CHARACTERS. 
are painted, and numerous doors 
conduct from it to different parts 
of the palace. This hall, like 
the area below, was filled with 
a multitude of people; and the 
living scenery became yet more 
various and interesting as we pro- 
ceeded. We now saw, besides 
Turkish, Albanese, and Moorish 
soldiers, the Turkish officers, and 
ministers of the Vizier; Greek 
and Jewish secretaries, Greek 
merchants, Tartar couriers, the 
‘pages and black slaves of the Se- 
raglio; petitioners seeking to ob- 
tain audience, and numerous other 
figures, which give to the court 
and palace of Ali Pasha a charac- 
ter all its own. 
A curtain was thrown aside, 
and we entered the apartment of 
Ali Pasha. He was sitting in the 
Turkish manner, with his legs 
crossed under him, on a couch im- 
mediately beyond the fire, some- 
what more ‘elevated than the rest, 
and richer in its decorations. On 
his head he wore a high round 
cap, the colour of the deepest 
mazareen blue, and bordered with 
gold lace. His exterior robe was 
of yellow cloth, likewise richly 
embroidered, two inner garments 
striped of various colours, and 
flowing down loosely from the 
neck to the feet, confined only 
about the waist by an embroidered 
belt, in which were fixed a pistol 
and dagger, of beautiful and de- 
licate workmanship. The hilts of 
these arms were covered with dia- 
monds and pearls, and emeralds of 
great size and beauty were set in 
the heads of each. On his fingers 
the Vizier wore many large dia- 
mond rings, and the mouth-piece 
of his long and flexible pipe was 
AAT 
equally decorated with various 
kinds of jewellery. 
Yet more than his dress, how- 
ever, the countenance of Ali Pasha 
at this time engaged our earnest 
observation. It is difficult to de- 
scribe features, either in their de- 
tail or general effect, so as to con- 
vey any distinct impression to the 
mind of the reader. Were I to 
attempt a description of those of 
Ali, I should speak of his face as 
large and full; the forehead re- 
markably broad and open, and 
traced by many deep furrows ; the 
eye penetrating, yet not expressive 
of ferocity; the nose handsome 
and well formed; the mouth and 
lower part of the face concealed, 
except when speaking, by his 
mustachios and the long beard 
which flows over his breast. His 
complexion is somewhat lighter 
than that. usual among the Turks, 
and his general appearance does 
not indicate more than his actual 
age, of sixty or sixty-one years, 
except perhaps that his beard is 
whiter than is customary at this 
time of life. The neck is short 
and thick, the figure corpulent and 
unwieldy; his stature I had after- 
wards the means of ascertaining to 
be about five feet nine inches. 
The general character and expres- 
sion of the countenance are un- 
questionably fine, and the forehead 
especially, is a striking and majes- 
tic feature. 
He inquired how long it was 
since we had left England ? where 
we had travelled in the interval? 
when we had arrived in Albania? 
whether we were pleased with what 
we had yet seen of this country? 
how we liked the appearance of 
Ioannina? whether we had expe- 
rienced 
