Phenix gazette. [volume] (Alexandria [D.C.]) 1825-1833, 1827-12-12

own ships. Upon finding one of them absent
at his own house, about quarter OF mile OF,
he sen, for bunderbuss, and when the often
der, by his order, came to receive his COM
mands, sho, him dead on the spot, without, say
ing word The chief Of the police at Con-
santinople and other great towns, goes round
in the day time and at night, and executes i'm
mediately the senlente s he gives. IL baker is
found selling hi, bread by light weight, he is
hanged before his door; if any one is appre-
hended on the spo: where disturbance takes
place, he is instantly despatched. No matter
If the a2prt utice, who knew nothing OF the
fraud, is hanged instead Of the baker; no matter
If specta or loses his life instead Of the actual
rio,er; the purpose is 10 create terror to the
guilty, even by Shedding the blood OF the inno-
cent, and the crime is punished when the cri.
minal escapes Inferior punishments are or
dercd and reguIa ted by the same arbitrary. ca
price. II the officer does not think The offence
worthy Of death, he orders the bastinado 10 be
applied, and sits smoking his pipe ill ii ap
pears 10 him the culprit has been tortured suf-
6cientv, and he is pleased 10 pronounce the
mercifu word enough II not unfrequently
happens that the celerity OF Turkish justice Is
frequently displayed 10 awe the minds OF for"
eipneis A Russian minister complained to
the vizier Of an outrage that had been commit
ted on persons entitled to his protection The
vizier made horizontal motion with his hand
to s,me Of his attendants, and before the con-
fer,hce was over, seven heads were rolled on
the floor before the face of the Russian An
English ambassador, on another occasion, was
also witness Of this fatal motion OF the hand
in conference he had with the ,lZier; when
he rose 10 20 away lie saw several heads newly
put y al the gates Of the palace. In the pro
ynces, This, as well as every other function oil
the government, is exercised with still more in
Justice than in the capital. Upon hearing
report OF robbers, pasta sends out number
of horsemen, and orders them to bring the
heads OF the offenders, for each of which they
are 10 receive a reward. Whether they find
the robbers or not, these horsemen are sure 10
return with heads: any person in village MOI
owned by the usual authorizes, any stray ira
weller, or wandering beggar, ii he tall IN with
these savage cavalry, is sure to lose his lie; and
thus number Of innocent men are pun TO death,
whilst i, often happens that not one OF the gull
~ suffers. A traveller relates that he saw the
return Of one Of these parties, with The heads
dangling by their aorses' sides, and the riders
bearing it, their looks Of savage JOY, rather the
appearance of successful bandni than OF min
listers Of Justice.
1T must DE Sdlu, however, 10 the hOnour VI
the Turks, that they do not practice the cruel
modes ofexecutIon authorized in more polish
ed monarcbics When the sentence Of death is
given, the criminal is quickly stranglcd, some>
times be is told that an order is come for his
liberation. and as his irons are Knocked of, the
bowstrng is put round his neck, and he dies
in moment. The pressure Of taxation weighs
chiefly though not entirely, upon the unbeierers.
No Mussulman is subject 10 direc, tax, unless
he belongs neither to the army nor the ieudal
militia, and then he is placed in the same rank
as the Christian and Jewish Subjects"
The wbeIicuers, indeed, suffer for all, and
nothing more odous can lie imagine than
their miserable and unprotected plight.
of complaints are made at ConStantinop!e
of the harshness or ex tortion OF pasha, lar
ger gift 10 the sultan, and increased annual
presents 10 his ministers and favQrites, atone
for all the cruelty he may have committed, all
the desolation he may have caused. Unhappy
indeed, was the condition Of the Christian sub
iects Of the Porte; the wealth Of their tyranny
was drawn from their industry, the brides that
protected their oppressors were the fruits OF
their labour; the marine of their masters was
naviga,ed by their skill: the army that ground
them to the earth was supported by their con-
tribu,ions: nay, by the institution OF the janiza.
res, the very oppressors themselves were the
children Of their own oins. every fifth male
is taken.)
"The Christians are open TO thousand
claims, and frequently have their property and
their houses seized by a stranger without a
chance of obtaining redress. If Mussulman
kills Christian, even from deliberate malice,
the law which condemns the offender, is not
executed, and the criminal escapes with impu-
ni,y; the least blow Of Chistian against =
Mussu!man is visited with the heaviest penal"
~. The Christians are Obliged to live in hou-
ses, Ct dark hue, to wear dress OF a dark
colour, and above all, not to wear green tur-
ban, a white shawl, or yellow slippers. II they
have fine houses, they must take care that the
outside has shabby appearance; If they have
handsome horses, they do not dare 10 ride
them themselves. Degrading and invidous
as these distinctions are, however. they form
bu, small part of the sufftrings Of the Chris
tians. The iron which CALLED their necks was
no, SO much the subsection &C people to
an oppressive government, as the subsection Of