The Catalan visitor Ali Bey el Abbassi, whose real name was Domingo Francisco Jorge Badia y Leblich, visited the Governor General of Cyprus:
He received me with great ceremony, surrounded by a great number of officers, soldiers and servants armed to the teeth. At the door of the saloon stood a sentry, with an axe on his shoulder. The Governor rose to receive me and made me sit at his side on a magnificent sofa. He is a man of intelligence, full of life and said to be well educated. We had a long conversation, chiefly on politics. M.M. Nicolidi and Francoudi, who accompanied me, interpreted for me, because the Governor speaks neither Arabic or any European language, and I do not know Turkish. He was splendidly dressed, with a superb fur coat. His Persian pipe was brought and he offered it to me, but I declined as I do not smoke. Six pages, all fifteen years old, all of the same height, beautiful as angels and richly clothed in satin, with superb cashmere shawls, brought us coffee and then incense and sprinkled me with rose water. On my taking leave the Governor escorted me to the door of the room.