The enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1804-1815, 1806-07-01
FROM THE AURORA.
POLITICAL VIEWS.
No. Nv.
TINE COMMERCE or THE MEDITERRANEAN.

THr COMMERCE or THE MEDITERRANEAN.
The feventh power which we enumerated is that
OF Turkey. Under judicious administration and
well regulated policy, the Turkifh empire in Europe,
Poie-s natural means and advantages capable of pla.
cling 1t on an equality with any power in Europe,
either in commerce or in arms. We Judge Of men
and nations by comparifon-the Turks ftgmatife the
Chritians rs in6dels, and we too apt TO repay
them with little conideratton and no more iutice
in the fame Rye of nvc6tve Ye, il i. certain tina,
taking the Turkih people ieparate from their govern
ment, their moral & focal characters infinitely pre-
ferable to thofe of the Ruians their neighbors and
enemies, and much more to be admired than thofe
OF nations which boat of civilization.
The Moflem religion is not favorable to the fcien-
ees, the arts, or even to commerce. Contrived IN
climate where luxury had encreaied human wants
favorable to Incidence, it encourages no pa(ions
which require exertion but hoe of war, and this is
fultaned by religious enthuliafm toa height unfur-
pahed But the valor of the Turks is not regulated
by iyfteni, and has hitherto fpurned the reraints &
method OF European tactics. Their commerce diff
cards European method in like manner-asd there
fore it is that the merchantmen Of Turkey are 70 few
as 2oo-and that her fips are never feen in the At
lantic, very rarely in the italian feas Their iyno-
rance of feence prscludss them from the advantages
oil philosophical diftovery the of navigation &
other obvious caales induced them benfe the French
revolution, to employ the ve1els of Venice, Rayufa
and France and Of certain Greeks of the Hands
whole bilhops held cpnierable influence in the Ar
ehipeago The French revolution, by deprivinp the
Porte of the homage of VENICE aud France tended to
throw the whole weight of that commerce into the
hands of Ruiia, and to give .Rreng,h to the power
which was mot eager for its deRruaon, and which
appeared to be accelerated by the impending ruin and
partition of France.
RuiIia, therefore, fuidenly role to an immenfe
height of commercial wealth. and dpayed very foon
after the opening Of the rf coalition, $50 fail of mer-
chant ve1els, under her flag, who maintained moi
active and lucrative commerce between the Euxine and
the Mediterranean The activity of the Eugiih ca
Pitas Pro6ted by thefe revolutions of commerce. &
the productions of England found their way through
the Baltic, by Riga, to: Cberion, to Mebolipoi on
the river Bog, which gave water carriage the
whole way to Connantinople or the Mediterranean,
and at eis expsnce than the former route of Han
burg, /5enns, and the .aream of the Danube TO its
mouth Though the R,liau flag Rutsered nceGantly
before the nlinarets of Confantinope. the crews of
the hips were really competed of Greeks, who had
been feduced or emigrated voluntarily to the Crnea
The iubirquent occupation of the Cephalonian ile,
CORFU, Fheaki, &c which by the bye were guaran
teed, as an independent aate by RufIia, and bound
TO pay tribute to Turkey by the Ru(ans, augment
ed their com nerce and their influence in iimiIar
way 1t remains to be feen whether RuIia will fnc-
coed in her efforts retain the republic of the feven
lilies. Her military movements in Dalmatia, prove
t to be her intention, and that the mun inevi,a
bly, take that direction. IfRuIia fhould be difpof-
ieiled by by treaty of thofe lands, her COM
iequence as maritime power will be at an end, an,
her projects on ConGantinople will be no longer
as pauilhle and probabie nor 10 alar ming Europe
as they have appeared,to be for thirty years.
Jcseph II. of Aultria, had meditated the overthrow
ct the Turkith empire, as well as Catherine H. Vah
projects OF internal navigation and commerce were
formed by that extraordinary man. He had n,rodu-
ced the cultivation of the aromatic tobaccoes of Mace
donia into Hungry, and eHablihed Greek families
in the Bannat of Temefwarr 70 late the year 1880
The port OF TUNE in I4ria the bottom of the We
netian GulPh. he declared to be part of Hungary.
notwithstanding its great difapce from thence and
that it had been always included in the diftria of
lriefte Charles v. had eonflruaed very excellent
road from this place into Carlfadt in Craotia. To-
ieph IT, propoied no ef, than contributing fnlar roads
into Sclavonia, digging canals from the Upper Save
to the Danube, and thus uniting the Adriatc to Au
sria and Hungary by Internal navigation, which was
to erofs the mountains of Morlachia and unite the
waters OF the Raab and the Brave, the Laybach and
the Save. The death of Jcfeph II. and the eonven
ton OF Pnitz, diverted the attention of Auifra
from projects 70 much more Iaudable than war
Theie facts however thew the tendency of the Pc
Icy OF Auftria, and the folicitude become a com
mercial power. The events of che fecond coalition
fatal and difafirous, they had been 20 the arms
revenues, ana influence OF the AutrIan houc, might
by the unexpected acqition of the Venetian terrific
ry on both 6des of the Adratic, have more than re-
allied the commercial ambition and compensated the
loes OF Auffra in ancient Burgundy. The neighbour
hood and eaiy communication between the Adriatic
and the Aulrian douiin6ns in Hungary, &C. opened
reiourees and opportunities for maritime activity which
the houfe of Aura could have realized in every
quarter. and her acquiftion of which ought, las no
doubt 1t was intended BY the magnitude and impor-
lance of the cehon) to have bouad Auria by perp.-
tual gratitude tn France. Before thefe acauitions
the fubje4s of the houfe of Aolra navigated $50
fail of ve1els in the Mediterranean The encreafe
of her commerce was alonhing, in two years il a.
rofe to 1900 fall Yet The venetians who uadsr
the araocracy had formed the ben code of REGULATE.
for commerce TO be found in Europe, deplofed in
the- transfer to the imperial government, the fafe
policy, the hardihips and oppref6on, to which they
were fubjeeted.-The great ncreafe of flips under
the flag Of Auftria, mutt doubt be con6iered as
being competed Of the Venetian hps or of the fub-
jes which they had acquired by the treaties of Cam
po Formio and Leoben. But the principal conhdera-
ton in this view is. whom the fame refourees are
transferred and what NUT neeeGariIy be the
confequence Of this change Of circumstances.
The power was the little Gate Of R1gufz, the
ancient Epitawns. This little arlocracy, whole ter
ritory contains 27O f1uare miles and 10000 nha-
bants is diainguhed for ths fertility Of the
foil in fine climate andin the midi of productive
and uxurant country; for It's indury and its extraor-
binary polcy-it was faid to pay the Turks tribute
through fear, the Venetsns out of bafysd the pope
out ofs6ryghioa, Spain Of policy, and Naples out
Of cunning their cunning nor fuccefsful for in
1888, the NeapoIitan king under pre,ence Of ponsf-