Illustrated Gazetteer of the Maritime Kingdoms, Volume 48

The Atlantic: Northern Turkey

[...white eunuchs are employed.] For palace service, those who are simple-minded are preferred, and those who are short, deaf, or mute are considered the most desirable The Ottoman court famously employed deaf-mutes to ensure that confidential conversations in the presence of the Sultan remained secret. The total amount of wealth stored within the national treasury is a secret so profound that no one is able to know it. Regarding the collection of taxes and the payment of military salaries, the annual expenditure is estimated at approximately 3.9 million pounds original: "棒" (bàng); likely a transliteration of the British pound sterling or a similar European currency used in the source materials Wei Yuan consulted.

The military consists of two types of soldiers:

1. The Toprakli Toprakli: transcribed as "Duōbónàgélǐ" (多孛那格里); the provincial "landed" cavalry (Timariots) who were granted land in exchange for military service. These were originally elite warriors selected by King Ottoman Referring to the founder Osman I or the dynastic line in general to enter the service. Each man was granted over 300 mu A Chinese unit of area; 300 mu is approximately 45–50 acres of land, which thereafter became the fixed regulation.
2. The Kapikulu Kapikulu: transcribed as "Jiābìjūlǐ" (加畢居里); literally "slaves of the Porte," these were the Sultan’s professional standing army, including the Janissary corps, who are examined and recruited as the need arises.

Grand military reviews are held in early summer and early winter. In former times, these troops were the finest among all the nations of Europe. In recent days, they are far inferior to what they once were; however, their cavalry remains swift and agile, still excelling in the arts of combat. In the defense of forts and cannon batteries, their resolve is exceptionally firm. When the nation encounters an emergency, the common people are summoned to serve as soldiers, and they never attempt to evade the call.

However, they lack discipline when in formation, and they engage in looting and plundering wherever they go. In battle, they rely on an initial burst of courage to drive deep into enemy lines; but when their spirit falters, they scatter like birds and beasts, possessing no sense of restraint or military order. Their clothing and customs are quite similar to those of the East, featuring loose robes and wide sleeves, which differs from the style of Europe...