BENGAZl. 
295 
was punctually paid to us, after some little (possibly unavoidable) 
delay, by the hands of secretary Hashi ; and the credit of his excel- 
lency was in no other way diminished, than by the discharge of the 
five hundred dollars at several times, instead of being made at one 
payment. Had we known at Tripoly so much of the Bey’s private 
history, as we have already stated above, this teskere might have 
been spared him ; for we should certainly not have been induced to 
accept any order upon him, however trifling, could we have supposed 
that its payment might be inconvenient. 
Soon after we left the coast of Africa, Bey Halil was removed 
from the government of Bengazi, and it is probable that he had 
reason to rejoice at his dismissal ; for had he remained there much 
longer than he did, the continued demands for money and cargoes, 
so unmercifully made upon him by his Highness, could scarcely have 
failed to ruin him. In addition to these, he had sustained a consi- 
derable loss in the capture of one of the vessels which he had 
freighted, by the Greeks, as we were informed, at Bengazi ; and also 
in the destruction of the jewels and wardrobe of his wife, which the 
Bashaw had ordered to be burnt (it was said) after the death of that 
unfortunate princess. 
In compliance, we presume, with the practice of the court of Tri- 
poly, tea was served to us with the sherbet,' instead of coffee, at the 
interviews we had with Bey Halil ; as we have already mentioned it 
to have been in that with the Shekh of Mesurata. 
In the course of our first visit, we took occasion to mention to his 
excellency the careless manner in which Shekh Mahommed el I)6b- 
