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considerably. The Sultan had at this time just entrust- 
ed to him the government of Taraboulous or Tripoli in 
Syria, which is not less considerable. 
In the whole extent of territory which he governs, 
the Pacha has perhaps five or six thousand Turkish, 
Mogrebin, and other soldiers under his orders; but at 
this period being on a tour for the purpose of collecting 
the tributes from the south as well as of quieting the 
disturbances at Jerusalem, he had with him, it is said, 
an army of ten thousand men. 
During the absence of the Pacha, the city is govern- 
ed by the mutsclimm, an officer of the first rank. 
The other functionaries are the mollah, or the chief of 
the civil tribunal; the kadi, or ecclesiastical judge; the 
moufti, or chief interpreter of the law; the aga of the 
janissaries; the capicoul aga, or governor of the citadel; 
and the kiahia bey, or pacha's lieutenant. 
Damascus is surrounded by walls with towers and 
some ditches; but all these works are half in ruins, and 
not in a state to withstand a regular attack; besides, the 
exterior suburbs surround the wall on all sides. 
The true defence of Damascus consists in its gar- 
dens, which, forming a forest of trees, and a labyrinth 
of hedges, walls, and ditches, for more than seven 
leagues in circumference, would present no small im- 
pediment to a Mussulman enemy, who wished to attack 
the city. 
Among the tribes of Bedouins that inhabit the deserts 
in the neighbourhood of Damascus, the most consider- 
able is that of Anaze; the prince or grand scheik of 
which, is called Fadde. This tribe inhabits the desert 
to the east of the city, and extends itself to the neigh- 
bourhood of Bagdad. I was assured that all these Arabs 
had adopted the reform of Abdoulwehhab. 
