'Travels from India to England : comprehending a visit to the Burman Empire, and a journey through Persia, Asia Minor, European Turkey, &c., in the years 1825-26, by James Edward Alexander' [‎252] (343/412)

\
252 EUROPEAN TURKEY.
displeasure of the Prince, where they cannot exist beyond a twelve
month ! The Ospadar is assisted by twelve senators, who meet in
divan twice a week: the metropolitan commonly presides. There is
also present a Turkish officer, a sort of licensed spy, called the Divan
Effendi, who watches their proceedings. In divan they discuss
projects for raising money, paying off debts, hear and finally decide
appeals from inferior tribunals, &c.
The boyars, and Wallachians in general, are weak enough to wish
for a change of masters, and the Russians above all others. IF the
Russians possessed the country, there would be an end to all the
emoluments which the boyars at present enjoy. There is a regular
series of offices, each of which they can hold for a year; such as
Minister for Foreign Affairs, Minister of the Interior, Superintendent
of Police, &c. Now under the Russians these would be all filled
with their own people: the boyars would dwindle into insignificance.
They would not then be enabled, as some of them now are, to keep
six carriages and a hundred servants, and to give splendid fetes;
they would then be obliged to take off their caps to every Russian
ensign they met.
The calipak, or large cap of grey lamb-skin, which the boyars
wear, is a most singular article of dress. The size is restricted to
so many Turkish inches in circumference: if it exceed the measure,
the wearers are subject to decapitation; yet they are so fond of
large calipaks that each boyar has two, one of the authorized dimen
sions which he wears in the day, another with which they skulk
about from house to house at night, and so preposterously large that
they cannot come through a door without taking it off and passing
it in sideways.
Bucharest