CHAP. LXXVI. Of the Franks that live in Aegypt, and the Ava∣nies which are put upon them.

*THere are Franks who live in several places of Aegypt, to wit, in Caire, Rossetto, and Alexandria; but the Consuls live at Caire, because the Basha resides in that City; they have Vice-Consuls in Rossetto and Alexandria, and sometimes in Damiette.* There is in Caire a French Consul, a Venetian, an English, and a Dutch; all other Nations that Traffick in that Countrey, or in any part of the Turkish Empire, go under the Banner of France, as the Messines, Geneose, &c. and the French Consul protects them.

The Consuls in Aegypt have from the Grand Signior a yearly Pension of six thousand Maidins, which amount to two hundred Piastres; but the Consul of Venice, has only two thousand Maidins, and yet is obliged to make a Present of about two thousand Piastres to every new Basha, whereas the rest are excused Page  253 for about a thousand; for it is the custome when a new Basha comes, or a new Consul enters into Office, to send the Basha a present of so many Vests, and so many besides to some other Officers, which are rated at above a thou∣sand Piastres,* not reckoning a great many other Vails that are to be given every day almost to the Sous-Basha and several other Knaves. When the Consul hath sent his Present, he demands Audience of the Basha, who having assigned him a day, he goes to wait upon him, and the Basha makes him to sit down over against him in a Chair or Couch, or else near to himself upon a Divan, and when the Consul takes his leave, the Basha gives him a Vest of Cloath of Tissue to put on, and one to the chief Trucheman, on whom also he bestows a small Pension, and raises the pay of the Consuls Janizaries. Herteofore the Consuls had the honour of Beys, but at present they are pul∣led down very low, and so little regarded, especially in Aegypt; that a Basha makes no scruple to put Avanies upon them when he pleases; and while I was in Aegypt I knew the Turks and Jews squeeze from the French Nation above fourscore or an hundred thousand Piastres in one year, because the Jews are very powerful in Aegypt, and govern all the affairs of that Kingdom; the Customes being in their hands, and they being the only Serats or Bankers. Besides that, they enjoy some Offices about the Basha, which make them have his Ear; and they daily put new inventions into his Head, for raising of Ava∣nies: He has three principal Officers, to wit, the Basha's Schelebi, which is an Office instituted within these few years; the Saraf Basha, and the Saraf of the Basha, who set their Wits continually a devising, and think of nothing else but of ways how to persecute the poor Franks. A Turk told me one day, that the Jews were the Turks Hounds for catching Money from the Franks; for the Turks of themselves are neither malicious nor cunning enough, to chase the Prey; but when once the Jews have made sure of the Game, the Turks come in and carry all away. I have known the Consuls several times put in Prison, and always most unjustly. An English Merchant-man bound for Aegypt was met and pursued by six Turkish Ships coming from Candie;* in the Chase he fired several Guns. and killed three Janizaries; but so soon as the Ships arrived in Aegypt, and this was known, the English Consul was put into Pri∣son, and for some days kept there; but this is nothing, in respect of what happened some time after:

The Turks having freighted two French Ships with goods in Alexandria,* the one commanded by Captain Durbequi, and the other by Captain Civilliers, and one English Ship, to all which they gave a good Freight; Captain Durbequi instead of going to Constantinople, (as he ought to have done) went to Legorn, with a design to make the best of his Cargoe; Captain Civilliers and the English Captain followed the Example; upon this, Ships durst not come from Christendom to Aegypt, fearing the loss might be revenged upon them; but in the mean time, the Jews having had advice from Legorn that the Ships were arrived in that Port, presently acquainted the Basha with it, who at that time dissembling his Indignation, sent an Aga to assure the Consuls that the Ships of their Countrey were in no Danger, and that they might come as freely and with as much safety as they did before, entreating the Consuls to send this advice into Christendom; each Consul presented the Aga with a Vest to the value of fifty Piastres; for it is a general rule that Aga's never come in Message to any person whatsoever, Consul or private man, Christian or Turk, but they must be presented according to the merit of the business, whether good or bad. A few days after, when they thought that the Consuls had sent Letters into Christendom, according to the orders sent to them, on which the Consuls did really rely; one morning an Aga with a Chiaoux and such other Rogues, came to their several Houses, and halling them out like Thieves and Robbers by force, put them upon ugly Horses without allowing them time to dress themselves, one being in his Slippers, and another in his Night-Cap, and with all imaginable rigour carried them Prisoners to the Castle, being even in danger of being knocked on the Head in the Streets, for the Villains spead about a report that the Franks had robbed the Grand Signior's Money, which much incensed the People. The Dutch and Venetian Consuls were carried away in the same manner, though they were not at all Page  254 concerned in the business, but they were no sooner come into the Castle, when they were sent home again to their Houses; though for all that, it cost them an hundred Piastres a piece to the Aga's and Chiaoux, as a reward for the pains they had been at. The other two Consuls lay several days in Prison, nay, and were for the first day put in Chains, and at length were not released, till their Nations paid great sums for their liberty, and promised the Basha to pay within a few Months, the value of the Ships Loadings; for which all the Merchants were obliged under hand and Seal. If the Capitulations made by Monsieur de Breves, were observed, such violences would not be used, as I my self have seen practiced by the Sous-Basha, who sent his Officers one night into the quarter of the French, some Merchants walking then in the open place, which is at the end of their Quarter, having perceived them coming, retired to their homes, but the Villains pursuing them to the very tops of their Houses, halled them out, and with all the speed they could dragged them to a nasty Prison, upon pretext that they had found them abroad at unseasonable hours, for it is prohibited to walk abroad in the streets in the Night-time; but the French are excepted by the Capitulations, which specifie that the Sous-basha is not to enter into their Quarter: They ran away with them in all haste, for fear they might be taken from them; and to make them run the faster, each of them was led by two Cowas, one holding one Arm and the other the other.* These Cowas are Moorish Recors or Officers, tall strong fellows, who wear no other Cloaths but blew-Shirts, sewed close like Womens Smocks; they carry staves as long as themselves, and as big as a Mans Arm; and when they carry any man to Prison, they give him now and then a blow with their Cudgel, which they hold in both hands by the end, that they may lay on the better. Thus were these Gentle∣men dragg'd away, each of them by two of these great Devils, who empti∣ed their pockets by the way, and pulled even the Rings off of their Fingers: but what was worst of all, other Cowas followed them at the back, who so banged their fides with their poles, that they were forced to keep their Beds for some days after. In the mean time the other Merchants, who thought that if they let them alone till next day, the Charges would be the greater, went immediately with the Consul, (though it was eleven a clock at night) to the Sous-Basha, and presented him with a Purse, in consideration whereof he released the Prisoners, and let them go home with the rest. Two days after, the Basha threatened to Imprison the fame Merchants, under pretext that the Sous-Basha's Officers had found them with Women, though it was false, and though they could draw no evidence of the matter from some Bar∣berins whom the Sous-Basha's men found at the same time in the French Quarter, and purposely clap'd into Prison when they apprehended the French Merchants; however it cost them three Purses more to take up that affair. Monsieur Honore de Bermond, in whose Family the Consulship of Egypt continued for many years, had a design to remedy all these Disorders, who being a man of Resolution and very well beloved in that Countrey, purposed to raise his Office to as high a pitch as ever it had been, and for that end, sent his Chief Trucheman to Constantinople, with instructions to sollicite the Grand Signior for several Orders, and among the rest, for one to have two or three of the chief Jews Hanged before their own Doors in Caire, thereby to terrify the rest from putting their tricks upon the French: and another of no less importance, to wit, that the Jews should not demand from the French, re∣payment of the money they had lent them, because they had received double the principal in Interest, (for they take one percent Usury a month, adding the Interest to the Principal every month, which amounts to considerable gains, doubling almost the debt in twenty six months time.) He spared not Money to accomplish these things, and would easily have obtained them, if Monsieur de Begue had not come at that time, for his coming broke all the others measures, bred a confusion among the Nation, and cost them above threescore thousand Piastres, for he promised the Basha great sums of Money to admit of him to be Consul, and to send off Monsieur de Bermond, who for some time was obliged to give way to that violence. Had he obtained these orders from the Port, they might have contributed somewhat to the prevent∣ing Page  255 of so many Avanies; but the best course that could be taken, would be, to have the Capitulations made by Monsieur de Breves with Sultan Amurat, at that time Grand Signior, renewed at Constantinople: It is true, that would cost a round sum of Money, for the Turks do nothing gratis, but then it would exempt from Indignities, such as go into those Countries, that are remote from Constan∣tinople, as Caire in Egypt is.

When a Frank goes along the streets, you shall have one rascally Moor spit in his face, another give him a blow with a Cudgel, and in the mean time he dares not so much as look them in the face, for fear of a present Avanie; for many times after they have beaten a Christian, or it may be, given him a stab with a knife, though the Christian hath not revenged himself, they'll go and complain to the Cady, saying that the same Christian hath beaten them, and to lift the hand against a Turk, is a Crime that deserves (with them) the cutting off of the hand; but the matter must presently be compounded for Money, and the longer it is delayed, the more it will cost; nay, you shall see a Turk, who ha∣ving killed a Christian that did him no hurt, go and complain to the Cady, that that Christian had beaten him, or blasphemed against the Law of Mahomet, which is a Crime for which a Christian must be burnt, or turn Turk; and though commonly the Cady knows very well that all is false, yet he still Condemns the Christians, that he may get money; and if the party who is so unhappy, have nothing to give, they Charge the Nation with it, and exact it from them by force.

I saw also a Woman, who passing by a French man, purposely josled him,* and then went and complained that he struck her a blow on the breast, and that she had a big Belly, which cost him an hundred Piastres.

There are likewise Rascals, who will inform against a Christian, that they saw him with a Woman, but that they could not apprehend him, because he made his escape, and they want not false Witnesses for that; if it be a Turkish Woman with whom he is accused to have been, he must turn Turk, or Burn for it; if it be a Christian or Jewish Woman, the rigour is not so great; but whether Turk, Christian, or Jew, that (as any other Vanie) is compounded for Money.

In short, they'll do any thing to suck Money from the poor Franks, obliging those who live near to them, even to keep their Windows always shut, preten∣ding that they would not have them look upon their Wives, but in reality, to get some Present from them.

I could make a whole Book of the Avanies, which I have seen practised when I was in that Countrey, but it is sufficient to have mentioned some, to shew how much these Rascals despise and insult over us. I wave this among others, that all Christians (whether they be Franks or not) must have a care to alight from their Asses,* not only when they pass by the Mehkieme (which is the Hall of Justice,) but also when the chief of the Scherifs passes, or when they meet seve∣ral Persons of Quality, and especially the Black Eunuchs coming from the Grand Signior's Serraglio, who are Men of Power; now seeing these Devils are very proud, they have always a great Train with them, and make the Christians render them that testimony of Respect, which nevertheless is not their due, but a Custome abusively introduced; but if a Christian did not alight as they passed by, their Cowas would dismount him, and drub him soundly with their Cudgels.