A full and just account of the present state of the Ottoman empire in all its branches: with the government, and policy, religion, customs, and way of living of the Turks, in general. ... By Aaron Hill, ...

CHAP. XX. Of the Revenues of the Turkish Sultan.

THE Reader must not here expect particular Accounts of those prodigious Sums of Money, wherewith the Emperors of Turkey still find means to fill their Coffers; * 1.1I can only tell him, that besides the Publick Treasury I lately spoke of, there is kept in the Seraglio private Banks of Money in strong leather Baggs, the Sum, which each contains, inscrib'd upon a Label fast'ned to it; These have been amass'd by former Sultans, and are all distinguish'd from each other by the several Names of the collecting Monarchs deeply cut upon the Covers of large Iron Chests, which hold the leather Baggs abovenam'd.

* 1.2THESE Private Treasures, tho' containing mighty Sums of Money, which instead of lying dead might be increas'd each Year by different Im∣provements, are esteem'd so Sacred by the superstitious Turks, that they believe it nothing less than hainous Guilt or Sacrilege it self, to make the smallest use thereof, till it may do their Country and Religion signal Ser∣vice at a time, if such a time ever happen, when the Christian Nations join against them and invade their Territories; a thing I fear, too much unlikely, but in which the Turks are apprehensive of a Universal Dan∣ger.

* 1.3AS for the Revenues of the Turkish Sultan, such I mean as are his fix'd Propriety, and the undoubted Right of his Imperial Dignity, they are at present reckon'd at about eight Millions and three hundred thousand Pounds Sterling, yearly Income; a Sum becoming the Possession of a Prince so ab∣solute as the Grand Signior.

* 1.4THE manner of Collecting this prodigious Sum, is by Assessing every Subject of his Empire, at an inconsiderable Yearly Tax, which he must pay as an Acknowledgment of his Dependance on, and Duty to the Sultan; and it is an admirable Method, they have got, of raising all this Money without any charge or trouble to the Emperor.

THE Petty Governors of every little District, are oblig'd to gather the respective Quota's of the Villagers about them, and set out with Guards suf∣ficient to defend the Money towards the next great Town to their dependant Residences; here they must deliver it to the Possession of the Aga, or the Governour of the Place, demanding his Discharge for their Acquittance of a Duty so incumbent on their Offices.

* 1.5THE Aga's adding to this Sum their own Collections, guard 'em in like manner to the Sangiacks, or the Lords Provincial; they, with the addi∣tion of their own deliver it to the Superior Beylerbeys, or Great Arch-Dukes of Turkey, and these last continue all in their Possession, till demanded by the Guards, who undertake to carry it in Waggons safely to Constan∣tinople.

THE Quarterly Collections never are behind hand, for on pain of Ruin no Man dares refuse immediate Payment on the Day appointed, so that ten Days after every Quarter, the remotest Provinces begin to send away their Money towards the City I so lately nam'd. In every Province, the Timari∣ots, Zaims, and other standing Soldiery, are summon'd to appear and form a general Muster; * 1.6whence, with their Commanders at their Head, they all advance, and guard the Waggons to the Residence of the Sangiack of the adjoining Province.

HE with all his Soldiers, joining his additional Collections to the for∣mer, there receives the Custody of all together, and advances in like man∣ner till he reaches his next Neighbour, who relieves him with another Par∣ty; and in this settled Order they proceed, still swelling their Collections, till the last delivers all the Revenues of one Quarter, to the Lord High Trea∣surer at Constantinople.

IT is observable, that as the Provinces, which lie the nearest to their great Metropolis, must undertake the Convoy of far greater Sums than the remoter Places, so the number of their Soldiers is proportionably greater, as they are by far more populous, for reasons mention'd in the Chapter, treating of the Maxims of their Policy.

* 1.7NOW, tho' the Sultan's Treasure is thus brought him by the universal Labour of his Subjects; he is as I have said entirely free from any kind of Charge; this Duty being fix'd upon his Governors of Provinces, as one of those incumbent on their Places, and consequently to be manag'd only by those Officers.

* 1.8BUT many are the means, whereby the Sultan daily adds prodigious Sums to his Revenues, such as, for Example, The obliging all the Great Bashaws and Governours of his Dominions every New-Years-Day to send him Presents, commonly in ready Money, which amounts to an incredible Amassment.

* 1.9ANOTHER way he has, when his Occasions press him to Collect extraordinary Sums, by sending Orders to the Lords Provincial of his Em∣pire, immediately to raise as much as he requires, which they must do with∣out reply, by Means as absolute as the Command of their Great Master; oftentimes the Sultan takes occasion to demand such Sums from certain Provinces, as 'tis impossible they can supply him with; but sending in compliance with his Will as much as they can spare, excuse themselves, as incapacited for a further Contribution.

* 1.10HERE the Grand Signior gains his end, and finds a thousand fair Pre∣tences for the Execution of the Governors of all such Provinces; he either sends 'em Word that they have quite Impoverish'd their Governments, by tyrannous Oppression of their People to enrich themselves, or that their Lives must pay the forfeit of their Disobedience, having fail'd to execute his Royal Orders, which obliges him to think them either Traitors to his Power, or unable to discharge the Trust he had conferr'd upon them.

EITHER of these Reasons or indeed a Weaker, often none at all, suf∣fice to ruin those, whose Riches speak 'em fit for Execution, which is done as I have said before, by Strangling, * 1.11for it is esteem'd a Crime of an un∣pardonable nature, to spill the Blood of any Mussulman: The Treasure of such Governors is instantly declar'd Confiscated to the Grand Signior, and accordingly deliver'd into his capacious Coffers.

* 1.12THUS does Possession of a splendid Wealth endanger those, who own it, yet it is observable that Turks of every Nation are the most inclin'd to aim at growing Rich, more zealously pursuing Gain, by how much faster it rolls in upon them; and this in every Age has been a Vice as epidemic as un∣reasonable. The Poor are commonly the most contented with their For∣tune, and Juvenal has left it as a Maxim, that,

* 1.13Crescit amor nummi, quantum ipsa pecunia crescit, Et minus hanc optat, qui non habet.

The love of Money does with Money grow, Those wish it least, who least its Comforts know.

THE Customs upon Goods Imported and Exported, are another means of bringing in considerable Sums of Money to the Coffers of the Sultan, and occasional Taxes of an hundred kinds impos'd on Christians and the Turks themselves, of which it was impossible to get a just Account, amount each Year to such amazing Heaps of Wealth, that the Grand Signior cannot tell the bottom of his Income.

BUT as the violent Extortion of Superiors tempts the rest to imitate their Methods in a private Dealing, every Man applies himself to study means of growing Rich, as finding a necessity of being so, if they wou'd make a Figure worth regarding.

* 1.14Ʋnde habeas quaerit nemo, sed oportet habere.

No Man will ask, which way you Wealthy grow, Yet, wou'd you gain Respect, you must be so.

THO' all the Nations of the World have ever disregarded ragged Me∣rit, none despise it like the Turkish People; For their Nobility becoming so but by the Riches they are Masters of, the Poor are look'd upon with strange Contempt, and their successless Labours slander'd with the Stain of want of Industry; and the Curse of Poverty were in any Country an insup∣portable Misfortune, tho' it had but that one Mark of Inconvenience, nam'd by Juvenal.

* 1.15Nil habet infelix paupertas durius in se, Quam quod ridiculos homines facit.

Unhappy Poverty, that heavy Curse, In its oppressive Weight has nothing worse, Than that such Men, as griping Want endure, Appear ridiculous by being Poor.

PROCEED we now to view the present State of the poor Modern Greeks, and see how much we find among them of the ancient Spirit of their Glorious Ancestors.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Private Trea∣sures, how a∣mass'd in Tur∣key.
• * 1.2

  To what Use reserv'd.
• * 1.3

  The yearly Revenue of the Grand Signior.
• * 1.4

  The manner of Collecting it.
• * 1.5

  How carry'd to the Capi∣tal.
• * 1.6

  How guarded on the Road.
• * 1.7

  An admira∣ble Policy.
• * 1.8

  Another way the Sultan has of raising Mo∣ney.
• * 1.9

  Another, which he of∣ten uses.
• * 1.10

  A barbarous Avarice.
• * 1.11

  Why the Turks use Strangling.
• * 1.12

  The Turks ve∣ry Covetous.
• * 1.13

  Juv. Sat. 14.
• * 1.14

  Juv. Sat. 14.
• * 1.15

  Juv. Sat. 3.