Bosnia, had about this time been informed of the existence of some gold
mines near Travnik, and ordered Hadji Ali to obtain samples for
transmission to the Porte. This he did, taking care to retain all the
valuable specimens, and forwarding those of inferior quality, which, on
their arrival at Constantinople, were declared worthless. No sooner was
this decision arrived at, than Hadji Ali imported the necessary
machinery and an Austrian mechanic, to separate the gold from the ores,
and in this way amassed immense wealth. Rumours having got abroad of
what was going on, and the suspicions of Tahir being aroused, the
unfortunate Austrian was put secretly out of the way, and, as a blind,
the unprincipled ruffian procured the firman to which allusion has been
made. It need hardly be said that he never availed himself of the
privileges which it conferred upon him. Some time after these
transactions, he applied for leave to visit Austria, on the plea of
ill-health, but doubtless with the view of changing the gold. This was
refused, and he was obliged to employ a Jew, who carried it to Vienna,
and disposed of it there. In 1850, when Omer Pacha came to restore order
in Bosnia, which had then revolted, Hadji Ali was sent with two
battalions to the relief of another detachment; upon this occasion he
communicated with the enemy, who cut off his rear-guard, and otherwise
roughly handled the Turkish troops. Upon this, Omer Pacha put him in
chains, and would have shot him, as he richly deserved, had he not known
that his enemies at Constantinople would not fail to distort the true
features of the case. He therefore sent him to Constantinople, where he
was shortly afterwards released, and employed his gold to such good
purpose, that he was actually sent down as Civil Governor to Travnik,
which he had so recently left a prisoner convicted of robbery and
treason. He was, however, soon dismissed for misconduct, and entered
once more into private speculations. In 1857 he purchased the tithes of
Bosnia and Herzegovina, and employed such ruffians to collect them as to