290 
BENGAZI, 
ever, destined to enjoy his good fortune long, for the princess died a 
short time before our arrival at Tripoly, and with her highness 
departed that portion of influence which Bey Halil through her 
means had obtained. The profits arising from the government of 
Bengazi would have been sufficient to enrich its possessor, had he 
been allowed to enjoy them ; but the demands which were continually 
made upon him by the Bashaw became so heavy after the death of his 
wife, that the surplus was very inconsiderable. Besides this, the 
collection of the tribute from the Bedouin tribes in the neighbour- 
hood was often attended with difficulty, and must have made the 
receipts uncertain ; but no allowance is made in Mahometan 
countries for casualties of this description ; the will of a superior is a 
law, and his demands must be punctually complied with, (whatever 
may be the means of satisfying them,) if the office, and often the 
life of the person upon whom they may be made, are valued by him. 
The consequence is, that extortion in the heads of departments is the 
cause of extortion in subalterns ; and he who has no power to avail 
himself of tyranny, is generally doomed to be the sufferer himself, 
for not being able to do more than his resources will allow him to 
accomplish. Many a w ell-meaning man who would have acted with 
propriety, had the alternative been less severe, is thus obliged to 
commit acts of cruelty and injustice which his nature would not have . 
inclined him to ; the force of habit and example at length subdues 
his better feelings, and necessity is so often made the excuse for 
tyrannical conduct, that it not only becomes a plea where it actually 
obtains, but is urged as such eventually on occasions where no ne- 
