Star.
London, England, 1818-11-11 00:00:00

e4l.

CHARACTER-OF AL PACHA.

FrOm VAvossicoewe's "Memoirs,fdle lonian Islands."

(Concluded from the Sias of yesterday.)
" In his dominions he has organized a Police un-
known in the rest of Turkey. and to this he has di-
rected the whole of his attention, because it is the
most powerful means of preventing all attempts
2gainst himself. This police is not only severely and
watchfully busied about the public safety, for• Ali
Pacha does not even spare the Klephtes, his ancient
companions ; but it enters into the interior ofthouses,
superintends the conduct of the inhabitants, and its
officers render in to Ali an exact account of the ac-
tions, conversations, and projects of all ; in a word,
of every thing that can interest or convey informa-
tion to him. This police follows up the Greeks in
all their relations at Constantinople, and discovers
every step they are taking ; so that Ali Paella, in-
formed of every thing they seek to effect, has suffi-
cient time to frustrate their views. All the letters
which leave his dominions are read by him or his
agents before they are delivered to the courier who
is to convey them away. He pays no more regard
to the dispatches of the official agents residing near
him, and he opens them all, under a hope of finding
out one which is not written in cypher. He does not
respect foreign couriers, nor even those of his sove-
reign ; and on the first complaint he throws off the
blame from his own shoulders by causing some poor
wretch to be hanged whom he had taken out of his
prisons, or carried away from the country for some
grudge or another.
" In 1807 he caused three couriers to be assassi-
nated. of whom two were French, and he was ex-
tremely displeased in having only found letters in
cypher upon them. His agents scattered in different
parts, and the correspondence of the Greeks who are
in his service, make him acquainted with the princi-
pal events passing in Europe, as well as the situation
of the great powers. His own notions, and his infor-
mation thus obtained, serve him as a thermometer

for his political conduct, and make him decide on
what connections he is to form with foreign states,
for he is always anxious to have a point of support
out of Turkey.
" Ali Pacha has a great number of palaces and
country seats. Some of them are the inheritance of
his second wife, the rich widow of a Pacha, whom
he espoused in order to enjoy her fortune, and after-
s% anis confined to his harem, where she died in ob-
scurity. The others are the spoils of persons whom
he has caused to perish or compelled to fly, and some
have been built by himself. He is his own architect,
Upholsterer, and decorator ; hence are his palaces the
most brilliant assemblage of magnificence and bad
taste. One traverses obscurd hovels in order to ar-
rive at magnificent saloons, in • which velvet, gold,
and embroidery are displayed in profusion, even on
the floor. Gobelins tapestry, hung on a rod, some-
times serves in the place of doors : and pieces of em-
broidery in gold, half a yard wide, to which rich
fringes are attached, are applied to clothes not worth
s'x francs per yard.. In each of these palaces, at the
side of the richly ornamented saloon in which he
gives, audience, is a confused range of chambers and
rooms, which serve for various purposes. Some of
them are store-houses, in which he shuts up the fur-
niture, effects, and utensils proceeding out of confis-
cations, pillage, and the exactions he had ordained.
In 1807, when it was necessary to have cannons
founded, 6030 weight of brass which was wanting
was furnished in kitchen utensils out of these store.
houses. It is he himself also, alone, who undertakes
to keep an 'account of these articles, and holds the
keys. When he wishes to furnish a house for any
foreigner whom he treats favourably, or has taken
into his service, he hithself goes there to look out the
linen, pans, and kettles which he desires should be
given to him : so much minuteness is certainly the
effect of his extreme avarice. Notwithstanding he is
almost exclusively given up to Socratic pleasures, and
for this purpose keeps up a seraglio of youths, from
among whom he selects his confidants, and even his
principal officers, he has 5 or 600 women scattered
about in various harems, the principal of which are
at Joannina, Tepeleni, and Kerkalopoulo.
" His revenues are very considerable, but it is im-
possible to estimate them with any degree of exacti-
tude, because he follows no fixed rule in the repara-
tion and collection of his imposts. All the provin-
cial Governors whom we have already enumerated,
and are absolutely dependent on his will, levy im-
posts in the manner he ordains: and of these he him.
self renders in the account to the Porte, pays to the
Turkish Government with exactitude what he owes
it, and deposits the remainder in his own coffers,
which frequently is one half of the sum total col-
lected, and sometimes more. He moreover possesses
the income of his own private domains, as well as of
his numerous flocks, which amount to about 50,000
sheep. To these two branches of revenue it is neces-
sary to add the produce of confiscations, exactions,
arbitrary droits, fines, and commutations of penal-
ties, which being founded only on his own caprice,
present no certain basis of valuation. On an average
his revenue is estimated at 15,000,000 francs ; but
besides this revenue, which is destined to meet the
expenses of his administration and militarT establish.'
ment, in which he acts with the greatest economy,
he has great treasures hidden either at Tepeleni or in
his castles at Joannina, of which ir would be impos-
sible to produce an estimate. All that is known on
this subject is, that the sums which he thus holds in
reserve are in Venetian gold. . .

- - - - -
" He has likewise appropriated to himself all the
precious stones and pearls of which he has obtained
knowledge in the countries over which he has lorded,
and has besides purchased a large quantity. He hat
also a numerous collection of watches and clocks of
great value and of every form, aswell as of Old and
shyer vases, and immense store-houses of goods.
All that is valuable is under his own personal cam,
as well as his treasures shut up in subterraneous
♦aults, where no one enters but himself. For the
current expenses of the State he has a treasurer, who
in 1807 was one of his own nephews, and son to his
sister, to whom he had given the district of Liebovo.
But this treasurer is, in fact, no other than a pay.
master, who each time that a coffer is empty makes
up his accounts to Ali before he receives the keys of
another. For his own house he had a Jewish inten-
dant, who was charged to collect the revenue of his
private domains, and render to him the accounts.
" Pacha himself' keeps his own general ac-