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Status: Indexed

Mosul, Mch. 23rd '95

Judge A.W. Terrell,
U.S. Minister, Constantinople:
Honored Sir:
Your telegram "Grand Vizier
has ordered it" came all right. A day or two later,
the Wali received a telegram from Constantinople, giving a
partial permit to build. He sent a telegram, asking that
the let permit be made clear and full. A few days ago
he received an answer to this effect, "Give them permission, only
carry out the details of the law." One thing that the law
demands is that until we get our houses built we must pay
to the Government an equivalent of the tithe of the grain that
wouldˆ be raised on the land we use for building purposes. Men were
sent yesterday to value the land in this regard. The real
value of the tithe is about 5. ps. They made it 100. ps.
I can stand the extra 95. ps, but the meanness of it strikes
me as something pretty small. The Wali had nothing to
do with this. The Tapo Mudir bears the entire blame.

The Wali has told me over and over to go ahead with what
I am doing preparatory to building. The Tapo Mudir told
me yesterday to stop all work. I refused, telling him
that I was working by permit of the Wali. The Cadhi
(Judge) is our bitter enemy here. The Wali defends us against
them all.

Notes and Questions

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rachelalexander

In line 24, "Cadhi" may be a misspelling of "Kadi" (a judge concerned with Islamic law)?

adamrabinowitz

The "Tapo Mudir" probably refers to an Ottoman village official ("mudir") in charge of titles to arable land (the "tapu" or "tabu" system: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tapu_(Ottoman_law)). "ps" probably refers to Turkish pounds.