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EDLIP.
the proceeds of which amount to nearly one hundred purses;
besides a house tax, which yields twenty purses. The duties levied
on provisions at Djissr Shogher amount to twenty purses.
The government of Edlip is in the hands of a Mutsellim, named
by the Porte ; the real power had been for many years in the rich
family of Ayash (), till the present chief of that family, Mahmoud ¬
Ibn Ayash, a man famous for his hospitality and upright
character, had the misfortune to lose all his influence. In 1810
his house became involved in a deadly quarrel with that of Djahya,
in consequence of a game of Jerid, which took a serious turn, and
in which much blood was shed. Djahya left Edlip, and went to
Rieha and Djissr Shogher, where he succeeded in engaging in his
interest Seyd Aga and Topal Aly, the rebel chiefs of those towns,
who only wanted a pretext to fall upon Edlip; they accordingly
stirred up the inhabitants against Mahmoud, who was obliged to
fly to Aleppo, and having sent the Mutsellim, Moury Aga, back
to Constantinople, they put Abou Shah, the brother-in-law of
Topal Aly, in his place, and brought Djahya back to Edlip. After
some months the two rebels came to a compromise with Mahmoud,
who returned to Edlip, and Djahya, in turn, fled to Aleppo; Mahmoud’s -
power, however, was now at an end : the two chiefs are
at present masters of the town, and share its spoils ; but its wealth
has much decreased since these events took place. In eighteen
months it has paid upwards of six hundred purses ; and on the day
pefore our arrival a new contribution of two hundred had spread
despair among the inhabitants. A Kadhi is sent here yearly from
Constantinople. Sermein bears from hence S. E. by E. There
are no dependent villages in the territory of Edlip.
February 17th.—We left Edlip after mid-day. Our road lay
through a wood of olive trees, in a fertile uneven plain of red argillaceous ¬
soil. In one hour we reached Sheikh Hassan, the tomb of
