Autograph Letter Signed from Lieut. George Thorp to his brother Robert, written while serving on board HMS Aigle off Smyrna, describing two visits by 'Captain Pacha' [presumably Cenaze Hasan Pasha, sometime Grand Vizier]

3pp., 4to. 59 lines of text. Bifolium. Very good, on lightly-aged paper. Addressed on reverse of second leaf, with two postmarks and a manuscript note by forwarding agents the Frères Smitmer of Vienna, to 'Robert Thorp Esqr | Alnwick | Northumberland | England'. Addressing his letter to 'My Dear Brother', Thorp begins by congratulating him on his wedding: 'Sailors are bad hands at Complements [sic] but I cannot avoid expressing the satisfaction I had in hearing who my new Sister was'. Turning to his own matters, he reports: 'We have been paying our respects to the Captain Pacha the second great man in the Empire & Brother of the Grand Seignior [Hasan was in fact Georgian, and originally a slave] his power is unlimited all civil jurisdiction ceasing on his arrival'. The Pacha 'came on board us twice & we got under weigh he expressed himself much pleased with the ship & took a great deal of notice how the Ship was managed & we observe several alterations made in his own Ship from ours his dresses Sabre & pistols are most magnificent he smoaked [sic] out of a Golden pipe set in diamonds his ring was diamond about the size of [large circle] not less from its brightness some of the officers concluded it worth 7 or 8 thousand Pounds, the first dress I saw him in was blue velvet set full of various stones his Turban a Camels hair Shall [i.e. Shawl] the last magnificent part about him His next dress rich Blue velvet cover'd with diamonds of great value [three circles] & pearls about the same size again in a yellow satin full of various sized diamonds. I never saw such a Collection of riches in my life I suppose he carried on his back. Pistols ring & Sabre from 50 to 100 Thousand pounds each time - which I do not expect you to believe till you have seen the Millions of oppressed wretches who furnish them - if you should in this Country get worth 10000 your head is gone & the Grand Signior or his Officers your heir.' The Pacha has given 'other Ships from 1500 Piastres he presented the Officers with Turkish stuffs my present is a piece of Blue Silk worked with Gold & all the Officers nearly the same. he presented Capt Hood [later Vice-Admiral Sir Samuel Hood (1762-1814)] with a Gold Box set with diamonds a quantity of muslins & various rich things we are not judges of diamonds but all agree the Captain to be worth near a thousand pounds'. The Pacha 'wished to make a Second present to all the Offiers & Crew but the Capt. very properly would not allow it - He is gone with his Fleet to collect the tribute of the Empire.' For more information on Thorp, see the article 'George Thorp, 1790-1797' in Blackwood's Magazine, September 1943. A letter book of Thorp's Smyrna correspondence, 1795-1797, was reported on by the Commission for Historical Manuscripts in 1969.