Page:Travels & discoveries in the Levant (1865) Vol. 1.djvu/320

270 liquors in the Koran, considers them as tacitly allowed. After dinner his orgies are such as to shock the propriety even of the Mytileniotes.

As compared with really strict Mussulmans, Ishmael Pasha may be called a Turkish esprit fort. He laughs at the poor plodding Hoja with his Koran under his arm, and admitted to me, confidentially, that the Koran was only a religious book, but that it did not contain all human science, as the Hoja supposed; that there were such things as geogi'aphy, history, &c., which were profitable to know, and yet did not form part of the Koran; that it did not require forty years to know the contents of this wonderful book, but that any man of common sense might master it in as many months.

The opportunity seemed not a bad one for speaking out plainly, so I said, "Why does not the Sultan encourage Europeans to buy land and settle in Turkey, instead of throwing all manner of hindrances in the way of such purchases? If Europeans could be encouraged to settle in Turkey, capital would be expended on the land, which is at present utterly impoverished for want of proper cultivation." The Pasha winced a little, and said, "But what would become of the Turks? We should all sell our land, and become beggars." I could not say to him, "Why not?" I renewed the subject in the course of the day; but he " shifted his chibouque, and only took snuff."

Ishmael Pasha professes to have a taste for literature, and I actually saw him read a page of a Turkish book, after which his eyes became fatigued