MARRIAGE PROCESSION OF ONE OF ALI'S CONCUBINES. 65 tered into the spirit of the custom, and arrayed ourselves in assumed characters, Nicolo as an English officer, Mr. Parker as a Turk, and myself as an old Greek lady, decked out in the rich velvet clothes of our venerable hostess. My two companions were frequently discovered, but my own disguise was so complete that we nearly made the whole circuit of our visits before I was unmasked: this occurred in the last house we entered, belonging to a sister-in-law of Signore Nicolo: here I was at first permitted freely to sit amongst a large party of females, until a fine young girl, named Alessandra, eyeing me attentively, cried out, vas vpwπos, “it is a man," and the whole party scampered off as if they had been stung by a gad-fly, hiding themselves in every nook and corner of the house. The same evening, after changing our dress, we witnessed a very extraordinary marriage procession from the window of another of Nicolo's relatives. I never recollect seeing such a crowd in the streets of Ioannina as on this occasion, which was the deportation of one of Ali's own concubines from his harem to the house of an officer to whom he had given her in marriage. One would have thought it impossible that a victim who had escaped from the bars of such a prison, in which sensuality reigns without love, luxury without taste, and slavery without remission, could have complied so far with custom as to walk, in the first ecstasies of liberty, with a motion not much quicker than the minute hand of a town-clock she was attended by no persons of her own sex, but her train-bearer and supporters were Albanian soldiers, friends of her future spouse; from the great number of torches carried in procession, we were enabled to get a perfect view of her face, which was by no means handsome: her figure was very lusty, but this amongst the Turks is considered more beautiful than the proportions of the Medicean Venus. She was superbly attired, but we were informed that the pearls and brilliants which adorned her head and neck were only lent for the occasion, and would be returned next day to the seraglio. The dress she wore, and two other suits, which, together with the furniture of the bridal bed were carried after her by the Albanian guards, was all the dowry she received from her former master. It is not by any means an unusual thing with Ali Pasha thus to dispose of the females of his harem; he gives them not only to his Turkish Greek and Albanian retainers, but very willingly to Franks who enter into his service. At Tepeleni we saw two Italian gardeners who had been thus generously provided with consorts: but, as I have before observed, he is free from many Turkish prejudices, and is very ready to dispense with any forms, civil or religious, if he thinks his own interest can be thereby promoted: perhaps some of my readers may not give him much credit for liberality in this case, when they are informed that he possesses about 500 female victims, guarded by eunuchs, and immured within the impenetrable recesses of his harem; though it may be supposed that most of these are retained merely to augment his dignity*, and to wait upon his favourites. Before age had chilled his blood his sensuality was unbounded. Wherever his satellites heard of a beautiful child, of either sex, they dragged it from the paternal roof, and massacred the family or burned the village if any resistance was offered. One of his most beautiful females was torn from the hymeneal altar whilst she was pledging her vows to a fine young man, son of the primate of Vonizza, who, unable to bear the loss, or to avenge it, blew out his own brains with his pistol. Such disgusting scenes are reported Thus it seems to have been in ancient times, to instance only Agamemnon, of whose harem, mentioned in the following lines of Homer, Πλεῖαί τοι χαλκό κλισίαι πολλὰι δὲ γυναῖκες Εἰσὶν ἐνὶ κλισίης ἐξαίρετοι, ἅς του Α'χαιοὶ Aristotle makes the following remark: ̓Αλλ ̓ ἐκ ἐικὸς ἐις χρῆσιν εἶναι τὸ πλῆθος τῶν Γυναικῶν, αλλ' is yέpas' Athenæi, lib. xii. p. 556. HIS COURT AND OFFICERS. 67 to be acted within his harem, and especially that of his son Mouchtar, as are little fit for description in these pages: even the Turks themselves are accustomed to speak of them with astonishment and abhorrence. His present favourite is a young Greek slave, named Vasilikee, born at Paramithia and brought up in the serai from a child: she is said to be extremely beautiful, and bears an excellent character for charity; her kind disposition is frequently shewn in mitigating the severities of her lordly lover over his subjects. In her patronage also she has been thought remarkably judicious, for greatest part of the offices about court and other provincial appointments are settled in the harem, where Turkish and Greek ladies daily attend to visit the inmates, and to promote the views of their husbands and relations. Wherever Ali goes Vasilikee constantly attends him; she has retained his affections longer than any other woman, and in 1816 he married her with great pomp and ceremony, and permits her to retain her own religious rites and doctrines. At Tepeleni also there is an establishment of women, over which the mother of Salee Bey, a Circassian slave, formerly a favourite mistress and still highly respected by the vizir, pre sides. In other respects Ali's court is supported with a great degree of splendour and expense far exceeding those of many princes in the Germanic confederacy. I was informed that provisions were cooked in his palaces at Ioannina for near 1500 persons daily, amongst whom are found visiters and retainers from all parts of the globe, attracted hither by his fame, and whose services he seldom refuses to accept. At the time of our residence he had for a guest one of the khans or princes of Persia. His three principal secretaries of state were at this time old Mahomet Effendi the astrologer, chief of the divan, who had the general management of affairs in his master's absence*; Sechrì Effendi, the most violent *This old gentleman is since dead. 68 HIS COURT AND OFFICERS. Mahometan bigot in Ali's dominions, who generally accompanies him in his excursions and executes his most important commissions; Dwann Effendi, who carries on his correspondence with the Porte, for which purpose a capi-kehagia or procurator is appointed at Constantinople. Besides these he has four under-secretaries, all Greeks, whose business it is to correspond with the beys, agàs, and governors in the different Albanian provinces; the two first of these named Mantho and Costa are men of the most crafty and subtile disposition, the ready instruments of all the pasha's schemes of vengeance and of power*. His two dragomen, or interpreters, are also Greeks, the first Signore Colovo, and the second Beyzady, the son of a prince of the Fanar. He has four regular physicians, who serve him also in the capacity of secretaries and interpreters, as occasion may require: for every person attached to Ali's service must be able to walk out of his own particular course. Besides all these, there are many sage counsellors who take their places at his divan, though they are not dignified by any peculiar office in these he places the most implicit confidence, for they are all tried men. The principal of them are Mezzo Bonno, Dervish Hassan, Agho Mordari, and Athanasi Vayà, his favourite and most successful general, who might indeed be styled commander in chief. This person is intrusted with his master's most intimate secrets, and has free access to him in the hours of his most perfect retirement. In addition to the above-mentioned officers employed in affairs of council he has a multitude who attend to those of ceremony. There is the Selictar-Agà, who carries the sword of state, * Vely Pasha after his reconciliation with his father so abhorred these men that he requested as a favour that his correspondence with the vizir might not be carried on through their agency. Mantho was his agent in the affair of Parga. HIS COURT AND OFFICERS. Bairactar-Agà, who carries the standard, Devichtar-Agà, who carries the inkstand, and 69 The Capi-Balouk bashee lodges in the palace and superintends the police-guards. The Ibroghor-Agà is the chief groom of the stables. The Capsilar-Agà is master of the ceremonies. The Caftan-Agà throws the pelisse over such as are so honoured by the vizir. The Rachtivan-Agà has the care of the silver bridles and housings for the stud. The Shatir-Agàs are four in number, who attend the vizir in processions, carrying a species of halbert by the side of his horse. The two Bouchurdan-Agàs perfume him when he goes to mosque. The Shamdan-Agà precedes the wax candles into the apartment. The Sofrageebashi sets out the table. The Ibriktar-Agà pours the water from the golden pitcher over the vizir's hands, and the Macramageebashi holds the towels. The Peskir-Agà throws the silken shawls round him and his guests. The Cafigeebashi superintends the coffee, and the Tutungeebashi the pipes. Two high officers are the Mechterbashi or chief of the band, and the Tatar-Agà, who is at the head of one hundred tatars. There are about twenty Chaoushes, and the same number of Kaivasis, who carry silver-knobbed sticks before the vizir in procession, and are the porters or keepers of his door: whenever he puts to death a great man he sends a Kaivasi to act as executioner. The house-steward or officer who superintends the general expences is called Vechilhargi, and has many subordinate persons under him. It would be tedious to pursue this detail further, neither can I answer for the accurate orthography of all the names already quoted, |