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Heg.1113.

J.C. 1701, the place of mollac of Jerusalem to his own fon, who was as young as the caimacan of Conftantinople.

J.C. 1702.

Heg.1114.

If, in a defpotic country, it is rare for men Abufe of grown old in place not to abuse their favor, it power of could not be expected but young men without creatures. experience and almost without education, who

the mufti's

found themselves at the pinnacle of grandeur, would look on those who were under them as the inftruments of their authority, or the flaves of their caprices. The mollac of Jerusalem issued extravagant orders every day, which the bafhaw durft not prevent the execution of, becaufe he dreaded the power of the mufti who was exceedingly partial to his fon as well as his fon-in-law. One night, the mollac's fleep being disturbed by the barking of fome dogs, he was fo enraged that he ordered all thefe animals in Jerufalem and its environs to be killed. This fentence was directly contrary to the Alcoran, which orders domestic animals to be taken care of, and forbids the killing of any beaft, unless it be hurtful, or neceffary for the nourishment of man. The Turks in general are very fond of dogs, and confider it as a duty to feed them. The odd condemnation which the mollac had juft pronounced, stirred up a mutiny in the city. It is not improbable that the bafhaw who was diffatisfied with him, contributed to excite it; but every thing gave way to the authority of the mufti. He fent a fetfa from Adrianople, which

approved

approved the conduct of his fon, for this time .C. 1702. Heg.1114. only, without its being permitted to kill dogs n in future. This circumftance emboldened the young mollac, who, a few months after, iffued a new order, equally abfurd and ftill harder than the first. The flies were very troublesome at Jerufalem during the heat of the fummer. The pontiff-magiftrate ordered, that each artisan should bring him every day forty of these infects ftringed up, under pain of a severe fine, and he caused this ridiculous fentence to be executed with great feverity. All the artifans were conftrained to quit their work to catch flies; and the complaints recommenced against the son of the mufti. These tyrannical puerilities had filled all the foldiers and the people of Afia with indignation against the government. An injustice committed by the young caimacan of Conftantinople decided the infurrection which the inattention of the grand vizier and the imbecility of the mufti had been preparing for a long time. Though the expences of government fince the peace were confiderably in the leffened, the finances were not in a better state. Whilft the grand vizier Rami was at Karischtiran, endeavouring to conciliate the favor of his mafter, the collectors of the taxes appropriated the money to their own use. The caimacan of Conftantinople having neither fufficient prudence, nor talents, nor perhaps power, to prevent those abuses, the people complained of the abfence of the emperor. The officers in power feized this opportunity

VOL. IV.

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J.C. 1702. tunity to do for themselves, and those who claimed Heg.1114. what might be called lawful debts were in fact the only ones who did not take advantage of the present occafion to enrich themselves with the money of the public.

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The janiffaries had been kept without their fufes the pay a long time. When it had been paid with their pay, great difficulty, there was no more money in cafions an the public treafury for the jebeggis and the rection. foldiery who guarded the ammunition and pro

which oc

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vifions. This was infufficient to fatisfy a famished troop, who were not to be imposed on by fuch a young man as the caimacan. The deputies of the jebeggis, charged with making remonftrances, had recourse to abufive language. The caimacan having ordered them to be taken into cuftody for being wanting in respect to him, made resistance, and called their comrades. The jebeggis affembled, and fell furiously on the caimacan's delis, killed several of them, and carried the prifoners in triumph to their quarters. The vanquishers reported to their comrades what had passed between the caimacan and them, their just request, and the arrogance and hardness with which it had been rejected; and they concluded with faying, that it was in vain to hope for juftice whilft the Muffulmen should be at the mercy of a young man without beard or brains, equally arrogant and incapable, and who knew only how to order punishments. Caracach Mahomet, a principal officer of this corps, having spoken

with more vehemence than the reft, proposed to J.C.1702. Heg.1114. the jebeggis to commune with the janiffaries, whom he knew to be as difcontented as they were, though they had received their pay, to feize on the gates of Conftantinople, and to pillage every thing that they could find both at the caimacan's and the defterdar's, who is the treasurer of the public money. This propofal was received with joy; and as all feditions increase when they are not opposed at their commencement, as foon as the two corps had taken up arms, and the gates of Conftantinople were fhut, Caracach Mahomet faid to the foldiers, that it was not worth their while to engage in fuch dangerous proceedings merely to get the jebeggis paid; that, fince they were armed, it would be right to overturn the government, which there was fo much reafon to complain of, and to trample on those who wanted to fubject the people to fuch an unjust yoke. Let us appoint minifters, cried they, in the place of those fools, mad-men, and faries and rogues, who do fo much mifchief. Several re- point new plied to these clamours, that Caracach Mahomet fhould be grand vizier; but he took care how he accepted that perilous office: he would rather employ tools on whom the blame might fall, than expofe himself. The ulema was convoked in the great mofque, where all the rebels repaired in a crowd. Caracach, affecting much modefty, faid, that he was not in any respect a perfon of fufficient confequence to have this im

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minifters.

Heg.1114.

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1.C. 1702. portant dignity conferred on him; that if the bad choice of the emperor's ministers provoked a rebellion, care fhould be taken not to fall into the fame error as they wished to remedy. He was the first to give his vote for an old bashaw, called Dorojan, who, two years before, had been deprived of his government, because he had not been able to find prefents to maintain himself in it. This election was made by acclamation. Kiafibi Mehemet effendi, of the race of the emirs, became mufti in the fame manner, and they named for caimacan another depofed bafhaw, called Ferrari. These principal officers chose an aga of the janiffaries, an aga of the jebeggis, a defterdar, and all the other officers of lefs importance. The new mufti declared to the people by a fetfa, that the good. Muffulmen had been fetfa in the conftrained by neceffity to remedy the abuses, and to make war against the unjuft minifters, who oppreffed the people inftead of governing them; that it was neceffary to recall the invincible emperor into his capital, which had been too long deprived of his gracious presence, to engage him to employ none but fage financiers, brave officers, and equitable judges, fuch as those who had been just chofen; in fhort, to oblige the fultan to govern according to the law of the great prophet, or to puil him down from his throne and place thereon a prince more agreeable to God. This fetfa was fent into all the Afiatic bafhawcies, in which the bafhaws, beglerbegs, fangiacs, mol

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provinces.

lacs,

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