B A S 



of many years. It is true, thefe irregularities, every now 

 and then, are puniflied by the bow-ftring, one of the prac- 

 tices of tiie porte v.-hioli beft difplays t'le fpirit of liis go- 

 vernm-nt. The oftenfible reafon is always for liaving op- 

 preffed the fuhjefls of the fultan : but the porte, by taking 

 pofleflio'i of the weahh of the extortioner, and reftoring no- 

 tliing to the people, leaves fufficient room to think that 

 the government is far from difapproving a fyftem of rob- 

 bery and plunder which it finds fo profitable. Every day, 

 therefore, affords frefti examples of oppreffive and rebellious 

 pachas ; and if none of them have hitherto fuccecded in 

 forming a (table and independent government, it is Icfs ow- 

 ing to thefe wile meafurcs of the divan, and the vigilance of 

 the Capidjis, than their own ignorance in the art of govern- 

 ing. The paciias regard nothing but money ; nor has re- 

 peated experience been able to make them feniible that this, 

 fo far from being the pledge of their fecurity, becomes the 

 certain canfe of their deftruftion. They are wholly devoted 

 to amafGng wealth, as if friends vV'ere to be purchafed. As 

 the pacha poflTefrc' the power of life and death, he excrcifes 

 it without formality and without appeal. Wherever he 

 meets with an offence, he orders tlie criminal to be fcized ; 

 and the executioner, by whom he is accompanied, ftrai-igles 

 him, or takes off his head upon the fpot : nay, fometimes 

 he himfelf does not difdain this office. Tliis duty he fre- 

 quently commits to a deputy, called Wall The admini- 

 ftration of jullice in civil fuits is the only fpecies of autho- 

 rity which tlie fultans have withheld from the executive 

 power of the pachas. The officers appointed for this pur- 

 pofe are, by a wife regulation, all independent of the pachas. 

 See Cadi. 



To the governors of provinces were formerly given in- 

 differently the names of pacha and of beglerbeg, or beyltr- 

 bey : the latter at this day is refervcd fcr the pachas of 

 Manallir and of Cutayc : they have the pre-eminence over 

 the other pachas, and generally command the troops which 

 are brought into the field. The beyler-bey of Manallir has 

 under his orders the IJuropean troops, and the beyler-bey 

 of Cutayc thofe of Afia. Tliey are neverthelefs fubordi- 

 nate to the grand vifier, when the latter takes the general 

 command of the arn'.ies. Formerly, the name bafliaw, or 

 pacha, was ajipropriated to fuch as had two enfigns or 

 horfe-tails carried before them ; thofe who had the honour 

 of three tails, called vifier-hafhaws, were denominated beg- 

 ler-begs ; and thofe who had only one, fanchiucbegs. 



The appellation ot ba(haw is alfo given by way of cour- 

 tefy at Couflantinople, to the lords about the grand feigni- 

 or's court, the officers in the army, and almod every per- 

 fon of any figure. 



A bafhaw is made with the folemnity of carrying a flag 

 or banner before him, accompanied with mufic and fongs by 

 the mirialem, an officer on purpofe for the invelliture of ba- 

 ihaws. 



Bafhaw, ufed abfolutely, denotes the prime vifier ; the 

 reft of the denomination being dii^inguillied by the addition 

 of the province, city, or the like, wiiich they have the 

 command of ; as the bafhaw of Egypt, of Palefline, &c. 

 The balhaws are the emperor's fponges. We find loud 

 complaints among Cliriftians of their avarice and extortions. 

 As they buy their governments, every thing is venal with 

 them. Volney's Travels into Egypt and Syria, vol.i. ch. lo. 

 vol. ii. ch. 33. Olivier's Travels in the Ottoman Empire, 

 ch. 17. RiifTell's Aleppo, vol. i. p. 135, &c. 



There are alfo fub-bafhaws, or deputy governors under 

 Ihefirll. Phil. Tranf. N-' 218. 



Bashaw, Captain, is the title of the Turkifh high-admi- 

 ral, who comniands the naval forces of the Ottoman empire, 



B A S 



and is at the head of all the maritime eftablifhments. He 

 ufuaily commands in perfon the fleets and all thei/aval forces 

 of the empire ; he nominates to all plates and employments ; 

 he orders the building and repairing of fhips ; but the " Ter- 

 fana-emini" is properly the naval miniller, fince he has the 

 adniiiiiflrat'on of the funds appropriated to the navy, the 

 direftion of fupply of (lores to the arfenal, the care of the 

 equipment of (hips, and the fupeiintendence of all the works. 

 He has under him chiefs, deputies, and difTcrent harbour 

 mailers, as well for the execution of his orders and for pri- 

 vate fuperintendence, as for the police. 



BASHEE Islands, in Geography, a group of five iflands 

 fituated in the Chinefe feas, north of the Philippine ifiands, 

 and fouth of Formofa. They are faid to be fo called by Dam- 

 pier from the name of a liquor made of the juice of the fugar 

 cane and a fmall black grain, and ufed by the inhabitants. 

 This name was given to the mod eallerly of the group, and 

 at length was applied to them all. The proJudtions of thtfe 

 iflands are plantains, bananas pine-apples, fugar-canes, po- 

 tatoes, yams, and cotton ; their quadrupeds are goats and 

 hogs. The people, according to Dampitr, are kind and 

 hofpitable. The names of the iflands arc Orange, Grafton, 

 Monmouth, Ifie of Goats, and Bafiiee. This group is re- 

 prtfented in the " Miffionary Voyage," p. 308. as confilting 

 of fix or feven iflands ; the northernmoll of which lies in 

 N. lat. 21°. E. long. 122° 6'. The two to the fouth-eaft 

 are high ; forae of the others are of moderate height ; the 

 mod northern except one is high and craggy at top ; and 

 between thefe two lie two fmall rocks above water. Between 

 thefe iflands and thofe of Botol Tabaco-Xima, is a channel 

 about 16 miles wide. 



Bashee, or Bach'i, the mod eaflcrly ifland of the pre- 

 ceding group, appearing of a circular form, and being about 

 2 leagues in diameter. It has a town of the fame name. 

 N. lat. 21° 45'. E. long. 122'' 15'. 



BASHKIRS, orBAscHKiRs, apeoplecf the Ruflian em- 

 pire. They call themfelves Baflikourt; and derive their origin 

 partly from the Nojay-tartars, and partly from the Bolgarians. 

 Proba!?ly they are Nogays, wliom the Bolgares adopted among 

 them : their country at leafl is a part of the ancient Bolga- 

 ria. They formerly roamed about the fouthern Siberia under 

 the couduft of their own princes : to avoid the moleftations 

 of the Siberian khans, they fettled in their prcfent poffef- 

 fions, fpread themfelves about the rivers Volga and Ural, and 

 were fubjeft to the Kazanian khanate. On the overthrow 

 of that (late by tzar Ivan II. they voluntarily took refuge 

 under the R-uffian fceptre : they afterwards, however, fre- 

 quently revolted againit the government, whereby their pr.^- 

 fperity as well as their population have been confiderably di- 

 miniflied. In the year 1770, they confided of twentv-feven 

 thoufand families, having their homeftead in the govern- 

 ments of Uta and Perme. The Bailikirs have been long 

 v/ithout khans ; and all their nobility have been gradually 

 dtftroyed in the civil wars. At prefent every tribe or wololl 

 chufes for itfelf one or more ancients, or darfchinis ; and 

 the whole nation compofes 34 wolods. The huts or houfes, 

 which tliey inhabit during winter, are built after the Ruffian 

 fafhion ; the principal part, which the family commonly pof- 

 feflTcs, is furnifhed with large benches, which ferve for beds; 

 the chimney, of a conical form, and of the height of an ordi- 

 nary man, is in the middle of this divifion, and fo ill con- 

 ftvurted,that they are very hable to finokc : on this account the 

 Baflikirs are very fubjeft to various complaints of the eyes. 

 In fummer this people inhabit what the Ruffians call Jurtes; 

 they are tents ot covers of felt, which, like the huts, have 

 feveral divifions and a chimney in the centre. A winter vil. 



lage 



