Vicksburg weekly herald. (Vicksburg, Miss.) 1868-1883, 1870-09-10

MAILING HOS H8EsaAADEs On I
LIVING MANS REET.
The present Pacha is a goot
example Of the Turkish Pacha o
the old regime. He is a man o
the meanest possible extraction
having been, it is said, at one tim
q private soldier. Destitute o
capacity of any description, una
bic to read his own teekerens, o.
sign his own name, it seems, a
first, difficult to understand how
he has risen. But having found 70
vor in old times in the eyes of ;
former Pacha, he got some small
Office. Once on the official lad
der, he stole enough to buy q
higher post, and then stole more
: and bought higher promotion; and
thus, by regular stages of pecula-
tion and corruption, has at last
reached the supreme authority ol
the Pashalic. This is his history.
1t is not wonderful that, under
such a Governor, the province
should decline in prosperity, and
that revolts should be frequent.
Perhaps l have been wrong in say.
ing that he has absolutely no ca.
pacity. He has, indeed, two gov
ernmental virtues in the largest
possible measure-cruely and
treachery.
l will give two instances Of his
recent exploits in this direction,
which incredible as they may ap-
pear, are perfectly true. About
two years ago there was an ex.
tensive revolt in his province. For
some weeks the insurgent towns
held their ground, but at last the
Pacha got hold of the rilgleader
and hung him. Upon this a large
town, which had been regularly
invested by the Government
troops, proposed to Cspitulate.
Its "notables," six in number,
conducted the negotiation of sur
render, and stipulated only "that
they should not be treated as the
recently executed leader had
been;" implying, of colrse, that
they should not be put % death.
The town once in the possession
of the Pacha, he ordered the six
notables to be led out and shot.
But" said they, "the Racha has
promised us our lives "No,"
said the Pacha, 81 have oily prom.
ised that you shall not b, treated
as that other rebel was. He was
hung. You shall be shot" And
the execution took place. Soon
after the Pacha gave a yet more
horrible illustration of the fend-
ish cruelty of his charaCer.
Another prominent ebel was
captured. The PachG ordered
horse. shoes to be nailed upon the
bare feet of his victim, and then,
giving him a few yards start, told
him to run for his life as the SOL
diers would fire at him after half O
minutes grace. Thepoor wretch
endeavored to run away, and as
after the volley he still continued
to run, and as his body could not
be found, 1t was thought he had
contrived to escape; but his re-
mains we're subsequently dis
covered in some earth hole, where
he had dragged himself to die.
Can such things beSn this nine
teenth century, and in the face of
the noble sentiments Of humanity
and progress periodically pro-
claimed to the civilized world
from StambOulp Yes, most GER
tainly, in the interior of Asiatic
Turkey. | can only repeat that
these stories have been given me
on the best possible authority.
This Pacha has, indeed, obtained
so confirmed q reputation for
cruelty that, by a pun upon his
name, even his own officials have
found q means to indicate his
character He is q Koord by
birth, and "koort" in Turkish
means Il wolf. Instead of saying,
therefore, "Ismail, the Koord,"
by a slight soitening of the last
word, people manage to say, "Is-
mail, the Wolf"
There is another joke among
the Europeans upon his ignorance,
which, perhaps, is not very well
founded, but which shows the gen
cral estimate formed Of his capac.
ity. When the English Consul
went home. the Pachl, it is said,
asked him to send him through
the mail a steamboat for the navi-
CATION of the Tigris. The Pacha
thought the steamboat was like
any other invention Of satan, and
could 'expand or contract its di-
mcnsions according to the, neces-
stiles of the case.
There is q story, though, about
the chief Cadi, which is strictly
true, and which illustrates the ig-
norance of the highest officials
here. When the telegraph line
was open from Bagdad to STAN
boul, every city where 1t rested
sent a congratulatory message
signed by all its principal men, to
the Sultan. The dispatch from
Diarbelir was presented to the