228

THE TAESCHNER COLLECTION (12.410, cont.)

under some copies. About a third of the notebook in which the copies were made - they all show the same hand - was left blank. Most letters are dated; these cover the period 7 Muharrem (1 August 1827) to 7 Safer 1243 (30 August 1827) (2b- 41a), and some days of Cemafi l-ewel 1243 (November-December 1827) (43a- 44a), Muharrem 1244 (July-August 1828), and Safer (August-September 1828) of the same year (46b, 48a). The letters, a great number of which are exercises in elegant verbosity with little factual content, are all of an official nature. They do not contain the names of addressees or senders (the name of the carrier, by contrast, often occurs in the text), but are sometimes preceded by a heading, occasionally in red, indicating their genre and/or the rank, sometimes also the name, of the addressee, but seldom the sender. Genres mentioned are letters of advice (tavsiye), of congratulation (tebrik, tehniyet-name), petitions, notes (ka ’ime), letters presenting one’s respects (‘arz-i hulüs), of condolence (ta'ziye), an invitation (da'vet mektubi, 46a) and a memorandum (takrir, 46b). Addressees mentioned are the Molla of Bursa (lb), the grand vizier (3a, 3b, 13b-14a, 17a-b, 46b-47b), the agha of the Janissaries (4b), the kethuda of the grand vizier (lOa-b, lib, 14b, 15b), a khan (12b, 19a-b, 34a-b), the valt of Rumelia (13b), a vizier (14a), the voyvoda of Wallachia, Alexander (18b), the voyvoda of Moldavia (19a), the vali of Baghdad (21a-b, 22a), the vali of Damascus (21b-22a, 27a-b), the $eyhülislam (24a), Murad Beg (26a), Cebbarzade (26a-b), the vali of Sivas (26b), the vali of Bosnia (27b-28a), the muhafiz of Kandlye (Iraklion, 28a), the mutasarnfoi Mu§, Murad Pa§a (28b), the vali of Egypt (29a-b), the mütesellim of Nigde, Ca‘fer Aga (29b), the post-nifin of the hankah of HakkI Efendi in Bursa (30b-31a), the tersane-i ‘amire emini (31a), the mutasarnfoi Airmen (Ormenion) (33b), and a kapuciba$i (38a). Senders mentioned are a gavu$ba§i (lb), the muhafiz of (Janya (Chania) (13b-14a), the kethuda of the grand vizier (19a), the vizier Ragib Pa$a (24a, 26b), and a mir-i miran (28b). The content of the letters varies greatly, but a considerable number are of a formal, polite nature: messages to reinforce friendship or patronage; congratulations, or responses to them, on the occasion of, mostly, appointments or the circumcision of sons; letters accompanying gifts of money, horses or robes of honour, or those responding to the same; greetings; and condolences. Other letters concern the Ottoman administration: appointments of officials, or requests for the same (e.g. on the delayed promotion of Yüsuf Efendi, a na ’ib of Güzelhisar, to a miiderris at the Süleymanïye in Istanbul, 24a); the misbehaviour of officials (e.g. by Süleyman Aga, appointed nüzl emini in 1238/1822-3, who refused to pay 42,000 kurus owed by him, and later refused winterquarters in a certain Cfuldn’) district requested by the serdar for his troops,