Befehlsschreiben des Sultans; Istanbul, 15. September

127 68 Nīş muḥāfıẓı vezīre āsitāne-i saʿādetümden Selānik ve Doyran’a ve andan Nemçe ḥudūdına varınca yol üzerinde vāḳiʿ olan beglerbegiler ve sancaḳbegleri ve ḳāḍīlar ketḫüdā yirleri ve yeñiçeri serdārları ve aʿyān-ı vilāyet ve iş irlerine ḥüküm ki: Ḳıdvetü ümerāʾi’l-milleti’l-mesīḥiyye Romā imperāṭorı ṭarafından ḥālā der-i devlet-medāruma büyükilçilik ile gelen Cenerāl Ġrūf de Virmond ḫutimet ʿavāḳibühū bi-l-ḫayr südde-i saʿādetüme mühürlü mektūb gönderüb müşārün ileyh Romā imperāṭorınuñ tüccārından Yorġimen(?) nām tācir baʿżı emtiʿa ve eşyā almaḳ içün ticāret ārzūsıyla Selānike ve Doyrāna ve andan Belġrāda ʿazīmet üzere olduġın bildürüb ẕikr olunan maḥallere varub aḳçasıyla iştirā itdügi emtiʿanuñ ʿahdnāme-i hümāyūn mūcebince yüzde üç gümrük bir defʿa bir maḥallde edā ve yirine edā teẕkiresi alduḳdan ṣoñra āḫar maḥallerde tekrār gümrük muṭālebesiyle ve sāʾir bahāne ile rencīde ve remīde olunmayub ḥudūd nihāyetine varınca emīn ve sālim mürūr u ʿubūrına mümānaʿat olunmamaḳ bābında ḥükm-ü hümāyūnum ricā eyledügi ecilden ʿahdnāme-i hümāyūnuma mürācaʿat olunduḳda ṭarafeynüñ tüccārı gerek berren ve gerek baḥren ve nehren getürdükleri emtiʿadan bir defʿa bir maḥallde ve yine ḥudūd-u islāmiyyeden iştirā idüb vilāyetlerine götürdükleri emtiʿadan bir defʿa bir maḥallde yüzde üç ḥesābı üzere resm-i gümrüklerin edā eyledüklerinden ṣoñra yüzde üçden ziyāde muṭālebe ve sāʾir müsteʾmenlere müsāʿade olduġı üzere üç yüz aḳça selāmet aḳçasından māʿadā maṣdariyye ve żarar-ı ḳaṣṣābiyye ve rusūmāt-ı sāʾire muṭālebesiyle ḳaṭʿā rencīde olunmaya diyü mesṭūr ve muḳayyed bulunmaġın ʿahdnāme-i ḥümāyūn mūcebince ʿamel olunmaḳ bābında fermān-ı ʿālī-şānum ṣādır olmışdur. Buyurdum ki vuṣūl bulduḳda bu bābda ṣādır olan fermān-ı celīlü’l-ḳadrüm ve ʿahdnāme-i hümāyūnum mūcebince ʿamel idüb min baʿd ḫilāfına rıżā ve cevāz göstermeyesiz, şöyle bilesiz! fī evāʾil-i Ẕā [Ẕi’l-ḳaʿide] sene 1131

Decree to the commander vizier of Nissa (Niš) and to all provincial governors, district administrators, judges, aides-de-camp of janissary commanders, janissary commanders, provincial notables, and functionaries that are located on the road from my threshold of felicity (Istanbul) to Thessaloniki, Doyran (Star Dojran), and from there to the Austrian border: General [Damian Hugo] Count of Virmont—may God end his days propitiously—who is currently at my gate that is the center of state as grand ambassador from the Roman emperor, the paragon of the great commanders of the community of Messiah, sent a sealed petition to my threshold of felicity. He requested my imperial decree about the [following] matter: A merchant named Yorgimen(?) from among the merchants of the aforesaid Roman emperor declared that he will go to Salonika, Doyran (Star Dojran), and from there to Belgrade to purchase some commodities and goods and with the desire of commerce. As [the merchant] arrives at the aforesaid locations, after he purchases commodities with [his own] money, paying at each location once the three percent customs duty as per the imperial letter of agreement (ʿahdnāme-i ḥumāyūn), and receiving a receipt of payment, he shall not be oppressed and disturbed at other locations through recurrent demand of customs duty or other excuses and he shall not be prevented from passing along safely and soundly when he arrives at the border. Upon consultation to my imperial letter of agreement, it is written and recorded that after the merchants of both sides pay once at a location a three percent of customs duty for the commodities that they bring along with them over land and sea and for the commodities they bought from inside the frontiers of Islam to take to their provinces, they absolutely shall not be oppressed through a claim of an export fee (maṣdariyye), dues for goods in transit (żarar-ı ḳaṣṣābiyye, lit. 'butcher’s damage'), or other duties, in addition to the claim of three percent [customs duty] and a safety fee of 300 akçes as permitted to a variety of foreign individuals who applied for safety. [Hence,] my illustrious decree was issued to act as stipulated by the imperial letter of agreement. I order that, when my decree arrives, you shall act as stipulated by my edict of glorious worth and my imperial letter of agreement; from now on, you shall not permit or show consent to the opposite. So shall you know! September 15 to September 24, 1719