"دليل الخليج. مجلد I. القسم التاريخي. الأجزاء Iأ و Iب. ج.ج. لوريمر ١٩١٥" [‎١‎٣‎٧‎١] (١٧٨٢/١٥٢٦)

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required, by long confinement in prison awaiting a decision from Constantinople.
or the more distant provinces this law should be modified, so that retributive justice
should immediately follow the commission of crime. I will not deny but that long
incarceration may be worse than death to the offender, but such a mode of punishment
IS j Ost in these countries, where example and precept are understood only through the
channel of the eye. Here we might as well imprison a mule to deter others from
icking. The public mind is not yet enlightened enough to understand the motives
or the penal refinements of our European codes.
llie rapid enhancement of fiscal demands at this period^ together with
the frequent changes in the Shaikhship of tribes which they involved, are
well illustrated by the case of the Muntafik. Previous to Najib Pasha's
arrival in 1842 the Shaikh of this tribe had been liable for an annual
payment of 100,000* Shamis only. By 1851, when Fan's was Shaikh,
the assessment had risen to 200,000 Shamis. In the autumn of 1851
Shaikh Mansur undertook to pay 240,000 Shamis a year; but in the
spring of 1852 he was outbidden by Shaikh Salih, who offered 300,000.
In October 1853, the Samawah district assessed at 100,000 Shamis per
annum having in the meanwhile been removed from the Muntafik Chief's
jurisdiction. Shaikh Mansur undertook to pay 310,000 Shamis a year
for the remainder; and in 1855 Shaikh Bandar assumed an annual
liability, notwithstanding further reductions of territory, of at least
310,000 Shamis.
In 1855 the A1 l>u Muhammed tribe, occupying the banks of the
Tigris below 'Amarah, revolted for finanical reasons and began to plunder
villages and to attack boats plying on the river. It was found impossible
to coerce them, because no sooner did Turkish troops appear on the scene
than the amphibious tribesmen vanished into their lagoons ; so, after the
navigation of the Tigris had been completely suspended for six months,
the Turkish Government agreed to accept as their revenue that which the
tribe themselves were willing to pay.
Taxation of
the Mnntalik,
1851-55.
Insurrection
of the A1 Bq
Muhammad,
1855.
xife:
Turkish administrative arrangements, 1839—61.
A few facts interesting to students of Turkish administration emerge
from the records of the time. Some of them, implying changes, must no
The shami at this time was worth about one shilling and six pence English.