Travels in Turkey, Asia Minor, Syria, and across the desert into Egypt ...

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TRAVELS IN ASIATIC TURKEY,
whose pieces frequently fell within the camp of the mission, that
General Kochler found it necessary to make an official representation
of this abuse to the Vizier and Reis Effendi. The result of
this measure was, that a guard of janissaries was placed on the
left of the camp ;
but no sooner was the mission relieved from one
inconvenience, than it was followed by another of a more alarminp-
nature, the commander of the guard falling a victim to the plague
a few days after.
On the 17th, three bodies were seen lying in the streets of the
new camp, with the head placed under one of the arms. This
Turkish custom, in the punishment of criminals, has been already
explained.
The English hospital tent, which had been left on the old. ground
of encampment, with the plague patient, Cowden, on whose case
I touched in a late digression, was attempted to be robbed by a par-
ty of Arabs. The guard in attendance fired on these miscreants,
who could not be deterred from their predatory pursuits by the risk
even of encountering so dreadful a disease.
At this time an incident occurred which displays the extreme
heedlessness of the Turks. Major Hope commanding the
artillery,
went to the Topgis Bashi, or chief of artillery, to give him some
instructions relative to the Turkish ordnance. One of the topgis,
or artillery-men, brought a live shell into the tent in which, this
business was transacting, to show the priming and quick match,
which he placed close to the pipes of those who were smoking,
and with a thorough insensibility of his own danger, and of the
risk to which he exposed all the ammunition in the park of artille-
ry, drew out his knife to open the match. So little attention do
these people pay to
consequences, that he would, in the same way,
have
brought in
vented him.
a
cartridge
of powder, if the major had not pre-
On the
evening of the 19th the sick were removed to the new en-
campment, where they were placed under the same strict and severe
quarantine as before.
An English gun-boat arrived at Jaffa, on the 27th from Gi-
braltar. She
brought advices, that the fleet stationed off Malta had
captured three vessels richly laden out of Alexandria, at which
place nearly sixty sail, having on beard property destined for France,
were making preparations for their departure.
The gun-boats sailed
in the evening for the coast of Egpj/t.