5° 



A Relation of the Chap. VIII 



Son-in-law to Sofyman. He had many travcrfes of fortune, and was for fome time out 

 of Favour : but in fine, Solyman, who had great Affairs to manage, and was engae'd 

 in a Wat with Perfia, coming to a little indigency of Mony, fent fox Rujian, and be- 

 ftow'd on him the Superintendency of his Revenues. He knew him to be a man of 

 great Abilities, and capable of putting them, in a ftiort time, into a good pofture i and 

 accordingly his pains and diligence in the management thereof prov'd fo fuccefsful 

 that he prefently fill'd Solymanh Coffers, and re-cftablifh'd the Affairs of the Empire ' 



The Heroic^ 

 Sentiment of a 



Hoe principal 

 Sources of the 

 wealth of the 

 Empire. 



the Revenues 

 of Egypt how 

 mployd* 



Upon which occafion I mail here fet down a thing which is Kill frefh in the remem- 

 brance of many Turfy, who received it from their Fathers. The Turfy have fo great a 

 zeal for the welfare of the State, that one of the Grandees of the Port , an Enemy of 

 Ruftans, and one, who, upon other occafions, would gladly have ruin'd him nro- 

 tefted to one of his Confidents, That, though it were in his power to do him' an ill 

 turn, yet he would not do it then, becaufe he had, by his Induftry and Labours up- 

 held the State, which he retriv'd from the Precipice of deftrucrion, and was in a fair 

 way to make a confiderable augmentation of its Revenues. This generous and heroick 

 Sentiment in the Soul of a Turk, who at his rirft rife was but a fimple Slave would 

 meet with but few Examples amongft Chrijlians. 



But, to reaffume our difcourfe concerning the Fourth Chamber of the Treafury It 

 is full of Chefts of two foot in length, and a breadth and depth proportionable there- 

 to, fortify'd with plates of Iron, and made raft, each of them, with two Chains. The 

 number of them is not always the fame, becaufe the Mony is coming in and 'coins 

 out of that Chamber, and the Coffers are tranfported thence according to the occuit 

 rent exigencies, for the payment of the Janizaries, and the maintenance of the Ar- 

 mies. 



All the Gold and Silver which is brought into the Treafury, rifes out of the Reve- 

 nues of the Empire,and out of the Sale of what Goods the Bajfa's leave at their depar- 

 ture out of this World. As to what is rais'd out of the Empire,which dilates it felf fo 

 far into the three parts of our great Continent,and comprehends fo many Kingdoms^ 

 may be eafily imagin'd, that it muft fupply the Treafury with vafc Sums i but it is not 

 fo eafie to afcertain them. Its Revenues confift principally in the collection of the 

 Tributes, and in the Cuftomes : and the three Tefterdars, or Treafurers-Gcneral give 

 an account to the Grand Vizir of the Receipts of the Provinces. That Principal Mi- 

 nifter has the cuftody of one Key of that fourth Chamber of the Treafury and the 

 firft Tefterdar has that of another, and beiides that,< it is always feal'd with the Grand 

 Seignor's Seal. It is not ordinarily open'd, but upon thofe days, on which the Divan 

 fits, that is,on Council-days, either for the reception of Money into it, or for the ta* 

 king of any out, to defray the Charges of the Empire. 



What is fo receiv'd into it is for the moft part in Silver i and as to the Species of 

 Oold Coins that are brought into that Chamber, they come from four Sources, two 

 whereof are upon a Foreign account, and the other two upon that of the Country. 

 One of the two former confifts in the Commerce of the French, Englifh, Dutch Ita- 

 Itans, Mofiovites, and Polanders, who bring in Ducats out of thofe Provinces The 

 other is the annual Tribute, which the Cham of the Leffer Tartary, the Princes of 

 Tranfyhama, Moldavia, and Walachia, theRepublick of Ragufa, and part of Minarelh 

 andK,#*, are to pay the Grand Seignor in Gold, which amounts to very great 

 ?>ums. One of the two Sources of the Country proceeds from what is found upon 

 the removal of the Bajfa\ whereof the very coined Gold makes the beft part i die 

 other from the Revenue of Egypt, where there is an annual coinage of a certain num- 

 ber of Seqiuns, according to the quantity of Gold, which is brought thither out of 

 Ethiopia, and being com d into Sequins, is all convey'd thence into the Treafury. 



The Revenue of Egypt may amount yearly to twelve millions of Livers, f that is 

 about one million and two hundred thoufand Pounds Sterling! which muff be divi- 

 ded into three parts. Five millions of the twelve, are brought into the Grand Seig- 

 f™^ ^r ^lions f ^ forefaid Sum, are employed in the maintenance 

 of the Officers and Soldiers of that Kingdom : And the other three jare defign'd for 



the 



