STATE  ‘PiA-P-E R’'S. 
sugar canes; he stopped therein, 
and indulged himself in partaking 
of the delicious liquor they afforded ; 
and, at length, was determined to 
remain on the spot. Very soon 
after, two travellers, who had fol- 
fowed- him, came up. ‘The first 
said to him, salamallee (the mode of 
wishing health). ‘¢The devil take it,” 
answered the black. The second 
traveller then approached, and in- 
quired why he had answered in sach 
a way toso gooda wish. ‘ I had 
very good reason for it,” replied he, 
“if I had answered in a friendly 
manner, the man would have enter- 
ed into conversation with me, and 
afterwards sat down beside me ; he 
would have partaken of my refresh- 
ments, and finding them desirable, 
would have endeavoured to obtain 
exclusive possession.” I recom- 
mended to the favourable attention 
of Dgezzar, the christians: and the 
convents at Nazareth and Jerusa- 
lem; he assured me that he would 
treat them with much regard. I did 
not forget the Mutuales, and receiv- 
ed the same assurance in their be- 
half. Degezzar frequently observed 
to me, that his word was, with him, 
more sacred than treaties. Our 
conversation was interrupted for 
some moments by a kind of military 
music, which he performed in a very 
agreeable style. The palace of 
Dgezzar is built with much taste and 
elegance ; but, in order to arrive at 
the apartments, a number of turn- 
ings are necessary. At the foot of 
the staircase, however, is situated a . 
prison, the gate of which is allowed 
to be open from noon till evening. 
I saw a number of the unfortunate 
inhabitants. In the courts I ob- 
served twelve field-pieces well 
mounted, and in admirable order. 
Never did J encounter a sight more 
‘the limits of his power. 
748 
hideous or repulsive than that of the 
minister of Dgezzar, whom I met in 
going out. The pacha had caused 
one of his eyes to be put out, and 
his nose and ears to be cut of. [| 
saw in the town more than a hun- 
dred individuals in the same state. 
On beholding the domestics of 
Dgezzar, and even the inhabitants 
of Acre, one would imagine himself 
in the resorts of brigands ready to 
assassinate. ‘This monster has im- 
printed the mark of his atrocious 
character upon every thing within 
I had an 
opportunity of -~seeing, while at 
Acre, the procurateur of the Propa- 
ganda, as well as that of the Holy 
Land. Of the former, and of the 
commissary of the Seven Isles, I col- 
lected some information concerning 
the present state of Syria, and the 
fortifications of Acre, of which I 
had seen but a part; I was not suf- 
fered to visit them. The procura- 
teur_of the Holy Land is grateful to 
the first consul for the protection he 
had afforded the monks. He assur- 
ed me that my recommendation to 
Dgezzar would be very useful. He 
hinted to me Dgezzar’s earnest 
wishes to be on good terms with the 
first consul. It is certain that the 
former behaved very wellto the crew 
of a French vessel which put into 
Acre shortly before my arrival. 
Dgezzar occupies all Palestine, with 
the exception of Jaffa, where Abon- 
marak Pacha has been besieged near- 
ly five months by a force of 9000 
men. ‘This operation prevents 
Dgezzar from carrying on hostilities 
with the desired vigour against the 
emir of the Druses, who, for the 
space of a year, had paid him no 
tribute. Tripoli is tranquil at pre- 
sent: it is different at Aleppo, 
whence the pacha has been driven. 
Damascus 
