not" mollified by presents," but by being told that Du Bourg was a person who had run away from his creditors in Europe, with the design of cheating them. So that it was the old shaik's love of justice, and not his avarice, that induced him to act as he did ; and the reader may judge of this, when told, that some years after, when Shaik Twiney, the great Shaik of the Montifik Arabs, (who rebelled against the Paçha of Bagdad, seized on the town of Bussora, and was afterwards completely defeated by the Pacha in a pitched battle on the banks of the Euphrates, to the northward of Bussora,) took refuge with the Shaik of Grain; the latter, notwithstanding he was offered large bribes on the one hand, and threatened with the whole power of the Pachalik of Bagdad, on the other, refused to give up his guest. Old Suleiman Paçha, after trying bribes, threats, and every thing else, to effect his purpose, without success, made on the occasion a very remarkable speech" After all, I regard it as a great happiness to have, in case of a rainy day, a person of the temper of the Shaik of "Grain, so near me."

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Now, I must be allowed to add, that M. du Bourg brought the principal part of his misfortunes on himself, for want of knowing the Arabs better, and by the hastiness and rashness of his firing on them. The shot that was fired by the Arabs, was like a shot fired by a vessel to bring another to; and had he submitted, and through his interpreter acquainted the shaik who he was, and what he was, they would have been glad and happy to have released him on the same terms as they afterwards did, even after the murder of their shaik, and have carried him safely either to Bussora, or Grain. Besides, it must have been evident to any who reflected, that the Arabs coming in so large a body. designed to rob without bloodshed. I am fully justified in saying this, because, except the imprudent firing, exactly the same thing happened to myself, in crossing the Great Desert, from Bagdad to Aleppo, in the year 1806; and in twenty minutes after we met "our friends," I was comfortably eating a lamb pilau in the tent of the principal person who stopped us.

M. du Bourg, on his arrival at Bussora, on his return to

Europe, was so highly incensed against the French Consul, that he neither visited him, nor took any notice of him, but became a guest at the British Factory, where I am sure I scarce need add, he received every respect and attention.

NOTE V.

Appointed by His Majesty and the Secret Committee of the
East India Company."--Page 16.

In the month of June 1798, I received an order in Herefordshire, from the Secretary at the India House, to attend the Chairmen, Messrs. Bosanquet and Lushington, as quickly as possible; and on coming to London, I found considerable alarm entertained in respect to the destination of the French fleet which had sailed from Toulon, as well as, that the troops on board of it, were designed to pass through Egypt to India.

The morning after my arrival in London, I was carried by Mr. Bosanquet to Mr. Dundas at Wimbledon, and after several schemes were proposed, of which I respectfully pointed out the insufficiency and inutility, it was settled I should proceed to Bagdad, with an appointment from His Majesty's Ministers, and the Secret Committee of the Court of Directors. The intent of this appointment, was, in the event of the French influence prevailing at Constantinople, to endeavour to keep the Paçha staunch to us; or if the Porte and ourselves drew together, to make him afford every assistance in his power to his Sovereign.

One of the proposals made to me, was to accompany Commodore Blankett to the Red Sea, as a sort of joint Commissioner with him, to all the Arab powers on the coast of it. This, however, I refused to accept, first, because Blankett, I believe, had never seen an Arab in his life, and consequently knew nothing of their manners and customs; and secondly, because I had seen in the Chairman's parlour at the India House, that the Commodore had more of Hawser Trunnion's disposition in him, than I chose to be connected with-for in a conversation, concerning the passage through the Mosambique Channel, some remarks being made about the

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uncertainty, difficulty, and even danger of it; the Commodore very cavalierly exclaimed: "Lord d-n you all, for a parcel of fools together." I offered Mr. Dundas, to go amongst the Arabs by myself; but when I explained to him the services I expected to be able to render at Bagdad, he determined to send me there. God knows, poor Blankett had afterwards enough of the Mosambique Channel.

NOTE VI.

"Command of his Kiah, Ally Pacha."- Page 17.

The predecessor of Ally Paçha, the Kiah, was Ahmed Pacha Kiah, and the last, was one of those extraordinary persons, who now and then appear, and rise to great eminence in the East.

very

He originally entered the service of Suleiman Paçha, in the inferior station of a stable boy, from which one may fairly conclude his family was low in the world. On the capture of Bussora by the Persians, Suleiman, who was at that time Governor or Mussaleem, and had defended the town, was sent up to Schyras, as prisoner of war, together with Coja Yacoob, the great Jew shroff or banker at Bussora: Ahmed also accompanied his master.

The allowance Kerim Khan made to Suleiman for his sustenence, was not so liberal, as to preclude the necessity of his applying at times to Yacoob for assistance, who in the true spirit of Oriental foresight, never refused to grant it. The go-between on these occasions, was the boy Ahmed, and by these opportunities, he profited, to work himself into great favor, both with his master, and the Jew banker. When Kerim Khan died, and the Persian Government released Suleiman, the banker and the boy returned with him to Bussora, when Suleiman received from the Porte, the rank of Pacha; and the Government of Bussora, reinvested Yacoob with his former office as banker to the Government, and chief administrator of Finance; and promoted Ahmed to the rank of Ich-agasi, or gentleman of the Privy Chamber.

Shortly after this, Suleiman was elevated to the great Pachalik of Bagdad as well as Bussora, and Ahmed instantly received the im

portant and confidential office of mohurdar or keeper of the Pacha's seal. It is a rule throughout the Turkish Empire, that on the elevation of a person to the rank of a Paçha of three tails, and on his nomination to one of the superior Governmnets, he should appoint a kiah or lieutenant, with an application to the Porte, to confer on the person so appointed, the dignity of a Paçha of two tails, and it is very unwillingly that the Port ever allows this rule to be infringed, because considerable perquisites are due, and considerable presents are expected to accompany the grant of such appointment. The merited confidence Suleiman reposed in Ahmed, and his great talents and aptitude for business, rendered Suleiman unwilling to make an appointment of another seal keeper, and Ahmed's situation rendered an immediate application on his part, for his receiving the distinction of two tails, indecent and improper. Suleiman, therefore, on one pretence or another, eluded all orders received from the Porte on the subject, till the beginning of the year 1785, when he nominated his favorite as his kiah, who shortly afterwards, received the tails from Constantinople. From this time, to the time of Ahmed's assassination, the whole and entire administration of the affairs of the great Pachalik of Bagdad, which latterly had received very considerable augmentation of territory, rested on the shoulders of Ahmed: nor was this confidence ever abused, for Ahmed owed his assassination, not to any decrease of favor, or distrust of fidelity to his benefactor, but solely to an intrigue in the Harem, and Ahmed's own unwillingness to shackle himself with a disagreeable wife.

Suleiman Pacha had a daughter who became marriageable about the year 1790: at that time, and frequently afterwards, the Paçha had proposed to marry this lady to his Kiah, and latterly had promised that the marriage should be accompanied by his own retirement to private life, and an application to the Porte for Ahmed's appointment as his successor. The lady according to report, was extremely plain in person, and violent in temper; so much so, as to lead some to suspect, that her mind was not of the soundest. If Ahmed married this lady, her rank required, and she would probably have peremptorily demanded, that he should dismiss his

present harem, amongst which, there was a Georgian lady of singular talent and beauty, of whom Ahmed was deeply enamoured, and in whose society he delighted to spend those hours which he could snatch from the cares of Government. This lady, he found it impossible to part with; he therefore from time to time, framed different excuses, for avoiding the acceptance of the Pacha's offer, and the proposed honor of his daughter's hand.

By some means or other, Ahmed's conduct in the business came to the knowledge of the Pacha's daughter, and the lady, being heartily tired of living in single blessedness, which perhaps, the forms of her father's harem rendered more irksome to her; and feeling, as was natural, not very much pleased that her charms, whatever they might be, should be made light of, resolved to revenge herself on her temporising gallant, and to obtain for herself an establishment of her own. She contrived therefore, by means of some of the Jewish women admitted to the harem, to make known to Ally, a Georgian slave of her father's, and his kusnadar or treasurer, her wishes and resolutions; accompanied by a promise, that if he would contrive the means of putting Ahmed out of the way, she would bestow her hand on himself.

One part of Suleiman Paçha's household consisted of between two or three hundred Georgian slaves, forming a select body-guard to the Pacha, and from this class of persons, his predecessors as well as himself, were accustomed to fill up the most important offices of the state, Suleiman, however, by the advice of his Minister, trenched on this custom as much as possible, and consequently, the Kiah was by no means popular with this body: so that Ally ran little risk in disclosing his project to several of them; and had less reason to doubt that they would be ready to assist him in the execution of it. A party of assassins was soon formed against Ahmed, and a few peevish words which one day dropped from Suleiman on the subject of Ahmed, were reported by Ally to his confederates, as a regular command from their master to put the Minister to death.

It is the etiquette of the court of Bagdad, that as soon as the Pacha comes out in the morning from his private apartments of