77

THE TAESCHNER COLLECTION (Or. 12.357, cont., 12.358)

Literature: GOW, p. 358; Ahmed Hamdi Tanpmar, ‘Akif Pa§a\ in IA.

Cod.Or. 12.358 Risale-i Vahid Efendi ^ ^ | , A mid 19th-century copy of a memorandum (takrir) on the peace negotiations held between the Porte and Great Britain at the Dardanelles in 1223 (1808-9) by the Ottoman plenipotentiary (murahhas) Mehmed Emin Vahid Efendi, later Pa§a (d. 1244/1828). The British side was represented by Robert Adair (1763-1855, cf. DNB I), who also published his own memorandum with additional documents. (For the historical background, see Dani§mend, Kronoloji IV, p. 99.) Only two copies of the Ottoman memorandum seem to be documented. The title, here given, is not mentioned in the work itself (and probably found in the Vienna manuscript, Flügel 1149), which, instead, begins with an elaborate heading on the contents (cf. quotation below). The work is preceded by an introduction on the, mostly practical, preparations for the peace talks such as the place at which the negotiations were to be held, including quotations from diplomatic correspon dence; the talks themselves, held in nine sessions {meelis), followed by four further meetings, until the final ratification and closing ceremonies on 19 Zf l- ka‘de (6 January 1809), are described from f. 7b onwards. A few erasures"and interlinear corrections. Bound in brown leather; bluish-white paper; 1 + 17 + 1 folios; 185x125 mm and 155x105 mm, varying; 18-20 lines; without catchwords; nk‘a, in slightly slanting lines; headings, Arabic quotations and colophon in red; completed on 2 Cemait l-ewel 1266 (16 March 1850); without the name of a copyist; the inscription Franz Taeschner Ms. Nr. 34’ by the owner himself occurs on f. la; a note by Taeschner on the content, title, the name of the author, dating and purchase (from Nasrüllah in 1925), written on a separate piece of paper, is found in the MS. Heading (first unnmbered page, verso, as in the Vienna MS): JU»f aj--* Jili.1 aLI aJL. cJjj flii. j <>**>• „ . 4-*i3 e-iiShltibe Begins {ibidem): <uic cJj.4 jjAiJI jJÜM s H.Ü.* (J* a^Lk^u aJJLj s