character ofhim ismore favourable. He was,” says he, consideredthe most accomplished gentleman in the Turkishdominions ; and thoughastrong bigot to the Mahometan faith, bad adecided taste for the habits,arts,and luxuries of civili sed Eu rope. Dissipated to excess,he was generou s in his prodigality, though the indulgence of his inordinate passions often urged himon to acts of the most rapaciou s inju stice. He hadafine person, set off by the most engaging manners,with much natural sagacity and good sense : nor washe devoid of courage, or uninflueneed by the love of

mi litary glory. In his political career he had devotedh imself constantly to the interests Of his lawfulsovereign, and probably there did not exist amore

See PPO 65 and. 1 56.

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228 L IFE or AL" PASHA .

of Veli offeredasecurity for the allegiance of Thessaly, and it was hoped that his nomination to thisgovernment would excite the jealousy and anger of

Ali,andalienate him from his son .

Thu s cu rtailed on one side,Ali sought to indemnify

himself on another. The first victim was IbrahimPasha, whom Ali suspected, or pretended to suspect,ofhaving hadahand in the recent hostile manifestations against him. Ibrahim was closely besieged inAvlona, wh ile, to prevent the introduction of suppliesfrom the French, the port was blockaded by twoEnglish frigates . The beys of the place were alsoincited to revolt by the vizier ; and the u nfortunatepashawas, in consequence, under the necessity of

flying 1n disgu ise, with afew of his followers, to themountains ofLiapuria. There, with his wife, he wasbetrayed . to his enemy. Far from showing him the

attentions due to his rankand relationship, Ali,afterhaving imprisoned him for twelve monthsat Konitsa,at length tore him from the arms of his wife, andthrewhim intoadungeonat Ioannina, where he langu ished for years, exposed to daily insult.In the hope of checking their deadly foe,

was now formed by the pashaof Delvino and the

chiefs of Liapu ria, Argyre Castro,and Gardi ki . Itwasalmost instantly dissolved

,by the defeat of thei r

forces, in abattle which took place near Delvino.Ali entered Delvino, and made prisoners two sons of

Mustapha, who had fled to Gardiki . These be consigned to solitary confinement at Ioannina; twoothers escaped to Corfu , where they were soonafterassassinated by one of his emissaries . The victoryobtained by Ali produced the submission of many ofthe beys and agas of the surrounding country, andmade him anobject of terror and feigned respect tothe pashas of Upper Albania. One ac t of his, nu

u se o r AL I PA SHA . 2 29

gratefu l though it be, we may viewwith satisfaction.

After having for awhile flattered and caressed thebeys of Avlona, who betrayed Ibrahim, he threwthem int o prison ,and confiscated their property, tothe amount of more than seven hundred thousandpounds.Ali next turned his armsagainst the large city of

Argyro Castro, which is situated in the valley of the

B rino, between Tepelen and Ioannina. It is bu ilton u nequal rocky acclivities, intersected by deepchasms , and containsapopulation of about fifteenthousand sou ls. At the time when Ali marchedagainst it, Argyro Castro was the principal depdt forinternal trade . From its position,and the bravery of

its inhabitants, it had always been looked upon inAlbaniaas impregnable. But, on this occasion, itdid not su stain its ancient reputation. The citizenswe re intimidated by the novel instruments ofwarfare,battering cannon, howitzers , and rockets, which Aliemployed against them ; and werealsoapprehensivefor the safety of numbers of their countrymen, travell ing merchants, who had been seized by the vizier.They surrendered, therefore, before the besi egers hadmade any fu rther progress than destroying somemi ll sandaqueducts . As soonas he was put in possession of the place, Ali began the construction ofastrong fortress, to contain subterranean magazines,barracks for five thousand troops,aseraglio,andmosque .

There was now only one ci ty to be subdued ,andagainst that he hadalong- boarded store of vengeanceto pour forth . This city was Gardiki, by some of

the inhabitants of which his mother and sister hadmany years before been outraged in the most brutalmanner. It was situated on aconical hill, encircledby fine mountainscenery, in one of the lateral vales

28 0 L IFE o's AL I PASHA .

which join the valley ofthe B rino,and its populationwas wholly Mahometan. It formedasort of republ ic. A representative was sent to the council byeach family, and out of the whole number, thirteenwere

,chosen,and intrusted, for one year, withall the

powers of government. In cases of capital condemnation, it was necessary that e ight of them shouldconcur in the sentence. The bearing ofarms withinthe city walls was forbidden, and amurderer waspunished with death,and wi th the forfeiture ofall hisproperty to the family ofhis victim.

Gardiki was rendered strong . by its advantageoussite, the construction of its houses, which were of

stone,and loop- holed,and its citadeland other works.

The citizens cou ld not be ignorant of the deadlyhatred which was borne to them by Ali ; and theircourageandanimosity were still further stimu lated byMustaphaof Delvino, and many of the Kimariotbeys, who had taken refuge in the city. It is said,too, that they were encouraged to resi stance by thesultan, who hoped that the fai lure of Ali in thisattack would induce the malecontents in various partsofAlbaniato rise inarmsagainst themanwhom theyabhorred . A protracted defence at least, if not asuccessful one, was therefore expected from the Gardikiots.

Aware of the difficulty of the task, Ali devoted toit aformidable army, under Omer Beyand YusufAraps, two of his most experienced officers. Noless than fifteen thousand menare said to have beenemployed on this occasion . The siege, neve rtheless,proceeded but slowly ; either from the stubborn oppositionmade by the citizens, or,as some have supposed,from the reluctance of the vizier

’s generals to stormthe town,and. put their brother Mussu lmans to thesword. Amonth having elapsed, Ali, impatient Of

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232 u se or ALI PAsuA.

however, anattempt was made to assassinate them .

It failed ; but they were finally depr ived of thei rarms ,and were then sent prisoners to the monasteryof Sotiras, under pretence that they had attempted toescape.

Ali nowannounced his intenti on of visiting Gardiki ,for the purpose, as he said, of establishing order inthat town, institutingacou rt ofju sti ce,and formingapolice for the protection of the inhabitants. The

1 9th of March, 1 8 1 2 , was the day fixed upon for hisdeparture. On that day the French consul wasadwitted toanaudience. For the language ofthe v izierin this interview we seek in vain to find arationalmotive. He was seated on the edge ofhis sofa, leaning uponabattle-axe,and seeminglyabsorbed inmelancholy thought. Recovering from his fit ofabstraetion, he looked earnestlyat M . Fouqueville,and madeasign for his m i

nisters to withdraw. Then , takingthe hand ofthe consul,and raising to heaven his eyes,which were suffused with tears, he exclaimed, It is

you, then , my son I Destiny is fulfilled ; notwithstanding their late attempt to escape, my enemieshave not beenable to exhaust my patience : theyarein my power, but 'I will not use it to destroy them.

Believe me, my dear consul ; forget your prejudicesagai nst me. I will notagain ask you to esteem me ;

I wi ll force you to do so, by following asystem the

reverse of that which I have hitherto pursued. Mycareer isaccompli shed , and I will crown my laboursby showing that, if I have been terribleand severe, Ialso know how to respect justiceand humanity. Alas "my son, the past is ou t of my power ; I have shed somuch blood that its wave pursues me,and I dare notlook behind. Afterapause he continued I desired fortune,and she has been prodigal of her giftsI w ished for palaces, acourt, magnificence, and eu .

L l r s o r PASHA . 233

pr emacy, and I have obtained themall . Comparingmy father

’s but with thi s palace ,adorned with gold,arms, and precious carpets, I ought to be supremelyhappy. My grandeur dazzles the vulgar ; all theseAlbanians, prostrate at my feet,

’

envy the fortunateAl i Tepeleni ; but if you knew what all this pompcosts me, I should have your commiseration. I showmyself naked to you ; pity me. Relations, friends, Ihave sacrificed all to my ambition . I have stifledeven the voice of nature. Iam surrounded by thosewhose families I have destroyed . But enough of

these mournfu l recollections " My enemiesare in mypower,and I will vanqu ish them by benefits . Gardikishal l become the flower of Albania,and Argyro Castro the retreat of my old age.

” After having em

phati cally reverted to his eager wish for Parga, beclosed the conference by requesting that the consulwou ld write to the Frenchambassador, to communicate what he had now heard,as his enemies would notfai l to slander himat Constantinople.

With what viewwas this singu lar confession madeby the vizier of IoanninaP Had remorse reallytou ched his bosom,and inspired him witharesolutionto tread no longer the path of blood ? If. it were so,the feeling was but transient. The seed fell uponstony ground, and the produce soon witheredaway.

It is not improbable that, to the performance of the

horrible deed which weare about to relate , his malignant passions were roused by aletter from hisfiendish sister Shainitza, who was become more ferocions than ever, since the death of AdenBey, herfavou rite son . Neither the title of Vizier, nor thename of brother, will Ial low thee , if thou dost notkeep the oath sworn to our mother over her lifelesscorpse . If thou art, indeed, Khamco ’

s son,.thou

oughtest to destroy Gardiki, exterminate its whi te

‘

23 1 u se o r ALI PASHA .

bitants,and deliver up its females to me, to dispose of

as I choose. It is only on mattresses stuffed wi ththeir hair that I will henceforth repose. Absolu temaster of the Gardikiots, forget not the outrages wesuffered from them in the days of our humiliatingcaptivity. The hour ofvengeance is come ; let thembe swept from the earth .

”

On his way to Gardiki, the vizier visited his sister,who dweltat LiboovO . Since the decease ofher son ,she had yielded herself up to sorrow, her palace hadbeen hung with sombre drapery,and herattendantsapparelled in mourning. After the arrival ofAli shediscarded her grief, dressed her houseand females ingay colours,and gave banquets,at which the laughand the song again resounded. The change, themirth , were ominou s of woe to the inhabitants of

Gardiki.From Liboovo Ali proceeded to the fort of Schin

driada, which crowns an abrupt eminence, in the

valley of the D rino,at some distance from Gardiki .From thence he sent aherald, to proclaimageneralamnesty to the Gardikiots,and to summon the wholemale population, from the age of ten years , to meet

him, that they might hear from his own lips the

decree which was to restore them to happiness .”‘

Notwithstanding the honied words of the vizier, itwas not without gloomy forebodings that the inhabitants obeyed his summons . Manyamournful farewellwas taken,and,as they moved onward, manyamoistened eyewas turned to the homes which theyhadqu itted.

The khan ofValiere, situatedat the entrance of theirterritory, was the place appointed for their meetingwith Ali,and, on their arrival there, they were stationed in the walled court of the building. ThitherAl i repaired, with three thou sand of his troops .Having firstascertained, by riding round the khan, that

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2 36 L IFE o r ALI PA SHA .

asasignal,and the massacre commenced byageneraldi scharge of mu sketry. Long-continued shrieks of

horrorandagony immediatelyarose from all parts ofthe enclosure. Soldiers placedat the foot of the wallshanded up loaded mu skets to thoseabove ; so thatanincessant fire wasmaintained, the report ofwhich wasmingled with the groans of the dying. Fathersandchildren ,ageand youth, fell In one indiscriminate carnage . Some, who were but slightly wounded, stroveto scale the walls,and were despatched by the poniard.A few retreated into one of the apartments of thekhan ; but the Greeks set fire to it,and the fugit ivesperished Inthe flames . At length,afte r this butcheryhad continued abou t an hour and ahalf, the criesceased,andall was silent. The bodies were then leftunburied, to decay on the spot ; the gateway of the en

closure was walled up ; and over it was placedan inscription , which signifies, Thu s perishall the enemiesofAli’8 house. On the same da

ythat this catastrophe

took place, the beys, who were in prisonat Ioannina,were conveyed to aconvent in the island oppositeM itzikeli, where they wereall strangled. Every Gardikiot that could be subsequently discovered was putto death,and his mangled body sent to swell the heapat the khan ofValiere.The fate ofthe unhappy females, who had remainedat Gardiki, wasmore terrible than that of their murdered relatives. After having been exposed toall thatthe licentiou sness ofabrutal soldiery could inflict,they were dragged before the still more bru talShainitza. Unmoved by their prayersand tears, sheordered their veils to be torn away, their persons insdecently exposed, and their hair cut off, and stuffedinto the cushions of her sofa. Then, seating herselfon the trophy ofher vengeance, she issued the following sentence, which was immediately repeated by the

LIFE o r ALI PA SHA . 237 .

public criers . Woe be to whoever shal l give food,raiment, or shelter, to the wives, daughters,and children ofGardiki, whom I condemn to wander throughthe forests, and, when destroyed by famine, to be

devoured by wild beasts.” The hapless beings, thussevered from society, were then driven forth, to strayamong-the rocks of Liboovo, exposed to the pangs ofgriefand hunger,and the inclemency of the season .

Many fell asacrifice, and all must have perishedhad not Ali mi tigated the ir sentence—if, indeed, thechange can be called amitigation- by directing thatthey shou ld be soldas slaves into distant regions.The barbarous work was consummated by razing

the city to the ground, and strictly prohibiting the

spot from being everagain inhabited. Walls, houses,tombs,and mosques, were involved in one commonruin . A solitary minaretalone was left standing,asifmeant to show that the place was once theabode of

man. This scene ofdesolation was visited,about twoyears afterwards, by Mr. Hughes, who thu s forciblydescribesthe feelingswhich it excited . We enteredinto the mournfu l skeleton of Gardiki,apeopled citymadeadesert place, where no living being disturbedthe solitude, but serpents, owls,and bats. A chillingkind of sensation , like the fasc ination of some deadlyspell, benumbs the senses,andalmost stops the respiration ofhim who treads,as it were, upon the prostratecorpse ofagreat city, justabandoned by theanimatingspirit. The feeling is very different from that whichhe experiencesamidst the fine ru ins ofantiqu ity, whoseaspect, mellowed downby timeand unconnected withany terrible convulsion, inspires only pleasing melancholy, oranimating reflections but here the frightfulcontrast of arecent dreadful overthrowappals him ;

and while the deep silence is broken only by the breezesighing in the ru ins,and the ftmereal cypresses wh i ch

2 38 L IFE o r ALI PASHA .

hereand there wave over them, healmost expects'

to

meetaspectreat every step.

”

Returning to Ioannina, Ali pu rsued without remorsehis career of blood. Scarcely was he seated in hiscapital before he sacrificedanew victim. Learningthat the Porte either had reinstated, or wasabou t toreinstate, Mustaphain the pashalik ofDelvino, be resolved to putan efl

'

ectual stop to the measu re . M us

taphawas therefore gradually starvedprison ; one small piece of bread and adraught ofwater being all that wasallowed him daily. Thwasyetanother pashain the vizier

’s hands, Ibrahim of

Berat, whom he longed to destroy, but he was prevented from making anattempt byapprehension of

the consequences. It seems to have been for the purpose of discovering how far he might ventu re, that heresorted toacurious stratagem. Allat once, Ibrahimdisappeared from his apartment ; no tidings of him

cou ld be obtained by his daughters, and it was of

course supposed that he had been secretly mu rdered.

As Ali was silent on the subjec t, the death of Ibrahimwas believed and lamented byall the inhabitants ofIoannina.

.There‘

was then‘

residing at Ioanninaadervise,named Yu suf, who wasan object ofuniversaladmiration for his many virtuesandausterity of life. Ibrahimhad been his intimate friend. As soon as he heardthe rumou r of the pasha’s death, Yusufhurried to thepalace of the presumed murderer. Ali, who hadasingu lar respect for the dervisce, rose from his divan ,advanced to meet Yusuf,and sought to place him byhis side. But his venerable visiter indignantly rejectedthe offer,and addressed him inastrain of vehementreproach . Every crime of his now tremblingauditorwas dwelt upon,and theiratrocity painted in the darkest colou rs . The dervise concluded with the following

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2 4 0 L IFE or AL I PASHA .

no reply, but,after shaking the dust from ofi’ his feetagainst the palace walls, he retu rned to his home.

Intelligence of the death of Ibrahim had, meanwhile, been transm itted to Napoleon’s ambassadoratConstantinople by M. Fouqueville, who, in commonwithall the French ministersandagents, wasabitterenemy of the vizier. The

'

despatchesare said to havebeen stopped and peru sed by Ali ’s agents,and thenallowed to proceed. On receiving the news, the divansent to Ioanninaacapidgi bashi ofthe highest rank, toinvestigate the circumstances. When the capidgiarrivedat Ali’s capital, the wi ly satrap counterfeited theutmost surprise,and instantly ordered two of his ministers to accompany the Turkish officer to Ibrahim .

The astonished Turk found the pashain one of the

best'apartments of the seraglio, surrounded by every

comfort,and was desired by him to express his boundless gratitude to the su ltan, his perfect satisfactionwith the manner in which he was treated, and hiswish that,ashe was now too old to govern, his pashalik might be allowed to remain under the wise administration of his dear and trust-worthy friend AliPasha. It is scarcely necessary to say, that Ibrahimwas compelled to perform this part by athreat of

torture. After this interview, the capidgi bashi wasloaded

'

with presents, splendidly entertained, closelywatched, to prevent him from obtaining any fu rtherinformation , and, finally, escorted homeward by aselec t guard ofhonour, which never lost sight '

ofhim

till they sawhim enter the gates of the Tu rkish capital . The purpose of his temporary liberation beinganswered, the unfortunate Ibrahim was replunged intohis solitary dungeon . At the same time, to punishM . Fouqueville for his interference, the vizier str ictlyinterdictedall his subjects from entering the consul

’sdwelling.

L IFE or ALI PASHA . 2 4 1

While Ibrahim was languishing in his prison, thepalace was ringing with the sounds of festivity, occasioned by the marriage of his grandchild, Ayesha,eldest daughter of Veli, to M oustai Pasha, the vizierof Scutari . It was in vain that Ayesha,andall hisfamily, entreated him to suffer her to see Ibrahim,andreceive his blessing ; he was inexorable. The bridewas escorted to Scutari by Yusuf, bey of B ibres,anold enemy ofAli, who prudently refused to trust himself within the walls of Ioannina. Yet his prudencewas fru itless . He is said to have been shortlyafterdestroyed by Ali, who sent himafirman sealed inacylindrical case, which was filled with fulminatingpowder.

‘

A similar instrument of destruction, whichwas sent to M oustai, through the hands ofAyesha,was the cause of her death . She was wrongfullyaocused by her mother- in- law of be inganaccomplice inthe crime,and was taken off by poison.In the cou rse

~0f the year 1 8 1 2 , Ali isasserted by

M . Fouqueville to have been ordered to go into exileto Tepelen, in consequence of the complaints madeagainst him by the Frenchambassador at the Porte ;to have resided forawhileat Argyro Castro,and notto have returned to Ioanninatillafter the reverses sustained by Napoleon . The fact of the vizier’s disgraceis, nevertheless, doubtfu l . Itappears to be certain ,however, that in the following year, danger impendedover him. Demetrius Paleopoulo , who was residingat Constantinople, presented several memorial sagainsthim to the Divan ,and the sultan isasserted to haveonce more determined upon his overthrow. Butagainhe escaped ; and for this good fortune he is believedto have been indebted to the friendly offices of theBritish government.

2 4 2 L IFE o r ALI PA SHA .

CHAPTE R X.

Designs ofAl i uponParga—DescriptionofParga—Customs, Character, &c. , of the Parghiotcs—H istory ofParga—First AttemptofAl i to obtainPossessionofParga—Shameful Conduct ofRussiato the ParghioteL - Pargacoded to Napoleonby Russia—TheParghiotesmake the French Garrison Prisoners,and pu t themselves under the Protec tionof Great Bri tain—Speech of one of

tho Ci tizens—Rage of Ali on not obtaining the P lace—HisCruel ty to the Kimariots—His Extortions on the Marr iage ofSal i—Gfistav us Adolphus of Swedenvisi ts him—Ibrahim M enzour E fl

'

endi—His Anecdotes of Ali—The Palace of Al i atTepelenconsumed—Ali renewshis Attemptsfor the CcssionofParga—The Bri tish Cabinet consents to give up Parga—TheInhabi tants resolve to qu i t their Country—Their Departure.

FROM nearly the farthest north ofAlbaniato beyondthe Gu lf of Artaon the south, the whole of the

country was now in the undisputed posse ssion of the

vizier Ali: All the tribes, which had long enjoyedarude but highly -valued independence, had been suc

cessively redu ced under his yoke or exterminated ; allsave one, which still preserved its ancient freedom ,

and which, therefore, he hated,and determined to en

slave, whatever might be the painsand cost requ iredto effect his purpose . Nor did he despair of success ;for he hadalready, in more than one instance, experienced what might be accomplished byasystem of

persevering hostility. The solitary exception to thegeneral state of subjugation was displayed by the

small town‘

and territory of Parga, opposite to the

south extremity of Corfu, ofwhich island, in cou sequence of its importance to it asamilitary out-post,Pargawas called the eye and ear . Ali ultimatelytriumphed ; and it isapainfu l reflection foranEnglishman , that the vizier was mainly, or rather wholly,Indebted for his triumph to the British government.

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2 4 4 L IFE o r ALI PASIIA.

east to west, over apart of the Ionian sea; on theleft is seen the isle of SantaMaura,and the promon

tory from whence Sappho terminated her woes ; fu rther onappear the mountains of Cephalonia; and on

the right,at the distance of twelvemiles,are the isletsofFaxoand Anti Paxo .

Few situations upon these shores, says M r .

Hughes, rival that of Pargain beauty : aconicalhill, covered with housesand surmounted byafortress,juts out in the seaand forms two excellent harbou rs ,one on the east,and the other on the west ; but thebay stretches out its longarms in two fine cu rves, ofwhich that towards the Acherusian district is terminated by the promontory called Megali Pagagua,andthe other. towards Faxoand Corfu, winds round likeasickle towards the high precipices of Cheladi , whichare crowned byaconvent and alight-house. The

whole territory ofPargamay be taken inat one viewfor it lies supine uponatheatre ofhills, the highest ofwhich rises toapeak in the very centre of

the whole of theseare covered with the finest olivesin the world, intermingled with orange trees andcedrats,adorned with gardens or vineyards, and re

freshed by rivulets and perennial fountains, wherethe Parghiot virgins were once seen, like the heroinesofthe Odyssey, carrying linen forablation, or hearingupon their heads pitchers of the pu rest water for theuse of the family." The principal supply ofwater wasobtained from the beautiful fountain of SanTrifone,about amile distant from the city,and was carriedupon the head, in vases of elegant shapes . The wholecauseway was often covered with females, many of

them exceedingly beautiful in featureand form, goingand coming in this occupation, which they regardedasanamusement.The territoryannexed to Pargais surrounded on

L IFE or ALI PA SHA . 2 4 5

the side of Thesprotiaby the chain of Mount Penzovolos, or the Sparrow-hawk mountains. This semicircle resemblingatheatre, ofwhich Pargaforms theproscenium, comprehends an extent ofabout fifteenmiles,and extends in breadth about three miles fromthe seato the Turkish frontier. The upper regionof the mountains present onlyan expanse of sterilityat their centre some few tufts of treesare seen but

at their base groves of orange, lemon, and cedrattrees difl

‘usearound their fragrant odours,and descend

intoapicturesque valley, where they become groupedwith the olive trees, and form ever- verdant gardensand bowers, which reach to the suburbs of the townitself. Oaks, plane trees,and cypresses,arealso scattered over the land, and give apleasing variety of

shapeand hue to the mass offoliage .

The balmy and exhilarating air breathed by the

Parghiotes gave them afreshness and health whichdistingu ished them from the Ionians ; and the libertywhich they enjoyed under every protecting powermaterially contributed to the development of theirphysical faculties and their ardent passions. The

men were brave, temperate, and hospitable, ratherabove the middle size,and generally strongand robust .Their costume was that of the Greek islanders ; itconsisted ofan embroidered jacketand large breechesof blue clo th ,and ared scull- cap. They wore mustachios,and were u suallyarmed withamusket,apairof pistols, aponiard, and asabre. The females,most of whom were handsome, werearrayed inalongplaited petticoat, and acloth or silk jacket, embroidered or trimmed with gold . A double cord of red

silk intertwined the hair, which was gracefully fastenedup behind. In public, the covered the head with acoloured handkerchi ef. They were chaste, thoughthey enj oyed the highest degree of social freedom.

2 4 6 L IFE o r AL I PASHA .

Both sexes were ofagay disposition,and indulged inthe dance uponall festive occasions.

Among their u sages,” says Colonel de Bosset,there is one which deserves particular mention .

Whenayoung manhas paid hisaddresses toafemale,and the respective families have agreed on the prel iminary arrangements for their union , the destinedbride is introduced into the paternal home of her

lover. Everything is done to render herabodeagreeable,and on her part she takes the greatest pains toconciliate the good will of the family to which she isabout to belong. But the marr iage is not immediately concluded,and it is only at the expiration ofayear, that the union of the betrothed is irrevocablyratified by the seal of religion . In the interval theirmutual intimacyand confidence become strengthened,and they enjoy under the same roof, that liberty without which it would be difficult to knowandappreciateeach other. If, before the expirati on ofayear, oneof the parties should allege well-founded reasons forbreaking off the arrangements, arepresentation is

made by the family of the complainant to the otherfamily, who generally raise objectionsand difli culties ;theaffair is laid before the proto - papa, or chiefof theclergy, who, by theaid ofarbitrators, commonly takenfrom both families, decides definitively ; audience isgi vento both partiesand to their witnesses. Recourseis frequently had to matrons,and if,after due deliberation on the arguments adduced on either side, thephysical or moral incompatibility on which theappealis made, be clearly proved, the whole affair is placedinslam qu o,and the young female is taken home toher parents . Separations of this kind are, however,rare, and are not allowed except on very stronggrounds . If,at the end of the probationary year, theaflianced persons suit each other, the nuptials then

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2 4 8 L IFE OF ALI FAS IIA.

advocate s have laboured to stab to the heart the reputationof their victims. To their slanders upon the

character of the Parghiotes it will sufiice to opposethe evidence ofan unexceptionable witness. The

Parghiotes," says Mr. Hughes, were represented to

us, by every one connected with them,asavery industrious, honest, and moral people ; though manyhave since been interested in depreciating thei r goodqualities : their attachment to liberty is well knownby the determined opposition which they made forthirty years against the attacks of an inveterateenemy ; and by theassistance which theyalways rendered to the Suliots or any other Christian peoplewhose country lay under the fangs of an infideldespoiler. Their valour, which has never been questioned, has always shone forth in defence of theirr ights

,never in aggression ; for the Parghiotes had

not,at the time of their expatriation , increased theirterritory byasingle foot of ground since theirances~tors first congregated together upon this billaltar ofliberty . As for the crime of piracy, with which theyhave been charged, I believe thataperson who shou ldnowassert it wou ld he laughed at for his ignorance,since there never wasamore industrious and com

mercial people, nor was everan instance known ofaParghiote pirate on the coast of the Adriatic. Thoughtheyadhered strictly to the rites and ceremoniesof

the Greek church, they appeared to do so conscientiously,according to the faith in which they hadbeen brought up ; and it would perhaps have beenbetter to have cleared their minds from error andsuperstition by rational argument and kind forbearance, than to have turned their religion intoareasonfor delivering up the ir country to the Tu r ks.

" Itmay beas well to mention, that the opinion of Mr.Hughes was not founded upon mere hearsay, or the

LI FE OF ALI PASHA . 2 4 9

testimony of those who knewlittle ofPargabe him

self visited the town ,andamong those who bore witness to themerits of the Parghioteswas their Englishgovernor, S ir Charles Gordon .Shortly after their removal to the new town of

Parga, the inhabitants sought the powerful protectionof the Venetian republic. It was willingly granted,and atreaty of federation was signed between the

par ties, on the twenty-first ofMatch, 1 4 01 . Veniceengaged to maintain in the townabody of Italian orSclavonian troops ; andaCorfiote nobleman, with thetitle ofgovernor, was to resideat Parga,as representative of Venice. But, on behalfof the Parghiotes,i t was stipu lated, that they should govern themselvesfree ly and independently,according to the laws andcustoms of theirancestors ; that they should not beliable to serve by seaor land, in the militiaor galleysof Venice, nor to engage in anywar but in defencebf their own territoryand the Venetian settlements inAlbania; that they shou ld pay no taxes, capitations,or export and import duties ; and should be chargeable with only half the ordinary duties when tradingto the ports of Venice. In Augu st, 1 4 4 7 , this treatywas confirmed with the same solemnities which hadbeen observed on its first being signed. The Parghiotes did not suffer it to be infringed with impunityfor, wheneveragovernor was gu ilty ofattempting toviolate it, they kept him under arrest, till they hadobtained justice from the governor-generalat Corfu .

Twice, in 1 500and in 1 5 60, notwithstanding thesupport derived from the Venetians, Pargawas burnedby the Turks. In the first instance, the injury wastransient ; but, on the second occasion , the whole territory was laid waste,and the inhabitants were drivento take shelter among the wandering tribes of the

neighbouring mountains. Some time elapsed before

2 50 L IFE OF AL I PASHA .

the scattered fugitives ventured back to theirancientpossessions,andastill longer time passed by beforethey cou ld resolve to raise their town from its ru ins.They then sent deputies to Venice to demand theirassistance

,and the renewal of their ancientalliance

requesting,among other things, that the senate wouldassist in fortifying their city,and wouldalso lend themasum of money to enable the poorer part of the citizens to rebu ild their habitations . The senate was notonly just but generou s . It undertook the whole ex

pense of erecting the fortifications ; and, instead of

aloan from its treasury, it sent,as afree gift, therequ isite materials for the construction oftheir hou ses.When the particu lar points of the embassy wereadjusted,anew charter, ratifying and confirming allthe former treaties

,was regu larly signed on the fifth

of February, 1 5 7 1 . It was afterwards repeatedlyrenewed ; and wasalways religiously fulfilled, not onlyin its letter, but its spirit, till the final extinction of

Venice by the ambition of France and Austriain

It has been seen , inapreceding chapter, that,afterthe fall of Prevesa, in 1 7 98 , Aliattempted to terrifythe people ofPargainto submission . Inhis first letterto them, upon that occasion, be summoned them tobecome subjects of the Porte. Whatever politicalgovernment you desire,

" said he, I shall be disposedto give you ; but if you will not do this, know that Iat war with you .and the sin be upon your heads.

No answer having been retu rned to this letter, headdressedasecond to them, in which ,after reproaching them for their si lence, he desired them to driveout or kill the French ,

” and informed them that hewould despatch Hassan E fl'endi to treat verbally withthem on the wholeaffair.”The reply of the Parghioteswasworthy ofmenthe

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2 5 2 L IFE OF ALI FASIIA.

it would be difficult to discover. Nor canavalidreason beassigned, for her turningadeaf ear to themany entreaties of the Parghiotes, to be incorporatedwith the republic of the Seven Islands. The natureof her policy on other occasions may justify us in

suspecting that, in this instance, her motives weredishonest.Favourable as the terms of the treaty apparently

were, the Parghiotes were too muchattached to theirindependence to consent to resign it. Besides, theycould not but beaware, that there was no solid security for the due performance of them. The Porteitself might be willing toact up to the contract ; butthere was no reliance to be placed upon its viceroys ;and it was not improbable that Ali would, by one

means or other, possess himself of Parga. The Parghi otes, therefore, for some time refused to submit.At length, the dislike ofyielding evenanominal obedience to the Porte was overcome by the dread ofAli,and they resolved to own the paramountauthority ofthe sultan . By means of theambassador of the Septinsular republic, who exerted his influence for themat Constantinople,avoiwode, or governor,was sent tothemasaprotection and this was the only Turk whoentered their walls . So little was their freedom of

action interfered with by this ofli cer, that theyassistedthe Suliots in their final contest. and gaveanasylumto the remnant which escaped from the mu rderousgrasp ofAli.The shameful violation by Ali, of every clause of

the treaty of 1 800, when, in 1 806, he obtained permissionfrom the Porte to enter Prevesa, Vonitza,andButrintor sufli ciently indicated to the Parghiotes whatwould be their fate if their deadly enemy once obtainedafooting within their walls. They, therefore, soughtprotection from the Russianadmiral,and he sent them

L IFE OF AL I PASHA . 2 5 3

agarrison. The treaty ofTilsit, however,aswe havealready stated, transferred Pargato Napoleon,andAli,whose coo operationwas u seful to the French monarch,embraced this opportunity of claiming that the townshould be given up to him, in compliance with the

treaty of 1 800. Napoleonwasat first disposed to

admit the claim . A farther examination taught himto reject it ; and he replied, that,as Ali had violatedevery part of the treaty to which he referred, the wholestipulations of that treaty,asfaras regarded the towns,must be held to be annulled, and that neither thevizier nor the Porte had nowany claim to the military occupation of Parga.The French standard continued to float on the

walls ofPargatill the commencement of1 8 1 4 . Itwas,however, easy to foresee that, pressed on all sidesasFrance then was, her few remaining territories in theAdriatic could not fail to be speedily wrested fromher . The Parghiotes, therefore, thought it necessaryto secu re to themselvesaprotector. England was thepower to which they naturally looked for support,andtheyaccordingly openedanegociationwith the Britishcommanders in the Adriatic. As yet, however, nothing had been c oncluded upon . Ali soon obtainedinformation of what was going forward,and in consequence hastened the preparations, which he had forsome time been making, toattack Parga. He had invain madealluring offers to M . Pouquevilleand general D onzelot, to obtain the cession of the town , andhe now, though Turkey wasat peace with France,determined to obtain his object by force. Ali hadreckoned upon taking the Parghiotes by surprise ;but M . Fouqueville, at much hazard, succeeded intransmitting intelligence which put them upon theirguard.The Albanians, under Omer BeyVrioneand Hugo

2 5 4 L IFE OF ALI PASHA .

M ubarda, took the fieldabou t themiddle ofFebruary,and, on the twenty-e ighth, they carried byassault thefrontier villages ofAjaand Rapesa, where they putnumbers of the inhabitants to death, and sold the

rest into slavery. They then proceeded towardsParga. Theadvanced guard of the Parghiotes, beingabandoned by the French garrison , was‘ obliged to fallback. It took upaposition at Labovitissa, not farfrom the town

,and there it was joined by the whole

disposable force of the Parghiotes, consisting ofabouteight hundred men,accompanied by even the womenand children . who handedammunition,and loaded themuskets of their hu sbandsand parents. Afterahardstruggle, the troops of the vizier were compelled toretreat. Among the slain was one of his near relatives. He buried him onthe frontier, within view of

Parga, and erected over himamau soleum , on whichhe is said to have resolved to sacrifice the Parghiotes,whenever he cou ld subdue them .

Foiled in hisattempt to reduce Pargabyarms, Alihad recou rse toartifice . He requestedaconferencewith Mr. Foresti, the British resident,and, with tearsinhis eyes, besought him to prevail upon the Englishtoaid him in obtaining Parga, for which, he declared ,he was willing to do homage to Great Britain . But

Mr. Foresti, instead of complying with his wishes,arranged with general Campbell that, in the event ofthe town being evacuated by the French, it should beoccupied by the British. Ali then adopted anotherscheme. Colonel Nicole, the commander of the

French garrison, was one of the officers who weresent to Ioanninaby Napoleon before the peace of

Tilsit, where he becameafavourite ofthe vizier. He

was also by birth an Ottoman subject,anative of

AsiaMinor. After having fought under the standardof the celebrated Egyptian chief, Ali Bey, he had

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2 5 6 L IFE OF ALI PASHA.

affairs, now came forward and made the followingspeech . It has been justly observed that, in politicalwisdom and manly vigour,as well as in its generaltone and manner, thi s harangue seems to bear avery striking resemblance to the bu siness speecheswhich we meet with in Thucydides.

Fellow citizens—The expulsion of the Frenchappears to me to be so necessary, that I will notwaste words in recommending it. But I exhort youwell to consider, before you yield yourselves upto the English, that the king of England now has inhis payall the kings of Europe, obtaining money forthis purpose from his merchants ; so that in thatcountry the merchants and the kingare bu t as onewhence , should it become advantageous to the merchants to sell you , in order to conciliate Ali, andobtain certain commercialadvantages in his harbours,the English wi ll sell you to Ali. If, however, youstill persist in surrendering yourself to England, beware how you confide in the promises ofm ilitary men,whose trade, whatever may be their dignity, is butthat ofaservant ; therefore, being taught only toobey, they seldom have wisdom to weigh their promises ,and never have power to fulfil themas you do,because you are all free men. But goand presentyourselves before their king. Ifhe mean to be master of . this city, let him swear it upon the Gospel ofChrist. Yet I would not entirely tru st even him .

For within these twenty years , Christian princes haveopenly turned their subjectsand friends into merchandise,and have shown but little regard to the Gospel .But suppose youare once in the hand ofEnglandyou may be governed well, or you may be governedi ll. But the well is uncertain ,and if i ll, you willhave bereft yourselves ofall remedy. The king of

England has not that sword of justice in his hands,

L IF E OF ALI PASHA . 2 5 7

that he can, like Napoleon, Alexander, or the sultan,decapitate the misgoverning pashas ofhis distant provinces . On the contrary, hisjustice is feeble, because ,be ing surrounded by contending parties, he is com

pelled to lean for support upon one party to-day,andto-morrow upon another ; and yet to pay regard toal l while each party, in its turn , concealsas muchasit can, defends,and often praises, the blunders of itspartisans ; so thatagovernor may treat youas slaves ,and yet be fearless of punishment. Nor wou ld you ,0 men ofParga,— I sayyou , because I hope soon to

lay me down in the peace of God ,and be buried byyour hands in this church, - nor would you beable toobtain redress. This our city is small and poor, andweakand ignorant ; whence then shall it have power,how find money P and where the learned citizens, who,being sent to the king of England, might show himthe truth P However, this Pargastill possesses thosearms which have, for so many generations, preventedasingle armed Mussu lman from entering her walls.I say not this that you shou ld be proud ofthe defeatwhich that butcher of the Christians lately sustainedat your hands ; for that victory came from God,God who will not cease to protect you as heretofore,and who cando so becau se he is just,and because hei s almighty ; whilst the Russians and the French,justand unjust, powerfu land weak, by turns, have,asthe fru it of their protection , exposed you to inconceivable perils,and kept you for several years in per

These Engli sh tooare but men; andmayyou not live to see them expelled from al l countries which they have no longer money to pay, cagedup in their island,and preying upon each other fromwant ? Why then recur to foreignaid ? Pargaissufi cient to nourishand to defend you . Al i cannottake her by land : he cannot blockade her by sea, by

s

2 5 8 L IFE OF AL I PASHA .

which' your co untrymen in the island s cm alwayssupply you with food,and which, in case of extremity,will always afl'ord you aneasy escape ; though I, formy part, let the danger be ever so great , would neverexhort you to go forth vagrants and beggars , withyour wivesand children , intoaforeign land. Let us

all die here at home ; and when no way of safetyremains for the city, set it on fire, that these infidelsmay triumph only over ou r ru ined housesand mangledcarcasses . However, this danger cannot last long :forasmu chas Ali is now old,and his head isalwaysunder the sword of the sultan, whose wrath, though ithas so long slept, should itat lengthawake, no Turkwill beable to escape. Atall events,as longas youremain masters of your owncity, so long will you beable to follow that line of conduct, which, under themercy of God, circumstances may render fit. The

infidels, indeed, may force you to give them battle,and reduce you to great extremity : yet you will slaymany of them toappease the blessed souls of so manyChri stians slain by them. But, once garrisoned bystrangers, you will be subject to the will ofanother ;you will not be able to use good fortune, should itever befal you ; and you will for eve r lose the right ofdefending your country,and even of burying yourselves under its ru ins near your dear forefathers ."Finding that his arguments cou ld not move his

countrymen from their resolve to place themselvesunder British protection, he advised them at least tobe careful in enforcing the condition, which the Britishofli cers themse lves had promised, namely, that Pargashould follow the fate of the Ionian Islands. Forhimself, however, he declined to be aparty to theagreement,and he enteredaregular protestagainst it.On the 1 7 th ofMarch, 1 8 1 4 , n ine ofthe primates of

Parga, in behalf of their fellow citizens, signed the

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260 L I FE o r AL I PASHA .

detachment, and took possession of Pargain the

name ofhis Majesty.This event , whi ch seemed toannihilate Ali ’s hopes

ofbecoming master ofParga, excitedat first his indignation, and he had the face to complain bitterly of

English ingratitude. At length, be suppressed orconcealed his feelings, and determined to leave nostone unturned to accompli sh his purpose. I willhave Parga" I will have PargaI exclaimed he,andhe emphatically declared that, ifhe could but erectapalace on that scanty rock, he shou ld find consolation for whatever misfortunes might befal him.

”How

he succeeded we shall soon see.

Compelled to suspend the work of destructi on inone quarter, Ali indemnified himself by pursuing itthe more vigorously in another. With the view of

securing the power of his youngest son, whom he

designed for his heir, he had resolved u tterly to rootout al l hardy chiefs and independent tribes, whosestruggles for liberty might be feared . The Kimariots,inhabitants of the ancient Acroceraunia, were the

victims on the present occasion. As, however, theyoffered no resistance, Ali could find no pretence fortheir extermination : his only plan , therefore, was to

order ageneral expatriation of their tr ibes . Thisunhappy people sentadeputationofelders, to entreatthat they might not be torn from their native land.The petition was heard in full divan,at which he waspresent,andall but the inexorable vizier were movedby the pathetic eloquence of the deputies : healone,stem and unmoved, pronounced the fatal negative ;nor would he even allow them to remain till thespring. His troops marched into their mountains,and drove off, like so many cattle, men, women,andchildren, young and old,amidst all the inclemenciesofarigorous winter. Peaceful husbandmen driven

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from their paternal acres , mothers with childrenattheir breasts, or on the point of bringing theirwretched ofl’spring into existence, young maidens,andchildren , forced from their domestic hearths, andvenerable old men, borne down with years and infirmi ties, wereall draggedalong to be transported intothe rice fields of the pestilential marshes ofAchernsia.That no leaders might remain , toanimate the peopleto resistance, eighty of the principal beysandagas ofThesprotiawere sent, loaded with chains, to Algiers , toend their days in slavery. While these hapless beingswere thus qu itting the tombs of their fathers, part ofthe Christian population of Preveas,atown whichwas the pecu liar object of Ali’ s hate , and numerouscolonists from the fertile Thessaly, were transplantedwith equal violence to repeople the bleak and desertedmountains ofKirnare .

This measure was succeeded by one which , thoughless cruel , was not less tyrannical . He converted thewhole district of Zagori. consisting of forty villages,into achifll ick, as an inheritance for his son Sal iPasha. In vain did the chiefs remonstrate, in vaindid they represent that they had been proprietorsfrom time immemorial. The principles of justicewere set at nought, and more than five thousandfamilies were deprived of their lawful possessions,andattached to the soilas serfs.The marriage of Saliafl'orded another opportunity

of practising extortion . The citizens of Ioannina,and the country people of the neighbouring districts ,were called upon for contributions, so that for sometime the streets

,

of the city were blocked up bybeasts of burden carrying the nuptial gifts . E venthe poorest villagers were not excu sed from presenting these offerings. The women came in troops , eachbearing alittle honey or afew,

faggots, and were

262 L IFE OF AL I FAsnA.

escorted to the serai by the Albanian guards, whobeat them with long sticks in order to make themsmg.

In January, 1 8 1 6, Ali received avisit from adethroned monarch. In expectation ofafirmanfromthe Porte to visit Palestine, Gustavus Adolphus of

Sweden landedat Prevesa, whence he proceeded to thecourt ofAli . The vizier received his guest with therespect which was due to his rank and mi sfortune,pu rchased from him some valuable jewels,and waspresented withasword which had belonged to Charlesthe Twelfth .

Some’

months before the visit of the deposed sovereign took place, two eminent public characters hadqu itted the dominions ofAli . After having enduredthe long martyrdom of his consulship at Ioannina,M . Fouqueville was removed to Patras, by the

French government ; and he gladly qu itted acitywhich , of late years, the vizier had contr ived ,as faras regarded the consul, to convert not merely intoaprison , butalso into asolitude, no inhabitant daringto keep upan intercourse withamanwho lay underthe displeasure of Ali. Nearly at the same period,the functions ceased of Mr. G. Foresti , the Englishresident, who was remarkable for his talents, integrity,and firmness . Both these gentlemen, especially thelatter, possessed considerable influence over Ali ,and,when they were gone, he seems to have given himselfup without restt to the violence ofhis passions.

About this time anadventurer made his way toIoannina, who has left in print many particulars respecting Ali. This individual , who took the appellation of Ibrahim Manzour E fl'

endi, was born atStrasburg, of Jewi sh parents,and his real name wasCerfbere. After having, among other mutati ons,beenaFrench republican officer of hussars and

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264 L IFE OF ALI FAsuA;

pled on the weaker, in order to reach the distributorof the money, while others maliciously tore off fromthe more modest their veils and even their clothes.A signal being given , the Albanians ru shed inamongthe women, and dealt their blows around till theblood flowed from the heads of the sufferers, anddeath not unfrequently ensued . The sickening scenewas generally closed by the pages carrying 06agreatpart of the moneyas their own perqu isite.

Unaware that this brutal exhibition was contrivedfor Ali ’s amu sement, who satatalatticed window to

v iew it, Manzour,at supper, expressed disgu stat whathe had wi tnessed,and ahope that it would be prevented in future. When supper was over, and the

attendants had withdrawn ,Ali whispered these ominouswords into the ear of his guest : Ibrahim E fl'

endi ,

youareas yet too youngat my court to know exactlyhow to conduct yourself: in time you will become

ized ; butas I love and cherish you as my own

son, I will give youabit ofadvice ;and that is, not tomeddle with affairs that don ’t concern you ; or youwill perhaps find that the gr eat serp ent canbite.

”

On one occasion , Ali condesceuded to giveareasonfor some ac ts of severity, upon which Ibrahim hadventured toanimadvert. Youare not yetacquaintedwith the Greeks and Albanians,” said the vizierwhen I hang up one of these wretches on aplanetree , brother robs brother under the

.

very branchesif I burn one of them al ive, the son is ready to stealhis father sashes to make money of them. Theyaredestined to be ruled by me,and no one but Ali iscapable of restraining their evil propensities .”In 1 8 1 8 acircumstance occurred, which to most

persons would have beenaheavy m isfortune ; but, byakind of sinisteralchemy, Inwhich hewasaproficient,Ali converted it intoasource of wealth . Either by

LIF E OF ALI rAsIIA. 265

lightning, or by the carelessness ofsome.ofSalt 3attendants, the new palace at Tepeleni was burned to theground. It was some time before those about himwou ld venture to communicate the calamitous tidings .As soonashe heard them he departed from Ioannina,and never pau sed till he reached his native place. Onarriving, he had the satisfaction to find that the sub

terranean chambers where he kept his plate andvaluables,and the garden- tower inwhich his treasurewas deposited, had escaped the fury of the flames.His first care,” says Mr. Hughes. was to issueproclamations throughout his dominions, stating thatthe vengeance ofHeaven had fallen upon him,and thatAli had no longerahome in the place of his au cestors : he called therefore upon his loving subjects toassi st him in his distress,and fixedaday on which heexpected their attendance . At the time appointed ,Tepeleni was crowded with depu ties from variou s distr icts ; with his old associates and friends ; with hischildren ,and relations of every degree . At the outergate of the seraglio the vizier was seen seated uponadirty mat, cross -legged and bare- headed , with aredAlbanian cap in his hands to receive contributions .He had been cunning enough to send beforehand toseveral of his retainers, from whose poverty littlecould be expected, large sums of money which theynow broughtand restored to himas if they had beenvoluntary presents from their own stores. Whenthereforeanybey or primate offered asum less thanhis expectations, he compared his n iggardly avaricewith the liberality of others, who must have deprivedthemselves even ofthe necessaries of life for his sakerefusing the present in the following terms : Whatgood will this do to Ali,amanafflicted by the divinevengeance ? Take it back , mu rrie, take it back,andkeep it for you r own necessities .

”Suchahint was

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quite sufficient to double or treble the contribu tion ;and by these means he collected asum of moneywhich enabled him not only to rebu ild the seragli o,but to add very considerably to the treasures in hisgarden . To crown the whole, he carried to Ioanninasome of the females ofhis Tepeleni seraglio,and soldthem to his familiars ; assigning as his reason thathe was not rich enough to keep such anumber of

slaves.While Ali was thus occupied he did not neglect his

paramount object of making himselfmaster of Parga.As in his eyesall means were good which were calculated toaccomplish his purpose, he did not hesitate todescend to fraud. Among his sinister practice s wasthe procu ring amemorial, inthe shape ofapetition,praying the Porte to take Pargaunder its immediatejurisdiction. This document pu rported to be signedby fifty of the Parghiotes afew of the names he hadobtained by bribery, the rest he had forged. Thisattempt was defeated by general Campbell. At thesame time the vizier’sagents were active at London,Corfu ,and Constantinople . In the Ottoman capital,by dint of the persuasive eloquence of gold, theysucceeded in procuringademand from the Porte forthe surrender of Parga. As soon as the lord highcommissioner, sir Thomas Maitland, arrived in the

Ionian Islands, the vizier put in practiceall hisarts towin over the newdignitary. He invited his lordship,with his familyand suite, gave them splendid entertainments,and, under the name of presents, pelisses,cashmere shawls, and gold snuff- boxes, some plain,some ornamented with brilliants, were distributedamong the guests . The vizier, says lieutenant~colonel do Bosset, calculated on the immediate ces

sion of Parga,as the certain consequence of the goodgrace and readiness with which his ofl

'

ers were ao-I

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268 L IFE OF ALI PA S HA .

paid to thei r well - known feel ings , they were turnedover by the Briti sh government to the Ottoman sway,or, rather, to the tender mercies of Ali Pasha. Al lthat was done for them was to insertanarticle in thetreaty, that such of them as did not choose to liveunder the Turkish dominion, might emigrate , andshould be remunerated for the loss of their property.

'They wereallowed the melancholy privilege of goinginto exile 1In the month of March , 1 8 1 7 , the secret of this

iniqu itou s compact was first disclosed to its victims.Asapreliminary to the disclosure , three hundred men,under Lieutenant- colonel de Bosset, were sent to re inforce the garrison . This step was not unnecessaryas well to guardagainst possible ‘

commotions,arisingfrom the despairand indignation of the Parghiotes,asto prevent any tricks from Ali Pasha,

" which wasthe reason assigned by si r Thomas Maitland. The

intelligence that suchaneventas the cession of theircountry was probable, filled them with consternation and despair,and the strongest explanations andass urances were

.

necessary to restore their confidence.

Fortunately, the l ieutenant - colonel was anable andhumane officer,and the sympathy which be manifestedfor the devoted people calmed their irritated feelings .Imagining that i t might be economy which indu cedthe British to give them up, they offered to defrayby acontribution the expense of protecting them ;

but they were told that this proposal could not beacceded to.While the negoc iation, relative to the sum to be

paid fo r the property of the Parghiotes, was carryingon by the British and Ottoman commissioners, Aliwas straining every nerve to gain possession of the

place at an easier rate ,and he repeatedly declaredthat he was determined not to payasingle parato

L IFE OF ALI PASHA . 269

the inhabitants. To sow dissensions and purchasepartisans among the Parghiotes, to exitite animosityagainst the Englishas their betrayers, to po ison thei rbreadand water, to prevent their procuring suppliesof prov isions, to introdu ce secretly -anumber of hisadherents,and to blow u p the powder magazine in thecitadel, were among his attempts and projects, and,to second them , be increased his force in the vicinityof the town . This state of things,and the uncertaintyas to their fate, were highly detrimental to the welfareof the people. Al l stimulus to exertion being thu staken away , commerce and agricultu re langui shed ,employment for the humbler class was no longer to beobtained, and the scarcity of subsistence began to .

border upon famine . In . this extremity the head ofthe chu rch and the public functionaries generouslyrenounced their emoluments,and the more opulentcitizens raised afund, for the purpose of purchasinggrainat Corfu,and relieving the poor.The reader has already seen, in the early part of

this chapter, the extent of territory which was occu

pied by the Parghiotes. The populatRInconsisted ofsou ls. According to the admission of their

enemies, the number ofhou sesand cottages was 8 69of olive trees , ofwild olives, of orangeand citron trees, of other fru it trees,ofValonaoaks, 5 1 3 besides vineyardsand cultivablelands . This estimate does not include the churchandcorporation estates,and the possessions of the localgovernment, nor the lands not cultivated or builtupon , for all which the Tu rkish commissioner obsti

hately and inequ itably refused toallow ofany com

pensation, though most of i t was the private property .

of different famil ies . The Parghiotes remonstratedagainst this injustice ; but no attention was paid totheir remonstrances. In fact, they were not suffered

2 7 0 L IFE OF AL I PASHA .

to takeany part whatever in the proceedings by whichtheir fields and dwellings were transferred to otherowners .The negociationwas protracted throughaperiod of

nearly two years. Ali seems to have studiously spunit out, in the hope, perhaps, that circumstances mightarise, to put Pargainto his hands without the necessity of his drawing his purse- strings—an operationwhich he mortally hated. The value at which the

Parghiotes estimatedall that their territory containedwas an estimate which can hardly bethought exorbitant, when we consider that of treesalone there were three-fourths ofwhich wereamong the finest olive trees in the world. As, however, this estimate was held to be wholly inadmissible,Britishagents on one side,and Turkish on the other,were appointed to make anew one. The formerredu ced the sum to the latter, with animpudence which was almost ludicrou s, toAt length the bargain was closed by the lord highcommissioner consenting to receive the sum of

asahequivalent forall thatwas to be givenup by the Parghiotes. It might have been supposedthat the whole of this pittance wou ld be paid to them ;

but, no l adeduction of nearly was made tothe payment in Spanish dollars instead of

debased Turkish coin though the original calcu lationhad been in dollars,and though justice requ ired thatthe claimants should not be defrauded with basemoney. As ifthiswere not enough,afifth part of thesum was ordered to be withheld, till the expense of thecommission ,and of the freightage of the spec ie inaBritish frigate, shou ld have beenascertained "While this lingering treaty was on foot, strenuousattempts to dissuade the Parghiotes from emigratingwere made by Hamed Bey , the Turkish commi ssioner,

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‘

2 7 2 L IFE OF ALI PAS HA .

tidings,and the simultaneous march of the Albanianarmy, excited aterrible ferment in the m inds of thepeople, who with one voice declared, that ifasi ngleTurk entered their boundaries before they had qu itted”

the city, they would put to death their wivesand children , and defend themse lves to the last extremityagainstany force, whethe r Turk or Christian .The closing scene cannot be better described than

in theanimated language ofMr. Hughes. The E ngl ish commandant, perceiving by their preparations thatthis resolu tion was fixed, despatched informat ion of itto the lord high commissioner, who instantly sent toexpostu late with the Parghiotes. When the Britishofi cersarrived at Parga, the inhabitants were di siterr ing the bones of theirancestors from the churchesand cemeteries,and burying them or burning them in

secret places to prevent their profanati on by the Turks .Theprimates,wi ththe proto- papasat theirhead,assur edthe ofli cers that the meditated sacrifice would be immediate ly executed u nless they could stop the en

trance of the Turks, who had already arrived nearthe frontier,and effectually protect their embarkation .

This appeared to be no idle threat,and fortunatelymeans were found which prevailed with the Albaniancommandant to halt his forces in the mean time the

Glasgow frigate, which had been sent from Corfu,havingarrived, the embarkation commenced and thenthis brave people knelt down to kiss for the last time

the land which gave them birth,and watered it withtheir tears : some of them carriedaway ahandfu l ofthe soil, to beasolace in their misfortunes,an inheritance to their children, amemento of their wrongs,and astimulus to the recovery of their country :others took for the same pu rpose asmall portion ofthose sacredashes, which had been onceanimated bythe spi rits oftheir forefathers,and many carriedaway

LIFE OF ALI PASHA . 27 3

thebones which they had not time to burn. Whenthe bands of Ali Pashareached the walls, all wassolitude and silence. The city, as it has been oh

served, received its infidel garrison as Babylon orPalmyrasalutes the Christian traveller in the desert—nothing breathed, nothing moved ; the hou ses weredesolate, the nation was extinct, the bones of the

dead were almost consumed toashes, whilst the onlysign that living creatures had been there was the

smoke slowlyascending from the funereal piles .”

CHAPTE R XI . 0

Extent of Ah s Dominions—Population of them—D ifi cu l ty of

ascertaining the Population—E stimate and Sources of Alt 8Revenue—Modes of raising Money which were employed byAli—His Conduct to Nicolo Bretto—Chiflicks—Exactionsunder theName ofResti tutions—Threat used by Al i—M il itaryForce of the Vizier—Vigilance of his Pol iceand Spies—Comaposi tion of Al i’s Divan—His State Officers—H is PalacesM ixture ofMagnificenceand Meanness inhis Dwel lings.

WE may now be consideredashavingarrivedat theperiod when Ali hadattained the summit of his prosper ity. Here, then , we will pause awhile, fromdescribing hisactions, to give aview of the extent ofhis terri tory, and its population , his revenues, re

sources, and military establishments, and to collectinto one group the various sketches, of his personalappearanceand intellectual qualities, which have beendrawn by intelligent travellers and residents at his

The dominions ofAli formed, in extent, no inconsiderable kingdom. They includedall Epirus,afullhalf of AlbaniaProper, alarge part of Thessaly,aportion of Macedonia, and the whole of Western

2 7 4 L IFE OF AL I FAsHA.

Greece, from beyond the Lake of C obridaon the

north, to the Gulfof Lepanto on the south,and fromMount Pindus to the Adriati c.The amount of the popu lation over which his sway

extended, it is impossible to state withany degree of

certainty. The means of forminganestimate, whichare usually abundant in civilised countries, canscarcely be said to exist in Turkey. Regular censusthere is none ; and the fewother stati stical documentsof asimilar kind are calculated only to mislead .

The Ottoman government," observes M. de Vaudoncourt, having imposed under the name of

haratch, or capitation tax, atribute on the Raias, ortributary persons hot be ing Mussu lmans, the estimateof this most numerous class of the Ottoman states, isusually established in the treasury registers of the

empire, in conformity to the produce of this impost.No one, however, can fail easil to conceive whatgreat obstacles are opposed to t e exact distribu tionof the haratch . Two causes tending to acontraryresultare opposed to each other,and concur to renderthe produce uncertain,arbitrary,and disproportionedto the exactamount ofthe population , which ought toserveas the basis. The first is the

"natural resistanceof the Raias, who, through personal interest and national hatred, seek to lessen their number inorder todiminish the impost. The second is the spirit of

rapacity so congenial to the Turkish agents , whoendeavour to collect the haratch from the natives evenwhen absent, and who frequently for several yearscontinue the same names on the list ofassessments.The excessive laziness of the Osmanlis prevents themfrom keeping exact check rolls in each canton, andsetting down the changes from one year to the other ;whence the exaction of the karatchalways excites dis

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2 7 6 LIFE OF AL I PASIIA’

.

r itory, says Dr. Holland, are unquestionably someof the districts in Albaniato the north of Ioannina. In Thessaly,and the country southward to thegulf of Corinth, the population is less considerable ;in theancient Acarnaniaand E tolia, the country is verythinly peopled,and thereare no towns ofany importance. Supposing the dominions of Ali to haveextended two hundred miles from north to south,andone hundred from east to west, (which suppositi onis not wide of the fact) the lowest estimate givesseventy-five persons, and the highest one hundred,for each square mile .

The exactamount of the revenue which Ali drewfrom the country is no less difficult to ascertain thanthe number of the contributors ; for he followed nofixed rule in the repartition and collection of hisimposts . It was certainly large . For himalone the

harvests r ipened,the flocks bore their fleec loads,andthe vine displayed its golden clusters. de

doncourt considers his annual revenue to have been,

onanaverage, between sixand seven hundred thousand pounds . His tribute to the Turkish government

,

which healways regularly paid, is stated to have beeneightythousand pounds,andan equal sum was yearlyexpended in bribes and presents to the ministers ofthe Divan . H is clear income was, therefore, littleifatall short ofhalfamillion sterling. The revenuesof his three sons, and their children, were said, in1 8 1 7

,to be about six hundred thou sand pounds.

The boards of treasure which he hadamassed,andwhich were all in Venetian gold, must consequentlyhave been immense. All the preciou s stones andpearls which he could hear of, in the countries underhis sway, be appropriated to himself. He possessedvast collections of watches, valuable clocks, gold andsi lver vessels, and immense magazines of goods of

L IFE OF AL I PASHA . 2 7 7

every kind, all of which he kept in subterraneousvaults ; into those vaults no one but himself wasallowed to enter. The produce of his own privatedomains was of considerable magnitude ; of sheepalone he hadabout fifty thousand.

To what may be cal led the regu lar branches of hisrevenue,among which may be reckonedatax of ten

per cent. on the produ ce of land, anarbitrary taxon

townsand cities,an importand expo rt duty of six percent.,atenper cent. duty on property determined inacase of commercial or civil litigation,and the assumption ofaright to the possessions of those whodied without male heirs, must be added the resourceswhich be derived from confiscations, exactions,arbitrary droits , fines ,and commutations of penalties,alllevied according to his own caprice. Even thesewere not sufficient to satiate his lust ofaccumulation.H is rapac ity extended to everything,and to gratify itno pretext was too frivolou s or too mean . Ifamerchantarrived iahis dominions with goods, he wouldsend for him, examine his samples,afl'ect fair dealing,and then purchase the articles at aprice arbitrarilyfixed by himself. The wares thu s honestly boughtwereas honestly sold . A fewspecimens ofhis talentsin this waymay beamusing. Having purchased,atavery low rate ,acargo of damaged coffee, he sent forsome coffee - dealers and Jews of Ioannina,asked theprice of coffee , and was told that, including freightand duties, they could not sell it for less than fourandahalfpiastres the pound. Well,

" said he , Ihave some excellent coffee which I will sell you forfive piastres, by which you wi llavoid all trouble andrisk. Please you r highness,” replied the unluckydealers, we have agreat quantity at this time onhand,and it is qu ite adrug in the market.” Get

only you horned rascals,”exclaimed Ali, you shall

97 8 o r AL I pasmt .

buy' it for six and,as it would have been somewhat

dangerous to contend withadespot, for six piastre sthe damaged coffee wasaccordingly purchased. On

asimilar occasion , he sold several hundred dozen of

worthless sword-blades, which he had obtained foratrifle, because, on account of the badness of theirmanufacturing

,no one el se would lookat them.

One of the modes which Al i employed to fleece hisSubjects was tomake presents to them. One morning,the mother of M r . B ugbee’s host ran up to him,

crying and crossing herself, and implor ing him to

interfere in her behalf with the Pasha. He wasastonished to hear, that her afi ictionwas caused bythe Pashahaving just sent herapresent of ten kilosaofwheat ; but hisastonishment was soon removed bythe by

- standers, who informed him that this onerouspresent must be acknowledged by her sending twi cethe market price of it,and that the messenger wasthen in the house waiting for the money. “ In likemanner, says Mr. Hughes, he boughtalargeassortment ofwatches made to sell,as well as snuff-boxes,r ingsand toys, from ~atravelling Genevamerchant;He then sent for thearchbishop of Ioannina Hereisawatch for you, very beautifu l,and very excellent :I expect that to-morrow you will make me apresentof sixty sequins.’ The two Greek primates next received eachagratuitous sunE—box,and almost everyGreek possessed ofwealthand reputation in the placewas gratified by his sovereign ’s gracious condescensionandapresent, with which ,after receiving it in silence,he touched his foreheadand lips, in token of respect,and departed.

"

When one ofhis rich vassals died, Ali was on thealert to grasp at least apart of the deceased's prope rty,and he did not hesitate to resort to the mostunblushing fraudand forgery to accompli sh his pug.

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2 80 LIFE or AL" PA SHA .

One great engine of oppression, which Ali u sed forthe purpose of swelling his landed possessi ons ,and of

course his coffers, was the system of chiflicks. I nAlbania,all the villagesare either free villas or chiflicks ; the former ofwhich we may consider as leasehold or copyhold holdings, the latter as tenancy atwill. Each free villais divided into portions,according to the number of proprietors ; of the produceatenth part is due to the sultan , for the maintenanceof the spahis,akind of yeomanry cavalry, but liableto foreign service, either in person or by depu ty.The porti ons of indigent owners were bought by Ali

,

and those proprietors who were not poor enough to betempted to sell this birthright for amess of pottage,he soon contrived to make so, or to drive to suchdespair that they were glad to buy qu iet at the

expense of surrendering their property. H is first step,in this case, was to double the impost which waspayable to the Sultan . To govern the village, andrece ive the taxes

,he thenappointedahalouk bashee ,

withaparty of soldiers, who were paid by the unfor

tunate inhabitants the latter were also loaded withthe expenses of lodging and boarding all civil andmilitary officers, soldiers uponthe march,and travellers, whether natives or foreigners, who were fu rnishedwith abouyourdee ; nor wasany transfer of landallowed to be made withou t the vi zier's permission,which, as may well be imagined, was not easilyobtained. Ifall this was not sufficient, Albaniantroops were sent insuccession through the di strict, .toliveat free quarters on the inhabitants of the villas.The resu lt of this night-mare pressure generally was,that the impoverished proprietors were driven to

throw up their free holdings,and to become chifiickholders, or, strictly speaking, serfs of the worst kind ;having to pay not only the Sultan’

s tenth, but also

L I FE o r AL" PAS HA . 28 1

two parts out of three out of the produce of the soil,

reserving to themselves for their subsistence only thescanty remainder,and being subject to removal whenever,and to what '

quarter soever, their tyrant pleased.Another item of his revenue was that which, notalways unjustly perhaps, he called Restitutions. Itwasalevy upon those who had ever had the management ofmoney for him . He seems to have thought,with Hamlet, such officers do the king best servicein the end : he keeps them, likeanape, in the cornerofhis jaw ; first mouthed, to be last swallowed . whenhe needs what you have gleaned, it is but squeezingyou ,and, sponge, you shall be dryagain . Be ing inwant of ahundred bags, (about four thousandpo unds) , his son M ouctarapplied to Ali’s Jew steward, toadvance it. The Jew, however, whoseavariceovercame his prudence, protested that he had nomoney, and therefore could not comply with the

request. M ouctar was irritated by the refusal , whichhe probably knew to be founded on an untru th ,andhe complained to his father. Ali immediately sentfor the Jew,and,after having reproached him for notconfiding in his master

’s son, he added, Hark ye lyou have now been twenty years in my service,and,according to avery moderate calculation, you musthave robbed me yearly offive bags ; you shall therefore instantly pay me ahundred bags. He woundupthis pithy speech by his accu stomed ominous war

ning, which no one dared to disregard, Do what I

command, or the black serpent shall eat your eyesout.

”The black snake was too formidable to be en

countered,and the disconcerted Jew was obliged tosubmit quietly to the lossand disgrace of giving. or ,as his employer deemed it, refunding the hundredbagsNo mode of rai sing money was dlsdamed by Ali.

2 8 2 u se o r AL" PASH A .

To pay his tradesmen, he is even said to have oftendrawn bills at sight upon person s who owed sh imnothing ;and these drafts, such was the dread whichhe inspired, werealways du ly honou red.Ali was his own treasu rer and financial minister.

He had, indeed,anominal treasurer, to issue moneyfor the current expense s of the state,and this placewas filled, in 1 8 07 , by one of his nephews . Thisofii cer, however, was nothing more thanapaymaster,who was compelled to specify minutely all the disbu rsements from one chest of money before he wasintrusted with the keys of another. The Jewi shsteward, who has just been mentioned, collected therevenue of the private domains,and paid them intothe hands of his master. No written accounts werekept by the pasha; be trusted entirely to hismemory, seldom ifever madeamistake,and certainlynever to his own disadvantage.The magnitude of his revenue enabled Ali to call

into the field apowerful military force. The . efii ci o

ency of that force was, however, somewhat diminishedby the circumstance of his army being composed of

different e lements, which made it incapable offormi ngone consistent whole , regularly organised and diedplined. First in his confidence,and constitu tingas itwere the nucleus of hisarmy, wasabody offrom sixto seven thou sand men, raised byakind of

tion , from among the vassals on his own domains.The governors of the provinces dependent on himwere obliged, on the first requ isition, to furnish himwith such contingentsas he thought proper to demand.The vassals were paid by Al i himself; the contingenttroops by the provinces which supplied them. Tocomplete his ranks he enlisted mercenaries from allquarters, particu larly fromamong the followers ofhismountaineer beys, who carr ied on the trade of chiefs

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2 8 4 L l F E o r ALI PASHA .

general de Vaudoncourt, both lazyand ignorant,arenot susceptible ofbeing taught ; invincible prejudices,adeep- rooted obstinacy in favour of their ownancientcustoms , together withan insurmountableaversion foreverything that is labour or study, prevents the possibility of making any thing of them.

” Neither thestrenuou s efforts of the French ofi cers to discipl inethem, nor even the fear of bringing down upon themselves the vengeance of their rigid master, cou ldproduce the desired effect upon these untractableanimals. The prejudices of the Turks, wh ich donotallow them to use instruments made out of hogs’

bristles for cleaning their pieces ; their foolish dreadof seeing the ammunition chest blow up, which,indeed, their

’want of care and dexterity rendersextremely possible ; their great laziness, which prevents them from pointing their piece unless in asitting posture,and which converts the tracesandallthe other apparatus into objects of terror ; all theseunited motives compelled Ali to give up the use of

his field- pieces.”

At Bonila, where Ali had likewiseamilitary school,he establishedacannon foundry, which was under thedirectionof an Italian, not devoid of talent, who hadformerly heldasimilar situation in Tuscany. The

situation of the director was by no meansasinecure,inany sense of the word ; for he was tormented bythe rapacityandavarice of the pasha, who plunderedhim of his tools,and refused the necessary quantityof materials. The pashahad heard that atwentyfour pounder weighed only pounds,and he hadthe folly to requ ire that acannon of that calibreshould be delivered to him complete on his fu rnishinganequal weight ofmetal. The loss ofmetal in melting, casting,and boring, he either did not or wouldnot understand. H is establishment at Bonilawas

L IFE o r ALI PASHA '

. 2 8 5

much improved byaFrench officer ofartillery, whowas sent to him in 1 807 ,and who taught the workmen to cast mortars which were equal to any inEu rope . Towards the end of Ali’s career, hisartillery was much improved,and increased in number,and he had skilfu l cannoneers.Of powder-mills Ali had several ; the principal one

was at Jarovina, in the sanjiak of Ioannina. The

produce was of avery inferior kind. Large quantities of powderand ball were also purchased from theVenetians. There wasaci rcumstance which renderedit impossible for him to make his armies be followedby regu lar supplies of ready- prepared cartridges.Each Albanian soldier choosesamusketas his whimprompts him, and, as the calibres vary widely, fromballs offive to those of eight drachms, he is obligedto form the cartridges himself, or to pu rchase them.

Ali had no manufactories of muskets in his dominions ; hisfire-arms were procured from Upper Albania, or from Italy. Sword blades were imported fromUpper Albaniaand Bosnia.H is fortifications were contemptible. His countryabounded with positionsand towns which might havebeen rendered impregnable ; but the talent of turningthem to account was wanting. The plans of the

French engineers were neglected,and labours whichrequired the science ofaVauban,aCoehorn , or aCormontaigne, were committed to two men, rivals inobstinacyand ignorance, his selictarand anAlbaniannamed Peter. The fort of Preveas, on which Aliprided himself, wasapitifu l indefensible redoubt, hiscastle ofLitharitzacould have stopped onlyaTurkisharmy, and Argyro Castro, on which he spent immense sums, was commanded by aneighbouringeminence .

2 86 LIFE o r AL I PA SHA .

To secure obedience and tranquill ity in his '

states;Ali organisedavigilantand numerous police. This

police,” says M . de Vaudoncourt, is not only

severelyand watchfully busiedabout the public safety ;for Ali Pashadoes not even spare the klephtes, hisancient companions ; but i t enters into the interior ofhou ses, superintends the conduct of the inhabitants,and its officers rehder in to Alianexact accou nt ofthe actions, conversations, and projects ofall ; in aword, of every thing that can interest or convey in»formation to him. This police follows up the Greeksinal l their relations at Constantinople,and discoversevery step they are taking so that Ali Pasha,apprised of everything they wish to effect, has sufi

cient time to frustrate their views. All the letterswhich leave his dominions are read by him or hisagents before theyare delivered to the courier who isto convey them. He pays no more regard to thedespatches of the officialagents residingat his cou rt,and he opens themall, inthe hope offinding ou t onewhich is not written in cipher. He does not respectforeign couriers, nor even those ofhis sovereign ; andonthe first complaint he throws off the blame fromhis own shoulders by causing some poor wretch to behanged whom he had taken out ofhis prisons, or car .

riedaway from the country for some grudge or other,In 1 807 be caused three couriers to beassassinated,of whom two were French, and he -was extremelydispleased in having only found letters in cipher onthem. H isagents scattered in various parts,and thecorrespondence of the Greeks whoare in his service,make him acquainted with the principal events passing in Europe,as wellas the situation of the greatpowers . H is ownnotions,and the intelligence thusobtained, serve himasathermometer for his political

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28 8 o r AL I PASHA .

publi c tranquillity were impartially punished, nomatterto what class or religion they might belong.

The divan of Ali consisted of three secretaries ofstate, one ofwhom carried on the correspondence withthe Porte ; four under secretaries,all Greeks, whosebusiness it was to correspond with the variou s beys,agas,and governors, in the Alban ian provinces ; twodragomen , or interpreters, both ofwhom were Greeks ;four physicians, whoalsoactedas secretariesand interpreters ; and several individuals, holding no ofli ce, butanalogous to English privy councillors, whose fidelityhe had tried, the principal ofwhom were Mezzo Bonno,Dervish Hassan, AghaM ordari , and his favouritegeneral,Athanasi Vaia, who possessed his entire confidence, was entrusted wi th all his secrets,and hadaccess to him even in the hours of his most perfect

This council is, however, says M. de Vaudoncourt

,“ only constituted for the sake ofform ,and not

one of its members dares to express anopinion contrary to his. He therein proposes subjects for deliberation, discusses them, rece ives the approbation of

the persons present,and then dec ides . He is himselfhis ownm inister inall the branches ofadministration,and his secretaries write down the orders dictated byhim, which he addresses to his various subordinateofficers. H is prodigi ous memory enables him to enterinto the most minute details ; and though,accordingto the custom of the Turks, he keeps records of

nothing, nothing nevertheless escapes him ; and nomeasure clashes with the orders previously given,unless through the effect ofachange of system introduced by him in hisadministration, which very rarelyhappens. H is indefatigableactivity makes him find

every thing,and no affair whatever expe

ricuoce the smallest delay. He requ ires the same

LIr s or AL" 'PASHAa 2 8 9

activi ty from every one’

who surrounds and serveshim,and in this particu lar he is even so extremelystrict, that he carr ies things through which scarcelyappear credible . H is constant custom is to ordainwhat is impossible , in order to obtainal l that humannature is capable of performing. As it is well knownthat he never pardons anon- compliance with hisorders,and that he neveradmits ofanexcuse, dreadmakes his servants perform m iracles.”The state officers of Ali were numerous,and in

many instances as trivial or u seless as those whichswell the court kalendars of Europe. At the head ofthem were the Sel ictar Aga, or sword- bearer ; theBairactar Aga, or standard- bearer ; the D evichtarAga, who carried the ink- stand ; and the M ouchour

dar Aga, or signet- bearer. The police guards weresu perintended by the Capi-Baloukbashe, who had alodging in the palace: The Ibroghor Agawas chiefgroom of the stables ; the CapsilarAgamaster of theceremoni es ; the Caftan Agathrew the pelisse oversuch as were so honoured by the Vizier ; and the

RachtivanAgahad the care of the silver-bridlesandhousings for the stud. Four Shatir Agas, each bear.ingasort of halbert by the side of the vizier’ s horse,attended him in processions ; two BouchurdanAgasperfumed him when he went to the mosque ; .the

Shamdan Agapreceded the wax- candles into the

apartment ; the Sofrageebashi set out the table ; theIbriktarAgapoured the water from the golden pitcherover Al i

’s hands ; the Macramageebashi held the

towels the Pesk ir Agathrew the silken shawls roundhimand his guests ; the Cafigee bashi superintendedthe coffee ; and the Tutungee bashi the pipes . Abouttwenty Chasushevas,and as many Kaivasis, carriedsilver knobbed sticks before him in processiontapdwere the porters or keepers of his door : one of

U

290 mm or AL I rAsrrA.

the latter wasalways sent toactasexecutioner, when-f

everagreat manwas condemned byAli . The Mechterbashi , or chief of the band, and the Tatar Aga,who was at the head of one hundred tatars, wereamong the high officers . The general expenses weresuperintended byahonseasteward, called Vechilhargi ,who had under himacrowd of subordinate persons.Ofpalacesand country residences Ali possessed a

great number. Some of them be derived from his

second wife, awealthy widow, whom he married forher riches,and whom he soon shut up in his harem,

where she died in obscu rity. Others were wrestedfrom persons whom he had either put to death, or

compelled to seek for safety in flight. Several wereerected by h imself. He was not only his own architect, butalso directed the furnishingand decorating of

theapartments ,and he prided himself upon his skill .But his works were astrangeand lud icrous mixtureof splendour and meanness ; and bad taste was displayed even when the most costly materials were em

ployed. Splendid saloons,where gold, .velvet, and

embroidery, were lavished, even u pon the floor, wereapproached by dark and narrow passages. Gobelintapestry, hung on poles, sometimes supplied the place ofdoors ;and gold embroidery, halfayard wide, to whichrich fringes were attached, was joined to cloth notworth five shillingsayard. If theaudience chamberswere resplendent with gilding,arms brilliantly inlaid,and sofas covered with the delicate brocades ofLyons,they were also filled with furnitu re of every description, heaped together withou t the least taste or discri

e produce ofhis extortions eitherat homeor abroad. Thus, wooden benches were to be seennear atable of the rarest marb le, and agorgeou sbronze clock from the manufactures of France wouldstand contemptuously by the side of its humble Dutch

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292 L IFE o r ALI

manner, by various persons. No Turkish governor,with the exception ofM ehemet Ali, has everattractedfrom Europeans so muchattentionasWas givento theru ler of Albania - for Passwan Oglou and D jezzarofAcre were objects ofbut temporary cu riosi ty. H is

continued success, his long possession of power,andthe politi cal weight which .he derived

‘

from his localsituat ionand the circumstances of the times,all contributed to turn the public gaze upon this extraordinaryindividual . H is court was in consequence vi sited bythe diplomaticagents of difl’erent nations;anxiou s tosecure hisalliance,and by travellers, mostly English,

who wished to explore his romantic and little- knownthe barbaric splendou r which he disacorrect estimate of his talentsand

his crimes .From the portrai ts ofAli, del ineated by the mo st

intelligent ofthose diplomati stsand travellers, we shal lselect those in which the likeness is most stronglymarked . As, in tracing the same portrait, one paintermay su cceed best in one part of the countenance,andanother painter in another part,and, from seeingalltheir works, we may formamore correct ideaof theindividual than from seeing asingle pictu re ofhim,

so, from the several sketches of Ali Pashawhich weshall lay before him, the r eader will be enabled to

body forth to the mind’s eyeacomplete image of the

despot ru ler of Albania. He will observe»that, withrespect to the principal features, the artists are inunison, and that each has added some traits andshades of expression which have been unnoticed .byothers, by the union ofall which the resemblance ismade perfect.The firstattemptat this kind ofportraitureappears

to be that which was made by two French ofli cers,who were sent to Albania, by Napo leon, for the pur

L’

IFE o r ALI '

PASHA. 2 93

pose of obtaining political and military information ,relative to that country and its master. Ali,

”

say they, is from fifty to fifty-five years old, but doesnot exhibit any traces ofaprematu re oldage . H ismanlyand open face is marked with decided featu res,which strongly expre ss the passions whichagitate him.

Having the most perfect command over his physiognomy, his glance is seductive,and his well- practisedsmile indicatesasentiment the very reverse of that bywhich he i s afl'ected ; bu t when infl ic ting punishmenthe is unable to controu l hisanger, which manifestsitself byaterrible convu lsion of his features, indicative of the violence of his character. He is brave toan extreme : his arms and breast are covered withhonourable scars. Steady in his plans, ifever .he findshimself compelled by circumstance s to deviate from the

line he has traced out, he returns to itagainandagain,'and never loses sight ofhis object until it. beattained.

Extremelyattentive to the convulsions whichagitate ,and the disasters which shake, the Turkish empire, bewi th the utmost dexterityavails himselfof the weakness of the government to extend his frontiers,and tooccupyadvanced posts. Strong in the se lf- devotionof his creatures,and in the powerful friends whom hesubsidises even in the Divan, the Porte itself,awareof his resources, finds it expedient to conciliate hisfriendship. Whileaimingatactual independence , henever fails in the payment of tribute, certain that withmoney theHe is fond

(Bourrhous,as he pronounces it) . In fact, if the gener osityand elevation of character, . so prominent inPyrrhus, be wanting, Ali at least po ssesses all hisac tivity, restlessness, discernment, and rapid cou

ga

d’an’

l both in the cabinet and in the field ; but ispolicy has far greater stabil ity. Ali is never lulled

2 94 LI FE o r ALI rAsnA.

intoafalse security. Superior in knowledgeand ex-6

perience to the other pashas, he is continuallyawaketo what is passing in Europe : the newspapers aretranslated to him, and it is rarely that aforeigne rpasses through his dominions withou t being introducedto Ali, who never fails to glean from him some infor

mation : the variou s political events which afi'ect theamicable relations of sovereigns arealso the frequentsubjects of deep reflection and acute investigation.

The whole of his military establishment is inaveryhigh state of improvement.In theacqu irement of friends, or the destru ction

of enemies, Ali unites thearts ofpolitical craft to theother powerful meansalready inhis possession . Farfrom annoying the agas, by repressing their extor

tions, he permits them to continue their peculationswith impunity Hence

,therefore, it is that the

greater part entertain for him all the devotion of

fanatici sm.

"

As the two officers hadmany objects to investigate,and comparatively butasmall time for the performance of the task, that report is ofnecessity incomplete .

An opportunity for more closeand deliberate observation was possessed by Colonel de Vaudoncou rt,anintelligentand well- informed French officer, who was,foraconsiderable period , in the service of the AlbaQIianruler. The basis of the character ofAli Pasha,”says M . de Vaudoncourt, is falsehoodandambition .

These two propensities, ofwhich the last isadevouring passion,and the first ahabit and awant, havemutually served each otherasanalimentand support.In him they have called forthand nourishedall the

Thisassertion is certainl y erroneous. Al i did not sufferanytyrantsand exactors bu t himself. At least, if he ever did suffer

them, i t must have been in the early part of his reign, before he

was thoroughly fixed inhisseat.

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296 L IFE

.

o r AL" PASHA’

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of one who changes his conduct and connexionsasoftenas his own interests require . Eventhe ties ofblo od are not, in his mi nd,asufic ient guarantee ;and ifany thing can give credi t to the chargeal legedagainst him of being theassassinof his brotherandmother, undoubtedly it is the apprehensions underwhich he lives with regard to his own children ,andthe certitude with which heafii rms that,after his death,the youngest ofhis sons will become the victim of the

ambition of the two eldest,and that the latter willmutually seek to destroy each other.

He knows only one meansof secur ing the fidelityof those he employs ; that is, to obtain hostages fromthem. Even his own children are not exempt fromthis precaution . When they departed to take u ponthemselves their respecti ve governments , he retainedtheir families under his own eye,and did not evenc om es] from them the motive of this preventive caution . The only one of his relations in whom he

appears to have confidence is his natu ral brother ,Yus

’

suf Bey, born of a. black slave in his father’sharem . But the mildness ofYussuf’s character, totallydevoid ofambition , hisadmiration ofAli,andabsolu tedevotion to him,and,aboveall, his quality of naturalinstead ‘

of legitimate son, which divests him ofal l pre6tensionsand deprives him ofall personal credit, haveappeared 'to Ali sufi‘icient motives not to fear him .

Nevertheless,he holds him inanabsolu te dependence ,keeps him at a' distance from all civi l and poli ticalaffai rs,and employs him onlyat the head ofhis troops,where his cou rageand good sense render him u sefu l .

The vengeance of Ali Pashais implacable ,andknows no - limits either in manner or place. The onlymod ification ofwhich it is susceptible i s that it ismorecruel the longer it is delayed, or where hisanger ismore violent. His power, his credi t, hisaddress,as

u se or AL" PASHA’

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wel lashis dissimulation, render itseffectsalmost iafallibleand inevitable. His hatred increases with delay,and his memory,always present and always faithful,never sufi

'

ers him to forget any offence , true or supposed, which he has toavenge, whatever he the interval that separates the date of theact from the existingmoment. A short period before myarrival at Ioannina, Ali Pasha, in causingabody of troops to defilebefore himat Bonila, recognisedand singled out.atadistance '

of more than three hundred paces,anAlbanian soldier in the ranks,whohe pretended had offendedhim twenty years before. This unfortunate manhadarrestedat the time,and plunged intoadungeon,

but by some lucky occu rrence had effected his escape.

After wanderingabout in several provinces ofGreece,he at length enlistedamong the tr00ps of 9. hey whoentered into the service of Ali Pasha. The inex

c rable Ali put him to death. Another example of the

astonishing memory of this extraordinary man tookplace in my presence at Prevesa. An individualbelonging to Liapis had been arrested and broughtbefore Ali, whoalways filled the ofli ce ofjudge intheplaces where he chanced to be present. ~ The Pashahimself ci tedall the traits of brigandage ofwhich thismanhad been gu ilty, stating the datesand the namesof the persons who had been victims,and did not condemnhim till after the cu lprit hadavowed each one

of the facts. The periods which Ali recalled in hisinterrogatory embracedaspace offifteen years .

His dissimulation is impene trable to one who

knows him not by hisactions, or who does not judgehim in conformity to the only basis ofhis interestandambi tion. It is not only blended in his words andprote stations, but isalso to be found in his demeanourand habits. He isan extremely handsome man,andpossessed ofaphysiognomy which he knows how to

298 L IFE o r ALI rasna.

render engaging when he conceives it necessary, butwhich is nevertheless habitually soft and smil ing.

Extremelyattentive in his behaviour, hisaddressandmannersare elegant . He is choice in his dress,andhis garments are even sumptuous . He affects adazzling luxu ry in the ornamentsand furniture of his

palaces,andanAsiatic softness in his habits. He i scontinually occupied abou t bu ildings , furniture, anddecorations ; yet th is is onlyafi

'

ectation,and the occupationwhich he thereby gi ves to those who surroundbim withdraws them from aseriou sattention to hisactionsand designs.

H isaddress is prepossessing,and even endearinghis countenance wears the impression offrankne ssandhonesty,and particularly ofaprofound wheedler, whocou ld not be suspected if his features had not something ofastudied sameness. Indeed, in his countsnance the expression ofany one of the passions whichagitate him within is never to be read ; jealousy, fear,hatred,and vengeance, are there confounded underthe form ofacloudless satisfaction,and under the softexpression ofanirreproachable consc ience . Moderate,and even obliging in his expressions ; dexterous i nthemanner of representing objects clear and methodical inthe classification ofhis ideas ; gifted by naturewith 'asure logic and persuasive eloquence, in whichhe knows how to disgu ise his sbphisms it is difficultnot to be convinced or borneaway by him when heenters intoaconversation for the purpose offurtheringsome object or view. To resist him, it is necessaryto be possessed ofaperfect knowledge ofhis character,andalways to hold the picture before one ’s eyes andstill his dissimulation is so disguisedand so profound,that one almost feels areproach for being on one 'sguard,andacting

‘

withasalutary distru st.This dissimu lation, uniform, and so constantly

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300 mm or ALI PASHA .

correctly to decipher their respecti ve talents,and toassign to them the offices most su ited to theirabilities.

Inaffairs he possesses aperspicu ity which exhibits tohim their tendency even at first sight,and preventshim from being deceived in the means he ought toemploy to cause them to redoq to his advantage .

He knows how to wait for or produce opportunitiesfavourable to his political views, and he improvesthem with astonishing rapidity. He is cou rageou s,and his valou r, by which be distinguished himself inthe first years ofhis political career, is far from beingextingu ished. He possesses that calm courage whichknows how to measure danger, and discover the

means of escaping or resisting it inadeliberate manner . This courage has served to sustain himselfwith so much tranquillity,as wellas to ward off thedangers by whichanother wou ld have been overcome .

In order to be secure in the midst ofhis subjects,allof whom fear,and nearlyall hate him, he takes novisible precautions of defence ; since by afeignedsecurity he hasmade to himself one that is real . He

generally goes out accompanied only by one or twopages, one ofhis confidants,andacouple of soldiers ;and such is the dread inspired by his personal courage, and the persuasion that aconspiracy cou ldnever succeed, that few attempts have been madeagainst his life . A fortunate chance ,

has uniformlysaved him,and even this same chance has contribu tedto his futu re security.

The government ofAli Pashamay be consideredunder two aspects, viz. under that of the oppressionhe has exercised, aswellas the crue lties he has com

m itted against all persons powerful through the irstrength,riches, or influence , whether it was toaugmenthis fortune or to r id himselfofdangerou s rivals ; andhence may it justly be called both crueland tyranni cal.

m en o r AL I ease s . 301 '

With regard to the secu rity the people enjoy, the re

l igious tolerationacc orded to the Greeks much morein his dominions than in the rest of the Ottoman em

pire,and the privileges he grants to these same Greeksby employing them ind istinctly about his person,or in subaltern commands, his government is moderateand equ itable. Thisapparent contradict ion is not, however, such in point offact ; it is the immediate oonssquence of the situation in which he is placed,and of

the system which his political views have caused himto adopt. The provinces which now constitute his

dominions have never formed awhole, uniform andconcentrated round the authority of one. H is projecti s to bring them to thi s form ; but since he considershimselfas the true centre ofaction,and his willas theonly gu ide by which his subjects ought toact, he hasbeen under the necessity of removing everything thatcou ld be detrimental to this union ; and, by opposingresistance to everything that could clash with hismain object, he has sought to createaconnecting linkbe tweenavariety ofparts . Suchat least is the solution he himself. gives to his past as well as presentconduct ; that, however, which might explain in asatisfactory manner the inequalitiesand extravagancesof hisadministrative government can only be found inhis own character.

A despot through the natural consequences of

his boundlessambition, he has no other rule for hisgovernment than his present will,and that. is gu idedby the interest of the moment. The weak inspire himwith ne ither fears nor jealousy ; and it is by tempo s

rising With them , and even by protecting them , thathe seeks toacqu ir e the repu tation ofju sticeand equ i ty.The r ich and powerfu l appear to him as objects ofdanger,and in exerc ising towards them a

.

despotlc

justice he at the same time satisfies hisambi ti onand

3302 L in: o r ALI Pasna. ‘

his rapacity. The followinganecdotes will conveyanideaof the manner in whichheadministers justiceThe chiefof the small town ofM etzovowasanunjustand griping man, whoavailed himse lfof every oppor

tunity that occurred in order to commit vexations,andenrich himselfout of their produce. Foraconsiderabletime past the inhabitants of this town had presented,or caused to be presented, to Ali Pashapetitionsagainst their chief, without having beenable to obtainhis removal. In one of the circu its which Ali fromtime to time performs in his dominions, he at lengthpassed through M etzovo . The inhabitants in crowdswent out to meet him,and prostrated themselvesathis feet, crying outamman, or mercy. He caused thesubject of this prayer to be explained to him ; andwhen he was told they demanded that their chiefshou ld be punished with death, be assembled the

priests,and exhorted them to engage the inhabitantsnot to snfier the blood of one of their fellow- creaturesto fall upon them. Seeing, however, that the people insisted,he ordered the execution ofthe delinquent, tellingthe inhabitants that on them was his blood to fall ;and, in order to complete this hypocritical farce, hesaid to those who surrounded him, that he was happyin not being theauthor of the death ofan individual,since he had been compelled to yield to the wishes ofthe people . He however took care to confiscate theproperty of the deceased to his own personal advantage .

Some yearsafterwards, having learnt that the chiefsofone of the cantons of Zagoria, under the pretext

ing by his orde rsanextraordinary contr ibuof one hundred and fifty thousand piastres, had ex

torted considerable sums from various individuals, becaused them to be bro ught to his presence,and condemned them to resto re the money they had taken ;

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304 LIFE o r AL I PASHA .

time is come to separate himself entirely from the Qt.

toman empire. Nevertheless, he fears them, becausehe knows that at bottom they hate him. He is notignorant that the Greeks would not lend themselvesto the execution ofhis plans, unless toavail themselvesof hisaid,and thus paralyse the efforts of the Porte ;and that whilst theyat this moment flatter him withthe title of king of Greece, their intentionwou ld notbe to suffer him to enjoy itas soon as they had re

conquered their own liberty. On his part he onlyseeks to make use of themas instruments toattain hisownends,and by no means has in view to raise thesepeople to command over his Albanians . Nevertheless,always constant inthe practice ofdissimu lation , he issurrounded by Greeks,afi'ects to Speak their languageequally well with the Albanian ,and even not to knowthe Turkish language well. He enters into the detailsof their instruction ,and sometimes causes the childrenofhis Greek domestics to repeat their catechism beforehim,and has granted them the foundation ofan uni

versityat Ioannina. He draws up the greatest partofhis publicacts in Greek,as wellas ofhis own private correspondence, and has no hesitation to makeuse of the date. of the Christian era. I am myselfpossessed ofseveralau tographical letters ofAli Pashawritten in this manner . He, however, takes the

greatest care to prevent the Greeks from becomingtoo powerful : he excludes them from the most important posts, and particularly the m ilitary commands,and is also

.extremely solicitou s to keep themat a

d istance from his children ,and to prevent them fromgaininganyascendency over their minds .

"

M . Fouqueville comes nextamong the delineatorsof Ali . He had ample opportunities of studying hissubject ; but apreju dice, which dated from his firstinterview with the vizier,and continued to i ncrease

L IFE o r ALI PA SHA . 305

has obviously induced him to distort the lineaments ,e nd to colour them inthe darkest hues. Ali,

” sayshe, had attained his sixty- second year, when I wasaccredited to his courtas consul -general and,at theseyears, be displayed marks of premature oldage,arisingfrom the violence ofhispassions, ofwhichambitionwasthe prime mover. Und er the mask ofasimulatedmildness , I soon detected the suspicion and nusasiness which are u sual among men of high dignityin the east. Never treating those about him withco rdial frankness ; alwaysacting apart, or standingon his guard, becau se he constantly thought himselfwatched or threatened by tho se whoapproached himsweet confidence wasalways banished, even from hisfamiliar conversation . Fawning to those whom he

wished to deceive, proud to those who were under him,

his abru pt transition from arrogance to obligingmanners, by giving something ambiguous to hisphysiognomy, prevented the existence of that calmness which is cu stomary with the impassible andwi ly Mahometans . Like them, however, if he issometimes liberal, it is with selfish views ; and whenhe rece ives presents, it is without any gratitude,becau se he is convinced that they are offered froman interested design . A cunning scru tiniser, hisquestions are insidious, his answers prompt andalways double- tongued, though probable. Fertilein pretexts, be constantly disgu ise s his true motive ,even when he has no purpo se to answer by concealing it. Hence the perj uries, the caresses, thepoison hidden under the seeming charm of his

speeches,and even the tears, which he can shed atcp asu re to forward his schemes.It is from the centre of his mountains, from the

recesses of his den, the arsenal of crime , that thisnew Cacus directs his intrigues ,and sows discord in

x

306 mm o r ALI rAsnA.

distant parts . A fever of activity consumes him.

He mixes business with pleasure ; he gives the planof acastle at the same time with an order forburning avillage. While he hears afirman read,he examines his steward’s report of his expenses.He signs asentence of death,and amarriage contract ; and whatever may be his occupations, theyare all connected with the calcu lations of his avidity. In his method, present interest prevails overthe more momentous interests of the future. Inthe midst ofan important enterpri se, he stops toattend to trifling details ; and he sketches athousand affairs without completing anything great orstable, because,as he can do what he pleases withimpunity, he hasaright to reverse his resolutions.Attentive to the least breath of popular rumour, heis always catching at news, true or false, whichhe receives withou t discrimination . He maintainsspies in the capital ; he bribes creatures in the divanand he pensions even the chiefs of the eunuchs, thathe may participate in the cabals of the seraglio.He has emissaries among his neighbours , hired cutthroats, perpetually ready to strike ; and his territoryis watched byaswarm of informersandassassins.

t In the presence of sovereigns,’ saysamodern

author, every thingassumesadeceptiousappearance .

The roads are strewed with flowers ; the townsandhamlets are decorated,and the people put on theirhol iday clothes . ’ In Turkey, on the contrary, themere announcement ofavisit fromapashaexcitesfear and trembling. In vain was Ali preceded bybouyourdees of paternal love, in which he assu redthe people of the districts through which he wasto pass that he held them near his heart,and thatthey shou ld soon have the felicity to kiss the dustOf his golden boots. The news of such afavour

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308 L IFE or ALI PASHA .

with his secretaries, he invents fiscal operations,andwould consider himselfas losingaday of his life ifhewere to pass it without committing some extortion .

He overloads with taxes, statute labou rs,and requ isitions, the villages which he wishes to compel to sellthemselves as chiflicks, that he may u n ite them tohis private domain. When he pays his troops it iswith clipped money, and his treasurer has alwaysastock of counterfeit co in. At the period of collecting the revenue he takes care to publi sh atari f, fixingat less than its real value the money , in which it isexclu sively to be paid. When he sends his tribute toConstantinople, he calls on the merchants to fu rnishhim with acertain number of golden sequins, in exchange foralike sum in other coin and when theycannot procure the specie which he requ ires, he drawsit from his own treasury, employs Jews to sell it tothem ,and thus makesadouble profit. In short, descending to the slightest details ofavidity, he leviescontributions on his stewards, contractors, secretaries,keepers ofhispalace, magistrates,and jailers,and evenwrests from the execu tioners the spoils of their victims.

Thearchbishopsand bishops, objects of his per

petual watchfulness,are exposed to periodical disfavou r,from which they canredeem themselves only by payingconsiderable sums. The monasteries and churchesare ruinously taxed. The codja- bashis, or Greek primates,are raised,are overthrown ,and see the fru itsof their rapine sink into the gulfwhich swallows upeven the hopes of the future. No one can call hisproperty his own ; each trembles for his life,and forthe fate ofhis children, which is entirelyat the mercyof the vizier ; for , byaspecial refinement of despotism , he alone has the right of match-making amongthe opu lent classes of society. For money, he willg ive the hand ofarich heiress toan informer su llied

e s o r AL I PASHA . 309

wi th crimes, whom he wishes to reward ; and , withan unexampled excess of barbarity, he compels themost virtuous citizens to form immoraland monstrousc onnexions.Byacu stom peculiar to Tu rkey, the satrap has

c onstituted himself the universal heir of his vassals.In v irtue ofthis, he seizes the property of those whohave no male children ,and makes no allowance tothe daughters, whom he reserves to dispose of inmarriageas he pleases . It is anatural consequenceof this violation of principles, that, wheneverapersondi es withou t direct heirs, the brothers and collateralrelationsare excluded from the succession . Widows,who have no male offspring,are driven from theirhusbands’ houses, withoutadowry, without the resti~tutionof the

‘ portion which they brought, or of theirapparel ; and may think themselves fortunate whentheyare no t tortured, or dragged to prison, under thepretext of their having concealed bills of exchange,j ewels, or other valuables. Friends , relations, brotherseven ,apprehensive of compromising their own safety,dread to give anasylum to these forlorn widows,whom I have seen reduced to sleep in churches,andto beg alms,after having heldanhonourable rank insociety.Terror shutsall heartsagainst pity ; but—will it

be credited ? tyranny has its dastardly fawners .Opu lent Greeks, who know that their property willgo to the satrap, economise, submit to privations,refuse to secure anything secretly to their relations,and board up their riches, consoled by the ideathatit will be said,after their decease, that they left anoble inheritance to him who was their oppressor.Some, fully conscious of their situatibn, not satisfiedwith merely securing long beforehandagainstall the chances of life,and evenanticipate

3 10 L IFE o r ALI PASHA .

the celebration ofthe ir funeral rites Othe rs, though.

residing in aforeign country,and out of his grasp,remember him in their wills, that they may protecttheir famil ies from his resentment. Others,again,driven to despair, seek to steal their property fromhim by spending their days in conviviality,and oftenoutlive their fortunes.Public immorality, which springs from the want of

virtue in the head of the government, causes enconraged vice to render him daily newhomage. Accordingly, independent of the

'

criminal brood of informersand hired cut- throats, we see al l the malignantpassions di rect towards the seraglio the steps of thosewhom they inspire. The gate of the cruel monarchis never closedagainst them. He who cannot obtainthe payment of abill of exchange, makes Ali 3present of it, that he may ru in his debtor abrother,who contests with his brotheraportion of the paternalinheritance, makes his claim over to the tyrant, thathe may render him hostile to the manwhom he wi shesto destroy. On one side, nothing is to be seen butdisturbances and weeping families ; on the other,nothing is heard but protestations of zeal, service,andattachment. Some give proofs by denouncingall thatought to be dearest to them children, byaccusingtheir parents ; wives, by disclosing the riches of the

family and— shall I say it ? more than one prie st by- but let me stop— religion has performed too manymiracles, before the face of tyrants, not to be respected

This fact happened at Ioanninain 1 807 . AGreek ,arich

bachelor, whose propertyafter his decease was to go to the vizier ,knowing that his obsequics would be performedat the expense of

publ ic chari ty, caused them to be celebrated during his life- time.

The ceremony took place at the metropol itan church, the archbishop officiated in person, the burial service was chanted, andthis provident manhad,as he said , the consolationofassistingathis ownfuneral .’

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3 1 2 L IFE or ALI PASHA .

he calls on those who love him to assi st him in hisneed ; and it may easily be imagined that he findsevery one eager to serve him. Under the name of

taim, asort of taxin kind, he seizes upon whateversuits him in the publi c markets . At other times,pretending to be visited by conscientiou s feelings, heafi'ects to pity the distress of the merchants . He

calls them together, and says,I know that youare not well off,and I mean to helpyou, by the loan of some money.

’

He then assignsto each individualacertain sum, the interest of whichhe fixesat twenty or thirty per cent. Tu rn this toaccount, my children ,

’

exclaims he, you shall repayme when you can.

’

The exorbitant rate of usu rybecomes thu sanew bu rthen , but that the victim maynot seem to be rich,and toavoid u tter ru in , he sub

mits to this extortion, though withaheavy heart.With similar hypocrisy he rewards the persons

inhis service, byauthorising them to demand presents ,which cannot be refused, or by sending ‘ themat free co st, and collect arbitrary demands i n thetowns. Without drawing his pu rse- strings, he meetsall his expenses. Accordingly, the carriage of allarticles for his consumption, the palaces which hebu ilds, the fortresses which he constructs,areall exeouted byangar i (compulsory labour) ,averyancientword in the east,and which seems to belong to the

very essence of its government" .

Ifhe tri umph in crime, it is only by dint ofsilencingreflection ; and the words which are attribu ted tohim , I have gone so far , that I cannot go back ,’arean indirect homage paid to virtue . Tears fill his eyeswhen he is wounded in his afi'ections. Hurt by de

According to Herodotus the term angar i derives i ts or iginfrom theancient Persian language, whence i t passed to the Hebrewand Greek .

u se or AL I PA SHA . 3 1 3

served reproach, I have seen his countenance change,when he was told that he

’

had lostall claim to bel iefeven when he spoke the truth .

’ H is mental pangsare sometimes betrayed by the complaints which heutters, of never having found any but accomplices inhis crimes, or cowardly execu tors of his mandate s.It is during illness, especially, that his mind is rackedby the most dreadfu l terrors. He sees the hand ofanavenging God rai sed over his head . Heaccu seshimself, he grieves, he utters deep groans, he conjureshis physicians , whom he calls his brothers, to savehim, and promises that they shall be l oaded withrewards. He sets pri soners at liberty, he imploresthe prayei's of the dervises,and he has even recourseto those of Chri stians . But scarcely is he alittlerecovered before his fearsareallayed,and he chargeshis doctors with incapacity, that he may not beobliged to recompense their services. Equally irrel igions, he consigns again to their fetters the poorwretches whom he had released ; and thinks thatatrifle ofmoney is qu ite enough to give for the prayerswhich have been pu t up for the restoration of hishealth .

The diseases of the satrap, like his sleep, give,nevertheless, notwi thstanding the scandal of his impiety, thisadvantage, that, while they last, the peopleand the unfortunate enjoyan interval of qu iet. But ,besides these special cases,acrisis takes placeat certain periods in the constitution of Ali " . As subter

It was in one of these crises, in the month of Apri l, 1 8 1 8 ,that Al i shu t into the cage of his tigeranAlbanian, who had robbedhim of thirty thousand piastres, though the cu lpri t had confessed hisfau l t,and restored the money, wi th the exception ofabou t twentypence . Theanimal

,less ferocious thanthe vi zier, having refused to

devou r the man, though everything was done to i rri tate him , wasbanished to Boni la; and the manwas taken from the cageand cut

to pieces by the executioner. At the same period of his blood

3 1 4 L IFE o r AL I PASHA .

raucous convulsions are preceded by certain sin istersigns, so the change which is about to take place inhim maybe perceived by the gloomy cast ofhis ideas.He retires then into his innermostapartment,and woebe to whoever dares to talk to him upon bu siness. The

period at which the lion’ s fever ’ occu rs is u sually

at the last quarter of the lunations, upon theapproachof the rainy season, or when the unhealthy siroccohas blown for several days . The people then expectdisastrous events ; his wives, his children, his agents,cannot approach him without trembling. Every oneinqu ires whether the vizier has slept, whether hesighs,andall watch for the moment when his melancholy is redoubled,as they know that the paroxysm isabou t to terminate . Then he summons his divines,questions them, describes his dreams ; and, in proportionas their responsesare satisfactory, he recovers hiscalmness. Such interpretationsas tend to excuse theabuse of his power he receives with eagerness. He

is transported with those which promise him aprotracted life ; for death shows him nothing in the futurethat is not terrific.Ali nowabruptly resumes the noisy course of his

occupations and pleasu res. The palace echoes withthe songs of gipsiesand mountebanks ; the tombsareclosed ; the executions have ceased and he reappearsupon the scene with festivals. Careless of selec tionand etiquette, he descends from the pinnacle of greatness to the lowest ranks of society. He invites himself to dineat thearchbishop ’s, whom he keeps standfever, Ali ordered to be thrown into acaldron of boil ing o il aGreek, who had stolensome property belonging to the inhabitantsofArtawho had d ied of'the plague. Lastly ,about the same time,he ordered one of his pages to be shot from the mou th ofaeannon,hi s clothes having previously beend ipped inspiri ts ofwine, that hem ight have the pleasure of burning him while he pu thim to death;andatal l these execu tions he was present.

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3 1 6 L IFE o r ALI rasna.quence . But how, without knowing him, could weaccount for the policy ofAli Pashatowards his vassal s ? Mahometans or Christians, equally slaves , heseems to grant protection pecu liarly to those whomhis religion reprobates. This kind of partiality hasits origin in fiscal and political considerations . The

rayawho labours, enriches him, while his ignoblenature hinders him from risingabove his present condition ; while the Turk, on the contrary, incapable of

producing, bu t belonging to the conquering caste,may be elevated to the rank of Pasha. Under thispoint of view,aChristian , when asentence i s to bepassed, is more mildly treated by the vizier, whoalways, the crimes being equal

,hangsaMahometan

in preference. To this may, perhaps,also be tracedthe protection granted to public i nstruction in favourof the Christians, even in the inter ior of the seraglio,where I have seen, in the same room,apriest explaining the catechism to young Greeks,andacodjainterpreting the Koran to Turkish children . Is thistolerance, or indifference P the fact 1 8 so,and that 1sall I knowabout it.

Asaconsequence of this system , the vizierallows .

his wives an entire freedom in matters of rel igion ;and the beloved wife of his heart, Reine Vasiliki, isamodel of the tenderest piety. Such is the singu larityof her fate, that she has passed from the situation of

amere peasant girl " to that of the sovereign of

Epirus, without abjuring those baptismal laws whichshe receivedat her birth . In vain

,in the moments of

Vasiliki , bornat the village of Pl ichivi tza, inChaonia, is oneof those prod igiesoffortune , many instancesofwhich have occurredinabsolu te governments. Her father was prosecuted by Al i , in1 800, for co ining. Having seized al l her fami ly, his notice wasattracted by Re ine, thenachild . She was brought up in theharem

,and heat lengthmarried her .

e x o r PASHA . 3 1 7

his fondestaffection, the satrap has entreated the newEsther to embrace Mahometanism , that he mightraise heraboveall the females of his harem. WereI to renounce my God,

’ said she, were I to abjurethat Virgin who protected my infancy, what trust couldyou place in the attachment ofawoman capable of

sacr ificing an invaluable good for perishable ho

nou rs? Far from irritating Ali, this generousre solu tion only increased his love for her . He per

witted, he even desired, that Reine should have in thepalace an oratory adorned with images, where she

might daily offer up incense to the God whose un

searchable will allowed her to be the companion of

the vizier, that she might plead to him for the unfor

tunate. In conformity, however, with etiquette, towhich even the most powerful mu st submit, the emptytitle of Gadina, or Lady of the Harem, was left toaTurkish female, while the Christian in reality ru leshere

,by her graces , her mildness, and the happy

ascendancy of her disposition .

"

CHAPTE R XII I .

Charactersand Anecdotes of Ali Pashacontinued—Visi t of LordByronand M r . Hobhouse to the Court of Ali—Lord Byron’sPoetical Descri ption of Al iand his Court —H is Interviewwi ththe Vizier—Intervi ews of M r . Hobhouse withAl i—M r. Hob

housc ’sE stimate ofA li ’sCharac ter—Interviews of D r. Hollandwith the Vizier—Descri ption of Al i ’s Conversation, Manners,drm—H is Belief in Alchemy and the universal PanaceaE xtent of his pol itical Knowledge—H is generalInterview of M r. Richardswi th Al i— Character of Al i by anAlbanian—M r. Hughes

’

s Description of the Personand Chareeter ofAli—Al i’s Government benefic ial , on the whole, to theAlbanians—Self-command ofAl i .

TH E moraland physical portraitures of Ali, wh ichwere contemplated in the preceding chapter,are,as

3 1 8 o r u se s .

the reader will have observed,all sketched by nativesof France . Those which the present chapter contains, are, with one exception, the productions of

Englishmen. It will he remarked that, on the whole,the latterare somewhat more favou rable to Ali thanthe former. This may, perhaps, beaccounted for byour countrymen having resided but acomparativelyshort time in Albania,and having been treated withmore than common kindness and respect by the

politi c Ali, who wasanxious to conciliate the Britishgovernment by his conduct towards i ts subjects . Onthe other hand, though we may su spect that spleenand prejudice, generated by the preference which hegave to their rivals, may have darkened the traits inthe French likenesses of the pasha, we should remember, that the fact though probable is not certain,andthat the long stay of M . de Vaudoncourt and M.

Pouquevilleat the court ofIoanninagave them oppor

tunities of minutely studying their subject, which didnot fall to the lot of our English tou r i sts.Among the earliest British trave llers who, since

the commencement of this centu ry, have visited theAlbanian territory, and given the result of theirobservations to the public, are the late highly- giftedlord Byronand his friend Mr. Hobhouse. Theexistence of Ali may almost, indeed, be said to

have been first made known to the people of Englandby their writings. Albaniaitself was, in fact, acountry respecting which our informationwas,at thatperiod, so scanty,and withal so imperfect,as to be of

no value whatever. The remark ofGibbon long continned to be true, that we knew less of Albaniathanof the wilds ofNorth America.Lord Byron , in that part of Childe Harold which

relates to Ali, does not dwell on the qualities or appearance of the pasha; afewbold touchesareall that

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320 L IFE o r AL" PA SHA .

The wi ld Albaniank irtled to his knee ,With shawl -gi rt head and ornamented gun,And gold - embroider

’

d garments, fair to see

The crimson- scarfed menofMacedonThe Delhi wi th his cap of terror on,

And crooked glai ve the l ively supple GreekAnd swarthy Nubia’smu ti lated son;The bearded Turk that rarely deigns to speak ,

Master ofal laround , too potent to be meek ,Are m ixed conspicuous : some recl ine ingroups,Scanning the motley scene that varies round ;There some great Moslem to devotionstoops,And some that smoke,and some that play ,are foundHere the Albanian proudly treads the groundHal tlwhispering there the Greek isheard to prateHark "from the mosque the nightly solemnsound,The M uezzin

'

scal l , doth shake the minaret,There isno God but God l. _to prayer—lo "God is great

J ustat this seasonRamazani’s fastThrough the long day i ts penance did maintainBut when the l ingeri ng twil ight hour was past,Reveland feastassumed the ruleagain.

Nowal l was hustle, and the menial train

Preparedand spread the plenteous board wi thinThe vacant gal lery now seem

’

d made invain,But from the chambers came the mingl ing din,

As pageand slaveanonwere passing outand in.

Here woman'

s voice is never heard apart,And scarce pe rmi tted

,guarded , veiled, to move,

She yields to one her personand her heart,Tamed to her cage, no r feelsawi sh to rove .

For, not unhappy inher master's love,

L IFE or ALI PASHA . 8 2 1

And joyful inamother’s gentlest cares,

Blest cares"al l other feelings farabove "Herselfmore sweetly rears the babe she bears,

Who never qui ts the breast, no meaner passionshares.

Inmarble- paved pavi li on, whereaspfingOf l iving water from the centre rose

,

Whose bubbling didagenial freshness fling,And soft voluptuous couches breathed repose

,

Au recl ined,amanofwarand woes

'

et inhis lineaments ye cannot trace,While Gentlenessher milder radiance throws

Along thataged venerable face,The deeds that lurk beneath,and stainhimwi th di sgrace.

I t isnot that you hoary lengthening beardI ll su its the passions which belong to you thLove conquersage—so Hafiz hathaverr’d,So sings the Teian,and he sings inB ut crimes that scorn the tender voice of ru th,

Beseem ingall meni l] ,but most the manInyears, have mark ’

d him wi thatiger's tooth;Blood follows blood

,and

,through their mortal span

In bloodierac ts concl ude those who withblood began.

Inaletter to his mother, Lord Byron brieflynotices his first v isit to the Albanian satrap. He

rece ived me standing, awonderful compliment fromaMu ssu lman ,and made me sit down on his right hand.

H is first questionwas, why,at so earlyanage, I leftmy country - (the Turks have no ideaof travellingforamu sement.) He then said, the Engli sh minister,Captam Leake, had told him I was ofagreat family,and desired his respects to mymother , which I now,

in the name of Ali Pasha, present to you . He said

3122 u se or PASHA .

he was certain I was aman of birth, because Ihad small ears

,curling hair,and little white hands,

and expressed himself pleased with my appearanceand garb. He told me to consider himasafatherwhile I was in Turkey,and said he looked on meas his son . Indeed, he treated me like achild,sending me almonds,and sugared sherbet, fruit andsweetmeats, twenty timesaday. He begged me tovisit him often,andat night, when hewasat leisure. Ithen,after coffeeand pipes, retired for the first time.

I sawhim thriceafterwards . It is singu lar, that theTurks, who have no hereditary dign ities,and fewgreatfamilies, except the sultan ’8 , pay so much respect tobirth ; for I found my pedigree more regarded thanmy titleAt the interviews, mentioned byLord Byron, Mr.

Hobhouse waspresent,and he hasgivenafu lleraccountof them than his noble friend has done . Aboutnoon , on the 1 2 th of October an officer ofthe palace withawhite wandannounced to us that wewere toattend the vizier ; andacco rdingly we left ourapartment,accompanied by our dragoman,and by thesecretary, who pu t on his worst cloak to attend hismaster, that he might not appear too rich ,andafitsubject for extortion .

The ofi cer preceded us along the gallery, nowcrowded with soldiers, to the other wing of the bu ilding,and leading us over some rubbish wherearoomhad fallen in,and through some shabbyapartments,

Al i did not forget his noble visiter. He stated his recollections of him to D r. Holland,and sent aletter to his lordship

,

through the medium of that gentleman. Y esterday, saysByron,

I hadaletter from Al i Pasha" brought by D r . Hol land . who 13

just returned from Albania. It is inLatin, and begins Excellentissime, nee non Carissime,‘ and endsaboutagun he wants,made for him - i t is signed Au Vrzm.

’

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32 4 e ao r PASHA .

master to take the stronger side. Headdressed this'

w ithasmile to the secretary, desiring him to interpretit to us.We took pipes, coffee,and sweetmeats, with him,

but he did not seem so particularabou t these thingsas other Turks whom we have seen . He was in greatgood humour,and several times laughedaloud ; whichis very uncommon inaman of consequence : I neversawanother instance of it in Turkey— Instead of

having his room crowded with the ofii cers ofhis court,which is very much the custom of the pashas andother great men, he was qu ite unattended, except byfour or five young persons very magnificently dressedin the Albanian habit,and having their hair flowinghalfway down their backs : these brought in the refreshments,and continued supplying us with pipes, which ,though perhaps not half emptied, were changed threetimes,as is the custom when particu lar honours areintended foraguest .Thereare no common t0pics ofdiscourse between

aTurkish vizierand atraveller, which can di scovertheabilities ofeither party, especiallyas these conversationsarealways in the form ofquestionandanswer.H owever,aFrank maythink his Turkabove the com

mon run, if his host does not put any very foolishinterrogatories to

'

him,and Ali did not askany questions that betrayed his ignorance. H is livelinessandease gave us very favourable impressions ofhis natural capacity.In the evening of the next daywe paid the vizier

another visit, inanapartment more elegantly furnishedthan the one with the fountain . Whilst we werewith him, amessenger came in from Berat, the placewhich Al i ’s army (ofabout five thousand men) wasthen besieging. We were not acquaintedcontents ofaletter, which was readaloud, untilalong

L IFE or rAsnA. 32 5

gun, looking like aduck gun, was brought into theroom ; and then upon one of usasking the secretaryif there were many wild- fowl in the neighbourhood,heanswered, yes ; but that for the gun, it was goingto the siege of Berat, there beingawant of ordnancein the vizier

’s army. It was impossible not to smileat this war in miniature.

Du ring this interview, Ali congratulated us uponthe news which had arrivedafortnight before, of thesurrender of Zante, Cefalonia, Ithaca,and Cerigo, tothe British squadron he said, he was happy to havethe British for his neighbou rs ; that he was sure theywou ld not serve himas the Russiansand French haddone, in protecting his runaway robbers ; that he hadalways beenafriend to our nation, even du ring our

war with Turkey,and had been instrumental in bringingabou t the peace.

Heasked us,whathadmade ustravel in Albania?We told him, the desire of seeing so greatamanashimself. Ay,

’ returned he, did you ever hearofme in England ? ’ We, of course ,assured him, thathe wasavery common subject of conversation in ourc ountry ; and he seemed by no means inaccessible tothe flattery.

He showed us some pistolsandasabre ; and thentook downagunthat was hanging over his head inabag, and told us it wasapresent from the king of

the French . It wasashort rifle, with the stockinlaid with silver, and studded with diamonds andbrilliants , and looked . like ahandsome present ; butthe secre tary informed us, that when the gun came

from Napoleon , it had onlyacommon stock,and thatall the ornaments had been added by his highness,to make i t look more likearoyal gift .

Before we took our leave, the vizier informed us,that there '

were in the neighbourhood of Tepeleni

326 u se o r man/1 .

some remains of antiqu ity—4 palm - castro, as allpieces ofwall, or carved stones,are called inAlbaniaand Greece ,and said that he wou ld order some horsesfor us to ride to it the next morning.

According to his advice , we went on Sunday tosee these ruins, which are very trifling, being onlyafewhits ofwall,as itappeared to me, notancient, onahillabout five mi les to the north -west of Tepeleni .

In the evening of the same day, we paid hisness ou r last visit. He thenasked us which

waywe intended to go ; and we told him it was ourwi sh to get from Ioanninainto the Morea. He

appeared to be acquainted with every road,and allthe stages,and the state of the country most minutely.

He said, that we could not go by the common roadthrough Triccala,as that part of the country was iafested by large bands of robbers ; but that we mightgo through Carnia, crossing the gu lfofArtaat Salora,or going to the head of the gu lf; and that,as thatcountry wasalso suspicious, he would gi ve us ordersto his several military posts, to takeas many guardsas might be necessary. In case, however, we shou ldnot like to go through Carnia, he fu rnished us withanorder to his governorat Prevesa, to send us inanarmed galliot to Patras. He also gave usalette r tohis son, Veli, pashaofthe Morea,and wished to knowifhe could doany thing to serve us.

“We onlyasked permission to take ourAlbanianVasilly toattenduswhilst in Turkey,whichbe readilygranted,andasked where the manwas. On be ing informedthat he wasat the chamber-door, he sent for him,andaccordingly Vasilly entered ; and, though with everyproper respect, still was not embarrassed, bu t, withhid hand on his left breast, ‘answered the vizier's questions inafirmand fluent manner. Ali called him byhis name,and asked him, why, being at the door, he

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328 men o r pasnx.

it would be hardly fair to believe all the stories p fthe Greeks, who would represent him as the mostbarbarous monster that ever disgraced humanity.Certainly no one but aman ofaferocious and sangu inary disposition, would have been able or willingto tame the people whom he has brought into subjeetion : not only beheading, but impaling and roasting,might be necessary to inspire that terror ofhis name,which has of itself, in many instances, given peaceand security to his dominions ; for large bands of

robbers have submitted voluntari ly,and been enrolledamongst his soldiers . Executionsare now but se ldomseen in Ioannina; but during the Saliot wars, twentyand thirty prisoners were sometimes beheadedat onetime inthe streets of that city . Such cruelty shocksour humane fee lings ; but ‘

voi lacommaonj ugs dctou t quand onn

'

estpas sor ts’

de sonpays.

’ It is notfair to appreciate the merits ofany man without areference to the characterand customs of the peopleamongst whom he is bornand educated . In Turkeythe life ofaman is held exceedingly cheap, more sothanany one, who has not been in the country, wouldbelieve ; and murders, which would fill alldom with horror, excite no sentiment of surprise, orapparent disgust, either at Constantinople or in theprovinces ; so that what m ight, at first sight,appearasingular depravity in an individual, would, in theend, he found nothing butaconformity with generalpracticeand habits. We may, therefore, transfer ourabhorrence ofAli to the Turkish nation, or rather totheir manners .Three yearsafter the departure of lord Byronand

Mr. Hobhouse from Albania, that countrywas visi tedby Dr. Holland ; aman excellently qualified for the

task of observation . He had also the advantage of

l iving for some timeat the court ofAli,and ofobtain

o r 1 1 1 1 3 1 1 1 1 . 329

i ng, as medical adviser,aconsiderable portion of hisconfidence .

The morning of the l st of November, says Dr.Holland, was made interesting to us, by our introduction to this extraordinary man. At ten o ’clock ,Colovo again called, to say that the vizier was prepared to give usanaudience ; and shortlyafterwards,two white horses, of beauti ful figure, and superblycaparisoned in the Turki sh manner, were brought tous from the seraglio ; conducted by two Albanesesoldiers, likewi se richlyattired and armed. Mounting these horses,and aTurkish ofli cer of the palacepreceding us, with an ornamented staff in his hand,proceeded slowly,and with much state, through

the city to the great seraglio.Passing through thealmost savage pomp of this

outerareaof the seragl io, we enteredan inner cou rt,and dismounted at the foot ofadark stone staircase.

On the first landing- place stood one of the vizier'

scarriages ; an old and awkward vehicle, of Germanmanufacture,and such as might have been supposedto have travelled adozen times from Hamburgh toTrieste . At the top of the staircase , we entered intoawide gallery or hall, the windows ofwhich commandanoble view of the lake of Ioanninaand the mountains ofPindus ; the wallsare painted,and numerousdoors conduct from it to different parts of the palace .

This hall, like theareabelow, was filled withamultitude of people ; and the l iving scene became yetmorevariousand interestingaswe proceeded. We now saw,besides Turkish, Albanese,and Moorish soldiers, theTurkish officers and ministers of the vizier ; Greekand Jewish secretaries, Greek merchants, Tartarcouriers, the pages and black slaves of the seraglio ;petitioners seeking to obtainaudience,and numerou sother figures, which give to the courtand palace of

Ali Pashaacharacterall its own .

330 L IFE o r PA SHA .

A curtain was thrown aside ,and we entered theapartment of Ali Pasha. He was sitting in the

urkishmanner, with his legs crossed under him,on

acouch immediately beyond the fire, somewhat moreelevated than the rest,and richer in its decorations .On his head he wore ahigh round cap, the colour ofthe deepest mazarine blue, and bordered with goldlace. H is exterior robe was of yellow cloth , likewiserichly embroidered, two inner garments of variouscolours, and flowing down loosely from the neck tothe feet, confined onlyabout the waist byan embroi

dered belt, inwhich were fixed apistol and dagger,of beautifu l and delicate workmanship . The hilts ofthese arms were covered with diamonds and pearls,and emeralds ofgreat sizeand beauty were set in theheads of each. On his fingers the vizier wore manylarge diamond rings,and the mouth - piece of his longand flexible pipe was equally decorated with variouskinds ofjewellery.

Yet more than his dress, however, the countsnance ofAli Pashaat this time engaged our earnestobservation . It is difficult to describe features, eitherin their detail or general effect, so as to couve anydistinct impression to the mind of the reader. {VereI toattemptadescription ofthose ofAli, I should speakofhis faceas largeand full the forehead remarkablybroad and open ,and traced by many deep furrows ;the eye penetrating, yet not expressive offerocity ; thenose handsome and well - formed ; the lower part of

the mouthand face concealed, except when speaking,by his mustachiosand the long beard which flows overhis breast. H is‘ complexion is somewhat lighter thanthat usual among the Turks,and his generalappearance does not indicate more than hisactual age, ofsixty or sixty- one years , except perhaps that his heardis whi ter than is customaryat this time of life. The

neck is shortand thick, the figure corpulentand un

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332 u se o r AL" PASHA .

of lord Byron He then spoke of the present state of

E urope, inquired what was our latest intelligence of

theadvance of the Frencharmies inRu ssia,and whatwas the progress ofaffairs in Spain. On the formerpoint, itwas evident that the information we gave wasnot newto him, though he did not expressly say this ;his manner, however, evinced the strong interest hefelt inthe subject,and he seemedas if he were seeking indirectly to obtain ou r opinions upon it .

The next subject of conversation was prefaced byhisasking us, whether we had seenat SantaMau ra,one ofhisarmed corvettes, which had been se izedandcarried thither byan English frigate. In bringingforward the subject during our interviewwith him, the

vizier spoke withanimation, or evenaslight warmthof manner. He complained of the injustice done tohim in the capture of his vessel, denied the right ofcapture in this particu lar case,andalleged hisgood offices towards ou r government,as well as toindividuals of the English nation ,as what ought tohave secured him against suchacts ofhostility. We

answered, thatasmere travellers we could not ventureto giveareply that might be deemed official, but thatwe doubted not, from our knowledge of the dispositionsof the English government, that when the affair wasproperly explained, its final arrangement wou ld beboth just and satisfactory to his h ighness . This ofcourse meant little,and the vizier doubtless understood it as such . He added onlyafewwords,andthen , with aloud laugh, expressed his desire of

changing the subjectBefore audience concluded, he mentioned his

having been informed that I was aphysician, andThe corvette inquestionwas eventually givenup toAli Pasha,

less fromany doubts of the legal ity of the prize, thanfrom the nature of our po li tical relationswi th himat that time

L IFL o r AL" PASHA . 38 3

asked whether I had studied medic ine in England ?Replying to this in the affirmative, he expressed awish to consult me on his own complaints before weshould qu it Ioannina,aproposition to which I bowedassent, though not withoutapprehensions of difficultyin prescribing for the case of suchapatient. He dismissed usvery graciously,after we had been with himabout halfanhour.

The manner of the vizier in this interviewwascourteousand polite , withoutany want of the dignitywhich befits his situation . There is not, either in hiscountenance or speech, that formal and unyieldingapathy, which is the characteristic of the Turksasapeople ; but more vivacity, humour, and change of

expression . His laugh is very peculiar,and its deeptone,approaching toagrow], might almost startleanear unaccustomed to it.

day or twoafterwards heagain sent for us tothe seraglio,and some general conversation havingtaken place, he asked several questions, which evi

dently had relation to his health,and formed asortof exercise ofhis judgment upon me.

After this preamble, he entered uponanarrativeofhis complaints, which, though I could only distantlyfollow it inhis own language, yetwasevidently marked

bygood precisionand force in the manner of relation .

e continued speaking forabout fifteen minutes,andafi'

orded me during this timeafine occasion ofmarkingthe feature ofhis countenanceand manner. The narrative was translated to me with littleabridgment,andmuch seemingaccuracy, by the dragoman Golovo. Inits substance, 1 may remark generally, that there wasagood deal of credulityand prejudice displayed onsome points on others, more soundness ofjudgmentthan is commonto the Turksasanation. For various

334 L IFE or ALI pasna.reasons, I do not feel myselfat liberty to give the

parti culars of this narrative, nor would they affordanything new to the medi cal reader. It may su fficeto say, that at this time he was suffering under noacute disorder ; that his symptoms were chiefly ofachronic nature, depending mostly upon hisage, partlyupon ci rcumstances in his former life, with othersymptoms which I learnt more from my own observation than his report, which requ ired the use of pre

ventive means, to obviate eventual danger.In these interviews, however, which were very fre

quent during the last week of our stay at Ioannina,the conversation was not confined to medical mattersalone, but went into other topics ofamore familiarkind. Situated as I now was with him, I could feelperfectlyat ease in this intercourse, which every cir

cumstance contributed to render highly interesting.

He u sually sent for me to the seraglio in the afternoon or evening ; sometimes alone, or occasionallywith my friend, when he had nothing to sayabou t hiscomplaints. At whatever time it was, theapproachesto the seraglio werealways crowded with the singulargroups already described . The vizier was rarely tobe found in the same room on two successive days ;and, during my present stay at Ioannina, I was withhim in eight differentapartments. H is dress was notgreatly varied ; and only on one occasion I saw himwithaturban instead of the blue cap, which he woreat the time of our first interview. H isatti tude wasalso very uniform,according to the Turkish habit. l

seldom sawhim rise from his couch , though he oncedid so, while explaining to me the decline ofhis bodi lypowers, striding firmly at the same time across thechamber,as ifto show that still much ofenergywas left.H is manner of reception wasalways politeand digni

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336 L IF E or AL" PAsHA.

topic, I stated the remarkable instances of longevityin ou r own countrymen, Parr and Jenkins ; at whichhe expressed surprise,and much desired to know i f

there'were any means in nature by which this end

might be obtained. It was evident that in this question he had reference to himself; and I took the

oppo rtunity of enforcing upon him some of the medical advice I had before given . He gave assent towhat I said ; butat the same time pu rsued the question

,whether there were not some more direct means

ofprocuring long life. I mentioned to him generallytheattempts that had been made some centu riesago ,to discover the Elixir Vita; and stated that this wasaproject which now had beenabandoned byall menof reflection . Alludingaccidentally,at the same time ,to the searchafter the philosopher’s stone, he eagerlyfollowed the subject,and wished to know whetherthere were not some secret methods of discoveringgold, which gave their possessor the power of procuringanyamount of this metal . There wasastrongand significant interest in his manner ofasking thisqu estion, which greatly struck me ; and it wasaecompanied by alook toward myself, seeming to searchinto the truth of my reply. Ianswered, of cou rse,that there were no means of making goldand si lver ;that these metals were obtained only from the earthand that theadvantage ofphilosophy was inbeingableto employ the best means of raising them from mines,and purifying them for use. I doubt whether he wassatisfied with this reply, or did not still believe in further mysteries of the alchemic art. The desire of

goldand longevityare natural toadespot ; and especially to one who, like Ali Pasha, has been ever pu rsu ingascheme ofambitious progress.

Our conversation had oftenareference to the politics of the day, on whi ch I found him wellandaccu

L IFE or ALI PASHA . 337

rately informed . It wasat this time that Bonapartewas pursuing his memorable campaign in Russia; inall the events ofwhich Ali Pashafeltalively interest,naturallyarising out of his relation to the two greatpowers concerned . Itwas obviously for hisadvantage,that they should mutually wear out their strength,without e ither of them obtaining the preponderance .

While at peace, thqychecked each otheras to Tur

key ; whenat war, i either were eminently successful ,there was eventual danger to him. The vicinity of

the French in the Illyrian provinces would speedilygive effect to any designs they might adopt in thatquarter, either from views ofgeneralambition, or frommotives ofpersonal hostility to himself, which hemightbe wellaware that he had created by his conductatPrevesa, his recent connection with the English,andby other circumstances of less notoriety. Of the

power ofRussia,and the u ltimate danger to the Turkish empire from this source, he was well informedand he,as well as his sons, had feltand known theweight oftheRu ssianarmies pressing upon theDanube.

He understood, too, that all foreignattempts at therestoration ofGreece, whether with selfish or honourable motives,must of necessity implyapreviousattackupon his power : and I believe he was fully sensibleof his incapacity of resisting permanently the efforts

Europeanarmy. At various times I haveheard him converse, more or less directly, on thesetopics ; and ingeneral there wasanair of sound judgment in his remarks, which implied as well sagacityas freedom from the prejudices of his nation .

I happened to be with himat the seraglio, on’ theevening of the day when he received information ofthe French having entered Moscow. H e was evi

dently in low spirits,and discomposed by the intelligence . I spoke to him of the perseverance and

z

338 L I FE or AL I PA SHA .

resources of Ru ssia,and of the evils that mightariseto the Frencharmy from the bur ning ofMoscow,andtheapproach ofwinter. He was not satisfied by thesearguments, butalluded in reply to the pacific temperof Alexander, to the mistakes which had been com

mitted in the last Polish campaign, to the treaty ofTilsit,and, above all, to the character ofBonaparte,which he ju stly characterised as one that the worldhad never before seen .

’

The assidu ity with which he applies himself toall his business is very great. He rises commonlybefore six,and his officersand secretariesare expectedto be with himat this hour. Thereare no pauses inbu siness during the day, exceptat twelve o

'clock, whenhe takes his dinner, sleepingafterwards for anhourandagainat eight 1n the evening, which 1s his hour ofsupper. I have found himas lateas nine o’clock, withthree secretaries on the ground before him, listeningto the most minute details of that branch of expendi

ture which relates to the post-houses each art icle of

whichaccounts be separatelyapproved. H is hours ofpleasurearealso lnpart subservient to the furtheranceof bu siness . I have seen him in the gardens of hispavilion surrounded by peti tioners,and giving judgment on cases which were brought before him . Evenwhen retiring to the harem, he still preserves hispublic capacity ; and, in the petty discords of threehundred women secluded from the world, i t i s notwonderful that his occupationandauthorityasaj udgeshou ld still be required.

“ In his habits at table, Ali Pashais temperate ,though by no means so strict aMussulman as torefuse himself wine . He almost always eats alone ,according to the custom of Turks of high rank,andat the hours already mentioned . H i s dinner usuallyconsists of twelve or sixteen covers, which are sepa

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34 0 L IFE or ALI PA SHA .

producingacts of the most unqualified ferocity. The

most legitimate form his cunning assumes is on

political matters, where,according to frequent u sage,

i t might perhaps have the name of sagacityandad mitness. He. is eminently skilled in all the arts of

intrigue,and hisagents or spiesare to be found everywhere in the Turkish empire, doing the work of theirmaster withadegree of zeal which testifies at oncehis own talent in their selection,and the commandinginfluence of his powers over the minds ofall that surround him. H is political information, derived fromthese sources,and from theample use ofbribery, is ofthe. best kind ; and it may, I believe, beaffirmedasafact, that notasingle event of importance can occun

at Constantinople, even in the most secret recesses ofthe divan , which is not known within eight days atthe seraglio of Ioannina.The character ofAli,asaruler, is thus ably sum

med up by Dr. Holland . Speaking generally ofhisadministration, it may be said to be one ofabsoluteindividual despotism , supported byanunion of powerful personal qualities in the individual . Quick thought,singular acuteness of observation, aconjunction of

vigour and firmness inaction, and much personalresolution, are connected with an uncommon facu ltyofartifice, an implacable spirit of revenge, and the

utter disregard of every principle interfering with thatactive movement ofambition, which is the mainspringand master- feeling of his mind. The effect of theseremarkable qualiti es has been exhibited in the progress he has made to his present state of elevation .

Their influence is strikingly apparent in the entiresubjection of so many warlike tribes, in the perfecttranqu illity of his dominions, in the despotic exerciseof his government ; and,aboveall, in the mysteriou sawe with which even his name and mandate are

u se or 1 l n rasua. 34 1

regarded by every class of his subjects. It is pleasant to be able toallegeas one proof of his superiorunderstanding,adegree offreedom from nationalandrel igious prejudices rarely to be foundamong Turkishrulers. He has studiouslyadopted into his territoryseveral of the improvements of more cultivated nations ; he has destroyed the numerous bands of robbers who infested the peacefu l inhabitants of the

cou ntry ; by his direction roads have been made,bridges constructed, and agricultural improvementsattempted. This laudable spirit hasadded respect tothe terror inspired by his government ; and eventhose

‘

who, out of the immediate reach of his power,can venture to express hatred of his tyranny, areobliged to allow that Albaniais more happy andprosperous under this singleand stern dominion, thanwhen divided among numerous chieftains, and harassed by incessant wars. From this opinion , nodeference to the principles ofdespotism canbe inferred.

The experience of history has proved, that asingletyrant is less injuriou s to the happiness ofapeople,than tyranny divided among several ; and the . vizierofAlbaniahas himself become adespot, only by thenihilationof the many despots who preyed on thatheretofore distractedand divided country.”The next delineation which we shall give of Ali

Pashais from the pen of Mr. Richards, aBritishmerchant, residingat Malta, who visited Albaniawithseveral ships

, for the purpose of purchasing cowsandoxen for the supply of the Maltese . It is only asketch, but it gives some characteristic touches of theindividual whom it represents. “ At the appointedhour of eight in the morning, says he, I waitedupon the vi zier’s prime m inister, signor Golovo,andremained with himabou t halfan hour before I couldbe introdu ced. It would have shocked the delicate

34 2 L l FE or ALI PA SHAJ

nerves ofanEnglish under- secretary of state to haveseen Ali’s first secretary sitting inamiserable room,

uponalow coarse sofa, surrounded with papers, the duearrangement ofwhich entirely depended u pon himself.Here was no elegant escritoire with its convenientpigeon-holes, no luxuriou s fauteu il, no massive silverstandish , no Obsequ ious amanuensis, to relieve the

onus of state correspondence . All the papers were inconfusion, not atable was to be seen ; and signorGolovo, resting his paper on his left hand or on his

knees, and dipping his -

pen into asmall ink- bottleattached to his girdle, thus penned his despatches ;We had some difficulty in gainingadmittance withinthe gates of the seraglio,an order having been issuedthat no one should enter ; but,after wai tingashortt ime, we were called up stairs intoalarge ante- room,elegantly fitted up : through this we passed intoanother much handsomer ; here we rested about anhour : this room is well painted in the Italian style ;about fifty different kinds of muskets , swords, andpistols, decorated the walls ; some common, ‘ othershandsomely set in goldand silver. In this chamberwere twenty or thirty trunks filled with state- papersalarge window, forming entirely one side of the room,

commands abeautiful view of the townand the sur .rounding country. Every room thatwe passed throughwas crowded with soldiers, officers, servants, 8m.

While we were waiting, twenty- six porters came out

of the audience chamber, carrying fifty- six thousanddollars. The vi zier ’s y oungest son, and also hisnephew,aboyabout eight years ofage, hadaudiencebefore us. At length it was our turn, and we wereu shered in . I walked up to the vizier, who was seatedonasofaat the further end ofalarge room , kissed hishand,and paid the usual compliments. H is chamberwas beautifully painted, withabundance ofgi lding ; an

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34 4 L IFE o r m rasna.wanted, and to announce me as aperson employedupon his special service. Having once more kissedhis hand, I took my leave.

I should suppose Ali to be from sixty to sixty-fiveyears ofage : he certainly possesses qu ick intellects,and an excellent memory. Although very fat, he isactive on horseback ; he gives butafewhours’ noticebefore going ajourney, and usually sets off in thenight. Where the roads are good, be generallytravels inacarriage. He sleeps but little ; and isemployed nearly the whole of the day in the management of his affairs. He is very close in moneymatters : eager to receive, but very remi ss in hispayments.

He is very strict in the administration ofjustice,not making the least distinction between Greek, Turk,or Jew. Ali is everywhere absolute ; his will is law.

Instances of Ali’s crueltyare too numerou s to admitofany doubt that itarises fromanatural depravity ofheart. The peculiar character of his subjects should,however, be taken into consideration. Underamildgovernment it would be scarcely possible to liveamongst them fear is the only principle by whichthey canbeacted upon .

Mr. Richards is not the only one who has urgedthe sinister character of the AlbaniansasapalliationofAli

'

s conduct. AnAlbanian philosopher, who hadfrequented the society of the literary contemporariesofVoltaire, expresses himself, upon. this subject, in thefollowing terms . I was bornat Premiti, andamanundeniable proof thatawiseand prudent man can behappy everywhere. I have seen Versailles and the

king of France : I have witnessed the most refinedcivilisation : I have resided among the most polishednation in the world ; and yet I sighed to revisit mynative land. For fifteen years I have served Ali

L IFE o r ALI pasna. 34 5

Pashaas his interpreter, without experiencingat hishands either ingratitude or great favour. Hisgovernment, which to you may perhapsappear severe, is thebest calcu lated for the subjects which he commandshisextortionsand his crueltiesare suited to the ferocions character of the Albanians : anation of robbersmust have atyrant for their ruler. My languagemay, perhaps,astonish you ; but only ten years ago

you would have been assassinated, or soldasaslave,y the very people who now surround you ,and fromwhom you receive theattentions ofhospitality.”This series ofpersonal and moral likenesses ofAli

we shall close by the portrait which Mr. Hughes hasdrawn of him. That accomplished and intellectualtraveller hadabundant opportunities for observation ,and he has finished the picture inan elaborate andmasterly style. The impression which the viziermade uponhimat first sight, he thu s describes. Asweapproached the audience chamber I felt myheartpalpitateat the thought ofentering into the presenceofabeing who had long held so direasway over thedestinies of his fellowmortals,and whose steps in hisdark career were marked indelibly by the stain of

blood "At the entrance ofhisapartment stood severalAlbanianguards; one of whom opened the door,andwe marched into the room, saluting the vizieras weentered, who sat uponalion ’s skinat theangle of thedivan, handsomely but not superbly dressed ; abandof gold lace wh ich bound the scarlet cap upon hishead,abroad belt of the same material which passedround his waist,and the pommel of his handjar glittering with diamonds, alone denoted the man of

exalted rank : ahoukastood near him which he israther fond of exhibiting,as the use of it shows aconsiderable strength of lungs. As soonas we wereseated upon the divan he returned our salutation by

34 6 L IFE o r ALI PA SHA’

.

placing his right hand upon his breast with agentleinclination ofhis head,and expressed his sati sfactionat seeing us in his capital.Atafirst introduction it could not be expected

that we shouldacqu ire much insight into the character of the pasha: my own attention was directedchiefly to the contemplation of his countenance ; andthis is in general no index of his m ind . Here it isvery difficult to find any traces of that bloodthi rstydisposition , that ferocious appetite for revenge, thatrestless and inordinate ambition, that inexpli cablecunning, whi ch has marked his eventfu l career : themien ofhis face on the contrary hasanair ofmildnessin it, his front is open, his venerable white bearddescending over his breast gives him akind of

patriarchalappearance, whilst the silvery tones ofhisvoice, and the familiar simplicity with which he

addresses his attendants, strongly aid the deception.Heappearsas he is described by theanimated bard'.

Still, after very attentive consideration I thought Icou ld perceive certain indications of cruelty and perfidy beneath his grey eyebrows, with marks of deepcraftinessand policy in the lineaments ofhis forehead ;there was something sarcastic in his smile,and eventerrible inhis laugh. H isaddress Was engaging, hisfigure very corpulent,although it is sai d to have beengraceful in his youth ; as his stature is rather belowthe middle size,and his waist long in proportion, heappears to greatest advantage as we now saw himseated on the divan or on horseback.”The result ofMr. Hughes

’

s inqu iries and remarksis thus summed up. We may, perhaps, without in~justice, surmise that his intimate acquaintance withM. Fouqueville operated to give his mind abias

Inthe quotati onin page 32 1 , from Lord Byron’sChilde Harold .

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34 8 L IFE o r ALI rasna.national prejudices which might oppose his advancement. He attaches his troops to his interest notmore by aready participation in their hardships,difli culties,and dangers, than by the easy familiaritywith which he engages their confidence or flatters theirvanity,and by theability withwhich heassociates theirmilitary enthu siasm with his successand identifies theirglory with his own . He isagreat master of po liticalintrigue,and so versed in the arts of simulation anddissimulation , that he has not only deceived his owngovernment, but every other which hasattempted toturn him to its advantage : each in turn has discovered its plans betrayed and itselfdeserted,as soonasamore powerful ally or amore beneficial causeattracted his regards. Divide and conquer ’ i s hisfavou rite motto he has no remorse in setting fatheragainst son,and son against father, brother agai nstbrother,and friend against friend : in every town ordistrict which attracts his cupidity, dissensions arestudiously promoted, jealousyand distrust increased,and intestine wars excited to disunite the inhabitantsand desolate the country : he then procures for himselfan

.

invitation asanally or arbitrator, when hecontrives to eject both the innocentand guilty,andremains master of the contested territory. H is perfidy is more than Punic : he will make atreatyandviolate it inthe same hour he willallure hisadversaries into his power by the kindest wordsand fairestpromises, and then destroy them without compunction . H is desire ofvengeance is deeply seated, knowsno limits,and increases by delay ; neither does hepossess the least portion of that magnanimity of soulwhich can requite valour and generosity in afee.

In discourse he is equally skilful at discovering thesentiments of others,and veiling his own amidst impenetrable obscurity. As his actions seldom corre

e ao r ALI rasna. 34 9

spond with his promises, so his looks rarely indicatehis thoughts ; he can throw into his mannersand hiscountenance theappearance offrank honesty and anafi'ectationof gentleness, whilst rage and fury festerin his heart he frequently seems most gay, when heis inwardly torn by chagrin,and most courteous whenhe meditates

.

the darkest deeds. Yet Ali is not wantouly savage, nor does he require, like aD jezzarPasha, to be lulled to rest with the cries of innocentandagonised victims ; but let his own safety or evenhis interest be endangered or threatened, and noprinciples ofreligion, no ties offriendship, no dues ofgratitude, will restrain him in his sanguinary career.As Ali gazesat power withan eagle’s eye, so he

clings to wealth with theappetite ofavulture. H isavarice is so excessive that one mightalmost think hisdesire of dominion proceeded from the wish of gratifying this insatiable cupidity. In procuring wealth hehas recourse not only to alegal revenue, but to themeanest artifices and the most shameful extortion.He hasnot political knowledge enough to see that theencouragement of commerce and agriculture, withequ itable lawsand financial arrangements, would, byan increase of capital ,and extension of credit,augment his revenue and support his government ; buthe prefers to fill his treasury by forced avanies andgrievous exactions

,annihilating industry and stifling

al l the bounties of nature in their birth. A vast deposit isalways kept unemployed,and used as the necessities of the times may requ ire ; when this is satisfled, the expenditure is replaced byadditional contributions .To noart does he owe.more ofh1s success than

to that of bribery,and his gold has oftenpenetratedinto those places which were proofagainst hisarms

350 L IFE o r ALI PASHA .

neither does his inordinateavarice repress, but ratherpromotes thi s system, for he scarcely ever fails to recover the bribes sooner or later with interest, ’

whilstthe life or liberty of the traitor is sacrificed to hisskilfu l hypocrisy yet with the power ofassuming themost winning manners,and clothing his stern countsnance in complacent smiles, he contrives to draw freshvictims into his fatal snares

,directs their villany to

his own advantage, and persuading each deludedvotary that his fortune will be more prosperous thanthat of others, overwhelmsat last bothadversariesandadherents inacommon ruin . He once gaveamanabouyourdee to killanother who was obnoxiou s to him :

the bloody deed was perpetrated, but the assassinfound Inthe pocket ofhis victimasimilar bouyourdeefor his own destruction . He carried it to the vizier,and expressed some signs ofastonishment ; when Ali,laughing, replied, Hey, murrie, if I had not givenhim this, he would never have put himself in yourway,and you would have had no chance of efl

'

ectingyour purpose.

’ In fact, the tyrant wished to get ridofboth or either of them.

Let us now contemplate the portrait inalightwhich will perhaps show us some of its features mamoreagreeable point of view. Though we cannot giveou r unqualified admiration toanyman, however brilliant may have been his career, whose actions havebeen directed solely by self- interest and discolouredby the most glaring v i ces,and though it is easy foradespotic tyrant to benefit one part of the communityby oppressinganother, or excite theadmiration offuturegenerations, byadding to the miseries of the presentrace, still we ought to estimate the character ofaperson with areference to the habits of h is country,the system of his education,and the principles of his

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35 2 L IFE o r ALI PASHA.

should seek in vain where the baneful influence of the

crescent elsewhere extends : apolice is organised,robbersare extirpated, roads and canalsare made orrepaired, rivers are rendered navigable , so that themerchant cannow traverse the Albaniandistr icts withsafety,and the traveller with convenienc e agriculture,inspite ofal l obstacles, improves, commerce increases,and the whole nationadvances, perhaps unconsciously,towardshigher destiniesand greater happiness.With regard to the domestic habits ofAli Pasha,

hisattention to business,and the distr ibu tion ofhis time,areamongst the most extraordinary. So jealous is he ofpower, that he rarely calls upon the services of hisministers , but transactsallafl

'ai rs ofgovernment himSelf. He rises very early in the morning,and takesacup of coffee with his pipe : he then givesaudience tohis variou s oficers, receives petitions, and decidescauses, pronounces judgment, settles the concerns of

hisarmy, navy,and revenue, till noon he then dinesupon very frugal fare, afew plain dishes,and amoderate portion ofwine. After dinner he sleeps foranhour or two,and then smokes his houkawhilst he isoccupied in similar occupations till six or seven o’clockat night, or even much later : heafterwards takes hissupperand retires to his harem. In the expeditionswhich be frequentlymakes through variou s parts ofhisdominions, he will sometimes partake of the frugal fareofacottager,and sleep beneath his humble roof. Noone knows beforehand where he intends to transactthe business of the day : sometimes he fixes upon theserai of Li tar itza, sometimes that °

of the castrou ,andoften he retires to the gardens of the kiosk, or tosome one of the numerous tenements which he possesses both withinand without the city. Whereverhe may be,alarge quantity of Albanian troops aregenerally seen scatteredabout, in their wh ite capotes,

L IFE o r AL I PASHA . 5 3

waiting for his exit. This extraordinaryattention tobusiness is productive of vast inconvenience to hissubjects, for in spite ofall his qu ickness in decision,and the impossibility ofappeal,avast accumulationnecessarily takes place , especially during his frequentabsence from the capital .

He is not at all strict, and is thought by nomeans since re, in thearticle of religion . He visitsamosque but once in the year, at the festival of theRamazan, when he goes in grand procession . H ismind, strongasare its natural faculties, being untutored in philosophy or science,and unaided by religioustru ths, clings to the marvel lo u sand bends beneath thepower of superstition: hence it is that he is greatlyalarmed at thunder and earthquakes,at which timesprobably remorse findsanopportunity ofapplying hervindictive lash.

Hi sunt qui trepidant ctad omniafulgurapallcnt.

He believes in charms ,and thinks that chemicalcombinations of matter might be discovered, whichwould cureall diseases,and procure life toan indefinite extent ; this makes him often the dupe of cunningand designing men.

Though strongly addicted to sensual lusts,andproud of the success which formerly attended hisamours, he pretends to take great concern in the

morals ofhis people,and perhaps no town exists wherepublic prostitution is so severely punishedasat Ioannina. In his exterior deportment he discovers little of

that ostentation which often sits so awkwardly uponpersons who have risen to very exalted stations. Alion the contrary is affable and condescending as wellto strangersas to his own subjects. His firmness ofmindand command over himself is well illustrated inthe followinganecdote.

— ln the year 1 8 1 3,as he wasA A.

35 4 L IFE o r AL I PASHA .

i nspecting some repairs in the great serai of the

castrou ,alarge block of stone fell fromascaffold uponhis shoulder, and laid him prostrate on the ground.

Every one‘

present thought he was killed,andageneralalarm was spread : but Ali, though seriou sly hurt,orderedahorse to be equ ipped instantly, uponhe mounted and rode round the city, withaAlbanianattendant, without discovering the least markof pain, though he had received awound which confined him several weeks to his bed. After his re

coveryhe told M. Fouqueville that heacted thus toassure his people ofhis safety,and to deprive his enemies of the pleasu re of thinking he was likely to die .

The consul replied, that everymanhad his enemies , buthe could not think those of his highness went so faras to desire his death What F said Ali , thereis notam inute of the day inwhich they do not offerup prayers to Heavenfor my destruction how can itbe . otherwise ? for forty years I have been doing everything bad to everybody in this period I have causedthirty thousand persons to be hungand put to deathinvarious ways ; and they know that if I live longerI shall do more : would you have them not hate me

then their hatred, however, will notaffect my health—and upon this he burst into his u sual sardoniclaugh ,

"

I had thisanecdote, not from M . Pouqueville, but fromanother personwho was presentat the conference.

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356 L IFE o r A L" PASHA .

himacoat ofarms . This goodly specimen of blazonry,alluding to the title ofAslan, or the Lion , consisted ofalion, inafield gu les, embracing three lion’s whelps.It was not inappropriate ; bu t m ight have been improved by introducing the gibbet, the impaling stake,and the bow- string. A third fawner,aMacedonian,by the name of Michael Stephen Partzou lla, soundedthe very base string” of sycophancy. He publishedaGreekand French Grammar,and in his dedicationof it to Ali , not content with bestowing on him the

epithets of most high ,most pu issant,and most merci ful,

”headded, The earth,most illustrious prince,

is full of the glory of thy name ; no one is ignorant ofthe bright and dazzling fame of thy noble virtues."

If, indeed, this were meant for irony, it was poignant.Ali was probably best pleased with the labou r of theherald ; for his taste seems to have leaned towardsmarks of distinction . He hadasplendid star fabricated, chiefly from the jewels sold to him by thedeposed king of Sweden,and this he called his order.It was worn on his outer vest, in imitation of thatwhich he had seen on the coat of sir Thomas Maitland, the lord high commissioner .But,amidst all his triumphs and enjoyments, the

repose ofAli was far enough from being undisturbed .

In spite ofhis seared conscience, remorse wou ld sometimes‘ wring his heart . Dark forebodings of misfortune wou ld also ariseand throw agloom over thegayest scenes. In one of his pensive moods, whi le,reclining onarich sofa, he l istened to the warbling of

the birds in his garden , he expressed to the Frenchconsu l the pleasure be derived from their songs,andthenadded, Among the women ofmy harem I haveapeasant girl who sings,and so admirable are herstrains that I never hear them without being carriedback to' the days of my youth ; I think myself trans

u se o r ALI PASHA . 35 7

tportedagain to my own Japygian mountains . Mylife wasa'

tranquil one then I Whataholyday it wasfor me when Iand my companions feasted upon somegoat which had been stolen from the shepherds of

Mount Argenik l—and when I went to the weddingsofmyfriends , the re was no player upon the lyre withinahundred leagues round that could come up to meI cou ld challenge the best at dancing oratrial ofstrength ; but those times will never return ,and now,

when life is drawing toaclose, I cansee nothing butdomestic broils, storms to contend with, and— whoknows I shall, perhaps, not have the happiness ofdying on the mat ofmy forefathers. I keep it still, toremind me that I was born poor, that I have

”

knownsufferings.” Here, abruptly raising himself on hisseat, he exclaimed,’ And, if it must be so, I willprove that I candefy even the extremity of wretchedness l

There were likewise moments when Ali was noti nsensible to the perils which environalofty station .

He more than once said that, inaspiring to be viziers ,his children would be the cau se of hi s destruction ;and, when speaking ofhisown power, he often repeatedthis maxim, aviz ier isaman covered with honours,seated upon abarrel of gunpowder, which may beblown up byasingle spark .

”

Yet, - so inconsi sten t is human natu re,—his cravingfor additional power continued insatiable. Havingbrought unde r his sway all the centre and south of

Albania, besides o ther territories, he was eager toextend his dom inions in the north,and he began toprepare for se i zing u pon the pashalik ofScutari, wherehe kept inpayafaction ready toaid hisdesigns. He

saw, too ,wi th infinite mortification, the post ofRumilivalisee conferred upon another, whose presence atMonasti r was peculiarly disgustful to him, because

35 8 L IFE o r AL I PAsnA.

he suspected.and perhaps rightly, that the newofficerwas meant to beacheckand aspy uponhim. Aliwasalso tormented by his unsatisfied longing for vengeance . Inflexible in his hatred, he was enraged thathe could not venture to put to death his prisoner Ibrahim Pasha; adeed from which he waswithheld solelybyaconviction that it wou ld cau se his son M ouctar tobe removed from the government ofBerat. Nor washe much less dissatisfied that the Parghiotes hadescaped the chastisement whichhe had intended togive them, for their stubborn resistance to his projects,and their dislike ofhis person.

This love of revenge was the vice which at last,in conjunction with hisavarice, cau sed the downfall ofAli. The instrument of his winwasamanwhom hehad devoted to destruction , but who had been fortunate enough to elude the repeated attempts of thevizier

’

s emissaries . Ismael Pasho Bey, the personagein question, was arelati ve of Ali, and had foughtunder his standard upon various occasions. He fell,however, under the displeasure of the vizier, who, in1 807 , that he m ight have abetter oppo rtunity of

seizing upon Pasho’s property, sent him to the Moreawith Veli,as the new Pasha's selictar. Pasho wasnot ignorant of Ali's pu rpose in thus sending him toadistance . He gets me out of theway, the villain l

”

exclaimed he ; he gets me out ofthe way but I willpunish him for it, whatever may happen ; and I shalldie satisfied, if I can deprive such amonster of hishead, evenat the expense ofmy own.

”

In pursuance of his resolution, Pasha, under themask of regard for his master’ s interests , promptedVeli toadopt such measuresas could not fai l to renderthe son of Ali hateful to the people ofPeloponnesus.

But this did not suffice to satisfy his vindictive feelings. He was in possession ofahorrible secret, the

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360 L IFE o r AL I PA SHA .

Incessantly tracked by the murde ro us emissarie s ofthe vi zier, Pasho ledalife ofwander ingand hardship.Flying from Negropont

,he visited various cities of

Egyptand AsiaMinor, often having no other shelterthan the porticoes of the mosques, and sometimeslying with beggars among the warm ashes from the

public baths . At Alexandriahe would have beenentrapped had not his prudence saved him. SomeAlbanian mariners requested him to come on boardtheir vessel, for the purpose ofgiving his adviceas tothe disposal of some goods, which they said they hadjust brought into the harbour. Pasho cau tiously sentaperson to look at the vessel,and this messengerinformed him that, far from being laden, she was evi

dently ready to sail at amoment’s warning. Con

vinced of the real character of the pretended sai lors,Pasho declined their invitation ; and, finding theywere discovered, they instantly departed.He next sought refuge in the court of Muhamet

Ali,nazir of Drama, one of the most magnificentnobles ofThrace,and had the good fortune toacquirehis favou r and protection . In the cou rse ofafewmonths, Aliagain traced him;and procu red from the

Porteafirmanagainst him, the execution ofwhich heintrusted to acapidgi -bashi. Pasho was onahunting party with the nazir when the capidgi arrived .

Not knowing the person of the proscribed fugitive,the messenger inqu ired of him, where he cou ld findthe nazir,as he had business of importance to communicate. The wits of Pasho were sharpened by theconstant necessity of warding ofl

'

danger, and be

promptly replied , I am the nazir ; what is yourbusiness P He wasanswered, that the speaker hadbroughtafirman, obtainedat the request ofAli Pashaof Ioannina. Ah " my dear friend Ali Tepelini ,how can I serve him i’ By executing the firman,

L IFE o r ALI PASHA . 361

which enjoins you to cut off the head ofaworthlessfellow, one Pasho Bey, who contrived some timeagoto get into you r service .

" It shall be done ; but Iwarn you that he isavery difli cult man to catch he

is brave, violent,and much liked by my servants, sothat we must act warily to get him into the snare.

I expect him here every moment. It is of cou se

quence that he should not see you ,and that my folksshou ld not suspect who yOuare.

’Tis only two leaguesfrom hence to Drama; goand wait for me there ; Ishall be with you in the evening,and you may lookupon your businessas done.

”

Ismael did not think it prudent to rely upon thefriendship of the nazir,who might perhaps find reasonsfor sacrificing him. As soon, therefore,as the capidgihad gal loped off towards Drama, he made the best ofhis way in an opposite direction . He travelled allnight through bye- roads, bought the dress ofaBulgarian monk

,and,after having traversed upper Mace

donia,he stoppedataconvent ofServian monks, represented himselfasabrother just retu rned froHoly Land,and was hospitably received.

Enraged at having missed his prey, Ali accusedM uhamet before the Divan ofhaving favoured Pasho’sescape. The charge was easily refuted,and,as theinnocence of Pasho became manifest in the inqu iry,the vizier could not obtainanother firmanagainst him.

It was then that AthanasiaVaia, who had discoveredPasho's retreat, begged for the honour ofbeingallowedto immolate him . The request was granted,and, tocover his design, Aliaffected to be highly exasperatedagainst Vaia,and, to theastonishment ofall Ioannina,drove him from the palace, swearing that had he notbeen his foste r bro ther he wou ld have hanged him.

Simu lating the profo undest grief, Vaiaapplied tp everyperson of influence to intercede with the VlZl el

‘

, but

362 L IFE o r ALI PASHA .

the only favour which cou ld be obtained for him wasapassport withpermission to retire to Macedonia.Displayi ng every outward sign of despair, Vaiaset

out for the place of his exile,and on reaching Vodena,he assumed, for the purpose, as he said, of greatersecurity, the dress ofamonk. On his road he metwithabrother of the Servian convent, related to himhis pretended misfortunes,and entreated thathe mightbe received into the monasteryasalay brother. Hisrequest was made known to the superior of the con

vent, who granted it,and lost no time in informingPasho thatanew companion wasabout toarrive. Bythe description Pasho recognised AthanasiaVaia,and,guessing the object of his mission, he communicatedhis suspicions to the prior, who consented not toadmittheassassinti ll Pasho was far on the road to Constantinople. It was there, in the capital of the empire,that Ismael resolved to defyand combat his powerfulenemy. For his favourable reception in the Turkishmetropolis, he is said to have been indebted to aletter of recommendationfrom the Pashaof Egypt.The wifeand children ofIsmael having been detainedas hostages at Ioannina, the dread of exposing themto the fury ofAli had hitherto withheld him from openhostility against the vizier. That impediment wasnow removed. H is wife, having refused to be divorced,wasdragged from her house,and consigned to poverty.Pressed by want, disease, and sorrow, she addressedthe following melancholy lines to the husband, whomshe believed that she shou ld see no more. Yourchildren are in chains ,” said she, and your wife,banished to abut, is redu ced to spin for her bread.The Christian nuns support her out of thealms money,when the infirmities whichare weighing her down willnot allow her to provide for her wants . Her bed,which once was covered with cloth of gold, now con

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364 L IFE o r AL I PASHA .

men to the walls of Ioanninawithout firingasingleshot.The time, however, was not yet come for the over

throw ofAli. H is bribes,and the hope of extractingmore from him, had stillaneffect u pon some of the

Turkish ministers. Pasho’s zeal wasapplauded, butthe consideration of his scheme was put offfrom timeto time,andat last wasabandoned. Discou raged bythe delay, Paleopoulo was on the po int of setting offfor Bessarabiawhen death brought his projects toaclose. Just before he died, he conjured Pasho to persevere, propheticall assuring him that ere long thehouse of Ali wou d fall beneath h is blows. Indying I only regret, said he, “ that I cannot be withyou on Mount D ryscos ; Ali Pashawouldagai n recognise Paleopoulo by the report of the long gunIsmael Pasharesolved to follow the advice of his

friend, but he changed his battery. Instead of presenting memorialsand plans of reform, be confined himselfto secretly sapping the influence ofAli , by becomingthe champion ofall who had to complain of the vizierand his sons. He drew up their petitions,and gotthem presented to the ministers of the Porte . H isexertions -and misfortunesat length became known tothe sultan, who grantedanaudience to him ,andafterlistening to his story,appointed him one of his capidgibashis, or chamberlains .Thewrath excited in Ali by the news of Pasho’s pro

motionwasnot unmingledwithapprehension. He seem sto have hadaforeboding that evil would result to himfrom this unexpected event. Toall who approachedhim he inveighed against his old enemy, whom he

believed to be occupied in thwartingall his schemes,Paleopou lo’s gun, whi ch was ofanenormous cal ibre , wasas

celebratedamong the Albaniansas the sword ofRo landwasamongthe knights of old.

L I FE o r ALI PASHA . 365

and he often exclaimed, 0 that Heaven would butrestore to me my youthful days, I would poniard himeven in the divan itselfI Yet, while he was thus prescient ofevil, Ali unwisely neglected the most efi

'

ectualmeans ofaverting it. Instead of scattering his treasures liberally to purchase impunity, his insaneavariceprompted him to withhold the customary bribes . Bythis impolitic step he raised up enemies,among themost formidable ofwhom was Kaleb E fl'endi, the chieffavourite of sultan Mahmoud.It was probably through the influence of

\

KalebandPasho that another enemy ofAli’s family obtainedaseat in the divan . This wasAbde E fl'

endi , ofLarissa,one of the richest beys in Thessaly, who had beenobliged to fly from the tyranny ofVeli Pasha. SinceThessaly had been under the government ofVeli itssufferings had been extreme . To support his own

inordinate prodigality,and satisfy the cravings of hisfather, he had quintupled the taxes,and resorted toevery form of extortion ; till ,at length , the provincewas in danger of being depopu lated, multitudes of

Greeks having emigrated to Odessa, while the principal Turkish families took refuge in Constantinople.

Now that complaints could be heard, innumerablevoices were raised against him,and the offender wasin consequence punished by his removal to the obscurepost of Lepanto . A prudent desire to deprive the

vizier ofthe resources ofarich province mayalso havecontributed to produce the deposition ofVeli.This was the first blow struck at Ali,and he feltall the force of it. Passion isadangerous counsellor,and, unfortunately for the vizier, he listened only toits dictates . No t doubting that Ismael Pasho was theauthor of the di sgracewhich had been inflicted on him,

be resolved,atall hazards, to destroy th is hated foe .

Two Albanian s we re easily found who were willing to

366 L IFE OF.

AL I PA SHA .

execute whatever he might command ; these -men be

despatched to Constantinople to assassinate Ismael’Pasho. Onarrivingat the capital they proceeded toIsmael's residence,and desired to speak wi th him.

The moment he appeared at the window they discharged their pistols, but he was only slightly wounded.Theassassins immediately bet themselves to flight.They were, however, pursued byawell-mounted detachment ; and,after achase of sixty mlles,

‘

one of

them was taken . He refused to makeany disc losure,but when the torture -was applied, he confessed thatheand his companion had been hired by the vizier tomurder Pasho Bey. He was then hanged in front ofthe imperial seraglio .This daring act at least precipitated, if it did not

cau se, the ru inofAli . Suchaflagrant offence it wasimpossible for the government to overlook, withoutexposing itselfto contempt,and its members to danger.It has been supposed, that the sultan was moved to

proscribe the pashaof Ioanninasolely byawish to

becomemaster of the treasures which Ali had‘

accumulated. Thatanecessitous sovereign might be glad torecruit his exhausted treasury is nowise improbable ;but there was undoubtedlyanother motive which hadsuperior weight with Mahmoud. He had ,atanearlyperiod of his reign, resolved to reduce within narrowerbounds the dominion of those great vassals who, whilethey wasted the resources of the state,and alienatedits subjects, left to the Porte scarcely the shadow of

authority In its distant provinces. Ali would certainlyhave been earlier attacked had not two reasons operated against suchameasu re. At one time the

magnitude of his power was found to be u seful inchecking enemies at another, it opposed an insuperable obstacle to the designs which,as we have seen.the Porte meditated against him ; and, latterly, the

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368 L IFE OF AL I PASHA .

favour ofAli shou ld lose his head. A courierat lastarrived from Constantinople, with intelligence that thevizier had nothing to hope. Asalast resource, he issaid to haveapplied to the lord high commissioner ofthe Ionian Islands, to become amediator for him, orto give him succour,and to have received foranswerthatanasylum wasall that cou ld be granted . He wascompelled, therefore, to prepare for war .

Unequal as the contest may seem between the

monarch ofan extensive empireand one of his viceroys , it was less so than it seemed. The disjointedcondition of the Turkish government, the dilapidatedstate of its resources, the defective discipline of itsam iss,and the jarring interestsand mutual jealousiesof the pashas, the discontent which existed amongaportion of the Mussulmans, and the ferment whichhad long been working in the minds of the Greeks,and was soon to explode with irrepressible violence,all combined to

,

defalcate heavily from the su ltan’smeans ofasserting hisau thorityagainst his rebellioussubjec ts. Within the last quarter of acentu ry

,the

Servians and Passwan Oglou had both shown howdifficult it was for the Porte to put down revolt. Yet,in neither of those cases had the revolters possessedasmanyadvantages as the pashaof Ioannina. Ali wasmaster of five-and- twenty fortresses

,anarmy ofat

leastas many thousand men, four hundred pieces ofheavy cannon , ch iefly brass, fifty field- pieces , sixty- twomortars,aconsiderable number of Congreve rockets,andanabundant supply ofammunition . He hadalsoplenty of excellentartillerymen; anessential force, inwhich the Tu rkisharmy was woefully deficient. Itwas in his power to rally round his banner the wholeof the Greeks, the principal leaders of whom had re

peatedly offered him the crown ofGreece, if he wouldchange his religion,and call the people toarms ; and,

L IFE or AL I PASHA . 369

assuredly, no religious scruples stood in the way ofhisaccepting their offer, for the vizierhad no religionatall.The country which he had to defend is calculated beyondalmostall others for successfu l defensive warfareit_is intersected inall directions by chains of loftyandprecipitous mountains, whichare full ofalmost impenetrable defilesand commanding positions. An officerof talentand experience, who has visited the country,colonel Charles Napier has justly remarked, that,as to the natu ral strength of the ground, thatpied by the celebrated lines round Li sbon is not to becompared to the passes over mount Pindus . One

hundred soldiers might have arrested the mob thatwas dignified with the appellation of the Turkisharmy. To crown the whole, he had inhis hands thegreat main- spring for putting in motionall theapparatus of war ; he had atreasury fu ll to overflowingwith theaccumulati onsarising from halfacentury ofrapIne.

To openhis boards, and scatter them abroad withanunsparing hand,wasameasure which sound policywould have dictated to Ali. He was engaged inanenterprise in which there was .

no medium betweentriumph and ru in . It behoved him, therefore, tobring into the field every manhe cou ld muster,and,as he was not one of those characters who arefollowed from personal afi'ection, his ranks cou ld beswelled by the influence of moneyalone . Yet suchwas hisavarice, that it overcame even the instinct ofself- preservation. An offer was now made to him ,

which, had be embraced it, might have turned the

Inhis excel lent work, The Colonies, awork which con

tai usfmuch important i nformation, d isplayssound senseandanacu teintel lect,and ismore amusing than many productions whicharewri tten for comic efl

'

ec t, Colonel Napier has givenabrief butmasterly estimate of the mili tary character ofAli .

B B

37 0 L IFE o r AL I PAS IIA.

scale decisively in his favour. Two regiments of

Albanian infantry,andaregiment of cavalry,“

chieflycomposed of Germans, were about to be dischargedfrom the Neapolitan service. They were in the highest order, and, in appearance, fully equal to anyEnglish troops. Here wasaforce not inconsiderablein itself, especially when warringagainst undi scipl inedbands,and which might have been made the nucleusofaregulararmy. Ali could have obtained it, withits arms and appointments, ready for service, at asmall expense. It was proposed to him, byan English officer, to send the vizier

’s flotillato Brundisi ,where these regiments were assembled, land thematAvlona, clear the pashalik of Berat from the enemy,and then either join Ali at Ioanninaor act on thecommunications of the Turkisharmy. Had this planbeen adopted, it wou ld have been imposs ible for theinvaders toadvance to Ioanninawithou t their line ofoperations being broken in upon,and their retreatcut off, or at the least rendered circuitou sand dangerons. Ali at first seemed disposed to adopt theplan, but the reluctance to part with his gold inducedhim to hesitate, chicane, and delay, and when the

pressure ofdanger u ltimately drove him to consent tothe terms, it was too late , there being no longer apossibility ofbringing over the succours, the Turkishfleet havingarrived off the coast ofAlbania.His ignorance of the first principles of mi litary

science,and his inordinate vanity, were no less conspicuous and prejudicial than his avarice. It wasproposed to him to fortify the passes of Pindu s, establish in each astrong detachment with artillery,construct telegraphs to communicate with Ioannina,and keep the bu lk of his forces collected inacentralposition , soas to be ready to march towards whicheverpass m ight be attacked. Nothing of this was done.

“

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37 2 L IFE OF AL I FAsnA.

asafe opportunity of rising inarms afforded to theG reeks, and time gained for organising completelythe defence of Albania, even supposing that it hadu ltimately become necessary to abandon Thessaly.In war, to gain time is, in many cases , to gain the

victory.The vizier, however, though he failed toadopt the

measures most likely to be decisive, was by no meansinactive. Inorderat once to swellhis numbersand tohave some check upon his Mahometan followers,many of whom might, perhaps, shr i nk from hear ingarmsagainst the su ltan, his first ste p was to recal toe xistence the bands ofArmatolesand klephtes,againstwhom he had so long been waging anexterminatorywar. The tempting bait of booty and liberal pay,which he held out to their leaders, i nstantly producedthe desired effect,and they flocked rou nd him fromall quarters. Odysseus, the elder and younger,Tachos, Stournaris, Hyscos, Varnakiotes, Zongos,andacrowd of other chiefs,all celebrated in the wildsongs of the country, came forward to lend theiraid.

It must not be supposed that these men wereactuatedby anyattachment to Ali ; their motives were the

hope ofplunder, hatred of the Ottomans ,andawishto be ready to bearapart inthe revolu tion for whichthe Greeks were nowsilently preparing. These chiefsAli directed to commence without delay their operations in the mountains of the neighbour i ng provinces .The Armatoles were not dilatory in tak ing the postsassigned to them, and they went to wo rk with suchvigour that, under ordinary circumstanc es, the Portewould probably have consented to an amicable arrangement with the vizier. The couriers wererobbed of their despatches, the caravans were interceptedr the taxes ceased to be paid,and fromall sidesacry arose, that no one but Ali was capable of

L IFE OF ALI PAS IIA. 3 7 3

putting astop to the system of rapine. But the

sultan wou ld listen to no representations in favour Ofthe doomed vizier.Assembling the principal personages of Albania,

not excluding even those whom he believed to beunfriendly to him, Ali called on them to stand byhim,asmuch for their own sakesas his. He warnedthem that his ruin would be the forerunner of theirs .You will,

" said he, no longer be those Albanianswho have hitherto been so formidable and respected.

You will be lorded overand humbled by the cowardlyAsiatics . I confess that to many ofyou I have givencause of complaint ; I know that some of you arejustly ofi

'

ended by the injuries which I have done toyourselves or your relations . But the honour of

Albaniaand the interest of our country are paramount to private enmities ; and, when all are indanger, the remembrance of past wrongs is afeelingunworthy ofagenerous mind. I now look upon youall as my children, the same as M ouctar and Veli.My treasuresare open to you . I onlyask you to dohonour to the name which you hear.

"

Anappeal to the Greeks of Epirus was the nextstep which was taken by Ali. The measure wasprobably suggested to him by some of the personswho,at this moment, were occupied in planning thedeliverance ofGreece from the Turkish yoke. However this may be, he convoked,abou t the middle of

May, anassembly, which he called agrand divan,and whichappears to have been chiefly composed ofthe most eminent individuals among the AlbanianGreeks. He addressed to them alongand artfulspeech, in which he pointed out the religious tolerancehe had displayed and the favours he had grantedto them ; glossed over the injuries which he hadinflicted,attributing them wholly to inflexible necos

3 7 4 L IFE OF AL I PASHA .

sity and the “perfidious and cruel orders of the

Porte ;” declared his readiness to repair those wrongs ;

flattered the cou rage of the Greeks ; and held out tothem the animating prospect of speedily raising upGreece,and driving beyond the Bosphorus the hosti lerace of the Osmanlis. This speech was loudlyapplauded by apart of the assembly ; by anotherpart it was heard with very different feelings, andthe chief of the M irdites did not hesitate toavow, inthe name of his followers, that their swords shou ldnever be drawn against their sovereign the sultan.On the following day, the vizier issued aproclamation, calling upon the various Christian tribes tofurnish specified contingents of troops, remitting theiru sual tribute,and exhorting them to rely upon himas their firm friend.These bold proceedings were objected to by Mouc

tarand Veli, who endeavoured to persuade their fatherto make terms with the Porte ; but their remonstrances were fruitless, for he was convinced that hisruin was sworn . Disinclined as they were to engagein the contest

,it wou ld perhaps have been prudent in

Ali not to entrust them with commands. He, however, acted otherwise . M ouctar was appointed tohead the forces at Berat, seconded by his brotherSali, to whom was committed the defence of Premitiand the defiles of Cleissoura, while Mahmoud, asonof M ouctar, was stationedat Tepelen. At the otherextremity ofthe vizier’s dominions, the government ofPrevesawas entru sted to Veli, Pargato Veli’s eldestson M ehemet

,and Suli to Hussein,ason ofM ouctar.The mainarmy

,consisting of fifteen thou sand men,

was confided to Omer Bey Vriones, next to whom inrank were Mantho , the v izier’s secretary,and AlexisNoutza. It was destined to guard the passes throughthe mountains of Pindus. Inaid of his ownmilitary

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37 6 L IFE OF ALI FAsIIA.

other men of eminence ; the multitude seemed to beenthusiastic in his favour ; and he received protestations offidelity, loud in proportion to their insincerity,fromall quarters. But all was false and hollow.

"

Thus deceived, he never qu itted his palace butamidstpublic acclamations. It was now become apar t ofhis policy to show himself familiarly to theHe was seenatall hours,and inall places where hispresence was necessary ; at one time on horseback,atanother in s litter,and not seldom seated onabastion,conversing with the workmen or with the soldiers,whomhe daily inspected,and who emulated each otherin exertions to gain hisapprobation . So great was hisardour, that his physical strength seemed to triumphover the weight ofyears . While he was thus buoyedup, and thus occupied, he is said to have declared,that henceforth he would not treat with the grandseignior till the Albanian army was encamped atDaoud Pas in the vi cinity ofConstantinople.

Not only didAli endeavour to excite the zeal, emulation, and courage of his adherents by conversation and harangues, but healso judged it expedientto accommodate himself to the general spirit of theage,and to the views of political intriguers who hadrepaired to his court. He therefore announced hisintention of giving aconstitutional charter to theAlbanians. Some in earnest

,some in mockery, the

Greeks exclaimed, A charter for ever "yes, give usacharter l Willacharter increaseand secure our

pa inqu ired the Albanians . The Turks werein iguantat hearing of suchathing.

’A charter i "sai d they. Have we not the Koran Does theinfidel want to change the sacred laws of our forefathers Ali promised everything that was re

qu ired of him ; and his agent Colovo, accompanied

LIFE OF ALI FAsIIA. 3 7 7

onstantine M onovarda, arich merchant of l oanmna, was despatched to Corfu , to collect the elementsofapolitical code for the semi-barbarou s Albanians .But, though he doubtless expected some benefit

from the farce of granting acharter, Ali was tooshrewd to play it in that hopealone. He had otherobjects of consequence for his envoys to accomplish .

They were instructed to purchaseammunition,and todeposit in aplace of safety apart of their master ’streasures,and they hadalso to perform the still moreimportant duty of sending emissaries and money toMontenegro, Servia, Bosnia, the Morea, and otherdi sturbed quarters, and to procure to be drawn upand printed anaddress to the Greeks, calling uponthem, in the name of religion and their country, toshake off the yoke of their infidel tyrants. Havingfulfilled their mission , they returned to the mainland, where they were immediately seized by therevolted Tzamides, who delivered them up to theTurkishadmiral. Some oopies of theaddress to theGreeks be ing found on Golovo, he was pu t to the torture ; his companion, M onovarda, was fortunateenough to be only imprisoned, and be subsequentlyescaped.The result of the first movements of some of the

pashas whom the Porte had called into the field wasnot favourable. The campaign wasopened by M oustai,

°

vizier of Scutari, who was joined by aconsiderablebody of M irdi tes. Durazzo opened its gates to him,

he speedily recovered the district of M usak ia,and hewas in expectation of being received into Berat andAvlona, when he was suddenly recalled to the de

fence of his pashalik, byan irruption of the Montenegr ins, broughtabou t by the instigati on ofAli.Suleyman Pasha, who had succeeded Veli in the

government of Thessaly, was singularly unlucky in

3 7 8 L IFE OF AL I PASHA .

his attempt to bring downm ischief on the deposedvizier. Though be confined himself to apaper war,his conduct was more injuriou s to the Porte than theloss of several battles would have been . To theGreek ecclesiastics, primates,and persons inau thority,and generally to the people, in Thessaly, he addressedaproclamation of extraordinary violence , calling uponthem to take uparms, and exterminate the impi ousrace of Arnau ts, who had adopted the sacrilegiouscause of Ali Tepelen .” H is appeal to them, widelydiffused, was promptly attended to, bu t not for the

purpose which he designed,and the insu rrection whichhe thus excited ultimatelyadded much to the embarrassment of the Turkish government. It is said

,

that, in taking this step he wasanunconsciou s instrument of his Greek secretary, Anagnostis, who wasconnected with the planners of the Greek revolution ,and issued the proclamation only in his own language, of which his employer was ignorant. H isimprudence, or misfortune, roused the suspicion of thePorte ; he was removed from his pashalik,and soonafter lost his head. M uhamed DramaAli wasappointed in his stead.At length the disorderlyarmies of the Porte began

to move in earnest. Their march wasascorpionscourge to the countries through which they passed.The inhabitants were hourly subjected to outragesand insults of the worst kind, both in word andaction ; extortion , plunder, murder, and violation,were seen on all sides. Among the worst of the

Turkish generals, where all were bad inno commondegree, was Pehlevan Baba, who had been nominatedto the pashalik of Lepanto . H is men distingu ishedthemselves equally by their bru talityand the ir spiritofwanton destruction . In their progress towards thegulf of Lepanto, where they were toactagainst Veli

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380 L IFE OF AL I PASHA .

On the other side, Pehlevan Babawas d irected torecommence his operations. He obeyed,and metno resistance ; Missolonghi, Anatolico, and Vonitzawere occupied by him, and thus all the territorybetween the gulfs of Patras and Artawas in hishands. He

,completed his task by forming the

blockade of Prevesato the landward, while the Ottoman squadron closed it in on the seaboard. As soonas the troops of the sultanappeared , the M ussuhnansof Prevesabegan to manifestan inclinati on to revolt,in consequence of which Veli , after having burnedhis father’s magnificent seraglio , withdrew into thecitadel.The Turkish squadron hadalready displayed muchactivity. It had seized the forts of Port Panormo,Santi Quaranti, and various batteries on the coast,and secondedarising of the friends of the deceasedMustapha, by which the castle ‘

of Delvino, the fortified monastery of St. Basil, and other posts, werewrested from Ali . It now, in conjunction with the

land forces, proceeded to invest Parga. M ehemet,the son of Veli, was desirous to defend the placevigorously, bu t his garrison became mutinou s, and,when only afew broadsides had been fired, he wascompelled to surrenderat discretion . Hewas

,however,

received in the most flattering manner by the Turkishadmiral . On hearing of the fall of Parga, the expatriated Suliots flocked homewards from the IonianIslands, and other parts, and, headed by Noto andMarco Botzari , j oined the standard of I smael Pasho,who engaged to reinstate them in their native mountains.Though the success ofthe enemy had deprived Ali

of aconsiderable portion of territory, he hadas yetno reasonto feel seriouslyalarmed. As long as beretained, unbroken, his central position,anyadvantagegained over him to the north or south of Ioannina

L IFE or AL I PASHA . 38 1

wou ld lead to nothing decisive,and might rapidly belost. With respect to the forces under PehlevanBaba, it seems certain that, had Ismael been routed ,they would have been in imminent danger ofbecomingprisoners . The troops of Ali occupiedall the passeswhich led, from Macedoniaand Thessaly, throughthe mountai n chain of Pindus. The main body,under Omer Bey Vr iones, was posted between thesou rces of the Voiussaand the Aspropotamos.and hewas supported by the divisions ofManthoand AlexisNoutza. A single defeat would probably have dissolved the Ottoman army. But the invaders reliedless upon their own valour than upon the treason of

the chiefs who were opposed to them. After havingworsted adetachment of Ali ’s troops at Krio-Nero,Ismael Pasho, instead ofattempting to penetrate bythe pass of Zygos, turned suddenlyaside to the defileofAnovlachia, which was treacherously laid open tohim by Stournaris, one of the captai ns of the Armatoles. Still , he might have been stoppedat the passof Cotar i had not Mantho with his whole divisiongone over to the Tu rks. The example set by Manthowas followed by Omer Bey Vriones, and by AlexisNoutza,and thu s,at one blow, Ali was left withoutanarmy. The bands of Ismael and of the desertersfrom Ali then encamped together on Mount D ryscos,

not far from the southern end of the lake of Ioannina,where ajunction was speedily formed with them‘

bythe hordes of PehlevanBaba, who, on his march, hadmade himself master ofArta,and marked his courseby the burning of villagesand the slaughter of theirinhabitants . There was now nothing to impede theirprogress to Ioannina,at the distance ofonly three milesfrom which was stationed theadvanced guard of the

sangu inary Pehlevan, eager to revel inthe spoils ofarichand populous city .

38 2 LIFE OF AL I PA S H A .

CHAPTE R 'XV .

Apprehensions of Al i—He destroys Ioannina—His ResourcesThe Turkish Army arrives—Stratagem of Ali—The Sons of

Al i surrender—Daring Conduct of Shaini tza—The Turksrou ted inaSal ly- Al i conceals his T reasu res—State of his

M ind - Impol icy of Ismael Pasho—Al i gains o ver the Sul iotsVictories obtained by the Suliots— Ismael is removed from the

Command of the Army—Ismael defeatsAl i—Kurschid Pashatakes the Command of the besieging Army—Ali opensaCor.respondence wi th him—Al i ’s Proposals—They are rejectedThe Greek Revolu ti on breaks ou t -The T u rks foiled inanAssau l t—DeathofShainitza—Fru i tlessNego c iations—Intri guesofKurschid—Success of them—Ali surrend ers—Death ofAl i,and ofhis Fam i ly.

TII E defection of his army,and the nearapproachofhis enemies, is said to havestaggered the courageof Ali. In this emergency, he appl ied to the lordhigh commissioner of the Ionian Islands, to learnwhether, in case he could effect his e scape from the

coast, he wou ld be protected in his pas sage over thechannel of Corfu. He wasalso desirou s of procuringan escor t to the place ofembarkation . The reply wasnot encouraging. He was told, that no openaid couldbe given to one who was proclaimed arebel by thePorte ; that, consequently no escort could be grantedbut that if he could manage to pass midway over thechannel he would then be within the British limits,and entitled to protection. This disheartening refusalwas, however, finally softened by asecret message,which informed him that, for acertain period, someEnglish gun-boats wou ld be lying at Butrinto, uponwhich he might seize and cross the ‘ strait in safety.Of this underhandassistance Ali did notavail himse lf.Either he was reluctant to abandon his treasures , orhe believed thatanattempt to fly would i nduce those

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38 4 L IFE OF AL I PASH A .

wildand lawless soldiery. Treasures, sanctuaries,andaltars, werealike exposed to their unbri dled fury ; theprivacy of the haremand public baths was invadedandall the horrors ofbrutal violenc e wer e inflicted onthe unfortunate victims. The cathedral , in which theGreeks,and even the Turks, had de posited their mostvaluable effects, was one of the first objects ofpillage.

Even the tombs of thearchbishops were broken openin search of spoil,and the churches were stained withthe blood of the robbers themselves,as they furiouslycontended against each other for the sacred vessels,which were of silver. On all sides groans, cries,threats,and imprecations, were heard. These soundswere soon overpowered by others ofamore deafeningkind. The work of pillage being completed,aheavyfire was opened 1 1 onthe city-fi-

om all theartillery of

the forts . Sea on one of the bastions, Ali himselfdirected the cannonade, and pointed out the spotswhich the fiery storm had not yet reached. An incessant shower of bombs, howitzer shells, grenades, fireballs,and Congreve rockets, spread destruction onallsides,and, in the course of two hours,mosques , bazaars,public baths,and edifices,and private dwellings, wereall involved inone vast conflagration.

Escaping from the flames, the fugitives ,aterrifiedand mournfu l crowd—weeping females bearing theirchildren, old menand women tottering onward,andthe strong carrying theirmutilated or half-burned relatives,—had not proceeded far before they fell in with theadvanced parties of the Turkisharmy . Far from pre

teeting the unhappy beings, who had fled from fire

and slaughter, the Rumeliot hordes fell upon the defenceless throng, wrested from them the remnant oftheir property,and tore their childrenfrom theirarms.D ispersing onall sides, the exiles endeavoured to findanasylum in the mountains bu t there they were met

LI FE OF ALI PAS IIA. 38 5

byan equally savage foe ; they were stopped in thepasses by the needyand rapacious mountaineers, whocompleted the

'

spoliation.

The extremity of distress frequently rouses the

weakersexto uncommon exertions ofphysicaland moralenergy. 8 0 it was in this case. Women carrying theirch ildrenat the breast traversed the steep chai n ofthePindus to seek ashelter in Thesprotia; others performed inasingle day the journey offourteen leaguesbetween Ioanninaand Arta. But greatwas the numberof those whose strength was unequal to contend withthe miseries that beset them. Many, seized with thepangs of premature labour, expired in the forests.Young females,after having, that they might escapevi olation

, disfigured themselves by frightful wounds,took shelter in caverns, where they perished withhunger. The pathsand passes were strewed with thewounded, the dying, ‘

and the dead,and traces of theruin of Ioanninawere visible throughout the wholeextent ofAlbania.

mental in producing all this misery were promptlypunished for thei r crime s . Many of the Arnaut troops,who had plundered Ali ’ s capital, were, like the soldierIn Horace

, more disposed at present to enjoy theirbooty than to run into danger. Let us return to ourhomes was the i r c ry. But the majority of themnever reached the ir native villages ; they metamoreformidable peril than that which they left behind.

Lured by the ri ches which these deserters had gained,the peasants lai d ambuscades for them, and wereeagerly seconded by the wandering fugitives fromIoann ina; stimu late d by love of gold and revenge,this warfare was so hotly carried on, that,as faras thefrontiers ofC entral Albania,nothingwasfor some time

c c

38 6 L IFE OF AL I PAS H A .

to be seen but Arnaut soldie rs, mu t i lated , slaughtered,or hanged on the trees whic h were planted along thehigh roads.Ali , meanwhile, though confined wi thin the limits

ofhis fortifications, did not yield to despair. H is threefortresses, of Litharitza, the lake , and the island,strong as regarded defence against Turks, weremounted with two hundredand fifty pieces of cannon,and abundantly supplied, for asiege of some years,with provisions and ammunition , besides Congreverockets ; the engineer department was directed byCarretto,askilfu l Neapolitan officer. Their garrisonsconsisted of eight thousand of the vi zier's trustiestArnauts,and ofmanyadventurers, men of talentsandresolution,all ofwhom knew that they must sufi

'

er the

doom of rebels if the enemy prevai led. Ali was alsomaster of the navigation of the lake, by means ofaconsiderable flotilla, which enabled him to make descents, cut ofi the Turkish parties, and intercept thei rconvoys. Besides, the Turkish heavyartilleryhad beenstupidly left behind at Constantinople ; and, as the

rains regularly set in, on the table land of Ioannina,towards the end ofOctober, there was reason to hopethatalong time must elapse before it cou ld be con

veyed over the rugged chain of Pindus,and broughtinto acti on . It seemed probable, too, that, in thecourse of theautumn , subsistence would become scarcein the hostile camp,and the Ottoman troops must bedistributed into wide cantonments, where the wou ldbe open toattack acircumstance which ,aid by thegold ofAli ,and the jeal ousies of the pashas, was li kelyto produce discontentand deser tion .

The troops of Pehlevan Babahaving efl'

ected ajunction wi th the army of Pasho, the latter led hiswhole force to Ioannina, the ru ins of which were sti llsmoking when he made his entrance through the gate

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38 8 L I FE OF ALI FAsIIA.

of the garrison were desirous to be gone . The number, including the restless Armatoles, was found to befifteen hundred. These men were sele cted by thevizier, for the purpose,as he pretended , of makingasally,and,after their arrears had been fully paid tothem, the gates of the castle were thrown open.

Scarcely had they come in sight of the Turkish headquarters when Odysseus, who had been , by order ofAli, in correspondence

'

with the Ottoman gene ral,hoistedawhite flag ,and saluted Ismael with the titleof Gazi, or victorious. The deserters were immediately received with loudacclamations, complimentedon their loyalty,and had aspot assigned them for

their bivouac. Ali having thu s succeeded in his firstobject, soon contrived to render the new comers sus

pected by the Ottomans, who were naturally jealousof the Albanians. Every day the latter were sub

jected to fresh insu ltsand humiliations,and,as sub

sistence began to, grow scarce in the camp, they were

also looked uponasan incumbrance. At thismoment,Odysseus suddenly withdrew to Ithaca,and his flightbrought down increased suspicion upon them . Atlength, disgu sted and ill treated beyond endurancehy

‘

the Turks, they dispersed themselves through theneighbouring mountains,and thenceforth annoyed, byincessant attacks and depredations, the forces of

Ismael Pasho.September passedaway,and nothing was done by

the Ottoman army, which was still unprovided withthe means of commencing the siege. Provisions, too ,as Ali had expected, began to be scarce in the hostilecamp . Of troops, indeed, there was no scarcity ; for ,hoping to share in the spoils of the deposed vizier,nearly thirty pashas had led their hordes to j oinIsmael , plundering and wasting the country as theymoveda‘long,and leaving behind themadeeply- roo ted

L IFE OF AL I PA SHA . 38 9

hatred in the hearts of the sufferers. Among the

worst of these undisciplined marauders were the

troops of the Rumili- valisee . Even the governmentof Ali began to be regretted by the people,and hisemissaries found no difficulty in obtaining informationand carrying on their intrigues. In the camp of

Ismael there was not only want, but disafl'ection,andalmost sedition . Murmurs were heard against thegeneral ; the pashasaccused him of loving powerandaffecting sovereignty ; the soldiers believed him to begu ilty of filling his cofl

'

ers by selling the ir provisionsand byall an opportunity was eagerly sought of rendering himan object of suspicion to the divan .

Well knowing the insecure tenure by whichaTurkish officer held his head, Ismael felt it necessary to dosomething to protect his own ,and,as he was not yetinacondition to succeed by the sword, he wielded theweapon of intrigue. As the sons of Ali were knownto have engaged reluctantly in the contest, hewas notwithou t hopes that he might work on them toabandonthe cause of their father. Veli, who was his friend,hadalways beenattached to the Ottoman government,andmight,also, be now influenced by his son Mehemet

beingaprisoner,and M ouctar might, onmore than oneaccount, be expected to cherish resentmentagainst hisunpitying parent. H is calculation was not erroneous.He began by opening acommunication with VeliPasha, who was still blockaded in Prevesaby the

Su liotsand the Tu rk ish squadron . In his letter beenclosedastrong temptation—afirmanof the Sultan ,appointing Veli to the pashalik of St. John of Acre,in Syria, on condition ofhis instant surrender. Backedas it was by his original principles, the unanimou sadvice of his counsellors, and the prayers of his sonSelim, who on his knees conjured him to save the lifeofM ehemet, this lure prevailed over filial duty in the

390 L IFE OF AL I FAsnA.

mind ofVeli ,and he gave up Prevesato the Turkishcommander. He was received with the semblance of

the u tmost respect by the Capitan Pasha, his son wasrestored to him, he wasamu sed witharound of banquets and entertainments, and, finally,avessel wasgranted to convey him to the bayofGomenitza, wherehe couldat the same time obtain medical assistancefrom Corfuand openacorrespondence with M ouctarPasha. The example and the exhortations of Veli,and afirman, by which he was appo inted PashaofKutaya, in AsiaMinor, were not lost u pon M ouctar .

He, too, deserted his father’ 8 side, resign ing the strongfortress ofArgyro- Castro without having firedashot,and inducing his youngest brother, Sali, to give upPremiti. Sali, who had also been promisedasandj iacat in Anatolia, joined his brother,and they set out,under an escort, to Constantinople . On his way,M ouctar wrote to his son Mahmoud, who was thenat Tepelen, directing him to deliver up that place tothe ofli cers of the sultan . The gallant boy—for hewas no more than aboy —shrank indignantly fromthe treachery whichwas suggested to bim. Heassembled the garrison,and thusaddressed them. Myfather, my uncles, my cou sins, and all those whommy grandfather honoured with his confidence, havebetrayed it—can you wish Mahmoud Bey to do thesame 1 At these words his hearers unanimou slyexclaimed, that they wou ldall perish sooner than befalse to their master's grandson .

The distressing tidings of the defection of his children were rece ived by Ali Pashawith wonderfu l equanimity. I have long beenaware, said he, thatthey were unworthy of their parentage. He thenhimself made known to the garrisonwhat had happened, telling them, likewise, that henceforth head no longer any other childrenand heirs than the

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392 L IFE OF AL I PA SHA .

of clothing, impregnated with the contagion of theplague, which she distributedamongaband ofgipsies,and by that means spread infectionand death throughawide extent of country.

The success which had attended his negociationswith Veli and M ouctar ,and the prospect of speedilycoming into possession ofAli

’

s treasures, restored thetottering credit of Ismael Pasha. By the arrival ofhis battering train he wasalso enabled to commenceactive operations. The trenche s were opened,andacannonade and bombardment we re begunagainst thefortress. Before, however, the Turkish arti lle ry,never well served, had made the slightest impressionon the works, the Tu rks loudly demanded to be ledto the assault. To this they appear to have beenincited by the Bulgarian chief, Pehlevan Baba, whodazzled them with the ideaof enriching themselves bythe plunder ofAli

’s treasures . It is difficult to decidewhether his conduct arose from treason

,or from

ignorance : the former is the most probable. Ismaelsucceeded in convincing his soldiers that it wou ld bemadness to comply with their wish ; but Pehlevanpersisted in representing the prudence of the generalas cowardice, and, to revenge himself on him, he

allowed his barbarous followers to plunder the country, laboured to spread insubordination in the army,and is said even to have entered into acorrespondence with Ali . There seems to be reason for

believing that he was already ’

in the interest of the

deposed vizier,and it is not unlikely that, in suggestingan immediate assau lt, his intention was to exposethe Turkish forces to inevitable and perhaps fataldefeat. At all events , Ismael determined to puni shhim ; but,as it would have been dangerous to do itopenly, he resorted to poison . The treasure Of the

deceased pasha, amounting to between sixty and

L IFE o r AL I PASHA . {393

seventy thousand pounds, was immediately forwardedto Constantinople, where it contri buted to silence forawhile the murmurs which were caused by the slowprogress of the Ottoman general.Having thus got rid ofatroublesome coadjutor,

Ismael began to try what might be done in furtherance of his plans by sowing discord between Ali andthe troops in garrison . At the outset he succeeded toacertain extent. Apart of the soldiers in the fortresses consisted of Albanians, who had formerlylived under the sway of the pashaof Berat. Bymeans of his emissaries, headroitly persuaded thesemen that it was disgraceful to them toallow their oldmaster to langu ish inadungeon and to silence theirmurmurs, Ali consented to liberate Ibrahim and hisson from close confinement, on condition that theyshou ld not quit the fortress. Emboldened by havingcarried this po int, they next clamoured foran increaseof pay. This, too, they obtained, their pay beingraised to abou t four pounds amonth .

“ I neverhaggle, said he, with my family ; my adoptedchildren shed their blood for me,and gold is nothingin comparison with the services which they render.Yet, so strong was the power ofavarice over him ,

that, notwithstanding the danger wh ich might arisefrom irritating his partisans, he endeavoured to drawback with one hand what he had been compelled tobestow with the other. In Turkey the soldiers provide for their own subsistence ou t of their pay.

Availing himself of this circumstance, Ali secretlyordered his chief commissary to enhance the price of

the commodities with which he furnished them . Thisfraud was soon discovered, and the spleen of the

soldiery was vented in songs, in which their masterfigured under the title of Ali the huckster.

”Fear

ful that the ir anger might be pushed toamore dan~

394 Lu vs: or ALI PASHA .

gercus extent, Ali abandoned his system of extor

tion .

Though the concessions ofAli had been made withapparent good will, it would betray gross ignoranceof human nature were we to suppose that their be ingextorted from him did not deeply wound the pride ofaman who had been accustomed to indulge , withoutopposition , in all the wildest caprices of tyranny.

He did feel the insu lt,and was not slow inavengingit. From the reports of his spie s, as well as frompersonal observation, he knew all who had been the

most forward in the recent mutinou s proceedings,andhe determined that they should form the forlorn hopeofasallyagainst the enemy. He managed so artfully, that he contrived to have them po inted out for

the service by their comrades, as the fittest men tolead the way,and, by fixing high the price of heads,and of spiked or captured cannon , he so excited thei rthirst of gain, that they were clamorou s to be ledinto the field.At theappointed time the sally took place. Heated

by perfidious praises of their valour,and by the hopeof reward, the devoted van of the Albanians rushedupon the redoubtsand batteries ofthe Turks. Theirbravery was not exerted in vain, though it was no lessfatal to themselves than to their enemies. In spite of

the destructive fire which was poured upon them,

they openedaway for the reserve,andall the positionse besiegers were speedily carried by the troops of

Ali . The whole Turkisharmy fled inand never pau sed till it reached D gelova, more thanaleague from Ioannina, where the routed Ismaelat lastrallied them ,and established his head quarters.After having stationed his troops in the deserted

camp of the enemy, Ali retu rned to the fortress. Inplanning th is sally, it had not been his only object to

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396 L IFE o r ALI PASHA .

now others , who complained of their losses , hereminded ofhis owndestroyed palacesand confiscatedproperty and to all he promised boundless rewardswhenever the victory was won . Pointing to the sur

rounding mountains, the summits of which began tobe covered with snow, that cord," said he, will befatal to our foes.” At times he would joke with hissoldiers, as to the anathemawhich had been hurledagainst him.

“ They call me Black Ali,” exclaimedhe they ought rather to call me Al i the Pearl , forwhere shall one of myage he found equal to me inthe Turkish empire ? The cowards " they shall regretme ere long,and shall learn , by the legacy of woes Iwill leave them, what the old lion and his bravesoldiers were capable of had they been rightly estimated . They make war upon me fo r my riches, butshall only have them steeped in gore . I will rou seagainst themall the passions of hatred and revenge .

Yetafewmonths,and I will shake the empire , andthose who attack me shall tremble in the very heartof Constantinople. Infamous city " before he dies,Ali shall see thy palaces Inashes, and the Injuries hehas suffered shall be washed out in the blood of thygrasping ministers.Though there was little probability that the san

gu ine expectations of Ali would be fu lly realised,there were circumstances which wou ld have ju stifiedhim Inhoping that,as PasswanOglou had formerlydone, he should be

“able to make it neces sary for thesu ltan to renew his lease of power. If tho se who wereintrusted with the mission of destroying him hadentered into aconspiracy to frustrate that m ission ,and to raise upallies for him, they could scarcely haveacted otherwise than they didact. To say nothing of

their enormous ignorance, the leaders of the besiegingarmy were divided Inopinion. lesions of each other,

L I F E o r AL I PA S HA . 397

and disliked or despised the ir general,and thei r conduct towards the people wasadm irably calculated toprovoke revolt. The Greeks Were subj ected to thegrossest insultand violence , their property waswrestedfrom them,and, inseveral instan ces, their churcheswere burned,and the sacred emblems of religion profaned. The Parghiotes having refu sed to complywith the invitation of Ismael , to return to their nativeplace, he was so irritated that he convoked agranddivan; in which it was resolved that the mi litary ser

vice of the Armatoles, who were acting with the

Turks , should no longer beaccepted, that they shouldbe dismissed to their homes withou t pay or compensation for any losses,and that, instead of them, thereshould be furnished acertain number of beasts of

burthenand ofpeasants to labour in the trenches . Itwas haughtily added, that, thenceforth, the sultanwould not recognise in Hellasanything but agas, orlords,and rayas taskableand taxableat his discretion,and thatalist of infidels paying haratch must be sentin,asapreliminary toan increase ofthe tax.

The siege, meanwhile, was conducted with the leastpossible skill. The bombs of the Tu rks, thoughnumerous, were so badly directed that they producedbutatrifling effect,and not seldom they were empty.The cannon balls, too, were often of too small acalibre to makeany impression on the massy worksof the fortress, while, on the contrary, those whichwere fired by the besieged, dismounted the Turkishartillery, and demolished large portions of the

redoubts and batteries. All was ofapiece in thecamn Discipline therewas none . As soon as the

snow began to make its appearance on the heights,parties of the Thessalianand Macedonian troops,withoutask ing leave, daily departed to their homes,and the Thesprot iansabsented themselves for weeks,

398 L IFE or AL I pasna.and returned when they pleased. For this, however,some excuse may be found in the scanty supply of

provisions and fuel which Ismael could obtain . Ali,who was exactly informed of the situation of the

insultingly sent cofl'

eeand sugar to itscommander as apresent from a'

master who wasattentive to the wants ofaservant," scofi

'

edat Ismael’splans ofattack,and offered to r elieve the distress ofthe Turks, by selling them prov isions from his ownmagazines. To complete the mo rtificati onof the newpashaof Ioannina, he received aseve re reprimandfrom the sultan, for the slowness of his proceedings .Byanact which wasas contrary to g o od faithas to

sound po licy, Ismael rai sed up new and formidableenemies . We have seen that, as soon as thereappeared ahope of the downfall ofAl i , the expatriated Suliots returned,and offered their swords to theTurki sh general, on condition of being reinstated intheir native mountains. After hav ing performedgood service at the siege of

.

Preveas, they hadjoined the Turkish army before I oannina, andthey now claimed the performance o f the promisewhich had been made to them. To be allowed torecover Suli at their own risk,and to hold i t on thesame terms as formerly, was all that they asked.Ismael, however, was not inclined to comply. He

first endeavoured to elude giving them adefinitiveanswer,and next endeavoured to prevail upon themtoaccept other districts. But the Suliots were not tobe satisfied withanything short of being restored totheirancestral hills. Very soon, they became objectsof suspicion and hatred to ‘

the Turks, who accusedthem ofbeing in league with the bands ofOdysseus ;and Ismael, in consequence, ordered them to encampat some distance from hisarmy.

Ali was speedilyapprised of this event,and lost not

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4 00 L IFE o r AL I PASHA .

was no chance of their obtaining it, and thatarefusalwouldadd to their irritation. If such were his reasoning, it was justified by the result. Ismael not onlyrefused to comply with their demand, butalso insu ltedthem in the grossest language,and threatened themwith punishment. This was too much to be borne,and they accordingly determ ined to treat with Ali .Nothi Botzariand

\two other chiefs were commissioned

to settle the terms of the compact. It wasagreed,that Ali shouldadvance five hundred thousand piastres,and supply them withalarge quantity ofammunition,that he shou ld retain the tower ofKiafl'a,and that eachparty should give hostages for the due performance of

the treaty. The hostage given by the vizier wasHussein Pasha, his grandson , the son of M ouctar.Al i advisei l that the Suliots shouldaccomplish theirretreat during the night ; but, with an honou rablepride which was worthy of his race, Botzari declaredthat he would qu it the imperial camp in the face of

day. The grandson ofAli havingarrivedat the camp,the Suliots broke upat dawn of day, firedasalvo ofmusketry,and uttered their war criesasadefiance tothe Turks, broke through one of Ismael ’s advancedposts,and then slowly pursued their march towardsthe mountains of Su li . Though he had recently beenreinforced by fifteen thousand men, Ismael did notdeem it prudent to follow the retiring Greeks .Ignorant of the changes which had taken place since

their departure from their country, the Suliots wereastonished to see aformidable fortress in place of the

former small tower of Kiafl'a. As , however, theywere put in possessionofall the other posts,and hadintheir hands the grandson of Ali, they felt no fearof treachery on the part of the vizier. They alsotook the precau tion offortifyingall the dehles, so thatthe commander of the fortress was, in fact, blockaded.

L IFE o r AL I PA SHA . 4 01

Their next step was to endeavour to obtain the co - ope

ration ofthe Christians ofThesprotia; and in this theysucceeded so well, that Nothi Botzari , who waselectedpolemarch , soon found the nine hundred warriors, withwhich he had qu itted Ioannina, increased to the number of three thousand five hundred.

Plunging from one folly intoanother, Ismael Pasho,irritated by the defection of the Suliots, issuedanorderthat the Armatoles shou ld give up theirarms withinalimited time . He and his counci l had previou slydecided that,as soonas the disarming was effected, amassacre of the disarmed should take place. Of thisfact

,those who were intended to be sacrificed were

informed by Anagnostis, who wasnow in Ismael’s ser

vice,and who,aswe have seen in the last chapter, wasconnected with the planners of the Greek revolution .

The Armatolesand their leaders immediately providedfor their safety by flight,and were everafter implacable enemies of the Tu rks.Ismael had soon reason to repent of havingalienated the Suliots. Their central position , on the flank ofthe line by which his convoys must pass from ArtatoIoannina, gave themafacility ofattack, ofwhich theywere not backward inavailing themselves. Being inwant ofammunition,and also of money, Ismael haddespatchedadetachment of five hundred men, underthe selictar of Drama-Ali, to escort aconvoy of ahundred and thirty mu les from Arta. To seize onthis convoy,and also to occupy the fortified khan ofthe Five Wells , Nothi Botzari . intrusted his nephewMarco withadiv ision of troops. On the arrival ofthe Turks at the pass of Kumchadez, where Marcowas lying inambush, the Suliots sallied forth,and,afterashort contest, entirely defeated them . Marco sentotf his ri ch prize to the mountains,and then turnedtowards the FiveWells, where he found that the khan

D D

4 02 mm o r ALI PAsIIA.

had been‘abandoned by the terrified enemy, who hadleft behind suflicient military stores foratwo months’defence. To mark their contemmof the Turks, theSuliots put up to sale the prisoners whom they hadtakenat Kumchadez. Two mollahs, two beys,andacadi, wereamong the captives ; the mullahs were soldtoagipsey foranass, the beys for some tobacco,andas"nobody would bid for the cadi he was setat liberty.Enraged -at these checks,andanxiou s to clear the

road to'

Arta, Ismael put inmo tionadivision of fivethousand men, under the Rum ili-val iseeand BaltadgiPasha, to .dislodge the Suliots from the khan of theFive Wells. Of this movement the Sul iots wereinformed by Ali,and they prepared to gi ve their enemiesawarm reception . At earliest dawn the Turksfuriouslyattacked the khan ; some trying with hatchetsto break open the doors, while others strove to scalethe walls. '

1 0 encourage them,atroop of dervisesincessantly yelled out vi ctory or martyrdom,

" andthrew dust into theair, whi ch wasthe virtue of blinding the infidels.

the slaughter which was madeamong the assailants,afewof them succeeded in reaching the summit ofthewall ; but at this moment three parties of Suliots,whom Marco Botsari had stationed inambushamongthe rocks, rushed out upon the Ottomans . Thustaken by surprise, the Turks lost courage,and werescattered inal l directions , with great slaughter. Notone of them would have escaped had Marco had aforce sufli cient to occupy the pass of Thyriaki .None of the Albanian troops had borneapart in

this expedition,and they were not sparing oftheir j eersand sarcasms upon the beaten and dejected Turks.The mortified I smael had still another vexation to

endure on this unlucky day. In the eveningacou rierarrived from Constantinople, to inform him that the

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4 04 LI FE o r AL I PAS IIA.

the Suliots. A part of his army was thus placedbetween two fires . In the hope of resto ring the com

bat, Ali displayed the most undaunted valour ; hereturned repeatedly to the charge, exposed his personmore than the meanest soldier,and wasat last withdifficu lty persuadedand almost forced by his oflicersto retire from the field . In this encou nter five hundred of his men were slain . Of the divi sion whichhad been hemmed in by the movement of OmerVriones,apart succeeded in gaining the fortresses,andabout six hundred broke through their opponents,and reached the mountains of Suli.Ali was not disheartened by this disaster. His

fortresses were yet but slightly injured ; through the

medium of Alexis Noutza, his former betrayer, whohad nowagain come over to the vizier ’s interest, hehad obtained promises of suppo rt from the Al banianchiefs, whom the insolenceand menaces'

of the Turkshad d isgu sted ; he had successfully intrigued in .the

Mor'

ea, Servia,Walachia,and other quarters ; and hehad bound the Suliots firmly to him, by promisi ngthat they should be put into possession of the fortressofKiafi'a. Serve me till the month ofMarch," saidhe to the Suliots, and the sultan will have so muchupon his hands, that we shall beable to dictate the lawto him.

”

The Porte, meanwhile, was pressing Kurschid to

hasten his march to Albania. Italso directed him tocalm, no matterat what expense, the spirit of di scontent which was prevalent in that province. Ali, too ,wrote to him,as soonas he heard ofhis beingappointedgeneralissimo. Kurschid had never declared violentlyagainst him,and Ali, therefore, hoped that he mightbe induced to become his intercessor. Disclaimingallideaof resisting theauthority of the sultan, for whomhe professed the utmost veneration, he threwall the

LI FE o r AL I PASHA . 4 05

blame of his revolt upon the divan, which had cuccuraged the iniqu itous falsehoods of his servant PashoBey ; and ' he artfully endeavoured to interest on hisside the feelingsand the pride ofKurschid, by recal lingto his recollection the insu lts which he had himselfexper ienced from the baseand greedy ministers of thePorte. Pashoand his late proceedings he painted inthe

' darkest colours ; he solicited Kurschid to standhisfriend with the su ltan and he declared his willing

any pecuniary sacrifice, so thatanamnesty might be granted to him.

“ To this overturethe newgeneralissimo verbally replied, thatAli wou ldalways find himafriend ready to listen to him

,and tointercede ‘ inhis behalfwith the '

sultan.

”

While, however, Ali was thus solicitingareconciliation, he did not desist from his efforts to embarrasshis enemy. He recommenced his sallies,and his emissariesand partisans were active in stirring up revoltin manyand widely distant quarters. Ismael againfound himself encircled by difficu lties ; his convoyswere intercepted,and his foragers were cut off evenwithin sight of the imperial camp . He endeavouredto rid himself of the hostility of the Suliots,and wasso far successfulas to obtainanarmistice foramonth ,on payment of three hundred purses (aboutwhich they claimed as due to them forarrears of paywhile they were in the sultan’s service. But theywere aware that he meditated perfidyagainst them,

and they had no intention to expose themselves todestruction by laying down theirarms.At the head of twenty-four thousand men, Kurschidarrived, in the camp before Ioannina, on the second ofMarch . He knew that symptoms of insurrection hadalreadyappeared in the Morea,and that danger wasto be apprehended in other parts of Greece,and he .

seems- to have seriou sly wished to put anend to the .

4 06 m u o r ALI PABHAt

contest with Ali, evenat the expense ofsome concession. Ali appeared to be animated by '

the samefeelings . As soon as Kurschid reached the camp,Ali

'

saluted him with twenty-one pieces of cannon,andsent him acomplimentary letter. Kurschid direcwdthe salute to be returned, forbade the epithet of kara,or black, to beapplied to Ali , spoke of himas vizier,and declared that he himself was come to Epirusasapeace-maker. Onthe followingmorning he despatchedone of his principal ofi cers to confer with him. Bythis ofli cer , Kurschid sentaletter, which he had intercepted, from prince Alexander Hypsilantis to the

Greek leaders in Epirus,advising them to make use

of the vizier of Ioanninamerelyasan instrument - to

forward their designs,and in the hope of becomingmasters ofhis immense riches, with which they mightsecure the triumph offreedom in Greece. The envoyofKurschidwas instructed to dwel l upon this decisiveproof that Ali must expect nothing from the Christians,and toassurehim, that the general would gladlyreceive any proposals likely to lead to aprompt Itccommodation,and that it would give him far morepleasure to end the struggle in this manner, thanto

certain glory of reducing, with the formidable forces under his command,avaliant princewhomhe hadalways looked uponas one of the firmest supports ofthe Ottoman empire.

”

The seeming earnestness of Kurschid to bringabout apeace induced Ali to imagine that the

Porte felt its weakness,and dreaded the continuum

of his hostility. Misled by th is idea, he assumedahaughty tone, and demanded terms which asovereign could hardly be expected to grant, afterhaving sustained more than one defeat. He did,indeed, submi t to express sorrow that he had incurredthe disphasure of the sultan, to sue for pardon,and to

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4 08 mm o r AL I PASHA .

hostage s as security for their submission, hostilitiesshould be renewed. This offer was spurned by theSuliots ; and Ali seized the opportunity of bindingthem to his cau se, by delivering up to them the for

tress of Kisfia, with all the stores and ammunitionwhich it contained.

At length , in the month of March, 1 8 2 1 , the ex

plosion took place,which was destined to shake -the

throne of the su ltan,and rend from him aporti on ofhis empire. The flame of insurrection broke out inMoldaviaand the Morea,and, though it was soonextingu ished in the first ‘ of those provinces, it rapidly spread through almost every part of southernGreece. This event, to which Ali had longanxiouslylooked forward,and which he had largely contributedto produce, relieved him in some degree from the

pressure of the Turkisharmy. Compelled to send outconsiderable detachments onall sides, Kurschid couldbut languidly carry on the siege. In three monthsthe only success of which he could boast consisted inobtaining possession of the island in the lake, which,with the magazines, was betrayed to him by its commander. The Greek inhabitants lent their aid to

facilitate the enterprise,and the Turks rewarded them,

by murder, pillage, violation,and the polluti on-

of the

monasteriesand churches.

Havingat length effectedabreach in the castle ofLitharitza, Kurschid, on the eighth of June, gave thesignal for anassault. The Turks advanced bravelytowards the ramparts, but they were met with equalbravery. Though he was suffering underanattack ofgout, Ali was carried inalitter to the scene ofaction ,and headed asally of the garrison . The besiegerswere finally driven back to their lines, with the loss ofthree hundred slain . When the combat was over, thevictor sent

.

amessage to Kurschid. The hear ofPmdus,

”and he, is still alive . You may send for

L IFE o r AL I PAS IIA. 4 09

your dead to bury them. I restore them to you without ransom,and I will always do so when youattackme likeamanof courage.

” In his reply, the Turkishgeneral made known to the vizier the recent deceaseof Shaini tza, who died ofapoplexy ; and this news sodeeplyaffected Ali, that not even his victory, nor thecongratu lations of his partisans, could elevate his

Whether Ali was provoked by some act of the

besiegers we know not, but it is certain that he didnot long continue to manifest that chivalrous feelingwhich dictated his message to Kurschid. H is nextproceeding seemed rather to be prompted by themalignant shade of Shainitza. In Mahometan countries, atacit truce between contending parties hasalmost uniformly existed during the fast of Ramazanand the succeeding festival of Bairam, which are theMussu lman Lentand Easter. Ali conformed to thecu stom during the fast, becau se it affordedanoppor

tunity for his troops to mingle with the besiegers,andgain information ; but there his forbearance ended .

While, unsuspicious of danger, the principal oflicersof Kurschid were solemnising, in the mosque of

Lootcha, the arrival of the Bairam, Alithirty cannons, mortars,and howitzers, to be directedagainst the mosque. The deadly fire was kept up ti llthe sacred building was apile of smoking ru ins,under which lay the mutilated bodies of sixty officersand two hundred soldiers. Ali Pashais not dead I”was his triumphant exclamation, when the smokeclearedaway,andallowed him to feast his eyes on thehavoc which he had made.

IfAli had any other motive for this deed thanrevenge or the love of slaughter, it was probablyadesi re to pro pitiate the Greeks, by showing to Whatextremity he could proceed against their enemIes.

4 10 LIFE o r ALI FAsnA.

This stroke of policy, however, if such it were, fai ledto accomplish i ts purpose. It did not win over the

Christians to asolid alliance with him ; and i t couldnot fail to alienate many of his Mussulman supporters. In truth, aftcr the commencement of the

revolution, circumstances wer e dai l occurring,which t ended to deprive him of his ahometanfriends. Two of his principal Albanian cmcc ta,

Vessiaris, we re converted,

they observed on theirtheywere sent Ali, to confer wi thameeting of the

the mosques had been demolished ,and the M ussu l~

mans exterminated,and that the G reeksmeantAli tobe onlyatool in their hands, and they returned to

Ioanninafully resolved to undeceive thei r fellowcountrymen,and make thei r peace with the Porte.

A part of Ali 's magazines in the castron, or

castle of the lake, having been destroyed by theshells of the besiegers, Kurschid, who, pressed onallsides, was anxious for apeace with the vizier, believed that his obstinate antagonist might now beprevailed on to negociate ; and he, therefore, despatched to himanofi cer, who was the son- in- law of

Veli Pasha. Think well upon it, vi zier,” said the

envoy, the Christians bear on the ir banners the

emblem of the cross ; youare nothing butan instrument intheir hands, beware that you do not becmnethe vi ctim of their policy.” The terms which Kurschid ofl’ered were, acomplete amnesty - for the pastmisdeeds ofAli, on condition ofhis giving up the fortresses, paying the cost of the war, and retiring toAsiaMinor" to live there in privacy ; but the '

clemencyof the sultan was the only guarantee which wasoffered to secure these concessions. Abating no jot

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4 1 2 L IFE o r AL" PASHA .

enabled to bring innumerable mercenaries ‘ into the

field. It was therefore determined that the Suli ote,in conjunction with the insurgents of Central Albaniaand other bands, should make adeci sive effort tocompel Kurschid to raise the siege, or, failing in that,to throw reinforcements into the fortress. But theirplan .was renderedabortive by Ali himself. Hi s conduct seems to have been prompted partly by avarice— for he now clung to hithan ever—and partly byhis Christian allies. “ Old serpents are always old

serpents,” said he to his officers I fear the Suliots

and their friendship. He , however, replied to them‘

in flattering terms . He declined their offer, on theground of his having the means of defending himselffor years, and he told them that the best servicewhich they could do for him was to continue the

siege of Arta, and to take alive his enemy PashaBey, ofwhom he spoke withanenvenomed bitterness.To do that would , he said, he to cut up the evil bythe roots, and, i f they achieved it, he wou ld richlyreward thewy Theallies, in consequence, struggledhard to gain possession of Arta; but, although theyefl

'

ectedalodgment inapart of the town, they wereultimately compelled to retire. One consolation Ali ,nevertheless, received , his hated adversary Pashowas deposedand sent into exile ; Ali did not survivelong enough to learn that the head of Pasho wasexposed on apike before the gate . of the sultan ’spalace.

The long career of li was now hastening towardsits close. Kurschid, who had already profited somuch by well directed intrigue, continued to make a'

skilful use of the same formidable weapon . In thishe was powerfully aided by the fear s which the

Greek insurrection excited in the minds of the e

L IFE o r ALI pasna. 4 1 3

Mahometans . If Ali succeeded in triumphing bymeans of the Christians, it was obvious that theMussulmans cou ld expect little favour from araceover which they had tyrannised forages. The journey ofTahir Abasand his companion to Missolonghihad given to those envoys ocular proof of the evilswhich mu st ensue from the ascendancy of theirChrist ian enemies, and, as we have seen, they haddetermined to abandon the vizier rather than contribute to make the Greeks their masters . Thi sfeeling Kurschid laboured, and with much effect, tospreadamong the Albanian leaders who wereattachedto Ali. The first result of his exertions was that heobtained their neutrality ; more they were not willingto give, for they still cherished awish to save the

old lion of Ioannina, whose character, congenialwith their own, was an object of their admiration .

To win their active support, Kurschid did not

scruple to make use of falsehood. He protested tothem that the life of Ali would be safe ; and he evenwent so faras to show them firmans, in which it wasdeclared that, if the vizier wou ld submit, he shouldbe conveyed, with his treasures, household, andharem, into AsiaMinor, there to end his days in

was backed by showing to the agas theouctarand Veli, in which they gave tes

timony to the kindness with which they were treated .

These assurances, and anadvance of eight months ’

pay, prevailed with the Albanian leaders, and theyjo ined the Turkisharmy.

Ali , meanwhile, with asingular infatuationwh ichseemsakin to insanity, was doing his best to disgusthis few remaining followers . Clinging to his gold, .he

evaded paying his scanty garrison, because he imagined that they were too deeply implicated in his

treasonto venture upondeserting him . He was mis

4 1 4 u se o r AL I pasna.

taken ; as soon as it was known that the Albanianchiefs were in the Ottoman camp, some of thei rcountrymen nightly escaped from the fo rtress. Aheavier blow was speedi ly given to him. For his

protracted defence he had been mainly indebted tothe skill of Caretto, aNeapol i tan engineer ofi cer ,who had hithe rto served him wi th undeviating fidelity

the meanness of the vi zier, Caretto nowabandonedhim ; though he was stric tly watche d, he contrivedto fastenarope to acannon and descend into themoat ; the rope being too short, he broke hisarm bythe fall. but he reached the camp of Kurschid, andwas favourably received. Discou raged by this event,and by an epidemic di sorder which raged amongthem ,and disgusted by theavarice of the vizier, thesoldiers broke ou t into mutiny,and threw openthe

gates ofthe fortress to the besiegingarmy.

With onlyahandful of faithful soldiers Ali retiredtoasort of citadel , to which he had given the name

of his refuge. It wasastone tower, well providedwith cannon, beneath which wasanextensive natu ralcavern, containing his

—valuablesand riches ;and hi s

stores ofammunitionand provisions. Two thousandbarrels of powder were pi led in this gloomy yonlt,at the entrance of which, withalighted match inhishand, stoodafanatical partisan of Ali, who was wil ling to sacrifice himself by exploding the mine, themoment that the signal was given by his master.A negociationwas soon entered into betweenKur

schidand Ali. The latter , though he was resolved toperish with his enemies if terms were refused, seemednot unwilling to submit on certain conditi ons ; thefo rmer, who knew the desperate spirit of the vizier, wasdesirou s to prevent the loss of the treasures whichwere contained in the tower,as wellas to avert the

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L IFE OF AL I PASHA .

Directlyafterwards, Ali Pashareque sted that oneof his ofi cers, who commanded asmall party ofahundred men in the neighbourhood ofIoannina,

ymight

be permitted to join him in the i sland . Kurschid

Pashaconsented to this, but sentat the same timeadetachment composed ofan equal number of men, tokeep Ali

’

8 troops inawe.

D ifi'

erent pashasof inferior rank had been severaltimes to visit Ali. On the 1 3th day of the moonD jemaziul Awwel (the 5 th of February, 1 8 22 )Mohammed Pasha, governor of the Morea, offered toprocure for Ali every possible comfort, naming particularly provisions. Ali replied to this offer, that hedesired nothing more than asupply of meat ; headded, however, that he had stillanother wish , thoughhis unwillingness to offend the scruples of religion forbade him to give utterance to it. Be ing pressed toname it, he owned that it was wine which he wishedfor,and Mohammed Pashapromised that he shouldreceive it. T he conversation continued for some timeinthe most friendly manner, till,at last, MohammedPasharose to take leave. Being of the same rank,they roseat the same moment from the sofa,ac cording to the usual ceremony;and before leaving the

room, Mohammed Pashabowed profoundly. Alireturned the compliment, but at the instant of hisinclination , Mohammed executed the will of his sovereign ,and put him to death by plunging apon iardinto his left breast. He immediately quitted the

apartment, and announced that Ali had ceased toexist. Some menofMohammed’s su ite then entered,and divided the head from the body. The forme rhaving been shown to the sultan's troopsand to thosewho had embraced the rebel’s part,astrife followedinwhich several menwere killed . But the minds ofthe people were soon calmed, and all discord was

LIFE o r AL I rasna, 4 1 7

appeased by shouts of Long live SultanMahmoudand his vizier Kurschid PashaThe body of the vizier was buried in the tomb of

his wife Emina, withall the honours due to his rank ;the headwasenclosed inasilver box,and sent to Constantinople, where, placed inadish, it was exposed tothe popular gaze, before the gate . of the seraglio .Appended to it was the yaphta, or statement of thecrimes wh ich had brought down on its owner the

penalty of death.

The vengeance of the sultan was not satiated bythe destruction ofAli ; it requ ired the sacrifice ofallthe vizier’s family. Of the progeny of Ali only one

was spared. It was Ismael, the second son of Veli ,who had been sent from Ioanninato Constantinopleby Kurschid. At the Ottoman capital he had gainedfriends by his talents and amiable character,and attheir intercession , the monarch, though reluctantly,exempted him from the .doom which was decreedagainst his family. Orders for the execution ofMouctar, Veli,and Seli,and their children , were despatchedinto AsiaM inor. After having witnessed the escoution of his brother Sali,and his sons M ehemetandSelim, Veli,already half dead with terror, submittedto his fate . M ouctar displayed aspirit more congenial with that of his sire. ,When the firman of

death was presented to him, he killed withapistolshot the capidgi -bashi who brought it,and exclaimed,Rash wretch l an Arnau t does not die like an

eunuch " Iam the son of Tepeleni " Toarms, comrades, they intend to murder us" Aided by hisattendants, he madeagreat slaughter of theassailants ,

The story of Al i’s death i s somewhat differently related byM Pouquevi lle. Heaffirms

, that, onfinding be was betrayed , thevizi er defended himselfwi th the u tmost courage,and that he andhisattendants killedand wounded several of the Turkishassassins.

E a

4 1 8 L IFE or ALI PASHA .

and held themat bay till they were j oined byaforcement

'with artillery. At length , covered withwounds, he set fire to his powder,and perished in the

To what base u ses we may retu rn" exclaimsHamlet. Why may not imagination trace the nobledust ofAlexander till he find it stoppingabung-hole P”

The head of Ali—of the manwho for more thanathi rd of acentury had ruled anextensive dominion,had been incorrespondence with sove reigns,and hadshaken the throne of his master—that head narrowlyescaped the indignity ofbeing madeashow for money,to gratify the idle curiosity ofagaping crowd in adistant land. A merchant of Constantinople imaginedthat it would beanexcellent speculation to purchasethe head,and send it to London fo r exhibition ; andit wou ld have becomean object for the wonderment ofrustics and mechanics,at fairs and merry meetings,had it not been rescued by Solyman,adervise, whohad been one of the vizier’s confidentialagents . He

outbid the specu lating merchant, and having alsoobtained the heads of Ali’s three sonsand grandson,he deposited them in asepulchre near the gate of

Selyvria, and raised over them five tombstones of

white marble, bearing sculptured turbans, and the

titles of the deceased.

TH E E ND .

BRADBUR

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