Warlike Instruments used by the Turks. The Turks make use of wind and clashing instruments of different shapes and sizes; all, except one wind instrument, are better calculated for pomp and ceremony, than adapted to military service.
The clashing instruments, which the French call instrumens à choc, consist of two sorts of drums, and an instrument which is made of two plates of metal, such as the cymbals we have adopted from the Asiatics.
Their wind-instruments consist of a winding or crooked trumpet, and of a wooden fife.
The big drum which they call daul, stands three feet high. It is carried by a mounted drummer, who makes use of a thick stick with which he strikes the upper part, and a small one, with which he plays upon the under one; these he applies alternately with much ingenuity of hand, and great gravity of countenance. This is the only instrument which the Turks use in military exercises or manœuvres. The big drums are constantly beat when the enemy is near, and round all the out-posts, in order to keep the sentinels upon the alert. On these occasions the drummers exclaim with a loud voice: Jegda Allah! that is, God is good! or as the French interpret it—Dieu Bon.
The two small drums, or the kettle drums serve as marks of distinction for the bacha’s family, and likewise as signals when the troops are to march. They contribute greatly to the general harmony of a concert. The Turkish name for them is Sudar Nagara. The bachas, or bashaws with three tails are entitled to three kettle drums, which are fixed on each side of the saddle, and are beat in the same manner that those in other services are.
There is likewise another sort of Turkish instrument called zill, which consists of two hollow brass plates, on whose convex side is fixed a ring sufficiently large to contain the grasp of three fingers. By clashing them seasonably together, an agreeable silvery sound is extracted. The bashaws with three tails are each intitled to two sets of these instruments.
There are two sorts of wind-instruments used among the Turks, they differ very much both with regard to the manner in which they are played, and to the materials with which they are made. The first is the trumpet, which is made of the same metal that ours are, but are somewhat longer; they are called bori. The man who blows this trumpet is always mounted on horse back, and every bashaw with three tails is intitled to have seven.
The second instrument is made of wood; it is a sort of pipe or flute with five holes; the Turks call it zurnader. The person who plays this instrument is on horseback, and every bashaw with three tails is intitled to five.
The sounds which issue from these different instruments would be extremely harsh to the ear, were they not in some degree harmonized by the great drum: when the whole is played together, the effect is both martial and pleasant.
Surgical Instruments directed to be provided for the use of regimental hospitals. An amputating saw, with spare blade, 1 metacarpal saw, with ditto, 24 curved needles, 2 amputating knives, 1 catlin, 2 tenaculums, 1 bullet forceps, 1 pair of bone nippers, 2 screw tourniquets, 4 field tourniquets with handle, 2 callico compresses, 2 trephines, with sliding keys, 1 trephine forceps, 1 elevator, 1 lenticular, a brush, key instruments for teeth, to fit trephine handle, 8 scalpels, 2 silver catheters, 1 trocar with spring and introductory canula, 1 do. do. and canula for hydrocele, probang, 1 long silver probe, 1 large bougie.