Protokollregister über die Abschiedsaudienz von Damian Hugo von Virmont beim Sultan, Istanbul, 2. April, 1720

Biñ yüz otuz bir senesinde ṣulḥnāme ile Nemçe çāsārı ṭarafından Āsitāneye gelen kebīr ilçinüñ ʿavdete meʾẕūn olub nāme-i hümāyūnı aldıġı gün vāḳiʿ olan keyfiyetdir. Der sene 1132 fī 23 Cemaziyülevvel Māh-ı mezbūruñ yigirmi üçünci Ṣalı güni Nemçe çāsārı ṭarafından ṣulḥnāme ile gelen kebīr ilçi ʿavdete meʾẕūn olub dīvān-ı hümāyūnda nāmesin almaġla ẕikr olunur. The Austrian secretary C. Driesch noted the date of the audience as April 3, 1720. Yevm-i mezbūrda ġalebe dīvān olub ilçi-yi mezbūr içün muʿtād üzere dīvān bisāṭı ile müzeyyen at ve begzādegān ve etbāʿı içün daḫı yüz otuz ḳadar eyerlenmiş egerlenmiş atlar iskeleye irsāl ve çavuşbaşı aġa ve kātib ve emīn ve ḳırḳ elli miḳdārı çavuşān iskeleye varub ilçi-yi mezbūrı alay ile sarāy-ı hümāyūna getürüb dergāh-ı ʿālī yeñiçerileri çorbaya segirdecekleri zemān içerü ḳonub seyr ve temāşā iderek ḳubbeye ḳarīb geldükde devletlü ṣadr-ı ʿālī ḥażretleri ḳoltuḳ oṭasına gidüb ilçi-yi mezbūr derūn-i ḳubbeye dāḫıl oldıġ ı gibi vezīr-i aʿẓam daḫı içerüden berü gelüb vüzerāʾ-i iʿżām ve ahālī-yi dīvān ḳıyām eyledüklerinde ilçi-yi mezbūr vezīr-i aʿẓam ḥażretlerine ḳarşudan temennī idüb vezīr-i aʿẓam daḫı muʿāmele-i nevāziş göstererek ḳuʿūd eyledüklerinde ilçi-yi mezbūr Nişāncı vezīr-i mükerrem Muṣṭafā Paşa ḥażretlerinüñ altında ṭūlānī ṣofanuñ üzerine oturub baʿdehū ṣāḥib devlet baştercümānı çaġırub ilçiniñ ḥāl-i ḫaṭırın suʾāl itdürdi. Baʿdehū dīvān ḳurılub meṣāliḥ-i ʿibād görüldükden ṣoñra ṭaʿām gelüb ilçi vezīr-i aʿẓam ile begzādegānı vüzerāʾ-i iʿẓām ve defterdārān ile iṭʿām olunub baʿde’l-ṭaʿām ʿarż olmaḳ üzere ḥużūr-i hümāyūna telḫīṣ telḥīṣ olunub ḫaṭt-ı hümāyūn ile müşerref telḫīṣi telḥīṣi ḳapucılar ketḫüdāsı getürdükde vezīr-i aʿẓam ḥażretleri derūn-i ḳubbenüñ vasaṭını tecāvüz iderek istiḳbāl idüb baʿdehū gelüb yerine oturduḳda işāret-i ʿaliyye mūcebince çavuşbaşı ilçiyi ḥazīne öñine götürüb gendüye ferāce yeñlü serāsere ḳablu semūr kürk ve begzādegān ve etbāʿına daḫı rūznāmçede ḳayd olunduġu miḳdār ḫilʿatler ilbās olunub baʿdehū yeñiçeri aġası ʿarża girüb baʿdehū ḳażʿasker efendiler ʿarża girüb çıḳduḳdan ṣoñra vezīr-i aʿẓam ve sāʾir vüzerā ḥużūr-i hümāyūna girüb baʿdehū ilçi daḫı kendi ile on altı nefer ʿarża ḳonub ḥuẓūr-i hümāyūnda nāmesin alub ilçinüñ sırkātibi elleri üzerinde ṭaşra çıḳarmışdur. For the speech Virmont delivered in the presence of the sultan, see the travelogue of C. Driesch. Bu günde ḳapucıbaşılardan baʿżıları meʾmūren ṭaşralarda bulunmaġla müteferriḳagāndan altı yedi nefer ḳapucı başılar ṭaḳımı ile bābüʾl-saʿādede mevcūd itdürilmiş-idi. Baʿdehū ilçi ṭaşra çıḳub orta ḳapunuñ ḫāricinde ḥāricinde ṭaraf-ı ciḥāndārīden iʿṭā ve iḥsān olunan dīvān bisāṭlu ata süvār olub ḫāṣṣ fırūn dīvārı cānibinde at üzerinde ṭurub erbāb-ı dīvān biʾl-cümle mürūr idince temāşā itdürilüb baʿdehū çavuşlar kātibi ve emīni ve çavuşān ile iskeleye degin alay ile götürilmişdür. Ancaḳ çavuşbaşı ʿavdetde gitmek ḳānūn olmamaġla gitmemişdür.

The circumstances on the day when the Austrian grand ambassador, who had been dispatched by the Austrian emperor to Istanbul with a peace settlement in the year 1131 (November 24, 1718–November 13, 1719), was given permission to return [to Austria] and received the sultanic letter [addressed to the emperor]; April 2, 1720. The following relates what happened on the twenty-third day of the said month, a Tuesday, when the grand ambassador – who had been dispatched by the Austrian emperor with a peace settlement – was given permission to return [to Austria] and received his [sultanic] letter inside the imperial council room. On that day, a festive imperial council meeting took place (for the payment of janissary salaries). As per custom, a horse adorned with an imperial ceremonial saddle was prepared for the ambassador, while one-hundred-and-thirty saddled horses were prepared for his noblemen and attendants, which were dispatched to the pier. The agha of the palace ushers, the secretary, and the intendant [of the palace ushers], along with another forty to fifty palace ushers, went to the pier and paraded with the ambassador back to the palace. As the janissaries of the court were “about to dash to the soup,” (çorbaya segirdecekleri zemān) the ambassador was brought in and advanced to the imperial council room watching [the janissaries]. Meanwhile, his highness the grand vizier advanced to the antechamber (ḳoltuḳ oṭası). As soon as the ambassador was brought inside the imperial council room, the grand vizier also came inside. The viziers of the imperial council and other functionaries of the council had all risen to their feet. From across the room, the ambassador expressed his good wishes to the grand vizier, who returned the gesture by showing courtesy to the ambassador and sat down. The ambassador sat on the long bench below the revered Chancellor Vizier Mustafa Pasha. After that, the grand vizier summoned the chief interpreter and had him enquire about the ambassador’s well-being. Next, the imperial council began and the usual affairs of [the] people were addressed. Then the meal came. During the meal, the ambassador sat together with the grand vizier, while his noblemen ate together with the viziers of the imperial council and the chief treasurer. After the meal, a grand vizieral report was submitted [to the sultan asking for permission to be accepted] to the imperial presence. The agha of palace gatekeepers then brought back the grand vizieral report, which now contained the imperial rescript on it, upon which the grand vizier moved forward, walked past the middle of the room, and then came back and sat down on his place. Then, as per the instruction by the sultan, the agha of palace ushers brought the ambassador in front of the treasury room. The ambassador himself was dressed with a sable fur on a brocade cloak with mohair sleeves and his noblemen and attendants were dressed with kaftan in the amount that has been registered in the registry of daily expenses. Then, the agha of the janissaries entered the presence of the sultan. Next, the military judges [of Rumelia and Anatolia] entered the sultan’s presence and came outside. Then, the grand vizier and the viziers of the imperial council entered the presence of the sultan. Next, the ambassador was taken into the presence of the sultan along with his sixteen attendants. He took his letter in the presence of the sultan and, as the letter was on the hands of the ambassador’s private secretary, they came back outside. On this day, some of the court gatekeepers (ḳapucıbaşılar) were assigned duties outside the court. Therefore, six to seven head gatekeepers from among the court officials (müteferriḳagān) were deployed with their units at the Gate of Felicity. After that, the ambassador went outside and, outside of the middle gate, he mounted a horse gifted by the sultan and saddled with an imperial ceremonial saddle. The ambassador stood remained mounted on the horse by the imperial bakery and watched all the members of the imperial council walk by. After that, was paraded to the pier accompanied by the secretary and the intendant of the palace ushers and some palace ushers. Since it was not customary for the agha of the palace ushers to accompany the return [convoy] he did not go.