Mohammed Gheráí Arrives at Rudosjuk
Mohammed Gheráí, who had made himself obnoxious to his brother, Salámet Gheráí, the reigning khán of the Crimea, (who had joined himself to Sháhín Gheráí, and, along with some Circassian tribes among whom he lived, had committed great depredations among the Crimean Tátárs,) no sooner heard of the death of Salámet Gheráí, and the efforts which Jánbeg Gheráí had employed to prevent either his or his brother’s succeeding to the khánship, than he appeared with four hundred men in Romeili, and advanced with the utmost haste to solicit the support and countenance of the Turkish government in his own behalf. The grand vezír, on hearing of his approach, sent some of his ághás to meet him, and to bring him to Rudosjuk, where he had the felicity of kissing the emperor’s foot. The emperor, after holding a diván, promised that equity should be done; and attached two kapújí báshís to two of Mohammed Gheráí’s officers, who were to bring the two contending princes to an agreement between themselves.
The emperor’s nativity was again celebrated at Rudosjuk. At night candles were lighted up, and muskets were fired. The front of the imperial pavilion was brilliantly illuminated with a vast number of lamps. On the following day he set out for Kopurjí Cháier, passed through the village of Amúrcha, and on the third day arrived in the plains of Silivria. Here he was met by the kapúdán, Mohammed Páshá, the bostánjí báshí, Hasan Aghá, with his whole body of bostánjís. Many of the ulemá and servants of the government came to this place also, to welcome him back. In the evening, as the emperor was going towards the gardens of Silivria, he was met by his reverence the mufti Mohammed Effendí, and other learned men. When the mufti saw him approaching, he advanced, kissed the hem of his garment, and pronounced a blessing on his head. The sultán, on the other hand, no sooner saw the venerable prelate drawing near to him, than he checked the steed on which he was mounted, in order to allow him time to perform the above ceremony, and then invited the mufti and his learned associates to mount and accompany him in his jaunt, when they all entered into a variety of conversation. Other ulemá, and heads of seminaries of learning, came also on this occasion and paid him their respects. The emperor, after meeting with so many tokens of esteem from his learned subjects, ordered preparations to be made for going to the gardens of Dávud Páshá. The night on which he arrived at these gardens the whole space occupied by his soldiery of various kinds was brilliantly illuminated, and the small and great guns fired a salute. On the 24th of Rabia I. he entered the capital, whilst his troops and retinue formed a beautiful and orderly procession. In a very few days afterwards, however, i.e. on the 1st of Rabia II., he passed over to his palace at Scutari, where he followed the amusements of the chase. Sometimes he went to Stavros, sometimes to the port of the metropolis, and sometimes to the gardens of Dávud Páshá, in pursuit of the same sport and amusement.
On the 5th of Rajab of this year he went to the gardens of Chatálijeh, and returned to Constantinople on the 12th of the same. On the following day, after having spent the night comfortably, he went to the Halkalú gardens, where he gave audience to the grand vezír. From these gardens he retired to those of Dávud Páshá, and thence returned to the imperial palace.
About this time seven of the chaste and unsullied daughters of the emperor’s uncles, brought up in the old palace, were given in marriage to rich and powerful ághás, who were favourites of his majesty. On the 23d of Rajab the emperor removed to the gardens of Beshektásh, where he either spent his time in the library, or in the orchards of that place, and returned to his own palace in the month of Shabán, where, night after night, he attended to the duties of religion, and to the distribution of alms. He ordered Súfí Mustafa Effendí, his own Imán, to draw out a statement from authentic documents of all his royal children; and a list of twenty-six names, male and female, was returned to him. To each of these he sent by this prelate, and others who were joined with him in the commission, immense presents; and as many of them as had arrived at the age of puberty, received a suitable provision.
During the month of Ramazán he was most assiduous in offering up his devotions; and on the Leilet ul kadr,23 he made such a distribution of money and of other benefits as had never been exemplified in any of his predecessors. After the termination of the fast, the usual salutations were attended to, and he again began to enjoy the pleasures which his palace afforded.
It having been alleged that the use of wine had been the cause of the disturbances and tumults which had taken place in the city from time to time, the pious and religious emperor, in order to put a stop to this forbidden and pernicious practice throughout the empire, ordered the laws to be enforced. The taverns were a perfect nuisance; and therefore the keepers of them had their licenses taken from them: the sellers of wine were obliged to flee, and their houses or shops were thrown down, without paying any regard whatever to the vast advantage which accrued to the government from this traffic; because of the great evil which it had done to the morals of the inhabitants. It was not long, however, before the use of wine again became as general as ever.