The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser. — London, England, 1807-10-16 00:00:00

JtErocurioN IN TURKEY. ERTORICAL EILITCN or THE LATE REVOLUTION 1N TUROLV, ANT, 13,-Vi.Lorct4LNl t F lIS CALIiES. [F•orn a GertuAn :13 When, after the accomplis,unent of revolutions, we meet with ancient prophecies, which cot re:pond with tie events witnessed by the pre,ent genera; ion, it is impossible to suppress a cl^tiot yncerning the antiquity of the pretended prophet, and the aut`len tieity of his pi eliaion. But Wien vitt; a predinion is krrwn to have bee' made public trios mouths before the event to which it refers, as i, the care with that of the celebrated Francis Moore*, relative to the deposition of the Tur'si,h Emperor, the ..:oin ciJence between the prophecy and the event is a strung, or at least an interesting plonowcnon.— Tite friendly warning given by this seer was placed only a month too early; in oti,er respras hi. pre thAion was fully accomplished. It is scarcely pos sible to a.critie this rife& to English agency.. Cool.l the adhtrents to the Briti.h system have ailed in the Divan, itr concert with the friends of France ? The tendency of the late revolution in Constantinople was purely Turkish, Arch-Mahn se tan. By the Mourtsur it was denominated an Anti christi 41110111:1012. Such catastrophes, orig;nating with elat corps of Jrniasaries, which ought td guard au protea the Su'tens, are apt new in the his o:y of the Otto roam. A' ex remora frcq len Iy meet, so M Coastal's trn Bile, eibbAute thspotism borders on abjea and dangerous depen4ei.ce. Ot this titli:n I. was fuly sensible. With the aid of the Janisraties he htrl,l,l 1512, precipitated from ve throne his rather 13.. j tea, the son of the conqueror of Constantinople, had accumulated atrocity upon atrocity, and caused the sispose..l Sul tan, together with all his elder and younger brothers, and their c!Oldren, to be murdered. In order to preserve a crown acquired by part icide and violence, Salim resolved to sacrißce the Jani.saiies in tie con tint: ! its in which he we. alttorwards engaged. OA; t.; Y), not more than 12,003 were left at the period of ;-.;s death, an 1519. Neve, theless, at the bPgioning of the 17th century, they w..-re again so 'powerful as to &To:* Sultan hlustapha I in 16f$. OiMall IL. who succeeded him, had forme. the revolution of disbanding the corps of Janissa ries; they discovered his design, forced their way the Seraglio, and exited an insurreilion, in which o,:aan, in 1621, lost both his crown and his life: i4astapha I. was a second time seated opou thethrone, and a second rime deposed, after a reign of five months, in 1023. He was now strangled like his predeelusor. Not more to-innate was Snian Ibrahim, who, at the instigation of rue Muf ti, was put to death with the bow-string. in his 31st year, is 10141. His son Mohammed IV. lost, in the same inanner, his gvand-.pother, whose regency was soon s.rrain•ted by au insuiredion• A similar commoom precipitated isim also, in 1687, from the throne into a prison, where, after a confinement of llye years, he ended pis life by poison. Mostaplia 11. • Ilse - sou of Mohammed, reigned only from 1695 to 170?. The leaissaries excitad one of the mast dreaditl instureflions„ which agitated the capital for a Whcic traartrr of a year. and at length compelled Mustaphe to resign the sword of Mohammed to his brother Achmet. Six months afterwards, be died, as it is supposed, of grief. Achmet 111. was compelled, after a reign of 23 years. to resign the throw: Vice Nlin:apha ; whose son, Mahasuld I. en tered uioa the Government amidst storms of un iirecedented violence. It was not tall the removal ~f the rit,urgenti, at whose 11.... d was an Albanian. Patronsi 1 , 1.444 that peace was restored at Coasters tinnple. It was not again thsturbeci by the Janis saries dur i ng the 18th centi:Ty. Nlahmod I. his brother Osman 111. blustiplia 111. son of Achmet 111. (and lather of the dethroned Salim III.) and Abdul Harold (his uncle) had the good fortune to die in pos.essioo of their dignity. The death of Abdul Hann& however, took place very suddenly, niter drinking a cup of coffee, ca the Ttb of April. . 17 e 9. Oa that day, Selim 111. the unfortunate son of . the Znaperor Mustapha 111. distinguished by the sir- , i t I ( A 4 , . • name et The Glorious, ascended the throne of the owe formidable Ottoman Empire, from which he ; was precipitated by the Janissaries on the 29:h of Ift47, after a reign of eighteen years. The Turkish Pistoriao Guards, who hare retained their power longer than those of ancient Rome, regaiLed. • See Lit; ..ta ',tout Otis of April, con‘ining the following Made s 10 THE EDITOR OE THE. BRITISH PRESS. •• and Dream"."-•-itst ...rd 111 • Mi. I a not he me, et du; bow, ou Worm yen, 'II Al , --. 4 as.as, thlubk oath et. bad fee in the nineteenth century, the influence they hal lost during the reigns of the preceding Emperors, and raise/ Selim's cousin, Mustapha IV. the eldest :on of the Sultan Abdul Hamid, who, with ha larot!ier Ikl.shmud, had been previously confined in the re.cei‘ei of the Seraglio, to bs Emperor or Padi,chaii of the Ottontins. lution WAS the predominant feature of Se lon's char Atter: but such a charafter is not fitted, 'especially at the present moment, fur the Turkish throne It already totters to its base, and can only be u;Nheld by a mind sufficiently energetic to eon. tend with the exigencies of these turbulent times. In order to its susses, this effort must be seconded by on improved organization of the slumbering energiPs of the Ottoman Empire. To effect this, inclination and attivity are exerted in vain. The na tion has not advanced with the times ; and, because it will not prcceed, it goes backward. Mahometan ism produces in the Tuiks a bigotted attachment to the customs and institutions transmitted to them. Hut the martial spirit has ceased to animate these forms ; which, if they even possessed their ancient energy, would scarcely be able to maintain them selves against 012 superior intelligence of the lith and 19th cent...ry. How slid Selim attempt to steer between these rocks, to appease the conflict between external ne cessity for increased aft:ray and internal fanatical counteraction ? His sound understMscling had long acknowledged the decisive advantages of the politi cal inst 4 utions of Europeans, and especially of their military system. The assistance he had received from them, in rime: of need, had augmented this tendency in the unfortunate Prince. When Nelson destroyed the French fleet at Aboukir, when Sir Sidney Smith fought under the Turkish standard at Aboukir, he threw himself into the arms of the English. At that time the orthodox Mussulmans manifested their discontent at the intimate emulation between their Soveleign and infidels. This ftiendship, however, gradually declined, and was at length converted into coldness, when Napoleon increased the splendour of the Imperial throne et eSted in France. by a series of viltories on the Continen:, when his troops, having obtained access into Dalmatia, approached the Turkish Frontiers, and the acute Sebastiani, who had studied in several journies the spirit of the Turkish Government, appeared as the French Ambassador at Constantinople. He soon silenced the remaining frien.ls of the Anglo-Ruseian system, and gained the full cenfidenLe of the Emperor Selim. What strengthened this confidence was the essential ser vices rendered by General Sebastian', and the offi• sets who accompanied him to the capital of the %unmans, when it was menaced by the English fleet. Among any other people. such services would have acquired lasting claims to gratitude. Not so among the Tusks. Wish fanatic discon tent they beheld the atlivity with which the French contributed to the defence of Constantinople, and the fortiScatim of the Dardanelles. The attach ment of the Grand Signior to the Yaurs (infidels), the intimacy between them, and the faithful of the Divan. which was a natural consequence of the welcome and essential assistance of the French, re volted the online:buy of the ,Nlosulmans. Its in- dignation was direibri against the European regu lations, in the introdeltion of which Selim had been from time to time nbstrolled by the expressions of di.contcnt, and its hostility was particularly dis played against the Nixam Gedid. This term was applied to i reformation of the military and financial system, and especially the organisation of a new corps of troops, clothed, armed. and exercised, in the European manner. The Janissa ries, who had founded the empire of the Ottomans in Europe. beheld, with great dissatisfaction, this ' new military force, which appeared to be raised in opposition to them, and might ultimately lead to the dissolution of their body. In September, 1806, they forced the Grand Signior, at Adrianople, to promise to disband the soldiers of the NM= Gad. This was not done. Selim, who, since Sebastiani's arrival, had conceived a still greater affection for European mannc:s, instead of diminishing the new troops. increased and favoured them. It was said, that the augmentation of the imposts, a natural con sequence of the war. was expended upon them ; and that the Emperor, in the absence of the Janissaries with the army of the Grand Vizier, would call those oisnosions troops to Constantinople. and entrust them with the custody of the forts. Sclim's down fall was now dttermiaed. A single drop was suffi cient to make the vessel run over. The inadvertent Prince himself furnislied but too many unexpeae3 occasions. The interior of the Seraglio, at C3nstantimple, is regarded as the walan saaellerissa. It contains a beautiful : limo meat of antiquity, which no trav , :lier was CV::: yet allaweif to isisvect, namely, an obelisk, with the in scv;p:ion s, F -r:61.4 re4144:4 eids4l.lcs whi,is was trisaei in honour of rneadocill GI &dim granted peraiissis:ci to Lila 1: iChiLSI A 1144416• sador, Sebastiani. and his numerous retinue, to examine this work of art in the Seraglio. Selint afforded another proof of his disregard of popular prejudices and ryinions. when, ou a Friday. to- wards the conclusion of May, after attending the Nfosgee, he ordered not only the Janissaries, but a guard composed partly of those troops, and partly of the soldiers of the Nizam Gedid, to attend him. Finally. he farther JlClted the fanatic intolerance of the Nounlaws', by investing General Sebastiani with the Grand CrNs of the Legion of Honour. which the Xmp'ror Napoleon had sent to Con stantinople to reward the zeal displayel by his Am bassador. The malcontents execute] their long-matured projeft, while Sebastiani had gone to the Darda nelles, to inspeft the preparations for defence; pen bably they purposely chose the moment when the Grand Signior was separated from this intelligent adviser. An apparently trivial altercation, between a Janissary and a slither of the Nizam Ged id, was the immediate cause of the explosion on the 2.5.11 of May. The spirit of sedition which had manifested itself so early as March and April, among the gar. rison of the Dardanelles, and in the camp of the Grand Vizier, now broke out into open violence among the garris m of the castles at the entrance of the Bosphorus. IVith the outcry that they would sot suffer any European discipline to be forced upon ithem, they killed the Commandants of the Asiatic forts, Cavak and Madschinburen ; and the Reis Effendi, Sasi Effendi, whose evil genius had led him just at this turbulent moment to vi it the posts of the Castles, was likewise sacrificed by the exasperated Janissaries, as the chief author of the innovation in the military and financial sys:ems.— The imbecility of the Sultan increased their au dacity. He granted them an amnesty, acceded to all their demands, and dispatched the Bostangi Baschi to restore tranquillity by concessions and money. Tnis faithless servant kept the money, which he ought to have distributed, returned to the capital without quelling the inzurralion, and de ceived Salim by a false report. While he was indulging in careless repose, the in surgents, by signal guns, summoned their code. derates to accomplish the revolution. They thronged in thousands at the summons, and the multitude kept continually increasing on the way to Constant. neple. In the evening of the 2liith of May, 15,000 Ja nissaries entered the suburb of Pera, where they made themselves masters of the guns of Tophana, and appointed an Albanian, who followed the oc cupation of a copper-smith, to be their leader. Never was a revolution effected with greater tran qudlity and order, especially at Constantinople. Witham injuring the person or property of any of the inhabitants of the metropolis on their march, the insurgents proceeded quietly to die place Elmeidao, which has always been the theatre of such like commotions. Here, beside the barracks of the Janissaries, they hoisted their colours and also their camp-kettles, as the symbol of insurrection. The ringleaders resolved to support their undertaking by the authority of the laws. They gained over the Mufti during the night to their interest. He was joined by the Lieutenants of the Grand Vizir, and of the Aga of the Janissaries, the Kaimakan, to gether with the two Kadileskiers of Romelia and Anatolia, who demanded the total suppression of the obnoxious Nieam Gedid, on which a jet web of the Mufti pronounced an anathema. The terrified Salim, who had meanwhile caused the gates of the Seraglio to be shut, and hail collefted cannon and soldiers in its courts, lost ail presence of mind, and instead of complying with their demands, sent the insurgents three heads of members of the divan. By an unlucky mistake, ore of the viltims was un intentionally sacrificed, he having been a great fa vourite with the Janissaries. Now that blood had Rowed, the insurgents resolved to shed that of the Ministers whom the voice of the people accused as the promoters of the new reforms. These, to the number of ten, were sought oat and cruelly put to death in the place Elmeidan. This cruel proce dure, however, was not wholly arbitrary. The Multi was first consulted, and he pronounced yen. tence on the members of tile divan, who were &sir our of introducing the co.,tote. of infidels among the Mussulmaus, and of hum'sling toe Jenivaries, the real proteaors of the laws and of their Prophet. The autonomies and ill-advised Salim had sof. fired the favourable 1110aleUt to escape. Sy a Han Scherif, be, bi the most solemn manner, suppressed tile Mama Gedid for ever, bat it was too late.— Regardlres of this couces.ion, the insurgents asked the Amu wbether a Sultan wdo, from partiality to the Yaws (iebiela), had been guilty of so many I.l:.evations in Mamisna, who had reigned so many w;c:iJut awns an leis to the thrum. was owthy c ~.,vase tA. atoniabs t Dos tdaboartten Law ere Oast a CAI t woo has teigoe:t bovea 1.1 (flat pello4 INS DO NOM, st,•, re:tua t. s ;viivate TioluAlt Seltin's S- • • raglio contained 700 of the most beautiful females from almost all parts of the world, yet during the years of his reign, he had not begotten a son ; and by the accounts of recent writers, it was not to be expcazd that he would give new branches to ties House of Osman. This circumstance had f::. queue.) , excited discontent among the Turks, who are fond of seeing an increase of the Imperial Family, and are always fearful lest the ancient race of Osman should become extina. Some years ago, the Janissaries bad fondly murmured on this account, and bad threatened to murder the Grand Signior unless he soma procured an heir to the throne. Some have ascribed the cli..appei ut _ ment of this general *ids to the effeas of poison, administered by the Sultana Valile, the mother of Mustapha IV. to Selina. before his usesana to the throne, Whether this cause be true or not, in e di. cal experience demonstrates the possibility of the effea. eln the fetwork, by which the Muf i declared that Selim was incaptcitated to sit on the Ott sas ea throne, his want of issue WAS ass'gr.ed as t;:c p:ia cipal reason. On this declaration by the Clbief of the Mshume tan clergy, the whole host of Janissaries, reinforce/ by thousands of the true believers, proceeded to the Seraglio, all the walls and avenues of which were surrounded. The Mufti and the Limas only went in to tke unfortnnateTrince, to whom they rr..ti a long list of the faults attrihnt.td to him du:kg his government, among 'shish the decoction of tl.e Legion of Honour was not forgotten. They found him perfealy resigned. SeUm bad already con cluded his cousin Mustapha from the quarter of the Seraglio in which he was cenCard, to the hall cos. raining the throne ; anl att-r giving him various rules and precepts frundel on experience, bad wished him a more prosper-u; rtigo. As Selina had always been well treated by Abdul Maid, be had in return shewn the greatest friendship and kindness to his sons, Mustapha and Mahmud, after his accession to the throne. Mustaphs, recalle2ing this, embraced his unfortunate dethroned cousin, Selim, called him his friend, and, when tie 11:cr was about to put an end to his life, by a cup r f poisoned sherbet, he hastened to prevent his design. The Turkish history presents several examp'.e. of deposed Emperors, who lived a considerable t7me after their deposition, without giving any uneaiue..:s to their successors. With what feelings must Selim, who for 1$ years had been the absolute Sovereign of the Ottomans, have done homage to the young Mustapha ? When. agreeably to custom, he had first prostrated himself before the new Emperor, and kissed the skirt of his robe, be quickly withdrew, and repaired to that part of the Seraglio where the Princes of the Im perial race of Osman, who are not of the reilnirg family, reside. Selim, when lie mounted fn. , . throne, was exaBly of the same age as ilirlustap'l t IV. who was born on the 7th of September. 177:`. During his reign, a period of IS years. fortune has seldom smiled upon him ; with his gentle dispo.U. tion, and various attainments, he would tindoubte2.ly have been more happy in a private station. In thirty-six hours, this revolution, unparaliel: I with respett to orJer and quietness, was accom plished. At one o'clock in the afternoon of the 89th of May, Mustapha IV. was nominated Em peror of Turkey, and Ruler of the Faithful, and nn the 3d of June he was begirt with the sabre of the Prophet Mahomet, with the usual ceremonies, in the mosque of Eyub, amid the acclamations of the peo ple. The first ad of his reign was the abolition of the Nizam Gedid, which is to be superseded by a very numerous carps of artillery ; and a proclama tion promised the re-establishment of the ancient customs, as they bad sub►isted under Abdul Hamill. The fulfilment of this promise will not be difficult en Mustapha IV. who is a zealous Mu:sal:nut. This attachment to Mahometanism, Met:lolled by his education in the Seraglio, a great firmness and decision of charafter, which befits any throne, and particularly that of the Ottomans, and an extra. ordinary dislike of 11l who do not conform to the p. ecepts of the Great Prophet, an consevenily to forriza Ministers, are resn:na thtt form a Eriking contrast with the qia!ities and bias of Selina 111. Helmets TV. is the ILA 11onercla cf tl:s line of Osman, the 25th Gcat:l Signior. and the 2'..).1& Celli. The Turkiila sa: t j:C.l *.ty 4t..Ccpree. c••••illta • super. ficia• a.oNtt 43,t h. geogra,y:tical mean mites, and a population of 25 nriaris, iu :l/biting tad most fel •Ya awl tutau: itu. proill..Ces Of the iglooe, the cradle of the stuanao race, el anew. agog,. and oi most 91 tin. telt4ausis systems. LW the bounty of Nature, waccia once supported 60 millions of men to the same space, is tar.nen away on its prtseut Inhanata•its. 3 raty enjoy not perm and its golden true., and utey are tenable to cops in War weft the superior in.edigence of Earopew.s. Oie wag with Kllbia/, transact red with the impe rial power to Mescaline, cAS terminated by the rat conciliation of the two SaVereigth at nisi , . a hfor we.las alto the Resolution wos,n tool place at Con• cave &atypic ; but the masunierst.indetag with ta i g . 1411 /4 1.0 injurious II its e,tnaequences to the It oil tad consumes at Ja capital, is not yet - WI 0 1 sei . *. sr - • Os We paid., tat Nlume. VI. Almauavk•n.at..r, is a proonet bet d I should 111001 tell, in any dames, m pruri ig ty I tl.ink ' that v tie g0a,1311.111g new se Moth ut yiid. Ao wonth gal as the labo.in at 1.41 rophetm. trait Then two I him! fur • Anil, 1311; rwsrontr I —This month is ushered in with scuni:ows old sp. • avyrisi u•, antigens sad akruntnig Sonia pm..., of peroo4 , 0, high 5t.41,41. Pena. cw .I.—Nnr this Gan the Tuili .oh Eagan« din st nay no, he I..da, hi. ~sad—•. a I.:del.+ are it 1.6101.11 ; .Mw. r.. br Ine, let t•rte. Ipso !simian warn. • f it Antis te.A. .1 this, Ms kal.no, and "en. g hus Valid of e i. ad tol the Treasu.y. atad Mr. IP. re..a., Chun u•r • f ti.. Linti.ouft, 1.1 es lea Wp. tied. .red Cie Mae. . s :.a.. ut•Meit ULD . .