JB_024_474.xml

Title: [1823 Feb. Trip. H 1 ?.1. Family etc State]

Description: 1823 Feb. Trip. H 1 ?.1. Family etc State

?.2á³á1á³á. State of the reigning family, and of mine which is allied to it.

The name of the reigning Sovereign is Yussuf Pacha Caramanli. Caramanli means

from the province of Caramande. It is the proper name of the family. He is about

50 years of age.

His authority, as you have probably understood, from such of your functionaries

as have been on the spot, is altogether independent of every other. The Turkish

title of ”Bashaw• as you write in English, ”Pacha• in other European languages,

imports indeed subordination to the Porte. But, for about á³á á³á years past no

such subordination has had place: neither ”tribute•, nor any other token of

subjection, having been either paid or claimed.

His power is, as almost every where else, where Mahomedanism, /despotic is the

religion of the State, monarchical/ and without any distinct limits: but, in

practice as well as theory, it is somewhat tempered and softened, by the

influence, exercised by that body, in which, in that as in every Mahometan

country, the judicial and ecclesiastical functions are united.

About á³á á³á years ago, the reigning Sovereign seated and settled himself on

the throne, in the manner so usual in Mahometan States, by what you would call

the ”murder• of his brother. He is however by no means of a sanguinary or harsh

disposition: and his temper has been rather softened than hardened by age. His

greatest imperfection is © profusion in expenditure: and by this weakness he is

kept in a state of perpetual indigence; and his subjects, so at least it appears

to them, in a state of proportionable insecurity, in respect of property, not to

say in respect of life.

He has four legitimate male children 1. Mohammed Bey, aged á³á á³á 2. Achmet

Bey, aged about 30. 3. Ali Bey aged about 27. 4. Mustapha Bey aged about 18.

The title of Bey, which may be rendered ”Prince•, is shared with the reigning

family by four others.

In ours as in other Mahometan Nations, the order of succession is not regarded

as fixt. Hence, on every vacancy of a throne, the incidental confusions,

produced by fratricide and civil war, are liable to be added to the habitual

insecurity and universal indigence perpetuated by despotism.

1. The eldest Son ”Mahomet• is generally regarded as excluded from all

probability of succeeding, by his notorious and matchless cruelty, as well as

rebellion against his father.¼(¼a¼) For á³á á³á years, he has been a fugitive in

Egypt. He is unmarried. 2. The second son ”Achmet• is weak in mind: and that to

such a degree, as to be likewise regarded as debarred from all probability of

succession. 3. The third son ”Ali•, is regarded as competent to receive the

succession. A¼o 1817 he commanded the little irregular army, by the horror of

which, without bloodshed, his eldest brother, deserted by all his followers was

expelled. He has these á³á á³á years been married to one of my two sisters

Khadija D'Ghies. By her he has á³á á³á sons. 4. The fourth son Mustapha, is also

regarded as competent to receive the succession. In the course of the last year,

he was married to my other sister Fatima D'Ghies.

Now as to my own family.

My father, Mohammed D'Ghies has now for these á³á á³á years, namely since the

year 18á³á á³á with some intervals been Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs.

He is about á³á á³á years of age. He has four sons. 1. His eldest son, myself

Hassuna D'Ghies á³á á³á years of age, born A¼o. á³á á³á 2. His second son

Mohammed D'Ghies á³á á³á years of age, born A¼o. á³á á³á 3. His third son á³á

á³á D'Ghies á³á á³á years of age, born A¼o. á³á á³á 4. HIs fourth son á³á á³á

D'Ghies, between 13 and 14 years of age, born A¼o. á³á Daughters ¼(¼a¼) See a

Note on the next page.

JB_024_065.xml

Title: [1822 Oct. 3 Tripoli Account of]

Description: 1822 Oct. 3

Tripoli Account of

?.2. Chief of the State /Reigning Family/

As to his power, it is of course in form compleatly arbitrary. But in practice, the social sanction under the guidance of the religious, opposes to it as will be seen,¼+ some little checks, which are not altogether without effect.

As to his family male children regarded as capable of succeeding to him he has but two. Age of the eldest about á³á á³á his Personal name, Mohammed Yuseph Pacha Caramanali¼+ is out of the kingdom now, is not intended to succeed = lives in the frontier [...?] of Derna near Bario ”Cyrene• in Arabic Greece [...?] Commanding an army he put to death a respectable person without ground that of the youngest, á³á á³á: his personal name, á³á á³á The official title of both is ”Bey•.

27 Year old Ali married to Hazi Goi [?] has 3 children

© 18 Y Mustapha married to Khadija D'Ghies aged 14 married July 1822 she speaks and writes French

3 Achmet 30 Years old not likely to succeed © rather weak married to his own cousin has two children by her.

The succession is regarded as hereditary in the present family. But the order of succession as between son and son is not regarded as settled. How general a gloom is cast over the whole country by this uncertainty, may be imagined. The seating of the present Bashaw on the throne was the result of a civil war between brother and brother: and upon his death, unless in the mean time some effectual remedy be applied, another civil war is regarded as inevitable. When the proposition is made, that on every succeeding vacancy the eldest shall be successor, the answer is /an objection is made/ © that, in virtue of any such education as in that situation Youth are likely to have, it may at any time be too probable that while in most of the children mind is in such a state of imbecillity as to be altogether incapable of holding the reins of government, in some one of them, appropriate aptitude may not be so compleatly deficient.

¼+ See ?

JB_024_410.xml

Title: [1823 Jan¼y¼. 13 Tripoli. Hassuna to Q. Adams]

Description: 1823 Jan¼y¼. 13 Tripoli. Hassuna to Q. Adams.

The Bashaw of Tripoli is in a state of entire independence with relation to the

Ottoman Porte though he still maintains /preserves/ this subordinate official

appellation this being the appellation to which by habit the people are disposed

to pay obedience The age of the present /reigning/ Bashaw is about 50 years. He

has four legitimate sons A á³á á³á B. á³á á³á C. á³á á³á D. á³á á³á. The eldest

á³á á³á may for shortness be characterized by the name of the monster: for his

equal in cruelty is scarcely to be found in any page of history. Driven out of

the country by the universal horror his barbarities have inspired he has for

some years led the life of an obscure fugitive in Egypt. In /It is with/ Tripoli

as in /with/ other Mahometan Governments there is unhappily no settled order of

succession to the throne. Of the Bashaws three other sons, the two eldest are

married to my two sisters. I have three Brothers all of them younger than

myself: Mohammed aged á³á á³á years B á³á á³á aged á³á á³á years C. á³á á³á aged

á³á á³á years The two married pairs live in a state of matrimonial felicity: the

monster of course excepted both families have always lived in a state of

uninterrupted harmony. In the Constitution change which I am proposing I am by

no means without expectation of /the/ concurrence from /of/ the Bashaw himself:

so urgent are the matters which I shall in person present in the first place to

his consideration: but it would be unkindness not only to both families but to

him /I could never justify to myself/ the resting upon that single chance the

preservation of both families as well as the whole nation from an unfathomable

abyss of misery.