The southern press. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1850-1852, 1850-12-11
The Turkish Empire.

ternal evidence we presume that the article was
written by Mr. Brown, who is accompanying
AMIN Boy on his tour Of inspection through the
country. The following extract will be read
with Interest,"
But half a century ago the Turkish Sultan
knew nothing of reform, or OF It's necesslties-
He sought for information with nothing con-
nected with tie world which surrounded him.
Exercising absolute power himself, all the
greater officers Of his government, especially
those who governed distant and great provinces,
could condemn the object of their i'll will to
endless imprisonment or to the loss of life
They received no salaries, but profited by the
uncertain length of the tenure OF their offices TO
force from the people under them rs much
wealth as practicable From their DEGREES there
was no appeal, and the system Of oneness in mat
ters Of authority pervaded the whole Ottoman
Government.
The results Of this form OF government may
readily be conceived. All branches Of industry
withered bencath its influence. What were in
former years the most flourshing parts of the
world, the most beautiful plains Of Asia Minor
were wasted before the greedy hands of the
despot With an agriculture limited to the
daily wants of the tler Of the soil, commerce
could have no material, no substance, on which
to exist. Manufactures were followed only so
far as to meet the necessities of each house.
hold, and if the people engaged in nopublic IN
dustrv, nor sought to introduce improvements
from Europe, the sovereign considered it a sut-
tcicnt motive to neglect to encourage them. -
But few other schools existed than those " of
correction" and all the sources of education
within the reach of the youth Of Turkey were
often the bigoted and snpcrstitious minds of the
inaum ard the priest.
Among the institutions first patronlzed by the
present young Sultan was medical academy.
1t WIS erected in the heart OF Pera, where the
natives and all the more respectable Europeans
of the capital are located. 1t contains an equal
number Of paid students, Git being on a military
footinr,) taken from among the Musselman, Jew,
Greek Armenian and Catholic sects of the em-
pre They are some four hundred in number
The students each receive an education which
fits them for other positions Of ability than those
of the physician and the surgeon. They are
taught French and the Italian languages, and al!
the ordinary branches of knowledge. The re-
igious preudces of the Jew are respected ;
they are politely denominated MOsesiieS, and are
treated equally well with the Christians. They
have their own butcher and kitchen, and even
the water for their use is apart from that of the
other pupils. The Sultan himself presdes ut an
examination, when those who have passed
through the necessary studies are elevated to
the dignity Of doctor. Some OF the students
Of this acadan:y are tine sons of foreigners who
have been for some length of time in the service
of the Sultan, or who, dying i'll his empire, have
left their orphans dependant on the bounty of
the sovereign whom they had served The pro-
fessols Of the academy are mostly French and
Germans.
For several years past there has been q mil
itary academy near the city, founded originally
by the late Sultan. 1t contains about the same
number of cadets as the pupils of the medical
school These are all Mussumans. The in
structOrs are officers of the French army. The
present Sultan has erected new and more en-
tensive academy, with large library and hal
for scientific experiments 1t contains one Of
Professor Morse's magnetic telegraphs, and its
experiments are made between the two acade
mics, for the instruction of the pupils Of both
establishments.
The standing army Of the Sultan il oompo
sed Of about 10000 men. They are divided
into six corps, viz:-in Albania, Roumclia, the
capital, Syria, Bagdad, and Arabia, and another
is now being formed near the Danube, on the
Hungarian frontier. 1t is composed Of and COM
nauded wholly by Mussulmans And willie
mentioning this regularity of the military law
Of Turkey, it may be added that, since the Pc
Rod of the successes Of the earliest Caliphs, no
christians have ever been held to military SER
vice in Mahomedan armies. When subjected
to the rule Of the Caliphs or the Sultaus, they
paid tax, which exempted them from all mill
tary duties, and this rule still exists in the Otto
man Empire.
The naval arsenal of the Sultan has long pos
sessed marine academy, with some four hun
dred pupils Of various classes, all Mussulmans.
Some Of the instructors are Europeans, but the
greater part are Mussumans of no mean qualiti-
cations. The inner part Of the Golden Horn
forms perhaps the best harbor in the world, ard
the most extensive. The Sultans navy is COM
posed Of from eighty to ninety vessels--of two
three deckers, l | seventy-lours, Is frigates 8
corvcttes, 20 briggs and schooners, steamers Of
from 400 to 500 horse power, and ii others Of
various powers Some of the best of these
ships were built by Americans, Of New York,
the late II. Ecktord and F. Rhodes.
Steamers belonging to the Sultan ard his Off
GERS ply between Constantnople and the south
ern shores of the Black Sea, Asia Minor, Syria,
the Islands Of the Archipelago, and Salonica,
and through these facilities for travel new
spirit for knowledge and inquiry is springing up
among the most distant parts Of the Empire
Steam is now doing for the east the wonders it
has effected in other parts of the world; and
though IL often proves prohtless 10 It's underta-
kers, it never fails to benefit the people of the
countries which it connects. The route to Per
sia around the southern shores of the Black Sea
is curtailcd one half by line of steamers to
Trcbiezonde. and the amount of commerce
sprung up with that country and Messopotamia
is but little known to our merchants. 1t is
wholly in the hands of the English.
Many Of the more benevolent institutions cs-
tablished in Constan,inople by the present Sui
tan, are hospitals for every class and dencmna-
ton of his subjects. His mother has erected one
of an extensive character, on the site of the bar
racks of the JAnissaries, who were destroyed by
her late husband. 1t is used as a place of refuge
for poor females, Mussclmans, Christian, or
Jew and its benefits to the miserable partic-
ularly those Of the latter peope-are incalcula-
blc.- Each Of the barracks of the army and
navy have their appropriate hospitals Some
of these are erected according to the architect
ure of Europe, and are rs ornamental rs useful
to the capital.
The houses Of Constantnople, mostly Of
wood, are frequently laid in ashes from fire to
an extent quite unknown in the United States
The losses are there calculated by thousands Of
houses in place of fives or tens: TO rectifv this