TH E

L I F E

A L I PA C H A ,

O F J A N N I N A,

LAT E VIZ IER OF EPIRUS,

SUBNAMED

mm , 013 the lion.

INCLUD IN G A COMPEN D IOUS H I STO RY O F

M O D E R N G R E E C E .

SECOND EDITION ,

WITH CONSIDERABLE ALTERATIONS AND ADDITIONS.

ILLUSTRATED W'

ITH A MAP AND PLATES.

In marbleqn ved pavilio n, wh ere a spring0! living water from th e centre rose ,

Wh oae bubbling did a genialim buca flung,

And soft volup tuo us co uch es breathed repose,

ALI reclnned,—a man ofwar and woes ;Yet no h it li neameo ta y e canno t trace,

Wh ile gentleness h er m ilder radiance th rows

Along that aged venerable face,11» deeds that lurk beneath. and stain ltun with dugrace .

Lord Byron’s cum Harold, Ca to II. Stanza 62.

LONDON

PRINTED FOR LUPTON RELFE, 18, CORNHILL.

1823 .

PREFACE

TO THE SECOND EDITION.

BIOG RAPHY has ever been j ustly esteemed the

mo st interesting, as wellas the mo st instructive

branch ofliterature . Wh ile the h istorian delights

us w ith profundity ofreflection , the poet with

the charms ofnumbers, the wit with brilliancy

ofimagination , and the nove list with interestingsituations, the biographer, by an impartial dis

play ofthe v irtues and failings ofour nature ,

arrests our undivided attention , and instruct:

us how to imitate the one , and h ow to avo id the

other. But great as may be the interest of. bio

graphy in general, it become s irresistible when"

the subject ofthe memo ir has been contempo ra

av ranvAnz .

W with “

“ Megalith i c: in di u m -rm the

allowedttlwflm‘

pfomied i dliah nearednmm

id the great M nudf3m mexistencbMot -titans

lthetiimat'mbm axim -am deeply!afl

‘

octed

any the contempum iuofcactio nmnthe uofi'

ecaaadf

which have influenced, and . floorin g : alny; still

3mm ama : ownflbappine sm of

um. aipnlo'

gy‘

lfi ‘mbe tq uircd Vfor. pre senting :the ipubl'

n with

we Hawai ian w'

hiog'fwhether considm edhfi ra

M icahadvenwriav, o r‘

aprivate individual,m ay

ehé tfihmwdndhmmg :dua mmmmsomfi the ¢pnumnt-@g ,

1 bSIDSUU J v i’

i ia'

u l itz‘ z J u d. 0 4m ; m i m u;

Ins im lpohfiealrrcharacter; Ali Dacha; notwith

M ibgft ifl lih amocfrom them we 013115a

“M p y-

‘

Jiidentifiy ing 5mwith J emnh uonhinh

Ofidwi bmitbvwmfnmstz inhemexdmteremtts rltafi s

tmm m a, thanu trao rdh ry xth u prodeqeodi tfl lordihavy; men

-

gMutt t he m nuerbe‘is;Ame

with regard to ,Ali, ifto himmasobe ao ttnibntqd

”Ethe lprdaeut glot ionazatnnggleu ofrtthe Greeks!for

aM anfl ipdflpenflea fsz h m ! a n‘

a- J ibéi 3m

le ad sxdnniadjvidmladmYW I‘

elfW amhfle

I BEBAQI . ,w

moto ri shessas Hy ithc bxnwrdhnqflem giewoflsa

m ihdo‘

h t h ot/mo conhmy tbeymfid lbw Gift his

m ama inteiiim eam olm m sm dof

ibenma‘

flenedxam sobsgrfiable t nhemthmo are likelike on filfi v DQM m!” Jinn ” mi IIDJ I 1;

'

| o fi ponla'

nharhcter s o strongly markedmmmt

{generfl d'

eqderiinforming zq true estimate, tam er

w imllgeu nnecessary 3 ibmfl ibe sufficiént, fit! em

(flusioiwtn o bserve that dhis edition .will infirmfm the .fflrfllefiubé’ She

introduction ‘

ofnew and recently collected infor

mation; as flvwll as by the omission . ofucggtain

pu tinofirs, the inadverte nt intmductionaoflwinch

o ccas ionedabetfo rmer Volume to be withdrawnAltho ugh a fewwords would: sofliceutomfi sh attfl esatisfao torily , it is deofi edrpjxtdeabfio

p rim“ m fin science; fi‘flllllfl W armth“

private idlspuws she s eldom acceptableutm the

{i'

: h

to}Bob athe m inu sf-oommuninartions with whichthe Editor has been favom odsduring tho zprogress

M 'his ewmfi be du g! h ave Mo t -rebmnu his best

vi rae e s .

thanks, and to no one more sincerely than to

Mr. The ophilus Richards, fromwhose interesting

diary a great p roportion ,o i} the matter in the

fo llowing vo lume has been drawn .

'

May , 1823 .

on? ! U I llta°

Ll'i ”

r

t I 1

f J [I ’:l; I I I I

- te mu tu al arm -u A

I

n

Al

r m . H H n o

E. I

O I s

“ it i i . mma atom n o N 1'

1" hm:

O il 1 m0“‘l'n

lfl i fi ‘ y ’fflrc o

fflu

T E"

Nesw

s pe c

J" .

I ” P ’fl' l‘i ‘t'

i 3 1’

(Hu n - J.

CHAPTER I .

Introduction. Descriptio n ofEpirus, o r Albania. The Oracle

ofDodo na Compendium ofthe History ofEpirus . Neop.

tolemus . Pyrrhus. Destructio n ofseventy towns by PauIus E milius. N icopolis founded. Invasion of Greece byAlaric and Attila. Ravaged by the Huns and Bulgarians .

Invasion ofGreece by the Turks . Bajaze t. The Turkse nter Joannina. Amurath commands the Albanians to embrace Mahome tanism. Scanderbeg arrests the progress ofth e Turks . Co ncludes a peace with Mahome t II . Renewalofthe War. Death ofScanderbeg . Many Albanians abjureCh ristianity. Character ofth e Albanians. 1

CHAPTER I I .

Birth of Ali. His ancestors. Anarchical state of Epirus.Ali

’

s father. Vely Bey destroys his bro thers . Marriage

with Khamco . His death . Ali’

s education. Polygamy .

K hamco’

s character. Is taken risoner by the Gardikio tes.

H er violation. Is ransomed. er counsels to Ali. Ali’

s

character. His first warlike excursion. Is defeated. Re

turns to Tepelini. Reception by his mo ther. Fo rtunate in

cident. Passes into The ssaly . Is taken prisoner. His mar

riage with Emineh . Denounces his father-in-law. Marriage

ofhis sister Chainitza. Seizes Tepelini. Murders h is bro

ther- in-law. Denounces his patron Selim, and kills him.

Is nom'

mated Derven Pacha. Distinguishes himselfagainstRussia. Death ofKhamoo . H er will. Ali obtains po sses

sion ofI oannina. 23

CHAPTER III .

De scription ofthe valley and to wn ofJoannma History ofIoanninafrom the time ofAlexis Comnenes, tillthat ofAliPacha. 4-8

v iii CONTE NTS .

The attack upon Souli. Defeat of Ali. Is compelled to

make peace . Is accused oftreason. Ali’s cunning . Ex

culpates h imself. Is declared innocent. His'

expeditio nagainst the Bossigradisns. Horrible massacre ofthe Bossi

sn dmn 5 9

CHAPTER V.

Cara Mustapha declaredfermanli. Ali summoned to take the

field against him. Seizes G‘

eortcha and Debride. Impolitic

conduct ofthe Soulio tes . Treaty ofCampo -Fo rmib u The

French take possession ofCorfu .1.

three tails. 16present at the

CHAPTERVI .1 1 5

‘Ju n!

Ali returnsi nto fi pimi.

co rt'rrznrs . ix

So ulio tes . M ofllama!) «m1bleekades the Soulio tes.

ofthe Soulio tes .

CHAPTER VI I .

Arab. Marn age ofAli’

s

Hilfovertdresto the English . M. Po uquevil

'

le's jo urney . Anecdo te of

A 5

x,

com m a.

{She lia

VIS S

tel“ !

slu ms -Ix .

Ali‘s'

against Ibrahim, Pacha. Omar Boy .‘Baioni.

Honbardble°

coriduct ‘ofMouctar sad Vely . Ali a-mediawr.

Capitulatig'

n ofBeret. Generosity ofOmar.cDispleasnre

of the Port'

e . Ali’

s cunning . His letter to

Pre tends illness . Characteristic ske tches ofMouctar and

Vely . Defeat ofthe Turks. ht ofAli’

s two sons . Velydeprived ofthe Morea. Is made izier ofThessaly . Policyofthe Porte . Ibrahim ,

be trayed to Ali. Ali’

s » numero usv'

ass“His treatment ofthe Boys ofAvione . Ali ths

‘

allyof"e English , Betta athem. Firm Qf-Mh Ponquevile .

T3ing

~ '

of Santa Blame . Expedition again: the Ser

and-r igbm

ission ofthe inhabitants ofPhilsnesmnlffio

zzs

-o 1 0 1 Ol

1 1 CHAPTER X .

ef‘Ar to -Castrou. Ali

’

s expedition : against Gardilti.

ution 0 its inhabitants . Ho spitality ofGene ralDohDisafi

'

ection of the Gardikio tes. They capitulate .

ent ofthe Gardi

co ntras t-HS fixi

mi zm'm . l

l’l‘

o ur :fifllhm XLV‘

fl’ ”

hAlim M po tim lf' ifiipi oVen

‘iéiils'

ili"

3oanriii1'

ai

apshnmghodt Alh afi taw assiem

‘Qraditi'

dh.respéizsing

‘”Pugh.

W m !“ PM ." The 'Parghio teb place

‘

the he]‘

s

under zahe'

r pwteetion of Veixice . The population. fie

French take possession of Parga. Ali’s letter to

' (

theParghio tes . The Russians pro tect Parga. Cession oftheIo nian Islands by the EmperoriAIexhnder to France . Topo

QIIAP'

IER X I I.

Ali’

s »revenues. His tribu te to Co nstantinople . H is bribes.Brim -"m u sh Revenues ofhis three sons.

Attend-tam !I his extortion . Mili ary‘

forceS.sto op-I Expenses oft he campaign of1867 .

Gene t-km . Ali’

s character. Hisbitio u. His rapacity . Anecdo te . Hisfidelity . H is bro ther Jousouf. Ali

’

s excellent memo ryexemplified by two instances. Ali

’

s dissimulation . His

manners . Mode ofreceiv ing visito rs. Ali’

s oodfigual

Hist. g ovevnmem and administration . AfeCdo tesm‘

:

CON TE N TS .

and Mouctar retreat to I oannina. Ali’

s'

re sources . Olfe rsthe Gn eks s charter. Ali makes Je annine his centre of

operations . Appo ints Omer Bey Brioni, his general- in - chief.ArrivalofPscho befo re Joannina. 284

CHAPTER X IV.

Ali'

s means ofdefence . Gives up Je ann ine to pillage . Miseryofthe inhabitants. ArrivalofBabsPasha. Ismaelappo int

edPasha ofJoannim . Ali excommunicated. Desertion ofOdysee . Discontent ofthe Turks . Ismael

’

s policy . Fate

ofAli’

s three secretaries. Proposals to Vely . Vely capitalates. His honourable treatment . Mo uctar surrenders the

town ofArgyro -Castro u . HusseIn’

s noble address . Ali’

s

coolness. Babs'

s sudden death. Ibrahim and his son libe

rated. Ali’s affected disinterestedness . Ali

’

s firmness.

Dissensions between the Turks and Christians . Change inAli

’

s person. Displeasure ofthe Sultan. Joannina clo selyblo ckaded. Ali

’

s plan fo r a gene ral insurrectio n . Ismaeldeprived ofthe chiefcommand. Churchid appo inted h is successo r. Generalinsurrectio n ofthe G reeks . Ali makes a

sortie . Churchid negotiate s with AJi. The English supplythe Turks. Ali and his so ns. Insurrection ofthe Moraites .

Ali’s sons be trayed. Mouctar and Vely strangled. Ali

’

s

sang-fraid. Ali at bay . Churchid reinforced. Ali opens a

nego tiation. Desertion ofCaretto . Ali retreats to the cita

del. Ali’

s confident. Selim. Churchid’

s pro po sals to Ali.

Ali accepts them . His receptio n . Ali undeceiv ed. Selim

assassinated. Ali’

s death . 3 18

nv ras rae s .

asset : with ;oortelzetmand‘: hu ufifwre may be

auowst tbwflw afit‘

osmed U ilinh h ear t-das uuam

?ifl the gu n th inudfhunters»existence affot rib-

i s

ttheuwhatri e £410t fliers deeply: efl'

eo ted

OH? the contemplation . ofactio ns;

wh ich have influenced, and "parin g u ny ' still

infl uenobrxbun!own’happine ss. f

-Iff‘flresjnstiik of

Otiie sle lrefleotions h e ?admitted, but little aipAlogy149mIbed equired for! presenting the public with

m ma nt a-man who ,'

fwhether * considered as : a

fpsltiiea’

llidfvsntur'

er, o r’

aprivate individual, may

93 6aanhedna'

tneng t he :Wonders; of. th e zzpmsent

“mim ipollfiealfrcharacter; Ali Pasha, no twith

flfahmrsp lbyo iidentifying it s with e nenu mvrhich

ofififiebxuitbsbhminmst intense zi ntereams i tahbs

ibebmwbsem di that e xtrsordh sry xtimes produce

Jes s amine »Imen ‘

;fbnt the c onverse i s; ztme

with regard to ,Ali, ifto himmay -be attributed

flthe'

iprdsent glorious aatnnggle of. rthe Greeks for

Iaacnsxdnnisdjvidualsvtha Yisier ofEpirnsemlfl e

m ihdo’

h tw in dow ; beyond thing «If: his

ibenefi ilonedxara =obeerwablerg but :“my , are like

to i ipoq a'

ch arhcter so . atrdngly marked: “ what

pfum filly ; furtheru obaet votiom J e fm ist mthe

fgeuerfl creqdenimwforn iagz-qtrue estimate, appear

wb llgmnineoessary ; itdwili be sufficie'

nty iu emd usio

'

nfi to o baem that this edition willharm.mmmmoteri

'

ally ' altaredrfrom the ,fo rmenuby the

introduction ‘

ofnew and recently collected imnn tion; n ame]! as by the omission of.

,certain

pu ttinufi rb, the inadrcrtent intnoductiong flwhich

zo ceasienédztheufo rmer volume t o be withdrawn.

iANho ugima fewwords would . sufi ceuto e xplain

fi sxh atmmafisfaotarity , it isfdaemwpmdensfio

p almig m i in'

fm ace, iron ic a t

p rivate Jdisputes are seldom acceptableufimtbe

U Y!’

i

1-53 Eda dine m inus ; communications mid) which

the Editor has been favm odudun'

ng thwprogrms

anhiam rklbe du g! loane An s -reburnu his lbest

2 I NTROD UCT ION .

such as Ali, may moreo ver prove an instructivele sson to tho se nations, who , although liv ingunder mild and beneficent laws, are infected witha mania for po liticalrevolution ; at least it maybe usefulto shew th em, that an abandonme nt

ofallprinciple , and an unrestrained indulg enceofthe passions, are the certain concomitants of

tyranny .

Ali Pacha, whe the r considered in h is elevationo r h is fall, must be allowed a distinguished placein the h isto ry ofh is contemporarie s ; bu t hischaracter, altho ugh marked by features the mo st

prominent and decided,would be bu t illappre

ciated, were we to v iew it independently ofthe

country wh ich gave h im birth , the circumstance sunder wh ich he lived, the go vernment to wh ich

he owed h is ele vation , and the ferocious and

warlike habits ofthe pe ople he was appo inted

to command. The martial deeds ofth is ve te ran

are stillcelebrated by the Albanians, who rank

him ne xt to Pyrrhus in military renown . Ali

h imselfwas wont to relate , with much self- satis

faction , the manner in wh ich he had risen ,from

be ing the ch ieftain ofa clan to the h igh and im

po rtant office ofVizier ; no r did he pass o ver the

numerous assassinations he had committed. He

was enraptured, when he fo ndly thought he saw

h imselfrenewed in a grandson, upon whom be

conce ived he co uld no t prono unce a fine r enco

mium, than by predicting that th is scio n ofh is

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

4 D ESCR I PT I ON o r E P I RU S .

lo gue ofhis crime s and v ice s, the detailofh is

po liticalconnex io ns, some time s with France ,

sometimes with England, according as his interest dictated ; in sho rt, a faithfulacco unt ofh is

revolt from, or rather ofhis pro scriptio n by , the

Grand Se ignio r, and ofh is fallat a period when

the attention ofentire Europe was fixed upon

him, and Greece , (then struggling fo r its liberty,)willcontribute to fo rm a biograph icale ssay per

haps unequalled fo r varie ty and intere st .

We shallpreface it by some preliminary oh

servatio ns upon ancient and modern Epirus, upo n

the character ofits inhabitants, and the revolu

tions ofwh ich, even tillo ur own days, it has been

the theatre .

Epirus, now called Albania, is situated on the

no rth - west part ofGreece , and extends alo ng the

eastern sho res ofth e Adriatic. Macedo n bo unded

it on the east, and JEtolia and the Ionian Sea on

the sou th . Albania is awild and rugged co untry,very elevated, ofa cold temperature , pre sentingfew plains, but abounding in excellent pasture :

its lake s are embedded in mountains , co vered

with oaks as ancient as the wo rld. The Greek

word Epirus signifie s continent, o r terrafirma, and

was so called by the Greeks ofthe Ionian Islands

in contradistiuction to the country inhabited bythemselve s . Albania may be co nsidered as an

epitome ofevery climate , as a miniature ofthe

severe regions ofthe Alps . It extends alo ng the

sea- coast fo r abo ut forty-five leagues, from the

D E SC R I PT ION o r EPI R L’ S . 5

Acroceraunian mountains, to the gulfofAmbra

cia, the modern.

Arta. Its breadth is from

twenty-five to thirty league s from Cape Ch imetium to l’indus . The chain ofits mountains, andthe leve l ofits valleys , gradually rise from the

borders ofthe Ionian sea, to the superio r ridge of

Pindus , wh ich ge ographically separates EpirusfromMacedonia and Thessaly . Pindus, so cele

brated du ring the mytholo g icalages, fo r hav ingbeen consecrated to the Muses, is now classed

among mo untains ofthe second order.

The inhabitants ofEpirus stro ngly partakeofthe character ofthe ir country : like the irmountains, they are rugged and uncultivated ;still re taining the ir ancient reputatio n , they are

disting uished by the ir great bodily strength ,

the ir activ ity, and the ir bravery in the fie ld,

qualities po sse ssed even by the irwomen . From

the ir s imple and primitive ‘mode oflife , they maybe called the Scythians ofthe Turkish Empire .

The Epiro tes are div ided into fourteen distincttribe s, ofwhich each has succe ssively obtainedthe so vere ignty .

The part ofEpirus first known to the Greeks,was the easte rn . There , a few scattered towns

replaced the miserable huts in wh ich the Abori

gines sustained life by the prime valfo od of

acorns : civilizatio n first commenced among the

Threspo te s, who were nearest to the sea. The

This and the subsequent no tes willbe fo und in the Ap

6 TH E O RA C LE o r n o no xwr.

mountains ofancient Threspotia were consideredby the Greeks, as the ex treme confines ofthe

wo rld, the land ofdarkness, the region ofnight,the kingdom ofinexorable Pluto . Be ing situatedmo re to the east, and observ ing that the sun dis

appeared daily beh ind th o se mountains, they

there placed the gloomy mansions ofTartarus,the abodes ofthe damned. There also was the

Acheronian marsh , now known as the valley ofOrneo , whence the fearful and awe - inspiringstreams of Cocytus and Acheron rolled the ir

black and fatalwaves . No thing now remains of

allthe ir fo rmer terro rs , un less it be that the ir

waters are occasio nally muddy and infe ctio us .

To the east ofthe Threspo tes were the Molo ssi,a warlike people , settled nearDodona, so famo us

for th e oracle built there by the Pe lasgi . Th is

was at first a simple rustic temple , erected in the

open air, consecrated to the Dodo nian Jov e , and

surrounded by oaks, from wh ich the prophetic

sounds proceeded. There was also ano ther

oracle wh ich consisted oflarge brazen , kettles

suspended in the air, near a brazen statue wh ich

he ld a lash in its hand. When the wind blew

strong, the statue was agitated, and struck

against o ne ofthe ke ttles, wh ich communicatingthe mo tion to allthe rest, raised that clatter

lng and disco rdant din,from wh ich the priests

drew the ir predictions . Multitude s repaired

h ither from allparts ofGreece , to consult the

n e o e r o nmw s . 7

famous oak consecrated to Jupiter, which pre

dicted the future , and wh ich was considered the

mostancient ofallknown trees . The oracles weredelivered by doves (

2

) perched upon its branches .

Neopto lemus , the son ofAch illes, hav ing po ssessed h imse lfofthe co untry , became the head of

a nume rous race ofkings called the Pyrrhidm,

Pyrrhus hav ing been the name ofNe0ptolemus

during his yo uth , and afterwards g iven by h im to

his e ldest son . The prince s who succeeded him

having relapsed into barbarism, the ir explo its andpower remain buried in profound obscurity . The

first ofwhom h istory makes any mention is calledby Plutarch , Tarrutas, and by Pausanias, Tary

pus . It is no t to him, but to Aribbas, his grand

son , that Justin attribute s the civilization ofthe

Molossi . This prince had been bro ught up at

Athens, where he had formed his character upo n

the Grecian mode ls, and had early imbibed a

decided taste for the cultivatio n ofliterature .

In proportion as he surpassed allhis predece’

s

sors in knowledge ,”

says Justin,(3

) the mo re he

was be lov ed by h is pe ople . He was the first

king ofEpirus who gave laws to h is subjects,created a Senate with annual magistrate s, and

instituted a permanent form of go ve rnment.

The kingdom itse lfhad been fo unded by Neoptolemus or the first Pyrrhus, but the mannersofthe Epiro tes were polished and refined by

Aribbas .

8 Pv nuu us .

Itwas at the ch iefcity ofthe statesofEpirus, that the kings upon the ir acce ssion,

after having sacrificed to Jupiter Belliger, swo reto govern the pe ople according

‘

to the laws :

wh ile the people o n the ir side bound themselves

to defend, as prescribed by the constitu tion, the

sacred person ofthe ir

Thus Epirus, wh ich after a lapse of2000yearshas become in some degree the classic land of

despo tism, was the country wh ich presente d,perhaps for the first time , the union oflibertyand monarch ical power.

E acidas, one ofthe successors ofAribbas,

hav ing been dethroned and put to death by his

subjects, was succeeded by his son the renowned

Pyrrhus, who , by the splendour ofh is deeds, entitled his country to the admiration ofthe world .

He was no t only descended from»Achilles, but

allwriters agree that Olympias, the mo ther of

Alexander, was nearly related to him . Thus,taking Alexander for his mode l, he longed to

rival him in glo ry and renown . Having be en

dispo ssessed ofhis kingdom, he reco vered it by

the valour ofhis arm . He afterwards waged

war with l’anthacus, whom he vanquished in sin

gle combat. The Epiro tes , stimulated by the

v ictory ofthe ir prince , and inspired by his courage , succeeded in breaking the Macedonianphalanx . Pyrrhus, proclaimed king ofMace

donia, lo st that kingdom with the same rapidity

Pv ns n u s . 9

with wh ich he had gained it ; fo r the desire of

obtaining that wh ich he did no t po ssess prevented

his securing what was already in h is power.

Ever intent upon repairing h is lo sses by fresh eu

terprise s, and be ing called to the assistance of

the Taren tines,(6

) he marched into Italy, defeated

the Romans, and advanced nearly to the gates of

Rome ; but so on perce iving that, although he

might defeat tho se stern republicans, he could

not vanqu ish them, he changed th e theatre of

war ; and hav ing sailed from Buthro tum, (the

modern Corfu ,) the place ofhis residence , he

conquered Corcyra and Trinacria in the short

space of twenty days . Engaged in a suc

cession ofinterminable wars, and carried away

by his impetuo us courage , he perished at the

attack ofArgo s, having been first wo unded by a

woman , and afterwards despatched by a sol

dier. Pyrrhus was one of the greatest cap

tains ofantiqu ity, and deserved th e place as

signed h im by Annibal, that ofbe ing second only

to Alexander. N or was his merit co nfined to

war alone : he was equally distinguished for re

finement and e levation ofcharacter, and gene

ro sity ofsoul . Ne ither cruelin h is punishmentsno r v indictive in h is resentments, he never

steeped his hands in the blo od ofhis subjects .

During two o r thre e re igns h is successo rs were

weak and spiritless, tillat length the Epiro tes,disgusted with be ing governed by mere automa

tons, divided themselves into different republics .

10 PA ULUS E M ILIOS.

These so on became the prey ofthe Macedo nian

dy nasty, and remained subject to the kings of

Macedon tillthe defeat ofPerseus . The fate s

wh ich had pre sided at the foundation of this

kingdom under Caranus, had also fixed the term

ofits destruction . Paulus E milius, the conque

ror ofPerseus, severe ly avenged the invasion of

Pyrrhus . It was from Passaron, where he h ad

established his head- quarters, that he issued tho secrue l mandates wh ich transfo rmed Illyr ia and

the mo st flourish ing pro vince s ofGreece , into one

vast so litude . In one single day seventy towns

were pillaged and destroyed, and the slavery of

Epiro tes orMacedo nians effected. These

unfortunate s were sent to Rome , where they weresold. Thus van ished the splendo ur ofEpirus

and Macedo nia, till then so flo urish ing, who secrime was that ofhav ing oppo sed the ambitio nofthat despo tic republic, wh ich would tolerate

no glory, no liberty , and no independe nce but its

own .

After these disastrous events, the Epiro te s were

go verned by Roman prefects . Twice was the

empire ofthe wo rld dispu ted with in the limits of

the ancient dominio ns ofPyrrhus and Perseus

by land, upon the plains ofPharsalia ; by sea, in

the gulph ofActium or Arta. There Octav ius,the conqueror ofAntony, founded Nicopolis, o r

the city oft ory , to immortalize the battle of

Actium, wh ich had rendered him the maste r of

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

12 I NVAS ION o r TH E n uns , &c.

also inflicted upon it allthe horrors ofwar abo u tthe middle ofthe fifth century ; and it was o nce

mo re ravaged by a dreadful invasion ofthe Hunsand Bu lgarians, who succeeded in e stablish ingthemse lves the re towards the clo se ofthe ninth .

Vario us Sclavo nian tribesalso se ttled th ere ,who ,

intermingling with the natives, materially con

tributed to change their manners and corrupt

the ir language . One ancient pe ople , however,predominated,

who , having o verpowered allthe

o ther ho rdes, no t only gave to Epirus a new

name , but also changed its political aspectthe Alban ians, (

7

) a race ofmenwho , distinct fromthe Greeks, were known to the ancients as a

hardy, fero cious, and warlike pe ople ; witho u t,howe ver, the ir be ing able to trace the ir originwith any degree ofcertainty . They are now

generally suppo sed to be Asiatics, originally fromMo unt Caucasus, but from the ir lo ng re sidence

in Epirus, they remained there confounded with

the Illy rians, and, acco rding to circumstances,were at different time s e ither the subjects o r

enemie s ofthe kings ofMacedon ; wh ile from the

summits ofthe ir,mo untains they contributed to

the destructio n ofempires . During the troubles

caused by the weakne ss ofthe Eastern empero rs,the name ofAlbania was common to the greatestpart ofIllyria and Epirus . Strangers to the

demarcations wh ich have succe ssively divided

Epirus into prefecture s, consular and senatorial

THE E P I ROTE S EMBR A CE CH R I ST I A N ITY . 13

province s, te trarch ies, and latterly pachaship'

s,

the Albanians have classed themselve s by idiomsor dialects, the ro o ts ofwh ich are common to

four great tribes o r families, v iz . the Dgedges, the

Mirdite s, the To skides, and the Tzim ide s, from

which spring severalo ther collateralbranches .

Gifted with a v igo rou s o rganizatio n , the Alba

h ians, no twithstanding th e ir connex ion and in

tercourse with the Greeks, did no t pe rmit th emselves to be efl

'

eminated by the arts . By ado ptingPaganism, they had slowly introduced themse lve sinto soc ial life ; but as so on as th e secre t ofim

mortality was‘

revealed to the Greeks— as so on as

the revelation ofthe Son ofG od was anno unced

to the nations ofthe earth, the y e t half- civ ilized

savages ofEpiru s bent low before the holy sym

bolofChristianity . After th is revolutio n , wh ich

materially contributed to the amelioration of

the ir manners, the Mirdites iso lated themselves

from the o ther tribes . Under the Caesars of

th e latter empire , they were the firme st sup

ports ofthe throne so long as the mo narch ro

spected the ir conscientious scruple s ; but whenschism introduced itselfinto th e church— when

afatal ambition separated Rome from Constantin0ple , the Albanians ofMacedo nian Illyria natu

rally attached themse lves to the We st, whence

the faith of. the ir fo refathers had been derived.

They remained, therefo re , what they had originally been , and were called Latins,from the name

14 BA J A Z ET Inva n ns E P I RUS .

ofthe church to wh ich they still remained faithful.Un ited bo th by the ir valo ur and a common faith

“

and proud ofhav ing preserved the ir religion , the

Dgedges and the Mirdites displayed allthe ma~

Je sty ofthe Catho lic worsh ip in the towns of

Upper Albania. A long interval oftranquilhtyseemed now to be insured to the Christians, whena storm, wh ich had been gradually collecting inthe East, suddenly burst over modern Epirus .

About the fo urteenth century the Turks, .hav ing

descendedfrom Mount Caucasus andmade th em

se lves maste rs ofAsia Mino r and ofThrace ,precipitated themselve s upon Greece , nowdivided

by sch ism and effeminated'by luxury . The Turk

ish name soon resounded throughou t Alban ia.

At th is period Ohio was in the po sse ssion of

the Genoe se ; the Vene tians occupied the Cyclades

and the Morea ; wh ile a part ofEpirus was under

the dominion ofthe Crale o r the king ofServia,a prince named Stephen, who had se ized upo n

Joannina, a town wh ich has since become the

capitalofAlbania.

It was no t tillthe spring ofthe year 13 80thatthe Turks, who had already invaded Greece and

Macedo nia, ventured to pass the he ights of

Pindus . Fo llow ing up th e v ictories ofh is ances

to rs , the Sultan Bajaze t Ilderim (the thunder

bolt) cro ssed the mountains and rivers ; master

ofUpper Albania, he was preparing to pass

AMURA TH . 15

MountPindus with his army, when the news of

Tamerlane ’s succe sse s , who was laying waste

AsiaMinor, recalled him to the east, where , on

the plains ofAncyra, he lo st bo th h is crown and

hislife . Th is event, so famo us in h istory, only

delayed'

fo r a short time th e conquest ofEpirusby the

’

Mah ometans .

In the year 1422, Amurath , the ninth monarch

ofthe O ttoman dynasty, hav ing ascended the

throne , lo st no time in prosecuting the plans of

his predecessors against Gre ece and the Lower

Empire . In vain did the Epiro tes oppo se his se izing the passeS

'

ofPindus . Terrified by a sum

mo ns addressed to them by th is Prince from his

camp before Thessalonica, they reso lved to sub

mit ; and a capitulation having be en agreed

upo n , on the 9th ofOctober, 143 1, the Turks eu

tened Joannina, wh ich was even at that period a

flo urish ing town .

In the mean time the conqueror ofAlbania,

irritated,by some partialrevo lts, and inflamed

w ith the spirit ofpro sely tism, commanded the

vanquished to embrace the re ligion ofth e Pro

phe t ;wh ile , fo llowing the example ofthe ir ch ief,h is officers and so ldiers, in the ir . turn , became

equally into lerant and tyrannical. But, however

dispo sed the inhabitants ofthe plains migh t be

to obey the haughty mandate , the Mirdites, fear

less and unmoved, de te rmined to make h ead

16 G E ORG ES ca srnro 'r'

rr.

against the storm, and to preserve unshaken the irfide lity to the Church . Those who could gu nthe mo untains fled towards the cantons ofthe

Ch imera, ofSouli, and ofParga, while o thers

to ok refuge m Pe loponnesus . Incessantly harassed and persecuted by the Turks, no th ing lessthan the valour ofthe Mirdites co uld have ar

rested the Turkish horde s at the fee t of the irmountains : on allside s whole tribes, and several.

citie s, o verwhelmed by the irruption ofthe se fa

natics, had no o ther cho ice than slavery, death ,

o r the abjuration ofthe ir re ligion . Many em

braced the latter alternative , and bu t for the

appearance ofGeo rge s Castrio tti, the hero of

Christian Epirus, the apo stacy had been general.

He was known in Upper Albania by the name of

Scanderbeg, o r the Bey Alexander, wh ich title

he had rece ivedfrom the Sultan h imself, at Whose

co urt he had been bro ught up as aho stage , in the

same manner as the Romans formerly educated

the sons ofthe kings who were tributaries to

the ir empire . Informed ofthe distresses ofhis

fellow- countrymen, he broke his chains and flew

to the ir assistance . The name ofth is new Alex

ander awakened reminiscences ofancient‘

glo ry,

wh ich inflamed to the he ight ofenthusiasm all

the Christians ofUpper Alban ia : they rushed to

arms, andled on by the ir new ch ief, courageously

dispu ted with the Musu lmans the empire of

Epirus . The rock ofCro’

ia, wh ich was the strong

concnu n ns A PE AC E wr'

rn MA HOMpl‘11. 17

hold ofScanderbeg, put a stop to the ravages

andarrested the success ofAmurath . Wherever

they appeared, the Ottomans were beaten ; andalthough the ir enemy acted so lely on the defenr

sive, the Turkish army was be ing continuallyrenewed. This contest was protracted to two

reigns, under Amurath and Mahomet II . Occu

pied with de signs far mo re vast, the warlike

Mahomet for a time appeared to fo rge t Scander

beg . In his eyes, th is Christian hero was onlyan isolated rebel, who se punishment migh t besafe ly deferred : he did no t, however, lo se sigh t

ofhim wh ile engaged with enemies whom he

judged more formidable ; bu t maintained an

army ofobservation to hem h im in , in the moun

tains . In th is celebratedwar, wh ich the haughtyMahomet was the first compelled to conclude ,allthe glory devo lved upon the Albanian prince ;and in 1465 , he sent an ambassador to his enemywith rich presents, and pr0po sals fo r peace , o r

ratherfor a truce : th ey were acce pted.

The h isto rians of Scanderbeg allo t to that

prince a greater extent ofterritbry than was po ssessed by the ancient kings ofMacedonia. But

it is now ascertained that, co rrectly speaking,he had only Cro ia, Lissa, Dyrrachium, and that

port ion ofMusacha which extends along the

right bank ofthe lpsus . He ne ither occupiedJoannina, a townalready conquered by the Turks ,nor the fo rtress ofBer ,at taken by Amurath in

l8 REN EWAL o r run wan .

1440. The pre tended kingdom ofScanderbegmust therefore be reduced to the limited terri-r

tory ofCroia ; the glory of this prince be ingrather de rived from his great military qualifi

ties, than from the extent ofthe country whichowned h is sway . As the so ldier ofJesus Christ

(a title ofwh ich he was particularly proud); hewas chiefofa leagu e ofLatin Lords, who , under

the various titles ofdukes, counts , and baronS,

governed the principal countries in Upper Ale

bania.

His peace with Mahomet II . was ofshort durestion . Scanderbeg .

had entered into an alliancewith the P0pe , the Venetians, and the King ofNaples ; and the Christian princes taking up arms

against the Turks, Mahomet, fearfu l , lest th e

command ofthe Crusaders sho uld be g iven to

his able adversary, offered to renew the peace .

Scanderbeg refused, relying upon a letter fromPo pe Pins 11. anno uncing that a Christian army

wo uld shortly a landing in Epirus . He

therefo re e nter fie ld, ravaged the Ottoman

Empire , but w supported.

Maho elieved from allapprehen

sions of the .utmost fury

ofhis vengeance g andAlbania».

He despatched wh ich was

defeated no less th the lo ss of

th irty tho usand men . met then marched

in person at the head oftwo hundred thousand

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

20 A BJURA T ION o r

pro selyte s among them ; and at th is period the

Porte promulgated a law, wh ich assured the po s

sessio n ofthe ir property to tho se Alban ian fami

lies'

who would bring up o ne ofthe ir ch ildren in

the Musulman fai th . Th is law was productive

oftwo resu lts the one , that a far less number of

Turks settled in Epirus than in the rest ofTur

key ; the o ther, that it caused a vast proportion

ofproperty to be transferred into the hands of

theMusulmans . So great was its.

ulte rio r effect,that at various pe riods, v illages, towns, and even

who le districts , were seen vo luntarily reno uncingthe re lig ion o fthe ir fathers in o rder to obtain a

few po litical advantages . Such examples are

unfo rtunately no t rare even in modern days .

On the o ther hand, the Christians, by rangingthemse lves among the warrio rs ofthe Crescent,were freed from the servile tribute ofthe Ca

and treatedwith particu lar re spectby theTurks,who , at times, trembledbefo re the vigou r ofthe ir arms . By the ir courage they obtained freeand independent se ttlements ; were allowed the ir

own captains, and had franch ises and immun ities

granted them wh ich we re guaranteed by capitu

lations with th e Sultans . Thus bo th mo sque s

and ch urches are to be fo und among the Albaniens,

!

but the frequenters ofthe former are as

little acknowledged b the Turks fo r true Musu lmans , as tho se of e latter are allowed by

the Greeks to be o rthodo x Christians . The ir

cHanac'

rs n ' o r TH E A LBA N I AN S . 21

general reputation is that ofhaving no other

God than the ir interest— no o ther law than the ir

sabre .

The Albanians,who , ever since the re ign

ofMahome t II . cro uched beneath the Turkish

yoke ,were alike forge tfulofthe ancient renown

ofPyrrhus and the modern glory ofScanderbegthe y devo ted themselves to the serv ice ofthe

Sultans, and became no t only the ir brave st war

rio rs, but the most faithfuland inco rruptible of

subjects .

From the time ofBajaze t and Amurath theyhave he ld rank in the different co rps ofJanizarie s,ddistingu ished themse lve s in mo st ofthe blo ody

engagements during tho se two re igns : the battle sofVarna and Casso v ia attest the ir undaunted

valo ur as a natio n . Subsequently they are to bemet with in allthe pachaships ofthe O ttoman

empire , and m the Barbaric provinces, as subsi

dized vo lunteers, called Arnautes .

The population ofmodern Epirus is no t, how

ever, wholly compo sed zofAlbanians : vario us

tribes ofServ ians, Bulgarians, Valaque s , Turks,and Greeks, are to be fo und there bu t at JoanninaGreeks and Jews are the

'

mo st numero us . It is

no t unusual to hear the language s ofthese difl'

er

out people , o r a jargon fo rmed from them, spokenin the same town . The Albanians, however, arethe mo st numero us : they are also armed,

and givethe law to the res t . Sober, inured to hardsh ips,

22 CHA RA CTE R o r THE A LBA N IA N S .

andaccustomed to pillage , the ir bodies are robust,the ir lo ok penetrating and haughty . The retaliative law ofblo od for blo od is in fullforce amongthem, and the pleasure wh ich they have in shed

ding the purple stream‘

oflife ”

marks the ircharacteristic ferocity . Despising the cunningofthe Musulman, they declare an open hatred,man ifesting without the least disguise the ir

e steem or the ir contempt . Robbery is consideredamongst them as a part ofthe national industry ;and public theft is the career wh ich first engagesthe arms ofan Alban ian . For them it is the roadwh ich conducts to the h ighest dignities ofth e

state, especially ifto the title ofMusu lman be

jo ined audacity and success . By these means,

even in our own times, Mehemet Ali was raised

to the v iceroysh ip ofEgypt ; Paswan Oglou to

the pachaship ofVidin ; Ismaiil, Bey de Serrés ,to the command ofTransaxian Macedonia ; and

Ali Pacha, the subject ofthe present memo ir, to

the pachash ip ofJoannina, and the h igh and

important rank ofViz ier.

CHAPTER II .

Birth ofAli. His Ancestors . - Anarchicalstate ofEpirus.

Ali'

s father. -Vely Bey destro ys h is bro the rs .—Marriage

with Khamco .— His death — Ali

'

s educatio n — Polygamy .

Khnmco’s character .

— ls taken priso ner by th e Gardikio tes.

Her counsels to Ali. —Ali’

s

excursion.- Is defeated.

— Re

by h is mo ther.— Fortunate i11

—Lls taken prisoner.— His mar

es h is father- in-law.-Marriage

e izes Tcpelini.—Murders h is

is patro n Selim, and kills him.

tinguishes h imselfagainst

Khamco .—Her will. Ali obtains po s

rPACH A is generally supposed to have beenborn abo ut the y ear 17 50, but, from h is hav ingalways affected to appear yo unger than he really

was, the exact year ofh is birth is no t precisely

ascertained. Tepelini, the place ofh is nativity,is a modern town . about twenty lr g o e s north of

Joannina, situated on the left bank ofthe Aiius, o rVo ioussa, in the midst ofa glo omy valley, sur

ro unded by wild and desert mo untains . The

insignificancc ofTepelini, wh ich scarcely co n

24 A LI’

S A xcs s'

ro as .

tains two hundred habitations, would have con

demned it to perpe tual obscurity, but for the

me lancholy pre- eminence of having been the

birth - place ofAli Pacha. His family, distin

guished by the sirname ofHissas, was ofthe

tribe ofthe To skides, who call themse lves ancientMusulmans . Ali gave it an Asiatic o rigin, assert

ing that it had passed into Epirus with the ho rde sofBajaze t Ilderim, but ofth is he could adduce

no pro of. It was generally considered as indi

geno us, and as descended from the Christian

Schypetars, who embraced Mahometanism at th e

period ofthe conquest . No th ing, however, butdoubt and uncertainty exists respecting the cir

cumstances to wh ich the ancesto rs ofAli were

indebted for the ir elevation and fortune . It ap

pears that they embraced the lucrative profession

ofqftcs, a Species ofopen and public robbery,under the cloak ofwh ich they invaded the

'

terri

to ry ofTepelini, a kind offief, orig inally depen

dent upon the Pacha ofBerat.

Mouctar, Ali’

s grandfather, is said to have

fallen in the expedition ofthe Turks against Cor

fu,in the defence ofwh ich Marshal Sch ullem

bo urg so eminently distinguished h imself;Mo uc

tar left thre e sons, the youngest ofwhom was

Vely, father to Ali, the late Satrap ofJoannina.

At the period ofMo uctar’

s death , (abo ut the

year Epirus was no t subject to the autho

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

26 v s t v BEY .

followed by violence , recourse was had to arms ,

and the two elder bro thers united against Vely.the offspring ofa who being forced toexpatriate himse lf, embraced the perilo us profession oftho se Albanian knights errant, more

commonly known by the appe llation ofklefi es or

brigands .

'

A few y ears after, enriched by th is trade , and

suppo rted by a desperate band of adherents,

Ve ly Bey suddenly reappeared before Tepelini,passed the Vo ioussa, penetrated into the suburbs,

and compelled his bro thers to take refuge in the ircastle . In vain did they offer re sistance . Vely,after hav ing forced the gate s, drove them into a

pavilion, to wh ich he immediately set fire , and

thus destroyed his bro thers, who would doubtless have shewn him as little mercy, had he

fallen into the ir power.

After th is expedition , master ofthe entire fo r

tune ofh is family, and enriched by the spo ils acquired in h is predatory excursions, Vely Bey , be

came the first Aga in Tepelini, and wholly o ccu

py ing h imse lfin establishing h is power, renoun

ced fo r ever the dangerous occupation ofa klefte .

Afavourite slave had already made him the father

oftwo sons and one daughter ; but be ing anx iou s

to ally h imselfby marriage to some ofthe noble

familie s ofthe co untry, he sought and obtained

the hand of Khamco , daugh ter ofa Bey of”

Conitza— an alliance wh ich co nnected h im with

A L I’

s E DUCAT I ON . 27

seve ralofthe principal families ofTo séaria, and

pecially with Co urd Pacha, Vizier ofBerat,said to be descended from the noble family of

Scanderbeg . The fruits ofthis marriage were

Ali and Charnitza. Sho rtly after the birth of

these ch ildren Vely Tepelini became invo lved indisputes with his ne ighbours, the Beys ofArgyroCastrou , Premiti, Klissoura, and Kaiminitza, who

at length succeeded in de spo iling him ofthe greater

part ofhis territo rie s ; Vely, unable to bear up

against his misfo rtunes, sunk under them, and

died ofa broken heart at the age offorty -five .

At the time ofhis father’

s death , Ali was but

fourteen years old ; but even then gave strikingproofs ofthat turbulent spirit, ofthat extreme

vivacity oftemper, wh ich so particularly characterized him in after- life . A petulance and irritability uncommon in young Turks, who are natu

rally sedate and composed, were striking traitsin his character. In vain did h is father endeavourto direct his attention to the studies necessaryfor

y outh : escaping from his preceptors, and flyingthe paternalro of, he would wander amongmoantains covered with e ternal snows, o r amidstforests ofantediluv ian growth . It was no t till

his father’

s death, that, centering allhis affectionsin his be loved mo ther, he submitted h imselftoher will, learnt to read, appeared tractable , andado pted as his rule ofco nduct the co unsels of

Khamco . To my mo th er, said he o ne day to

28 POLYGAMY .

the consul- general ofFrance, I owe all;fo rmyfather on his death -bed left me but amere hole (

3

)and afew fields . My imag ination, fired by the

counsels ofherwho has twice g iven me ex istence ,for she has made me a man and a vizier, revealedto h e the secret ofmy destiny . From that

mome‘nt I o nly considered Tepelini as the natal

eyry from wh ich I was to dart upon the preyalready mine in idea. From that moment I

tho ught bu t ofpower, treasures, and palacesin fact, ofallwh ich time has already realized,and wh ich it stillpromises ; fo r I have no t yet

attained the acme ofmy hopes .

”

The ch ildren born in a state ofpolygamyC‘

) are

seldom or never susceptible oftho se sentiments

ofaffection fo r each o ther, so common in those

who are the issue ofsingle wedlock. They are

early initiated into the dissensions ofthe harem ;

be come parties to the cabals ofthe ir mo th ers,and strongly participate in the ir feelings ofjealo u sy and hatred. Hence tho se family feuds,wh ich , although repre ssed for a time by the

authority ofthe father, y et never fail to burst

fo rth upon the first Opportunity, may frequentlybe traced to the cradle itse lf. Such was the situ

ation ofVe ly Bey’

s family . His death hav ingpreceded that ofhis slave , her ch ildren we re left

to tally at the mercy ofa step -mo ther, such as

the po et de scribes

Po cula smvm infecere nove rca:

Miscueruntque herbas , e t no n innoxia verba.

xn au co’s cn s aac

'rxn . 29

During her husband’

s life time Khamco had

only appeared a woman ofan ordinary mind ;scarce ly howe verwere the eyes ofVely closed in

death , than she displayed the greatest :.

accompanied by extraordinary strength'

rueter ; but these qualities were sullwimplacability ofsoul, in wh ich she to

resembled Olympias, the mother offiexander,

who like herse lfhad been born in Epirti'

s'

. Without be ing intimidated by the disastrous circum

stances under wh ich she fo und herself, she no t

only determined to oppose the torrent ofill for

tune wh ich threatened to o verwhelm her, but

meditated the resto ration ofher family to allits

pristine splendour. Reno uncing suddenly the

manners ofher sex, she exchanged the spindle

for the sword, the ve il fo r the helme t, and, with

an Amazon ian spirit, united the partizans ofher

family with tho se ofher late husband'

s vassals

who still re tained their fide lity . To these she

shewed the scion on wh ich she repo sed her everyhope , and tried in various skirmishe s her strength

against the enemies ofhe r race . In her numero us

excursions she was accompanied by her son, to

whom she po inted out in th e distance the lands

ofwh ich he had been de spo iled, and the terri

tories ofthe despo ilers .

In the mean time the tribes who were in the

immediate v icinage ofTchormovo and Gardiki,alarmed at the extraordinary influence ofthis

woman, andfearing fo r the ir independence , made

30 x u au co TAK E N p ursomna .

preparation fbr combating the haughty mistress

(agadina) ofTepelini, who , without lo ss oftime ,anticipated them by a declaration ofwar. She

placed herse lfat the head ofher clans, bravedand continued harassing her ene

hostilities or by secre t intrigh es ,

tillat length , deserted by fortune , she with hertwo children Ali and Chainitza fe ll into an

ambuscade . Hav ing been carried prisoners to

Gardiki, they were the re cast into a loathsomedungeon ; nor was their cup ofmisery y e t full ,both Khamco and her daughterWere expo sed to

the horrors ofv io lation, and compelled to suffer

the brutal embraces ofthe principal inhabitants;thus the ir lives seemed only spared them that

they might endure the extremity ofsuffering and

v iolence . The ir liberation was, however, so on

after effected by a Greek merchant (5

) ofArgyro

Castrou ,who , touched by the misfortunes ofso

interesting a woman, ransomed her and her ch il

dren for the sum oftwenty- two thousand e ight

hundred piastres (about sterling .)Re stored to liberty, Khamco no longer to ok

part in the civ il wars ofEpirus : so lely occupied

inre - establish ing herfallenfortunes, she educated

the young Ali as the avenger ofher wrongs, and

instilled into him tho se fatalprinciples wh ich he

was already to o welldispo sed to follow . Myson,

”

wou ld she say to h im, he who do es no t

defend his inheritance , deserves to be despo iled

u s e co u s snns TO Am. 3 1

ofit. Remember that the property ofothers

only be longs to them by the righ t ofthe stronger;

why then should it not be y o tu'

s -She ‘ incesa

santky repeated to h im that success legitimizes

every enterprise ; in short, she completed her

instructions, by inculcating the fearful maximwhich Sue tonius represents Agrippina as de livering to her son, Cunetalicet Not less

distinguished for his cou rage and intre pidity ,than fo r h is address, and apparent sweetness of

dispo sition , Ali no t only gained the admirationofthe soldiery, but won the affections ofthe

principalvassals ofhis house . Enthusiastic for

the profession ofarms , the h istory ofthe warlike

deeds ofhis ancestors fo rmed the ch iefstudy of

his le isure hours ; and, by committing the vario us

facts to memory, he strengthened that facu lty to

such a surprising degre e , that even names and

dates were reco llected by him with the greate st

facility . Gifted with a strong'

constitu tion,and

a v igorou s mind, it will no t be matter ofsurprise

that he should acqu ire a distingu ished pre - emi

nence in allthe martialexercise s ofh is country .

The lessons ofhis mother were no t fru itle ss .

When only fourteen years ofage , he succeeded

in driv ing offsome‘

ofhis ne ighbours’

goats, but

he so on aimed at greater deeds, and, by makingincursions into the territories of his enemie s ,acquired considerable bo o ty, wh ich , in additionto the riche s amassed by his mo ther, enabled

3 2 ascs rrxo s av m s mora s s .

him in a short time to subsidize mercenaries for

the purpose ofundertaking an expedition againstTchormovo . But th is first attempt was not cal

culated to give afavourable idea ofAli’

s courage ,

who , hav ing met with a v igorous resistance .turned his back, and was one ofthe first to te

enter Tepelini . His mo ther, imagining she saw

allher hopes blasted by his cowardice , loadedhimwith reproaches, and thrusting a distad

’

intoh is hand, Coward,

”

said she , go and spinwith the women ofthe Harem ; it is a trade much

more befitting thee than that ofarms. He found

means, however, to appease her fiery temper; and

again took the fie ld at the head ofsix hundred

men, but was again unfo rtunate .

Driven from his native town , closely pursued

by his enemies, and deprived ofevery resource ,Ali saw his finances reduced to sixty pare ts, and

with these he had to pay the Albanians, whowere the sharers in his misfortune . After wan

dering about the mo untains, and concealing h imselfia the dwellings ofseveralofhis friends, heat length found h imse lfreduced to the necess ity

ofse lling his sabre to purchase bread. One day ,

hav ing re tired into the ruins ofan old monas

tery,”

as he h imselfrelated to Colo ne l Vaudon

court,“ I was ruminating upon my desperate

s ituation ,th inking no hope s were left ofmain

taining myselfagainst the overwhelming power

ofmy enemies ; wh ile thus engaged, I was me

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

3 4’

MA t lE S s ham an .

re lationship, his heart re lented, and he repressedh is anger. He kept him at his Court fo r seve ral

years, loaded h im with favours, and endeavoured

by h is adv ice to induce h im to re - enter the paths

ofprobity and v irtue . At length , moved by the

intreaties ofKhamco , he restored her son to liberty, at the same time giv ing both ofthem to

understand, that the same lenity wo uld no t be

shewn them, sho uld they again disturb the publictranqu illity .

Th is indulgent co rrectio n appeared to restrain

for a short time the impe tuo sity ofAli’

s temper.

By offering h is serv ices to h is ne ighbours, and

engaging in the ir quarrels, he succeeded in mak

ing friends, and so on acqu ired a distinguished

reputation among the beys ofthe country . The se

amicable relations be strengthened stillmore by

allying h imse lfwith the family ofCap’

elan , Pacha

ofDe lvino . His you th , h is manly form, his

handsome features beaming with intelligence ,and h is natural e loquence , were charms wh ich

gained him the heart and hand ofthe young and

beautiful Emineh , who se memory will be longrevered and cherished in Epirus .

Cape lan Pacha, ofwho se family Ali had now

become a member, was one oftho se rebels so

common in Turkey, who , finding themse lves farremoved from the seat of governmen t, th ink

they may with impuni ty exercise the mo st

unbounded tyranny over tho se subjected to

D EN OUN CE S m s FA TH E R - I N - LAW . 3 5

their autho rity . By the assistance ofhis son - ia

law, he ho ped to draw o ver o ther chiefs to his

party, and by the ir means to acqu ire independ

ence, the favourite chimera of almo st everyPacha. But Ali was little dispo sed to wo rk for

the e le vation ofano ther. Wh ile , therefo re , be ap

parently served his father- ia law with the utmo st

devo tedness, be excited him to commit crimes,wh ich he secre tly deno unced to the Ottoman

Po rte , who se vengeance he thus aroused. At

leng th , finding the sto rm raised against Capelan , he was the first to hurry him to destruction,

by adv ising h im to obey the citation ofthe Ru

melie -Valisso , befo re whom he was summoned ino rder to render an account of his conduct. Ali

well knew that th is adv ice , iffollowed,wou ld

conduct his fathe r- in -law to the scaffo ld ; a os

tastrophe wh ich he ardently de sired, in the ho pesofbecoming the inheritor bo th ofhis dignity andtreasures . Cape lan, who se condemnatio n had

been already de termined upon , was beheaded

soon after his arrivalat Monastir ; but instead of

recompensing his accuse r with the succession,

the Po rte nominated Ali, Bey ofArgyre Castrou ,

Cape lan’

s father- in -law, to the vacant pachaship .

This bey be ing devo ted to the intere sts ofthe

Grand Se ignio r, wo uld no t allow Ali to to uch

asingle p iastre ofhis father- in -law’

s property,which was allconfiscated. No twithstanding so

unexpected and severe a disappo intment, Ali still

D 2

3 MA RR IA G E o r cu am urzs .

hoped to obtain the object ofhis wishe s, and the

suggestions ofhis mo ther soon enabled him to

succeed. Ali.ofArgy ro Castrou , the newly ap

po inted Pacha, be ing unmarried, Khamco pro

posed effecting the union ofthe two families, byhis taking her daughter Chainitza to wife . Afte r

cons iderable management and intrigue , Ali’s

mo ther at length accomplished her obj ect, and

the nuptials were solemnized unde r happy aus

pioes , since they promised to unite two familie swh ich were o therwise on the po int ofbecomingizi

'

vals . But th is e vent was far from extinguishing that ranco ro us hate indu lged by Ali againstthe succe ssor ofCape lan ; and he had already

fo rmed a thousand projects ofvengeance , when

the death ofCo urd Pacha called his attention

towards Berat .

Ali Tepelini had flattered himselfthat, by a

simultaneous marriage , he might now become theson - in-law ofth is Vizier ; but he was again to

fee l the smart ofdisappo intment . Co urd Pachahad be tro thed his o nly daughter to Ibrah im,

Bey ofAv lona, recently promo ted to the vi

zierat ofMiddle Albania. Words can but ill

de scribe the fury ofAli when info rmed ofa cir

cumstance wh ich once mo re dashed from h is

lips the cup ofhope : he almo st entirely secludedh imse lffrom h is people , and Khamco alone dared

to enter his apartmen t .

For several years after th is event, Ali appears

A LI sm z s s TEPE LIN I . 87

to have remained in a state ofcomparative inacé

tiv ity ; h is attempt to make h imselfmaster of

Tepelini be ing the next remarkable incident of

h is e ventful life .

Th is enterprise we shall describe in his own

words, as related by him to M. F o uquev ille .

“ I fe lt, said he ,

“the necessity offirmly

establish ing myself in the place ofmy birth ,wh ere I had partisans devo ted to my service , and

formidable adversarie s, whom it was nece ssary to

ex term inate en masse ; but fo r th is some crime

was to be alleged against them . It was now

that I conce ived the plan wh ich I o ught to have

ado pted at the open ing ofmy career. I was ac

cu stomed, after my hunting - partie s, to take a

siesta in a wo od near the Bentcha ; and by means

ofa trusty adherent, 1 caused it to be propo sed

to my enemies to dodge me th ither for the pur

po se ofassassinatin’

g me . I myselfske tched o u t

the plan ofth is conspiracy against my life , and

having arrived at the place ofrendezvous befo re

my intended assassins , I tied a goat,well securedby rope s, and muzzled,

firmly upo n the gro und,

and co vered it with my riding cloak ; then dis

guising myse lf, regained the seraglio , wh ile mysubstitute was despatched by a vo lley ofsmallarms . The conspirato rs, however, were no t per

mitted to convince themselves ofthe ir success,

for a picquet ofmy soldiers appeared at the very

instan t they heard the discharge . My pre tended

3 8 A L! sm z ss TE PE L I N I .

murderers entered Tepelini, vociferating, Ali

Bey is no mo re — We are rid ofhim !’ These

exclamations pene trated even into the harem,

wh ich re so undedwith the groans~ofmy mo ther,

and the exulting shou ts ofmy enemies . I per

mitted the conspirato rs to enj oy the irfancied tri

umph tillthey had become intoxicated with joyand wine, when, afte r hav ing undece ived mymo ther, I fe ll upon them sword in hand, the

watchword ofmy party be ing‘M ine is the cause

ofjustice before mo rn no t one was left alive ;the ir pro perty and habitations I distributed

amongst my creature s, and from that moment I

have been abso lute in Tepelini.”

Th is was truly Ali’

s debut to a new order of

th ings, and he so on exh ibited o ther pro ofs ofthat

species of capacity wh ich is a substitute fo r

realtalent among barbarians . It has already

been observed that be cherished a secret hatred

against the Pacha ofArgyro Castrou . In vain didth is relative endeavo ur, by the most affectionateconduct, to attach Ali to him by the tie s ofgratitude and bro the rly love . His implacable sou l swas proofagainst allh is

“

tenderness, and medi

tated a crime almo st unexampled in the h isto ry

of human guilt. Anx ious for the de structio nofhis bro ther- ia-law, he hesitated not to propo seto h is sister to destroy her husband by po ison .

Chainitza refused to perpe trate so atro cious an

act, but sisterly affection prevented herfrom dis

munnnus m s BROTH ER - I N - LAW. 3 9

clo s ing her bro ther’

s gu ilt . Thus disappo inted,he had re course to duplicity ; he man ife sted the

mo st unfe igned repen tance , and to ok eve ry o p

po rtu nity oftestifying, bo th by wo rds and ac

tions , the greatest affection fo r h is bro ther- ia

law . Bu t this was only a perfidio us calm wh ichpreceded the direst oftreasons . Ali had me t

with an accomplice in h is intended crime , in the

person of Soliman , bro ther ofthe Pacha, to

whom, as the reward offratricide , h e promised

the hand and fo rtune ofChamitza. The pro po sal

be ing accepted, and the partie s hav ing bo und

themselves to secrecy by the mo st dreadful

oath s , measures were immediately taken fo r con

summating a crime wo rthy the family of the

Atrides . A bro the r was abo ut to steep h is handsin a bro ther

’

s blo od, wh ile ano ther bro ther was

to reward the fratricide , by the ince stuo us marriage ofhis sister with the murde rer ofher hus

band. The near relationsh ip ofthe conspiratorsto the ir intended v ictim gave th em every facility ;and at a private audience , wh ich the Pacha

granted Ali and Soliman , the latter sho t h is bro

ther thro ugh the heart . Th e repo rt ofthe pistolspread consternation thro ugh the harem ; Chai

nitza rushed into th e chamber, and beheld h er

husband lifeless between his murderers . She

was about to shriek for assistance , but with horrid menace s , Ali enfo rced silence ; and making a

sign to Soliman to co ver her with h is pelisse , (6

)

40 g m De no unce s m s PA TRON ss u u .

declared her his wife . The death ofthe Pacha

of Argy ro Castrou was attributed to a fit

ofapoplexy, but the truth speedily became

no torious ; and as Chainitza so on found con

solation in the embrace s ofher new husband,

and a son by her former o ne died a short

time afterwards, it was currently believed that

she had been a party to his death . Altho ugh

Ali Tepelini had th us succeeded in ge tting rid of

h is bro ther- in -law, he was no t nominated his

successo r ; Selim Bey Coka, descended from

one ofthe first families ofYapouria, rece ivedfrom the Po rte th e inve stiture of the pachashipofDe lvino . In a co untry whe re crimes ofgreat

eno rmity are always conside red as pro ofs of

superior talent, it will no t appear surprisingthat Ali should have acquired a great reputationthis, jo ined to his superior addre ss, recommendedh im to the confidence ofthe new Pacha, bywhom he was rece ived with the affection ofa

father ; ill-fated confidence !which only enabledh im to conce ive and perpe trate fresh eno rmities .

The Sangiacat ofDe lvino adjo ined the po ssessions ofthe Vene tians on term firms , by means

ofthe territo ry ofButrinto , the po ssessio n of

which had always been matter ofdispute be

tween the Turks and the Christians established

upon that part ofthe Io nian coast . Selim, aban

doning the policy ofhis predece sso rs, was s tu

dious to enco urage amicable relations with the

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

42 A L ! ASSASS I NATs s SE LIM .

management ofhis plo t, had re tired to Tepelini,lo st no time in returning to Delv ino , where hewas rece ived by the old Pacha with his accu s

towed kindness, and lodged in his seraglio .

There , trampling upon the sacred laws ofh o s

pitality , and assisted by some rufiians in his pay ,

he secretly prepared ihr the cowardly as sass ination -wh ich was to ensure his fu ture advancement .

Every morning he waited upon h is ho st, to payhim the customary compliments . One day ,

fe igning indisposition , Ali reque sted Selim wo u ldcome into his apartment, fo r the purpose ofre

ce iving an important commun ication . The in

vitation be ing accepted, scarcely had the unfo r

tunate old man entered the room, than upon an

appo inted signal, the assassins, who had beenconcealed in a clo set, rushed out and stabbed

him to the heart : he fe llpierced with wounds,u ttering almo st the same words as Caesar— “ I s it

thou ,my son

,who deprivest me oflife ?

”

At the

no ise ofthe tumult his guards hastened to the

spo t, and found Ali in the midst ofthe assassins,with the firman in h is hand, exclaiming in threat

ening accents , I have killed the traito r, by o rder

ofourglorious Su ltan here is h is Imperialman

date At these wo rds, and at the sigh t ofthe

order, the Turks bent low, and, w ith hearts

transfixed with ho rro r, remained mo tionless,wh ile Selim

’

s head was separated from his bo dy

bathed in blo od and gore .

A PPO I N TE D DE RV EN PA CHA o r RUME LI A . 43

Ali then o rdered the Cadi and the primate s to

re pair to the spo t to attest the execution ofthe

se ntence , seals were placed upon the palace ,which h e immediately qu itted, taking with h im,

as a ho stage , Mustapha, the son ofSe lim,who ,

after many vicissitudes, perished by the same

handwh ich had murdered h is parent . The lieu

tenancy to the newly appo inted Derven Pacha of

Rumelia was his recompense . Although an infe

rior post, and one wh ich consequently little grati

fied h is ambition , he willingly accepted it. The

misdemeanours ofhis lieutenant, who no t only

winked at the excesse s, but even shared in the

spo ils acquired by the brigands whom it was h is

duty to have brough t to justice , were so on fatal

to the Derven Pacha, who lo st his head in con

sequ ence ;and Ali only e scaped by sending as h is

p roxy to Constantino ple a strong box wellfilled

the substitute was accepted, and thus th e fruits

ofh is crimes procured h im abso lution from them .

Hav ing h igh ly ~

distingu ished h imself in th e

war which broke o ut be tween Turkey and the

two Imperial Courts ofAustria and Russia in theyear l7 87 , as a reward fo r his se rv ice s duringthat campaign , the Porte conferred upon h im the

pachaship with two tails ofTriccala, a prov incein Thessaly ; to th is was added the title ofDer

ven Pacha of Rumelia. One of th e dutiesattached to th is office was to maintain a free and

secure communication be tween Constantinople

44'

A L I’

s SE VE R ITY .

and Joannina, by clearing the valley ofPeneus of

a considerable number ofCh ieftains, who exer

cised there a much greater authority than the

officers ofthe Sultan . Ali se ized th is oppo rtu

nity ofOpenly keeping a body oftro ops in his

pay , wh ich he gradually augmented to the num

ber ofnearly 4000men : these were allwell

armed, and he so on shewed what migh t be ex

pected from h is v igilance and activ ity . Attack

ing the brigands at the head ofh is tro ops, he

ro uted, dispersed, and drove into the mountains

the ho rdes wh ich o verran the plains . His seve

rity made the inhabitants ofLarissa tremble ;andsuch was the terro r ofhis name , since his recent

appo intments , that order and security reap

peared,from the chain ofPindus to the passes of

Th ermopylae. By thus clearing the country of

tho se banditti, with whom he had h imselfbe en

co nnected, he no t o nly acquired the character of

a skilfulgo verno r, but also the means ofrender

ing h imselffo rmidable to the Po rte— fo r the idea

ofabso lute independence already dawned in h is

breast .

Ali was very carefulto increase h is reputatio n,

and to justify the o pinio n of h is talents, by

making liberal pre sents to the officers of the

Grand Se ignio r, and by sh ewing them the m in t

yards ofh is palace hung round with de truncatedheads . Be ing now firmly fixed in his go vern

ment, and finding h is treasure s increase, he fo rmed

D EATH O F'

K HAM'

CO . 45

th e idea ofbargain ing for the pachaship ofJOan

n ina, wh ich , by placing h im in the cen tre of

Epirus , would enable him to avenge h imselfof

h is enemies, and obtain the supreme mastery of

the Albanians, so essential to the success ofh is

ulterio rdesigns .

Abo ut th is time Khamco ,who had been long

afflicted with the dropsy, terminated her career.

Her last moments were employed in hearing her

will read to her : th is instrument, wh ich , by a

kind ofpo sthumo us power, imparts even to the

dead the power ofaction, bequeathed to Ali andhis sister the task ofimmolating to her manes the

inhabitants ofGardiki andTcho rmovo ,from whom

she had suffered the indignitie s ofslavery and

v iolation ; her bittere st curses awaited the non

e xecution ofher wishes . In a codicilshe or

dered a pilgrim to be despatched to Mecca in

her name , there to pre sent an offering at the tombof.the Prophe t for the repo se ofher — It is

said that she expired in the mo st dreadfulpa

roxy sms ofrage ,

Dicens in supero s aspera verbaDeo s .

Anxious to embrace her son in her dying h o ur,she had despatched courier after courier to him ;

but Heaven denied her that co nsolatio n, and she

breathed ou t her impio us breath in the arms of

Chainitza. Ali did no t arrive tillan ho ur afte i'

her death ; he bedewed her inanimate corpse

46 A L ! s s rzxs I OA N N IN‘

A .

with the tears Offilial affection ; and, clasping his

s ister’s hand w ith in h is own , they bo th swo re

.to pursue and u tterly exterminate the enemies of

the ir be lo ved mo the r.

Thus, uniting ambition to the th irst for ven~

geance , he became stillmo re anxio us to Obtainthe pachaship ofJoannina. Th is city was

almost wholly supplied with co rn from Thessaly ;and Triccala, ofwh ich Ali was now Pacha, com

manded the commercial communicatio ns fromEpirus to Constantinople , especially those be

tween Joannina and Thessaly . Since the con

quest the inhabitants ofJoannina had preserved

a partial liberty under the go vernment ofthe irPachas , whose recallthey effected at will . In

17 16 they had, fo r the first time , been subjected

to the Caratck, and to the authority ofa Pacha

with two tails : th is had taken place under the

dependence ofthe Vizier ofTriccala in Thessaly .

Upon th is ancient custom Ali fo unded h is pre

tensions . By th e h elp ofintrigue he had gaineda strong party in Joannina, wh ich resembled

rather a rendezvo us for the factio us, than a town

s ubject to the Grand Se ign ior ; fo r the Beys,having obtained considerable influence , had confined

the Pachas in an

'

old castle near the lake , and

continually threatened th em with be ing recalled,

ifthey Oppo sed the ir seditio us practice s, and

Ali by his agents cont inually fomen ted these in

trigues and dissensions . Calo - Pacha,who had

A L I sarz s s J OA N N I N A . 47

go ve rned Joannina fifteen years, be ing just dead,

no t witho ut suspicion ofhav ing be en po iso ned,a v iolent conte st fo r the succession aro se amo ng

the mo st powerfu l and ambitious ofthe Beys .

Ali was unwilling to lo se so favourable an

oppo rtunity ofadvancing h is fortune . Havingsecre tly instructed his agents at Co nstantinopleto procure him the title ofPacha ofJoannina,

he le v ied troops, and suddenly appeared beforethat town. In the mean time the Beys, whohad alsofriends in the Divan, had, through the irmedium, obtained afirman forbidding Ali to enterJo annina : the courier, who se arrivalwas so

anx iously expected, at length appeared ; his des

patches were read,and, to the surprise and con

sternation ofthe Beys, Ali was nominated Derv en Pacha, and was instructed to enter the cityimmediate ly . The same nigh t he marched into

Joannina, and appeared before the Cadi, whombe required to enregister and promulgate the

firman ofinvestiture . Th is legal act hav ing been

performed, he was so lemnly acknowledged in h is

quality ofPacha oftwo tails ofJoannina. Th is

event, the ch iefObject Ofhis wishes, to ok place

at the clo se ofthe year 17 88 .

CHAPTER 111.

Descriptio n ofthe valley and town ofJoannina— Histo ry of

Joannina from the time ofAlexis Commenes, tillthat ofAli

Pacha.

TH E valley ofJoannina is situated in the centre

ofEpirus, and presents a plateau ofabo ut e ightleague s from no rth to so u th , the radius ofits

mean diame ter be ing abo ut two leagues . Th is

fertile and extensive plain, co vered with groves ,

gardens, plantations, and the riche st productions

ofthe co untry, is surrounded by mo untains on

every side . Pindus bo unds it o n the east by its

inferio r chain called Mitch ikeli, which extends

from the so uth -west to the no rth -we st, a littleto the north ofthe lake Labchistas and the de

file ofPro topapas . From th is po int is a range of

undulating h ills, running from north to so uth, as

far as the defile ofVelchistas, whence they con

tinue towards the east fo r about a league , till

they become united with the mountain ofthe

F ive Pits, wh ich connects them with Mitchikeli.

Such is the mo untainous zone encompassing the

plateau, called by the ancients Hellopia, but

known to the moderns under the name ofthe

valley OfJoannina.

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

D ESCR I PT ION O F J O A N N I N A . 49

7110upper lake , nearly resembling in form an

moles triangle , is abo ut fourte en miles in cir

lkrence , and is approached by the eastern

13 through the Mezzo vo road. On the left

he valley ofBarcamo udi, extending to the

:h between fo ur and five mile s : here are

villages ofCatzana and Cho ria, inhabited

Sh ack and -Valaque s Christians, the cultiva

ofth is fertile coun try . The base ofthe lake

ro u t three quarters ofa league in extent ; and

it, in the plain ofBarcamo udi, are the t e

18 ofan ancient Cy clopean fo rtress called

.ritza. From the top ofits towers is a fine

ofallthe eastern part ofthe basin ofJoan

but the pro spect on the we st is interrupted

he chain Ofth e Pindus .

bo ut the distance ofhalfa league west of

ritza is the Khan ofCatch ika, and oppo site

is the village of the same name . After

ing the Khan of Pogon iani, the trave ller

rs J oannina by the gate ofCalo -Tchesmé,

wh ich are two Chinese pav ilions recently

ted by Ali Pacha.

re town ofJoannina‘, extending along the

v ity and base ofthe h ills wh ich bo und it on

'

u' the accompanying view ofI oannina, we are indebted

it “ gent traveller, Mr. Theophilus Richards, who sesting Diary has also supplied many ofthe facts reco rded

lMemo ir.

50 PUBLI C BU I LD I NG S .

the west, is about two miles and a halfin length ,

and nearly one in breadth . It consists oftwo

principal stree ts ; the o ne running nearly the

who le length ofthe town, and the o ther cro ss ingit at right angles . A pen insula, the Site ofthe

ancient town , runs into the lake at a con

siderable distance from the town , and upon

th is is bu ilt the castrou o r fo rtress, wh ich is ap

proached o ve r a miserable bridge , through the

filthy quarter of the Jews . The ch ief bu ild?ings enclo sed with in the castrou are the Old and

new se raglio s ofthe Vizier, two mo sques, one ofwh ich , called the Mo sque Calo Pacha, is o rnar

meated with granite columns brought from the

ru ins ofthe temple ofPluto , in Threspo tia. Hereare also the palaces ofAli’S sons,Mouctar andVe lyPacha. The se latter edifices, built after the

Turkish fash ion, are remarkable for be ing o rnae

meated with fresco paintings, executed by some

Armenian daubers . The subjects ofthese paintings are as monstro us and gro ss, as the taste ofthe princes who admire them is vicio us and def

preved. For instance , upon the fro ntal of the

entrance -

gate to Mo uctar’

s palace , that Pacha is

represented, surrounded by h is Officers,witne ss ingthe to rture and execu tio n ofa criminal. -This

work is much admired, although co nSIde Ied by

the conno isseurs as inferior to ano therg in which

the same prince appears seated, surro unded by

oxen,horses, mule s and asse s . The paintings in

DESCR I PT ION OF TH E TOWN OF J OAN N I N A . 5 1

Vely’

s palace represent camps, piles ofheads,sieges, &c . &c . In the latter productions of

Armenian genius, the bombs are considerably

larger than th e houses . The apartments ofAli

Pacha are somewhat in a be tter taste ; but

scarcely merit th e hono ur ofa description .

Ioannina contains abo ut fo urteen mo sques and

seven churches, and abo ut three thousand two

hundred houses, some ofwhich are spacious andwellbu ilt. The bazaar is large , and fullofgo odshops ; but from its be ing co vered in , to shelter

itfrom the sun and rain, it is almo st impo ssibleto judge ofthe quality ofthe articles exposed for

sale . The number of inhabitants, Albanians,Turks, Greeks, and Jews, may be recko ned at

about th irty - six or thirty- e ight thousand, no t in

cluding about ten thousand soldiers be longing to

the Vizier. The water is excellent . The lake is

supplied by numerous springs at th e fo o t ofthe

hills, and emptie s itselfthrough caterers, or sub

terran'

eous months . There are a few miserableboats upon the lake , ch iefly used in fish ing and

carrying fire -wo od ; and the Vizier has a small

Polacca brig ofabout forty o r sixty tons burthen,

although , from his ave rsion to the water, he sel

dommakes use ofit.

There are very fewmanufacto ries in Joannina ;the principalone is for making a kind ofSilk and

cotton stuff, much wor n by th e Greeks and Turksfor dresses . Co nsiderable quantitie s ofleather,

52 COMMmac‘

s .

bo th dressed and undressed, are also expo rted to

Me ssina, Venice ,Trieste , the Ion ian islands , 8 m

it is so ld by we ight. In the ird re sses, the Turks

and Greeks use much go ld embro idery, wh ich is

manufactured here . The go ld is bro ugh t from

Naples, Genoa, and Venice . The annual con

sumption is abo ut do llars worth . The

ch iefarticles ofimpo rtation are coffee , sugar, co

chineal, indigo ,nails

, glass-ware , clo ths from

Germany, co tton go ods, red lead, iron ofallsorts

from Trieste , tin, lead, sho t, cambrics, and G o re

man linen ofevery description . Rice , and o ther

article s ofprov ision , are brough t from Alexan

dria. We have e lsewhere observed, that Joann ina has been mo re than once devastated by that

dreadful sco urge , the plague . In 1814, it was

daily expected o nce mo re to make its appear

ance , hav ing be en fo r some time raging in the

env irons ; th is would inev itably have been the

case , but for the prompt measures adopted byAli, who immediately drew a strong co rdon of

tro ops round the infected co untries . Immediatedeath was the punishment for attempting to pas s

it. At the same time he ordered, that upon th e

decease ofany perso n in Joannina, the h o u se

was to be clo sed till the nature ofthe diseasehad been ascertained ; declaring at the same

time , that Should it be found to be the plague ,every soldier stationed on the road thro ugh

wh ich it had been introduced, shou ld be put to

death , as we llas allthe re latio ns ofthe deceased.

H I STORY o r J OA N N I N A . 5 3

The town ofJoannina had already existedseveralage s previo usly to its restoration by John,

the son ofAlexis Comnene s, who commenced

to reign there abo ut the year 1118 ; o r, ao

cording to o the rs, by John Ducas , son- in -law

ofTheodore Lascaris , who ascended the throne

about th e year 1222 ofour era. We shall no t

stop here to inve stigate wh ich of these ac

counts is the true o ne , since bo th equally

prove that J oannina is a town of the middle

ages . Scarce ly , h owever, was it raised upon

the promontory wh ich runs into the lake , than

it was entire ly de stroyed by the No rmans and

Neapolitans, called by the h isto rians ofthat dayCatalans or Latins . Th is e vent, it is suppo sed,

happened about the twelfth century ; fo r it was

already flo urish ing, when it fellinto the powe r of

the Triballi, a name by wh ich the By zantine s fre ~

quently designate the Serv ians . An anonymo us

history (2

) ofJoannina, in po sse ssio n of some

monks, commence s with the invasion ofthat town

by the Sclavon ians : acco rding to th is writer, theTurks, at th is period masters ofAsia Minor, occupied Thrace , the Geno ese were in po sse ssio nofOh io , the Vene tians ofthe Cyclade s and the

Morea, with the exceptio n ofLacedemonia, and

Mo'

nembasia ; wh ile Epirus was go verned bythe king ofServ ia. Th is e rale , o r monarch ,

named Stephen, finding the fro ntiers ofGreece

unprotected, began to make incursions, and so on

after attacked the towns . By dint ofvio lence

54 I N VA SION o r J O A N N I N A .

'

and intrigue , be by degrees go t possession of

Grecian Valach ia, ofwh ich Triccala and Larissaform a part, and finally made himselfmasterofJoannina, and ofGreece , or Hav

ing thus acqu ired po ssession ofth is country , he

fo rmed it into two principalitie s ; giv ing G re

cian Valach ia and Joannina to one ofhis Satraps,by name Prolampo s, whom he also gratified withthe title ofCaesar ; and E tolia to his bro ther

Sime o n , who married Thome, the daugh te r and

he ire ss ofJohn , the lo rd ofthat prov ince . After

having made these arrangements, he h imself

returned to Berat, and thence to Can ina,where he so on after died. The Caesar Prolam

po s to ok immediate po ssession ofthe countrywh ich had been granted him ; but Simeon was

compe lled to give up E tolia to his relation Nice

pho re , who had been nominated to it by the

go vernment at Co nstantinople , and he return ed

to Casto rra, to the queen h is wife , who residedin that town . He there immediately se t abo u t

o rganizing tro ops, and so on raised abo u t five

th ousand men . In the mean time , Nicephore ,

hav ing arrivedfrom Constantinople , entered upon

h is government ; but he was no t fated to enj oy it

long , fo r finding E tolia a prey to inte stine bro ils ,the Greeks hav ing been expelled the towns hy

‘the

Albanians . and be ing de sirous ofsubdu ing them

by force ofarms, h e lo st his life in a battle with

them near the Achelo us .

Upon th is inte lligence , Simeon immediate ly

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

56 T IIr. D ESPOT THOMAS .

ance in 1868 . Scarce ly, however, had its ravagesceased, than the fury ofThomas again manifesteditselfin the mo st dreadfu l excesses oflawle sstyranny . He fo rcibly married the yo ung Greek

g irls ofthe best families to the Serv ians, se ized

the property oforphans, and e stablished the torture and the bastinado ; in sho rt, he became . the

great monopo lizer ofthe necessaries oflife , and

forced the inhabitants to cu ltivate the lands wh ichhe had usurped. During this state ofth ings , theAlbanians, to whom he had given offence , ap

peared befo re the town, under the command of

Pierri Leo sa ; and, after blockading it with va

rions success for three years, the war terminatedby the marriage of the ir ch iefwith Irene , th e

daugh ter ofThomas .

Th e year fo llowing th is event was memorable

for a fatal plague , wh ich desolated the town of

Arta, whence it was brought to Joannina in 13 7 8 .

The Malacassites, taking advantage ofth is visitaa

tion , attacked J oann ina. They were , howe ve r,

defeated with co nsiderable lo ss, and forced to

re tire . A general insurrection to ok place in

13 7 9, wh ich was supported by the Albanians

and the Malacassites, who re - appeared befo re

Joannina. A navalengagement took place on the

Lake , in which Thomas was victo riou s.

At length , in the Spring ofthe year 13 80, thefirst Turks who had ever ventured to cro ss the

Pindus appeared in Epirus, under the command

ofone ofthe ir ch iefs, called Isaim. On the 2d

EX I L E o r TH E ancn s i sno r MA'

I‘

H I E U . 5 7

ofJune they entered and ravaged Vela ; nor didthey re treat tillthey had massacred an imme nsenumber o fMazarechians and Zenovisians ofP0litza. Thomas availed h imselfofthe consternatio ncaused by th is event to se ize upon the fortified

positions ofVo ursina, Kre tzoumister, Dragomi,Velchistars, Are ocho v itza,

and the military po sts

commanding the defile s . Th is same year he also

took the Caste l Saint Donat, orPariimy thia. The

fo llowing year he banished the Archbishop Ma

thieu ; bu t this was the last act oftyranny Heaven

allowed him to commit : for, on the 23 d ofDe

cembe r, 13 83 , he was assassinated by his captains;N icepho raki, Raicaki, Arlavestris, Anthony, and

Frank. With h im expired the go vernment ofthe

Serv ians in Epirus .

At the news ofthe tyrant’

s death , the inhabi

tan ts ofJoannina, transported with joy , volun

tarily elected, as the ir de spo t or lo rd, Isao s, at

that time governor ofCephalon ia. He assumed

the go vernment o n the 30th ofJanuary, 13 84.

His first acts were to recallthe Archbishop, to

restore allconfiscated property, to abolish the

corvée, and to re instate the people in the ir ancient

libertie s . After a few years’

tranquillity, he was

obliged, in April 13 99 , to take the field against

th e Albanians . In th is war he was so unfortunate

as to be taken prisoner ; but, thro ugh the me

diation of the General commanding at Co rfu ,

he was ransomed fo r ten tho usand go lden sequins .

In the month ofApril 1400, he te - cntered his

58 AMURATH “ t r ans J OA N N I N A .

‘

capital; and a short time afterwards rece ived

the submission ofthe Canton ofPo goni. His

tory do es no t relate any particulars respectinghis death .

We have e lsewhere no ticed Ilderim’

s in ten~

tion ofinvading Epirus , and the successful pro secution of his scheme s by Amurath , the ninthmonarch ofthe Ottoman dynasty, wh o se victo

rions army entered Joannina on the 9th of

October, 143 1.

The chro nicle s from wh ich the precedingske tch has been extracted contain noth ing far

ther particularly wo rthy of no tice : they end

abo u t the year 1740; since wh ich time the

inhabitants of Joannina have preserved some

show ofliberty under the ir pachas : th is state

ofth ings lasted till the nomination ofAli Pacha

to the viziersh ip ofEpirus, from wh ich epoch

may be dated all the misfortune s ofa town

which has groaned under his iron rod for more

than th irty y ears .

Pag e 14.

CHAPTER IV .

Ali’

s policy .— Prepare s to attack Tcho rmo vo .

— Destructio n of

its inhabitants .— Ibrah imPacha ofBerat .— Middle Albania.

Marriage ofMouctar.-Ali

’

s jealousy ofSeph ir Bey — Causesh im to be po isoned.

— Ibrahim Pacha oppo ses Ali’s projects.- So uli.— Descriptio n ofthe Mo untain .

— Education ofthe

Soulio tes.— Ali

’

s first expedition against them .— Is defeated

H is reco nciliation with Ibrahim Pacha.— Ali assassinates his

own N eph ew.—Ali

’

s hypocrisy .—E rects the fortress ofGleis

so ura.— Preparations against the Soulio tes.

— Ali’sletter to the

So ulio te Chiefs .—Tzavellajo insMu n

— Surprises the Soulio tes.-Tzavella is se t at liberty .

— H is le tter to AIL—The attack

upon So uli.— Defeat ofAIL— Is compelled to make peace .

Is accused oftreason .— Ali

’

s cunn ing .— Exculpates h imself.

— Is declared innocent.— H is expeditio n against th e Bo ssi

gradians .— Ho rrible massacre ofthe Bo ssigradians .

ALr’

s first care upon attain ing the h igh situatio n so lo ng the object ofhis wishe s, was to

humble the beys ofJoannina, by strippi ng them

ofthe ir property ; be ing wellconvinced that hesh ould thus mo st effectually prevent the irfo rmingin trigue s against h im in the Divan . At the same

t ime he gained over the Albanians, upon whomhe be stowed all employments ofconsequence ;and, by a singular inno vation upon e stablished

customs, admitted Greeks into h is confidence ,

whose info rmation and abilities he well knew

60 rnrzm nzs TO A TTA CK Tcu o umo vo .

how to appreciate . Hav ing thus established thematerielofhis administration, Ali, who , to fur

therh is interests, co uld ado pt any se t ofreligio usopinions, conciliated the different sects by a

pre tended conv iction ofthe truth ofthe ir tene ts .

With the Turks he was a zealo us Musulman ; a

panthe ist C) with the Bektadgis, he professed ma

terialism ; and a Christian when in the company

ofGreeks, he pledged repeated bumpers to th ehealth ofthe Blessed Virgin . Obsequ io us to th e

Ottoman Court, so long as it did no t interferewith his indiv idualautho rity, he was e xact in

the payment ofhis tribute to the Sultan ; no r didhe omit to bribe , by munificent presents, tho se of

the ministry who po sse ssed the greatest influence

to th is system be constantly adhered, persuaded

that, in abso lute go vernments , gold is more pow

erfulthan the despo t h imself.

Ali, who had thus h umbled the beys, and

cajoled the pe ople by flattering promises, (fo r noman ever po ssessed the g ift ofa bland and insi

nunting e loquence in a greater degree than him

self,) though t the time had now arrived fo r fulfilling the last wishes ofhis mo ther, andfor gluttinghis own appetite for vengeance ; he therefo re

reso lved to direct his arms against Tcho rmo vo ,

at the base ofwho se rocks he had suffered the

ignominy ofdefeat, and with in who se walls h ismo ther and sister had been subjected to the ho r

to rs ofv io lation . What incentives were these

PA C H A o r B ERAT . 6 ]

forone who never fo rgo t aught but benefits ! The

fear offailure , however, wo u ld no t permit h im to

engage in this enterprise , till he had ensured its

success by treachery . Tchormo vo was taken,

and such ofthe inhabitants who could no t effect

their e scape by fl igh t, pe rished by fire or in the

midst oftortures . A ho rrible and crueldeath is

said to have been inflicted upon the nobleman

accused ofhav ing v iolated Ali’

s mother. After

th is expedition family alliances stillfarther in

creased the influence ofAli. His wife Eminehhad bo rne him two sons, Mo uctarand Ve ly , who

were now in the flower of the ir y o uth , and

equally distingu ished fo r the ir co urage and the ir

n oble and warlike figure . The se he afte rwards

married to two daughters ofIbrah im, Viz ier of

Berat . Th is Pacha was de scended from an illus

trions family, had married the daugh ter ofCourd

Pacha, and was one ofthe greatest noblemen of

the Arnaute race . By this marriage he had some

years before deprived yo ung Ali ofa lover, and

de stroyed his hope s ofobtaining the pachaship

ofBe rat . Ali, at that time on ly the Bey of

Tepelini, had even been subjected on that o cca

s ion to humiliating and ill-founded taunts upon

h is extraction . No t o nly did he cherish the hope

and desire ofrevenge , but it so happened that, in

this instance , the policy ofthe new Pacha of

J oannina perfectly co incided with the passions of

the man .

62 MA RR I AG E o r mo ucrmr A N D V E LY .

Middle Alban ia, subject to the Pacha ofBerat,was, from its richness and fertility, the mo st

natural, the most necessary, and at the same

time the mo st easy conquest fo r the Pacha of

Lower Epirus . As ch iefofthe Klefte s, and as

Bey of Tepelini, he had successive ly fo rmed

numerous connexions in that country, the locali

tie s ofwh ich were perfectly known to h im . In

addition to the prox imity and the riches ofMiddle Albania, the noble race ofhorses peculiar toit rendered its po ssession amo st desirable object .But it was, abo ve all, important to th e Pacha of

Joannina to deprive the inferior beys ofthe independent cantons ofEpirus ofthe co nstant sup

port wh ich they were accustomed to find in the

Pacha ofBerat . To take po sse ssion ofth is pachash ip by fo rce . and that under the eyes ofthePo rte , wo uld have been a diflicult and hazardous

enterprise . Ali underto ok to effect his project

by indirect means, and at length succeeded with

admirable ability and perseverance . Superio r toIbrah imbo th in power and renown,

he firstfo rced

him to g ive h is two daughters in marriage to h is

two sons, Mouctar and Vely ; and then , under the

pretext ofmarriage po rtions, stripped h im ofone

district after ano ther. Ibrah im'

s first conce ssionwas his co nsent to affiance two ofhis daughte rs

to Ali'

s so ns, and the third to his nephew .

Scarce ly however were Mo uctar’

s nuptials solem

nized, wh ich promised to guarante e the tranquil

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

64 H AS H IM Po xso nnp .

learning th is act ofseve rity, Sephir Bey , thinking that a man so persecutedwas deserv ing ofh is

confidence , took h im into h is serv ice , and so on

became the v ictim ofh is unsuspecting confi

dence . The fatal draught was admin istered. As

soon as the crime had been perpe trated, the

assas sin . favo ured by the emissaries ofAli, took

to flight and arrived at Joannina, to render an

account ofh is success, and to rece ive the promised reward. As was expected, many complii

ments were paid him o n his address, and he

rece ived an o rder upon the treasury fo r the sti

pulated sum ; but, upon his qu itting the serag lio ,

he was se ized and hanged by o rder ofAli, who

was anxious to rid h imse lfofthe sole witne ss of

his gu ilt. He even to ok advantage ofth is act of

perfidy , by proclaiming that he had caused the

assassin ofSeph ir Bey to be punished ; at the

same time publish ing the particulars of his

po isoning, the suspicion ofwh ich he artfullyco ntrived sh ould fallupon the wife ofIbrah im

Pacha, whom he re presented as jealo us ofher

bro ther- ia-law’

s influence . Th is base insinuationhe to ok every Oppo rtunity ofpropagating,not onlyat Constantinople , bu t where ver he posse ssed anyintere st ; and, although be doubted its be ing generally credited, y e t he wellknew, that although

the wounds inflicted by calumny may be healed,

the ir scars willlast for e ver ! Availing h imse lfofthe scandals he thus disseminated, he to ok up

D ESCR IPT ION o r so o n . 65

arms, under the pre text ofav enging the death of

Sephir Bey ; and was already meditating freshaggressions, when a tempo rary stopwas put to his

projects by Ibrah im Pacha, who engaged the Sonliotes to take up arms against him . Such wasthe cause ofthe first war u ndertaken by the free

Christians ofThre spo tia against Ali'

Pacha, and

which broke out in the spring ofthe year 17 90.

The mo untain of Souli, o r Caco So uli , so

called by the Turks, from the defeat they th ere

sustained, lies to the no rth ofPo rto Phanaré,nearly fo rty miles from Joannina, and abo ut

twenty from Santa Maura. The only entrance

is by a defile on the so u th , defended by three

towers, nearly a mile distant from each o ther, and

situated o n eminences where the road is mo st

difficult : the o ther three sides are compo sed of

perpendicular precipices . In case ofneed the

Soulio tes obtain water by le tting down sponges

into a small bro ok o n the side ofthe mountainsofChimaera, the ro cks be ing to o uneven to allowthe descent ofa bucke t o r any o ther vesse l .This supply canno t be cu t off, the bro ok be ingdefended by the he ights ofthe mountain . The

territo ry ofSou li, about twenty- six mile s longfrom north to south , and e ight in breadth , co n

tains eighteen villages, ofwh ich five are situatedin the so uthern and less difficult part of the

valley , towards Lo uro , and th irteen in the upper

part, mo re rugged and inaccessible The prin

r

66 E DUCAT ION OF TH E s o umo'

rE s .

cipalv illages are Mega- Souli, the capital, Nava

riko s, and Kiapha. A fertile plain ofabout six

square leagues extends along the eastern fo o t of

the mountain . Here the So ulio te s have settled

fo r the purpose ofcultivating the land, bu t in

time s ofdanger they re tire to the irfastnesse s on

the mo untains .

With in the space offorty years th is sing ular

republic had founded seven new v illages, allof

wh ich participated in the righ ts ofthe commu

nity, and formed part ofa generalleague called

the warlike confederation . These exterior tribe s

materially co ntribu ted to the defence of the

country, ofwh ich they were the advanced po s ts .

As they were continually liable to be attacked

hy,the Turks, these people , wh o were ranged

aro und the mo untains, on the first alarm trans

ported the ir families and the ir bo o ty into the

interio r ofthe republic —the ir naturalfortre ss .

Such was the whole defensive system of the

So ulio tes . Arms, plunder, and the care ofthe irflo cks, were the ir exclusive o ccupations . To

have exercised a trade , o r devo ted themselve s

to commerce , wou ld have been considered a.

degradation .

At ten years ofage , the bo y s, in whom hatred

to the Turks was studiously instilled, entered the

military profession; and such was the warl ikespirit ofth is people , that in times ofdanger

the ir women have frequently no t o nly shared,

A LI'

s F I RST E x p E D IT I ON A G A I N ST TH EM . 6 7

but even increased the ardo ur ofpatrio tism by

th e ir spirit and example . The ir system ofwar

fare was rather de sultory than regular, but

th e ir wars, particularly be tween 17 86 and 1803 ,w ere remarkable for courage and pertinacity .

On the breaking o u t ofthe ir first war with Ali

Pacha, the ir army amounted to fo urteen hundred‘

e xper‘ienced soldiers, officered by captains or

p olemarques, who se command was tempo rary;and th is number, altho ugh comparatively so infe

n o r to the fo rce s ofAli, was mo re than suflicient

to defend po sitions by nature almo st impregnable .

Three thousand men wh om Ali despatched

against them in the spring of17 90, finding themintrenched in the ir mo untains, and no t daring to

make an attack, se ized allthe peasants, provis ions,and cattle , belonging to the v illages ofthe plain ,

which the Soulio te s had no t had time to e va

cuate . Enraged at this, the mountaineers des

patched from the ir ro cks a strong body ofcho sentroo ps , wh ich , falling unexpectedly upon the

Pacha’

s tro ops, rou ted them with great slaugh ter,re scued from the ir hands tho se whom they wereleading into captiv ity, reco vered the Spo il withwh ich they were laden , and pursued the fugitives as far as the valley ofJoannina, burningallthe mo sques and hou se s which lay in the ir

route .

From the fate ofth is first expedition, Alifound

F 2

68 RECONC I L IAT I ON W ITH I RRA H IM PAOHA .

that the Soulio tes were no t to be despised ; and

ofth is he was still more conv inced in the springofthe fo llowing year. Quitting the ir mountains,the Soulio tes ravaged Amphilochia, and we re

even daring enough to extend the ir excursions as

far as the defiles ofPindus .

F inding that the ir reduction could no t be ef

fected without first depriv ing them ofthe sup

port ofthe Pacha ofBerat, Ali represented to

h im that it was the ir mutual interest to ann i

bllate a Christian confederation, wh ich only

served to destroy the fo llowers ofMahome t, and

diminish the power ofthe Po rte . He at length

succe eded in gaining over Ibrah im : and such

is the hatred of eve ry Musulman against th e

Christians, that Ibrah im though t he was per

forming a meritorious action in abandoning the

Soulio tes to the ir fate . The marriage ofh is

younge st daugh ter with Ve ly Bey , Ali’

s seco nd

s on , (already aflianced to her,) confirmed the irreco nciliation .

The marriage ceremony is generally so lemnizedwith much pomp by the Satraps ofAlbania, butthe torch ofHymen was once more destined toenligh ten a scene ofatrocious and unnaturalperfidy . Chainitza, Ali

'

s sister, had married h e r

daughter to a bey ofG a mma, devo ted to the

interest ofthe Vizir Ibrahim, and who , upon thatacco unt, was the object ofAli

’

s particular hatred.

Th is antipathy be ing known at Berat, in the

A LI ASSA SS I NA TE S H Is N E PH EW‘

. 69

h o pes ofeffecting a reconciliation with his uncle ,h e was deputed to conduct to the arms ofVe lyBey the favourite daugh ter ofIbrah im . In the

m idst ofa series ofentertainments wh ich followed the nuptials, it was suddenly reportedthat Ali had been sho t at. Although th e crimi

nal escaped, y e t, as the act was atte sted by

respectable witnesses, it was concluded (as is

g enerally the case under such circumstances)that a conspiracy existed. To glve these reports

a greater appearance oftruth , the po lice were

se t to wo rk, and suspicion,wh ich fe ll upon no

one in particular, ho vered o ver all. The Satrap,affecting to be surrounded by enemie s, announcedthat fo r the future he wo uld only give private

audiences, to which no person was to be admitted unless unarmed. The audience chamber

was as singular, as the purpo se for wh ich it had

be en eXpre ssly constructed ho rrible , be ing bu ilt

u pon an arch , and entered only by a ladder

wh ich re sted against a strong chevaux - de -frise .

I t was into this den, that, at the end ofa few

days, Ali inv ited his nephew, under pre text of

conversing with him upon some impo rtant affairs .

Confiding in the sacred laws ofho spitality, thelatter kept the appo intment . He ascended the

ladder witho ut hesitation the do o r clo sed uponhim; the page , after hav ing introduced him intothe audience chamber, disappeared ; but beforehe could pay tbs

usual compliments, a pistol-b all

70 AL I ASSASSI N ATES 1118 N E PH EW.

struck him to the earth . Be ing but slightlywounded in the shou lde r, he ro se time enough to

mee t the furious attack ofAli . A fierce strugg leensued, and the nephew had nearly gained the

door, when his uncle se ized a flaming firebrandfrom the hearth , thrust it into his face , and th en

despatched him with repeated stabs . The assas

sination be ing effected, the Pacha cried o ut loudlyfor he lp, and shewing h imse lf co vered with

blood, declared he had killed his nephew inse lf

defence . Befo re calling for assistance , Ali hadslipped a le tter into the pocket ofh is v ictim,

wh ich no t only criminated him, bu t also ineul

pated h is bro ther, who was acco rdingly se ized

and executed ; thus in o ne day Ali rid h imse lfof

th e only family who cou ld oppo se his ambitiou s

v iews .

Public thanksgiv ings and a so lemn sacrificewere

ordered for the discovery ofth is plo t . Prisoners

were set at liberty, and Ali rece ived v is its ofcon

gratulationfor hislate prov identiale scape . Tro opswere at the same time despatched to se ize the

property ofthe two Bey s whom he had mur

de red; and as the fru it ofhis crime , he to ok po s

session ofthat part ofEpirus wh ich extends to

the sources ofthe Desnitza. It was now, that, to

keep the Alban ians in check, be erected the

fo rtress ofCleisoura, wh ich commands the en

trance to the defiles of Mounts Asnaiis and

[Ero pe As to Ibrah im Pacha,.abandoned by .

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

7 2 TZAVELLA ACCE PTS H IS PRO POSA L.

jo in my standard, that I may march against myenemies . The moment is now arrived, in wh ich

y ou can e ssentially serve me , and give pro ofs of

y our friendsh ip and affectio n . Your pay shall be

double that ofmy Albanians, we ll knowing that.y our courage is superior to the irs. As I shall no t

take the fie ld till yo ur arrival, I intreat that y ou

will march with the utmo st expedition . Th is is

allI have to communicate at pre sent, and so

farewe ll .”

Bo tzaris and Tzavella instantly convoked an

assembly ofthe ir fe llow- citizens, before whom

the Pacha’

s letterwas read ; but it only confirmedtheirformer Opinion ofAli’s duplicity.

The former, therefore , wro te to the Pacha, that

he had rece ived his communication ; and that

although ,for his own part, he had no objection to

comply with his request, y et as he could no t pre

vail upon his co untrymen to be ofthe same

opinion, he considered it as use less fo r h imselfonly .to appear.

Tzavella, on the contrary, e ither dazzled byambition or gained o ver by the presents ofthe

Pacha, jo ined the Albanian army with seventypalikars .

Upon the arrival ofthis detachment, Ali beganh is march for Argyro Castrou . On halting, however, at Dzidza, the Mahome tan Albanians sur

prised and se ized the Soulio tes at the moment

when, unarmed, they were abo ut to indulge re

TZ’

AVE LLA I S SET AT L I BE RTY . 7 3

po se . The who le ofth is band, except T2ave lla,were sent prisoners to Joannina. Ali in the

mean time turned his march towards Souli, and

reached the mo untain before the next day ; but

finding the Soulio tes on the alert, be defe rred his

attack, and aga in tried the cfl'

ect ofartfulnego

tiation ; ordering Tzavella to be brought before

him, he tried both promises and menaces to prevail upon him to be tray his co untry . To th is

proposition Tzavella replied, that be ing o nly a

captain he could no t insure the submission ofh is

countrymen, but he would use his utmo st endea

vours, prov ided he were se t at liberty ; and for a

proofofh is sincerity he would leave his only son ,

Whose life was dearer to him than his own , as a

hostage . The terms were accepted ; Tzavellawas se t at liberty, and his son de livered up to

the Pacha, to whom,upo n arriv ing at So uli, Tza

vella despatched the following letterAli Pacha,

I glo ry in having dece ived the dece iver. Iam prepared to defend my co untry against a

robbe r . My son is devo ted to de structio n ; bu t,ere I die , I will avenge his death with a dreadful

vengeance . Ifwe be conquerors (and God willbless our arms), I shallhave o ther ch ildren, fo rmy wife is still young . Come on then, traitor, ifthou dare st ; fo r I th irst fo r vengeance , and am

thy swo rn and mortal fo e .

Altho ugh much exasperated at the failure of

74 TH E ATTACK UPON SOU LI .

his scheme , Ali did no t judge it expedient tosacrifice young Tzavella to his fury, but sent himto his so n Vely Bey , at I oannina. Uponbe ingbro ught before him, he replied to every que stionwith a presence ofmind and a firmne ss wh ichsurprised every one . UponVely

’

s te lling him, that

he only awaited Ali’

s orders to have him roasted

at a slow fire , I do no t fear y o u, repliedthe co urageo us yo uth ; the same fate awaits

y o u o r yo ur father, should y ou fall into o ur

hands l” Ve ly o rdered h im to be thrown into

a dungeo n , and fed on bread and water.

Th e So ulio tes, acco rding to the ir custom, had

abando ned the v illages ofthe plain, and placed

the ir tro o ps, which amo unted In all to three

hundred men, in the different defile s here the y

awaited the enemy’

s approach . Enco uraged bysome partialsuccesses they had gained in '

skir

mish ing, and emboldened by see ing the Chris .

tians re treat befo re them, the Turks, on the 2oth

ofJuly, commenced a gene ralattack upo n the

Soulio te s . They advanced sabre in hand, drivingthe Christians into the defile s ofTrypa and Saint

Viuerande . Never had the Mahome tans pene

trated so far into the mo untains . At sigh t of

the ir danger, the Soulio te s raised a cry wh ich re

sounded e ven in the deepest rece sses of the

mo untains . At th is signal, wh ich announced the

public danger, the women, headed by Mosco ,

DE F EAT o r A LI . 7 5

the wife ofCaptain.

Tzavella, rushed forward and

joined in the general defence . Animated by the

Same generous passion, the love ofthe ir country,the Soulio tes, bo th men and women , seemed now

to have but one soul, and, as it were , but one

body : se izing by co llective strength immense

masses ofrock, they rolled them down with h ide

ous crash on the heads ofthe ir invaders . The

Turkish column was broken to its very centre . In

the mean time the re treat oftho se who had dared

to penetrate into the mountains was cut ofl’

by a

sortie ofthe garrison ofTicho s . After hav ingmade a dreadful slaughter ofthe ir invaders, thevictoriou s So ulio te s rushed upon the tro o ps

which stillremained with the Pacha, and who ,

’

terrified by th is reverse offo rtune , abandoned the

field ofbattle . Ali h imse lfwas compe lled to fly ;and so hOt was the pursuit, that he killed two

horse s e re h e reached Joannina. He could o nlyrally a thousand men, and with these he en tered

his capital during the night . To concealh is de

feat, he preceded his arrivalby a proclamatio n,

fo rbidding the inhabitants to Stand at the win

dows, o r even to appear in the stree ts .

By a junction with the Chimeerio tes, the So n

lio tes shortly afterwards fo und themselves suffi

ciently strong to commence offens ive Operations,and finally succeeded in compelling Ali to co n

clude a peace upon the ir own terms. (2

)

7 6 AL I’

S CUNN I N G .

Scarce ly was the treaty signed, than Ali foundh imse lfimplicated in an affair that threatened h is

po litical existence , and to clear h imselffromwh ich requ ired the u tmo st efl

’

orts ofthe craftyAlbanian .

For a co nsiderable time he had been engaged

in active correspondence with a fore ign power,by who se assistance he h oped to be enabled to

erect Greece into an independent state , ofwh ichhe was to be nominated the prince .

A considerable po rtion ofth is co rrespondence ,bearing Ali

’

s Seal, hadfallen into the hands ofth e

go vernment ; and a Capidgi Bach i was imme

diately despatched to Joannina, to institute an

enqu iry .

Upon the arrivalofth is officer, he immediately

proceeded to lay befo reAli the D A MN I N C pro ofs”

ofh is intelligence with the enemies ofthe Sublime

Porte andfo r th is o nce , truth appeared to pre

vail. In the op in io n ofh is Highness, said Ali,I must be culpable , fo r th is is my seal, and I

canno t deny it ; but the body ofthe le tte r is

no t in the writing ofmy secre tarie s ; some one

anxio us fo r my de struction must have surrep

titiously used my seal. I entreat yo u to allow

me a few days, in o rder to discover the in iqu ito us

plo t by wh ich I have been compromised in the

opinion ofmy master, and in that ofallgo od

Musulmans . May God enable me to e stablish myinnocence , which , no twithstanding these depo

A LI’

S CUN N I NG . 7 7

sitions against me , is as pure as the great foun

tain oflight !”

After a lapse ofa few days, in wh ich Ali affected to be engaged in a secre t inve stigation of

the plot fo rmed against h im, but which in realitywere passed in forming plans fo r extricating himselffrom this critical situation , he Sent fo r a

Greek, ofwhose fidelity he was assured, and to

Whom he in part communicated his design .

Thou art assured,said he , that I have ever

esteemed thee , and the moment is now arrived inWhich I willmake thy fo rtune ! From th is day ,conside r thyselfas my son ; my palace

'

shallbe

ever o pen to thee , and thy family I shall henceforth consider as my own . In re turn for the se

benefits , I o nly requ ire one trifling serv ice at thy

hands . Tho u knowe st that rascally CapidgiBach i, who has arrived here with in th ese few

days : he has brought with him certain papers,bearing my seal, wh ich are to be employed In

exto rting money from me . I have already given

to o much ; and, except to such a go od servant as

thou, am unwilling to part with mo re . The re

fo re , my son ,when I give thee no tice , thou must

repair to the Mekeme , and there , befo re the Ca

pidgi Bach i and Cadi , declare that thou art the

write r ofletters attributed to me , and that,

abusing the confidence I reposed in thee , thou

hadst made use ofmy seal in order to give them

an official value .

-7 8 E xcu LPATEs H IMSE LF .

The Greek at the se wo rds turned pale ; and

was abo ut to reply . What do st fear, my dearfriend (dyamméve y ou) ? Am I no t thy kind master?What can alarm the e when under my pro tection?Wo uld the Capidgi Bach i dare to act here without my permission ? Thank Heaven and the Pro

phet ! Ali Pacha is no t y et fallen so low as to

allow any one to interfere with h is rights . Witha subject I wo uld no t condescend to use en trea

tie s ; bu t with the e— butlknow thy fidelity ; and Iswear to thee , in the name ofthe Prophet, and by

my own and my children’

s safety , that no harm shall

befalltheefrom the Capidg i Bachi.”

The Greek,unable to e scape from the fangs of

the merciless Ali, was fain to comply, and pro

mised to give the requ ired testimony . He was

immediately dismissed ; and Ali, o rdering the

Capidgi Bach i into his presence , said to h im,

with much apparent emotion, I have at length

discovered the infernal plo t fo rmed against me .

The autho r ofit is in my power, and I have pro

mised him my pardon, pro v ided he make an

ample co nfession . Repair, therefo re , to th e Me

keme , and le t the Cadi and the Judge s be as

sembled to hear the co nfession ofthe delinque nt .

As may be suppo sed,the Co urt was no t lo ng

in assembling, and the Gre ek, upo n appearing,was asked in pre sence ofthe Capidgi Bach i,whe ther he knew the hand-writing ofthe le tte rs ?

I t is mine.

”—This seal I t is that ofmy

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

80 EXPE ISIT I ON AG A IN ST BOSS I G RA D .

was directed against the Bossigradians . It was ,

however, unsuccessful; but Ali, farfrom testifying any displeasure

,sent to compliment the

Bo ssigradians upon the ir valour. In the le tter

he addre ssed to them, he said, “that being a ;

sincere admirer oftheir valour, he wished to number "

them among his most faithfulservants ; offe ring,if they would enter into his service, to g ive then:

honourable and lucrative appointments ! Sedu cedby th is offer, and tempted by the desire ofgain ,

the Albanians ofBo ssigrad accepted h is pro p osals, and in a short time th e ir town was strippedofits bravest defenders . Ali immediately d e spatched some cho sen tro ops, who , by unfre

quented roads, traversed the Pindus, pene tratedinto Bo ssigrad, and put to the sword allwh o

Offered resistance . The wh o le ofthe Bo ssigra

dians, also , who had se ttled at Joannina, suffe reddeath by the h and ofthe execu tioner. Such was

the end ofa pe ople , who se de structio n ope nedto the Pacha the road to Cau lonias , a mo st

important po sition, it be ing the key bo th to

Middle and Upper Albania, wh ich pro v ince he

was no t long in attacking upon its Macedonian

frontier.

CHAPTER V.

C a ra Mustapha declaredfi rmanli. -Ali summoned to take the

field agamst him.— Seizes Geo rtcha and Ochrida.

— Impoliticco nduct of the Soulio tes.

— Treaty ofCampo Fo rmio .—The

French take po ssession of Corfu .—Policy of the Vene

tians .— Ali cajole s the French Gene ral. —Inconsistency ofthe

French .—Ali

’

s attack upon Nivitza- Bo uba, and Santa Basil.

-Massacre ofthe ir Inhabitants — Ali obtains the surname of

Adam—Marches against Oglou .— Bonaparte ’s arrival in

Egypt — Ali endeavo urs to gain po ssession ofSanta Maura

and Co rfu .— Commences operations against Preveza.

— H is

treachery towards GeneralRo za.- Attacks Butrinto .

- The

French evacuate Butrinto .-Attack uponPreveza.

— Dese rtion

ofthe Soulio tes .— Surrender ofPreveza.

— Massacre ofits

inhabitants .— Ho rrible cruelties ofAli — Is made a Pacha of

three Tails.—Is present at the siege ofCo rfu.

—H is designs

upon Santa Maura.— Takes Butrinto and Gominitza.

— Ali’

s

Troops .—Corfu taken by the Allies.

— Ali is made Vicero yofRumelia.

ALr’

s expedition against the Bo ssigradians wasS carce ly terminated, when Albania experiencedOne oftho se politicalstorms so commo n in Tur

key . Scodra had become a nucleus for rebellion,

and its vizier, Cara Mustapha, having incurredthe anger ofthe Po rte, was declaredfermanli,and placed under the ban ofth e empire . In

coIlsequence ofth is civiland relig ious anathema,

G

82 A L! lmzzs o ao n'

rcuA AN D OCHRI DA .

the pachas, beys, and o ther great feudatories,

rece ived o rders to march against the rebel.

As Ali, who had been summoned, found, in

th is instance , his duty no t incompatible with h is

interests, he was one ofthe first to take the field,

and to commence the wo rk ofself-aggrandizement, under the pre tence ofserving his sovere ign .

This be ing h is object, instead ofjo in ing the

Rumelie - valise e ,who had taken the roadtoDibre s ,

he marched in the directio n ofCaulonais. By

th is manmuvre , having first se ized the strong

po sition ofGe ortcha, he to ok Ochrida by sto rm,

and put its inhabitants to the sword. Once in

po sse ssion ofOchrida, he gained over to his party

the ne ighbouring beys, the masters ofWeste rn

Macedonia, who were naturally jealous ofthe

autho rity ofthe Porte .

The pro vince ofOchrida, situated in the moun

tains be tween Macedonia and Middle Alban ia,includes with in itselfallthe defiles wh ich leadto the pachaship ofBerat on the road from Con

stantinople . Thus, by his skilfuland j udiciouscombinations, Ali had no t o nly very nearly cu t

offthe communication between ConstantinopleandUppe r Albania ; but also , by flanking the possessio ns ofIbrah im Pacha ofBerat on the north ,

he could in future harass him on every s ide ,except the sea : by gaining the strong po st ofGeortcha, he had also acqu ired an admirablemilitary po sition , wh ich cove red a great part of

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

84 TREA TY o r CAMPO - l-‘

ORM IO.

successive ly actuated allthe Pachas . More cau

tious, Ali had as y et only tho ught offortifyingand aggrandizing h imself, when an unexpected

event'

aroused h is whole attention , and with it

that ofEpirus in general. The conquest ofItalyby Bonaparte produced the treaty ofCampo

Formio between France and Austria, in 17 97 .

By virtue ofthat treaty, the French Directo ry,after hav ing bartered away the independence .of

the Vene tian Republic, and degraded from its

rank amo ng the nations a people so renowned

bo th for the ir antiqu ity and wisdom,se ized the

Ionian Isle s, toge ther with the ir dependenciesupon the Continent, v iz . Preveza,Vonitza, Parga,

and Butrinto . Th is intelligence so on reached the

co urt ofAli Pacha : that artful politician perceived, that instead ofhaving for his ne ighbo urs

a government, wh ich , unconscious ofits own

decrepitude , had grown old in the midst of

Europe , a colo ssalpower would so on be estab

lished near him wh ich had e rected itselfinto a

military republic, as turbulent as it was ambi

tious . On the 5 th July , 17 97 , Ge neralGentili,acting in the name of the French Republic,planted the tricol‘oured standard on the fo rtre ss

ofCo rfu , wh ich was fortified with fiv e hundred

and te n pieces ofcannon . The arrival ofthe

French created a strong sensation in the islands

ofthe Ionian seas ; and the ir pro ximity to the

Pacha ofJoannina was productive ofmuch unca

THE F REN CH TA K E POSS ESSION o r co ur u . 85

s iness to h im. It‘

was ofthe utmo st importance

to Ali that the French should no t adopt the same

system ofpo litics towards Epirus as had been

fo llowed by the Venetian Republic. The Vene

t ians settled at Co rfu and o n its oppo site banks,hav ing remarked the tendency to anarchy wh ich

prevailed amongst the Albanian noblesse , hadorganized a league , compo sed ofthe Beys alongthe coast, and ofallthe independent tribes, who ,altho ugh div ided by the ir individual interests,never failed to unite against the encroachments

ofthe Pachas . Thus, even in latter times, the

Venetians co vered the ir terra-jirma po ssessio ns

from Butrinto to Preveza, by the Confederation

of the Chimaera, of Con ispo lis, and Philates,wh ich latter he ld in check the Pacha ofDe lv ino ,th e ir nearest ne ighbo ur. On the o ther hand, by

means ofthe Beys ofMargarita and Paramithia,they arrested the

.

enterprises of the Pacha of

J oannina, without even striking a blow ; wh ile ,to keep down the Mahometan Beys, they madeuse ofthe Christian tribes ofSouli and Acroceraunia : by these means they had therefo re oh

tained a great preponderance in the affairs of

Albania. In addition to wh ich , about the year17 88, the Republic ofVenice had obtained a

firman wh ich forbade the Pacha ofEpirus to erectany battery with in the distance ofan Italianmile from the sea, so that he could no t even fo r

tify his custom- house , situated near Salamona, at

86 p o u e v o r Ta r. VE NlTIAN s.

the extremity ofthe GulfofAmbracia. While

Venice retained its power, these dispo sitio ns

were rigidly observed.

It might readily be conce ived what advantage

the French would derive fromfo llowing the same

line ofpo licy . Ali Pacha easily conv inced the

Ottoman Porte , that the advantages wh ich were

harmless in the hands ofa pacific power, would

be fatal to the Turkish interests ifgranted to an

ambitious and subjugating one . His fears were ,

however, so on qu ie ted by the“

representatio nsand conduct ofthe French . General Gentili, byorder ofBonaparte , who was the ]: commander

ih - ch ief ofthe army of Italy, despatched the

Adju tant- general Roza to Joannina, for the pur

po se ofso unding Ali, and, ifpo ssible , gain ingh im over to the French interests . Ali loaded

with honours and presents Bonaparte’

s emissary,who came tofraternize with the Pacha ofEpirus .

He gave him thefraternalhug , and rece ived fromhis hands the tri- coloured cockade . Wheneverhe came to court he rece ived him with the

hono urs due to the Pachas, and Openly called

h im his friend. Hav ing admitted him to the

greatest intimacy, he gave him a yo ung Greek in

marriage, named Zoitza, and was h imse lfpre sent

at the nuptials . The credulity and vanity oftheFrench emissary were so great, that he at

length persuaded h imselfhe was destined to be a

mo st important personage under the auspices of

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

88 A LI r IT s

‘

o ur A F LE ET .

po ssessed of the ports in the celebrated gu lf,called by the ancients the Sinus Ambracius .

On the continental side his schemes ofambition were o ppo sed by the Tziamides ; wh ile

!Mustapha, the son ofSe lim, Pacha ofDe lv ino ,

whom the Grand Se ignior had confirmed in the

po ssessions and office ofhis father, cut h im off

from the mo st direct road to Acroceraunia. His

only resource , therefore , was in fitting out a"

fleet : th is, however, he could no t do witho utfirst cajoling the Frehch ; and in th is he suc

ceeded, by flattering the national vanity and

enthusiasm of the young republicans, and by

gratifying the ir passions with luxurious entertain

ments and Grecian

After hav ing obtained the de sired permission,

Ali wholly occupied h imse lfwith the thoughts

ofvengeance . His expedition, wh ich was fitted

ou t with the greatest secrecy in the Ambracian

Gulf, se t sail in Passion Week of the year

17 98, and arrived on Easter Eve , about sunse t,

in the Bay ofLouevvo , where the tr00ps disem

barked in silence .

The resurrection ofour Saviour is celebrated

by the Greek Christians with peculiar solemni

ties. The different families me e t toge ther to eat

the Paschal lamb ; alldiscords cease ; and in the

co untrie s under Turkish government, Christian

priso ners are se t at liberty that they may partici

pate in the family banquet . At midnight they

MASSACRE A T N IVITZA - no vnA . 89

assemble in the ir churches ; absorbed in prayer

and in the outpo urings ofthe spirit, they waitt ill the joyful tidings ofChrist is arisen are an

n ounced by the priest from the interio r ofthe

sanctuary ; then rising , they give each o ther the

kiss ofpeace , and indulge the transpo rts ofre li

g io ns jo y . Scarcely had the sacramental wordsbe e n uttered, scarcely had they v ibrated thro ughthe hearts ofthe Christians, when the Turks,whohad advanced under cover ofthe night, forcedopen the do o rs ofthe churches, with h ideoussh o uts, and threw themselves, like tigers, uponthe ir defence less victims . The ministers ofHeave n, while yet invoking the succo ur ofthe ir G od,w e re butchered by the sanguinary followers of

Mahomet ; the altars ofhim who came to bring

p eace upon the earth streamed with the blood of

h is defencele ss disciples . The few who e scaped

the horro rs ofthat dreadfulnigh t, experienced

only

Change ofpain,A bitter change , severer fo r severe ;

for the next morning they suffered by the hands

ofthe execu tioner. In one instance , a family of

fourteen indiv iduals were seen allhanging uponthe same tree , wh ich, in consequence , has ever

since been called the Tree g? Marty rs . Many

we re cut to pieces, o thers perished by fire ; to beonly beheaded was copside red as a me rcy .

90 MA RCHES A GA I NST OG LO U .

.Thus was the who le population oftwo ofthe

principal tribe s ofAcroceraunia exterminated, to

the number of six thousand indiv iduals . Th e

terro r caused by th is carnage acquired Ali th e

prompt and vo luntary submission ofallthe towns

upon the coast, as far as th e port ofPanormo ;the se the Satrap immediate ly fortified, as we ll asthe monastery ofSt . Basil, after having massacredallits inmates .

Th is catastrophe , in wh ich Ch ristians only had

been sufferers, was generally agreeable to the

Mahometans and to the Divan , and procured

Ali the surname ofAslan, or the Lion, by wh ich

appellation he was styled in the military firmans

addre ssed to him by the Divan,when engaged in

the expedition against the rebe l Vizier ofVidin .

No t less than fo rty Pachas ofEurope and As iaMinor, under the command ofHussein, the Cap

tain - pacha and Grand Vizier, were assembled

befo re Vidin fo r the purpo se of“

subduing Pas

wan Oglo u .

Scarce ly, however, had Ali jo ined them, at the

head ofe ight thousand men , when the intelli

gence arrived ofBonaparte’

s disembarkation ; and

Ali,fore see ing that war would shortly break o u t

be tween France and Turkey, easily obtained the

GrandVizier’

s permission to re turn to Joannina.

On his arrival at h is pachaship, instead of

giving them the least alarm, he appeared .more‘

favo urable than ever to the French ; and wro te

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

92 SA'

N'

rA MA URA .

paring to wrest the Seven Isle’

s from a power

wh ich had manifested its intention ofconvertingthem into a centralpo sition,from whence it migh tattack European Turkey . Ali immediately re

so lved to obtain po ssession of th em by stra

tagem . He offered his alliance to the French

Generals, upon condition that they gave up to

him Santa Maura and the military po sitions on

the Continent, and admitted a part ofhis troo psinto the fortress ofCorfu , fo r the purpo se ofas

sisting in its defence . Th is nego tiation, howeve r,

did no t succeed, e ither from its appearing to be

merely an artifice on the part ofAli, o r from its

propo sals be ing contrary to the instructions given

by the French go vernment t o the Generals com

manding in the Ion ian Arch ipelago .

No twithstanding the u tmo st exertions ofG e

neral Chabo t, who had succeeded GeneralGen

ti11 In the government ofCo rfu, his tro ops wereill prov ided fo r defence : thiswas to be attributedto the want ofqu ick and freque nt communica

tions with the Army ofItaly . Since the expedi

tio n to Egypt, almo st allthe French ships ofwarhad quitted the Adriatic, and the land fo rces hadbeen reduced to three th ousand six hundred men .

Unable any longer to blind h imselfto his critical

situation, General Chabo t de termined to unde r

take a military progress throughout the isle s and

the continental districts ofh is division . He se t

A LI’

s ATTEMPTs A G A I NsT PREVEZA . 93

offon the 13 th Sept. 1798, accompanied by Gen eral Verrieres, commandant ofthe artillery, andse veralo ther staffofficers .

On the o ther hand,Ali Pacha, decided as to his

political conduct, and affecting a great zeal for the

interests ofthe Cre scent, despatched courier after

co urier to Constantinople; to represent to the

D ivan, that as the maritime towns formerly be

lo nging to the Venetians commanded the mo st

important line ofcoast, they necessarily cut off

E pirus from allcommunicatio n with the sea, and

deprived it ofevery means / ofexterior m ilitarydefence . He added, that till th is line ofcoast

were in h is power, h e should ne ither have free

dom ofcommerce nor security from attack. Hav

ing thu s inspired the Divan with the reso lution of

se izing the Ex -Vene tian towns upon the continent, he offered to act in concert with the allies,by undertaking h imselfthe reduction ofthese

towns, at present in the power . ofthe French .

H is offers having been accepted, he received full

d iscretionary powe rs, and immediately com

weneed o pe rations against Preveza.

GeneralChabo t had already reso lved to secure

this po int from allattack, and hav ing reco nno i

tred, nearN icopo lis, a po sition wh ich wou ld allow

ofbe ing strongly fortified, he o rdered a line o

’

f

intrenched po sts to be constructed, terminated bytwo stro ng redoubts, capable ofkeeping up a

cro ss fire .

94 OPERAT IGN s A GA I N ST PREVE ZA .

Ali, having learnt from his spies that three

hundred Fre nchmen, andfrom five to six hundred

Prevezans, were incessantly working at the ih

trenched camp at Nicopolis, ordered his lieute

nants , about the close ofSeptember, to assemblethe Turkish and Albanian tro ops for an expedi

r

tion against the French . His orders were exe

cu ted so promptly, that early in October a con

siderable number ofTurco -Albanians made the ir

canto nments in the v illages near the fo rt ofEutrinto , and sent out patroles in advance . That no

doubts migh t remain ofhis fidelity towards theOttoman Po rte , Ali commenced his ho stilitie s

against the French by an act ofperfidy .

He wro te to the Adjutant- general Roza, who

commanded at Corfu during the absence ofGeneralChabo t, inv iting h im to a conference in the

v illage ofPh ilates , situated in Lowe r Alban ia.

Th is officer, onwhom Ali had lav i shed inh umerable marks offriendsh ip and esteem, was pe r

fectly persuaded ofthe sincerity and honour of

the Pacha’

s so ul, and therefo re me t him witho utthe least hesitation o r mistrust. Ali rece ived himwith the u tmo st kindne ss, inv ited him to dinner,and during the repast artfully succeeded in drawing from him much information respecting the

military situation ofCorfu . The dinner ended,

he ordered the French generalto be se ized, tiedupon a horse , and co nducted to Jo annina : there

h e was thrown into a loathsome and infectio us

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

96 ATTA CKS T II E FORT or BUTR I NTO .

wh ich was immediate ly done ; but they though tit expedient to defend Preveza, as ifan iso latedpromonto ry could be ofthe least impo rtance .

Already the most '

wealthy inhabitants, terrifiedby the threats ofAli, had fled to Corfu and SantaMaura, carrying with them the irmost precio useffects. Entrusted with the defence ofPreveza,General Lasalce tte arrived at NicOpolis, resumed

the labours ofthe camp, and armed the Greeks .

They appeared animated with the greatest

courage , hav ing every th ing to lo se ifAli were

v ictorious . The offer also ofthe So ulio tes, who

had vo lunteered to march under the French

standard, was accepted. Arms and ammunitionwere furnished them with the utmo st expedition .

Impe lled by the two fold desire ofvengeance

and ofliberty, and supported by the conquero rsofI taly, what could no t the Greeks ach ieve

Such was the fond .idea ofthe French generals .

Ali was now anxious to attack the French be

fore they could be defended by the ir new fo rtifi

cations . A single redo ubt only, with part ofthe

intrenchments, had been raised, when, on the 22d

October, Ali was discovered advancing at the

head offour tho usand infantry and two or three

tho usand cavalry . He was accompan ied. by his

son Mouctar, who had the reputation ofsurpassing even his father in crue lty . Gen . Lasalcette ,

the number ofwho se tro ops did no t e xceed seven

hundred men, ofwhom four hundred only were

D E SE R'

N O N O F T HE SO UL IOTE S . 97

French , immediate ly po sted his tro ops beh indthe line Ofthe ir y e t unfinished intrenchments .

Abo ut midnight, Ali’

s advanced guard, compo sedOffive hundred chosen Albanians, marched to

th e attack ofthe redoubt, but were repulsedwithlo ss , and driven back as far as the ancient theatreOfNico polis .

The Soulio te s, however, did no t make'

the ir

appearance , and afatalirresolution was apparent

th roughout the ranks ofthe Greek aux iliaries .

The em1ssar1es ofAli had found means to intro

duce themselve s at Pre veza, and to sow the

s e eds ofterro r, disco rd, anddisaffection , amongst

t h e tro ops . At daybreak,h is whole army de

scended from the he ights oppo site the camp,brandish ing th e ir arms and shou ting the ir savagewar- cries . On the first sho t being fired, Ali as

cended the tower ofMicalitcheli ; his army traversing th e valley in despite Ofvolleys ofgrapeand musque try , rushed upon the French line ,

with an impe tu o sity equalled only by the courage

with wh ich they were rece ived by th e Gallo

G re eks, who were formed into two ranks, sup

po rted by severalpiece s ofcanno n, the fire from

which strewed the earth eve ry instant with the

bod ies ofthe ir enemie s . Dismayed fo r a mo

ment, the Albanians gave way ; but th is first

impression Ofterro r was so on succeeded by a

blind fury excited by the an imating wo rds Of

Mauctar, and the convictio n that the ir e veryn

98 suaaE N DE R o r PREVE zA .

mo vement was.

observed by the eagle ey e Ofthe

Pacha. Returning with tenfo ld fury to the

charge , they again rushed upon the centre ofthe

line : allwas now lo st through the cowardiceofsome ofthe Prevezan Officers, who , taking to

flight, were fo llowed by the soldiers whom they

commanded. Observ ing the disorder in his centre , the French General endeavo ured to close inhis wings, but it was to o late . Mouctar, at the

head ofhis cavalry and suppo rted by the Turkishinfantry, rushed into the o pen space , and bo th

wings ofth e French army were surrounded at

one and the same time . Allhope ofsafety was

n ow abando ned -but how many prodigies of

valour signalized the dying moments Ofth is handfulofhero e s ! Gabo ry , Richemont, your noble

bearing in th is unequalco nte st has insured y o u

the immo rtality ofh istory ! Many ofthe French

so ldiers, in iso lated gro ups, oppo sed the ove r

whe lming masses ofTurks, amongst whom the y

made a dreadfulcarnage e re they resigned the ir

gallant breath . GeneralLasalce tte , hav ing. ral»

lied five - and- twenty men ofdifferent ranks and

corps, had just succeeded in entering a redo ubt ;

but, finding it on the po int ofbe ing carried byassault, he ho isted a wh ite handkerch iefat the

end ofhis sabre . At this signal the Turks en

tered the fort, and he surrendered to one ofAli’s

lieutenants . The re st fo llowed h is example , withthe exception of one sub-lieutenant and two

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

100 HO RR I BLE CRUE LT1E s o r A LI .

from the ho ld ofa ve sse l, into wh ich they hadbeen fo rced the nigh t before . In vain , did the y

raise the ir supplicating hands Ali o nly answeredthe ir cries for mercy by giv ing the signal at

wh ich the still imploring lips were made to bitethe dust .

At the fall ofeach unfo rtunate v ictim the by

standers raised a sho ut ofexultation, and imme

diately stripped the body ! Towards the clo se

Of th is blo ody tragedy, the arm ofthe e xecu

tioner, a negro , became nerve less, h is knee ssho ok, and whether from fatigue o r suffo cationproduced by the o verpowering eflluVIa ofhuman

blo od, he fellupon the bodie s ofhis still reekingvictims, and expired in presence ofAli, ofwho se

cruelty he had been the active and fero cious in

strument .

But the misfo rtunes ofNicOpOlis and Preveza.were no t y et terminated . About ahundred French

prisoners, conducted towards a h ide ous and ap

palling mass ofwhat appeared to be a m ixture of

blo od and hair, at length recognized the heads of

the ir late unfortunate co untrymen . Clubs and

sabres were then employed to force them to the

loathsome task ofstripping them ofthe skin ,

wh ich they were aftervvards compelled to salt,and convey to Joannina. It is impossible to

describe the indignities and horrid crue ltie s

these po or be ings were condemned to sufi'

er o n

the ir jo urney to , and arrival in, Albania. From

I s MA D E PA G II A W I TH TH R E E TA I LS 101

thence they were marched to Constantinople ,

thro ugh the northern part ofGreece , amidst theinclemency ofone ofthe severest winters eve t

‘

remembered : many ofthese wretches perishedwith cold, hunger, and fatigue . NO so onerdid

an unfo rtunate shew symptoms of weariness,

than one Ofh is savage conducto rs struck him to

th e earth , severed his head from his body, and

gave it to his companions to carry . On the ir

arrivalat Co nstan tinople , bo th officers and men

were immured in the prison appro priated to the

slaves . Three on ly, GeneralLasalcette , Adju

taut-

general Ro za, and Brigadie r Ho tte , were

imprisoned in the Seven Towers .

Explo its so terrific acqu ired Ali an astonish ingcelebrity ; and as a recompense , the OttomanPo rte raised him to the h igh dign ity of a

Pacha with three tails . His powe r kept pacewith his reputatio n . The Albanians, wh o se co u

rage had been co nsiderably increased by the ir

re cent successe s, were in military o ccupation of

Butrinto , Preve za, Vonitza, and all the coast,

whence they co uld o verawe the Ambracian Gulfand the so uthern po rtion ofthe So uli Mo untains .

Ali Pacha was the refo re now enabled to observe

the mo vements ofthe So ulio te s, as we llas ofthe

inhabitants ofParga,who had so often afforded

pro tection to his enemie s . Such was his Eué

t o pcan ce lebrity, that Lo rd Nelso n,when in the

E gean Se a, despatched one ofhns Officers to

102 A ssrsrs I N Tn E s IEG E o r co uru .

compliment him upon his victory at Prev eza,and to assure him how desirous he had been of

landing upon the coasts ofNicopo lis, and ofem

bracing the Hero qfEpiE lated with success, complimented by Ne lso n,

and loaded with honours by his own govern

ment, Ali Pacha was inv ited by the Allies to

assist at the sie ge ofCorfu, already commenced

by the combined squadrons ofRussia and the

Porte . The former, seconded by the islanders,had just made themse lves masters ofsome fo r

tified positions . Although the season was far

advanced, the strai t which separates Co rfu from

the adjacent coasts ofEpirus stillretained all

the charms ofa rich and varied scenery . Innu

merable vesse ls, some with spreading canvass

rapidly cutting the waves to reconno itre a sailin

the distant horizon ,.Others bo ldly solicitous to

pro voke the fire Ofthe French artillery, imparted

unusualanimation to the scene . The difference

Of construction, the diversity in the rigging,masts, and colo urs ofthe vario us vesse ls, from a

frigate down to one ofthe small sea- boats, eo n

tinually plying be tween the fleet and the sho re ,

the gay pendants, among wh ich the Imperial

cre scent glittered on a scarle t ground, allcontri

buted to impart fresh interest to tho se seas wh ich

had already witnessed so many and such glorio us

battle s . The mistrust, however, existing be

tween two nations whom a forced po licy had

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

104 A DVE N TURE o r some re as o n o rrrcsas .

from the Turks, upon whose friendly dispos ition

he could no longer re ly , be caused a co rps of

observation to advance , wh ich at the same time

took part in the operatio ns before Corfu . The

number ofh is so ldiers who at various time s had

been employed in that island, amo unted to 6000men . This po sition secured h im from allsur

prise from without, and at the same time enabled

him to take advan tage ofcircumstances . The

po verty ofthe country was amply supplied byhis reso urce s in the inte rio r. The siege ofCo rfu

was be ing succe ssfully pro secuted, and Ali impatien tly awaited the event, when a Turkish pirate ,who was cro ssing the strait, rece ived o rders to

bring - to in the ancho rage . He had on board

severalFrench priso ne rs , who , after having fo rmed part ofthe expeditio n into Egypt, had beencaptured in the ir passage to Malta o r Italy .

Two of them, M. Gérard and the Adju tan t- generalBeauvais, were delivered up to Cadir-Bey ,

the Turkish admiral. But Oro uschs (the name

ofthe pirate) had secre ted in the ho ld M. Po itevin , Colonel of Enginee rs ; M. Charbonnel,Co lonelofArtille ry ; and M. Be ssiere s, o ne of

the Savons who had accompanied Bonaparte intoEgypt . Such was the ho rro r ofthe ir situatio n ,

that no t only we re they chained, and subjectedto the mo st degrading insults, but the so le allow

ance they daily rece ived fo r suppo rting a lin

gering ex istence , was a glass offe tid wate r,and a piece ofbiscuit, mouldy and fullofwo rms .

THEY A RE D E L I VE R ED UP TO A LI . 105

Notwithstanding allthe pir’

ate’

s precautions , ittranspired that he had on board prisone rs ofrank,

the owne rs ofportmanteaus filled with sequ ins .

This report, so greedily swallowed by the Turkish

so ldiery, was no t listened to by the ir generals .

In the interval, as the ve ssels wh ich were at

anchor interrupted the evolutions ofthe Russian

admiral, they allrece ived sailing orders , and the

p irate amongst o thers . He instantly made for

the port ofButrinto , near wh ich was encamped

the army ofAli Pacha, who se hands were still

reeking with the‘

blo od ofthe Frenchmen slain at

the battle ofN icopo lis. Scarcely had the pirateanchored in v iew ofthe camp, than it was re

po rted that he had on board prisoners ofgreat

co nsequence . Ali, to be conv inced ofthe truth ,

came h imselfin h is kirlang uitch, a Turkish words ign ifying a swallow, which 1s gi ven to these

small boats o n acco unt ofthe ir lightness, and thev elo city with wh ich they sail . He ordered the

p irate to come on board his vessel, who immedi

ate ly declared the truth , and offered to‘

give upth e prisoners. His prOpo salbe ing acce pted, the

F re nch officers were immediate ly released from

t he ir confinement, the ir chains knocked off, and

themse lves pre sented to the Pacha. What

eve r might be the fate wh ich awaited them, it

co uld no t but be prefe rable to that from which

th ey had just be en delivered. The Pacha to ok

po ssession ofthe ir papers, and re turned to the

camp . The priso ners wo uld have been to tally

’

106 A Lr’

s m o o rs .

deserted in the midst ofthe army, had it not beenfor Ali ’s docto r, named Taso ni, an adventurer by

profession , who had obtained the env iable po st ofbe ing h is grammaticos, or se cretary . Th is person,who spoke French with elegance and fluency,acted as the ir interpre ter to Ali, and fo r a longtime remained the ir firm friend and pro tecto r.

Thro ugh his medium they learnt that the Pachabitterly complained ofthe want ofconfidence

man ifested by the French generals commandingin Co rfu, with whom he had wished to becomeallie d, in order to make common cause toge the r.

Be ing at th is period dissatisfied with the Russ ians, he perhaps sincerely regre tted that th e

French had no t taken no tice ofhis overtures pre

v io usly to the commencement ofho stilities . But

whatever might be th e fact, he treated the pri

so uers w ith humanity, and even, by means ofh is

g rammaticos, released the ir servants from th e

clu tche s ofthe pirate Fo r twelve days the y

remained at the camp ofBu trinto . The re , robbed

ofallthe ir property, and almo st naked, they had

to endure the inclemencies ofan early and seve re

winter.

Ali’

s army was compo sed ofAlban ians inured

to the co ld temperature ofthe mountains, and

who , clad in th ick cloaks, se emed to bid defiance

to the attacks offro st . During the day they were

engaged in wrestling in the camp , o r in dancingand sing ing the ir national songs transmitted to

l

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

CHAPTE R VI .

Ali re turns into Epirus.—H is artille ry .

— War against the Pacha ofDelvino .

— Ali’

s espio nnage .— Sto ry ofPhro sina.

—Her

death .—Fresh war with the So ulio tes .

— Defectio n ofBo tsaris.

Albanian pro phecy .—Gallant de termination ofthe So ulio tes .

Death ofBo tsaris .— Ali blockades the So ulio tes.— Escape

ofthe French officers — Are delivered up to the Turks— Janis

Arivinio tis .— Fo to G iavella.

— Disafl'

ectio n ofAli’

s allies .

G o od fo rtune ofthe So ulio tes .— Ali

’

s pre tended nego tiation .

— Answer of the Soulio tes .— A|i

’

s propo sals to D imo s

Zervas .- H is answe r.

— Revolt ofGeo rg inO .—Privatio ns of

the So ulio tes .—Preparatio n fo r a generalattack.

— Emineh .

Ali’

s despair.— Death ofEmineh .

— Re tribution .—Terro rs of

Conscience .—Hassan Aga.

—Pro n ion ofParamithia.—Successe s

ofAIL— The caloy er Samuel. H is activity .— The arrivalat

Co rfu ofa French Corve tte .-Privations ofthe So ulio tes

Ali’

s policy .—So ulio tes declared rebels by the Po rte .

- Ali’

s

v iolation ofo aths .- Defection ofFo to .

—Capitulatio n be tweenFo to and Vely Pacha.

— Fo to re tires to Parga.— De termined

resolutio n ofthe So ulio tes — Ali grants them a capitulation .

Self- devo tio n ofSamuel.— Cruelties ofAIL— Martyrdom

ofthree Christian children . The So ulio tes quit Parga, and

re tire to Co rfu .— Massacre ofthree hundred Ofthe Soulio te s .

UPON h is re turn to Epirus, Ali did no t fo rge t

the French officers, who were all, with the ex

ce ption of Colo nel Charbonnel, conducted to

Joannina. The latter he employed in establish

A Ln’

s J OURN EY . 109

ing a military scho olat Bonila, where he hadalso a palace , gardens, 810. Ali gave h im the

command Ofh is cannonee rs, and, at'

his request,

liberated the re st ofth e French prisoners fromtheir confinement.

Naturally restle ss and active , Ali was continually travelling through the diffe rent parts of

h is territo ry, maintain ing the people in the irallegiance , or gaining new frie nds and adherents .

Desiro us ofonce more v isiting the place ofhis

birth , and ofagain traversing the fields whichhad witnessed his earlie st explo its , he se t o ut for

Tepo lini accompanied by M. Be ssieres, o ne of

the Frenchmen resident at h is Co urt .

Qu itting JOannina fo rUpperAlban ia, th e Vizierand h is su ite , after hav ing proceeded along the

sou thern bank ofthe lake , made their first halt

at the monaste ry ofMount Tomarus . Thence

they arrived at the valley ofArgyro-Castro n,

wh ich , in winding round to the west. extendsas

far as Vallona, the ancient Anloua. Ali passedthe nigh t at Argyro

- Castrou , fo rme rly the ch ieftown ofa Pachaship with two tails, and distantfrom Joannina abo ut ten league s . This town,

which had yielded to his arms after a lo ng and

obstinate resistance , was now governed by one

ofhis creatures . The whole ofthe surroundingcountry is rich and fertile , bu t its inhabitants are

unciv ilized, and live in a continual state ofwar

fare . Proceeding towards the north , Ali afte r

l10 A Li’

s ART I LLERY .

wards passed through a mo untainous and woody

country, and at length , after surmo unting loftyrocks and pene trating through obscure fo rests,

approached Tepelini, his native town, our;

rounded on allsides by barren mo untains, andforming as it were the mouth ofa funne l . The

plague , wh ich had infested severalofth e cantons

ofAlbania, had just broken out there , and Ali,

who was by no , means a decided fatalist, was

carefulno t to enter the town . He , therefore , de

ferred tilla more convenient oppo rtunity his in :

tended erection ofa palace and sera glio ; and bythe route ofZagori , which is equally mountain

ous and wo ody, returned to Joannina, where his

presence had become necessary to repress the

encroachments ofMustapha Pacha ofDe lv ino .

Th is Pacha had calculated upon the pro tectio n

ofthe Russians occupy ing Corfu , and also Upon

a diversion on the part ofthe Souliotes .

. Ali’s first care was to visit h is new militaryscho o l at Bonila: he declared his intention of

be ing presen t wh ile the bombs were thrown ,

and ofputting the skill ofhis own bombardie rs

to the test, by comparing it with that ofthe

French co lone l, whom he had placed at the head

ofthe establishmen t . The day oftrialhav ing ar

rived. the Vizier repaired to Bonila, accompanied

by. the two Pachas, his so ns , and his who le court,and followed by Balo ucks

- Rach is, Agas, Albm

nian captains , and, in short, the who le garrison of

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

112 WA R A G A I NST T H E Ps é ru o r D E LV I N O .

o rder ofthe Vizie r, the Co lonelrece ived a com

ple te Turkish dre ss . En trusted with the ins truotio n ofse veral young Greeks and Turks who

were destined for the artillery serv ice , his du ties

gave h im freque nt access to the Vizier, a circum

s tance wh ich was ofmaterial advantage to the

French officers . War having be e n declared

against Mustapha Pacha ofDelv ino , the Co lonel

rece ived orders to pre pare a smallfield and hat

tering train, wh ich was effected in the mos t ex

peditious manner. The Greek peasants havingbe en put in requisitio n for dragging the mo rtars

and cannon to the frontiers ofMustapha, pe r

fo rmed th is serv ice under the directio n ofthe irPapas, who acted as captains in th is singular

militia.

The wars which o ccasionally happen amo ng

the Pachas are no t to be compared in length and

calamities with those wh ich break o ut betwe en

sovere igns the fo rmerbe ing the exact counte rpartofthose wh ich have distracted Greece in e ve ry

age . When the Pachas o r Agas have recourse to

arms to decide th e ir quarrels , a mouth , a week,

and sometime s even a nigh t, is sufficient to bringback the Olive - branch ofpeace , or accomplish the

fligh t and de structio n ofthe ir adversaries . Th e ir

cattle are then driven off, some time s a few fee t

ofOlive plantations are wrested from them, and

allanimo sitie s are in a sho rt time , by the nature

ofth ings, softened down and fo rgo tten .

am RED UC E S D E LV I NO . 113

As soon as A11 8 army entered the frontiers of

the Pacha ofDelv ino , and the Albanians had

made the mountains re - echo with the ir brokovalos,or war- songs, they commenced liv ing at the

enemy’s expense . Mustapha, who acted upo n

the defensive , no t caring to dispute the po sitionswhich covered the town , Ali advanced upon it

almo st witho ut striking a blow . De lvino , en

clo sed with in the domin ions ofAli, is situatedupon a he igh t, and surro unded by ve ry commanding military po sitions . It has a castle , the fo rtifications ofwh ich are Ofremo te antiqu ity, but

the y canno t be ofmuch advantage to a town so

we lldefended by nature . Its population is about

e igh t thousand inhabitants .

Ali did not th ink proper to take it by assault ;

perhaps he was anxio us to try the effect ofh is

artillery : bombs were therefore thrown into the

town, and Mustapha Pacha was no t lo ng in sub

mitting to the willofthe Viz ier ofJo annina.

Hav ing returned to his capital, he fo und order

and peace re - established thro ughout e very partofhis territory : the Kleflcs had disappeared ;and the Bey s, pro strate befo re h is throne , no

longer dared to interrupt tranquillity by the ir intestine wars . Ali had adopted as h is maxim for

government, the well -known principle oftyrants,that ofreducing all to a systematic despo tismanda v igilant po lice . His espionage pene tratedinto the ve ry sanctuary offamilies . His own sons

1

114 wo rn o r PHROSI NA .

even were subject to it. The tragicalend Ofthe

beau tifulPhrosina, condemned to death in the

month OfJanuary 1801, for hav ing indulged con

nexions ofa tender nature with Mouctar, Ali’

s

e ldest son , has left among the Greeks a lastingimpression Ofsorrow and regre t.

Phro sina was the daughter ofGreek parents .

Nature had large ly endowed her with the

charms ofpersonal beauty, and to th e se sh e

added allthe grace s ofan accomplished mind .

As herfamily was o pulent, she rece ived the nuptialcrown at an early age ; but unfortunatelyfo r herselfshe had renounced that retired and se

cluded mode oflife common to females througho ut the Turkish Empire .

Mouctarwas no t long insensible to h er charms ;

he became enamoured ofthe beautifulGre ek, andreso lved to effect her ruin . He se ized the Opp

'

o r

tunity ofurging his amorous suit while her hus

band, engaged in comme rcialpursu its, was ab

sent at Venice . Ill -fated separation ! Phro sinawas at first alarmed at the love with which she

had inspired Mouctar ; he , however, only becamemore pre ssing, and Phro sina, forge tfu l ofher

duty, at length gratified her pride by holding a

Pacha in he r chains . Fearless ofa riral, she

assumed an influence o ver h im wh ich flattered

her van ity ; and Mouctar, every day more and

more happy,was every day less dispo sed to dispute her sway .

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

116 rnasrt WAa'

wr'

rn T1115 SOULrOT r-zs .

scruples of some pretended mo ralists, he or

dered fifteen ladies ofthe most respectable fami

lies to be se ized, and at the head ofthese Phro

sina appeared before the tribunal ofthe Satrap,to hear from his lips the sentence ofdeath .

It was no so oner pronounced, than they were

thrust into a dungeon : there , amidst the horrors

ofimpending de struction, they passed three en

tire days in all the agonies ofmaddening de

spair. On the even ing ofthe th ird, they we re

dragged from the ir prison, and precipitated into

the lake . Phro sina expired with fear wh ile o n

the road to execution . She was buried in the

convent ofthe Anargres, where her tomb is still

shewn, co vered with flowers, and shaded by a

wild Olive tree .

Rumours ofwars soon began to occupy th etho ughts OfAli. Hav ing stillsome v iews upo nthe French officers, his prisoners, he o rdered them

befo re him, and formally promised them th e irliberty ; they were , however, to be liberated one

after the o ther, for fear ofincurring the displea

sure ofthe Porte , who knew ofthe ir detention inEpirus . He at the same time made them many

pro testations offriendsh ip , and, entering intosome details upon European discipline ,waswarmin his eulogiums Upon the bravery and glory of

the French armies . The Russians were now the

objects ofhis hatred ; the ir v icin ity at Corfu

made h im very uneasy; He knew that a very

DE FECT ION o r G E O RG ES BOTSAR I S. 117

intimate union was be ing established betweenSouli, Parga, and Corfu ,

wh ich would enable theRussians to sow disaffection ip hi

s dominions,excite a spirit ofre vo lt against his power, and

furnish his enemie s with arms and ammunition .

Resolved o to strain every nerve to disso lve such

dangerous connexions, the Vizier secre tly hastened preparations fo r a new war against theSo ulio tes .

‘

The moment was favourable . His

recent successes against the Christians had en

lis ted in h isfavo ur the passio ns ofthe Musu lmans,and gained him the go od op1n1on ofthe Turks in

general. His first endeavo ur was to gain over to

his interests some ofthe ir ch iefs, and in th is h esucceeded with Geo rges Bo tsaris, who , to hise ternal infamy, bartered h is duty for

piastre s . Th is man had acquired a distingu ishedreputation for valour, but, flattered by the praise sofhis countrymen, and dazzled more by the magnificent promises than the presents ofthe Vizier,he y ielded to the h0pe ofbe ing made the suprememagistrate ofhis natio n . One Palaskas, a captainin Ali

’

s serv ice , underto ok to gain him o ver.

Pre tending to have de se rted from Ali, he went

to the old man, and in a short time succeeded

in gain ing his confidence . Having married Bo tsaris’ daugh ter, he at length persuaded h im to

desert to Ali, with h is family, relations, and

dependents, and to‘

give up to h im allthe arms

and ammunitio n in h is po ssession .

118 A LBA N I A N PROPH ECY .

During these nego tiations, and previously to

his commencing ho stilities, Ali assembled allh is

Agas at Ypsdron , and communicated to th ema

pro phecy, made by one ofthe ir mo st famous

Chodgias, importing that they must conquer

Souli, as the only means ofresisting the ir sworn

enemies, the French and Russians, into wh o se

hands it was very like ly the who le Ottomanemp ire would soon fall ; but that they (the Albanians) would maintain themselves free and inde

pendent forty years after the decline of th e

empire , and wouldat length conclude an honour

able and advantage ous peace .

Upon hearing th is the Agas swore fide lity toth e Vizier, and promised no t to lay down the ir

arms

“

tillSouli had fallen . They immediate ly

co llected allthe ir forces, wh ich be ing united to

Ali’

s, fo rmed an army oftwenty- e ight thousand

men .

For some time the Soulio tes remained in the

mo st perfect security , the ir fears be ing qu ie ted

by the traitor Bo tsaris, in whom they placed the

utmo st confidence . How great, th en, must have

been the ir consternation when they discove red

h is treachery, and saw themse lves so crue llydece ived! They neverthe less determined upona courageous defence , and immediate ly namedtwenty-five captains, the mo st distinguished of

whom were Dimo s Zervas, John Zervas, and

Diamandis Zervas, allOfthe same family ; Cou

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

120 EsCAPE o r THE rRE NCH Pa tsON ER s .

annoy the mountaineers, e ither by cannonadingthem, o r throwing bombs among them, as much

as the difficulties ofthe lo calitie s would,

perm it .

For th is last serv ice the Vizier relied upon h is

French prisoners at Joannina. We have alreadystated the ir advancement in his favour. For two

years he had promised them the ir liberty : butno th ing indicated the fulfilment ofh is promise .

The ir captiv ity was thus indefinitely prolonged,

and the ir existence lingered away in sighs fo rthe ir native country . As they were bound byno engagement no r verbal promise to remain ,

they concerted together the means ofe scapingby flight from a state ofexile wh ich every daybecame more and mo re insupportable . At the

moment the ir project fo r escape became ripe fo rexecution,

Ali, sole ly o ccupied in his new planofwarfare against the Soulio tes, o rdered Co lonelCharbonne l to organize a small park ofartillery,the command ofwh ich was to be entrusted to

him . Th is officer, who had already trained some

cannoneers for the Pacha’

s serv ice , was so on in a

condition to fulfil the wishes ofAli, who se tro opsimmediate ly began the ir march .

On the th ird day , the Turkish army pitched its

tents before the principal defile ofSouli, and

commenced fortifying it . The French Colonel

erected a battery, and after having remained

there for a fortnight with his eyes directed to

E sCAPE o r TH E F RE NCH PR ISON E RS . 12 1

wards tho se lofty mountains on whose summitsth e labouring clouds do often rest, and before

whom Ali felt h is weakness, he fe igned a pre textfo r return ing to J oannina. As his labo urs we re

n ow terminated,and as the reductio n of the

e nemy could only be the work oftime , be easily

Obtained the desired permission .

Hav ing jo ined GeneralPo itevin and M. Bes

s ieres at Joannina, they finally arranged the ir

plan ofescape : they were allfortunate in exe

cuting it, arriv ing at Corfu one after the o ther in

pe rfect safe ty . Upon learn ing the ir fligh t, Ali,who had remained in the camp at So uli withouthav ing the least suspicion ofwhat was taking

place , feeling his vanity wounded and h imse lfde prived of the knowledge and experience of

three fore igners, who were ofsuch utility to him,

flew into the mo st dreadful paroxysm offu ry,and swore that he would re take them . He de

spatched couriers to allparts, e specially to the

maritime frontiers ofhis Pachaship, promisingmunificent rewards to tho se who wo uld bringback the prisoners, dead o r alive . Conv inced, atlength , that allhis v igilance was unavailing , he

hanged the unfo rtunate mulete er who had as

sisted them in the ir flight . He also v isited with

his anger the o ther French prisoners who were atIoannina, and had them imprisoned ; no r were

they liberated till the inte lligence arrived that

122 J AN rs A lt IVI N IOTltI .

the three fugitives, whom he had demanded”

at

C orfu, had been given up to the Turkish autho

rities, and were on the road to Constantinople .

In the mean time the Soulio tes were no t idle .

Small detachments of th irty, forty, or fiftymen ,

made continual sallies, and frequently suc

ceeded in cutting off supplies from the ir bes ieg ers . It is related that one Janis Arivinio tis ,wrapping h imse lfin h is wh ite capo te , contrived

to mingle unobserved with a herd ofoxen be

longing to the Turks ; and hav ing been shut up

with them,he in the night unlo osed and dro v e

th em towards Souli, wh ile the Turks, fearfulof

an ambuscade , dared not to pursue him .

The skirmishes, which took place on these o c

casions, and wh ich , no twithstanding numerical

inferiority, always terminated in favour ofthe

besieged, struck such terror into the ir enemies ,that, on t he appearance only ofa body ofSo u

lio tes, the Albanians sought safe ty in flight .About th is time Fo to Giavella andDimo s Draco

made an incursion into th e territories ofAli’s

Turkish allies, and re turned laden with boo ty andcovered with glory . Fo to be ing info rmed that

theVizier had set a price offour hundred piastre s

upon the h ead ofeach Soulio te , replied, that, for

h is part , he would only give ten cartridges for a

Turk’

s head, for it was no t worth mo re . To te s

tify th e ir contempt, the So ulio tes one day ex

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

124 A r t’

s PR ETE NDE D N E GO'

n A TI ON .

increasing difficulties Ofhis enterprise did no t

escape the Vizier’s pene tration ;but he knew thatto renounce it was to de stroy his own influenceand power. To prosecute it with v igour he

was therefore prodigal Ofhis reso urces, and laidhis subjects, his friends, and e ven h is sons, unde r

contribution ; every method was adopted to raise

money, and according to authentic accounts, th e

conque st ofSouli co st him no less than four millions Ofpiastres .

Nor did he omit to affect at times a desire fo r

peace . The nego tiations were at one time so

forward, that the Soulio tes had already delivered

over to him twenty-four ho stages ; but he sud

denly broke offthe communications ; upon wh ich

they addressed the following letter to him :

To Vizier Ali, greeting — Thy mode ofnego

tiation do es but heap dishonour upon thy name ,

and confirm us in an obstinate and vigo rous res ist

ance . Fo rty- o ne Soulio tes have recently been

thy v ictims, seventeen ofwhom perished on the

field, the rest remain the liv ing witnesses ofthy

perfidy . NO considerations will again induce us

to listen to the e , for we know that thou art as

faith less as thou art false .

At ano ther time Ali offered them two tho usand

purses, and the liberty ofsettling whereve r the ypleased,

prov ided they e vacuated So uli . —The ir

answer was as fo llows

Vizier.- Our country is dear to us, norwill we

THE A NsW ER o r THE SOUL I OTE S. 125

exchange it e ith erfo r thy gold, or the territories

wh ich thou offerest . No t for allthe treasure s of

th e earth will we barter the land ofourfo refathers,wh ich we willdefend with the last drop Ofo ur

h eart’

s blo od.

Many ofhis letters, o r tho se from h is friends,

w ere returned unread. Finding h imselfthusfo iled,

h e endeavoured to sow dissension amongst them,

and to corrupt some ofthem separately . Such

was the offer he made to Dimo s Zervas, to whom

he promised e ight hundred purse s and honoura

ble employments, ifhe and his followers would

abandon the ir countrymen . To wh ich propo sal

Ze rvas replied

Very hono urableViz ier —Tro uble no t thyself

in sending me thy money . Although the sum be

s o large that I canno t count it, y e t I wo uld not

g ive thee in return a single pebble ofour moun

tain . Judge , then, ifI wo uld se llthee my coun

try itself! As to the h ono urable employments

thou promisest me , know that I am sufficiently

ennobled by the arms with wh ich I defend mynative land.

Ali afterwards wished to prevail upon them to

give up some districts to h im, fo r a pecuniary

equ ivalent ; but they refused, saying, We are

not merchants ; it is by force only that we acqu ire ,and it is to force only that we willyie ld. He

threatened to march against them with twentythousand men . We wish that tho u mayest liveand come ,

”

they replied.

126 REVO LT o r c s oacmo .

The year 1802 had already commenced with

sad auspices fo r the Soulio tes, when Ali fo und

his projects o nce more interrupted by the revo lt

ofG eo rgino , Pacha ofAdrianople Ali was

obliged to send to th e GrandVizier’s army beforethat town a part ofh is troo ps, under the com

mand ofhis son Mo uctar, who had rece ived fromthe Po rte the title ofa Pacha with two tails :th isdiversion was, however, little favourable to th eSoulio te s, as Ali stillr1go rously maintained the

blockade . The object ofMo uctar’s expedition

hav ing been speedily accomplished, the Vizie rimmediately employed the fo rces brought back

by h is son in strengthening h is line ofoccupatio n .

The active operatio ns he confided to Mouctar,

enjo ining him no t to be precipitate in his at tacks ,but to gain gro und by degrees, wh ile he h imse lf,sometimes present in the line ofblockade , at

o thers traversing the whole extent ofhis Pachash ip , was alike observant ofthe army, and the

administration ofciv il go vernment ; and shewed

that this war, though so obstinate and stubborn ,

did no t in the least abate h is activ ity and

vigi lance .

He still at times continued to try the effect of

artifice and nego tiations among th e So ulio tes ,

who , be ing in a state ofsiege , and see ing no period

to the ir privations and fatigue s, had become

div ided and discontented with each o ther. Ali,

who was the secre t cause ofthe se dissensions,

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

128 EM I N E H’

s D EATH .

mies, and no t tremble fo r thyse lf Reco llect,said she , rising with dign ified firmness, recol

lect that I am the daugh ter ofa Pacha ; y es , Iname them, and mo reover dare to te ll thee , thatthe ir blo od, and the blo od ofmy unhappy father,wh ich thou sheddedst, when I was y et a ch ild,

will be upon thy head.

”

And th ine also ,

”said

the furio us Ali, as he drew a pisto l from his girdleand discharged it at the tender Emineh , wh o

fall ing in aswo on was instantly carried by he rslave s into the seraglio . Terro r and dismayfollow

ed the repo rt ofthe pisto l . The whole harem was

thrown into confusion , but nobody dared to ask

who was the v ictim ofthe Satrap’s fury . Mean

wh ile Ali had re tired to h is innermo st apart

ments, where , a prey alternately to despair and

remo rse , he awaited in telligence of the even t .

At length h is confidentialphysician , the infamo u s

Tisso ni, announced that h is wife had no t eve n

been wo unded, but had fainted from surprise and

frigh t .

Th is informatio‘n having in some degree calmed

the delirium ofhis senses, he shed tears, and

fee ling allhis tendernessfor Emineh revive , went

to her apartment ; but admittance was refused

him,and it was only by force that he entered the

chamber. Alarmed at the no ise , and dreadfullyagitated at the sight ofthe tyrant, the tender .

Emineh felt a sho ck wh ich so on pro ved fatal.

She was se ized with dreadful spasms, became

A L1’

s TERROR . 129.

spe ech less, and . expired during the night in a

s tate ofdelirium. Such was the trag ical end of

th e daughter of Capelan Pacha, wife ofAli

Tepelini, and mo ther ofMouctar and Vely . Her

em inent v irtues merited a kinder fate . Deep

and melancho ly as migh t be the impression

made by the above catastrophe on the heart of

e v ery Albanian, her murderer experienced sens

satio ns stillmore severe— they were re tributive .

F or more than ten years afterwards, h is crime

was continually present to him . The mournful

spe ctre ofEmineh haunted him, at the fe stal

board, in the council chamber, and even in his

s le ep . He dared no t to be in a ro om by him

se lf; he feared to put his arms out ofbed ; and

fre quently, in the middle Ofthe n ight, his pages

have heard him start up, and exclaim, My 1092,it is she! it is size ! it is my wyfe ! save me, save me

from herfury ! He has even been seen to trem

ble , upon observing her likeness in the features

ofh is sons and grandchildren : such was the

p unishment inflicte‘

d upon h im e ven in th is wo rldby a just and avenging De ity.

Previously to a generalattack, Ali made great

e xe rt ions to break the allianceswh ich theAgas andBeys had entered into with the So ulio tes ; some hesucceeded in de tach ing by h is brilliant promises,some he harassed by fomenting disturbances in

th e ir provinces ; wh ile o thers he attacked byx

130 HASSAN AOA .

open force . Thus, with the assistance ofHassan»

Aga, be surprised and made h imse lfmaste r of

De lv ino : where he found the six ho stages ofthe

Soulio tes, who , as befo re no ticed, had be en

placed in the charge ofMustapha Pacha. Fou r

of the se unfortunate s were immediate ly de s

patched, but be spared the bro ther ofG iavella,

and the son ofDimo s Draco , pre tending that h e

did so at the solicitatio ns OfHassan Aga,wh o

hoped by th is means to ingratiate himselfwith

the Soulio tes . But they wro te to him as follows

Hassan Aga, health and salutation ! Th ink

no t that we are indebted to y o u fo r the serv icewh ich y ou boast to have rendered us. First,

be cause y our mo tive s were no t pure , it be ingo nly a stratagem ofyour master. Secondly ,

be cause y ou have only saved dead men fo r us ,

fo r such we account all tho se who are in the

tyrant’s power. Th irdly , y o u are no t o ur friend ;ify o u were , y ou wou ld have remained faithfulto the treaty wh ich we concluded with yo urfather, when y ou became our prisoners . But

y ou are our ne ighbour, and wo e be to y ou ,

should y ou again fall into o ur hands ! your pe rfidy will oblige us to treat y ou according to yo urd eserts . Fare we ll . ”

Pron ion ofParamith ia, a man full ofcourageand integrity, remained faithfulto his engage

a

gh ents with the So ulio te s .

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

13 2 PR IVA '

N’

O NS o r THE sOUt lo T Es .

taineers . One day he would se t Offfor Parga,Paramith ia, o r even Preveza ; and the next, hé

was found heading the mo st daring sorties .

However desperate the situation ofSouli , its

fall might y et have been delayed ; fo r the allies

ofAli, conscious that the ruin ofthat brave peo‘

ple was intimately connected with their own,

became e very day less and less dispo sed to se

condh is designs . But the French , unintentionally ,hastened the ir destruction . In the spring ofthe

y ear 1803 , the period when a rupture be tweenFrance and the Po rte was apprehended, the cor

ve tte I’

Arabe, wh ich was afterwards captured bythe English , arrived in the Arch ipe lago , and in

the Ionian andJEgean seas . She left powder and

ammunition in the po rt ofMaura, and e ven at

Athens and Zante , in payment fo r pro visions

wh ich she to ok on board. From th is latter

place , many boats filled with prov isions ofall

so rts were despatched to Parga upon specula-é

tio n .

At th is time , the Soulio tes found themse lve sextremely reduced ; the ir salt meat began to

spo il, the ir co rn and meal was nearly exhausted;

and for several mo nths they had lived upon the

bran d made ofthe bark of trees, mixed withhe rbs and a little meal . The ir mills hav ing bee n

se ized by the ir enemies, they were . obliged to

grind the ir co rn . with large s to nes, wh ich rem

s u’

s Po c x . 13 8

dered ° it «Ex treme ly gritty and disagreeable .

Th is last reso urce , however, having failed them.

upon the arrival of the boats abo vementioned,fou r hundred and th irteen men, and one hundred

and seventy-four women, marched fo r.

Parga ;th ere they remained four days . On the fifth,

hav ing loaded the ir women with the prov is ions,as well as the ammun itio n , arrived from Zante ,the y re to ok the road to So uli . During the ir

march they were harassed by a numerous bodyofTurks, who did no t, however, dare to make

a ge neral attack.

Ali was to o'

great a po litician no t to tum'

th is

circumstance to his own advantage . Hitherto

the Porte had been rather favourably inclined

towards the Soulio tes, as it had more than once

ordered Ali to cease ho stilities against them, for,

as they punctually remitted the ir tribute , theycould no t be regarded as rebe ls at Constanti

nOple . Ano ther mo tive , also , might be , the fear

wh ich the Porte entertained ofthe aggrandize

ment ofaVizier who se ability was only equalled

by h is ambition . No so oner, however, did the

French appear interested in favour ofthe Sou

1iote s, than the Grand Se ignior despatched a fir

man to Ali, empowering him to attack them with

all his fo rces . All the ne ighbouring Pachaswere also commanded to jo in his standard, under

pain ofbe ing considered and treated as rebe ls .

13 54 A LI’

s V IO LAT I ON o r OATHs .

By order ofAli, the Metropo litan ofArta, Igna~

tius, proceeded to the Pacha ofParamith ia, and

commanded him not to assist Souli . But h is

mission was unsuccessful . Ano ther Caloyer

having been sent under the ir walls to exhort the

Paramithians to capitulate , he was commanded

to ret ire , or o therwise he wo uld be sho t as“a

corrupter ofyouthJerotheo s, the bishop ofJ oannina, also wro te

to them, as we llas to Chrysantho s , Bishop of

Paramith ia, who se disobedience drew upo n h im

Ali’s particular hatred. As Ali h imse lfmade no

scruple ofv io lating the mo st sacred oaths, he

hesitated no t to requ ire the archbishops to act in

the same manner. Altho ugh he publicly paidthem great re spect, th inking that the ir influence.was ofc o nsiderable advantage to h im, y e t his

real opinion ofthem was very slight . Thus

speaking one day to the Metropo litan ofArta,

upon the subject ofa let ter wh ich that prie stwas to write to the Soulio tes, and in which he

was to make them a promise wh ich Ali had predetermined never to keep, h e said, - Come, Sir,

write, and do not be sparing ofoat/1.9.In the mean time Kukonikas and Diamandis

Zervas , two captains ofthe So ulio tes, had been

gained over by the Vizie r, to whom they desetted, no t witho ut making several attempts to

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

13 6 row KETI RE S TO BA RG A .

wh ich ifwe break, may we be abandoned by

G od and man !

Given befo re S o uli, 12 th Dec . 1803 .

VE LY PA CHA

(m s SEA L) (3

)E nn i s- Ber I SMA IL C HODGA-BEY

(u . s .) (H . s . )MUH AM'llE D MUC H A RDA IU S p a ssn- s , soN

(u . s .) o r i sma'

iL an

(H . s . )D ERVI SC H - H ASSA N cv nnm sa ne u s ls

(H . s .) (u . s .)ome n m mv xscu mnzzo no u o

(H . s . )r u n e ] PA ETE It LA

'

I‘

I F CHOD GA

(n . s .)u ussn MET TOTZK A S APA DEPE LLE N I S

(H . s .) (u . s . )

Fo r th is act oftreachery, Fo to and his fo l;lowers rece ived large sums ofmo ney from A ll’

The father had committed an imprudence , for

wh ich he had expiated by a generous death . H: i s

defection might, indeed, have caused the de stru c"

tion ofthe Soulio tes, but Pro v idence decre ed

o therwise , and the y had come o ut triumphaf’ t

from one ofthe mo st unequal struggles ofwh i t:1]

h isto ry can furnish any example . But th e

treachery ofthe son had mo re decisive conse‘

SE LF - DEVOTI ON o r TH E CA LOY E R . 13 7

tqoences, and fo r ever ruined the cause ofthe

So ulio te s . On the 13 th December, 1803 , aecom

panied by his dear Obaldo , he began h is march ,

with severalhundred fo llowers . Pargawas the ir

first destinatio n, and here they remained for some

days .

The little “

band ofthe Soulio tes, who still re

mained faithful to the ir country . headed by the

brave Caloyer, defended the ir last po sitions with

an intrepidity beyond allpraise . Dimo s Zervasand the old Dimo s Draco fought with lion- like

courage , till, be ing entire ly destitu te ofpro v i

s ions , they were fo rced to cap itulate . Even

then , they were sufficiently fo rmidable to de

mand an unmo lested retreat. Ali purchasedthe ammunitio n still remaining at So uli ; but

wo uld no t pay them for it in specie .

The Vizier nominated three Turks as commissaries to rece ive the ammun itio n store s . Hos

tages fo r the payment had already been ex

changed, and the principalmagazine , containingabo ut three hundred and seventy-five okkes of

powder, g iven up. There only remained a small

s to re ofabout twenty-five okkes, which was keptin the retired dwelling ofthe Caloy er. As the

commissaries insisted upon hav ing th is also , after

some difficulty, the Caloyer consented, and,

accompanied by three Soulio tes, conducted the

commissaries to his ho use . One ofthe Soulio tes

was,,stationed at the do or as a sentine l . His

13 8 DE ATH o n sau nas .

attent ion was so on engaged by a dispute wh ichapparently aro se be tween the Caloyer and the

Turks ; and, as he was listening to it, a mo st

dreadfu l explo sion to ok place , wh ich struck h im

senseless to the earth . It is conjectured that theCaloy er had fired his pistolinto the powder, and

had thus blown h imself, h is company, and the

commissaries into atoms . The man stationed at

sentry had his legs burnt to the bo ne in several

places, his fee t and hands paralysed, and his ey esight nearly destroyed .

Ali having thus made h imse lfmaster ofSo u li,and persuaded that th is place migh t be regarded

as impregnable , had at first the intention offo r

tify ing it for h imself; and inspected it, accom

panied by his engineers : the po sition was, how

ever, found to be less strong than was imagined,and he therefore abandoned his intention . It

was the courage and patrio tism ofthese moun

taineers , rather than the naturaldefences ofSouli,wh ich had rendered that place so long unex

pugnable .

Hav ing no longer any th ing to apprehend

from the Soulio tes, the Vizier gave a lo o se to that

fury wh ich he had till then repressed, and re ~

solved, ifpossible , to exte rminate them u tterly .

These brave but unfortunate mo untaineers, trust~

ing to the capitulation , had retired to different

places , bub‘

fo rtunately the greater number se t

tled at Parga ; fo r allthe o thers were se ized and

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

140 n a nrv nno n o r r u ne s CH I LDRE N .

Vizier, fatigued but no t satiated with carnage ,

re too k the road to Joannina, dragging in h is train

the remains ofthe wre tched So ulio te po pu lationto ado rn his triumph . The ir to rments, during therejo icings wh ich took place on that occas io n,

were as various as the caprice s ofthe brutal soldiery, who se prey they had become ; but in all

the ir sufferings no t one would purchase l ife byapo statizing h is religion . A noble enthusiasm.

the result ofthe ir dependence on the Divine

Be ing , supported them amid the mo st excruciating tortures . Many impaled alive linge red fo r

se veraldays, and then e xpired. One young man ,

the skin ofwho se head had been completely

stripped off, was forced, by dint ofblows, to run

to and fro under the Pacha’

s windows, wh o ,

calmly smoking h is bo okar, seemed‘

to enjoy thesigh t ofhis agon ies . Joannina was, in fact, con

verted into a circus resounding with the ferocio usexclamation of the v ictors, and the agonizingshrieks and groans ofthe ir v ictims .

But the mo st afflicting spectacle was y e t tocome . The marty rdom ofthree young Christianch ildren The e lde st, a beautiful y oung g irlfo urtee n years ofage , and her sister about eleven,

walked hand in hand, conducting a little bro ther

younger than e ither. Innocence shone upo n the irfair and po lished foreheads, and the serenity ofthe ir co ufi e nances was the mo re conspicuous

when contrasted with the frantic gesticulation of

THE so umo'

rE s R ET I RE TO com m. l4l'

the Derv ise s surrounding them. Hav ing arrivedat the fatal plantain gro ve ofCalo -Tch esmé, the

usual place ofexeéutio n , the yo unge st girl fell onher knee s , and wh ile raising her supplicatinghands in prayer, afaint cry anno unced the death

ofher little bro the r, who se head rolled bleedingat her fee t ; and from th is sad spectacle she was

aro used by her sister’s shrieks, whom she saw

struggling against an eno rmous bearle t looseagainst her. Scarcely could she invoke the mercyofhe r God, than the executioner se vered her

head from her body, and

T hat whiter skin ofher’

s than snow,

And smo o th as mo numentalalabaster,

w as crimso nedwith her pure and innocent blood.

T h e se ho rrible atrocities struck fear even into

t h o se Soulio tes who had re tired to Parga. No t

t h inking themse lves safe from the tyrant’s fury,a bo ut se venteen hundred of them re tired to

C o rfu,where they were rece ivedwith t he greatest

h umanity . The go vernment allowed them to .

s e ttle at Levkimo affo rded them eve ry assistance ,and a Specialofficer was appo inted to administer

t o allthe ir wants .

The inhabitants ofCorfu promised themse lves

much advantage from this emigration, as it took

place at the precise time ofthe o live -harvést, and

when they were in particular want oflabourers .

But so long as a Soulio te po ssesses a single pa

u lc e r o r r u s s r. H UNDR ED so u u o r z s .

rah he will never work ; and but very few couse

quently would lend the ir ass istance . The ir tur

bulent spirit hav ing given rise to some disturb

ances, it was judged expedient to disarm them.

A quarrelsoon after broke o ut be twe en'

Fo to

Giavella and Dimos Dracas ; the latter insistingupon his righ t to a part ofthe bribe the former

had rece ived fo r evacuating Kiaffa and Kuinti .

Th is altercatio n div ided the Soulio te s into two

distinct parties .

Shortly afterwards, Ali requ ired Co unt Moce

n igo and the Go vernment ofthe Seven Isle s to

de liver up the Soulio te s to him, and appearedh im

selfat the head ofhis army befo re Pargaand Preveza, in o rde r to enfo rce acqu ie scence by the te rro rofhis arms . Bu t the judicio us measures adopted,and the firmness with wh ich he was oppo sed,

soon forced h im to retrace the road to Jo annina.

The three hundred Soulio tes who had jo ined the

Vizier, commanded by old Bo tsaris, were stillin

h is se rvice , under the o rders ofhis so n Mo uctar.

As Ali had only spared them with the v iew ofe n

couraging and attracting o ther deserters ; and as

the ir serv ices were now no longer wanted, be re

solved to ge t rid ofthem . As, howeve r, h is inten

tions had by some means transpired, the So n

lio tes fled towards The ssaly ; but they we re

o vertaken near the bridge ofKorak, and su r

ro unded by severaltho usand Turks . De termined

to sellthe ir lives dearly , they fired but one vo lley ;

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

CHAPTER VII.

Ali’

s great celebrity —Raises a large army .—Appears before .

Philippopolis.—Snare laid for AIL—His escape .

- Ali de

prived ofthe go vernmentofThessaly .- Ali

’

s v iews upo n Co rfuand Santa Maura.

—The Russians oppo se h im — Rupturewith Russian— An English agent at Joannina.

— Bonaparte .

Ske tch ofAli’

s character.— H is territo ry and reso urces.

— Ali’

s

policy .— Commerce between Joannina and France .

—Appo intment ofa French Co nsul- general.— M. Fouquev ille .

—Descrip

tio n ofhis jo urney .— Audience with AIL—Description ofAli.

- Dr. Holland’

s interview with Ali.— Ali’

s J partmenw.~

H is dress and personalappearance .— Mr . Richards .

— Ali’

s

secre tary ofstate .— Interview with AIL— Portrait ofAli.

Favo urable receptio n .—Particulars respecting AIL— H is trea

sures .— Administration, &c.

— M. Pouquev ille’

s jo urney co n

tinned.—Receives his diploma.

— His intentio n oftravellingthro ugh Epirus.

THE destruction ofthe So ulio te s, who fo r two

years and a halfhad triumph ed, ifno t over th e

Ottomans themse lve s, at least o ver the ir mo st

de termined effo rts, considerably increased the

celebrity ofAli Pacha. His explo its resound

ed from one extremity ofEpirus to the other,

and the fame of them at length reached th e

RA ISES A LARG E A RMY . 145

Sultan Se lim . Th is prince , wh e therfromawish

to re c ompense him, o r from hav ing occasionfo rhis a id against the ho rdes ofbrigands who weredesOlating Macedonia and Thrace , again confer;red upon him the patent ofRumelie -Valisee, at

the Same time investing him with allthe authoritybelonging to that important office . Under the

app ellation ofKcrsales, the brigands, headed bythe ir bo ld and daring ch iefs, devastated the en

Virons ofPhilippopo lis and the valleys ofMount

PE hgeus ; they even pushed the ir excursions as

far as Pelagonia. The co uriers were stopped and

Ii fl ed in every direction ; even the progress ofth e caravans was interrupted, and a seriousin convenience consequently inflicted upon com

m e rce . To re store security, and to establish a

v i gorous po lice in these desolated'

countries,W as the task impo sed by the Divan upon the

c o nqueror ofN icopo lis and So uli . Scarce ly hadt h e Vizier rece ived the imperial diploma, when

h e collected ten thousand Albanian so ldiers, at

the head ofwhom, passing Mount Pindus in theSpring of1804, he encamped at Monastir, a largetown situated about a day

’

s march west ofthe

lake ofOchrida. Hav ing first cleared -the adjacentcountry ofseveral bands ofrobbers, Ali after

wards summoned to his assistance the forces of

theAinus ofIllyria and Macedonia, and at lengthcrossed the Vardar at Tchiuperli.

In addition to his Albanians, Ali ranged under

I .

146 APP EARS EE ro s l: r n inrr ro roms .

h is standard the contingents ofthe Pacha ofDel

vino , ofthe Vizier ofBerat, ofthe Vaivodiliks of

the Taulantia, ofthe Sangiacs ofScodra, ofthe

Ch iefs ofthe Dribes, ofOchrida and the Lake

Konlac, and lastly,"

ofthe Spais ofThe ssaly . In

a short time the cavalry ofthe Serres , the AgasofThessalonica, the Timario ts, and the whole

forces ofSoph ia, arrived in his camp . He ap

peared at the gates ofPh ilippopo lis at the head ofan army e xceeding e ighty tho usandmen . Two

th irds ofthe Pachas ofEuropean Turkey were

under his command. Througho ut his whole p ro

gress he scoured the country, lev ied contribu

tions, and spread abroad the terror ofhis name .

After hav ing encamped before the town , he citedthe rebe l ch iefs already taken before h is dreaded

tribunal . Several were condemned to lo se the irheads, the rest were re tained as h o stage s . His

march , no t less astonish ing than h is activ ity inco llecting so vast an army, gave rise to the Opi

nio n that he meditated striking a fatalblowagainst the empire . It was, however, errone o u s ;

his only ambition was to found an immense vas

salage , the inheritance ofwh ich migh t be transmitted by h im to his ch ildren . Bes ides, how

co uld he expect to preserve fo r any time the

union ofsuch a vast body ofmen , differing so

widely bo th in country and language , influencedby long

- standing jealousies, and speaking the

Turkish, Sclavo n ian ,Valaque , and Bulgarian

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

148 m s E SCA PE .

secure till he approached Epirus, and had entered‘

a friendly country ; witho ut, however, be tray inge ither suspicion or alarm, he demanded from the

Divan a éarte blanche, in case he should be t e

qu ired to renew the campaign . He was informedthat the Sultanwas satisfied with h is conduct,

without, however, confirming him in the powerswith wh ich he had been invested.

The po st ofRumelie -Valisee is generally con

sidered as a very unprofitable one ; but Ali, ao

customed to turn every th ing to advantage , did

no t neglect h is own interest ;i

he drained the prov inces by h is Oppressive taxes, ransomed tho se

whom it was h is duty to pun ish , dismantledallthe fortifications, and returned to . Joannina,laden with the spo ils ofRumelia. From po licy,no less than from avarice , he left an exhausted

country to h is successor, who se embarrassments

he so on afterwards increased, by liberating th e

ch iefs ofthe Kleftes whom he had carried withh im as ho stage s .

The Porte did no t v iew the conduct of th e

Satrap ofJoannina with indifference ; there wasbut one cry against his depredations, and the

public vo ice was seconded by the just complaintsofthe Russians, who at that time were mastersofthe Ionian Isles. They remonstrated againstthe daily outrages committed by the ir turbulentne ighbo ur upon the islanders, and demandedthat Butrinto sho uld be ceded to the Vaivode ,

I s DE PR I VE D o r TH ESSA LY 149

appo inted by the treaties to govern Vonitza,Preveza, and Parga. Anx ious to keep upon

good terms with Ru ssia, the Porte partly com

plied with th is request. Ali was deprived of

the government ofThessaly, wh ich was co nfe rredupo n his neph ew, Elmas Bey , son ofChainitza

and So liman ; it was, however, agreed that th is

San giacat should be restored to Ali whenever he

though t fit to give up Butrinto . The who le ,h owever, was a state trick ; for Elmas Pacha

hav ing died soon after he had rece ived the investi

ture ofTricala, th is Pachash ip reverted to Ali,

without, however, his be ing requ ired to give up

the territory, wh ich formed th e bone ofconten

tion between h im and Russia.

Before obtaining so firm a foo ting in Albania,it had been Ali

’

s policy to cultivate , as much as

po ssible , a go od understanding with the Rus

sians ; but no sooner had he established h imse lf,than his former friends became the objects ofhis

jealo usy and hatred, and the who le ofhis po licywas employed to dispo ssess them ofthe SevenIslands . The treaty of the 2oth March af

forded h im some hopes, as by one ofits clauses

the Ionian Republic was declared to be placedunder the jo int pro tection ofRussia and Turkey .

In consequence ofth is the Russian forces so on

afterwards retired. I t was now that the ideasuggested itself to Ali, of g

‘aining possession

ofCo rfu and Santa Maura. Fo r the more secure

150 TH}; RUSS IAN S OPPOSE Hm .

attainment ofhis obj ect, be , by secret agents, fo

mented disturbances in the islands, and then t e

presented to the Po rte , that, in order to restore

tranqu illity, he must be allowed to garrisonCorfu , Parga, and SantaMaura.

No twithstanding the remonstrances of the

Ion ian senate , Ali was about to obtain the wished

fororder, when his plans were complete ly frue

trated by the Russians, who prevailed upon th e

senate to claim the ir pro tection . The tro ops of

the Auto crat so on after arrived and to ok po sse s

sion ofthe islands . Ali’s former hatred ofth e

Musco vites was no t a little increased by th ismeasure : anxio us to co unterbalance the ir influ

ence , his great object was now to fo rm ano th e r

all iance ; and a British squadron be ing at th is tim e

in the Ionian seas, he tho ugh t that a favourable

o ppo rtunity presented itselfofforwarding h is

own plans. A communication was therefo re

Opened with the English admiral, and an English

agent was de spatched to Joannina to confer with

Ali.

Much as Bonaparte was , at th is pe riod, eu

gaged-with European affairs, y e t he co uld no t

o verlo ok the political relatio ns wh ich Ali hadjust entered into ; be ing, mo re o ve r, desirous of

knowing I)fond his’p rototype, he caused an exact

repo rt to be made to h im ofthe persmi and cha

re e te r ofAli, hfs po l itical situatio n , and the

means wh ich he po ssessed ofacting e ither on the

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

162 sxs'

rcn o r A LI’

s a aAC'

rE s .

in the powerfulfriends whom he subsidizes even

in the Divan , the Porte itse lf, aware ofhis re

so urces , finds it expedient to conciliate h isfriend

ship . Wh ile aiming at actual independence , h ene verfails in the payment oftribute , certain that

with money the favo ur ofthe Ottoman is alway s

secure . He is fond ofrepeating that he is the

modern Pyrrhus (Bourrhous, as he pronouncesit) . In fact, ifthe genero sity and e levation of

character, so prominent in Pyrrhus, be wanting,Ali at least po ssesses allhis activ ity, restlessne ss,discernment, and rapid coup

-d’

wilbo th in the cal

bine t and in the field ; but h is po licy has far

greater stability . Ali is never !lulled into a false

security . Superior in knowledge and experi

ence to th e o ther Pachas, he” is continually awake

to what is passing in Europe the newspapers are

translated to him, and it is rarely that a fore igner

passes through h is dominions without being in

troduced to Ali, who neverfails to glean from himsome information the various po litical events

which affect the amicable relations ofs overe igns

are also the frequent subjects Ofdeep reflectio n

and acute investigatim.

His territory co r'

hprehends Epirus, Acarnania, a part ofEtolia, Thessaly, and some cantons

ofMacedo nia. This Pachaship , which includesso many o thers, is in fact subjected to his so leauthority, the o therPachaships be ing mere emptytitles : Ali

’

s dominions therefore sho uld, strictly

H I S TERRITORY AND,

nnso vncs s .~ 15 3

s peaking, be considered as a . true sovereignty .

Little satisfied with an epheme ral empire, to prev ent h is Pachaship from becoming the prey of

s trangers at his death , Ali carries his v iews even

in to futurity, and has already obtained from the

Porte the title ofPachafo r his two sons .

His revenues consist oftimars, numerous

flocks and herds, and taxes , wh ich are raisedwi thle ss circumstances ofseverity and vexation than

in any o ther part ofthe Turkish dominions . If

an approximate calculation be made ofhis reve

nues, and the profits wh ich he derives:from the

sale ofwood and wo ol(for he is one,ofthe first

merchants, and'

the ch iefmonopo list in the co un

try ) be added, the sum to talofhis revenues mayamo unt to about sterling . With th issum he defrays the expenses ofhis househo ld,rem its his annual tribute to the Porte , and paysh is

“

so ldiers : the number ofwhom is in general

from e ight to ten thousand Albanians ; but he isfre quently obliged to increase his army, and

‘

o on

s equently his expenses . The who le ofh is mili

t ary establishment is in a very h igh state ofim

p ro vement .

In the acqu irement offriends, o r the destruc

tio n ofenemies, Ali un ites the arts ofpo liticalcraft to the o ther powerful means already in his

p o ssession. Far from annoying the Agas, by re

pressing the ir extortions, he permits them to

continue the ir peculations with impunity . Hence ,

154 A Lr’

s s o n ar .

therefore, it is that the greater part entertain forh im allthe devo tion offanaticism .

In later times, the French Revo lution nearlyalways formed the ch ieftopic ofhis conversa

tions ; no t, as some have asserted, with th e ia

tention ofrece iv ing from it instructions how to

secure h is own independence , but mere ly as

affording an Opportunity ofconversing upon the

French armie s, ofwhose explo its he was a great

admirer. He often questioned the French oflicershis prisoners , and asked them the cause ofso

many triumphs, attributed by h imselfto a species

ofmagical influence , by wh ich v ictory was e ver

propitious to the Gallic banners . No twithstand

ing the misfortunes and consequences inseparablefrom war, Ali may truly be aflirmed to have been

wellrdispcsed and friendly towards the French .

”

This report, although a li ttle he ightened in

co lo uring, is fo r the mo st part conformable to the

opinions fo rmed ofAli Pacha by the majority of

Frenchmen who had v isited Epirus in the co urse

ofthe war. It also contained reflections upo n

the importance ofthe ancient commercial re la

tions between France and Albania. Before the

Revo lution, France had impo rted timber from

that co untry, wh ich , far superior to that brought

from the Baltic, had been employed in the dockyards at Toulon with particular success : the

finest French frigates having been constructed of

it . But ten years ofwar had interrupted allthis

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

156 M . Po vcv st s .

intimate connexion with Ali Pacha, the Frenchwould become the better acquainted with the

localities, and by that means be enabled to dis

cover resources, wh ich migh t be ofinfinite advantage to the government at home .

Bonaparte was the more desiro us ofadoptingth is co urse , as he hoped by th is means to sepa

rate Ali Pachafrom allconnexion with the Engl ish ; knowing be sides that he detested the

Russians, against whom he h imse lfwas on the

po int ofmarch ing . He nominated, as consul

generalatJoannina,M. Fouqueville , aleam ed and

inte lligent traveller, who had already exploredGreece , and who se excellent character as a man

could no t but give additional we ight to h is public

functio n . The consul- general sailed from the

port ofAncona in the month ofNo vember 1805 ,with M. Julian Bessieres, commissioned by theGo vernment to introduce him to the Pacha, with

whom M. Bessieres had already had frequentpersonal communication . On his arrival at Ra

gusa, be despatched a Tartar (amounted courier)to the Vizier, informing him ofhis arrival on the

Turkish frontier. About the end ofJanuary thetwo envoys arrived in Epirus with a Valaque ,who had been sent by Ali to act as the ir in terpre ter. On the ir entering the port ofPanormo ,

.they were recognized by the Pacha’

s garrison ,

and saluted with vo lleys ofmusquetry . An ofli

cer from the Vizier was in waiting to compliment

DESCR IPTI ON o r H I S J OURN EY . 15 7

them on th e ir arrival, in the name ofhis master.

They to ok the road to Delv ino . War had broken

out be tween the Vizier and the Beys ofthat town,

wh ich the two envoys found in‘

po ssession ofAli'

s

tro o ps . The bazaar, o r public market, was inflame s : it had been set on fire by Ali

’

s so ldiers,in o rder to destroy the shops after they had beenpillaged. The tumult resounded from afar, wh ilethe flames strongly illuminated that part ofthe

town wh ich remained u ntouched. The French

were rece ived in the house ofa Bey , one ofAli’s

adh erents . The next day they took the road to

I oann ina, through the districts ofDrynopolis andPagoniani ; and after a two - days’ march , they

me t th e Vizier at the seraglio ofDzida,who gave

them the ir first audience . We shall here continuethe narration in M. Po uqueville

’

s own words .

After the usual compliments, the private

dragoman ofthe Vizier was called, in order to

commence the conversation, wh ich the Pacha

be gan by asking que stions with a vo lubility very

un commo n among~the Turks . Through the shade

(fo r the hall ofaudience was only illuminated byt h e flitting and uncertain light ofa yellow bougie)l p erce ived the coruscations ofh is penetratinge y es, and observed the convulsive mo tio ns ofh isfeatu re s ; I listened to his conversation, apparently

vague and unconnected, y et full ofcunning andduplicity . Swing ing h imselfabout, continually

laugh ing and talking, no t aword escaped h im but

158 A UD I ENCE .

had its import, no twithstanding the rapidity ofhi s

utterance : he at times threw scrutinizing glances

on me , and at length ordered his Greek secre tary ,

and his minister, who was dressed in black and

wo re a long white beard, to retire . We remained

with the interpre ter, who continued to stammer

out the questions and answers ; till, after a conv er

sation ofabo ut two hours, we withdrew, leav ingthe Vizier struggling between hopes and fears .

Th is interv iew sufficed to dissipate some ofthe

illusions wh ich I had been under : Ali Pacha was

ne ithera new Theseus, nor the modern Py rrhus of

Epirus . I was disgusted with h is manners, and

secre tly deplored my fate in be ing compe lled to

reside near, and be in communication with , a

man ofsuch a character.

After th is interv iew the two envoys re tired to

the Monastery ofthe Prophet Elias, wh ich hadbeen assigned them as a residence ; and we rerece ived by the Greek Monks with the u tmo st

ho spitality and kindne ss . The next day the Pacha inv ited them to a second conference : he had

risen befo re dayligh t, expecting them . Th e

two envoys pro ceeded towards the seraglio .

‘

Two

heads, recently se vered from the ir bodies, we restuck upon stake s, and planted in the middle of

the co urt- yard, witho u t appearing to excite th e

least attentio n . Crowds ofsuppliants and co ur

tie rs , who lly unaffected by th is horrid spectacle ,were pressing towards the different stair case s in

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

160 na. uo nt as n’

s rs rs avxsw.

Itwill not, perhaps, be considered uninterestingto the reader, after hav ing had Ali

'

s

'

pe'

rson and

manners described to him by a French writer, tocompare his account with tho se oftwo enligh tened and intelligent Englishmen, Dr. Ho lland,

and Mr. The oph ilus R ichards . The fo rmer of

the se gentlemen, in h is intere sting Trave ls in

the Ionian Isles,”

&c. , thus re lates his first inte r

view with this celebrated character

Passing through the almo st savage pomp of

th is outer area ofthe seraglio , we entered an

inner co urt, and dismounted at the fo o t ofa dark

stone staircase . On the first landing- place stood

one ofthe Vizier’

s carriage s ;an old and awkward

veh icle , ofGerman manufacture , and such as

might have been suppo sed to have trave lled a

dozen times from Hamburgh to Trieste . At th e

top ofthe staircase , we entered a wide gallery o r

hall, the windows ofwh ich command a noble

v iew ofthe lake ofJoannina and the mountains

ofPindus : the walls are painted, and numero u s

do ors conduct to it from different parts ofthe

palace . This ball, like the area be low, was filledwith a mu ltitude of people ; and the liv ingscenery became y et more various and interestingas we proceeded . We now saw, besides Turk

ish , Albanian, and Mo orish soldiers, the Turkish

officers and ministers ofthe Vizier ; Greek and

Jewish secre tarie s ; Gre ek merchants ; Tartar

co uriers ; the page s and black slaves ofthe se

H I S I N TRODUCT I ON To A LL 1

raglio ; pe titioners seeking to obtain audience,and numerous o ther figures wh ich give to the

co urt and palace ofAli Pacha a character all'

its

own . A passage from th is o uter hall conductedas into a long and lofty apartment, the walls ofw h ich were beautifully painted, and allthe deco

rations rich and superb Here we were met bys e veral pages and attendants ofthe Vizier, wholed us to the do or ofhis ro om ofaudience , aecom

p anied by Signor Go lovo , who had jo ined us at

the gate ofthe seraglio , and now attended as our

inte rpre ter. A curtain was thrown aside , and ween tered the apartment ofAli Pacha. The first

coup-failwas impo sing . It was a large and lofty

saloon, from which an area was separated at the

lowe r end by four‘

richly o rnamented pillars ; a

low range ofwindows at the upper extremityaffording the same magnificent v iew as that from

the outer hall . The inte rio r deco rations ofthe

apartment exh ibited much gaudy profusion . Pilasters at equal distance s, and richly ornamented,but witho ut any regular o rder ofarch itecture,

gav e varie ty to the walls ofthe apartmen t . On

the s e pilaste rs, and in niches intermediate to

the m, were hung the arms ofthe Vizier— sabres,dag gers, and pisto ls, allofthe finest workmansh i p

, and profuse ly ado rned with go ld and j ewe ls .

A Turkey carpet co vered the flo o r, and divanseYxtirely surrounded the ro om, except at its lowerend. A large fire ofwo od was blazing on a

M

162 A L i’

s DR ESS.

hearth, abo ve wh ich a projecting ch imney- piece ,

or rather ch imney, ro se in the form ofa co nical

cano py, richly o rnamented with gilding, 8m.

These minute observations, however, we reno t made at the time ofo ur entrance into the

apartment . Allo ur attention was at th is momen toccupied by the perso n ofAli Pacha h imself,whose figure formed the most inte resting part ofthe picture . He was sitting in the Turkish manne r, with his legs cro ssed under him, on a co uch

immediate ly beyo nd the fire , somewhat mo re

e levated than the rest, and richer in its deco rations .

0

On his head he wore a h igh ro und cap , of

the deepest mazarine blue colo ur, and bordered

with gold lace . His ex terior robe was ofye llow

clo th , likewise richly embro idered ; two inne r

garments, striped ofvario u s colours , flowed downlo o sely from the neck to the fe et, and were co n

fined only abo ut the waist by an embro idered

belt, in wh ich were fixed a pistoland a dagger of

beautifuland delicate wo rkmansh ip . The h i ltsofthese arms were covered with diamonds and

pearls, and emeralds ofgreat size and beau ty set

in the h eads ofeach . On h is fingers, the Viz ierwo re many large diamond rings ; and the mo uthpiece ofthe howkar, o ut ofwh ich he was smok

ing, was equally de corated with vario us kinds of

jewellery .

Yet more than h is dress, however, the co un

tenance ofAli Pacha at th is time engaged o ur

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

164 A Lr’

s SECRETARY o s'

looking beneath th is exterior ofexpression . It is

the fire ofa stove burning fiercely under a smoo th

and po lished surface .

”

On the 29th ofJuly, 1814, Mr. R ichards had

his first interview with ‘

Ali Pacha. At th e ap

po inted hour ofe igh t in the morning,”

says that

gentleman, I waited upon the Vizier’

s prime

minister, Signor Golovo , and remained with him

about halfan hour befo re I could be introduced.

It wo uld have shocked the delicate nerves ofan

English unde r- secre tary ofstate to have seen

Ali’

s first secre tary sitting in a miserable ro om,

upon a low coarse sofa, surro unded with papers ,the due arrangement ofwh ich entire ly depended

upon h imse lf. Here was no e legant es co ire with

its convenient pigeon - ho les, no luxurious fauteu il,no massive silver standish , no Obsequ ious ama

nuensis to relieve the o x u s ofstate corresponde nce . Allthe papers were in confusion ; no t a

table was to be seen ; and Signo r Golovo , rest

ing h is paper on his left hand or on his kne e s,

and. dipping his pen into a small ink-bo ttle at

tached to his girdle , thus penned h is de spatches .

We had some difficulty in gaining admittancewith in th e gates ofthe seraglio , an order hav ingbeen issued that no one should enter ; but, afte r

waiting a short time ,we we re called up stairs intoa large ante - ro om, elegantly fitted up : through

th is we passed into ano ther much handsomer ;

here we re sted abou t an hour : this room is well

DE SCR IPT I ON 03 " a A PA RTME N T. 165

painted in the Italian style ; abo ut fifty difl'

erent

kinds ofmusque ts, swo rds , and pistols, decoratedthe walls ; some common, o thers handsome lyse t in gold and silver. In th is chamber were

twenty o r th irty trunks, filled with state papers :3 . large window, fo rming entirely one side ofthe

room, commands a beautifulv iew ofthe town

and the surro unding co untry . Eve ry ro om that

we passed through was crowded with so ldiers,oflicers, servants, 8zc. Wh ile we were waiting,twenty- six po rters came out ofthe audience

chamber, carrying dollars . The Viz ier’

s

yo unge st son , and also h is nephew, a boy abo ut

e igh t years ofage , had audience befo re us . At

length it was our turn, and we were ushered in .

I walked up to the Viz ier, who was seated on a

sofa at the farther end ofa large ro om, kissed his

hand,and paid the usual compliment-s . His

Chamberwas beautifully painted,with abundance

ofg ilding ; an English carpe t co vered the flo o r,and ro und the ro om were sofas and cush ions ofred

ve lve t embro ideredwith flowers ofgold. TheVizier

sat upon a beau tiful large silk embro idered cu

sh io n . He was more plainly dre ssed than when

I saw h im at Preveza. On h is head he wore a

qu ilted purple ve lve t cap, with a narrow go ld lace

bo rder; a brilliant diamond ring, about the size

ofa large button, glittered on his righ t hand he

had o n silk stockings ; and his pelisse, as usual

with Turks ofconsequence , was made ofsilk

166 rAvo uuABLE RE CE PT ION .

stufl'

, linedwith costly fur. On a small sofa near

the fire - place lay pisto ls, swo rds , inkstand, snuff

boxes, 8m. &c. allrich ly ornamented with pre

cious stones . Different sorts ofarms, supe rblymo unted, hung ro und the ro om . The treasure

in it must have been immense ; but, as I am in

formed, no th ing in comparison to what Ali po s

sesses in o ther chambers .

I was rece ived very graciously : fortunate ly

the Vizier was in good humo ur. Hav ing com

plained, that through the roguery ofhis agents,

the contract I had made with h im when at Pre

veza had no t been executed to my satisfaction, he

expressed his sorrow, assuring me at the same

time ofhis go od w ishes towards allthe English .

After a little farther conversation, he o rdered

Signor Golo vo to write an o rder, empowering meto take such part ofthe article s Contractedfor asI pleased, and when I cho se . Wh ile the o rde r

was be ing made o ut, [ had much familiar conver

sation with his Highness, who asked me manyquestions about Malta, England, &c. &c. He alsopressed me very much to return to Preveza, and

to remain there as his merchant . I asked him fora bouy ohrdee , o r passpo rt thro ugh h is country,and h e immediately had o ne . prepared in mypre sence ; he more over o rdered one ofhis offi

cers to accompany me whereve r I chose , to procure me whatever I wanted, and to anno unce me

as a person emplo yed upon his special service .

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

168 POUQUEVI LLE’

s J OURN ER .

Leaving the judicious reader to compare these

descriptions, we will return to M. Pouqueville .

The chase be ing ended, the Consu l-Generaland h is friend directed the ir co urse towards Jcannina. A boat filled with rowers awaited them at

the head ofthe lake within the city barriersthey were landed at the castle called Chatirwan,where apartments had been prepared by them. A

large fire , pages , servants, and allthe glitteringappareilofeastern splendo ur, indemnified them insome degree for the privations they had under

gone . It was agreed that they shou ld remainincognito, till a courier, who had been sent to Con

stantinople should re turn to M. l’ouque ville w iththe customary barat or ercequatm

", a fo rmal lustra

ment, witho ut wh ich he co uld n ot be legally ac

credited. M. Julian Bessieres, finding that”

day

after day e lapsed witho ut the re turn ofthe cou

rie r, was under the necess ity ofse tting ofl’

fo r

France . On the morning ofthe 4th ofMarch,”

says M. F ouquev ille , I separated from my

friend with the greatest heav iness ofheart. I

saw myse lf, as it were , abandoned amidst barbarians ; fo r very few Europeans had as y e t v isitedJoannina. I fo und myselfat the me rcy ofa man ,

ofwhom, spite ofhis apparent kindne ss, we al

ready had had cause . to complain . I must own,

that the general aspect of the co untry and its

inhabitants alarmed me’

mo st serio usly, and filled

me with the mo st glo omy apprehension s .

”

R ECE IVES m s D IPLOMA s . 169

The courier who had been despatched to Con

stantinOple hav ing returned with the Grand Se ign io r

’

s diploma, the next day the Greek and Turk

ish Primates were convoked at the Mekeme , to

bear the em aquatur read, wh ich was duly entered

in the register ofthe Cadi . After th is ceremony,and upon paying the customary fees, M. Pouquev ille , invested with the French Consulate , was

reco gnized in that capacity at the Co urt”

ofthe

Vizier ofJoannina. Scarce ly had he entered

upon his new office , than he de termined to take

an accurate survey ofEpirus, a country as y e t

bu t little known to Euro peans . He wished at

first to go to Ochrida, by traversing the chain of

the Pindus from so uth to north ; but h is planswe re constantly thwarted by Ali, under specio us

pre te xts . The French were at that time in po s

se ss io n ofthe Illyrian Pro v inces, and be strongly

suspected that the object ofthe irConsu l-General’s

jo urney into that country was to shew them the

road into Epirus . He was very uneasy, and it

be ing prudent to conciliate him, the Consu l didno t insist upon it circumstance s, however, so on

produced a change in Ali’

s po litics .

CHAPTER VIII .

Ali'

s successes —His lieutenant Jousouf-Arab.-Marriage

' of

Ali’

s nephew.—Ibrahim

’

s danger.- Ali conciliates Bo naparte .

—His plans .—SeizesPreveza.

— The Russian Consularrested.—Joannina fortified.

—Policy ofAli. - His real v iews.

Assassination ofthe Sultans .- A1i

’

s demands — H is o ve rtures

to the English— M. Po uquev illc

’

s jo urney .— Anecdo te of

Kiaya.—Ali at table .

—Dr. Holland’

s description .— The ih

habitants ofGrebigno .- The ruins ofVelas .

—An an tiquedisco vered—Preservation of two Englishmen

—Terro r in

spired by AIL— His reception in the towns.— Ali

’

s habits

H is great applicatio n to business .— Mode ofraising the tri

butes.—A1i

’

s despo tism — Law of inheritance .— Albanian

widows .— Immo rality of the Albanians .

— Devo tedness ofa

De rvise anda Greek. Ali amonopolizer.— The interior ofh is

palace — His fears during illness .—His paro xysms. -

‘

I-Iis

v isits. —Audiences.— Ali

’

s relig io us toleratio n .—Valiski.

AFTE R having de stroyed the So ulio tes, Ali nuderto ok clearing Cassiope ia ofthe Armatolis , o r

bandittiwho infested that prov ince ; and under

pre tence ofe stablish ing o rder in the Vaivodilick

ofArta, se ized Acarnania and E tolia. S till pur

su ing his encroachments , he afte rwards reduced

Salona, a town near Amphisa, the inhabitants of

wh ich he msulted by g iv ing them a papa for a

go vernor, threatening ifthey refused bim, .

to send

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

17 2 A L I Co NC I LI A'

rE s BONAPA R'PE .

tro y ed at Ulm and Austerlitz . Under her cele v

brated military ch ief, France had become the

mo st preponderating power ofcontinental Eu,

ro pe , andAustria, be ing the first vanquished, was

compe lled to subscribe to the conqueror’

s con~

ditions . The consequence was, no t only the

annexation ofDalmatia and Illyria to th e Frenchempire , but also the o ccupation ofthe kingdomofNaples by the tro ops ofBonaparte . So fo r

midable a ne ighbo ur, threatening Epirus on threediffe rent side s, raised very serio us reflectio ns inthe Vizier ofJoann ina. He was also info rmedthat an approaching rup ture was expected be

tween Russia and Turkey ; and that the French

ambassado r at Constantinople (General Sebastieni) began to be in great favo ur with the D ivan .

By th is inte lligence he regulated his conduct .

The same Ali Pacha who , in 17 98, succeeded in

cajo ling the conqueror ofItaly , .was now seen

employing allh is prudence and address to co n

ciliate‘the victo r ofAusterlitz . He was no t nu

succe ssful; amicable relatio ns were so on e sta

blish ed between these two worth ie s, and Bo na

parte gratified h is newly acqu ired friend by se ve

ralvaluable pre sents, amo ngst o thers, a superb

gun , ornamented with precious stones, and ma

nufactured at Versaille s . Enco uraged by Napoleo n to declare his hatred ofthe Russians, wh ombe continually called the enemies ofthe Ottoman

empire, and .with whom the French'rEmperor'him

A LI ss rzss PR EVE zA . 17 3

se lfwas no lo nger On friendly te rms, Ali Imme

diately perce ived the part allo tted h im to act in

approach ing events, and o nly tho ught ofturn ingthem to his own advantag e . His plan was to

obtain the Pachaship ofSalonica fo r h is nephewAden Be y ; to replace Ibrah im Pacha ofBerat

by h is so n Mo uctar, and to establish Vely in the

Mor

/

ea.

Be ing thus surrounded by his lieutenants, (for

he flattered h imselfwith the reduction ofSantaMaura,) he intended to have made the Ambracian

G ulfthe centre ofa piracy no tless famous than

that ofAlgie rs . The favo urable moment fo r

the execution of th is plan had arrived, whenhe rece ived intelligence ofthe invas ion ofthe

Tu rkish Ultra-Danubian Prov ince s by the Russ ians . Ali immediately se ized Preveza, drivingo u t Abdullah Be y , Vaivode ofthe Grand Se ign io r ; wh ile the Russians, with equal ce le rity,th rew a garrison into Parga, and thus, for the

seco nd time , saved the Christians ofthat town .

At th is signal, M. Flory, the Russian Consulat

Jeannine , was arres ted,and preparations were

made fo r war o n allside s .

Ali pressed th e French Consu l in the mo st

urgent manner to prevailupon his go vernment

to furnish h im w ith artillery and engineers ;engaging no t only to push the war v igoro usly

against the Russians who we re in the Seven

Islands , but also to defend and succour Cataro .

174 I OA N N IN A PORT IPI E D.

His wishes were accomplished abo ut the com

mencement of1807 . On the 14th February, th e

first detachment ofartillerymen, under the com

mand ofCo lonelN icole and Captain Ponce to n,

began the ir march from Ragusa acro ss Bo sn ia.

At the same time a co rvette and a gun- boat,

hav ing on board the seco nd de tachment with

considerable sto res , sailed from Naples, th en

governed by Bonaparte’

s bro ther.

Colone l Vaudoncourt, an officer in the Eng i

acers, who was entrusted by MarshalMarmont

with amissio n to the Beys and Pachas ofAlban iaand Epirus, remained in Ali

’

s dominions to supe rintend the defensive Operations . Under h is directions , Ali first constructedfo rtifications aro undhis capital; he also fo rtified his seraglio ofLitaritza ; and at Preveza raised redoubts and line s .

Hav ing made the latter place h is grand depot, helo st no time in attacking Santa Maura. The

French artillerymen had been bro ught back in

de tachments from Po rto Palermo , Santa Quaranta, Preveza, Missolongi, and Lepanto , and

were allplaced under the command ofthe Co n

sul- general Fouque ville ,who first inspected the

redo ubt, recently constructed by the French

upon the he ight ofPe ratia, oppo site the fo rts

Ale xander and Co nstantine , wh ich are erected

upo n a small island adjo ining Leucada, and then

ordered forges to be se t up, and a bridge to be

thrown acro ss the rivule t ofPeratia, in o rder to

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

176 m s R EA L e ws .

greatTurkish Beys ofAsiaMinor, theMamelukes

ofEgy pt, and severalAgas ofMacedon ia and

Albania, alreadv were in hereditary po ssess ione ither ofwho le prov inces, or ofnumero us dis

tricts . The Vizier ofJoannina canno t, the refo re ,

be justly taxed with be ing actuated by a rebel

lio us spirit . So farfrom it, that in allhis re lationswith the French government, he was careful topreserve the interests ofthe Turkish empire .

In fact , the successive acqu isition ofall the

small maritime cantons ofEpirus was a work of

enlightened po licy, and one which was h ighly

advantageous to the interest ofTurkey in general.We should be guilty ofh istoricalpartiality, werewe to v iew only the e vils wh ich these small

Christian prov inces have suffei’ed. Ali, as a

Musulman , and as a Vizier of the Ottoman

Porte , co uld no t be expected to be e ither the

pro tector ofthe Christian religion , o r the pro

mo terofEuropean civilization . Why , then, should

no t allowances be made in his favour fo r the

principles in wh ich he was brought up , and the

v iewswith which his relative dutie s towards h iscountry and his sovere ign naturally inspiredh im

’

?

Animated by other passions , and actuate d 'by

far different mo tives, the officers and agents of

the French government cou ld no t consider him

in th is po int ofv iew . It was easily to be seen,

therefore , that no great length of!

time would.

ASSASSIN A'

I‘I ON o r TR E SULTA NS . 17 7

e lapse befo re the Viz ierwou ld be regarded as a

faith le ss tyrant, ready to sacrifice every th ing to

gratify his own cupidity and ambition . AlreadyVaudonco urt, the colone l ofengineers, complain

ed that allhis plans we re counteracted by the

Vizier’s insatiable avarice . But as he had it in

h is ~ instructions to ke ep the Russians in check, be

submitted to allthe caprice s ofAli, no t, how

e ver, without complaining very bitterly ofhim in

his official correspo ndence , and describing h im in

the blackest co lours .

During this sho rt interval, great commo tions

had agitated the Turkish empire . Selim, the

mo st just ofmonarchs, and his nephew Sultan

Se l im, had bee n assassinated and Turkey, after

th is catastrophe , found itse lfsingly oppo sed to

Russia. Ali, who as a po litician should have

justly appreciated the co nsequence s ofsuch a

state ofth ings, instead ofconciliating his new

ne ighbours, disgusted them by bo ldly requiringthe reward ofservice s wh ich he had never ren

dered. He required the cession ofParga, and

Santa Maura, and even the so vere ignty ofthe

S even Islands . His demands, however, be ingrejected, he immediately made overtures to the

E nglish, who in the ir turn became as much.

his

d upes as the French had been .

In the midst ofthese po litical intrigue s and

fre sh nego tiations, Ali de termined upon making a

p ro gress through h is Pachaship ; and in some of

17 8 u . POUQUEVI LLE’

s JOURN EY .

his et cursions was attended by the Consul-GenesralofFrance , who se experience , abilities, andmerit be we llknew how to appreciate . Some

sulphur-mines had re cently been found in Mo unt

Chamou‘ri, and Ali, who was much intere sted in

the discovery , engaged the Consulto accompanyhim in a jo urney he proposed taking to visitthem . He at first directed his course towards

Dgerovina, a v illage enclosed on all side s bymountains covered with ancient oaks . At th isplace there is a lake , ofwh ich many wo ndersare re lated ; such as, that it has no bo ttomfth atit abso rbs whatever is thrown into it, BIC . M.

Pouqueville was no t long before he fo und Out thecomposition offables invented by the G re eks.

The Vizier informed him that he had formerly

passed over th is same lake in a boat, wh ich com

ple tely falsified the story ofits pre tended quality

ofabsorption : Unless, said Ali, smiling uponthose who heard him, we except stones . He

afterwards told us, that hav ing caused the depth

ofthe lake to be ascertained, the line had re

ported th irty fathoms at the bo rders, then fo rty,and in the middle from o ne hundred to a hundred

and twenty . He could no t help laugh ing whenthe French Consu l informed him, that o ne Ofthe

professo rs ofh is college at Joannina asserted, t hatthe lake ran underground, and that it formed theVistritza. These people ,

”

replied he , never

see th ings like o thers . Ye t he has bee n here

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

180 A L I A'

l‘TABLE .

porcelain from Sevres, ornamented with designs

from the French scho ol. Acco rding t o the Vi

zier’

s custom, an entire lamb was placed before

him, we igh ing about twe lve pounds, ofwhich he

devoured mo re than half, besides several cloves

ofgarlic, hard eggs, an s ee l, and many o ther

dishes : contenting h imse lfafterwards with tench-3

ing a great many o thers with his finger, to shew

that he liked them, and that they might be

cleared away . Pilow, o r bo iled rice , the usual

dessert ofthe Turks, and over wh ich they po ur

curdled cream, be ing now served up, the Vizier,dipping in his spoon;discovered two or three

small feathers : he immediate ly judged that his

pilow had been bo iled in the water in wh ich the

under- co oks steep the poultry previously to

plucking it . At that instant,”

says M. Pouquev ille , I saw the satrap turn pale , and immedi

ate ly symptoms ofalarm and terror se ized hisattendants . What is th is -ah His vo ice was

complete ly altered, when, h is eyes accidental lymee ting mine , no t be ing able (1know no t why )to continue h is invective , he suddenly burst into

a loud fit oflaughter. You see , my son, h owIam served. Some day or o ther I shallcertainly

hang up afew ofthem.

’

That will no t impro ve

the ir cookery .

’

Oh , indeed, it will— Ifyouknewhow essential it is to good order For

th is once I hope y ou will pardon th em.

’

Yes,

bu t they must eat the pilow, bo iled in the dish

DR . no LLA N D’

s DE sCRIPTI o N . 181

water, with allthe feathers in it . (And th is sen

tence was executed to the ve ry le tter. ) But for

you,

’

said he , the ir heads should be in my court

yard.

’

At th is time there were about‘

halfa

dozen exh ibited there prev iously to be ing sent to

Constantinople .

”

As a parallel passage , we may , perhaps, be ai

lowed to quote the following from Dr. Holland’

s

in teresting work In his habits at table Ali

Pacha is temperate , tho ugh by no means so strictQ Musulman as to refuse h imse lfwine . He al

l nost always eats alone , according to the custom

( IfTurks ofh igh rank. His dinner usually cons ists oftwelve or sixteen co vers, wh ich are separate ly placed on a tray befo re him. The ‘ dishes

are chiefly tho se ofTurkish co oke ry ; in additio n

to wh ich , a who le lamb, pro vided by h is shep

herds , is served up at his table eve ry day in the

year. His appe tite is no t at allfastidious and Ihave been to ld, that his co oks, in providing fo r

him, take libertie s wh ich , under a luxurious des

po t, would infallibly co st them the ir heads .

”

The sulphur-mine , the object ofthe jo urney,and upon which so many grand projects and spe

culations had been raised,was fo und near the

surface ofthe earth . Experiments were made ,furnaces erected, and o rders were already givenforthe erection ofmanufacto ries, when the stu

pidity ofan Italian , who was appo inted super

intendant ofthe works, happily disgusted the Vi

192 TH E IN h nDlTANTS o r co uco uu o s.

zierwith a scheme which he renounced with a

much indifference as he had manifested eagerness

to undertake it .

He retook the road to Jcah uina, along the chain

ofMo unt Chamouri, in the upper valley ofthe

Thyanus, and arriv ing at an ambari, or store for

corn, be there rested . The inhabitants ofth e v il

lage , the near ne ighbo urs ofCoucoulios, came to

present h is h ighness with a cup ofmilk and afew

handfuls ofmeal, in token ofthe prosperity andabundance wh ich spring under the foo tstep ofa

powerful man . May y ou enjo y a long happylife !” said they to him may yo ur years bemany ! fo r ourse lves it is indifferent whethe r y ouhang o r drown us

,unless y ou diminish the taxes

with wh ich we are overwhe lmed.

”

The Pacha,without appearing to understand them, invitedthe consu l to sit by him on some bags ofcorn ,

co vered with a carpet ; he made a sign to the

peasants to re tire , telling them, to go in peace, and‘

pray G od fo r him ; assuring them, that ifProv idence prese rved his life , they sho uld want fo r noth ing . A

'

t length his harangue being concluded,the petitioners hadalready passed the do or, when

he o rdered them to be called back, and upo n h is

saying to th em, that he held them near his heart, it

was h oped that h e had relented towards these

unfortunates . But, after a moment’

s silence ,

As a proofofwh ich , at your own eXpense , y ou

shall build me a residence cont iguous to this

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

184 ru e m aa s rm urs o r G BEBIG NO.

pretext ofnot liking them.) to cut, . and transport

in carts to Jeannine e ve ry year, e ight tho usand

logs offue l-wo od. At length a Papa was in troduced, accused by the inhabitants ofGrebigno

with hav ing caused the conflagratio n ofa tower,

the care ofwhich had been entrusted to him as

Devengi. The peasants, mo reover, declared him

to be a drunkard, and ofa most implacable tem

per. The only answer returned by the Vizier

was, that he wished to have his tower in the

same state as when he had appo inted th e Balouk

Bach i to the command ofit ! To which the Papacoo lly replied, that he could not have it

though y o u were to hang me for it, wh ich ,

however, will no t be the case . Well,”

said the

Vizier, th is is candid. First, let my lo rdknow, t hat my who le prope rty consists in mywife ,

who is now old, and in fourte en goats;

wh ich she leads to feed in the mo untains . If

the se were allso ld, they would no t produce suffi

cient to construct even the do or ofthe tower :

my enemie s know it ; but your Highness is apparently igno rant that these men, so zealo us inyour service , have owed y ou fo r ten years the

tithes upon wine : they who tax me with drunkenness,force the po or to furnish themwith wine ,and then drink it.

”

Th is is always the wayI am served,

”

said the Vizier, sighing ; and ye t

pe ople wonder that I am po o r -And that makes

e very y ear2”

More than ten thousand ekkes

THE xmra A ND D ivan E rrs nm . 185 '

ofwine, withou t reckoning the M ndy' i'which

they distil . ” Yes, wine and -branl* I have

no person about me at allinterested in my con

ce rns : th is is the way I am ru ined- And that

makes ? More than four thousand piastres

a- year, my lo rd, at least. ” Let us see, fifty ‘

tho usand piastres, and as much for interest ; for

th ey have , no doubt, robbed me o ther ways !

My son, I appo int thee Codja Bach i; (or Primate ,) in the place ofthy accusers, who shall besent ! to prison till they have paid what they owe

me ; the v illage must rebu ild the tower at its own

expense ; and as for thee , be a faithfu l servant !”

Other causes were be ing called on,when the

French Consul retired. Upon go ing to the Mo

naste ry ofJacovo , he saw the re tinue ofMouctar

Pacha, wh ich , with his falconers and carriages.was proceeding towards Calibaki, whence he

purposed returning to‘

Joannina by the chain of

Mitchikeli, to enjoy the pleasures ofthe chase .

Upon entering the co nvent, the C onsul foundthere the Vizier’s Kiaya and his Divan Efl

'

endi,

ofch iefsecre tary . Dr. Lou is Franck, at that

time physician to Ali Pacha, jo ined them at sup

per- time , during wh ich repast the Kiaya made a

great parade ofhis learning, by extravagant tales

and -dissertations upon judicialas tro lo gy—fe ve

ries wh ich, according to M. F ouqueville , are very

prevalent among the Turks . The next morning ,while it was scarce ly day , theywere informed by

IQ n o sno u snn nn n ew .

i : coun'

er, that the Vizier expected them at the

khan ofMm raki ; to wh ich place he had re

paired before sunrise . They immediately quittedJuce vo , and on keeping the right bank ofthe

Thya is, they perceived the ruins ofVelas , theancient Pho tice, the antiquity ofwh ich must bewry great, since statues and arch itectural te

mains have been found there , wh ich pro ve it to“ re been a flo urishing city during the time of

the “ Queues . The Vizier informed the French

Consulthat he had h imse lfse en dug up the head

ofa human figure , ofcolossalproportions, and as

hig hs a bufl'

alo’

s : thiswas his expression .

After a short halt at the khan ofMazaraki,

Whore the Vizier had ordered breakfast, he gave

the signal for departure, and for th is once took

his h ave without making any exactions the in

habitants ofFago una, informed ofhis approach ,had fled into the mountains .

In returning from the cascade ofGlizani to

words Dridu ,‘ the French Consul saved the live s

oftwo fore igners, whom a horde offurio us bar

barians was dragging before the Vizier. Hear

ing that they were Franks, he made his way

“tro ugh the crowd on ho rseback, and perce ived

two men bound toge ther and almo st naked, who ,

on seeing him approach , cried o ut that they were

Englishmen. The Consulmade them a s ign to

remain quiet, and, runn ing to the Pacha, was the

first to inform him ofwhat was pas sing . The y

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

188 AL i’

s o nnar s p ru ca'

rxo n .

girls, and infants, are withdrawn to a conside rable distance , all valuables are studiously re

mo ved, as at the approach ofan enemy ; whilethe only persons left to . greet the ir Pacha, are

the papas and a few old men co vered with rags .

Instead of joyful acclamations, curses no t

loud but deep, are heard, and the emphatic

advice Of(pair : wipe, o ut;rpoi‘

ya 6'

d immin g ) “

fly ; theVizier willdcomtr thee .

”

Whenever,”

observes M. Po uqueville , I

have fo llowed any ofthe roads prev iously tra

veiled by Ali Pacha, I have ne ver failed to oh

serve some ditch recently filled up , o r wretches

hanging on the trees . His fo o tsteps were every

where imprinted in blood and it was upon the se

occasions that, to display the extent ofh is powe r,he ordered executions as terrible as they were

unexpected.

"

Like Tiberius, his sentiment was,odorint, dam metuant

Ifthe journeys ofthe Vizier were a calamity

for the country under h is contro ul, h is admin is

tration at home was no t less dreaded. Fo r his

harsh and oppressive measures were seconded by

such indefatigable industry, and application to

business, that few ofthe v ictims e ither ofh is

avarice or cruelty could e scape .

Rising every morning befo re daybreak, he

read the dispatches, and attended to the vario us

pe titions laid upon his sofa. Then .clo setlng

A Lr’

s HA BITS o r nusm nss . 189

h imse lfwith his secretaries, he would attend to

affairs offinance , ofwh ich the ch iefwas the

invention of new taxes ; in the imposition

of wh ich , he gave the preference to those

v illages wh ich he was anxio us shou ld se ll themse lve s as tchifltiks, in

‘

order to form a part ofh is

private domains . When he paid his tro ops, itwas always with clipped money, nor was his

treasurer unpro v ided with co unterfeit co in .

When the time arrived fo r sending the tribute to

Co nstantinople , he o'

bliged the merchants to furn ish .a ce rtain quantity ofgo ld sequins, in ex

change for a like sum ofo ther co in ; and ifthey

found a difficulty in raising the requ ired amo unt,

he wo uld advance it from his own treasury, uponpayment ofa certain bonus . In sho rt, such was

his avidity, that he le vied contributions upon h is

ch ief officers ofstate , secre taries, magistrates,no t excepting even the public executioners, who

were compelled to allow him a share ofth e pro

perty ofthe ir victims . Nor was the ecclesiastical

state exempted. The archbishops and bishops,were subjected to aperiodical lo ss offavour,wh ich

they co uld on ly redeemr by a very handsome

do uceur wh ile the monasteries and churches

were overwhelmed with o ppre ssive taxes — In

sho rt no one cou ld call h is property his own ;every one trembledfo r h is own existence , andfor

the fate ofh is ch ildren , who were entirely at the

mercy ofthe Vizier ; fo r, by a refinement ofdes

190 Law o r successmn .—wroows .

po tism, he alone po ssessed the right ofmatchmaking among the opulent classes ofso cie ty

Thus, as a reward fo r treachery or panderism,

he would bestow the hand ofa rich he iress upon

a wretch stained with the worst ofcrime s ; andby an unexampled excess ofbarbarity, wo u ldforce the mo st virtuous citizens to enter into

immoraland abandoned connexions .

By a custom pe culiar to Turkey, the Satrap isconstituted the universalhe ir ofh is vassals . In

v irtue ofth is title , Ali se ized the property ofalltho se who left no male children . Nor would hemake an allowance even for the daughters, but

re served themfor the purpose ofdispo sing ofthemin marriage as occasion requ ired — The natural

consequence ofth is v io lation ofevery principle

ofequ ity and justice is, that whenever a person.dies without direct he irs, the bro th ers and co lla

teralre latives are excluded from any share ofh is

property . Widows, ifthey have no male ch il

dren , are driven from the ir husband’

s ho use ,

withou t a dowry, o r any portion ofpropertybe ing assigned them . They may even consider

themse lve s fortunate ifnot put to the to rture ,

o r sent .to prison, under pretext ofhaving co n

icealed bills ofexchange , jewe ls, or o ther valu

ables . Friends , re lations,bro thers even , are

prevented by the ir fears from giving any asylum

to the se unfo rtunate women,who are frequently

compelled to pass the night in the churches, and

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

192 an A u o no rom zna.

than those ofits demoraliz ing and brutali‘zing

influence .

Ali Pacha united in h imse lfevery branch of

commerce . He was a landed pro prie to r, afarmer

general , a merchant, a custom- house officer, and

a tax-

gatherer. It would be impo ssible to enu

merate his various exactions . Sometimes theywere impo sed by his mere absolute wil l, at

o thers, circulars were issued in wh ich he called

upon those who loved him, to assist him in the timeofneed ; and it may easily be suppo sed that th is

invitation was no t unattended to . Under th e

name ofTamir(3

) he appropriated to h imse lfa

certain po rtio n of the public manufacture s.

Some time s pre tending to be v isited with consci

entions scruple s, he would assemble merchants

and affect to assist them in the ir distre ss . The

times are hard, he would say ,“ I know yo u r

wants, and am willing to assist y o u by a loan .

"

Each indiv idual was then obliged to take a ce r

tain sum at the rate oftwenty Or thirty per cent .

interest . Anxio us no t to appear rich , his v ictim

submitted to this extortion , hoping by the sacri

fice ofa part to save that ofthe who le .

With similar hypocrisy he wou ld recompe nse

the persons attached to his serv ice , by empower

ing them to demand presents, o r sending them to

live atfree co st, upon certain towns . Thus with

o ut o pening his purse - strings he me t allhis ex

penses . Upon this principle , the carriage ofall

A Lt’

s m oo n srsr ancrrs . 193

articles fo r his consumption , the palaces wh ich

h e built, and the fo rtifications wh ich he co n

s tructed, were allexecuted by Angari, (4

) a wo rd

wh ich appears to be long peculiarly to his go vern

ment .

The interior ofthe Satrap’

s palace pre sented

contradictionsas striking as did his administration .

Ifthe audience - chambers were resplendent with

gilding, arms richly inlaid, and sofas co vered with

the delicate brocade s ofLyons , they were also

filled with furniture ofevery de scription , h eaped

to ge ther.witho ut the least taste o r discriminat ion— the produce ofhis extortions e ither at home or

abroad . Thus, wo oden benches were to be’

seen

n ear a table ofthe rare st marble , and a magnifi

c ent bronze clock from the manufacto rie s of

France wou ld stand contemptuo usly by the side

of its humble Dutch companion . Ali h imse lf

presented the same contradiction some time s

he appeared clad in the mo st precious stuffs,

wearing a cuirass glittering w ith diamonds, h isfingers sparkling with solitaires ofimmense value ,

his head covered with a richly embro idered cap,

ho lding in his hand a snuff- box covered with

brilliants, or a string oflarge Oriental pearls

at o thers, he was to be seen o nly in a dilapidatedchamber, or seated amongst h is wo rkmen , dis

cussing the mo st impo rtant affairs amidst then o ise ofhammers, 8zc. His pages are qu ite 1n

character with the re st ofth is singular court ;

0

l94 A L1’

s r u ns D UR I NG I LLN E SS.

although clad in richly embro idered garments,they are freque ntly without sh irts, and are o h

liged to feed upon the coarsest fare . In winter

time , an enormous fire warms the apartments of

Ali, while his officers are starving with co ld in theantechamber, eagerly extending the ir hand to th efirst comer, in order to obtain a trifling doucehr.At the so lemn festivals ofthe Bayram. and the

Courban , he frequently se ts o ut upon a journe yto avo id be ing obliged to g ive presents to his se tvants,who have generally to complain ofhis want

ofpunctuality in paying them the ir wages . (6

)In sho rt, avarice is one ofhis predominant pas

sions, wh ich no t even his ermined robe can con

ceal. Ali is at times no t wanting in sensibility .

‘Frequently,’

says M. Fo uqueville , ‘ I hav e ob

served h is countenance change , upon my remark

ing that he had lost the right of“

be ing believed,

e ven when he told the truth ; on such o ccas ions

he wo uld answer, that it had been h is misfortune

never to have found any but accomplices in h is

crime s, or Obsequ ious executo rs ofh is will . It

.was during illness, e specially, that he felt th e

mo st dreadfulalarms . The hand ofan avengingde ity appeared raised o ver his head. A prey to

the mo st dreadful apprehensions, he would

break out into self- accusations and reproaches,

conjuring his physicians, whom he called h is

bro thers, to save him, at the same time promisingthem the mo st munificent rewards, Prisoners

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

196 H IS PET tTlON E RB.

descend from his h igh rank t0'

associate With the

lower o rders ofso cie ty . He do es no t even dis

dain to partake the banque t of the Jews, of

his bo o tmaker, his tailo r, o r any o ther trades

man, fo r these kind offestivals (ziaphet) are

alway s fo llowed by presents He f

pre sides

at the weddings of h is officers and servants ,

g iving them as a marriage portion part ofthe

spo ils wh ich fall to h im by 'way ofinhe ritance ?)Bu t ne ither th is h o nour, no r the fe stivals w ithwh ich he is entertained, h inder him the next day

from loading his ho sts with chains, ifhis capriceor interest requ ires it .

The Vizier’

s audiences are no t less s ingularthan his private habits . The court-yards ofthe

palace are filled with thousands ofpe t itio nersimploring an interv iew . Some affix the ir re

quests to long reeds, in o rder to attract h is at

tention ; o thers pass entire day s in a suppliantattitude under h is windows, brav ing all inclemene ies ofthe weather : the majority of the se

never obtain even a lo ok from the tyran t, and

many die with want and misery befo re they -can»

procure admission into his pre sence .

“ Although harsh and tyrann icalin general, Ali’

s

go vernment appears mild and liberal, when we

consider the security wh ich the mass ofthe pe o

ple enjoyed, the religio us toleration shewn to

the Greeks, and the use wh ich he made ofthe

se rvice s ofthe latter ; the contradictio n , how

A PO LOG Y ro e;

A L I 197

e ve r, was o nly apparent, and a natural o onss

quence ofhis situatio n and ofh is politicalsystem .

The different parts ofh is domin io ns did no t form

one cohe rent whole ; but h is object was to remedyth is defect, from a convictio n that allmust be

united round h is own person as a centre ; and

th erefo re , that none who co uld offer resistancemust remain unsubdued. This he h imselffre

quently declared to be h is fundamentalprincipleofaction .

”

His administratio n, however, has fo und apo

lo gists ; as a pro ofofwh ich , the French Consul

quo tes the Opin io n ofan Albanian ph ilo so phe r,o ne who was wellacquainted with France , had

resided m Paris, and frequented the socie ty of

the literary contempo rarie s ofVoltaire .

He thus expresses h imse lf: I was bo rn at

Premiti, and am an undeniable pro ofthat a wise

and prudent man can . be happy e verywhere . I

h ave seen Versaille s and the King ofFrance

I have witnessed the mo st refined civilization I

have resided among the mo st polished natio n in

the wo rld and y e t I sighed to re - visitnry native

land. Fo r fifteen years I have served Ali Pacha

as h is interpre ter, witho ut experiencing at h is

h ands e ithe r ingratitude o r great favo ur. H is

go vernment, which ,to y ou may perhaps appear

se vere , is th e best calculated for the subjects

wh om he commands : h is extortio ns and his cru

clties are su ited to the ferocio us characte r ofthe

198 H I S ar t re ro o s ro rnnn'rro N .

Albanians : a nation ofrobbers must have a

tyrant for the ir ruler. My language may , pe r

haps, astonish ‘

y ou ; but only ten years ago you

wou ld have been assassinated, o r so ld as a slave;by the

'Very people who now surround y ou , and

from whom y o u rece ive the attentions ofheat

pitality .

”

The who le of'

Ali’s tyrannical system pre

sented striking contradictions . For instance , his

re lig ious toleration was in some respects partial

he seemed to grant a specialprotection to tho se

whom h is re ligion reprobated. Under th is po int

ofv iew, a Christian in criminal cases was alway s

mo re favoured than a Musu lman . He nce , per‘

haps, the pro tection wh ich be afforded to publ icinstruction in favour ofthe Christians, ev en in

the interior ofh is seraglio . As a conse que nce of

th is system, Ali permitted his wive s the mo st

entire freedom in cases ofre ligion and upon th e

death ofEmineh , the be loved wife ofh is h eart,

h e even cho se a Christian as her successor

Re ine Vasiliki ofParamith ia, a mode l ofv irtu eand pie ty . Her elevation was one oftho se pro

digies so often occurring in abso lute go vern

ments . Ali in 1800had pro secu ted h er fath e rfo r co ining ; and the who le family be ing se ized,

Ali accidentally saw Re ine , then quite y o ung .

He o rdered her to be brought up in his harem .

The graces ofher fo rm,wh ich was ofsurpris ing

beauty , having now attained perfection, Ali mar

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

CHAPTER IX .

Ali’s designs against Ibrahim Pacha.— Omar Bey Brioni.

Ho no urable co nduct ofMe nere t and Vely .—Ali a mediato r.

— Capitulatio n ofBerat .— Genero sity ofOmer.— Displeasure

of the Po rte .— Ali

’

s cunning .— H is letter to the Divan.

Pretends illness .— Characteristic ske tches ofMo uctar and

Vely .— Defeat ofthe Turks.

— Fligh t ofAli’

s two sons.—Vely

deprived ofthe Morea.— Is made Vizier ofThessaly .

—Policyofthe Po rte — Ibrahim be trayed to AIL— Ali

’

s nume rous

vassals — H is treatment ofthe Beys ofAvlona.- Ali the ally

ofthe English .—Be trays them.

— Firmness ofM.Po uque ville .

Taking ofSantaMaura.— Expedition against th e Serv ians .

—Submissio n ofthe inhabitants ofPhilates and Conispolis ,

T1113 de struction ofthe Soulio tes rendered the

o ther ch iefs engaged in the league ofChamo uri

an easy prey to Ali. Some , co rrupted by h ismoney, had given h im h o stage s ; and all, trem

bling at the me re sound ofhis name , only desiredpermission to live in peace in the ir native moun

tains . Parga fo und a defence under the French

flag from the fury ofits naturalenemy ; Acrocereunia had rece ived the yoke , wh ile Taulantiawas to rn by the factions ofthe Beys ofAvlo na

,

who be trayed Ibrah im Pacha. In vain did th e

omna arr amo u r. 201

Vizier endeavour to retain them in his interestas he had no longer any money to subsidize tho sewh om he had enriched, they all to ok the first

O ppo rtunity ofdeserting h im .

Ali Pacha, now become mo re formidable than

eve r, reso lved to inflict the last blow upon the

unfo rtunate Ibrah im . As an open attack wou ldhave infallibly compromised him in the publicopin io n, and rendered h im obnoxio us to the

Porte , he prepared the way for his intendedhost ilities, by the propagatio n ofwe ll- inventedcalumnie s . He wro te therefore by every co urierto Co nstantinople , and cau s

'

ed the report to bec irculated through the medium ofhis Capi - tchoad ars, that Ibrah im had been gained over by the

F rench , to whom he intended ceding h is terri

t ory . Forged pro ofs ofth is crime were produced,and atte sted by suborned witnesses . But these

artifice s did no t succe ed with a monarch who ,

notwithstanding his youth, already gave indications of a firm and decided character. Ali,

accustomed never to abando n his plans ofaggrandizement o r v engeance , kept up a system of

dissimu lation till the year 1810, when, judgingthe favourable moment hadarrived, be de termined

to pro se cute his plans indirectly thro ugh the

instrumentality ofan adventurer, wh om, ifnece s

sary , he cou ld at any time disavow . This indi

vidualwas Omer Bey Brion i', a turbu lent man,

whom Ibrah im had banished, after confiscating

202 MARCH ES AG A I N ST IM A H IM .

his estates . During his exile he had distin

guished h imse lfin Egypt against the English,and he returned into Epirus with an in1mensa

fo rtune and a great repu tation for valour. At

any o ther time his riches wo u ld have been his

destruction ; wh ich was for the present deferredby him who had occasion for his service s . In

concert with the Beys ofAv lona, Ali inducedhim to take the fie ld against Ibrah im, under pre

tence ofrecovering his po ssessions . Hithe rtono th ing had o ccurred that was inconsistent with

the customs of the Albanians, wh o are accus

tomed to settle the ir differences by fo rce of

arms . Bu t Omer Bey , instead oftaking the

field like a ch ieftain, at the head ofa few par

tisane, marched against Berat with a co rps of

e ight tho usand men, followed by a field and

battering train , with artillery -men , pio nee rs, &c.

Th is expedition gave almo st universaldisent isfaction ; wh ile Mouctar Pacha, who relig io u slykept the promise he had made his father- in-law

ofnever carrying arms agalnst him , lamented h is

situation , w ithout be ing able to amelio rate it .

Vely, at that time Vizier of the Mo rea, had

vainly pro tested against th is attempt . At lengthAli set bfffo r Tepelini, there to await results ,

and apply them to his own advantage . The

issue was not doubtfu l ; for Ibrah im, who se

finances were qu ite exhausted,had only time to

retreat into his castle with a few followers, and

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

204 m s p rrzs sunn o r ru n ro ar s .

might have a pre text for assassinating the van

quished, in defiance ofthe capitulatio n he had

just concluded. To the praise ofOmer Brioni

be it said, that at the head ofa body ofcavalry ,he covered the re treat ofthe fallen Vizier Ibrahim,

nor did he withdraw h is pro tection tillIbrahim

had arrived at the gates ofAvlona.

The intelligence ofAli’s o ccupation ofBerat,

created much displeasure at Constantino ple, and

it was suppo sed that the Grand Se ignior wo u ldhave instantly punished the aggressor ; but in

addition to the‘

confusion created by a new re ign,

the war with Russia was to be pro secuted, and

the insurrection ofthe Servians to be quelled .

Dissimulation was therefore nece ssary ; and as,

under such circumstances, to temporize is to

pardon, theOttoman ministers graciously acce ptedthe spo ils ofIbrah im, sent them as a douce ur by .

h is unprincipled conquero r. The prese rvatio n of

appearance s ,is, however, necessary e ven in the

co ncessions exto rted from cowardice and imbecility , and a show ofdispleasure was therefo re

affected towards Ali. His bribes had the ir elo

quence his beau tifully embo ssed arms, and

generous steeds ofMusache , we re allduly appre

ciated ; but he , no twithstanding , re ce ived o rders

to take the fie ld, and to jo in the Grand Vizier atChoumle . The Satrap,who perfectlycomprehendedwhat th is meant, immediate ly re to ok the road to .

PanraN o s I LLN E SS . 205I

Joanmna, causing himse lfto be carried in a litteras ifdangerously ill . At the same time he wro te

in the most submissive te rms to the Divan, that

he was most anxious to obey its orders, by consecrat

ing to the service ofhis Sultan the remnant ofa lifepassed in combating his e nemies a signalproofofwhich , alas ! he had just g iven, in punishing the

father - ia-law (fhis two sons, a m’an who had sold

himselfto the Russians and the French . He con

cluded by obse rv ing , that the o nly streng th nowleft him by the infirmities ofage, was that ofaddressi ng to heaven and the prophet, hisferventpray ersfor the success ofhis master

’

s arms against the M its

covites . These Obsequ ious le tters he backed bymagn ificent . presents, and still mo re magnificentpromise s to the ministers .

—From that moment

the only topic at J oannina was the infirmitie s ofthe Vizier ; whene ver he gave audience he was

seen surrounded by a ho st ofdoctors assembledfrom eve ry part ofhis dominions . He wore .

green spectacles, on account ofthe blindness with

wh ich he was threatened ; and adopted a reg imen

calculated to remedy the inroads made upon his con

stitution by y outhfulexcesses .

Ve ry feww ere the dupe s ofhis artifices, bu t

appearances were to be saved, and the irresistible

reasons ofhis Capii - tchoadars procured the order

respe cting him to be commuted by allowing his

sons Mouctar and Vely to be his substitute s .

As no oppo rtunity has y e t o ccurred ofsketch

206 cunnncr s n o r n o vors a.

ing the characters ofAli’s sons, we shall here

insert the fo llowing ably drawn portraits .

Ali ’s e ldest son , Mo uctar, po ssesse s personal

courage , probity, and genero sity ; he is afriend

to the arts and sciences ; his attachment to

Phro sina has given to his disposition mildne ss

and po lish . War, howeve r, is h is favourite pur

su it ; and, when he canno t fo llow it, the chase

se rves him for his recreation . He is plain in h is

dre ss, temperate , bo ld, and unsuspecting ; h ewanders through the mo untains on foot, is co n

tented with bread and water, ifnecessary , and

with the hardest co uch . In camp he fares like

a common so ldier, and sleeps upo n the ground,

wrapped in a coarse Alban ian cloak. As it is

known that he punctually fulfils his engagements ,every body is ready, allo ver his father

’

s domi

nions, to meet his wishes . Whatever is len t to

him, he always repay s at the time stipulated ;he often adds pre sents, and in allcase s obligingexpressions ofacknowledgment . Fourteen day s

before he was forced to depart for Lepan to , h e

caused it to be proclaimed by sound oftrumpe t,that who ever had any claims upon him sho uldapply for payment . He accordingly paid th em

all; and meeting in the streets one ofhis cre

ditore , who had just re turned from a jo urney, hemade his train halt, in o rder to pay him likewise ;The strictness and integrity ofhis principles causea certain coolness be tween Mouctar and h is

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

208 CH ARACTER o r VE LY'

.

with European manners . He made a propo salto

th is effe ct to his father, and endeavoured to gain

h is assent to it upon politicalmo tives . But Ali

Pacha, who knows his so n to be a great prodigal,saw very well that the business might co st h im

some millions ofpiastres ; andwould no t hear of

it . Ve ly also po ssesses personal courage , bywh ich he acqu ired distinction and reputation

during the lastwar against Russ ia, He is jealous

ofhis bro ther ; and it is no t probable , that when

h is father dies he will be dispo sed peaceably to

acknowledge his right of primogeniture , and

leave to him the government ofJoannina. Ali

has indeed mo re regard for him than forMouctar,

y e t still his distrust extends also to h im.

When the undisciplined state of a Turkisharmy is taken into co nsideration, it willn o t ap

pear surprising thatfifty tho usand Russians shou ldho ld ln check, and even defeat, the fo rces ofthe

Grand Vizie r, o ccupying the right bank ofthe

Danube . In one ofthese engagements wh ichto ok place , Ali

’

s sons owed the ir. safe ty to fligh t ;but so judicio uslywas their re treat co nducted, that

they wo uld have re - entered the ir prov inces at thehead ofthe ir troops , ifVely Pacha had no t t e

ce ived inte lligence that he was no longer Vizierofthe Mo rea. The Po rte v isited the faults ofthefather upon the son . But though deprived ofthe

Mo rea, Vely was nominated to the Vizierat of

The ssaly, and at the same time a Rumelie -Valisee

Inna nm BETRA Y ED "

ru ALL 209

was appo inted forMonastir. By these measures

the G rand Se ignio r de tached Cisax ian Macedoniafrom the domains ofAli ; while , in nominatingVe ly to the Vizierat ofThessaly, he scattered the

seeds ofa rivalsh ip , wh ich might have entailed

disastro us consequence s but for the submiss ionofVe ly to h is father

’

s o rders .

The old Satrap, irritated at a reverse which he

co u ld on ly attribute to h is own misconduct, lo st

no time in le tting the who le we ight ofh is resent

m en t fall upo n Ibrah im Pacha. No t satisfied

with hav ing driven him in to h is last retreat, he

fo rced him to abando n this asylum, and fly intot h e mountains ofAcroceraunia, where , be trayedb y his own fo llowers, he with his wife were deli

v ered into the power ofthe ir persecutor. Ali, far

from sh owing him the attentions due to his rankand relatio nsh ip, after hav ing impriso ned him forsome time at Conitza, at length to re h im from

the arms ofhis wife , and cast him into the dun

geo ns belonging to the seraglio of Joannina.

There languished for years, occasionally ex

po sed to Ali’s bitte r taunts, the wre tched Ibrahim ; nor co uld the tears ofhis two daugh ters,

no r the entreaties ofthe ir husbands, Mo uctar

and Ve ly, no r even the prayers ofAische , Ali’

s

intere sting'

grand- daughter, soften the ty rant

’

s

heart, o r induce him to relax his seve rity .

One v izier imprisoned by ano ther was a th ingunexampled in the annals ofTurkish rebellions ;

210 ALl’s nu u aao us VABSALB.

and the Porte began to manifest its displeas ure .»

But some rich pre sents sent to Constantino ple ,and the British interest,wh ich was stillfavo urable

to the Pacha, averted the threatened storm. Ali

remained in entire po ssession ofBerat, and ia

creased h is power to such a he ight, that th e Dis ,

van appeared stupified with the blow wh ich had

thus been g iven to the so vere ign authority.

'

It

was the re sult ofthe struggles, intrigues, and,

crime s ofth irty years— a result wh ich produced.

the submission ofthe Pachas ofElbassan and.

Cro'

ia, and ofthe Vaivodes ofTaulantia, wh o all

appeared as vassals at the co urt ofJ oannina. No t

on ly subsidized Beys, bu t the Pachas ofHigher

Albania, and allthe illustrio us ch iefs ofcontinental

Gre ece , hastened to pro strate themselves beforethe throne ofAli. Amo ng th is crowd ofcourtierswere the Beys ofAvlona, who , having seconded

his proje cts against Ibrahim, were admitted intoAli

’

s h ighest favo ur, and we re continually nearhis pe rson . When he had succeeded in un itingthem allat his co urt , he sudden ly precipitatedthem from the midst offetes and pleasures in to

gloomy dunge o ns ; wh ile in the mean time h is

emissaries had se ized the ir w ive s and childre n ,

and transpo rted them to J oannina, with allthe ir

wealth . Such was the merited pun’

ishment of

tho se who had be trayed a worthy and grenio ns

master in favo ur ofa tyrant ! The ir treasure s,the ir furniture , th e ir flocks, witho ut reckon ing

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

2 12 n am e o r SAN TA MAUR A .

would evacuate the citadel, to take po sse ssio n of

it h imse lf, and then make commo n cause with the

French against the bes iegers .

But no example had as y e t been given to

Europe ofa civ ilized town be ing delivered up to

the Turks , as was subsequently the case w ith

Parga; and the very idea ofso ho rrible a perfidy ,wh ich would have placed a whole Christian

'

po

pulation at the mercy ofAli, made M. F o uquev ille

reject th e propo sition , and prefer letting events

take the ir own course . SantaMaura at length

capitu lated ; and GeneralOswald, after hav ingtaken po ssession ofit, came to rece ive th e con

gratulations ofhis loyalan dfaithfulally, and to

thank him for hav ing so materially co ntributed to

the succe ss ofh is enterprise .

A short time after th is e vent, Ali’

s court was

v isited by many English trav ellers, illustrio use ither by then rank o r talents . Amongst o thers,

Lie utenant- general Stuart, the conquero r of

Maida; Majo r-

generalAirey, and Sir Hudso nLowe ; to the se succeeded an immense number

[

who se curio s ity,

had be en excited by the greatcelebrity ofAli Pacha, and who expected to findin h im e ither the Pyrrhus o r Scanderbeg ofEpi-

l

rus . The peace of18 12 , be twe en Russia and

Turkey, left the Grand S e ign io r at liberty to direct his fo rces against the Serv ians,who had be enfo r nearly twelve years in a state ofrevolt. N e i

ther Ali nor his two sons , who se conduct at

MOUCTA R MA D E B EY o r BE R AT . 213

Routcho uk and Loo cha had given dissatisfaction,

we re called upon to partake the glory ofth is na

tionalexpeditio n . With singular inconsistency,h owever, the Po rte conferred the title ofBey of

Berat upon Mouctar Pacha. Th is was sanction

ing the conduct ofAli against Ibrah im, who se

m isfo rtunes were attributed to the secre t displea

sure ofthe Divan . Th is report, tho ugh false ,

be ing circu lated by Ali, bro ught abo ut the sub

m ission ofthe inhabitants ofPhilates and Co nis

p olis ; th e only remain ing towns, therefore , in

Acro ceraunia wh ich now defied h is powe r, were

Argyro-Castron and Gardiki .

CHAPTER X .

Taking ofArgyro -Castron .—Ali

’

s expedition against Gardiki.

—Resolution ofits inhabitants .— Ho spitality ofGeneralDon

zelo t .— Disafi'

ection ofthe Gardikio tes.— They capitulate

Suicide ofSali Bey and his wife — Treatment ofth e Guidi

kio tish hostages .—Ali

’

s hypo crisy .— Attempt to assassinate

them.— The ir imprisonment .

—M. Pouquev ille’

s interview

with AIL—H is affected remo rse —His v iews upon Parga.

Chainitza’

s le tter to herbro th er.—Ali

’

s arrivalat Libochobo .

llis receptio n by his sister.- Amnesty proclaimed to th e Gar

dikio tes— The ir despair on qu ittingGardiki.— Repair to Chendria.

—Are enclo sed in a khan.— Their massacre .

—Gardiki

razed to the ground.— Chainitza

’

s vengeance and brutality .

The Gardikio tes sold as slaves.— Ali commemorates th e mas

sacre — Arrives at Tepelini.— Immolates twelve Gardikio tes.

— H is grand festival.— G ives orders to assassinate the hos

tages.- Their assassination .

— Terro r in Jcennina — Strangles

Mustapha.— The Che ik Jo uso ufi—His interv iew with Ali.

His denunciation .;- Marriage ofVely

’

s daugh ter.-Fulmi

nating powder.—Destruction ofJousoufBey ofBribes.

Death ofAische .

MACH IA VE LLI has observed, that in war no

th ing is so easy as that wh ich appears impo ssible .

Argy ro- Castrou was so celebrated throughou t

Albania, that it had been h itherto deemed im

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

216 co u rs nnaxcv A G A I N ST

wh ich would no t fail to be supported by the 1

French auth oritie s at Co rfu . The determ ined

reso lution , also , ofMustapha, Pacha ofDe lv ino,the present head ofthe French party, and ofthe

principalBeys ofthe Chamo uri, who had sought

an asylum among them, contributed to increasetheir confidence . Thus they hoped that the ir

defence would be that ofde spair : they were

moreo ver animated by th e assurances ofpowerful assistance from the Grand Se ignio r, pro

v ided they could hold o u t fo r a few mon ths.

An emissary was secretly de spatch ed from C on

stantinople , commissioned to de termine the Beys :

who were in imical to the Vizier, to rally ro undGardiki, and the re defend themselves . Bu t fo r

the se assurance s they would have fo und a mo re

secure re treat at Corfu , in the ho spitality of

GeneralDonzelo t, who was lav ish ofh is assis

tance to the refugee s and pro scribed ofEpirus .

Ali Pacha, far from be ing alarmed at th is new

confederacy, only v iewed it as allowing h im a

favourable oppo rtunity ofexte rminating the wholeofh is enemies at a single blow . Besides, Gardiki was th e place where the unu tterable indig

nitie s to h is mo ther and sister had been offered .

Regarding the accomplishment ofhis mo ther’

s

last willas a sacred duty, he wished that th isaccursed town , the disho nour ofhis family, and

th e asylum ofhis inve terate fo e s, sho uld drink thecup ofvengeance to its verv dregs . Doubtless

THE G ARD I K IOTE S. 2 ”

h is sister Chamitza herselfinflamed h is ardo ur

fo r re venge .

Ho stilities were therefore immediately com

menced ; and had continued with vario us successfo r about a mo nth , when symptoms ofdisaffec

t ion were manifested by the middling class of

th e inhabitants . Th is po rtion of the people ,accustomed to agriculturallabours , and the freedom ofa pastorallife , fo und themselves much

s traitened with in fo rtifications, wh ich they werealso obliged daily to defend. The cry ofcapitu

lation was therefore so o n heard, and the ch iefsfound themselve s obliged to submit, by accept

ing terms o stensibly honourable and satisfacto ry

t o all. Ali Pacha affected upon th is occasion so

o pen and generous a conduct, that th e nego tia

t ions expe rienced . scarcely any of that de lay

u sual in similar case s . The capitulatio n ex

pre ssed, in clear and unambiguo us terms, that

M u stapha Pacha, D emir D ost, formerly Ali’

s

companion in arms ; Sali Bey Coka, descendedfromthe first tribe ofthe Goks or Guegues, settled in

Albania and seventy two Bey s, chiefs of the most

illustrious phares ofthe Schypetars, allMahometans,

and principalvassals ofthe crown , should proceed

freely to J oannina,where they s hould biz received and

treated with allthe respect due to their rank. I t

moreover stipulated that their property andfamiliesshould be respected; that the inhabitants ofGardiki,without exception, should be considered as the most

218 SUI C I DE o r sam 3 3 7 A ND H I S wi rnu

faithfulofAli’

sM eets; that allresentments should

beforg otten, and that Ali should be recognized as the

master ofa town which he took under his specialpro

tection, without permitting any person to be molested

or persecutedfor acts anterior to its occupation by

In consequence ofth is capitulation, sworn to

upon the Koran ! a po rtion ofthe town was de livered up to the Satrap

’

s lieutenants . Confidence ,however, was no t complete ly established ; forSali Bey Coka and his wife , who had been di

vorced from Mouctar Pacha, preferred commit

ting su icide rather than fall into Ali’

s power.

But the o ther ch ieftains, less resolute , instead of

imitating so hero ic an example , to ok the road to

Joannina, suppo rted by hope , the consolation of

the unfortunate , and wh ich follows man even to

the tomb. The ir path , like that ofthe v ictims

led to the altars ofthe Eumenides, was strewn

with flowers. Relays were prepared for them

alo ng the road, lodgings were in readine ss in all

the towns they passed through ; and, upon enter

ing the capital ofEpirus, they were rece ived

with the sound ofmusic, and with allthe pompreserved for tho se whom the prince de lighte th

to hono ur.

”

Ali, who was waiting fo r them in his palace ,hastened h imselfto mee t them and as he raised

them, after they had kissed his fe e t, and struck

the earth with the ir forehead, he reproached

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

220POUQUEVI LLE ’

S m 'rs avu -zw WITH A LI .

seventy- two ho stages, the Vizier Ali declared

h is reso lu tion ofproceeding to Gardiki, for the

purpo se , as he said, of establish ing o rder in

that town, instituting a court°

ofjustice , and

forming a police fo r the pro tection of- th e inha

bitants . On the l9th March , 1812, the day fixed

fo r h is departure , M. F o uquev ille had an audi

ence of the Satrap , wh ich we shall describein his own wo rds .

“ The tro ops had be en on

the march since the mo rn ing ; the baggage wasquitting the seraglio ; the pages, comple tely

armed, were awaiting the o rder to mount, when

I traversed the co urts , crowded with Suppliants

anxio us to catch alookfrom the ir oppre sso r. Ne

verwillth ismoment be efl‘

a‘

ced from my memo ry.

1 had to pass by heads newly severed from th e ir

trunks, and stuck upon poles ; and, altho ugh in

some degree accustomed to such sigh ts, I wasse ized with involuntary tremblings .

—Hav ingreached the vast apartme nts ofthe palace , theCo nsulofFrance was announced, the embro i

dered curtain was raised, and I entered .

“ Ali was seated on the edge ofhis sofa in a

pensive attitude , leaning up on a battle - axe . He

was co vered with a scarlet mantle , and w o re

boo ts ofcrimson velve t . The Consulhad placedh imself, acco rding to e tiquette , on his righ t

hand, when Ali, recovering from his fit ofabstraetio n, after having looked e arnestly at him for

some time , made a sign fo r h is min iste rs to

A L I’

s A F F E CTE D nnmo asn . 221

W ithdraw .

‘ Is it y ou , my son ?’

said he , in a

faltering vo ice ; then taking one ofthe Consul’s

h ands, holding it with in his own , he lifted hise y e s, suffused with tears, to Heaven . Des

tiny is fulfilled : my enemie s, no twithstand

ing the ir late attempt at escape , have no t been

able to exhaust my patience : they are in my

p ower, but I willno t use it to their de struction .

Believe what I say , my dear Consul: fo rge t your

prejudices against me . I do no t ask y ou to

e steem me I willforce y ou to do so , by adoptinga line ofconduct the very reverse ofthat wh ich

I have h itherto pursued. My caree r is now

accomplished, and I willcrown my labours by

showing that, ifI have been terrible and se vere , I

also know how to respect justice and humanity .

’

“ The se sentiments we re so unexpected,”

re

sumes M . F ouquev ille , “that I even hesitated to

congratulate him upon them, and he continued.

Alas ! my so n,the past is now beyond recall;

I have shed so much blo od, that its wavefollouwme, and I dare not look behind. I desired fo rtune ,and she has be en prodigalofher gifts ; I wish ed

for palaces, a co urt, magnificence , and power, “

the se I have obtained. When I compare my

father’

s bu t with th is palace , re splendent with

rich es, I fe elthat I should be at the summit of

felicity .—But, alas ! ify ou knew what all th is

co sts me , I shou ld become the object ofy o ur

pity . Friends, parents, allI have sacrificed to

222 m s wrsn TO OBTA IN r A no A .

my ambition . I have been deafe ven to the

appeals ofnature . I am surro unded by tho se

who se familie s I have destroyed -but away withthese recollections . My enemies are in mypower, and I willvanquish them by be nefits.

Argy ro-Custron shall be the re treat ofmy old

age , and Gardiki the garden ofAlbania.

‘These‘

are my ultimate v iews ; and ifI co uldbut obtain Parga, wh ich I have entreated ofy ou

so long— Parga, for wh ich I would pay your

government its own price , beside s a brilliantfo rtune for yourself, my every wish would thenbe gratified. I do no t inv ite y ou , my so n , to

accompany me in my present journey ; the seasonis bad ; and as I shallso on re turn, we will th en

go to Preveza to spend the first fine days of

spring . Pray write what I have just said to

yo ur ambassado r, for my enemie s willno t failtocalumniate me at Constantino ple .

’

As be co n »

cluded,he gave his grand chamberlain the o rder

fo r departure and we separated.

It is aweakness commo n to tyrants to persuadethemselve s that the ir asse rtions must be credited,because , possessing an absolu te autho rity o ve r

men’

s persons, they imagine th ey can lo rd it

e ven o ver the irminds . Th is reflection preven tedM. F o uquev ille from becoming Ali

’

s dupe . Far

from attach ing an y credit to Ali’

s profe ssions, hewas the mo re on his guard against him, fo r in

the East the affectation of sentime nt in the

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

224 G E N ERA L AMN E STY Pao cna ru ED .

first interview, the tears ofChamitza, which,

since the death ofAden Bey , had flowed incessantly , ceased as ifby enchantment . Her apartments , h itherto hung with glo omy draperie s, were.now covered with the riche st Persian carpe ts,and ornamented with the gaye st furn iture ; herwomen resumed the ir finery ; she herself re

appeared in public, and rece ived visits as she had

fo rmerly done in her days ofmaternal happinessand triumph . She celebrated the re turn ofher

bro ther with fétes, singing, and music. Ali, uponrising from the banque t atwh ich he had pre s ided,proce eded to the Castle ofChendria.

Erected on the summit ofa rock, at a sh o rt

distance from the righ t bank ofthe Celydnu s,

th is fortress commands the entire valley ofDry

nopolis ; from the ne ighbo uring he ights is se en

Gardiki and its surro unding te rrito ry . I t was

here that the Vizie r sat in judgment . At day

break,heralds appo inted fo r the purpo se arrived

at Gardiki, and pro claimed in h is name a gene ral.

amne sty at the same time o rdering allthe males,from the age often years , to repair to Che ndria,the re to hear from the Vizier

’

s own mou th the

de cree wh ich re sto red them to happiness .

No twith s tanding th is de claration , cons te rna

tio n was gene ral amongst the inhabitan ts . Th e

mo sque s were filled Wi th old and young, implo r

ing G od and his prophe t, while Heaven’

s vault

re so unded with the crie s ofthe women, who had

rn E o s s n rx ro 'rs s R E PA I R TO CH EN DR I A . 225

r ushed from the harems to see and embrace the irh usbands, ch ildren , or bro thers . A fatalprese n‘

t iment seemed to intimate to them that it was

for

‘

the last time . The Gardikio tes pro ceeded

S orrowfully towards Chendria : they de scendedt he h ills, and, having arrived in the plain , turned

W ith “ longing , ling’

ring lo ok to salute the irnatal town ere it disappeared from the ir v iew.

Ov ercome with grief, they mingled the name of

G a rdiki with the ir sighs and fo rcing themse lvesfi ‘

o m th e spo t whence they co uld still see the ird o me stic hearths, they passed the Celydnus, ar

r i v ed at Chondria, and pro strated th emselves at

t h e feet ofthe Vizier, who was expecting themi n the midst ofh is satellite s . There they en

t r eated h is pardo n , and implored his mercy

b y all that is capable ofaffecting the h eart of

m an. Ali appeared softened ; tears mo istenedh is cheek ; he raised the suppliants, enco uraged

t hem, called them his bre thren , his ch ildren ;

desired some whom he had fo rmerly known to

approach h im ; recalled to the ir recollection pastbattles, the time s ofthe ir yo uth , and e ven the

83 11113018 ofinfancy . At length he dismissed themWith apparent regre t, de siring them to await hisarrival in the enclo sure ofth e khan near Valiare ,

zlS it was there he wo uld de termine the ir futuredestination . The wre tched Gardikio tes , the v ic

time ofdespair, re tired surro unded by the tyraiit

’

s guards .

226 A L] A RR I VES AT TH E K HA N o r VALIA RE .

Two hours afterwards, Ali descended from

Chendria in a palanqu in, Supported on the shoulde rs ofh is Valaque s . Hav ing gained the plain,

he mounted his calash , o rnamented with embroi

dered cush io ns and rich cachemires . Then , or

dering his Tchoardars to follow him, he arrived

at the khan full- gallop . Hav ing rode round it,

as ifto examine if there were any issu e for

flight, be cau sed allthe prisoners to pass in re

v iew before h im one by one he asked the ir'

age ,

family, and profe ssio n , and then separated them

into two bodies : the greater he o rdered to be

conducted to a place of security, the o th er,

amounting to six h undred and seventy , h e s ent

into the co urt - yard ofthe khan , wh ich fo rms’

an

enclo sed square .

Then , placing h imselfin front ofhis troops, andtaking a carbine from the hand ofa soldie r, h e

cried o ut with a loud vo ice , Vras ! (kill —but

the Mah ome tans remained mo tionle ss, and a low

murmur was heard thro ugho u t the ranks : some

e ven threwdown the ir arms . Ali was about to ha

rangue them,when se veralvo ices called o ut s imul

taneou sly , that “ Mahome tans canno t steep the ir

hands in the blood ofthe ir bre thre n . Ali th en

addressed h imse lfto an auxiliary corps ofMir

dites, who served under his banne rs , and who

were called the black battalion ,from the colour of

the sho rt cloak wh ich co vered th e ir head and

sho ulders . But these , also , refused to massacre

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

228 G ABDI K I an zrn To TH E G ROUN D .

escape the musquetry , fled into an apartment of

the khan ; but the Greeks se t fire to it, and the

unfortunate fugitives perished in the flame s . At

length , after the carnage had continued about an

hour and an half, the cries ceased, and allwas

silent .

After the massacre atValiare , Ali repaired tothe town ofGardiki, and gave orders for razing it

to the ground. é rdiki resounded with the la

mentations ofthe women and ch ildren torn fromthe ir native homes . Mo thers who had lived inOpulence , young maidens whom Hymen was

abo ut to ble ss with the objects ofthe ir tendere staffections, were delivered over to the brutal v io

lence ofthe so ldiery, and then dragged befo re

the implacable Chainitza, who , after insultingthem, haugh tily commanded the ir ve ils to be to rnaway, and the ir hair to be cut offin her presence ;then treading it under fo o t, she accomplished

the memo rable threat in her le tter, by order

ing the cushions ofher sofas to be stuffed withit . Th is do ne , she seated herse lfon her divan ,

and pronounced the following sentence ,wh ich wasimmediately repeated by the public criers .

“ Wo e

be to h im who shall give fo od, raiment, or asy

lum to the matrons, daughters, and ch ildren of

Gardiki ! My lips condemn them to wander

through the wo ods and mountains : and whenworn o ut by fatigue and famine , to be devouredby the beasts ofthe fo rest !

”

Thus anathematized, the se wretched v ictims,

DE SPA I R o r TH E G A RD I K I O'

I‘

E S . 29

ho use less and deserted, passed the rest of the

day , and the who le nigh t, expo sed to allthe in

clemencies ofthe atmo sph ere , making the rocks

ofLibochobo reso und with the ir lamentatio ns .

Some , se ized with the pains ofpremature labour,pe rished, utterly deprived ofhe lp ; wh ile o thers

expired by the torments offamine , or the de lirium ofdespair.

The remainder of th is wr tched po pulation,

wandering and houseless, w ld likewise h ave

fallen v ictims to hunger and misery, had no t Ali,

le ss inhuman'

than h is sister, revoked the ir sen

tence , by decree ing that the Gardikio te s should

be so ld as slaves, and dispersed in distant t e

g ions, and that allthe ir po ssessions should be con

fiscated. But be confirmed h is anathema against

the ir town by an order wh ich fo rbade them

to rebu ild o n its site a single house , so long as

his dynasty sho uld re ign o ve r Epirus . Ali ever

afterwards exulted in his barbarous revenge , as

an act ofjustice and filial piety, and decreed that

a marble tablet should transmit to po sterity theaccomplishment ofhis vow made over h is mo

th or’

s corpse . Thus, no trave ller passing near

the Valley ofDrynopolis omits v isiting the khan

ofChendria, where he reads, in letters ofgo ld,the number ofdead deprived ofsepulture , sacrificed to the manes ofKhamco , with the dates of

the y ear and mo nth in wh ich th is atrocio us massacre was perpe trated.

Ali, after hav ing.glutted his vengeance, took

230 Hrs r s srrv s t .

the road to Tepelini ; where , on his arrival, be :

se ized twelve Gardikio tes residing in that town :

these he instantly pu t to death upon his mo th er’

s

tomb. Aft er hav ing witne ssed th e ir execu tion,

he re tired to h is palace , and ordered preparat ions

for a grand fete . Indecent songs, lasciv ious

dances, and every o ther incentive to impure de

sires, were re sorted to fo r the purpo se ofmakingcrue lty give way to lust . I t was late ere be t e

tiredfrom th is scene ofiniqu ity ; but itwas no t torest . Sleep fled h is feverish eye lids ; and, as h e

lay re stless am id allthe to rments ofa gu ilty mind,

the idea struck h im that the ho stage s ofGard iki,imprisoned in the mo nastery ofSo tiras, were , perhaps, enjoying that calm tranqu illity den ied h imse lf. “ They are at rest,

”

said he well, then, let

it befor ever ! He instantly awakened one ofhis

secre tarie s, to whom he dictated the ir sente nce of

death and such was h is th irst fo r blood, that be

included the Beys ofAvlona in the fatal o rde r .

During the same nigh t, wh ich the absence of

sleep allowed h im to dedicate who lly to crime ,

Ali despatched a courier to his son Ve ly, requir

ing h im to exterminate allthe Gardikio te s at

tached to h is serv ice . The same orders were

also sent to every town in wh ich any ofthat un

fortunate people re sided. Ve ly Pacha incurred

h is father'

s severe anger fo r no t executing h isorders ; as did also Mehemet Ali, Pacha ofEgypt,to whom Ali made the same request, and who

i'eturned a similarrefusal .

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

23 2 C HE I K J o uso v r’

s rurauvrsw W I TH A L I .

into the dunge ons ofthe palace ofthe lake , called

the Old Seraglio .

Great was the affliction of Ibrah im’

s two

daughters upon hearing ofth is act ofseverity ;bu t no t allthe ir tears co uld prevail upon th e ir

husbands, Mo uctar and Ve ly, to intercede for

the ir father- in-law. One man only, a dervise ,

dared to raise h is vo ice and announce to th e

Satrap that re tributio n would so oner o r later

o ve rtake him . The Ch e ik was be

loved by allthe Mah ome tans for his v irtue s, andvenerated for the austerity and purity ofh is

manners . Regardless ofthe ty rant’

s power andcruelty, he entered h is palace with ou t even be inganno unced. At sigh t ofh im the guards ro se , the

do o rs flew open, and the Satrap advanced from

h is sofa to mee t him . Jo uso ufmade h im a s ignto sit down, witho u t, h owever, taking a seat by

his side . Ali, in great agitation, intreated him to

ascend the sofa : he was struck with the calmne ssofthe dervise , and fo r once felt that irresistibleascendancy wh ich v irtue po ssesses o ver v ice .

The criminal was in the presence ofhis judge ,wh o re proached h im with the blo od he had shed

,

h is cruelty towards his own relatives, and moreparticularly with h is severity towards Ibrah im,

regarded by all the Mahometans as the mo st

v irtuo us ofthe v irtuous . He re ,”

continued her

?I canno t tread upon a carpet that is no t we t

with the tears ofthe unfo rtunate . That sofa o n

‘

H I S DE N UN C i ATi ON s . 23 13

which thou sittest is ste eped in the blo od ofth yown bro thers , murdered by thy mo ther in the irinfancy . These ataghans hung round thy walls

are blunted by the skulls ofthe So ulio tes and

Acroceraunians . From th is window I see the

tomb ofthe v irtuo us, the murdered Emineh , mur

dered by thee . The re is the fatal lake into wh ich

tho u didst precipitate seventeen pure and inno

cent and wh ich e very day devo urs

the v ictims ofthy insatiate fury . That daughter

ofBelial, thy guilty sister, the encourager ofthycrimes, has profaned o ur mo st sacred laws by

stripping offthe ve ils ofthe Gardikio tish women !

Sh e tore , —thou shudderest,— she to re , reekingfrom the lo ins ofo ne ofher women,

the unborn

ch ild, who se only crime was having a Gardikio te

fo r its Wre tch , thou shalt hear the

truth ! In and o ut ofthe city, amid the loftiestmountains, and in the deepest valleys, is heardthe mention ofthy crimes ; tho u canst no t take a

single step without treading upon the grave of

some be ingcreated after God’

s own image , whosedays have been shortened at thy command.

Thou art surrounded by pomp, luxury, and effe

minate flatterers, the panders, nay , the objects, ofthy unnatural v ice s ; and time , wh ich marks all

th e ch ildren,ofAdam with the ineffaceable seal

ofold age , has no t y et taught thee that thou art

mortal, and must one day S top, myfather,

”

cried the Vizier, sobbing , tho u hast

23 4 su rnam e s o r v s ur’

s DAUG HTE R .

just pronounced the name of do no t

o verwhe lm me with the we ight ofthy maledic

tion .

”

The che ik, without deign ing a re ply,qu itted his apartments, and shaking the dust

from offhis fee t, re turned towards his ce ll, satisfied with having boldly dune his duty, alth o ugh

he cou ld no t expect to have produced any change

in Ali’

s heart . He was no t dece ived ; after th e

first emo tions ofsurprise and consternatio n had

subsided, the Satrap relapsed into h is u sual

v ices .

In th is y ear was celebrated the marriage of

Vely’

S'

e ldest daughter with Mousta’

i Pacha,

Vizier ofScodra. J o uso uf, Bey ofDirbe s, the

Satrap’s old enemy, came at the head of a

squadron ofe igh t hundred horse to escort h is

master’

s wife , but could no t be prevai ledupon to enter the town . Old Ibrah im was

refused the consolation ofsee ing and ble ss ingh is grand

-daughter, for the last time . Ne ithe r

tears nor entreatie s co uld move the inexo rable

Ali; and even yo ung Aische herse lfhad nearlyincurred his dreaded resentment, from her aux

ie ty to obtain th is favour from h im wh o had

dispo sed ofh er hand and heart, without e ven

asking her father and mo ther’

s consent . Th e

nuptials were brilliant, but so rrowful, and th e

departure of the yo ung bride was marked bythe tears ofher uncle Mo uctar, who doubtless

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

CHAPTER X I .

Ali co nquers Threspo tia.—His impro vements in Joannina and

thro ugho ut Albania.— Ancient traditio n respecting Parga.

— Description ofParga.— Th e Pargh io tes place th emselves

under the pro tection of Venice — The po pulation .— The

French take possession of Parga.—Ali

’

s letter to the

Parghio tes .— The Russians pro tect Parga.

—Cessio n ofthe

Io nian Islands by the Empero r Alexander to France— Topo

g raph icalde tails ofParga - Character ofits inhabitants

ThePargh io tish women . Commerce —Attackupo n Parga byAIL— He is defeated— The English take po ssession of

’

Parga.

—Exile ofthe Acroceraunians.—Desolate appearance ofGardiki.—l-Cession ofParga to Ali by the British .

So many atrocities and crimes, combined witho ther mo tives, at length de termined the Po rte todeclare against Ali Pacha, who se de structio nwas already resolved upon, when the issue ofthe

campaign be tween France and Russia gave a new

direction to the proj ects ofthe Divan .

Ali, who had re tired to Argy ro- Castrou , was

no so oner info rmed ofthe course ofeven ts, than

he re turned to Joannina with fresh projects of

aggrandizement and power. Towards the clo seofspring, he completed his conquest ofThro spo tia, by the taking ofMargariti ; and, with the

A Lr’

s IMPROV EM EN TS . 23 7

so le exception ofParga, the po ssession ofwh ichhe still co ve ted, he was abso lute master of

Epirus .

Then affecting to display allthe splendo ur and

power ofa sovere ign, the Vizier ofJoannina con

structed new roads, founded towns, built fo r

tre sse s, and made througho ut Epirus o ther im

pro vements truly royal . Tepelini, the place of

his birth , was already indebted to h im fo r a spa

cio us and magn ificent seraglio , wh ich be caused

to be bu ilt upo n the site ofh is fathe r’

s h ouse .

During the short intervals ofpeace , he had se

v eral time s shewn his taste , bo th fo r sumptuo us

edifice s and fo r monuments ofpublic utility ; and

at this period his political security allowed h im

a full oppo rtunity ofindulging . h is favourite pre

d ilections .

His court already pre sented a degre e ofsplen

d our and magn ificence exceeding what was ge ne

rally fo und among European princes . His go

v ernment was mode lled after that ofan European

p otentate .

Prev io usly to undertaking the relation ofthe

lamentable fate ofParga, it may no t be consi

dered irrelevant to give some description ofthat

interesting promontory .

Ancient Parga (Hakaw Hapya), situated to

the east ofthe modern town, ex isted a long time

prev io usly to the taking ofCo nstantinople by

the Turks . But when the se barbarians , hav ing

23 8 TH E Acno Po Lrs o r PA RG A .

invaded the capital ofthe eastern empire , o ver

ran the prov inces, inflicting upo n them allthe

ho rro rs ofco nquest, the priests ofParga, forese e ing that they wo uld soon share the same ‘fate ,

were des irous ofinducing the ir countrymen to

cho o se a last asylum near the sea, equally cal

culated for defence , o rfor facilitating the ir re treat

to some ho spitable sh o re , in case ofsucce ssfulattack. Ordinary considerations wou ld have

been fo und inadequate to prevail upon a who le

peo ple to abandon the ir paternal hearths : re

co urse was therefo re had to supernatural interfe rence . A goatherd discovered, in a cave rn of

Cape Chimerium, an image ofthe BlessedVirgin,

wh ich was transpo rted with much pomp to

Parga. Bu t as , no twithstanding allthe vene

ration and respect manifested by the inhabitants,the image re turned to its cave rn, witho ut theintervention ofhuman means, the pe ople we repre vailed upo n

'

to follow it ; and it was aro und

th is miraculous Palladium,that th e modern

Parga aro se . Thus Sinitza and Agia were de

serted fo r a promonto ry by nature almo st im

pregnable .

The Acropo lis ofParga rises on the wes te rn

e xtremity ofCape '

Chime rium, and g ive s its

name to a canton ofEpirus, wh ich , though of

small extent, pre served its liberty amidst the

unive rsalslavery ofGreece , till the year 1819 .

Situated on a barren rock, abo ut a mile in cir

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

240 n i sTORv o r PARG A .

with the Turks, as the miraculous image seemed

no longer interested in the ir favour when

threatened by superio r numbers, they had

reco urse to the pro tection ofthe Vene tians , at

that time masters Ofthe Io nian Arch ipelago .

In consequence ofwh ich , o n the 2lst March ,

1401, the Republic ofVenice rece ived the oath

of fide lity of the Parghio te s, and afterwards

recognized them as its subjects on the'

9th Of

August, 1447 , unde r the archonsh ip Of Fran

cisco Foscarini, Do gs ofVenice . Since that

period, the Parghio tes, pro tected by the power

wh ich then wie lded the vacillating Sceptre ofthe

seas, were in ho stilitie s with the Turks as Often

as war broke out between the Porte and Ven ice .

It was o n th is account that they began, in 15 7 1,

to fo rtify the ir town , the wo rks Ofwh ich we refinished in 15 7 5 , at wh ich time the Turks, on the irs ide , erected the castle ofMargariti . The Venetian gov ernment created twelve Patrician families at Parga, who se names are inscribed in the

golden bo ok; the rest Ofthe population were divided into proprietors, fo rming th irty- six families ,

into mariners, clergy , andforeigners ; these wereall subjected to the au tho rity Ofan ZEdile o r

mag istrate invested with so vere ign authority .

Ven ice e xperienced considerable difficulty inmanaging the , Albanians ofParga, who open lyre turned the co ntempt Wh ich that republic se

cre tly entertained fo r them . The lEdile s were

A Lr’

s LETTER TO ‘ TH E PA RGH IOTES . 241

harassed by every kind ofsubterfuge , demands,

and claims . Upo n the least mo vement of the

Turks, the Pargh io tes demande d prov isions,wh ich they afterwards so ld to the enemie s bywhom they represented themselves as menaced;

a circumstance the more ru inous to the state , as

the Vene tian ch iefs ‘

had the ir share in these de

predations . Fo r . this reaso n , be ing at length

t ired out with the continual repe tition ofthe

dangers and the wants OfParga, and anxio us to

re lie ve itselffrom so tro ublesome a tribu tary , the

senate sev eraltimes propo sed to the inhabitantsto give them the island ofAntipaxo s, or to cede

to them lands in the isle ofCorfu . Th ings wereso situated, and the Venetian government had

become superannuated, when the French ap

peared fo r the first time in the Ionian isle s in17 97 . Scarce ly had the ir flag replaced that

ofSt . Mark, when a new storm, formed in the

East, announced the war of 17 98, be ing the

seco nd military epo ch ofthe Revo lution . Owingt o a due want Of foresigh t, o r a presump

t uo ns reliance upo n the ir go od fortune , the

F rench , were defeated on the plains ofNico

polis, and Ali Pacha immediate ly directed his

views towards Parga.

“ I announce to y ou ,

addressing the inhabitants,“ I anno unce to y ou

the battle fo ught ‘yesterday, wh ich has j ust

put me in possession ofPreveza. I write to ia

form y ou ofth is , and to let y o u know that I am

R

242 au ss u PROT ECTS TH E Pa ao m o ras .

no t ho stile ly inclined against y o u . Only send

two or three perso ns to confer with me , and

submit yo urselves to me as yo ur Lo rd. In that

case I wi llgrant y ou whatever conditions y o u

may ask ; but ify o u refuse this invitatio n, kno w

that I declare war against y ou , and vengeance beon your heads l”

To th is letter, and seve ral o ther menacing de

clarations, mingled with seductive offers . th e

Parghiotes o nly re turned evasive answers, and

in the‘ interim nego tiated with , and obtained

from, Admiral0ksacow, the pro tection ofRuss ia,

after hav ing honourably sent'

offto Co rfu the

feeble French garrison, which Ali Pacha had

vainly persuaded them to assassinate .

Th is conduct was h ighly, gratifying to the Sonlio tes, who had no t y et lo st the ir independe nce ;nor was it less so to the Chamedis , to se e Ali fail

in an enterprise wh ich , had it be en succe ssful,

wo uld have placed h im in the very centre ofthe irpo ssessions . The Parghio tes, o n the ir side , couldflatter themse lves with be ing associated with the

confederation ofthe Io nian Isles, when , by a spe

cialtreaty, the ir town ,as wellas Pre veza, Vo ~

nizza, and Butrinto , were replaced under the

government ofa Vaivode nominatedby the Porte .

Th is event was as disagreeable to Ali as to the

Pargh io tes, fo r the fo rmer was irritated.at seeing

his prey thus e scape’

from h is fangs, while the

latter were apprehensive ofbe ing one day op

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

244 CHA RA CTE R o r TH E Pano m o'

rrzs .

on the sides ofa rock, hav ing the'

form ofa

truncated cone , at the top ofwhich is the re si

dence ofthe commander, the ascent be ing made

by stone steps of,very difficult acce ss . From

th is Pharo s is discovered, a vast extent ofo cean .

The v iew extends o ver Paxo s and the coasts of

Epirus, as far as N icopo lis . The second harbo ur

also admits only small v e ssels : the appro ach

to it is defended by a battery erected upon an

isle , wh ich the piety ofthe faithfulhas adornedwith a church dedicated to the Holy Virgin of

Analipsis . The e y e traverses all the eastern

coast, wh ich embraces the cape and the road of

Megali -Pagama ; and the v iew extends as far as

Port St . John, situated midway be twe en Pargaand Glyk

'

The balmy and exh ilarating air breathed by

th e Parghio tes g ives them a freshness and h ealth

wh ich distinguish them from the Ion ians . The

liberty wh ich they have enjoyed under eve ry

pro tecting power has materially contributed to

the developement ofthe ir physical facu lties, and

the ardent passions wh ich animate them : co r

rupted by the government ofVenice , they , were

cunning , mean, and avaricious ; under the mo re

liberalpo licy ofthe Russians and French , the yresumed the ir natural dispo sition, they becamemen ;and the only fau lt wh ich can now, pe rhaps ,be alleged against them is the severity with wh ichthey treat the female sex . In vain has nature

p

COMME ROE . 24o ~

be stowed upo n the irwomen the charms ofbeautyand discre tion ; they have never been able to

s often the character ofthe men, whom a to o near

contact with the Turks has no t failed to imbuew ith some of the ir prejudices . Thus tho se

w ives, whose v irtues sanctify the paternal hearthand constitute the union offamilies, know onlythe labours and the anx ie ties oflife ; modest,chaste , and industrious , the ir years are passed inbring ing up boys who se ldom repay the ir maternal tenderne ss, and rearing daugh ters de stined,like themselves , to suppo rt the trials ofa miserable existence with a patience and resignationwo rthy the reward reserved for inno cence and

v irtue . The o ccupations ofthe common people

are no t laborio us, and tho se who are called Ar

chontes, the offspring offamilies who se name s are

inscribed in the golden book, and who are as idle

as the patricians ofVenice , wo u ld think them

s elves d ishonoured by engaging in any o ther

bus iness than that ofsmoking and forming ia

trigues . The mariners are mere ly employed inthe coasting trade , in gathering and pre ssingolive s, and in the manufacturing ofsnuff. The

landed proprie tors export the ir o range s and

lemons, and se ll the ir citrons by commission to

the Jews ofSalona, by whom they are sent into

G ermany, and even Po land, where they are

used. in some part ofthe ceremony ofthe Feast of

246 G RAN D REN EW .

Such was the situation and the population of

Parga, wh ich Ali now prepared to attack : for

th is purpo se he o rdered stro ng de tachme nts of

Albanian troops to march from the pro v inces to

Jcennina, where he rev iewed them in perso n in a

large enclo sure adjo ining to his great kio sk;

There were hO‘military e vo lutions performed, the

rev iew be ing co nfined to a roll-call . Sold iers

who were in want ofmoney with wh ich to buy

arms o r equipments, or tho se to whom arrears of

pay were due , were permitted to pres ent their

petitions, o r to address the ir complaints vied nod:

to the Vizier, who was seated with his secre taryby his side , having vast heaps ofmoney before

him . Amongst allth is assemblage ofdifferent

troops, the mo st remarkable were th e Mirdite s,the mo st warlike of. all the Alban ian tribe s .

They inhabit the borders ofthe Pachash ip of

Scodra, and can send ten thousand men into

the fie ld. The ir language is full ofLatin and

Italian wo rds : they wear the red shawl and th e

Tancredi vest, and profess the Roman Catholic

re lig ion .

Ali hastened his lev ies as much as po ssible .

The even ts wh ich marked the decline ofBo na~

parte ’s power, enabled h im to foresee that the

French would so on be compe lled to abandon

Albania ; and th at England, e ithe r by fo rce of

arms o r by treaty, would remain mistress ofthe

Ionian Archipelago .

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

248 AJ A AN D RAP EZA TA K E N BY s'

ro nnr.

guard against an unexpected attack. Wh ilst,therefore , the Vizier advanced in the hope of

surprising the town, or offinding it defence le ss,its inhabitants were perfectly aware ofh is march

and plans.After taking Aja and Rapeza (two frontier vil

lage s dependent upon Parga) by sto rm, and

erecting a small fo rt, Ali’

s lieutenants, Mo nber

dar and Omer Bey Brio ni, advanced upon Parga.

The Vizier had given orders, that, in the ev ent of

the city be ing taken, it should be delivered up

to pillage , and allits inhabitants who were fo und

in arms should be put to death, with the'

ex

ception ofsome who were to be reserved for

slavery .

The Parghio te s, full of confidence in the

French garrison who Occupied the citade l, too k

the field early in April , resolved to defend the ir

co untry . They to ok up a po sition wh ich gav e

them the advantage-

gro und, and afforded them

the means ofa re treat . Be ing v igorously at

tacked by the Vizier’

s tro ops, and charged by

his cavalry in a narrow causeway wh ich led to

the town , after severaldischarges ofmusquetrythey retreated into the lower town the ir re treat

be ing covered by seventy French grenadie rs,commanded by Co lonelN ico le . Scarce ly had

th e Albanians, elated with the ir success, penetrated into th is part ofthe town, than the French

and Parghio tes fe ll upon them with the greatest

D E lo EA'

r o r A L I’

s'

t noo p s .

’249

fury . The combat was not long ; be ing com

ple tely routed, the so ldiers ofAli fled, leav ingthe stree ts filled with the ir dead and wounded.

Th e bodies ofone hundred and e leven Albanians,and fo ur Bim Bach is or Chilarqui, attested the ir

defeat .

Allhope oftaking the town, defended by a

French garrison, and by a Citade l wellfortified and

provisioned, was now abandoned ; and Ali’

s ge

nerals, covered with confusion, retreated with the

greatest expedition . Ali, accompanied by the

English Resident, had just arrived at Preveza,when the news reached him that his tro ops had

been defeated, and had retreated to the lower

town ofParga. Fe eling that the prey wh ich hehad so long coveted was now wrested from him,

h e became frantic with rage , and ro lled on his

sofa, alternate ly crying like a ch ild and roaringlike a wild beast . What l” cried he , “ Parga,

defended only by sixty Frenchmen,v ictorious l”

After th is paroxysm, he humbled h imse lfso far

as to clasp the knee s ofMr. Fore sti, wh ile , bursting in to tears, he intreated him to prevail upon

the English to assist in a fresh attack against

Parga, who se inhabitants it was his intentio n

to pu t to the sword withou t mercy . Far from

acceding to his wish , the English Resident, likea man ofhono ur, arranged with GeneralCamp

be ll, that, in the event ofParga be ing evacuated

by the 'French , the English tro ops should take

250PARGm o'

rE s A PPLY TO run: BR I T I SH .

military occupatio n ofit, and guarantee the po litical existence of the Parghiotes against thedesigns ofAli.

Hav ing been info rmed ofwhat was taking place

at Parga, GeneralAndreossi, the ambassado r at

Constantinople , fearing‘

lest the French Consul

might have b een assassinated, as was repo rted,de sired that the Divan wou ld instantly despatcha Capidgi

-Bach i, for the purpose ofascertainingwhe ther M . F ouqueville was still in ex istence .

These proofs ofpowerful pro tection put a stop

tO‘

Ali’

s persecu tions ofthe Consul, who se con

duct had recently rece ived a very flattering te s

timonial: the Ionian senate had passed a decre e ,

vo ting him the unanimou s thanks ofthat body .

Alarme d, however, at the . vast disproportion

ofnumbers between the besiegers and the ir de

fenders, the Pargh io tes, no twithstanding the ir late

v ictory, applied to our commanders, to be taken

under the British pro tection . After some de lay,a British officer was despatched to Paxo s byGeneralCampbe ll, there to hold a conference

with Capt . Hoste ofthe Bacchante , and Capt .

Black ofthe Havannah , and the Parghio te agents .

— The!

resu ltwas, that Parga shouldbe taken under

British protection, prov ided that, in the first place ,the inhabitants requ ired it by written documents

signed by the ir archontes o r principalmen ; and

secondly, that o n the appearance oftwo English

frigate s, they sho uld ofthe ir own accord strike

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

252 s p E Ecn o r ON E o r THE A RC HO N'

rE s .

as y ou do , because y ou are allfree men . But go

and present yourse lves befo re the ir king . Ifhe

mean to be th e master ofth is city,.

let him swear

it upon the Go spelofChrist . Yet I wo uld no t

entire ly trust even him . For with in these twenty

years, Christian princes have Openly turned the ir

subjects and friends into .merchandize , and have

shown bu t little regard to the Go spe l . But sup

po se y ou are o nce in the hand ofEngland— y ou

may be governed we ll , or y ou may be governed

ill. But the wellis uncertain ; and ifill, y ou willhave bereft yo urse lves ofallremedy . The KingofEngland has no t that sword ofjustice in h ishands, that he can , like Napoleon , Alexander,or the Sultan, decapitate the misgovern ingPachas ofhis distant prov inces . On the con»

trary , his ju stice is feeble ; becau se , be ing sun

rounded by contending parties, he is compe lledto lean for suppo rt upon one party to -day , and

to morrow upo n ano ther, and y et to pay regard

to all; wh ile each party, in its turn, conceals as

much as it can ; defends, and often praises, the

blunders ofits partisans ; so that a go verno r may

treat y ou as slav e s, and y et be fearless ofpunish

ment . Nor wo uld y o u, 0men ofParga,— I say

y ou, because I hope so on to lay me down in the

peace ofG od, and be buried by y our hands in

th is church , —nor would y o u be able to obtain

redress . Th is our city is small and poo r, and

simple and ignorant : whence . then shallit have

SPE E CH o r O N E o r THE A RCHON'

rE s . 25 3

power, how find money ? and where the‘

learned

citizens, who , be ing sent to the king ofEngland,might Show h im the truth ? However, th is Pargastill po sse sses tho se arms which have , fo r so

many generations, prevented a single armed

Musulman from entering her walls . I say no t

th is that y ou should be pro ud ofthe defeat whichthat bu tcher ofthe Christians late ly sustained at

your hands ; fo r that v icto ry came from G od,

God who will no t cease to protect y o u as here

tofo re , and who can do so because h e is just, andbecause he is almighty :

‘

wh ilst the Russians andthe French , just and unjust, powerfuland weakby turns, have , as the fru it ofthe ir pro tection ,

expo sed y o u to inconce ivable perils, and kept

you for severalyears in perpetual anxie ty . These

English , to o , are but men andmay y o u no t live tosee them expe lled from allcountries wh ich theyhave no longer money to pay , caged up in the iris land, and preying upon each o ther from want ?

Why then recur to fo re ign aid ? Parga is sufficient bo th to nourish and to defend y o u . Ali

canno t take her by land : he cannot blockadeher by sea, by wh ich your countrymen in the

islands can always supply y o u with fo od, and

which, in case ofextremity, will always afford

y ou an easy escape ; though I , fo r my part, let

the danger be ever so great, would never exho rt

yo u to go fo rth vagrants and beggars, with yo ur

wive s and ch ildren, into a fo re ign land. Le t us

254 SPEECH o r ON E OF TH E A RCHON TE S.

alldie here at home ; and, when no way of

safety remains for the city, set it on fire , that

these infidels may only triumph over our ru ined

houses and mangled carcases . However, this

danger canno t last long : forasmuch as Ali is

now old, and his head is always under the sword

ofthe Su ltan, whose wrath , though it has so longslept, should it at length awake , no Turk will beable to escape . At allevents, as long as y ou

remain masters ofyour own city, so long will

y ou be able to fo llow that line ofco nduct, wh ich,under the mercy ofG od, circumstance s may

render fit . The infidels, indeed, may force y ou

to give thembattle , and reduce y ou to great

extremity : y et y ou willslay many ofthem to

appease the ble ssed souls of so many Christians slain by them . But , once garrisoned bystrangers, y ou will be subject to the will of

ano ther ; y ou willno t be able to use good fo r

tune , shou ld it ever befaly ou ; and y ou will fo rever lo se the right ofdefending your coun try,and even ofburying yourse lves beneath its ru insnear yo ur dear fo refathers .

But th is eloquence was unavailing, he was outvo ted by numbers, and before the mee ting brokeup, the following explicit declaration was pennedand addressed to the British commander.

We , undersigned Primates ofParga, engage ,

on behalfofthe popu lation, that at the moment

when the frigates ofhis Britannic Majesty shall

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

256 T im FREN C H G A RR I SON CAPI TULA T E .

awoke was the po int ofa bayonet against his

breast . The warriors ofth e two rival nations

were equally astonished— these at the ir own

success, and tho se at a surprise wh ich they still .

could scarcely th ink real . In a few minute s theEnglish were masters ofthe place , and the Bri

tish flag was triumphantly ho isted on the flagstaffofthe citade l .The French garrison were allowed an honour

able capitulation ; and on the . 22nd March , Sir

Charles Go rdon landed with his de tachment, sentoffthe French to Corfu, and to ok full po ssessionofParga in the name ofhis Britannic Majesty .

Th is e vent, which deferred the period ofAli

Pacha’

s hope s, did no t, however, appear to h imunfavourable ; as he imag ined it would be much

mo re easy for him to obtain Parga from England ,

than to wrest it from the hands ofthe French .

Upon his re turn to Joannina, the Vizier, alwaysoccupied with the though ts ofextending and

strengthening his power, reso lved to expatriateth o se tribes of Epirus who se fide lity . he sus

pected, or who had provoked his anger. The

Acro ceraunians, whom he mo st mi strusted, .were

the chief objects ofhis vengeance . As theyoffered no resistance , Ali could find no pre

tence for .the ir extermination ; his only plan,

therefo re , was to expatriate them en meme .. I lfifl

unhappy people se nt a deputation ofits e lders:to intreat that they might be permitted to die

ExPATRrATE s TH E A CROCERAUN IA N S . 25 7

in the ir native land, and Ali h imse lfpresided at

a divan to hear the ir pe titio n . Allbut the ln

exo rable Ali were mo ved by the ir pathe tic elo

quence , fo r it was the e loquence ofthe heart

he alo ne stern and implacable , prono unced the

fatal negative , and wo uld no t even allow them

to remain till the spring . His tro ops marched

am id the ir mountains, and dro ve offlike SO many

cattle , men, women, and children, yo ung and

Old, amidst allthe inclemencies ofa Severe win

t e r. Co nvoys and re lays were e very where inreadiness for transpo rting the baggage , &c. as if

i t had been an emigration on the approach ofan

e nemy . Peacefulhusbandmen were driven fromthe ir paternal acres : mo thers, yo ung maidens,

and ch ildren were torn from the ir dome stich e arths ; venerable old men, loaded with y earsan d infirmities, were dragged along to be trans

p o rted into Aidonia, near the rice - fields oftheAche

r u sian marsh , where they had be en promisedh uts and v illages . Wh ilst these were thus qu itt ing the tombs ofthe ir ancestors, part of the

C hristian population ofPreveza, a town the pe

c uliar object ofAli’s hate , arrived from the so uth

OfEp irus ; and who le tribe s ofThessaly and

Macedo n ia were transplanted, like so many herds°fcattle , to repeo ple a country devastated and

laid waste by the mo st vindictive ofmen .

Since the to talde struction ofGardiki, no tribe ,

l10Be y , no Aga, had dared to dispute the willofS

258 DE SOLATE STATE o r GARD I K I .

Ali. The sight ofth is town, fo rmerly SO flourish

ing , now suddenly changed into a dese rt the so

litude ofwh ich no earth ly foo tstep ever disturbed.

awakened in the mind mingled sensations ofhor

ro r, pity, and indignation . At every step the

ey e was arre sted by an immense heap ofruins;

fo r the vengeance Ofits direful fo e had no t even

spared the temples ofhis God. The silent and

dese rted stree ts, the deep so lemnity ofth e thou

sand graves , and the Speechless lamentations of

th is ill-fated town for its stillworse -fated popula

tion , make the sou l reco il with horror, when it

reflects that th is was the work ofman . The deso

latio n , wrought by the Vizie r ofJoannina. everywhe re pre sented itself: the ruins ofpublic and

private edifices, prison- doo rs broken o pen,whole

stree ts crumbled into dust o r reduced to ashes

andfo r inhabitants , savage jackals, o rdogs becomealmo st wild,

who , with mo urnfulhowlings, hemoaned the ir wre tched mas te rs, and se emed to

implo re the pity ofmam— was allthat now te

mained ofthe once flo urish ing , the once happyGardiki .

Master ofallits territo ry , Ali still fo und himse lfstraitened. He un ited the fo rty v illages of

Zagori, as Tchiftliks, to hisViziership,fo r the pur

pose offo rming an inheritance fo r his third . son,

Se ly Bey . In vain did th e ir chiefi implore , in

vain did the y represen t that they had been pro

prie to rs from time immemo rial; the principles of

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

260 v rsrT o r nusTA v us A DOLP HUS .

his co urt, two E nglish Officers informed him of

Bonaparte’

s flight ; but th is, he fo re saw, would

no t mate rially affect his po litical security, nothav ing any direct influence upon Turkish affairs.Allhis co njectures were realizing , wh en , at the

commencement ofJanuary 1816, he rece ived thev isit ofa de throned king , —a visit wh ich h e owed

entire ly to his ce lebrity . Gustavus Adolphus,desirous ofgo ing to the Morea, the re to await

the firmans wh ich were to permit h is v isitingJerusalem, touched first at Co rfu, then at Pre

veza, whence he repaired to the co urt ofAli, to

whom he presented the sabre wh ich had belonged

to Charles X II . He was rece ived by Ali with

allthe respect due to his misfo rtune s, and the

supreme rank he once enjo yed.

These latter years were the mo st tranquilof

Ali’s existence . Free from domestic and foreign

war, he was now at liberty to strengthen h is iron

r ule o ver the Albanians, by means ofa govern

ment be tter organized than any in the East. He

saw h is power and his treasure s dai ly increase,nor did he lo se sight ofParga, the avowed object

ofh is ambition .

The deference ofthe English for th e ty rant of

Epirus was unbo unded. Without hav ing beenvanqu ished,

witho ut hav ing struck a sin gle blow

in defence ofthe ir l iberty, the Parghio tes found

themselve s compe lled to submit to co nditions as

h o stile to mo rality as to religion . The bloody

Co N GR Ess o r v 1EN N A . 261

sacrifice was abo ut to be co nsummated : Parga

was to be given up to

The line ofpo licy wh ich dictated this ofi’

ensive

m easure was as fo llows . At the time when

Parga, and the greate r part ofthe Ionian Islands,thu s fe ll into the hands of the English , the

C ongre ss ofVienna was assembled ; and the ir

p olicy in 1814 be ing to strengthen Au stria, in

o rder to counterbalance bo th France and Russia,tho se places would doubtless have been included

in the o ther provinces assigned to h er. This

arrangement was, however, ent'

a'

ely changed

afte r the re turn ofNapoleon , and the vast influ

ence acquired by Russia subsequent to the battle

ofWaterloo ;

I twas now that Ali conce ived hopes ofaecom

plishing h is wishe s, and various manoeuvres we re

practised by him for that purpo se . Amongs t

o thers, he caused amemorial, to wh ich th e fo rged

s ignature s offifty Pargh io te s were attach ed, to

be presented to the Po rte , praying that it wou ld

take Parga under its immediate pro tection . The

forgery was, however, de tected by GeneralCamp

be ll, and its object frustrated. But the portina

city'with wh ich he renewed h is intrigue s was at

length succe ssful, and it was ag reed that Pargashould be ceded to h im as a consideration for thePorte

’

s acceding to the Convention ofParis, which

p laced'

the Ionian Isle s under the pro te ction of

England. A Turkish agent in co nsequence pro

262 run PRAY E R o r rm: u ne a to r s s .

ceeded to Joannina ; where , be ing me t by aBri

tish commissioner nominated by GeneralMait

land, they drew up a treaty , the bas is ofwhich

was, that such ofthe Parghiotes as preferred Bri

tish pro tection sho uld be permitted to leave their

country, and should receive a valuable consider

ation fo r the ir property, to be paid ou t ofAli’

s

treasury . Ali h imselfagreed to this arrange

ment ; no doubt, with a mental rese rvation of

only fulfilling such part ofit as might be agree

able to himse lf.At the very . firs t intimation ofth is dreadful

intelligence , wh ich was communicated in the

month ofMarch 1818, the who le popu lation of

Parga repaired to the altar ofthe Virgin , the pro

tectre ss ofa town built under h er auspices . Men,women , and ch ildren, young and old, minglingthe ir vo ices with tho se of the ir pastors, withheavy sighs thus addre ssed the venerated image :Oh Tho u, who fo r so long hast been o ur pro

tectress and guardian, desert no t now thy chosen

children ! When abandoned by the whole Christian wo rld, do thou de ign to save us , and work a

miracle in our behalf. Thy altars shallfor ever

smoke with incense , and o ur children’

s children, in

age s y e t to come , shallattest thy goodness and

our gratitude !"

Afte r this pray er, e ve ry familyrepair ed to the ir burial- place , and, o pening the

tombs. remo ved the bo ne s of their ancestors.

Thus hearing with them the remains ofthosewhose

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

264 rm: p anom o r s s ABAN DON PARGA .

fulgrasp those who had so long defied his

power.

Agreeably to the convention entered into byMr. Cartwright and Hamed Bey , the Parghio teswere assembled by proclamation , after wh ich the

commissary, with great fo rmality, interrogated

them successively, one by one , whe ther they

preferred British pro tection to remaining the

subjects of the Ottoman Po rte . All, without

exception, declared fo r the former ; so great,

indeed, was the h o rror wh ich Ali inspired, that

a man who had been bo rn deafand dumb, one

Attanasio upo n hav ing the interrogatories explained to him, turned to th e Turkish

commissioner, and by ge sture s, perhaps the more

energetic from his infirmities, expre ssed his t e

fusalto be transfe rred to the government ofthe

Pacha.

Fifteen du ly qualified persons were appo inted

to value the prope rty wh ich had prev io usly be en

classed and registered with the greatest care .

Mr. Cartwright, upon his arrival, rece ived the

estimate , the to tal value ofwh ich amo unted to

no mo re than 500,000L, a valuation wh ich mayindeed excite surprise , when we are to ld that

there were 83 9'

houses, and an immense num

ber ofo live tre es— the value ofthe latter aloneamo unting to

At the reque st ofAli an English commrssroner

was again despatched to Parga, to confer o nce

D xr tm '

rrv s ESTI MATE . 265

more with the Turkish '

and Ionian agents ; and

again , in deference to the Pacha,were the in

habitants called upon to declare , whe ther, upo nce ss io n taking place , they would qu it Parga,.

o r

rece ive Ali as the ir lord.(5

) But the ir de termination (no twithstanding allthe Satrap

’

s intrigues)remained unshaken .

Afresh valuatio n was now o rdered to be made ;

and, as the’

Turkish agent objected to churche s ,

public buildings, and pro perty be lo nging to co r

po rate bodies be ing included, the estimate -was

suspended. The Parghio tes now drew up a

strong remonstrance against the last valuation being proceeded in ; th is was despatched to Corfu :no attention , however, be ing paid to it, the British and Ottoman agents made the ir valuationseparate ly ; that by the fo rmer amounting to

and that by the latter to The

pecun iary arrangements were no t, howe ver, finallyadjusted till after an interv iew wh ich Gen . Maitland had with Ali, about the commencement of

March 1818 , when a proclamation (6

) was issued,informing the inhabitants, that the valuation wasdefinitive ly fixed at or Spanishdollars, and that each indiv idual would rece ive a

ticke t, entitling h im to a share proportionate tothe property he possessed. The great reductio n

in th is estimate , when compared with the fo rmer

one , is thus explained. Ali expressed his to tal

inability to pay so large a sum. He , however,

266 us ao rc ansonur ro n o r ru n PA RG H I OTE S .

ofi’

ered to supply the English with a certain

quantity ofsh ip- timber from the wo ods ofAlba

nia, the amount ofwh ich was to be paid towardsliqu idating the demands ofthe Parghio te s. The

repo rt ofthe British agent sent to examine thetimber be ing unfavourable , the idea was aban

doued, and as no o ther alternative now remained

than to accept Ali’

s own propo sals, or abandon

the arrangements in toto, the were

accepted as a full indemnification .

On the 15 th ofMarch , Lieutenant -co lonel

Gubbins issued a proclamation informing the

Parghio tes that the tro ops ofAli would enter

the town prev ious to the inhabitants qu ittingit . It wou ld be impo ssible to describe the

fe elings wh ich swe lled every heart even to

bursting upon th is inte lligence . But vain was allthe ir honest indignation ; the measure was con

firmed by Sir C . Maitland on the 9th ofApril. In

his proclamation bearing that date , he stated thatthe means oftransport wou ld be furnished to all

tho se who wished to depart ; but that the Lo rdHigh Commissioner was desirous that no o ne

wo uld Qu it Parga till the conditions ofthe treaty

had been fulfilled . Afew days after, intelligencearrived that the Satrap

’

s tro ops were advancing

to o ccupy Parga. De spair seemed then to po s

sess every bo som . Se iz ing the ir arms, the Par

ghio tes swo re unanimo usly to bury themse lves

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

268 s u nn axxr ro x o r r u n a o u ro r s s .

into requ isition, the embarkation commenced,and;

by the light ofthe funereal flame wh ich was devouring the remains ofthe ir ancestors, the y setsailfrom the Cape ofChimerium.

~ The Viz ier’

s

fo rces were then admitted, and the fortress .was

finally delivered into Ali’

s. po ssession on the loth

ofMay , 1819 .

CHAPTER X II .

Ali'

s rev enues .— His tribu te to Co nstantinople — Ilia

Private treasure — Revenues ofhis three so ns.— Restitutio ns .

Anecdo te ofhis exto rtio n.—Military fo rces.

— Pay ofh is

tro ops .—Expenses ofthe campaign of1807 .

— H is artillery .

— Canno n fo undery .

— Ali’

s character.— H is falseho od and am

bitio u .— H is rapacity .

— Anecdo te .— H is me thod ofensuring

fidelity .— H is bro ther Jo uso uf.— Ali

’

s excellent memo ry

exemplified by two instance s .—Ali

’

s dissimulatio n. His

manners .— Mode ofrece iv ing v isito rs.

-Ali’

s go od qualities .

— H is go vernment and administration .— Anecdo tes .

—H is

Divan .

As Ali may now be considered to have attainedthe acme ofh is property, we shall here intro

duce some account ofhis revenues, reso urce s,

&c . , and attempt a de scriptive sketch of h is

strongly-marked character.

In addition to the vast sums wh ich Ali had ao

cumulated by co nfiscating the property oftho se

whom ambition o r cupidity prompted him to de

stroy, his annual revenue was also very conside r

able . Fo r h im alone the harve sts ripened ; for

him alone the flo cks resigned the ir fleecy loads,and the v ine its go lden clusters . Hrs tribu te to

the Turkish government, wh ich he paid regularly,amo unted to about nearly the s ame

2 70 A L t’

s PR IVATE TR EASURE .

sum was also annually a mended in presents,

bribe s, &c . to the min isters ofthe divan . These

deductions be ing made , his annualrevenue maybe computed at about sterling, o ut of

wh ich he had to pay his standing army, co ns istingof7000men . The amount ofhis private treasure,wh ich was allin Venetian go ld, has never been

ascertained(I

) .

The revenues ofthe Satrap’

s th ree sons (c

) , and

the ir ch ildren , were estimated in 1817 at about

sterling .

Ali obtained po ssession ofallthe precious sto neswhich he co uld discover in the coun tries under

his dominion . He po sse ssed large co llections ofwatches, valuable clocks, go ld and silver ve ssels,and immense magazines ofgo ods ofeve ry kind.

Allthese sto re s were under his own care in sub

terraneous vaults, wh ich nobody was allowed to

ente r bu t h imse lf. His treasurer fo r the current

expense s, wh ich office was filled in 1807 by h isnephew,

was no thing more than a paymaster

to whom he entrusted a chest ofmoney, for thedisbursement ofwh ich he must acco un t befo re

he rece ived the key ofano ther. A J ew h o use

steward collected the revenues ofhis own privatepo ssessio ns .

The Pacha kept no written accounts ; h is me

mo ry supplied the ir place : he ve ry seldom made

a mistake , and never against h imself. His mode ofrecko ning introduced a new branch ofre ve nue

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

272 A L t’

s AR'

rt LLERv .

a month : upon an average it may , therefore,

be reckoned at ten . The so ldier prov ided his

own arms and clo th ing , and Ali furn ished am

munition and rations ; the latter consisted of

two pounds ofmaize -flour, and some vege tables.

In the campaign of1807 , his army remained in

the abo ve mentioned fo rce fo r ten mo nth s , and

co st him, including the pro v isions, six mill ions of

piastres, abo ut sterling, e xclus ive of

the subsidies paid by France .

His artillery consisted ofabout 200pieces,distribu ted in the severalfo rtresse s ofAlbania

and Epirus, but it was gene rally ill-furn ished and

wo rse ser ved. We have already no ticed Ali

'

s

military scho olat Bonila ; where he had also a

canno n fo undery, but his avarice , wh ich h indered

him from furnishing the necessary materials, his

rapine , wh ich led h im to plunder the director of

h is to ols , and h is despo tic co nduct in gene ral,

prevented the succe ss ofthe undertaking . He

was so unjust as to demand that a twen ty -fo ur

po under, weighing 5000lbs . should be deliveredto him qu ite comple te , for an equal we ight of

me tal wh ich he supplied fo r that purpo se . The

French engineers , howe ver, who v isited h im in

1807 , improved th is establishment so much , that

it was able to furnish mo rtars as good as co uldbe obtained from any foundery in Euro pe . Ali

had also severalpowder-mills, but they wereve ry defective in the ir construction .

p

A Ll’

s CHA RA CTER . 2 13

We shall now proceed to consider Alls cha

tactor, ofwh ich falsehood and ambition were the

p rincipal e lements . The latter was his predomin an t passio n ,

the former had become indispen

s able and habitual to him ; bo th , wh ile they reci

p ro cally promo ted and no urished each o ther,

d e v e loped v ices wh ich made him an object of

h o rro r and dread even to tho se who apparently

enjo yed his confidence . The want ofmo ney,wh ich severely distre ssed him at hlS first o utset

in public life , and wh ich long re tarded h is ad

vancement, toge ther with the co nv iction, arisingfrom experience , that at all times there were

me n to be found who might be bribed to the

commission ofevery crime , caused avarice and

c o v e to us passions to take de ep ro o t in his na

t u re : the wo rd g ive was as fore ign to his mouth ,

a s any corresponding feeling was to his h eart,

a nd gold ne ver issued from his coffe rs but when

s ome th ing was to be gained rewards were never

d istributed, unle ss some person was to be se

d uced as the instrument of h is crimes o r the

p ander ofh is v ice s .

His rapacity extended to every th ing , and to

g ratify it no pre text was to o frivo lo us o r mean .

If a me rchant arrived in h is dominio ns with

g o ods, he wo uld send fo r him, examine his sam

Ples, affect fair dealing, and th en purchase the

articles at a price arbitrarily fixed by himself. IfOne ofh is vassals died, leaving a large prope rty,

r

274 A Lt’

s CHA RACT E R .

no expedient was disdained in orde r to obtain

po ssession ofit, e ither by open v iole nce , o r by a'

fo rged will ofthe deceased. My son ,

”

said be

one day to the so n ofa Gre ek lately deceased,yo urfather was a very re spectable man , whose »

lo ss greatly affects me we were intimate friends

he remembered me on h is death - bed, and has be

queathed me h is house , furn iture , and gardens.

”

But, my Lo rd,”

answered the you th , quite

confo unded, the se make more than two - th irds

ofmy who le property ! My son, re turned

Ali, y ou mu st hold your father’s last will

sacred ; and ifyou were so wicked as no t to

submit to it, I would have yo u hanged immediately .

Ali’s insatiable ambition also made h im dis

trustfuland revengeful, and the se two propens itieshad acqu ired, with his v iolent dispo sitio n

, the

character ofsavage passio n . Allabout his pe rsonwere the objects ofh is suspicio n . His neph ews,his children ,

tho se who were the mo st attached

to h im, and who appeared to enjoy his entireconfidence , we re equally the objects ofhis sus

picio us surveillance . With him the mo st solemn

assurances ofdevo tedne ss and fidelity were ofno

avail . Ancient and long service s were no pledgefor the future , in the estimation ofa man who at

alltimes changed h is co nduct as h is intere st re

qu ired.

His modeofinsuring the fidelity oftho se em

ployed by h im, was by ho stages . His own so ns

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

27 6 A r t’

s H ABITS .

places , he enlisted among the troops ofa hey ,

whom Ali had now taken into h is service . No

so oner did his eagle ey e discover him,than he

immediately ordered h im to be cut down . On

ano ther o ccasion , as he was sitting in judgment

acco rding to h is custom, a man who had just

been taken was brough t befo re him, and Ali

immediate ly enumerated in his pre sence a great

number ofrobberies committed by him duringthe space offifteen years, stating exactly the

time , and the name s ofthe persons robbed .

Ali so comple tely po sse ssed th e art ofdissi

mulation , that he who did no t judge ofh is inten

tions exclusively according to what ambit ion

and avarice might sugge st, wo u ld infall ibly be

misled ;fo r be dece ived, no t merely by wo rds andpro te stations , bu t by his dign ity and the wh o lete no ur ofh is behav iour. His exterio r was agree

able , and he could impart to his mild and u suallysmiling features a seductive charm . H is man

ners were po lite , affable , and dign ified. He was

generally richlydre ssed. The mo st studiedluxury

prevailed througho ut his palaces, and this, j o inedto h is Asiatic effeminacy, wo uld have inducedthe belief, that he was exclusive ly occupied withhis buildings, rich furn iture , and splendid o rna

ments. All th is, however, was dissimulatio nh is real object was to engro ss the attention of

tho se around him by the se trifles, in o rder to

divert it from mo re seriou s concerns .

A L t’

s MA N N E RS . 2 7 7

When he pleased,his manner ofrece iving

pe ople was irresistibly pleasing . Frankness and

probity appeared to beam upon h is countenance ,

in wh ich no trace e ven co uld be perce ived ofall

the passions wh ich warredwith in him . Suspicion ,

fear, hatred, and re venge , were ve iled by the

expre ssion ofpure joy and co nscio us inno cence .

With the appearance ofmoderation, obliging inconversatio n, dexterou s in representing e ve rything in the ligh t mo st advantageo us to h imself,

clear and lo gicalin h is arguments, furnished withallth e arts ofeloquen

‘

ce ,no one knew so wellas

be , h ow to make so ph istry passfo r sound and sterling reasoning . Se profo undly versed was he in

the art ofdissembling , that even a person the

ro ughly acquainted with him would have be en ih

clined, when in conversatio n toge ther, to con

sider h is mistrust as unjust and gro undle ss .

There can be no doubt that th is diss imulation

co st him a considerable degree ofeffort . Whenu nable to obtain h is obj ect ; when he had vainly

tried h is usualarts , in odrer secre tly to kindle

disco rd, or to perpe tuate hatred ;'

to get the

crime s necessary to h im committed by th e

v ictims whom he had ch o sen as instruments ;th en he wo uld break lo o se , and proceed directly

to his purpo se .

In case s where Ali was obliged to employ

ins truments to e xecute his secre t purpo ses, be

g e nerally secured the silence ofthe latter by

27 8 A L t’

s G OOD QUA L IT I Es .

the ir death . In th is manner his dark plo ts and

crimes were concealed from the great majo rity of

h is subjects by a blo ody and impene trable ve il .

But , with allhis odious v ice s, Ali po ssessed

manv splendid qualities, wh ich would do h o nour

to the greate st prince s . A profound knowledge

ofthe human heart pre serv ed him from erro rs in

the cho ice ofhis officers and he was always

correct in assigning each the po st be st calculatedfor his abilitie s . In busine ss, his pene tration

gave him a clear insight into the bearings of

e very case , and he speedily perce ived what was

mo st preper to be do ne . He knew how to watch

for Oppo rtunitie s, to prepare th e way fo r them,

and wh en they arrived, to take instan t advantageofth em . The courage and intrepidity wh ich hedisplayed in h is y outh did no t forsake h im in

maturer age . Wh en danger pre sented itself, a

calm re so lu tion e ither enabled h im to avo id it,o r to mee t it with firmness and decision . In the

midst ofa population who feared andmo stly hatedhim, he seemed entirely regardle ss ofh is personalsafe ty ; and th is apparent security contribu ted no t

a little to pre serve him from allattempts at assassine tion . When he went out, he was generallyattended by two pages, a confident, and two

soldiers ; the fear wh ich his personal courage

inspired, and the pre vailing conv iction that anyenterprise directed against h im mustfail, acco untfo r the rare o ccurrence ofplo ts against his life . In

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

280 A L I’

s D IVA N .

Some y ears late r he was info rmed that the

superintendants ofa canton ofZago ra, under

the pre tence that they were orde red to raise

a tax for him of piastres, had exto rtee

various sums ; be summoned th em befo re h im,

and made them restore all they had rece ived;but at the same time be compelled them to pay

h im the piastres o ut ofth e ir own poc

ke ts, ironically thanking them fo r having so well

co nside red his interest ; and,tillthe whole sum

sho uld be paid he o rdered them to be put under

arrest .

AliPacha’

s Divan consisted ofthe ch iefOfficers

Ofhis ho usehold, and o ther persons cho sen by

h imself, from whom he expected usefulserv ice s

but allthe pro ceedings were mere fo rmal it ie s,since no member ofthe councilwou ld v enture tc

expre ss an Opinio n co ntrary to that Ofh is master.

In every department Ofthe admin istration, h e was

h is own minister : his prodigious memo ry e na

bled him to enter into th e minute st de tails , and toregulate the mo st trifling th ings : though , acco rding to Turkish custom, he committed no th ing towriting, y e t no thing e scaped him, and none of

his ordinance s co ntradicted the preceding ones,

unless, wh ich very seldom happened, he had

altered h is opin ion . His indefatigable activ ityenabled him to find time fo r eve ry th ing , so that

uh business was neglected. But be requiredthe same activ ity from his Officers and servants;

A L I’

s PO L ICE . 281

and his rigo rous strictness in this re spect caused

an almo st incredible rapidity in the execu tive

measures Ofth e governmen t . In order to Obtain

the utmost that was po ssible , he was accustomed

to require Impo ssibilitie s ; and, as every body

knew that he tolerated no disobedience ,and

accepted no excu se whate ver, fear producedwonders . His u sual threat on deliv ering such

commands was th is : D o what I commanded, or

the black serpent shallbite y our ey es out.

”

The

o ath ofthe Sultan,By the heard ofthe Pro

ph e t was le ss to be dreaded than the se terrible

words, wh ich were almo st equ ivalent to a sen

tence ofdeath .

In h is dominions he had e stablished a police ,u nknown in the re st OfTurkey, the Object of

which was the maintenance ofpublic security,and wh ich did no t spare e ven the profe ssio nal

robbers the Kaylee, Ali’

s ancie nt companions in

arms : th is police also penetrated in to private

h ouses, observed the conduct ofindiv iduals, and

gave in reports on the ir actions, discourse s , and

v iews . It kept the stricte st watch o ve r the

connex ions of the Greeks with Constantinople

and o ther places . Ali made himselfacquainted

with allle tters sent from h is dominions, without

e xcepting the correspondence Ofthe fore ign mi

n ieters and agents accredited to h im ; be respected

ne ither fo re ign couriers, nor tho se Ofhis own

so vere ign ; but was at alltimes ready to lay the

282 A LI’

s PA LA CEs .

blame upon o thers, and to make a show ofgiv

ing satisfaction, by hanging some po or devilwhowas languish ing in h is prisons . In the year 1807 ,be caused three couriers to be murdered (two of

whom were French), upon whom, howev er, to

h is great ve xation , he found o nly le tters written

in cyphe r. His agents , whom he had e ve rywhere , and the correspo ndence ofthe Gre eks inh is service , in formed him Ofallthatwas pas singin Europe , and directed his conduct, as he had

constantly in v iew to Obtain a support ou t of

Turkey .

The number ofpalaces wh ich were the per

sonal property OfAli was very great . Some heinherited from his second wife , a rich widow,

whom he married to obtain po ssession ofher

large property . She was then shut up in h is

harem, where she lived bu t a very short time .

The rest be longed ch iefly to tho se whom he put

to death , or compelled to fly ; some ,‘

to o , he

bu ilt at his own expence . He was h is own

arch itect ; and was always accustomed to cho o se

the decorations and furniture ofh is apartments.

Hence the strange mixture ofmagnificence and

bad taste so conspicuou s in all his palace s .

Splendid saloo ns, where gold, velve t, and em

bro idery, covered the flo o r with lav ish profusio n,

were approached by dark and narrow passages.

The place Ofdo o rs was supplied by Gobelin ta

pestry suspended on pole s . Ro und the richest

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

CHAPTER X III .

Ali’

s dissatisfactio n .— H is pro sperity .

— His Hattera s — Policyofthe Ottoman Po rte — Ali refuses to make himselfan inde

pendent Prince .— IsmaelPacho Bey is appo inted Capidgi

Bachi. - Ali’

s fears .-Histo ry ofPacho Bey .

— Ali v iolates

his daugh ter- ia-law.

-Her death .— Ali

’

s attempt against

Facho’

s life — His numero us escapes.— Athanasia Vale .

Pacho arrives at Constantinople .—Descriptio n ofh is person .

—Deme trius PaleOpulo .- H is histo ry .

-Presents a memo rial

to the Divan .—Death OfPaleopulo .

— Disgrace ofVely .— At

tempt to assassinate Pacha — Declaration ofwar against Ali.

- He is anathematized.— A1i

’

s plan ofdefence — Is declared

fi rmauly .— Assembles a Divan .

—Ali’

s proclamatio n .— Vely

and Mouctar retreat to Joannina.- A1i

’

s resources — Offers

the Greeks a charter. —Ali makes Joannina h is centre of

o perations .-Appo ints Omer Bey Brioni, h is general- in- ch ief.

- ArrivalofPacho befo re Joannina.

AL I was now in po sse ssion ofParga ; and

altho ugh th is at one time had be en the ultimatum

of h is wishes, he still was dissatisfied —the

though t that the inhabitants had e scaped his

vengeance by a time ly fligh t was gallin h is cupofhappiness . Fre sh pro spects ofambition , also ,now o ccupied his attention . The co nquest Of

Middle Albania made h im sigh after that Of

A LI’

s PROSP E RITY . 285

Scodra, wh ere he kept a faction in pay , bywhom yo ung Mou sta

'

i Pacha was kept in con

tinualalarm. His vengeance against the unfo r

to nate Ibrahim OfBerat, who with h is son had

be en his prisoner fo r seven years, was also still

incomple te , while they lingered o ut a wretched

existence , ofwh ich he dared no t deprive them

lest his son Mouctar should lo se the Sangiacat Of

He was also indignant at see ingthe Rumelie -Valisee established at Monastir.

Thus his own intemperate passions were con

verted by an avenging De ity into the instruments

ofh is downfall.

Th e con tinued favours offortune should have

warned the modern Policrates ofher instability .

His succe sses ough t to have alarmed h im . NOso oner had be remitted to the English agents the

amo unt ofthe shamefulsale ofParga, than hefound h is treasure qu intupled by the forced

contributions ofh is vassals, and the intrinsic

value Ofthe landed property ofthe Parghio tes ,wh ich was now transferred to him . His palace

at Tepelini, wh ich had been burnt down in 1818 ,

had been rebu ilt at the public expense , upon a

mo re vast and magnificent scale . His sons and

grandsons were allennobled with h igh titles, and

appo inted to important oflice s ; and although

no t o ne in reality, y e t he might tru ly consider

himse lfupo n an equality with a sovereign in

power and magnificence . Nor were flatte rers

286 POLI CY O F TH E PO RTE .

wanting . At Vienna a po em had been written

in his praise : a coat Ofarms wasfo undfo r h imby one wellskilled in heraldry ; it co nsisted Ofa

Lion in afield Gules embracing three y oung Lions,

the emblem Ofhis dynasty . A grammar ofthe

French and Greek languages had also been dedi

osted to him, in wh ich th e titles Ofhigh , puissant,

andmostmerciful,were lav ish lybe stowedupon h im.

The auth o r thus expresse s h imselfin h is dedication : The earth , most illustrious prince , is fullofthe glory ofthy name ; the brig ht and dazzlingfameofthy noble virtues has reached every car .

The Ottoman Po rte , apparently upon the be st

terms with Ali, had h itherto granted allthe Se

trap ’s demands, pretending to be unacquaintedwith his numerous perfidies . It affected the

utmo st security, altho ugh in po ssession Ofthe

pro ofs OfAli’s intelligence with its enemie s, e spe

cially during the last war, when it was compelledto subscribe to the treaty OfBukare st . I t was

the intrigues Ofthe Satrap ofEpirus wh ich had

then paralyzed the efforts Ofthe Pachas OfUpperAlban ia‘

and Rumelia, who were apprehensive of

lo sing the ir go vernments , should they march to

wards the Danube . The policy Ofthe Porte was ,therefore , to pu t up with a tempo rary ev il

, co n

vinced that time itse lfwould so on rid them ofthe

mo st dangerous of its Viziers, whethe r co usidered with re spect to h is geo graphical po sitio nor his relations with fore ign co untrie s . It was

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

288 PA C IIO’

s R EVE NG E .

bolt to Ali ; and from that moment he never

knew tranquillity . Unable to concealh is mo rti

fication , allwho approached h im were certain -to

hear his maledictions against Pach o , who se im-v

po rtance he raised by attributing to h im the

failure ofhis intrigues in the Divan : he saw

him continually busied in cros sing his de sig ns,and sometimes he would exclaim : IfHeavenwould but g rant me my y outh again, I wouldponiard

him even in the Divan itself.

”

In the year 1807 , Ali had driven th is PachaBey from h is native town OfJeannine , by forcinghim

‘

to accept the Office OfSelictar or sword

bearer to h is son Vely, who had just been ap

po in ted to the Sangiacat ofthe Morea.

In th is situatio n he became h is confident, and

the instrument Oftho se ty rann icaland oppres

sive acts wh ich rendered his adm inistratio n so

hatefulto the Moraites . It was no t long before

be incurred Ali’s resentment, who , hav ing first

pro scribed him , co nfiscated h is property . Stimu

lated by re venge , Pacho Bey endeavo ured to

sow disco rd be tween the father and son , by

revealing to the latte r that Ali had v iolated the

honour Ofh is nuptial couch .

The fact was but to o true ; altho ugh the unfor

tunate lady polluted by Ali’

s ince stuous pass ionwas stillv irtuous, fo r the monster had admin is

tered to his v ictim a se porific po tion ere he

perpe trated his atro cio us crime ; and it’

was o nly

SH E S'

I’

A BS H EltSE LF . 289

by signs, wh ich at o ther time s had made her

the happiest ofwomen , that she knew the

crime of wh ich she was innocent . Obscurehints thrown ou t by her women, whom Ali had

threatened with death ifthey be trayed h is secre t,at length informed he r ofthe dreadfultruth , thatshe was nourishing with in her bosom the fruitsofincest. How heart - reading must have been

this conviction to a wife who idolized her husband, and who had already pre sented h im with

tender pledges ofher sincere affectio n ! In he r

despair she sent to the autho r ofher mise ry,intreating that she might have an interv iew . Ali,

who as head ofh is family po sse ssed the exclusiveright ofentering his son

’

s harem, immediatelyrepaired thither. On his coming into the apart

ment, h is daugh ter- in -law embraced h is knees

and conj ured h im to declare that he r horrible

suspicions were ill fo unded ; Ali’

s only re ply

was an unblush ing avowal of his criminality .

Scarce ly had the fatal confessio n escaped his

lips , when the wre tched v ictim ofhis lust drew

fo rth a po niard, and plunging it in her bosom,

fell lifeless at his fee t . Ali immediately quitted

the harem ; and, that allwitnesse s ofhis atro

city might be remo ved, o rdered the women who

had been privy to his guilt to be thrown intothe lake in the dead ofthe night . Th is o rder

was execute d by his black mute s . But a tyrant

can ne ver ensure secrecy, fo r allwho surro und

U

290A TTEMPT To Assa ssmarn m o no BEY .

him are hpt h sg many. spiesmp‘np,his actions andconspiramts against. his.

authority . Emba ssy“ s weaters , sesswormed-of

.WWWM e

slaps-

be tweeafhe Vin e Ali, and. hisdaughte ria tqhis desire jor revenggflheo verstepped the sacred boundaries ofhone, byrevealing to Vely

'

eu event which was e ver afterwards the torment ofhis existence . The latter,however, in a paroxysm offury, thanked hisindiscree t friend ; and bo th ofthem swo re to

avenge themselve s upon the author of their

misfo rtunes .

Ali was no t a man thatwould be anticipatedinthe care er ofguilt . Without sto oping to justifyh imse lf, he declared the crime which

,q ,ngw,

openly imputed to him to he a false andca'lmngn ions invention ; and witho ut loss oft ime deep.

patched seven we ll-mo unted assass ins, with express orders to murder Pacho as he was . pro

ceeding from his own house to Vely’

s palace.

But Heaven, who had reserved Ismae l for aninstrument ofvengeance , defeated this anttemptat assassination . Two only ofthese assassins as

duped; and the o thers, be ing taken, were impaledalive .

H

Pacho Bey , persuaded ofh is insecurity-

Y, asked

Vely’

e permission to qu it a. country. in wh ich heran such great risks . .His reque st was granted,

and he immediately passed o ver into . Negro~

po nte .

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

292 a s nscarns, m so u tss n as A MONK .

diate executio n ofthe pre sent firman , by which

the Divan orders y o u to behead o ne Pacho Be y ,who has been fo r some time in yo ur serv ice .

”

It shall be done but I must info rm y o u , that

as it will be rather a difficult matter to se 1ze h im,

we must proceed cautiously . I expect h im here

every moment ; and, as the sight ofy o u m ight

awake n his suspicions, y o u had be tter repair to

Drama, wh ich is about two leagues from h ence ,

and there await my coming . I willbe with y ou

in t the even ing, to anno unce the execution of

the firman . The Capidgi-Bach i immediate ly

se t offfull speed to Drama, wh ile Pacho pro

ceeded with equal diligence the co ntrary road,

fearfullest the Naz1r, who had only known him~a shert time, should make no difficulty ofobey ingt he , Sultan

’

s o rder. After a nigh t’

s march , he

assumed the dre ss ofaBulgarian monk, and after

drave rsing UpperMacedonia, arrived at th e gates

efia large convent ofServ ian monks, situatednear the sources ofthe Axius . He was there re

ce ived tha n bro ther who had just re turned fromlidsitingltbe , holy .sepulchre .

uuifio xsoonerr had Ali learnt the failure ofh is'

Ca

he accu sed Mouhame t Ali,before :the Divan , ofhav ing favoured the e scapehfRachmBey . The imputation, howeve r waseasily refuted; and, as in the progress oft is ia

quiry ; the innocence ofPacho became manife st,Ali co uld no t p ro cure ano ther firman ofdeath

A TH A N A SI A VA'

iA r e aso ns rA cno . 293

against him . It was then that Athanasia Va1a,hav ing disco vered Facho

’

s re treat, begged that

he migh t be permitted to sacrifice him th 'Ali’

s

vengeance . Th is reque st was granted ; aind lthebetterto co ver h is design, the Vizier affected to

be highly ea perated against vain, and, to .the

aston ishment of the whole town ofJoannina,

dro ve h im from the palace , swearing that had heno t bee n h is fo ster- bro ther, hewo uld have hanged

him . Vaia, pre tending the deepest afflictio n,applied to every person ofrank or influence t o

inte rcede for h im with the Vizier ; but the only

favo ur that could be obtained for him Was thathe eho uld instantly depart fo r Macedonia.

He 1mmediately qu itted Joannina, with!maydeinonstratio n ofthe greatest despair, and set o utfor the place ofhis exile , assuming, as hefrept

'

e

sented, for the sake ofsecurity, the robe ofa'

eé’

la

loyer. On h is road he met with a brother off‘the

convent ofthe Serv ians, and, after having related

to him h is pretended misfortunes, begged baa-be

rece iv ed into his convent . The bro ther i'

tnmedi

ately proceeded to make known h is request to the

Superio r ; and the latterlo st no time in inforfn ingPacho ofthe compan ion in misfortune who was

abo ut to arrive . By the description, Pacho te

co gnized Athanasia Vaia; and gue ssing the ob

ject ofhis mission, communicated his suspicions

to the Prio r, who co nsented no t to admit . the

assassin till Pacho was far on the road to Con

2M racno menu s To co usrn nrm o r t n.

Stan'tineple .1 It was there , in the capital ofthe

empire,”

that he -resolved openly to defy andicm

but hit pcwerfulenemy.

Pessea ing an'

elegant and commanding fe ral,

a phy smgnM y in which acute penetration was

softened by an : insinuating smile , and gifted with

the ’valuable talent ofspeaking with prepcinty

and elegance allthe languages peculiar'

to the

Turkish empire , Pacho Bey was no t long in d o

vancing himselfin the favo ur lofhis Sultan.

Anxious to strengthen h is party, he also

30t but those ofhis ancient cempanions in

arms who had be en banished from fAlbania;

amongst whomfhe met with one Deme trius Pab

cpulc, an‘

E edlian ; and with this man he fo rmedamintimacy, the consequences ofwh ich “we“

afterwards so fatal to the fo rtune s ofAli.o -Deme trius Paleopulo , the 05 3n ofa (h ack

family of’iEfiolia, was , like Pacho Be y , one ofthevictims ofAli

’

s -tyranny . The ch ild ofmister“

tunevatlltet the death ofhis father, which happe n

ed twhen he was but fourteen years bld, h e m

compelled to expatriate himse lf, :to avo id the

peu e ewtions ofthe'

encmies ofhisfamily gf and,

after wanden'

ng about from village to v illage ,

at { length s -enlisted 'in the hands» of-E‘tho trib unal»

telmg-xumchgst whcm his”

great courage

hured'him =flistincticn . Struck'with h is abih'

lies;

Ohnm s, azneble Greek, "

prevailed uponhh iin to

quit the pmfebeibn he had embraced, retained

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

996 m s J E A LOUSY o r r s rrzo r u ro .

’

prev ibusly'to ' an attack, would 1desine 1 1Paleo

pula’to

'

change clo thes with him : a stratagem

he often eulploy edl in fo rder to e scape the

‘enemy I .4 r i

The so ldiers ofAli; accustomed falwaysltmsee

'Paleopulo at the po st ofvdanger,manifested a

regard fo r him wh ich so on gave umbrage m1 the

tyrant . He vainly endeavo ured to dissemble , his

enviOus dispo sition broke thro ugh allrestraints ;”

and Paleopulo , fearing the fate ofh is bro ther

Canavo s, who had just been assassinated, saved

himselfby a precipitate flight . He at first col

le cte daro und him some bands ofArmatolis; at

the head ofwhom he defended h imselfsonlong asthe mo untains ofAgrapha we re inaccessible to‘A

‘li . After the submissio n ofthat co un try, his

only re treat for ten years was ' the fo rests and

caverns, from wh ich he at length eme rged, over

lcome wrth the infirmitie s ofold age , and repairedby sea to Constantino ple . Here , placed under

'

the pro tection ofthe French Legation , he ad

dressed to the Ottoman Po rte an apolo gy fo r his‘conduct, and a plan ,

sh owing , in'

allth eir details,tthe means ofsubdu ing the Vi

'

zier Ali.gTh is memo rial, presented to the D ivan about

the close of18 12 , had been the signalfor the

anger’ofthe Porte , from wh ich Ali o nly es

caped«by means ofa fortu itous concurrence of

unfo re seen events , wh ich had averted the storm

ready to burst o ver - him . United by interest,

PA LEOPU Lo’

s D E ATH . 297

and animated by a common hatred, Pacha Be yand 'Paleopulo reprodu ced the plan -fo r the min'

ofthe Pacha’

s family . Pacho .Be y guaranteed

its success with his head ; asserting , that, spite

ofthe tro o ps, the fortre sses ,

“

and the resources

ofthe Viz ier, he would arrive befo re loannh a

without lighting a match .

But th is plan was no t very agreeable to the

min isters ofthe Grand 1Seignio r, accu stomed as

they were to the pre sents and pensions ofthe

modern Jugurtha. To so temporizing a oabinet

it '

appeared mo re expedient patiently to await

the inheritance o fAli’s treasure s, rather than

accelerate the acquisition ofthem by Opemwar.

We aried o ut w ith these vain solicitations,PaleOpulo was on the po int ofre tiring ointo Ru s

sian Be ssarabia, there to fo und a colony, when

death with friendly band put an end.to allh is

troubles . Ere he resigned his last-breath, the

old [Etolian co njured Pacho Be y to persevere inh is projects, assuring him that the house ofiAli

would so on be pro strate beneath his blows . Iregre t, added he , in dying accents.

“ I regre t

that I canno t be with y ou on the Drisoo s,; t he

report of1my1large gun (

2

) wo uld soon recallPale'opo lo tO fAli

’

s recollection . Re so lved to follow

the advice ofh is friend, who se las t : words ap

peered to him prophetic; Paeho Bey desisted

from all memorials and plans 1 of- .reform, and

exclusive ly confined h imselfsecre tly to under

298 'rvsu nur'

e r n u t our .

m e lt-h e “ inflnenbe tfl Afi, by’ liecoh ing Wit

champiou tofallwho had duy lcmnplnints hgdinmthe administratio n ofthe Vihler ofJoannina; and

llb zsons. " He drew up their. p e titions,“

and : got

tha t {pre sent ed to the ministers ofi theq te ,

who we‘

i e delighted to find fresh oppo rtunities

for bleeding the old Satrap,"by promising toast ifie

the public cry fo r {metice z all'this, therefore ,wetineffective : At 'leng th Pacho LBey succeeded in

being p erso nally'

reeommended‘

to the LG ran tl

Seignio r, as a victim -ofAli’

s tyranny .1 uThe s

his mid ortunes, and appointed bitu‘

one -of1h is

Capidg i-Bimini, to r c hamberlain .iAithocgh t his

post: h i unbt now, we }fo rmerly , lo ne h ofugreafl

impo rtance , « stillfthe i nte lligence rofsuch -fl pro- 3

mo tio n d Pach o iBoy caused the g reatest uueasir

unso u nd alarm to the modern C oco s, Ali Bachw‘

He ‘imm'

adiztbly oonce ived what he had 10km”

from so fo rmidablean enemy , who badn ow daily'

accem to'

the Grand’

Seignio rz

Bven since flfhessaly hudbeen cursed with HW '

ing1Vely

' ibr . go vernor, that'

unfortunatepromhad suffered the most dreadfu l misfortunes mprodigahty offme Vizier e xhhu ettdv thefiordihatysupphea; t he zu m sw em ine tflased fide

Greeks, unablmn'

i supportsthem,

“ had emigtwin great numbers, some to Ode ssa, and o thers“

Cons tantinopb . Th e Sultan, info rmed by PM

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

300 PO LICY o r THE SULTA N .

the inquie tude ofthe Sultan and his ministers,co nvinced them that henceforth the public safetywo u ld be compromised so lo ng as Ali had at his

command Se ides who would brave death to ao

complish his wishes . The indig nant Sultan wished at first to letfall the whole we ight ofh is .

ven

geance upon Ali ; but he was persuaded to adopt

a more prudent course . He appo inted new go

vernors to a great number ofmilitary po sitionsbordering upon Albania, mo re e specially to thosewh ich commanded the principal deh les, which

till then had :be en exclusively filled by .Ali’

s

creatures . At leng th his,

de struction was deter

mined upon in a secret council and the sentence

offermanly , or ofthe imperialproscription , was

prono unced against him, and ratified by a fetfa

off. the Mufti . Its teno r was as follows

That Ali Pacha, accu sedofh igh treason , and

wh o at different periods had rece ived pardon of

his delinquencies and fe lonie s, should be placedunder the ban ofthe Empire . as a relapse, ifhe

did no t present h imse lfwith in forty day s at the

g olden threshold of the gate offelicity , to pleadin jus tification . At the same time his cap itol:

oardars, couriers, and allhis agents were put in

irons, Sho rtly afterwards intelligence arrived

at Joannina, ofthe religious anathema hurled

against Ali Tepelini, commencing with these

wo rds taken from the Alco ran . Our ears are

stopped, we are toofar of to hear what thou say est

A N A TH EMA AGA I N ST A LI . 301

follow thy laws, andwe willfollow ours . It co n~

cluded with th is imprecation fromj the same

work N ow is the day ofmisf'

ortanefor the wicked ;we willblow‘

against him an impetatIas wind in a

fatalday , we willstrike down men like'

the uprooted

palm trees, because they have killed the Camelof

Sallie ! we have carted them upo n the earth , and at

the day ofthe resurrection they shallbe abominable

to allthe universe .

Ali Pacha, who in h is pro sperity had boastedthat he had neverfeared G od, was struck with terror at the de termination ofthe Porte . Trusting,h oweve r, to h is accustomed go od fo rtune , he

had reco urse to the mo st fo rmal supplicatiorn

a’

hd'

den ials . He accused his e nemies ofhav

ing conspired his ru in , and dece ived ‘the piety“of

the Grand Se ignior. But ne ither his gold, tho ugh

distribu ted with no sparing hand, no r the most

urgent entreatie s to be resto red to favo arp -cbuld

availhim augh t : the Sultan declared“

, that who

ever shou ld dare to speak to h im infavour ofAlish ould lose his h ead.

His determination be ing fixed, a squadronwasimmediately fitted ou t, wh ich , after the feast of‘

Rhttmazan,was to convey land- troops to

'

the

coast of'Epirus . At the same time allthe chiefs

ofRume lia’ rece ived orders fto bhld themse lvesih rehdiness '

to march -

at'

the 3cdmmencement‘o f

spring;with the Spat‘s and Timario teS of-‘the ir

different governments : a similar o rder was sent

302 nxn nm o u s e ams? A LI .’

to the Rumilie ~Valisee, as welh as to 'Moust'

di

Pacha ofScodra ’to Pomon a-Babs, Pacha 'of

Ronstdult ; and to Mouhamet Ali Pachas Nazi!of

“ Thrace,whose daughter Pacha Boy'

h‘

hdfl reu

cos tly: inurricdi 1These last were o rdered” the

assemble ? the'

contingents ofTrans ition M ites-l

denia. And, finally; it was decreed that'Pdeho

Bey ;designatedPacha ofJoannina and'*

Deldimr

by, the righ t ofArpalich , or conquest, shm fld

'takb‘

the ch iefcommand ofthe expedition diretsbed

against Ali Pacha.J ” on .

The attempt to assassinate Ali Bey'had héhn

made at the commencement ofFebruary ; andmsmonth '

ofMarch had now almost ~‘ passed may ,with out a single soldier having been encampedli‘n'

order to march into Albania. A complete‘

coinage

migh t still be effected in the measures ofa gas

verntnent so subject to vicissitudes and'

re volts!

Beside s; the‘

Sultan wished to make warwithofi‘t

hav ing to defray the exp'

ense s ofit . Aliwith ’

hls

treasures might easily have bribed some'

ofthe

Pachas,or ofthe great vassals,who were tomarchat the irbwn expense

‘against the Vizier;inwhose

ruin they‘lrad no t allan equal gintere st.

"But“ he'

preferred= the counsels ‘of' bold and enterpriding

'

men ,

"mho wem'

anxious to execute the plans sag?

gee‘

ted'

asiav difl'

erentiperiod by smnel‘English olii

‘é ‘

cersjwhich}however;Werefoanded‘

upon errofiéofl

data!o fAli’

s' i resourceé.

'They'were as '

fence s :

to establish a camp near Caraveria, to occ

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

304 A LI A PP L I ES To T H E less o n s “ .

The different tribes ofNorthe rn Greece ap

peared to be still mo re de vo ted to h im. At the

least intimation ofh is wishes, the Archbishops,Bisho ps, Pachas, Cadis, and Aiens, still repairedto his court . All, upon the announcement of

the danger wh ich threatened him, seemingly te

do ubled the ir attachment to his person . He was

weak enough to fancy h imse lfbelo ved by his

people— an expressio n wh ich be substituted. in

co nversation fo r that ofvassals and raias,

In the mean time , unwilling to trust toomuchto the chances ofwar, and, in fact, de siro us of

be ing reconciled to the Grand Se ignio r, he applied to his old friends the English . Having n

re

paired to Preveza, he he ld a conference with prieoftheirGenerals, who was a pro tectoroftheSe pt.insular Republic ; bu t his endeavo ur to obtainthe mediatio n

.

ofthe English was unsucce ssful .

They, however, consented to se ll him arms

.

and

warlike stores, and even he ld out some h opes

that they might perhaps succeed in pre ventingthe Turkish squadron from appearingofCorfu . Ali, without be ing e itheror contented with the result ofhis applicatio n,re to ok the road to Joannma,where hehad sparcelyarrivedbefore be occupied h imself111re - o rganizi

i'i

the Armato lis . They appearedat hismons . Ali, dsome ofhis cmcct e tgthem, g1v1ng them o rde rs to disperse themselves

Dncnanns m s no s'

rrm '

rr 7 0 THE ro ar s . 305

witho ut delay in the mo untains ofThe ssaly .

The Armato lis were no t dilato ry in taking the

difl'

erent po sts assigned them ; and the ir depredatio nswere such , that at any o ther time the Portswo uld have been compelled to arrange matters

amicably with Ali. The couriers were plundered'

of their de spatches, the caravans we re intercepted, the taxe s ceased to be paid, and the

public clamour at length reached the Sultan ;bu t the manoeuvre was justly appreciated. In

vain did the primates ofthe Cantons repre sentthat Ali alone was capable ofrepre ssing the se

diso rders — the stratagem did no t take . The

reply to the pe titio ns was, that they co uld so on

pii t an end to the ir tro ubles, by engaging the‘

Kleftes to turn the ir arms against Ali. Pro clamations were industrio usly distribu ted, callingupon the Epiro tes to de tach themse lves from the

cau se ofa man who was about to inflict upon

the ir country allthe ho rro rs ofwar. Ali, who

hadi

fo re seen that such attempts wo uld be made,

ordered his tro o ps who occupied the defile s to

kiflwithout hesitation allbearers ofde spatche swho had no t an o rder signed by his own hand

and'

toforward to Joannina alltrave llers who migh t

endeavour to penetrate into Epirus . De termined

at length o penly to raise the standard ofrevolt,he gave the Greeks to understand that he was

about to embrace Christianity, while to the

needy Turks he promised a share in the cen

X

306 A SS I-MBLES A D IVA N .

fiscatio n ofthe property belonging to the Agas ;then , convoking what he called a Grand Divan to

assemble abou t the beginning ofMay at th e

Castle ofthe Lake , he summoned the attendance

ofthe principalTurkish and Christian ch iefs,whose astonishment at thus mee ting toge therwas

extreme . He o pened the Divan by a spee ch , in

wh ich he stro v e to justify his go vernmen t and

conduct, boasted ofthe pro tection wh ich h e had

granted the Greeks, and declared that he wishedto assemble them all under his banners , that

they might e xterminate the Turks, the ir commonenemie s .

The speech ofAli, who opened and clo sed hisparliament o n one and the same day , was no t

followed by the unan imo us acclamations ofa

maple determined to defend a prince and institutions dear to them. The archbishops, andother

m inisters ofre ligio n, o nly replied by raising the ireyes, bathed in tears, to Heaven . A sligh t mur

mur. ofapplause was heard, and the assemblywas abo ut to depart, when th e ch iefofthe Mirdite s, speaking in the name ofthe Latin Schy petars, declared to the t y rant that ne ither he no r

h is co untrymen wo uld serve against the majestyof;their.Sultan . His vo ice was, however, drownedin . the v ociferations ofsome needy adventurers,who

,made the hallre

- echo with cries . of

live AliPacha Long live the restorer qfLibmty !”

The nex t day , May 24, appeared the‘

procla

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

308 PRE PA R AT ION S FOR WA R .

vacillated, till at length , roused by the instances

ofthe Grand Se ignio r himself, and stimu lated bythe temptation offered by the vast treasure s

-ofthe

pro scribed Vizier, it commenced the necessary

preparations fo r war. The Pacha ofLarissa,who

was already suspected, was re placed by Drama

Mouhame t Ali, father- in-law to Pacho Bey .

Co uriers after couriers were despatched t o

hasten the j unction ofthe contingents ofRume

lia a squadron was immediately equ ip ped for

sea ; and lastly, the army ofDramaMo uhamet,

wh ich was directed against Ali Pacha, came

to encamp in the plains ofPh ilippi, where .it

rece ived cons ide rable re info rcements . The new

Pacha made h is entry into Larissa amid the ac

clamations ofthe Janizaries,who had reo rganized

themselve s s ince the departure ofVe ly Pacha.

Scarcely had Drama Mo uhame t entered upo n his

new appo intment, when he rece ived the submis

s ion ofa part ofthe Armatolis adefectio n which

oblig ed Ali to draw in the advanced po sts wh ich

he had established at Chalista, Flo rina, and Gasto ria ; the se towns , as well as the Canloniates,

had ranged themselve s under the banne rs ofthe

Rumilie -Valise e . Thus the Vizier ofJ oannina,

ere a blow was struck, lo st C isaxianMacedopia,

and Thessaly, as far as the defile ofGemphi,whe re Drama Mouhamet awaited the arrival of

Isma'

elPacho Bey , conformably to the p lan of

campaign de termined upon in the Divan .

mo ucran RE TR EA T '

t o J OANN I N A . 309 ‘

The army also ofBaba Pacha,wh ich 'had be en

e-X pected, now appearedat the entrance ofTempe ,

followed by the’

Kersale s and o ther tub es '

of

Mount Hemus. Invited by the‘ inhabltan ts of

Livadia,who had driven away the Vizier’

s troo ps,Baba Pacha marched upo n Lepanto . At his ap

proach ,Ve ly Pacha sent by sea his harem and all

h is moveables to Preveza, and abandoned Le

panto : he h imse lfto ok the road to Joann ina.

The report wh ich he made to his Father s poke

only ofpresent misfortune s, and offear fo r the

future : he did no t concealfrom him that the

Turks wavered in the ir fide lity towards his

family . Ali immediately disarmed alltho se who

were in Preveza and Arta, and required hostages

from the greater part ofthe Beys .

Mouctar, who had just re turned from inspect

ing the Pachaship ofBerat, entered Joann ina

nearly abo ut the same time as his bro ther. H e

was much more sangu ine than h is bro ther as to

the chance ofsucce ss . This co ntradiction in the

reports ofthe two bro thers considerably increased

Ali’s embarrassment as to the line ofconduct h e

should adopt towards the Mahome tans. Could

he have depended upon his tro o ps, his situation

was by no means embarrassing . Allhis castles

and’

fortresses, to the number oftwenty-five ,had

been put into’

a'

complete state"

ofdefence . His

artillery amounted to sixty - two mortars and fo ur

hundred pieces of cannon, ch iefly brass, and

3 10 A co unr s PO PULA R ITY .

mounted as heavy guns . In his Castle ofthe Lake

he had his field- pieces,with sixty mountain guns,and a co nsiderable quantity ofCongreve rocke ts.

He was amply supplied with warlike sto re s ; and

in addition to allth is, he had established a line'ofsignals from Preveza to Joannina, in o rder to

be more spe edily info rmed ofthe mo vements of

the Turkish squadron .

Th e more the danger increased, the mo re did

the public enthusiasm manifest itselfin favo ur of

Ali, by pro testations offidelity, as false as theywere dishonourable ; for the Turks, as we llas

‘

Christians, witho ut prev ious communication or

concert, gave a fresh example ofthe dissimula

tion ofa people fatigued and wo rn out with ty

ranny . Ali, thus dece ived, never qu itted his palace but amid public acclamations . He was see n

at allho urs, and in allplaces whe re h is presencewas necessary at one time o n horseback, at

ano ther carried in a litter, and some times,seated

o n a bastion in the midst ofthe batterie s, con

versing with the wo rkmen or with the soldiers, ~

whom he daily inspected, and who emulated each

o ther in the wish ofgaining h is approbation . So

great was h is ardour, that his physicalstrengthse emed to triumph over the we igh t ofyears . No t

only did he thus endeavour to excite the zealand

emulation, and rouse the courage ofh is adherents

by h is conversation and harangues ; but he also

j udged it expedient to accommodate h imselfto

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

3 -l-2 co Lo vo TAK E N .

the istrait; in.o rder to reach Ep irus ; -but, upon

theirlanding, wero zinstantly se ized by the Tziamide sllwha -npo nfthe appearance ofthe Turkishsquadro ny had immediate ly re volted. Be ing takenon beard tthe Turkish admiral, Colo vo , who was

recognized as be ing one ofthe confidents ofthe

pmsm'ibed aVizier, was put in irons, and after

wards subjected to the torture . In the mean timeIsmatElPacho Bey had just taken the fie ld ; hearrived upo n th e V-ardar abo ut the end ofJuly,and no so oner was h is war- cry raised, than theDgedges

-and the To skide s to ok up arms against

AliPanha. The warlike inhabitants ofthe moun

tains also , and the bards, who still ce lebrated thedeeds ofScanderbeg, hastened to swellthe ranks

ofMoustai Pacha.

Mo ustai having assembled allhis hordes and unfurled t his standard,

passed the Drin, and was re

info rce d by a .body ofMirdite s ; and hav ing se ized

Durazzo , to ok po ssession ofthe who le ofUpper

Alban ia,w h ich he de liveredfrom a swarm ofAli’

s

adhe rents . Already reduced to the defensive -ou

the side ofThe ssaly and. Macedonia, at the first

news ofthe defection -ofUpperAlbania, Ali con

te nted h imse lfwith despatching his -son Mo uctar

to take -di e go vernment Hmplacednn

dert his ‘brdsrs Selgn'Pacha,.who was. e ntrusted

w'

rlrhzthe defence -ofPremiti, and with uthe care of

co vering the defiles (ifPyrrhus as far as

soura. To Ve ly was given the command ofPre

1114’

s as “ ) QU11a as . 8 113

veza, which ' h is father. had e mbellished w ith

serag lios, and rtified by strong-military wo rks .

The defence o Tepelini was confided to It

Pacha, Mouctar’s son . Tahir Abas, t he old

Satrap’

s minister ofpolice, was appeinted .to

guard So uli ; part ofAli’

s treasures being con

easled in a fort wh ich Ali had recently erected

there .

These dispositions hav ing been made , Ali reserved fo r h imselfthe defence ofJoannina, the

centre ofh is operations . There he hoped that-bydint ofintrigue s and money, andfavoured by time

and circumstances, he“

might still preserve th is

head. Hav ing but little reliance upon his . troo ps

in general, wh ich consisted offifte en th ousand

cho sen men, he appo inted Omer Bey Brioni the irSeraskier, nominating as h is lieu tenants Mantho ,

one ofhis secre tarie s, andAlex is Noutan, Primate

ofZagori . The army had o rders to hold itse lfin

readiness to occupy the defile s ofPindus,which ,from the advance ofthe Turks, had now hecome

the frontiers ofAli’

s territory .

In the interval y oung Moneta'

i Pacha; whohad advanced upon the Genusus, and at whose

approach Av lona and Berat had o pened the ir

gates , received inte lligence from Scodra that the

Montenegrins had penetrated into his Pachash ip .

This diversion, wh ich e ndange red the safety of

his states , he attribu ted to Ali ; a nd th inkingh imse lfdisengaged from the Ports , he marched

3 14 A L i’

s succxssns .

rapidly towards Scodra. Upon the arrival of

Mouctar Pacha at Berat, he earnt that the

Dgedge s had qu itted the shores o the Apsus :{he

immediate ly o ccupied Elbassan and Cro'

i'

a, ia

forming his father at the same time ofthe re treat

ofMoneta’

i Pacha. Allwas now congratulation

at Joannina. Pacho Bey , encamped be twe en Ha,

laico no n and the Vardar, did no t advance ; and

the Turkish squadron , wh ich had appeared in the

Ionian sea, had sailed for the Mo rea. Th e storm

now appeared to be clearing of Epirus seemed

to revive again .

The levies raised by Ismae l Pacho Be y con

sisted ofdifferent hordes, amounting at th e most

to only twenty thousandmen, and commanded by

six-Pachas, who had allmarched into th e field

much against the ir inclinations . After hav ingmarched through Thessaly, he made h is entry

into Larissa at the moment when Mou sta1 Pacha

re turned to Scodra. To fillup the chasm occa

sioned by h is defection, Pacho Bey ordered the

Ramilie -Valise e to march upon Berat throu gh thedefiles ofthe Cantav ian mo untains . At th e same

time he despatched a co urier to Baba Pacha, stationed at Salona, to urge him to recommence h is

offensive ope rations . Baba Pacha immediately

began his march , took po ssession ofLepan to ,Missolongui, and,

witho u t striking a blow, eu

te rad Vo nitza. His o nly anxie ty now was to

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

3 16 u o ucra n nrranu s ro ane v no - cae'

rno s .

refuge in the citadel. Wh ilst these events Were

passing in the so uth ofEpirus, Mo uctar Bey,whu had '

co nside‘

red himse lfas having undis

turbed poss ession ofBerat, learnt the d efection

ofthe inhabitants ofCanina, Avlona,'

and the

northern part ofthe Chimera. Ha'

ving'

but little

re liance upon the fide lity of-‘

the To skides ,“

he

hastened to abandon Berat, and to shu t h imself

up in the citadelofArgyro -Castrou .

No twithstanding these reverses“

, Ali h oped to

preserve at least his natural boundarie s , wh ich

were the mountains oflPindus . His se raskier,

Omer Bey Brioni, ha'

ll established h is“

head

quarters upon the plain ofthe Lingo s; so that

he might be able at the same time to -defend the

defiles ofMacedonia and the passes ofPindus .

Having under his command experienced tro ops,well paid and well armed, and be ing defended

by formidable intrenchments, the chance s ofwar

were stillin Ali’

s favo ur.

But Pacho Bey , abandoning for the present

thei

pasa ofZigori, threw h imselfsudden ly into

the defile‘

s o'

fAndvlach ia. The defile ofCosnari

migh t y e t, however, be defended again st h im ;

but the secre tary Mantho , instead ofmarch ing to

Oppo se him, passed o ver to his standard, at the

same time info rming Omer Bey Brion i ofhis

defectio n . Brioni immediately quitted h is camp,and marched with h is div ision to j o in Pach o Bey ,whom he found encamped upon the Driscos.

rnr s u o nn o nsr nucr i o u o r J OA N N I NA . 3 17

These examples oftreache ry h aving beenfollpwedby Alexis No utza, Ali, who .had IBCRQDQQMMse venteen tho usand.men, suddenly foundh imselfwithout gene rals and witho ut an army , q 1.

Tillthen Pach o Bey ,wh o had boasted;ofarriv

ing in sight ofI oannina witho ut lighting .s match,

had kept his wo rd with the Divan. A single

affair ofoutpo sts, at Krionero , was,allthat. had

h itherto signalized awar which it had been pro

phesiedwou ld be so terrible . Bu t nowafortresseswere to be attacked, stro ngly fo rtified bo th bynature and art, and defended by Ali in person ,

.who was reso lved to hold o u t t o the last by everymeans wh ich rage and despair could suggest.

Ali had for a long time co nce ived the idea. ofr de

fending himselfin his fortre sses, and ofdestroy

ing Joannina, which offe red to o many fatalities

for . ho stile approach . This de terminationhe no

longe r concealed, as so o n as he saw h imse lfdese rted by his army a reso lution .which rwas

stre ngthened and confirmed by the de votipp of

h is adherents , who now rallied’

ronnd himqtcbthe

number ofno t more than e ightthoqsand" m .M,

m : w .“

.mir .mx

OH !FTER X IV

Ali’

s means ofdeferred — Gives up Joannina to pillage .—Misery

ofthe inhabitants.— ArrivnlofBabaPacha.— Ismaelappo int

edPacha ofJoannina.— Ali excommunicated.

— Dese rtio n of

Odysee .- Discontent ofthe Turks .

-Isma’

él’s policy .

— Fate

ofAli’

s three secretaries —Pro po sals to Vely —Vely capitu

latea—His honourable treatment —Mo uctar surrenders the

town ofArgyro-Castrou .

— Husse1n’

s noble addmss .

co olness .— Baba

’

s sudden death .— Ibrahim and h is so n libe

rated.— A1i

’

s affected disinterestedness.— Ali

’s firmne ss .

—5

Dissensio ns between the Turks and Christiansl— Change in

Ali’

s person.-Displeasure ofthe Sultan .

-Joannina closely

blo ckaded.—Ali’s plan for a general insurrection .

- Isma'

el

deprived ofthe chiefcommand —Church id appo inted his suecesso r.

—General insurrection ofthe Greeks .—Ali makes a.

se ine — Church id neg o tiates with Ali. - The English supplytheTurks

'

J—Hli and his so ns .—Insurrcction ofthe Mo raites .

- A;li’

s cont betrayed—Mo uctar and Vely strangled.

-Ali’

s

swig-fi

'

oid.- Ali at buy- Churchid reinforced.

-Ali o pens a

nego tiation,—Desertion ofCare tto .

—Ali retreats to th e cita

del. - Ali’

s co nfident. —Selim .—Churchid

’

s propo sals to Ali.Ali accepts them .

—His reception —Ali undeceived—Selim

assassinated.—Ali's death .

AL i’

s means ofdefence were still fo rmidable .

From the bo som ofthe lake , the wate rs ofwh ichwash the inaccessible base ofthat part of the

Pindus calledMo untMitchikeli, rise s an isle con

taining seven monasteries and one v illage . These

Ali had lately replaced by a fo rtress and maga

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

3 20 ru nner: o r JDANHLNL .

eases theW asatW m

Mm agmpndghmtw m flim wofthe ir rage : there was no,mfitnfliogm .m wsbflat

Jivenmtombaoftbs—Atqhhithssrm m d

ogfimaqfinpiuagsd ofthfifiasredurobesM mtotes} $9151,jewels som e” w as . all

W e ewisct sfinillessn asdfm tlnamofvmipldego ted. gityq nhipb on crewm an»

sensed the picture pf, dqspbtim 1m loud i nt:

0989 ofmmh.md. .diseess madame“ (50shamOQM whe t

-w eakeningM meg..a dom

ofrtpesqy rqtchcs; who disput ed m gMsolve : for the " sacred vessels and. lamps“ winch

PI LLAGE o r I OA N N I N A . 3 21

the Lake , Ali h erselfdirected the csnnonade ,

poilfing out the spots which the'

fl'ames had no t

u tiflery redoohu with the‘

utmost nu-

y .

‘

rsco o

andcpn'

vwe ev enings, were o verwhelm s by’l’m

'

“ M ira n the progress ofthe flames,”

the

Ja i nism ,

‘

huving-*ia ' their rear men harshe st,

w w yu u s ucceeded in gaining'

the lbrtified

th y mu s -mand ed" by the “

o utpo sts ofthe

tm h b had‘M ‘from fire and carnage; the"

frou athe embraces of‘

their h umming mo thers. “A cry of

fterror and despair gav'

e“

the s igner“

ofL i bra -J to Q e ire companion“

thew-ma s'

oft he populat ion immediatiely“

dis

penaod.u nut-m m could ther find a refuge !

“

Theta-M 'oscaped this Turks -were mapper“ :

the ir-schism“ at the breast}norm ed tlSe chain

Y

ass A lumnus'

o r ‘BABAr u mlu .

ofl‘fi nflus,’

hfldflih fi llsingfie’M ‘

pbfibm whoM yflmed.m

ss ailsgdfsdmarrowmwmmeem fis game asfid»them es

are finc‘i’e‘

ht ‘fnartyrs‘, ah

‘

e isough t'

lfm flret‘

ugb ta

gsanyaétmrs,weremmwsm mwm

sewersW riglerafmfll

‘

hsudefilésflswdfi em umassess ors tirew itness uué tdyisge

lasfil” has'sr mash ing .'presemamhm bam

masllgnswannpnua f ll‘f"

6-2 2 9 8 291!

“m et hane army;wirese‘fonly'

sharefibathen

newsm a n seen the “

pillage ofltke atime‘Cflnfihe M fliows‘Mho hhaHJ é sdaped

f'm beal

'

fiu'

r

filfifiod,‘vl'dli'tbd‘

fdr BabaPacha,'whe arrived)“

Gis’ltrbbp‘s‘on .sbolendusy

M use syldecampsdsmam mals wam m

43 56? ofth‘éfieapi'ta'

lof~ -

'

Epfirus!2 the y “ be gi t

made his } essay-

emu !) Pth‘e

gate ofbfi riiep’

tim Havingmania. tent p itchedm ’

ofl eannonimh'

gsgce trd having lreactmoonlit:

sass afl’

foansmaassd Delvino; se em up the

s umes emblemEsrdh tdpowmnaman holes:'

ol‘flsrhtitllPacha.: 'flromf

thwhbigh t tofi hlslnmno sermo ns?:aectaussom at: them m, wholst the?“ whereaswitwfthe‘mlmwloflqw"

area Swazi, ‘

olo the wetmww'lTue) M n item‘d‘llltlélyd‘i

‘

odal-‘lth s ” sentence lwh iuh 'lfieelm flfi

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

3 24 Duss nrm x o r om '

ss s s .

with fish and aquatic fowls . Besides, Ali was

master ofthe nav igatio n, and th e influence ofhis

gold,’

operating upon the av idity ofthe peasants ,wo uld, in spite ofall oppo sition, ensu re h im

fresh provisio ns so long as a sheep or a goal:

was to be found in Epirus . His re solution wasstrengthened when he co ntemplated the martin)

~

figures who surro unded him, and who , havingpromo ted the rebe llion, co uld expect no quarterifo nce they fellinto the hands (ifthe O ttomans.The ir cause was therefo re identified w ith hisown i The Satrap easily imagined that, amongst

so numerous a garriso n , many so ldiers, accus

tomed to a desultory warfare , might be dissatisfiedwith the restraint impo sed upon them by thenature ofthe serv ice , and only awaited an o

ppo rtun ity to de sert . Th is dispo sition he turned

to h is own advantage : be caused a list ofthedisco ntented to be drawn up,

—it was numero us.

Fifteen h undred ofthem h e intended fo r a so rtie.and o rdered the ir full pay to be given them:

and having affo rded Odyssee , the ir chief, the

means of e ntering into communication with

IsinaelPacha, he Opened h is gates to them.

Scarcely had the y arrived in sigh t ofthe Turkishh ead-quarters , when the ir chief,

’

bending hisknee, saluted Isma

'

el Pacha with th e title ofi'

Vali

and Gazi. The deserters we re immediately'

re'

i

c e iv‘

ed with milit‘

arv acclamatio ns, complime'

ntedu pon the ir resolution , and had a spot a

issig

‘

ned

th em for bivo uacking apart from the rest . Ali

m sco n'

rs n'r o r TH E TURKS. 3 25

h aving thus succeeded in his first object,wh ichw as to ge t rid ofdangero us tro ops, so on rendered

themsuspected by the Ottomans, naturally jea

lous ofthe Albanians . Every day the latter

were subjected to fre sh humiliations . Odyssee

increased the ir tro ubles still more , by sudde nlywithdrawing h imself. They lo st all trace s of

him m the mo untains , whence he gained the Isle

ofithaca. The Armatolis , whom he had desert

ed, becoming mo re and mo re the objects ofsus

memo to the Turks, at length dispersed them

selves thro ugh the moun tains in the rear ofthe

Ottoman army, which from this time they co n

tinned to harass by the ir ince ssant depredations .

Itwas now near the clo se ofSe ptember, and

thebesiegers, who had ne ither heavy artillergno renginee rs for commencing the siege in fo rm, saw

their pro visions, wh ich were bro ught by GreeksfromThessaly , daily diminishing . Want alreadybegan to make rapid strides thro ugho ut the camp.TheTurks began to murmur, and exh ibited symptoms ofdiscontent, and e ven ofsedition . SomeOftheir ch iefs accused IsmaelPacha oftoo greatalove ofpower, and even ofaffecting so vere ignty

itself. An opportunity was eagerly so ught afterOfrendering him an object ofsuspicion to the

Divan . He felt h is criticalsituation, and as he

Was aware ofh is incapability ofeffecting Ali’

s

fo rce ofarms, he fo und it nece ssaryto acce le rate it by politicalintrigues . He first

set on fo o t separate nego tiatio ns in o rde r to i11

3 26 FA TE o r AL 1’

s'

rnas s ss cns'

raars s .

duce Ali'

s two sbns to submit. Vely wits'ln

trench ed in Preveza, and Mouctar stilloccupied

the fortress ofArgyro -Castrou : Isma’

éloflhredr, -to

bo th , advantageous terms ofcapitulation under

his own hand.

Wh ilst carrying on th is double negotiation , hQ

endeavoured to confirm the Divan in its hOpes-mzf

be ing the eventual he ir to Ali’

s treasures 2‘and in

order to engage it to wait more patiently;’h

’

e pfd

po sed is the intervalto pu t the Grand'

Se ignior

inimmediate po ssession ofallthe '

real’

estate'be

longing to Ali and h is family . It was necessary

first'

to know the amount ofthe irfunded wealth,and the value ofthe irflocks, the revenuesofWhichwere estimated at nearly 480,0001. sterling . To

obtan this, the Divan requ ired that Ali’

s three

principal secretaries ofstate , who had been 'made

prisoners, should be sent to Constantinople , ino rder to be interrogated and examined. Buchero

the Grand Se ign io r’

s interest clashedwith that ofh is generals . All examination was impo ssible ,

for it had so happened, that Colovo , after 1111

dergo ing the torture , haddied at Athens id conse

quenco ofhis sufferings that Mantho , who had

be trayed his master, had been assassinatedIla! a

feast ; and that Stephani, Ali’

8 third'

sec'rearry ,

hadferimnated h is days ln prison .

” the M ich

generals could, therefore , only send *thei1“ h eatls

salted to ConstantinOple , accompamé'dBfse veral

sacks full’dfefirs . To theSe .spolia apikia, m allso

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

3 28 u o ucu u a uras UP nae r no - en er s o n .

givenidp'lo

'

theM’

wflioor;byVely )whou the

m e im lzprotemd h imunbo unded attachd'

ent

andfidelity to 'the Gmnd 'Seignior:w " v i “ 1

“ Vely; upowreaching the Gaptaimp achals ve s

sel, was rece ive d with marks ofthe pro ibundest.

respect.His

'

d deso sonm xmstored to an em

bracesp and allthe honours due to chis 'ranli we rescrupulously paid him, so : much so ,

“ theta the

vessel, sailed into the ebay‘ofGomerizzi 'palrpnoely

that the might be near h is brother Mone tary with

whom-he entered into -correspondence .M a nh un t

1 The family eo ti'fi li Tepelini M asufatsd w ell

without glory. Mo ne ten h aving» received:wi thh is brmher’s letter; am ouncing

'thewedu tiu of

- fh evm , a firman, hyuwhich - he was nominated.uPacha

'

ofiKeathaye , in Asia Minor,witkwpntu ise

ofM tge” up sth e‘

c itade l ofAmyro -GW on

m thont firing a sho t . As a passport and qwbrt

v Ihade Been granted him, that he umigh t pmbe ed

by land to Constantinople , he h imselfp’dposed: tmh mf?Wh 1h im osfid brother ss ymraonaflwho.1{had d so xbsen:pmmotedlttr one of}the Sahgtacats.oq natolias vHe aruftem ardsm ote ltto ehisilso n ,

Hansen Panhd, lwhp lm lfitlfl‘

bpelfi iiM ugMu ltondelimmhp that

‘dpla

'

evwmeiflfl hdflfi d g” mindmdflioerwand tolrl

'

dllw hint afteuhathadspern

te rmedzthhvacud vsubmtmohfio wigg le d hum us

fi M bfid’khfiM s,

1:t addre ssed.athemM -ss‘My lfather;myfancie s,

1 A m’

s co o u n zss . 3 29

« mym insm nihwhofhaV-ehpee honwrfldrhnmyz g randfather

’

s! eonfidence , hamlbaim edzitfi m ll

M in! Beebe 6011119 same t’

ioufi M e imszds

the To skides unanimowwemlamenilthatbtheywould allpariaheconflr thanbetrat engmifi ter

’

s

grandfionr u 1—1 x t e u no

‘

i'

u t u w b e.

r Aliwas ignorant ofthe magnu m “ revelationof: Hussein, when. he m ised :thesnemeaafidhe

{detention ofhis ithree sout h :fomSgelyaBemhpdalsoPreserving .an admirable imnqafllity

m the midtt ofsunmany ”reverses; :hmmhtsnted

h imse lfby saying! iThat. 1he bfi hfi eefonaflangr etinam uscled . that =l1ls sdne -wqmmhm ihy of

anthe iblaoe.

’

iu He himselffi emmunieatedm aimim“ 03453 61141010. his .garrison .,

‘1Em ma«my,

middle to h is chiefs: and seldints,”“ M ald i ve

6061111119a my cause iarfi m anip bbddrhmflnd

b u ss”

1After this shnrt ,huh .pilhytsham qeio he

mks ptm a. furiousmanomda agg'

m ti tin n'

flvdi s,

which dusted during that M pant! dfsdhe

nigbtq t i 7 11 i 111 bani Yd

1 lmlhe meanrtimnnthdBukishmmmrhgdnim i.festedtthe greetmb enthusiam qt

-fimnmln bfidhe

usubmlssion ofiAii’

slawn andM rtarrlamhhanno n

q ing amirqd h tshew n!ofInfuse BoehaHhe

M wlymmmdathe:umph“ hdhrmttmuhs

111cm1811;m had tbelsbalh baglmstnfibatlnnnhe

grand seraglio ofLim imb ntheflnrksduu ly

demanded112011921M 1119 the “ calalfi afllfisniflo ur,M aftbmresnlmfnmarliknM ing thmt‘ot.aedcsire

3 30 s u n's 3011115 111 11171111111 1

pl1111111111111 1111111111118 1111111111;11mm 111111311111 1

1111111111111111118e 461111 quantum 11111111111:

11111111111111111111111111«111everyldecerme 1111111111111 '

1being

a’ifi io tis fly piesewe

'

Anew-iche s 1110111 11111 11111111311ofh is soldiers, that they might increase

‘h ibwahd theS1111111111 treasures. T o restrain,man ure ,111‘661116 1161114111

1the impe tuos ity of1115 111111093 , herefiefiédted

‘th the p'

riuéipaloflice‘rs the extreme

wiry orattac‘fiing'

sabr'

e in hand a’

fortress defended

Bf‘a’o

‘1‘11hi1

'

y cant on , under'

the whole‘ me i f

v'

ihiiflfthey'

woxild be obliged'

to marbh ,

"withodt

may 111111111111 The gfofliid

m mw'

fiuite’ exposed, do bleach had yet bedfi

mace /1111111111 '

ptace , 1md they had notmaven ah?

taifiéii'a 111111111011from which to leey‘

upfahsre sf

dihh‘q’

liétify (in thebesieged.

“P1 1‘v

” Thésé ‘

obfféctiofiis, disseminated throdghom the

Sér‘

askiér’s age nts, did no t, however,'

It was found that

ha; ’Whfis’

e thoughts were so tely 101213111

pillage , was the promo ter‘

ofthese dis

that?he p'efih itted‘h is tr00p! 110piflage

‘

;

M iflfl ‘ht his bold 1111111111.

o rdination”

,11111 fidd‘edté

’

red 'intba '

cofi espdndbfioe

1111111111111have'

bsm théshergmhff'im

1111d brs ifl m mofiwm zdM Meam 1

rbobmemummmm 19111111619 1111511m m11111

51611111hmwsmabnma air-

111161xim1111611111111mmfimy

'

e hefim m a rin ara“ bard

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

3 3 2 i su A E L’

s D I F F ICULT I E S .

songs, in wh ich he was called Ali the Retailer, till

at'fength ,

’fearfl11‘

61 exasperating his tro ops;Aliabaiidonédh is

'

usfirio us monopo ly.

’The'

t fe bfth‘

e'

chances were no t, however,

against Ali . Ismael Pacha found himselfin a

situat ion réhidered still more difficult hy'

the ap

prddch of'

winter. Already the early snows began

to“

co t'et'

tlie summits ofPindus ; and the diffe renthordes ofMacedonia, as we llas the Spais of

T-h‘dssaiy ; disbanded themse lves for the purpo seofreturning home : The Soulio tes also , to the

mmib’

er’

of seven o r e igh t hundred, who'

had

marched to the siege ofPreveza, demanded, as

the‘tbward (iftheir services, to be re instated intheir h

'

ative tnbuntains undertaking at the same

tim'e‘t b‘

i eduCe thefo rtress ofKiapha, inwh ich‘the mo st

‘

devo ted ofallAli'

s satel

litfib,‘h a

’

d’ ititténched himself. But, whethe r Is

mael‘lthcha'

had secret instructions, o r whe ther

hé*lilmséfffeared the Soulio te s, he eluded the ir

denfadd‘. Discontent so on fo und its way amo ng

the‘Albanian militia. It was increased by the tar

didtiss ‘

ofthe Operations . The siege ofthe Castle

ofthe Lake did no t advance . It often happened‘

that the ballswere no t ofsufficient calibre to make

an" im'

pres'sitin against ramparts co nstructed bf

so lid‘

stone, hnd‘

that the artillerymen threw empty

bombs,’

wh’ich the be sieged returnedwell charged.

For the putpose“

of’pro'

curing‘

fuel, theTurk'

s

'

wei'é

obliged to ruminage‘

aniong the'

ruins ofthe town ;

A Ll’

s n ewne ss . 3 83

and provisipns had become,“yen figqggquin, the

Turkish camp, as the Qa oy s.)yqrq1gepemlly .fitr

tacked by the licentious ,bands od yssée,‘ Disqsensions broke o ut between the. Turksdap ddfli eChristians, and even the So ulio tes, to whom hhdbeen assigned a distinct .

bivouac. The 4li tt

tent became gene ralthroughout allEpirus. Theexhaustion ofmagazines ,

devastation of}villages,and to tal consumption ofthe ir harvests, made theChristians regre t e ven the government of,”They already dreaded the success ofaq siege

wh ich would but increase the ir

andrende r the ir chains still more gelling .” h m ,

On his side Isma'

el Pachaflattered .himfiejfthathe should ove rcome allobstacle s, and finallymy

complish the ruin ofhis rival. Thinking to tram;

fix h is so ul with horror and alarm, the gapsema

fictitio us repo rt to be spread through hisy ampthat his so ns, who were exiled to Asia MIN I,

had been put to death . Whether Ali was ‘nqw.

insensible to e very misfo rtune , or

recollection ofthe defection ofh is sunshhadulpq

de red him indifferent to their tragicalhendwhisobservation was They betrayed their

QM us th ink no more ofthem.

(0M“tho se who appeared bendihg lhem flthe

shafts ofadversity, ,he said Ngthipg bWFiQQ”

rage and perseverance cansave 93m,

“ Temp e “ hpregre tted h‘s pgrsonallosse s, 1hphreplieflby rwa

pitulating his palace swhich had beenburnt, and

t

CHAN G E I N

hisW it?wh ich h'atlheist}P«schi sm ;’atnhe

M eft itflé‘firflhlllf'hbldihg out to ‘hifl chain-b.

spteetrimdsuss «tutuis case Bffiewryw'Hib

"M issed:Ph ase Mums Lake had m cra p

pauper;w as assured and fifty m m who

etihtposéd‘fhis haremmow lived'

underW ,

Nik i-é 'feverw e» the 5 scurvy om itted the

«seaweeds! “ ravages: A'ny: been but : his was“

hare" "bben

‘broken. But a} graduai

im fing,

chiiséd'

by the griefwhich preyed uporrhismale,

Has“

oUserved at tith es in spite ofh is‘s toical6m»

nest .

“ M ‘t e’

ing very“

eo rpaient1,

~ he became

mm; the formerthe ofhis eye was exchangedma

'

gloem'

y dull‘ex

’

pression ; and his bands, which

Wre'ibrmcrly plump and co vered with lbrill-iants ,aw re

'

sdh bled th ose ofa skeleton . It is true;h e

stiflhreiservedf h is ghtturallaugh ,‘

the ve ilander

Whitfh’hd ‘

cbncealed the workings ofhis soul; for

hé‘t i'iiim‘

pfhed no t only o ver his y ears, but over

his ‘

hhss‘ions; and even o ver Nature herself. He

neVerJgaVé‘tvay to sleep but when extremefatigue

fdi'tied’flimWo take some moments ofrepose .

thén f

retired to the further efid "ofa ' ba

'

sl

tlb‘n misses with some ”which Uus’

h ibnsflith'

e

re t ains!of” {dimer splendour,’

he 'wsted his;headthe Rhees (if- Arbanasi Vata, wh ile Pbrah imWh o ’h ad been h is postimaster,

” kept

guard as'the sow (He h e reprised 1lis

ddnfidezfce ii: these tivo ’ih ed, emwere themfui

‘

and' ze‘

al‘ous’

executo rs

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

3 3 6 J OA N N INA C LosE Lv nno cx n nnn .

Mo re than five tho usand bombs hndllru dy been

thrown against the castles ofAli, without pro

ducing any considerable efiect. Imp-M t at the

length ofso unequala struggle , the Sultnn d

dre ssed a ham'

acerifto IsmaiilPacha, m ent-i d

in the strong est terms, in which he n i c ely

blamed his conduct and the inefi cioncy ofh is

plansfor reducing the rebelVizier. h u nt?!would

have infallibly y ie lded to the dificuh ies ofhis

situation, ifthe sage and prudent counselafna n u

Mo uhame t Ali Pacha, his father~in-h w, had not

rev ived and supported his (1e hops . M yboth fe lt the necess ity ofpushing th e siep d

obtaining some succe sses, in orde r to satisfy the

impatience ofthe Sultan.

The line ofblockade was consequently drumin clo se r, and every engine was se t to wo rk to

disseminate the seeds of treaso n and seditionamo ngst the garriso n . In the intervals ofthe

siege , the soldiers ofbo th parties frequently conversed with each o ther, and made mutual exchanges some even smoked toge ther. Bo th

Ali and Ismael winked at th is, from the same

mo tive , that ofbe ing enabled to lay their snaresmo re effectually . Ali, who was exactly informedofthe situation ofthe Turkish army, by way of

insult sent him sugar and coffee ; he even ofl'

ered

to se ll him prov isions, that plenty might appear inh is camp . But, under th is afi

'

ectation ofindifl’er

ence , he was meditating a deep laid plan . Find

A u’

s PLAN o r A G E N ERA L amm o . 3 3 7

ing that his only safe ty lay in'

the general.

con

fusion ofallEpirus, and even ofentire G reece ,he secretlyurged allthe Christian tribes to revo lt .But

“

a nucleus was necessary . h is gold furnishedhim with the means ofgaining over the Soulio tes,and {ifthese he formed his centre for a generalin

surrection . He sent them two thousand purse s,ab

'

odi'

sterling, and gave them a letter to

Tah1r Abas, the commander ofthe fortress at

Kiaph'

a, ordering h im to de liver it up to them.

So secretly had th is nego tiation been conducted.

that first intimation ofit was Upon re

cefiihg inte lligence that they had already se izedthe fiass ofRomanadez . They thence marchedto the borders ofthe Ach eron . Tah ir Abas, how

ever, who had rece ived contrary o rders from AliPacha, refused to deliv er up the fo rtress to them.

Ali'

s object was nevertheless effe cted ; for bycompromising the So ulio te s he obliged them to

e stablish themselves in the mo untains : there they

united themse lves to the Armatolis ofthe band

wh ich'

had be en commanded by Ody ssee , and to

e igh t hundred Zagorites, whom Alexis Noutza

had detached from the Grand Se ign ior’

s cause

by exciting them to revo lt . The se insurgents,allbe ing united, so harassed the Turks, that Ali,by th is we lltimed divers ion, obtained sufficienttime to organize one of the greatest revolu

tions that has e ver arre sted th e attention of

mankind . Ismhél Pacha, fearing the anger

Z

3 3 8 I SMAEL nnrarvs n o r run COMMAND .

wh ich the Grand Se ignio r would naturally feel

upon finding h imselfdeprived ofth e treasures

he was on the point ofobtaining, used his

utmost endeavours to recall the Soulio tes to

the ir duty ; but without success . Only assistme till the month ofMarch, said Ali to th em,

f‘and the Su ltan will then have so much upon

his hands, that we shall be able to dictate the

law to him.

The Grand Se ignior, be ing informed of the

situation ofaffairs in Epirus, and ofth e ch ange

wh ich had taken place infavour ofAli Pacha, de

tarminedupon depriv ing Isma'

el Pacha ofthe chiefcommand ofhis army ; and named as h is succes

so r Churchid Mahome t Pacha, an old man , but

one who to firmness and decision ofcharacter

added also great experience and a cons iderableshare ofcunning, which last quality rende red himpeculiarly calculated to oppose Ali, and to ter

minate th is long - pro tracted war.

He at first excused h imselfon account ofhis

years and the weak state . ofh is health ; bu t the

Divan had no so oner assured him that he should

have powerfulre inforcements and the mo st am

ple powers, than the ambitio us old man ac

ceded to the wishes ofthe sovereign and his mi

misters . It was, indeed,h igh time that the con

duct ofthe war was committed to able and ex

perienced hands .

Already the rebe l Vizier, whose resources were

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

3 40 cu uacuxn’

s n s o o r u'

rxo x wr'rn A L I .

It was under these difficult circumstance s that

ChurchidPacha arrived to assume the chiefcom

mand ofthe army before Joannina. By the as

cendant ofhis character, he easily succeeded in

o vercoming the spirit ofjealousy and rivalsh ip on

the part ofthe Pachasx who were placed under

h is o rders . He even re tained, as h is first lieu

tenants, Isma'

el Pacha, his predecesso r, Mo uha

met Ali Pacha, and Omer Bey Brioni, who se

zeal had been sufficiently tried, and who was ~

intimately acquainted with allthe po ints ofth istedious and difficult war.

Such and so great, inde ed,were the embarrassment and alarm ofthe Divan , that Church id did

no t hesitate to commence nego tiations with Ali ;e specially as he knew that the Vizier had beenparticularly anxious to be reconciled to h is so

vere ign . But Ali, informed ofthe state ofaf

fairs, and moreover fearing some snare , peremptorily refused all offer of accommodat ion tillthe Turkish army should be ordered to corn

mence its re treat . Such a condition . couldno t be named to an adversary like Churchid

,

whose firmness enabled the Turkish army to

maintain its po sition . But how great were the

difliculties they had to overcome ! The greater

part ofthe warlike tribes ofAlbania sough t'

to

take advantage from the war be tween th e Turksand Greeks

,and regain the ir independence : they

remained in the ir valleys, but prevented allcon

TH E E N G LI SH SUPP LY TH E ruux s . 3 41

vo ys from . arriv ing at the Turkish camp . The

E nglish party at Corfu also availed themselves ofthe present po sture of affairs, to supply the

Turks at Prev eza with prov isions, sto re s, &c . at

the mo st exorbitant rate s . They were fo rwardedfrom Preveza under strong escorts to the campbefo re Joannina.

When Churchid had been recogn ised Generalissimo ofallthe Turkish forces in Epirus, andhad organized all the different branches ofthe

serv ice , he observed that Al i’s faction ch ieflyco nsisted ofa number ofch iefs ofbrigands, or

Kleftes, who , dispersing themselves through themountains ofThessaly and Livadia, endeav oured,wherever they went, to excite the inhabitants to

revolt, whether Musulmans or Christians . The

Kleftes, called also Armatolis, and'

who had

been likened to the'

Spanish Guerillas, had all

o riginally formed part ofAliPacha’

s army . Th is

e xtraordinary man had enrolled under his ban

ners, without distinction ofre ligion o r natio n , all

th e brigands and public robbers, and had in

spired them with a lo ve and zeal for his se rv ice ,e ither by great pay , o r by the ascendant ofhis

genius . Thus, during the co ntinuance of h is

power, the Kleftes, tillthen unsusceptible ofdis

cipline , had maintained the mo st perfect o rder in

the se mountainous co untries . Acquainted with

allthe lo calities, no o ther association ofbrigands

co uld escape the ir obse rvatio n . The pro scrip

842 A LI A ND 1118 so ns .

tion ofAli hav ing first disorganized his power,and afterwards caused the breaking : up ofhis

army, allthe ch iefs ofthe Klefte s who had beenconnected with him, re turned to their former

trade and habits .

Ali hadforeseen allthese results , and had an

ticipated the ir favo urable effect upon his cause

upon them were fo unded allhis intrigues to foment rebe llion ; and th ence the instructionswh ich he had sent to his two sons, Mouctar and

Ve ly, who were exiled in Asia Minor ; for he

knew that the report ofthe ir death was false.

From the moment ofthe ircaptivity, Mo uctar and

Ve ly began to correspondwith the former so ldiersofthe ir father, and by s ecre t agents to co nvey to

them money and instructions, to enable them to

take the field.

The connex ions wh ich Ali Pacha fo rmed inthe Morea were stillmore important, and contri

buted to the success ofthe insurrectio n ofthe

Mora'

ites . His secre t influence procured them

the advantage ofhav ing fo r the ir allies the Albanians who inhabited Argo lide , Tripolitza, and

the interior ofGreece : by th is means the Turksbecame more and more isolated ; and he e stab

lished a stronger connexio n be tween the insur

gents ofthe Mo rea and ofEpirus . Since the

month ofJune , the re volt had extended itself

to Thessaly, E tulia, and Acarnania. Churchid,

be ing then alarmedle st the line ofcommunication

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

3 44 DE ATH o r A L1’

s so u s .

co vered the ch iefspring wh ich se t in mo tion the

insurgents ofEpirus . He communicated to the

Grand Se ignior his suspicions ofthe secret prac

t ices ofAli’

s sons . A Greek disguised as a dervise,who served as the ir Spy , having been arrested

at Constantinople , the correspondence ofwhich

he was the bearer betray ed the ir secre t . The

dreaded Capidgi-Bach i, commissioned to bring

to ConstantinOple, the heads ofMo uctar andVely,se t forward immediately for Asia Mino r. Ali

’

s

two sons we re under strict surveillancew the one

at Koustania, the o ther at Keissarijet: bo thfellbythe hands,

ofthe execu tionerIn the intervalChurchid, who had gone fbr a

short time into Thessaly, t e - appeared before

Joannina. Hav ing rece ived strong re inforcements,

Operations against Ali were resumed. Cannon

and mortars hav ing arrived in his camp, th e can

nonade and bombardment recommenced. On the

24th July, the castle situated in the middle ofthe

lake , and in wh ich Ali was, took fire , and almost

allh is magazines were reduced to ashes . Thisdreadful conflagration, the cause ofwh ich wasunknown, (the castle be ing o ut ofthe range of

the guns,) lastedfour days, during which time Aliexh ibited an example ofwonderfu l co nstancyand firmness .

Greater in adversity than he had e ver shewn

h imself in pro sperity, he was seen g iv ing hisorders, and providingfor the generaldefence , with

A Lr’

s sA NG - rnom . 3 45

admirable sang-from and unshaken reso lution .

Amid the generaldistress, he deprived himselfofallthe luxuries, allthe comforts oflife ; shar

ing his bread, his tobacco, and coffee ,'

with his

brave companions in arms , and be ing henceforthonly anxious to live and die a so ldier. The

Greeks were charmed with his undaunted re so

lution and generous se lf-denial. The siege of

Joannina was , next to the Operatio ns ofthe ir fleet,ofthe greate st advantage to the ir cause . The as

y et ‘invincible resistance ofthe aged and intrepid

Ali had greatly contributed to favour the incurrection ofPe loponnesus and the Isles . The te

port ofh is death , wh ich was again spread in

Churchid’

s camp, was only a stratagem to dis

co urage the Vizier’

s adherents . The siege ofthefo rts ofJoannina soon become no th ing more than asiege ofobservation . Out ofseven Pachas, threehad been detached to combat the insurgents -of

Albania and Greece . Churchid h imselfbeganhis march o n the 2d September, with a consider

able de tachment ofinfantry, cavalry, and‘

artille ry, amounting to twelve thousand men .

'After

three different attacks, equally sangu inary-

on

bo th sides, the insurgents lo st allthe ir artille ry,and were at length forced to retreat in diso rder.

Churchid then to ok up the po sition called the

Scum Pits, and remained master ofthe communications with his principal corps, wh ich continuedthe blockade ofJoannina . A Greek corps, wh ich

346 A LI AT BAY .

was marching from that town to Ali’s assistance;halted upon learning the defeat ofthe insurgents

ofEpirus ; and about six league s from Preveza;

took up a position, for the defence ofwhich th e

Greeks were obliged to co llect allthe ir dispersed

corps .

Thus, upon every po int along his line , Church id,who had been re inforced from Bosnia and Vidin,

re sumed offensive operations with the greatest

energy . He so licite d and obtained from the

Grand Se ign ior permission to nego tiate with theAlbanian insurgents, and to use moderation with

the Mah ome tan chiefs . But the Grand Seigniorwas inexo rable towards Ali Pacha. The Old

Lion, so he was called by the Turks, was neworbay , in great want ofprovisions, and daily gatv

ting rid ofthe superfluo us numbers ofhis garrison,

by de tachments offrom one to two hundredmen,

who dispersed themse lves among the mountains

and up the co untry . Ali, by his numero us emis

satie s, neglected no th ing to foment the general

spirit ofrevo lt ; he waslavish ofhis treasmes. It

is asserted, that he placed about at th e

dispo sal ofthe prov isionalGreek Senate ofTripo -a

litza, and that in the instrument by wh ich he madeover this donation to them, and ofwh ich two AhL

banian ch iefs were the bearers, he assumed th e

name ofConstantine, and felicitated the valiant

Hellenes upo n the favourable turn which their

fi airs had taken . Although the Old Lion fough t:

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

348 A LI OPENS A N E GOT IA TION .

Constantinople , he was expressly recommended

to direct his principalattention to Ali’

s treasure s,

wh ich were represented to amount to an enor

mo us sum, in specie , jewels, and ingo ts .

But whether from bravado , o r from a wish to

kee p up the dro oping spirits Ofhis so ldiers, Ali

stillswore that befo re the month ofFebruary hewou ld plant the Greek standard upon the walls

OfAdrianople . But about December, be ing in

want ofevery necessary, fearing to be dese rted

or betrayed, and pressed by the so licitatio ns of

his confidents, e specially by his favourite Vas iliki,Ali at length reso lved to Open a nego tiatio n .

Churchid promised him that he wo uld o vercom e

the Grand Seign io r’

s re sentment, who still remained inexorable . Thus, after an e ightee n

months’

siege , and a mo st hero ic defence , this

e xtrao rdinary man, who had re igned as a so ve

reign Over Epirus, was reduced to bargain fo r h is

life with the avenging m in isters Ofth e Ottoman

Porte . It was no t to be expe cted that so im

portant a nego tiation be tween two Old me n

equally brave and artfu l should be brought to a

speedy termination : it was suspended. Towards

the clo se OfDecember, Churchid. who had go t

po ssession Ofthe Isle Ofthe Lake , whethe r bv

force , o r from its hav ing been evacuated by Ali,

limi ted his o perations to confining Ali as close lyas po ssible withimhis fo rtre ss . In vain had th e

rebel garriso n given the OldLion astonish ing pro ofs

D ESERT I ON o r caas'

r'

ro . 3 49

Ofa noble and generous devo tion to his person .

The termination ofall resistance was fast ap

preach ing . In’

the se despe rate . circumstances,Ali, whose tro ops were now reduced to only six

h undred, had to regre t the de sertion ofhis cen

gineer'Caretto , a Neapolitan adventurer, who im

mediately, upon arriv ing at the Turkish camp,info rmed the be siegers how to direct the fire ofthe ir batteries With '

the greate st effect. The de

struction OfAli was no longer doubtful in the

Turkish camp, and at Constantinople . It migh tstill,

’ however, have been deferred, had no t an

epidemy, the inev itable consequence ofa pro

tracted siege , affordedTahirAbas andMouhardar

Aga an oppo rtunity ofprevailing upon fo ur hundred and fifty Albanians, who fo rmed a '

partuof

Ali’s little garriso n, to o pen to C hurch id the gate sOfthe 'fortress OfLitaritza. Ali was new reduced

to take refuge , with about sixty ofh ismo st reselute adherents, in the citadel, a place fveny

strongly fo rtified bo th by nature and art and in

which was the tomb Ofhiswife Emineh . He tbad

pre v iously transported to this place prov isions,h is treasures , and an eno rmous quantity ofpowder, be ing de termined to bury h imse lfin its ruinsrather than y ie ld.

Having thus gained po sse ssio n ofthe fort of

Litaritza, Churchid immediately formed strong

trenche s from the po ints ofTeke andSaint Maura,

wh ich completely surrounded the fortress Ofthe

3 60 a r t’

s C ON F I DEN T SE LI’

M .

lake , and thus cut Offthe Old Lion from allhopes

ofsuccour. Thus shut up in his last asylum ,

with a handfulofmen de te rmined to brave death ,

Ali had it no tified to Churchid, that it was h is

intention to se t fire to two hundred th o usand

po unds we ight Ofpowder, and thus blow h imself

up, ifthe Sultan did no t grant him a pardon and

h is life . Th is was no t a vain menace from a man

who was mo re dispo sed to imitate the hero ic e nd

Ofthe Caloyer Samueland ofMustaphaBairactar,than the example Ofhis own ch ildren ,

who had

bo th fallen by the fatalco rd : Church id also knew

that Ali kept , night and day , in his powder Ina

gaz ine , s Turk, named Selim, at alltimes ready tosacrifice his life , and who was always prov ide dwith a lighted match for the purpo se offiring th e

magazine whenever h is master shou ld give th e

signal. It was upon th is volcano , the fatal ex

plosion Ofwh ich a Sparkwas sufficient to produce ,

that the Old Lion fo unded h is last hopes . It was

in th is his purpo sed tomb that he had shut up

his dear and de vo ted wife and it was here that

be eve ry nigh t repaired to snatch a few moments

Ofrepo se .

The se circumstances, as wellas Ali’

s inten

tions, be ing known,kept the be siegers at a cer

tain distance from the fataltower : their courage

was no t pro ofagainst the two hundred thousand

po unds ofpowder, wh ich wou ld‘

in amoment hav e

destroyed the existence ofthousands . In th is

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

3 52 A L I ACCE PTS THEM .

part ofhis destiny to fall by the same snare s

wh ich he had so Often laid for his own enemie s .

He embarked with about a dozen ofhis oflicers,and repaired tO . the Island Of the Lake . Th e

Sultan’

s Seraskier had ordered a magnificentapartment to be prepared for Ali in the same mo

nestery ofSo tiras where he was accused ofhaving

put to death Mustapha Pacha ofDe lv ino . The re

for seven days Ali was treated with every mark

Ofrespect, and had frequent conferences with“

th e

Turkish generals, many ofwhom had formerlybeen attached to h im . They continually assuredhim ofthe certainty ofhis pardon . Whe the r Aliwas completely dece ived, or whether he placed

no co nfidence in the act Ofclemency and pardo n ,

he stillcontinued to form intrigues, and congratulated h imselfupon hav ing accepted the first pro

po sals Ofthe Seraskier. His confidence also was

increased by knowing that the fatal match was

still in th e hands Ofh is faithful Se l im, and that

his treasure s, placed upo n barrels ofgunpowder,would be blown up at the first signal; and that

h is head,without his rich es, would be no gratifi

cation to the Grand Se ignior, who se only Object

was his spo liation .

Such was the state ofbo th parties, when , o n

the morning ofthe 5 th ofFebruary, Church id

Pacha de spatched to Ali, Hassan Pacha,formerlythe Sultan

’

s admiral, to announce to him that h is

pardon had at length arrived. The Seraskier

A L I UN DEC EW ED .

“

3 63

congratulated him upon it, and persuaded him ith

answe r this pro ofofthe Sultan’

s clemency by a

corresponding token ofh is ready and perfect

s ubmission . He therefore prepo sed to h im, first,

to o rde r Selim to give up the lighted match ;and, afterwards, to command the garrison to e va

cuate the ir last intrenchments, after hav ingplanted the Impe rial ensign upon the bat tle »

ments ; and that then on ly the Grand Se ign io r’

s

act Ofclemency would be de clared to h im in

Th is demand immediately opened Ali’

s eyes ;but it was now too late . He answered, That

upon quitting the fortre ss, he had ordered Se limto Obey his verbal o rder o nly ; that any o ther,though even written and signed by his own hand,

would be ineffe ctive with that faithful se rvant ;and he the refore requested h e might be allowe d.to go h imse lfand o rder him to retire . Th is permission was refused him ; and a lo ng dispute fol:

lowed, in wh ich all the sagacity and addre ss Of

Ali Pacha we re ofno avail. The Officers ofthe

S eraskie r renewed to him the stro nge st assu

rance s, swearing e ven upon the Ko ran that theyhad no intention to deceive h im .

Ali, after hesitating a long time , encouraged

by a faint glimme ring ofho pe , and conv incedthat no th ing could now alter his Situation , at

length made up his mind. He then drew from

the fo lds ofhis vest the halfOfa ring , the o ther

2 A

3 54 Se a n A sSAse A'rE D .

halfofwhich remained in Selim’

s posse ssion

Go ,”

said he , present this to him, and that

ferocious lio n will be change d into a timid and

o bedient lamb.

”

At sight ofth is token from h is

mas ter, Se lim, hav ing pro strated h imse lf, extin

guished the match , and was instantly pon iarded.

The garrison,from whom th is murder was con

cealed, hav ing had the order from Ali Pacha no

t ified to them, immediately ho isted the'

lmpe rial

standard, and we re replaced by a body OfTurk

ish tro ops .

It was now noo n ,

'

and Ali, who stillremained

In the Island ofthe Lake , felt an unusualag i

ratio n , accompanied by extreme depress io n Of

spirits : he did no t, however, suffer h is feature s

.to betray the internal emo tions Ofhis soul. At

th is awfu l moment, with a firm and courage ou s

countenance , he sat surrounded by his Office rs,who were fo r the mo st part desperate ly wo unded,o r worn out with fatigue and anx ie ty . Ali ’s fre

quent yawnings, howe ver, proved that nature had

no t resigned allher claims upon him . Bu t at

sigh t ofh is arms, h is daggers, his pistols, and

blunderbuss, the stupo r produced by o ve r- exc itement cleared from offhis brow, and his ey e again

glistened with its fo rmer fire . He was seated

fro nting the do or wh ich led. to the conference

chamber, when , about five O’

clock in the afte r

noon,Hassan Pacha, Omer Bey Brioni, the Se

lictar ofChurchid Pacha, and several o th er

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

3 56 A L I’

S DE ATH .

Turkish army . Many Ofhis followers had fallenby his side before the apartmentwas in po ssessionOfthe ir adversarie s . His head, having be en separated from h is body and embalmed, was the next

day sent to Constantinople by Church id Pacha.

It arrived there on the 23 d February ; the Su ltanhad it carried to the seraglio , where it was shewn

to the Divan, after wh ich it was promenaded in

triumph thro ugh the capital, the whole po pula

tion Ofwh ich , intoxicated with joy , were anxio usto beho ld feature s wh ich , when animated, had

inspired so much terror. It was afterv‘

vards ex

hibited at the grand portal Ofthe seraglio , w ith

the decree ofdeath affixed by the Side ofit .

Such was the end ofAli Pacha - ofthat C o

lessuS, say the Epiro te s, who has disappearedfrom among a people whose ferocity he had

considerably softened ; and who ,had h is ene r

gies been directed by be tter principle s, migh t

have been ranked among the friends and bene

factors ofmankind i”

NOTES AND ILLUSTRATIONS.

CHAP. I .

(1) page 5 .- Perhaps all the my thologicalorigins ofthe

G reeks may be reduced to two families. The Inach idaa de

scended from Phoroneus, the son ofInachus, whom Plato

names the first King ofGreece (in Time o). to whom Plinyattributes the glory ofhaving first begun the great work of

civilization, and whom (doubtless on that account) Acusilauq

calls the father ofmen— (Clem. 4mm , Strom. lib. i. ;

Pausan . lib. ii.) The second family, as is Wellknown, was

descendedfrom Deucalion, the son ofPrometheus ; and bo th

dynasties derived their origin from th e Titans. (Apoll.

Bibliotli . lib. i. and ii.)

(2) p. 7 .— The fabulous tradition ofthe o racular power ofthe

doves may , perhaps, have o riginated in the do uble meaning of

the wo rd r sketac, which signifies doves in most parts ofGreece,

while, in the dialect ofthe Epirotes, it means oldwomen.

(3 ) p . 7 .—Justin, XVII . chap. 3 .

(4) p . 8 .—The ruins ofPassaron stillattest its former splen

do ur and importance . The citadelappears .to have been built

3 58 N o r e s .

after the usualpro po rtions ofallbuildings ofthat kind. On

its western angle , facing the so uth , are the remains ofa theatre,

one ofthe largest and best preserved in allGreece . Its presentelevation— fo r the earth is suppo sed to have accumulated in

considerable quantities at its base— is abo ut sixty fe et . The

upper range ofseats, measured at its semicircular extent, is

abo ut three hundred paces ; the cho rd ofthe arc, at its lower

part be tween the lateralsteps by which the spectators ascended

to their seats, was e igh t hundred ; and the distance from the

middle lowe r bench to the o rchestra, th irty- eigh t. This theatre

was built upo n a range ofarched vaults, which were acce ssible

tillthe earthquake wh ich happened in 1809 .

To the so u th ofthe theatre and the Acropolis was the lowertown, surrounded by a rampart, and defended by a double ditch .

Within this space are the ruins ofthe peristyle ofa temple , a

gate ofentrance, and the forum, called by the country peo pleBazard. When M. Fouquev ille sawPassaron for the last time,

goats were browsing the wild plants which grew aro und the

benches,onwhich thousands ofspectators hadbeen seated to wit

ness the solemnities ofEpirus, and to hear the immortalv erses

ofSophocles and Euripides. The echo which o nce reso unded

the ir plaudits, now o nly repeated the plaintive song of th e

labo rio us peasant. (PouqucciHe’

s Voyage en Grécc.)

(5 ) p. 8 .— 9 dauw er

’

Apsc'

p At i ripxwy dru v ro i'

c’

Hr u pdra t c

t a i dpxtlsw a v’

ro i fair d’

pEew xara‘

rdc vdp o vc, ixelwo uc 82 fl int

Baathela v amen/M 550 a nd rode vdp o vc. Plut. Vit. Pyrrh .

(6) p . 9 .

—Plut. in VitaPy rrhi.

(7 ) p. 12 .—The wo rd Albania is said to be derivedfrom the

Alpes . o r Albee (waits ) , because they are always coveted with

snow but this is merely co njecture ].

M. Vando ncourt observes The name ofAlbanians is de

rived fnom that formerly given to the inhabitants ofthedistricts

ofCro ia, Tyrano , and Dakagino , and which the Greeks, who

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

360 no rs s .

(7 ) p. 45 .—As no pilgrim can be sent to Mecca,

nor any

prese nts offered at Medina, except the expenses be paid bymo ney raised from the sale ofproperty legitimately acqu ired,an inquiry was made into the estates belo nging to Vely BeyTepelini and as it was ibund that Ali

'

s ancestor had acquired

his po sse ssions by the pillage ofa Christian, the pilgrimag e commanded by Khamco was never accomplisbcd.

CHAP. III .

(I ) p . 5 8 .— I t is thus written

’

Ioavvwa,but the Gre eks pro

nounce it Janina, and the Albanians Janine .

(2) p . 5 3 .— A MS. co py of. th is history M. Pouquev ille o h

tained item the monks ofthe monastery ofthe Meteors, and

h ow thisMS. our present acco unt ofI oannina is taken.

(3 ) p. 54.—That part ofGreece comprised between th e

Peneus, Achelous, and Thmnopyiw.

CHAP. IV.

(1) p. Bil— It is the beliefofthe Dervises Bektadgis, that

God is all, and allis God ; and that matter being eternal, neare r

had a commencement, nor willever have an end. This was

also Pliny’

s opinion . { den gue rerum nature opus, ct rerum ipsa

nature . Hist . lib. ii, 0. l.

(2) p . 7 5 .—The articles were as ibllows .

1. Allthe territory as far as Dervigiana, inclu sively ,(abo ut

six leagues from Je annine) to be coded to the So ulio tes .

2 . Allthe Soulio tish priso ners to be set at liberty .

8 . That Ali should pay piastres as a ransom for the

prisoners taken by the Soulio tes. Eton'

s Sw ay , page 3 7 7 .

n orms . 3 61

CHAP. V .

(l) p. 88 .- About th is period he wrote GeneralBonaparte a

lette r, which was printed in the public jo urnals ; and when at

Lo uro ux , he assured the French officer commanding atPreveza,

that he was a most zealous disciple ofthe Jacobiri relig ion, and was

most anxious to be initiated in the Carmagn ole wars/zip, actually

believ ing that it was a new religion .

CHAP. VI .

(1) p . ll4.— The nuptialcrown forms a part ofthe marriage

ceremonies ofthe Greeks. The priest places it upo n the headsofthe bride and bridegro om, and it is afterwards suspended in

the best apartment be tv‘

veen the images ofthe Saints . In case

ofdivo rce , these crowns are burnt ; and should e ither party die

witho ut having co ntracted ano ther marriage, o n the day ofin

terment, the nuptialcrown is placed upon their fo rehead with

much ceremo ny .

(2) p. I SL— The name given to theGreek monks ofthe order

ofSaint Basil.

(3 ) p. 13 6.— The Turks appear to have bo rrowed from the

Romans the custom ofsigning their writings with a seal. The

Viziers, Pachas, and the principaloflicers emplo yed by govern

ment, have the duplicates oftheir seals depo sited in the state

chancery at Constantinople, by way ofverify ing the authenticityoftheir signature .

(4) p. 13 7 —About Zi lbs. English .

CHAP. VIII.

(1) p . 191.— The Orientals are persuaded that every man has

his unlucky hours. Thus th e usualcompliment upon approachinga man ofconsequence is, May the coilwhich threatens happen to

3 62 1mm .

me 1 Na fdpouucv t o xa'

xo 005. In 1817, at the nuptials of

$ e Pacha, Ali’

s third so n, a Bohemian hav ing ascended the

top ofthe palace, precipitated himselfinto the court-yard, crying out, Na rdpo ro card aov d

'vflt vrq. Let the misfortune that

n igbi happen to th e be upon me, O Lord1 Bo th,his legs were

broken.

(2) p. lQL—This Greek, who was a native ofArts , rece ived

by way ofrecompense , the pensio n ofan okhe ofbread daily .

Such was Ali’

s liberality

(3 ) p. 192 .— Tax in kind— alltrades are subjected to it .

(4) p . 198 .-Among the ancient Greeks dwapeca signified

the same as bovheca, service, or handywo rk exacted ofany o ne

against his will.

(5 ) p . 193 .- This string , compo sed ofnineteen pearls , was

extorted from a French merchant, who was induced to go to

Joannina in 1804.

(a) p . l94.—The etiquette is nowchanged. Instead of‘

giving

presents , Ali exacts them. Secre taries regularly take acco unt

ofallthe presents he receives upon solemn festivals, and the

audience chamber is only accessible to those who come amplyprov ided with gold or precious stuffs.

(7) p . l95 . Those who are strongly susceptible to electri

calchanges in the air, such as precede and attend a thunder

sto rm, willeasily understand the effects ofthe Siro cco , as an

increased degre e ofthe sensations they experience ; and, in fact:though I am no t aware that th e opinion has been held, there are

many reasons for bele iying that the peculiarity ofthe Sirocco

wind is chiefly an electricalone, and no t depending either on

temperature, an undue proportio n ofcarbonic acid, the pre

sence ofminute particles ofsand, or any ofthe causes wh ich

have been generally assigned to it.”Holland

’s Travels, p. 47 .

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

her husband, a Gardikio te.

(5 ) p. 284.—The gho st ofEmineh seemed perpe tually to

haunt him,as that ofAgrippina did Nero : Sape confi ssus wagi

tari se materné specie, verberibus furiarum ac te dis ardcntibus.

Suetonius in N erone .

CHAP. X I .

(1) p. 243 . - Tbese islands havc cost France more than fiftymillions offrancs

(2) p. 261. I entertain no doubt ofany kind, that h is

Majesty , connected with the treaty that took place at Paris the

5 th November, 1815 , (and po ssibly on grounds ofwh ich I am

no t apprised,) has come into an agreement that the city and

district ofParga is, with in a limited period, to be ceded to the

Porte .

”Extract ofa le tterfrom Sir T/tomas Maitland to Col.

Dc Basset . See Parga and the Ionian I sles.

”

(8) p. 268 .— Extractfrom the Conventio n signed at Joannina,

on the 17 th ofMay, 1817 , by the British and Ottoman com

missioners.

The cession ofParga and its territory to the Sublime Po rtehaving been stipulated between the Court ofLondon and the

ImperialCourt ofConstantinople , through the interposition of

his Excellency the English Minister at Constantinople , the un

deraigned, appo inted Commissioners for definitively arrang ing

the indemnifies to be made to those inhabitants who may intend

to expatriate themselv e s,fo r the property wh ich th ey willhave

to abandon, as wellas fo r the expenses oftheir passageto theIonian islands, that is to say , Mr. John Cartwright, English

Consulin the Mo rea, on the'

part ofthe British Government,

N OTES. 3 65

and Hamed Bey , formerly Silihdar Kiatily , o n the part ofthe

Sublime Po rte, have agreed to the following articles

1. The term ofthe cession ofParga and its territo ry shall

depend o n the realizatio n ofthe afo resaid indemnities due to

the inhabitants who may expatriate themselves ; and the two

Commissio ners engage to devo te to the accomplishment ofthisobject their wh ole attention, and to pro ceed in it with zealand

activity .

2 . Fo r this purpo se , after the signature ofthe present Cou

ventio n by the two Commissioners, they shallrepair, without

delay , to Parga, to ascertain those inhabitants who may be de

tarmined o n quitting their co untry ; and to fix in an equitablemanner, the value ofthe property t il they may have to

abando n, as wellas the amount ofthe expenses oftheir voyage

to the Ionian isles . See Parga and the I onian I sles.”

(4) p . 264.— Fo r these facts, as wellas the ex tracts from the

state papers, we have been indebted to Col. de Bo sset’

s excel

lent work upo n Parga and the Ionian islands, to which we

refer o ur readers with much pleasure.

(5) p . 265 .— Ex tract from the Memo rial ofthe Primates of

Parga, to Lieut .-Col. de Bosset, Commandant and Chiefof

the Go vernment ofParga.

What compensation could be considered by the Parghio tes

in the smallest degree adequate to the abandonment oftheir

dear native so il, which they and their families dedicated

their lives to maintain in freedom ? and what situation could

they find in the Ionian islands which migh t at allcompare , in

fertility and richness, with that ofParga? But, nevertheless,

passively obey ing the superio r orders ofthe protecting go vern

ment, they submitted with resignation, but with the deepest

grief, to the adverse lo t wh ich awaited them, wishing thus to

give a proof of their co nfidence in their benefactress the

British Nation ; and they alldeclared to y ou, sir, that they wished

3 66 n o r s s .

to emig rate , that they might withdraw themselvesfrom the atrociousbarbarzti es to which they have seen so many oftheir neighbours sub

jected.

”

See Parga and the I onian Isles.

”

(6) p . 265 .—Sce Appendix to Parga and the Io nian Isles .

”

CHAP. X II .

(1) p. 270.—In 1819 his palace at Tepelini was burnt

down ; but fo rtunately- his treasures, being depo sited in subte r

raneous caverns, were saved.

(2) p. 2 70.—Ali’s family , in 1819, were Mouctar, Vely , and

Sely ,- his three sons. Mouctar had two sons ; and Vely , three

sons and six daugh ters .

(8) p . 2 70.— To pay his tradesmen, Aliwouldfrequently draw

bills at sight upon people on whom he had no claims whateve r ;

but these draughts were always duly hono ured.

CHAP. X II I.

(1) p. 285 .— It being the policy ofthe Porte to ov erlo o k,

fo r the present, Ali’

s co nduct, it had appo intedMo uctar to be

Beglier Bey ofBerat.

(2) p .

°

297 —Paleopulo’

s gun, wh ich was ofan enormo us

calibre , was as much celebrated througho u t Epirus, as the

swo rd ofRolandwas famo us among the Troubadours .

(3 ) p. 299 .— The following is the account ofthis circum

stance, as related in a le tter dated ConstantiiiOple, April1820.

We extract it from The Star”

newspaper. An affair has

just o ccurred here which has caused a great deal ofno ise .

Two Albanians rode briskly up to the doo r of the Grand

Se ignio r’

s Chamberlain, Pacho Bey , and on the Chamberlain

lo oking o u t at h is window to knowwhat th ey wanted, they bo th

fired their pistols at him. The balls wh izzed pas t the Bey’

s

head, but fortunately witho u t touching him. The assassins

instantly scampered offat fullgallo p by the road to Adrianople .

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

3 68 NOT“ .

CHAP. X IV.

(l p. 3 83 .-When M. Pouque ville once represented to Ali that

h is conduct wo uld, so oner or later, draw upo n him th e resent

ment ofthe Grand Seignio r, he said I was born in a hut

I passedmy y outh under the Capo t and ifnecessary , can end my

day s as I began than.

”

Upon its being remarked, how dimcultit was to forge t ease and grandeur, he replied, Yon know not

ofwhat I a s capable .

”

Ofhis so ns,he one day said Iftheysurvit e me, they willdissipate allmy wealth, and qflerward g et

hanged like s o manyfools. Poor Ali Pacha, y ou have only reared

chickens ! on)

, ralp ve A) : " an d, i'

rpalfsc m ace !

(z) p. 3 56 .— The fbllbwing is an extract from the le tte r ofa

correspo ndent.

“ The old foolAli clung to life , and was induced to come o u t

ofhis powde r-magazine by the entreaties ofhis favo urite wife , and

on the promise ofChurchidPacha, th at theSupreme Porte wo uld

be pe titioned to spare his life ; he was sent to the smallisland in

the lake, where he had a summer-house . H itherHassan Pacha,accompanied by a numerous suite , guards, &c., re paired to pay

his respects ; after a very friendly mee ting , in which Ali was

desired to communicate allhis future wishes, they ro se to sepa

rate , and, as th ere is great ceremony among Pachas ofequal

rank making obe isanoes, &c,, it would appear that the oldPachawas no t so active in reco vering h imselfas the y o ung one , who

to ok that Opportunity ofthrusting his dagger into h im Ali at

tempted to re turn the compliment, but the blow was to o well

given. and he died immediately . The guards who were o n the

outside ofthe apartment had a little skirmish ing among them

selves ; but it was o ver as soo n they knew that the chiefwas no

more .

”

TH E s un .

Le nno n

PRINTED av s . Ai mn. Bann e r , no assr- sr us s r .