508

BATTLE OF MOUNT TAURUS.

DCCXXXV. But the obstinacy of the Porte, and the fact that a formidable force, under the orders of the Grand Vizir, was collecting at Koniah, in order to march upon Syria, determined the Pasha to push forward, and force the passes of Mount Taurus. On the 16th of October, therefore, at break of day, the army began its march from Bouzatni, the Dehli cavalry forming the vanguard, and the Bedouins bringing up the rear. The defile to be forced was extremely narrow, and the neighbouring heights had been covered with batteries. A considerable body of cavalry had posted themselves in the valley; the heights above Chifti Khan were occupied by the infantry, supported also by cavalry; and the remainder of the enemy had taken up a position on the opposite mountains. After a short pause, consumed in reconnoitering the movements of the Turks, who were partly covered by their entrenchments, the Arabs advanced to dislodge them. The engagement commenced with discharges of musquetry. Immediately afterward, Ibrahim Aga, at the head of the infantry, and Sélim Bey, with the Bedouin cavalry, supported by a body of Dehlis, attacked the entrenchments of the enemy, directing their movements towards the tent of the Turkish general. This decided the fortune of the day. The commanders taking flight, the troops speedily followed their example, the rout became general, and the Arabs, now no longer opposed by an enemy, marched through the defiles of Mount Taurus, and descended into the vast plains of Asia Minor.

DISPOSITION OF THE INHABITANTS.

509.

DCCXXXVI. Ibrahim had now, perhaps, overstepped the bounds prescribed by the Pasha to his military operations; but he had been led on by circumstances; and it should not be overlooked that, throughout the empire, a large party, if not a majority, existed in favour of Mohammed Ali. Who can tell, therefore, the projects of self-aggrandisement which now presented themselves to the mind of the ambitious Pasha, and his no less ambitious son? Prudence has rarely been known to associate with the lust of empire in the same breast; and the invitations of the Turks themselves inhabiting the provinces not yet subdued, impatient of the grinding despotism of Mahmood, and ignorant that the government of Mohammed Ali was precisely of the same description, may now, perhaps, have given rise to the hope that the Sultan might be dethroned, and the Pasha of Egypt invested with imperial power. These addresses were of course graciously received; they make known the vexations to which the people were subjected by the provincial governors, and the hopes which they entertained that under the rule of the Pasha they might taste of that tranquillity and happiness to which they had long been strangers. Even from the province of Kastamuni in Anatolia, situated on the northern extremities of Asia Minor, a petition, signed by the ulemas, gentlemen, and inhabitants, was addressed to Mohammed Ali.

DCCXXXVII. They represented that, "the Mutsellims recently appointed by the Seraskier, Khos

510

INHABITANTS OF KASTAMUNI.

rew Pasha, to the government of this province, had exercised their authority in the most tyrannical manner. Surrounded by individuals impious as themselves, they had dishonoured the Musulman religion, openly violating the precepts of God, and the law of the Prophet. So criminal a conduct could no longer be supported; with a view of restraining these deplorable excesses, remonstrances had been addressed to the new Mutsellim; but, turning a deaf ear to their complaints, and supported by partisans equally blind to consequences, he only became the more hardened in his tyranny, while, to maintain his own cause, in his despatches to government, he malignantly calumniated the honest and peaceful inhabitants of the province. Thereupon, accompanied by his party, he abandoned the city, and turning his arms against the vassals committed to his care, waged against them the most sanguinary war, murdering, pillaging, and devastating the country, where nothing was spared by the fury of this monster. Such crimes could not fail to inflame the courage of true Musulmans, whose efforts were seconded by the blessings of heaven. Elhaj Mustapha Aga, of an ancient family in the country, at the head of the true believers, attacked the bandits, killed the Tufenkji Bashi of the Mutsellim, and made prisoners a great number of his followers. The vanquished now retired to Tash Kiupri, eight leagues distant from Kastamuni, where they sought, by raising new levies, to repair the loss they had sustained. But the inhabitants of the

DISORDERS OF THE EMPIRE.

511

different districts of the province, marching against them in a body, a second battle took place, in which they were again defeated, with loss, while all their artillery and ammunition fell into the hands of the victors. Discouraged by this disaster, and perceiving their inability to enforce their unjust pretensions, they evacuated our territories in confusion, but still await, on the frontiers, the reinforcements which they have demanded from Constantinople. In consequence, we, the inhabitants of this province, have unanimously resolved to quit the party of the government, which no longer affords us any security. And, desirous of participating in the tranquillity and happiness, which the other nations and provinces that have shaken off the yoke of the enemy enjoy under your Highness's protection, we pray your Highness to receive our homage and submission, and to defend us by your power. We at the same time humbly request that Elhaj Mustapha Aga, distinguished for his philanthropy, disinterestedness, and experience, may be appointed Mutsellim of this province."

DCCXXXVIII. Such is the picture of by far the greater number of the provinces of the Turkish empire. Every where the oppressions and insolence of the governors urged the people to rebellion; and if Mahmood did not participate in these criminal proceedings, he at least wanted the authority to repress them. It was with reason, therefore, Mohammed Ali concluded, that by possessing himself of Koniah, the grand centre of Turkish operations, and thus

512

IBRAHIM ENTERS KONIAH.

giving a new impulse to the spirit of disaffection in Asia Minor, he should be able, in some measure, to compel the Sultan to listen, in the course of the winter, to terms of accommodation. With this view: Ibrahim Pasha advanced by the direct road to Koniah, while an inferior general, a nephew of Mohammed Ali, was directed to march upon Antab (where the Pasha of Aleppo was endeavouring to raise contributions from the inhabitants), in order to clear that part of the country of the Sultan's troops, and afterwards effect a junction with the commander in chief. Fortune now appeared to have wholly abandoned the Turks. Ibrahim, pursuing his march towards Koniah, entered it without opposition, the Sultan's army, amounting to about twelve thousand men, having evacuated it on the news of his approach." On leaving the city, however, they assassinated the Mufti, whom they suspected of being well affected towards the Pasha. The march of Ibrahim the younger, in the direction of Antab, having been retarded by many unforeseen circumstances, he had been prevented from effecting a junction between his forces and those of his uncle, so that on the arrival of the latter at Koniah his army was comparatively inconsiderable. If the Grand Vizir, therefore, had hastened his march from Broussa, Ibrahim would again have retired upon Mount Taurus, to take up the strong position of Eregli, the ancient Archalla. But it is more than probable that the ultimate result might have proved nearly the same; as the Egyptian general would have been falling back on his rein