Befehlsschreiben des Sultans; Istanbul, 3. Januar

150 74 Sāḳız muḥāfaẓasından olan dāme iḳbālühūya ve İzmir ve Sāḳız monlālarına ve Midilli ḳāḍīsına ve ẕikr olunan ḳażālarda vāḳīʿ gümrük emīnlerine ḥüküm ki: Ḳıdvetü ümerāʾi’l-milleti’l-mesīḥiyye Romā imperāṭorı ṭarafından büyükilçilik ile der-i devlet-medāruma gelen Cenerāl Ġrūf de Virmond ḫutimet ʿavāḳibühū bi-l-ḫayr südde-i saʿādetüme mühürlü ʿarż-ı ḥāl gönderüb ṭarafeynüñ tüccārı gerek berren ve gerek baḥren ve nehren getürdükleri emtiʿadan bir defʿa bir maḥallde ve yine ḥudūd-ı 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 müsteʾminlere müsāʿade olunduġı üzere üçyüz aḳça selāmet aḳçasından māʿadā maṣdariyye ve żarar-ı ḳaṣṣābiyye ve rüsūmāt-ı sāʾire muṭālebesiyle ḳaṭʿā rencīde olunmaya diyü ʿahdnāme-i hümāyūnda mesṭūr ve muḳayyed olduġına bināʾen müşārün ileyh Romā imperāṭorı bayraġı ve paṭentasıyla kendi reʿāyāları ve tüccār sefīneleri ḳapūdānları memālik-i maḥrūsetü’l-mesāliküme getürdükleri ve alub götürdükleri emtiʿalardan bir defʿa bir maḥallde ʿahdnāme-i hümāyūn mūcebince yüzde üç ḥesābı üzere gümrüklerin virüb yedlerine edā teẕkireleri alduḳlarından ṣoñra ziyāde muṭālebe olunmayub ve üçyüz aḳça selāmet aḳçasından māʿadā maṣdariyye ve żarar-ı ḳaṣṣābiyye ve rüsūmāt-ı sāʾire muṭālebesiyle ḳaṭʿā rencīde ve remīde olunmayub ḥimāyet ve ṣiyānet olunmaları bābında emr-i şerīfüm ricā eyledügi ecilden vech-i meşrūḥ üzere ʿamel olunmaḳ bābında fermān-ı ʿālī-şānum ṣādır olmışdur. Buyurdum ki vuṣūl bulduḳda bu bābda ṣādır olan fermān-ı celīlü l-ḳadrüm mūcebince ʿamel idüb daḫī siz ki mūmā ileyhümsiz müşārün ileyh Romā imperāṭorı bayraġı ve paṭentasıyla gendü reʿāyāları ve tüccār sefīneleri ḳapūdānları memalik-i maḥrūsetü’l-mesāliküme getürdükleri ve alub götürdükleri emtiʿalardan bir defʿa bir maḥallde ʿahdnāme-i hümāyūn mūcebince yüzde üç ḥesābı üzere gümrüklerin virüb yedlerine edā teẕkireler alduḳlarından ṣoñra ziyāde muṭālebe olunmayub ve üçyüz aḳça selāmet aḳçasından māʿadā maṣdariyye ve żarar-ı ḳaṣṣābiyye ve rüsūmāt-ı sāʾire muṭālebesiyle ḳaṭʿā rencīde ve remīde olunmayub ḥimāyet ve ṣiyānet eyleyüb emr-i şerīfümüñ mażmūn-ı münīfiyle ʿāmil olasız şöyle bilesiz. The ambassador Virmont reported every such order issue by the Ottoman court to Vienna. For example, see his report dated January 29, 1720. fī evāḫir-i Ṣafer sene 1132 151 bir ṣūreti Mıṣır vālīsine, İskenderiyye ve Dimyāṭ ḳāḍīlarına ve gümrük eminlerine 152 bir ṣūreti Ḥaleb vālīsine ve monlāsına ve İskenderūn ḳāḍīsına ve gümrük emīnlerine 153 bir ṣūreti Yānya ve Avlonya mutaṣarrıfı vezīr ʿOsmān Paşaya ve Ilbaṣan paşasına ve ẕikr olunan sancaḳlaruñ ḳāḍīsına ve iskeleler emīnlerine 154 bir ṣūreti Ḳandiye muḥāfıẓı Vezīr Meḥmed Paşaya ve Ḫānya muḥāfıẓı vezīr Esʿad Paşaya ve Resmo sancaġı begine ve ḳāḍīlara ve gümrük emīnlerine 155 bir ṣūreti Lefḳoşa monlāsına ve Ḳıbrıs cezīresi muḥāṣṣılına ve iskele emīnlerine 156 bir ṣūreti İskenderiyye paşasına ve İskenderiyye ve Ülgün ḳāḍīlarına ve iskele emīnlerine 157 bir ṣūreti Ṭrāblus Şām vālīsine ve Ṣaydā ve Beyrūt beglerbegisine ve Ḳuds-i şerīf sancaġı mutaṣṣarrıfına ve Ṭrāblus Şām monlāsına ve Ṣaydā ve Yāfa ve ve ḳāḍīlarına ve iskele emīnlerine 158 bir ṣūreti Mora muhāfaẓasında olan beglerbegine ve Mora cezīresinde olan ḳāḍīlara ve ẕikr olunan ḳāżālarda vāḳiʿ gümrük emīnlerine

Decree to the commander of Chios, — may his felicity endure, to the chief judges of İzmir and Chios, to the judge of Lesbos, and to the customs superintendent situated on those islands: General [Damian Hugo] Count of Virmont—may God end his days propitiously—who came to 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 [about the following matter]: It is written and recorded in the imperial letter of agreement (ʿahdnāme-i ḥumāyūn) that once the merchants of both parties paid at a given location for a single time a three percent customs duty for the commodities they brought over land, sea, and rivers, and [likewise] paid at a given location for a single time a three percent customs duty for the commodities they purchased from inside the frontiers of Islam, no more than three percent shall be demanded from them and they shall absolutely not be injured with claims of more than the three percent or with the claims of an export fee (maṣdariyye), dues for goods in transit (żarar-ı ḳaṣṣābiyye, lit. 'butcher’s damage'), and other kinds of taxes, except for a fee of 300 akçes for safety, collection of which is allowed to a variety of custodians. Accordingly, [the ambassador] requested my most noble order that once their own subjects and the captains of merchant ships who came under the flag and patent of the aforementioned Roman emperor paid for a single time at one location a three percent customs duty as per the imperial letter of agreement for the commodities they brought to my 'well-protected dominions of professional paths' (memālik-i maḥrūsetü’l-mesāliküm) and they purchased here and took away and received in their hands a receipt of payment, no additional claims [of payment] shall be made and they shall not be injured and disturbed with claims of an export fee (maṣdariyye), dues for goods in transit (żarar-ı ḳaṣṣābiyye, lit. 'butcher’s damage'), and other kinds of taxes, except for a fee of 300 akçes for safety; they shall be guarded and protected. For that reason, my illustrious edict has been issued for [all] to act in the described way. I command that, when my edict arrives, you shall act as required by my edict of glorious worth that has been issued about this matter. You are the aforementioned ones; once their own subjects and the captains of the merchant ships who came under the flag and patent of the aforementioned Roman emperor paid for a single time at one location a three percent customs duty as per the imperial letter of agreement for the commodities they brought to my well-protected dominions and for those that they purchased here and took away and received in their hands a receipt of payment, no additional claims [of payment] shall be made and they shall not be injured and disturbed with claims of an export fee (maṣdariyye), dues for goods in transit (żarar-ı ḳaṣṣābiyye, lit. 'butcher’s damage'), and other kinds of taxes, except for a safety fee of 300 akçes; they shall be guarded and protected. You shall all act as per the exalted purview of my most noble order. So shall you know! January 3 to January 12, 1720 151 A copy to the governor of Egypy, the judges of Alexandria and Damietta, and to the customs superintendents. 152 A copy to the governor and to the chief judge of Aleppo, to the judge of Alexandretta (İskenderun) and to the customs superintendents. 153 A copy to the administrator of Ioánnina and Vlorë Vizier Osman Pasha, to the pasha of Elbasan, and to the judges and superintendents of piers at the aforesaid districts. 154 A copy to the commander of Heraklion Vizier Mehmed Pasha, to the commander of Chania Vizier Esad Pasha, to the administrator of Rethymno, and to judges and customs superintendents. 155 A copy to the chief judge of Nicosia, to the tax collector of the Cyprus island, and to the superintendents of piers. 156 A copy to the pasha of Alexandria, to the judges of Alexandria and Ulcinj, and to the superintendents of piers. 157 A copy to the governor of Tripoli (Lebanon), to the governors of Sidon and Beirut, to the administrator of the district of Jerusalem, to the chief judge of Tripoli, to the judges of Sidon and Jaffa and and and to the superintendents of piers. 158 A copy to the provincial governor who is currently the commander of Morea (Peloponnese), to the judges on the Morea (Peloponnese) Island, and to the customs superintendents situated at the aforesaid towns.