The Litchfield County post. [volume] (Litchfield, Conn.) 1826-1829, 1828-08-14

in place where the infidels cannot disturb
them.-The great majority, therefore, of
those who die in COnstantinOple. are trans
ported by their friends across the BosphOrus;
aud the stairs or slip at which they embark is
called, for this reason, Meit-iske or the
Ladder of the Dead. The impression on
their minds is confirmed by ancient prophe-
ces, which are current among them and by
other causes equally slight which, neverthe-
less, have powerful influence on the weak
! and superstitiOds fancy of Turk. Among
them is a coincidence ofnames which is rather
curious. ConstantinOple was taken and lost
at different times, by persons who bore the
same name. The Latins, under Baldwin
| obtained possession of it; and under Bald
win they Were again driven out of it. The
city was rebuilt,a made the seat of a Greek
Empire, by Constantine, the son of Helena,
and in the patriarchate of Gregory it was
taken. and the empire of the Greeks destroy
! ed. under Constantine. the son of Helena.
| aud in the patriarchate ola Gregory; the
! Turks obtained possession of it under Ma
homet. and they are firmly persuaded they
| will lose it under Northumberland that Ma
| homet the present reigning Sultan; and, to
[ complete this chain Of names, at the time the
Greek msurrectiOn broke out, a Constantine
i was the Eeir apparent to the Russian throne,
| and Gregory was the patriarch of Constan-
| tinople. They hanged at this time one of
| these Ominous persons,and the other has since
abdicated the crown. Still they are persua-.
ded that events will happen as shey are de-
creed, and the fatal combination of MahOm-
ct. Gregory, and Constantine, will yet de-
stroy their power in Europe"
! This remarkable prophecy. it is not i'm
I probable, may, like many others, tend to it's
own fnlilnent. among people SO supersti-
tious as the Turks. We pass striking ac-
count of the death of Ali Pasha, and his enc
my Halet; and even the destruction of the
Janissaries, though the determination of that
corps must give an aspect to the approaching
war very different from any that has prece-
ded it. Suffice to say, that 1.-The number of
Janissaries destroyed on this occasion is va
riousIy reported. Besides those who perish
ed at the Etmedian barracks, and in the pub
lie streets, multitudes were caught and pri-
vately strangled in the houses where they
were found; so that none of the large body
assembled were supposed to have escaped
( All the officers, with the exception of a few
of high rank who had joined the Sultan's
party. were known to have persisted and the
general opinion is. that 20, 900 were sacrificed
on the occasion. Aruhas and other machines
were employed for several days in dragging
down the mangIed bodies, and casting them
into the harbur and Bosphorus. Here they
lay till, becoming buoyant by corruption, they
again rose to the top. and were AOated into
the sea of MarmOra. where the eddies fire.
quentIy carried them into still water, covering
the surface with large putrid masses, in which
boats and ships were sometimes entangled and
delayed; exhibiting, in nearly the same
place, the reality of that which the poet only
feigned of the vessel of Xerxes, impeded by
the bodies of his own soldiers
! .Cruentis
| Fluctibus, &C tarda per densa cadavera prora.
RUSSIAN AND TURKISH CAMPAIGNS
in 1870
"As was in the centre of the scene of ac-
| ton between the Turks and Russians. in
their last sangunary campaign, perhaps you
would think local sketch of some of the
events not uninteresting. In 1905, the Turks
were in state of great weakness under their
amiable but weak monarch, SeIim they had
conceded to Russia an extraordinary right Of
interfering 10 the provinces Of Wallachia and
MOldavia. that their respective hospodars
should be continued in office seven years, and
not removable but by the consent Of Russia.
To this agreement however. they did not
aunere, ana WneD the Russians demonstrated,
the Bosphorus was closed against their ships.
Taking umbrage at these causes ofcompaint.
General Nicholson was despatched with co.
600 men, who crossed the Dneister, took
Bender and Choczim withslittit resistance, s..
entered Jassy. the capital of Moldavia. He
then entered Bucharest, and took entire pos
session of three prc,ioces of Bessarabia, Mol
davia, and WalIachia, not leaving Turkish
corps or fortress on the north side of the
Danube, with the exception Of Giurdzio; and
prepared Immediately to pass over to the
other side. A tumultuous army was now.
hastily collected at AdrianopIt, of troops
from the provinces of Asia. and moved for
ward with the JaDizaries to the Danube; they
mutinied. however, on their march, massa-
cred some of the officers who wished to in
troduce European discipline among them, land
when they at length arrived at the scene Of
action. were SO disorganized that they effect
] ed nothing against the Russians, who remain
ed in almost undisturbed possession of the
province till 1910; when the armies on both
sides were increased to 100000, and a fierce
and sanguinary contest ensued. which. per-
haps, never was surpassed. The Russians
passed the Danube in three places. Their di-
rect progress would have been from Giurd-
zio to Radschuk; but at this place the pas
sage was impracticabie. either at the town or