260 THE MAHMUDIE MONEY. 



we walked boldly on board no one interfered 

 with us. The "Mahmudie" is said to carry 

 140 guns ; I counted, but could make out only 

 128, including those at the gangways, which are 

 small. The guns of the main, middle, and upper 

 decks, are very fine iron ones, about 32-pounders, 

 or perhaps rather more. She has no poop. Her 

 regular crew did not appear to be on board, as she 

 was undergoing repairs, caulking, &:c. 



I advise every traveller, who has any dealings 

 with Turkish money, to beware that it does not 

 in the literal sense of the word " slip through his 

 fingers." Piastres are a plated coin, so are five 

 and six-piastre pieces, and consequently of a 

 good, substantial, and tangible size ; but there 

 are some gold pieces, of twenty, five, and three 

 piastres each, the size of which may be guessed 

 when it is recollected that a piastre is worth little 

 more than twopence English. These gold pieces 

 are very thin and light, and the smaller ones are 

 easily blown away by the wind. This we found out 

 to our cost, because, just after we had been on 

 board the ^^ Mahmudie," our servant untying the 

 corner of his handkerchief for the purpose of pay- 



