The cavalry’s horse shortage drove confiscation of dead officers’ property.

Evidence

The case was more complicated than that, moreover, since it was also discovered that besides cash, Ala Eddin Ağa had also left the boy his horse. The divan, however, decided to confiscate two-thirds of the cash and to take the horse to deliver it to the cavalry, which was in short supply of horses. To add to the young lad’s grievance he himself was to be conscripted into the army. He then presented a petition to Ibrahim Pasha saying in it that he was a freed slave of Ala Eddin Ağa and would like to go to Cairo to serve his master’s young children. Again, “he was silenced and was given no answer” (sükut olunup cevap verilmedi). — Khaled Fahmy, All the Pasha_s Men_ Mehmed Ali, his…, 1089