Ahmed Basha was brought as a Memluke (white slave) from Circassia to Egypt, and sold to Mustapha Bey, sister’s son of Mohammed Ali’s first wife. He became the barber of the Bey, and afterwards, when his own beard grew, was appointed an officer in the army. He accompanied the campaigns in the Morea, Hejàz and Syria. He brought intelligence of the victory from St. Jean d’Acre with incredible celerity to Egypt, and is said to have been attacked with hemorrhage, as he was delivering the despatches to Mohammed Ali. He afterwards became war-minister, but was removed in six months from this important post, not on account of any incapacity, but from his self-willed disposition, inveterate obstinacy, and excessive spirit of opposition to all the grandees, and even to the viceroy himself, who might have been pleased on the whole with his energetic government. His iron arm threatened even to bend the Franks in the Egyptian service under Turkish despotism, and he had already brought the consuls into a good train, when one of them declared that the Turks had no code of laws, that the Koran could not be considered as such, and that the employés being Europeans could not be subjected to arbitrary power. For a time he remained without an appointment in Káhira, till he was sent with the 8th regiment to Belled-Sudan. For a year he governed in common with Kurdshid Basha, during which time he carried his intrigues so far, that the Governor, who was generally beloved, was recalled, and sent as Commandant to Adana in Syria, whilst the former received his post as Governor-General with increased power. Here he preserves, indeed, his own due respect and that of his people, in the hope of being made the future Sultan of the natives; yet, by his measures, he has not only trifled away the love of those men who are so easily led by their chiefs, but also completely cut off his return to Egypt, where, in the meantime, a book of his crimes has been opened.
He is a man of fifty years of age, though in appearance he seems scarcely forty; large and strongly built, with regular, handsome and expressive features, generally wearing a serious look, though he laughs a good deal. Whilst he is laughing, which is at his command at any time, we may often observe in his handsome countenance traces of agitation, betraying other thoughts than those inspired by the gaiety of the moment. His physiognomy becomes still more disfigured by his outbursts of wrath, which are not rare, when his true character is more rapidly developed in the working of his features than by all the chiselling and carving of the Gorgon’s head. His blue eyes stare and sparkle in his deadly pale countenance, and his inmost soul reflects itself in its real light, at this moment, as if in a mirror—it is the face of a tiger. Every one, seeing him for the first time, finds him a handsome man, but with something inexpressibly gloomy in his look, and in the melancholy features shaded by a dark beard. Ahmed Basha is a true economist in every thing, and boasts of his parsimony, (which, however, unfortunately degenerates into avarice,) saying, it is extremely necessary for him;—that he requires a good deal of money for present occasions, and will want more for the future;—and that Mohammed Ali has only become great through his gold;—every means, therefore, is justifiable by which he can acquire wealth. His table is sparingly served; he does not touch the sweet favourite dishes of the Turks, as being fit for women and not for men; he hates the Turks and calls them asses. Therefore he is always complaining that he stands alone, that everything presses upon him, which is the truth, because every one fears him and dares not speak. For his whole large establishment, with the exception of the Harim, one sheep is killed daily; whereas, on the contrary, Kurdshid had twelve or fourteen killed; and what was not consumed was divided amongst the poor starving people—a custom more worthy of a civil and military Governor of all Belled-Sudàn; especially as the Turks and wealthy Arabs—the latter, however, seldom, partly from fear of the former—feed the poor abundantly. Besides money was obliged to be sent very often from Egypt to Belled-Sudàn for the support of the troops; moreover, all the gold which was drawn from Fàzogle and Kordofàn, and coined in Kahira, was paid; for the preceding Governor complained continually of his empty chest. Ahmed Basha knew how to provide himself with gold, since he would never lose sight of his own interest. I heard from him in Taka of the bombarding and surrender of St. Jean d’Acre, which intelligence was kept secret. He feared for his position; and his plan of making himself independent received a severe blow, since Ibrahim Basha might suddenly march with his disposable army, and attempt a diversion on this side.
The just Governor sent to his dear sovereign 4,000 purses, the surplus of the treasury; and to shew the good old man what his Ahmed could do in the country, 1500 gold okien as a present. Besides this, he had had considerable expenses, had paid one-half of the soldiers more than Kurdshid Basha, had purchased thousands of camels and asses for the Chasua, for the purpose of transport, &c. One would conclude from this, that under this Basha, a complete reform of the system of government, and a flourishing condition of the land, had rendered these supplies of money and gold possible, but the surplus must be sought for in other causes than in the prosperous state of the country.
If the direct taxes be very irregularly paid through the conduct of the Kashefs (plur. Koshàf), Ahmed Basha has a number of other means by which to squeeze gold out of the people. Inheritances, where the testator is set aside, and, if necessary, some crime fixed on him; despotic dictation of tributes in money or gold; farming monopolies; selling fruits from the Shona, or the farms of the Basha; net-proceeds of the slave-hunts, &c.
In selling the fruits and farming the monopolies, the price is generally raised only in appearance by accomplices, and then in a very courteous manner the affair is hinted first to one and then to the other, who, in gratitude for the gracious punishment, raise their hands to their mouth and head, well knowing that even the latter belongs to the Basha, who commonly presides over such forced broker’s business.
It is not a very rare thing for Sheikhs who cannot raise the quantum of gold so arbitrarily imposed, to breathe out their souls under the Nabút. A favourite plan of his, pursuing the same aim, and having an apparent legal ground in itself, is the arrangement of his iron will according to the investigations to be directed towards powerful Kashefs, who do not deliver to him the half of their plunder, or towards honest officials, whom he hates, and whose places he has already beforehand sold to others, when he is certain of the share of the precious gain, which is made on collecting the Tulba. These profitable investigations are especially directed against officers who have the management of the accounts. A fresh revision of their accounts, which perhaps were delivered twelve to fifteen years ago, was entered upon for the second time, and, as he partly made it alone, or by his creatures appointed and assigned for that purpose, or when he thought it advisable, he ordered a bastinadoing for life or death, it has never happened that the people selected for payment were found guiltless.
Enormous sums have been squeezed out in this barbarous manner, and hundreds of men plunged into misery and extreme poverty; for Ahmed was not contented with falsifying the accounts of years long past, and having them liquidated.—No; but he punished them also for their falsely alleged embezzlements. Not one of these unfortunate creatures had the least thing left to him, except a miserable dress—everything belonging to them was sold—house, garden, slaves, clothes, kitchen utensils, in short, to repeat the word, everything—even the most necessary carpets and coverings for repose. The proceeds flowed into the treasury of the Divan.
It is true, that nearly all the Turkish officials are cheats and extortioners, only seeking to enrich themselves in every possible way, and to defraud the State, as even the best conduct affords no security for the duration of their appointments; but let justice be done to them, and do not, because the Basha gives the order, find the culprits guilty. Generally, the sum pretended to have been embezzled, was twice or four times as large as the whole property of the official. In this case, everything was taken that there was to take, and if the man were wanted, he remained in his service, but received for his pay scarcely as much as would provide him sparingly with durra; the remaining part, being deducted on account of his debt, flowed into the treasury.
In other instances the accomplices were ordered to replace the deficient amount. Among these were reckoned those who perhaps formerly were his superior officers, or his colleagues, and fellow-collectors; and this judgment always followed, when Copts were his accomplices. In the whole Egyptian kingdom the Copts (Kopt, or Oept, as they do not pronounce the K to our ear,) are condemned to be the Mallems (scribes). The Basha cherishes a cordial hatred of these Nazrani, partly because he detests their cringing servility and hypocrisy, which are carried to perfection, and looks upon them, on this account, with the same contempt as he does on the Greeks and Jews. Many of them are hanged, merely to spread terror.
Not long ago the following incident occurred: a Coptic Mallem was convicted in the manner stated above, of having purloined 1000 thalers[3] or pillar dollars at different times. He received 1000 blows, and all his things were sold, the produce of which covered the sum due, leaving a few hundred dollars over. The unfortunate fellow, after this fearful punishment, was thrown, more dead than alive, into chains, and they left him to his fate, without sending him a surgeon to afford him the least alleviation, by attending to his severe wounds. The Basha went on a journey; his wakil, Fàragh Effendi, an Abyssinian, who had been formerly a slave to the Spanish Colonel, Seguerra, in Alexandria, took pity on him, and sent for the surgeon, Sulimon Effendi (De Pasquali, a native of Palermo). He passed three months in prison in this frightful condition, when Fàragh Effendi thought he might solicit the Basha to pardon the Copt. The answer of Ahmed Basha was to this effect: “The Nazrani must be hanged, to serve as an example.”