The Yazoo City weekly Whig. (Yazoo City, Miss.) 18??-1855, 1854-05-05
: THE TURKs-osMANLI

y THE TURKs-OsMANLIs.
Our friends, the urks, the fate of whose
empire is now so perflously balanced in the
scales of European wars, have been in pos
session. OF Constantinople, --ona Of the finest
capitals ia. Europe for the last four hundred
years They ca ne originally. pastoral and
predatory horde from the centre lands Of A
STA. and marching at last into the pleasant
and fertile field Of Roum, or Asia Minor
recruited their strength and resources for
II i inv sion Of Europe across the Bospho-
rus 1883. and for their GROWING contest
in 14534he conquest by Mohamet, XI, Of
the lasl remaining ramparts of the Roman
Empire. In the last mentioned year, Con-
stantinople was vigorously besieged by sea
and lend, and at length taken by storm, over
the dead body Of Constantine Palaologus.
the Emperor, who, surrounded by the prin.
ces Of his blood and the Varanguin guards
Of his person died as became Caesar, and
worthily closed the long reign of renown.
ed and military people.
The fall of Constantinople spread through
out Europe the terror of the Turkish name;
and the raYishers did not fail to take advan.
age oftbe sensation, they created. They
kept all Eastern Europe in continnalhot wa
ter. They invaded and ravaged the monar-
chief of Austria, Hungary, aud Poland, and
in the first fresh period of their conquest
nothing could withstand the charge oftheir
numerous and splendid cavalry. In about a
hundred years or so, the Ottomen crescent
stood highest in the armament: the domin-
ion of the Padishehs ranked with the finest
that ever spread over theaurfaee .ofthe earth.
It included European Turkey, Macedonia,
part of Hungary, all Asia Minor, Armenia,
Georgia, Daghistan, part Of Kurdistan Mes.
opotamia, Cyprus, Syria part Of Arabia; B.
gypt, Algiers. Tunis and Tripoli; while Cri-
mea. Pennsylvania, Moldavia, Wellachia,
and the republic Of Ragus, yassals Of the
Sublime Porte Since that time, the vast
circle of the Turkish Monarchy has been
contracting. Austria and Hungary recover
ed from their former reverses, and Sobies-
XII and Eugene succeeded in rolling the Mo-
bamm dan invasion along the Danube.
Meantime the powero Of Russia began I'M
der Peter the Great. that formidable march
which at last carried the banners Of the Gar
to the Pruth, and, if We do not mistake the
meaning of the great contemporary hubbub
| to the left bank of the Dannbe.
| Peter and his successors continued stead
ily, to encroach upon the Turkish terrific
iirfes. Inthe time Of the Empress Catherine
about so years ago Aesutan lost. q great
number Of provinces and forts; and Russia
gained all the region between the Bog and
the Dnieper, the free navigation. Of the
Black Sea free passage through the Bos-
phorus and the Dardanelles, the territories
of the Greater and Lesser Kabrrda. near
lie aucasas, andsothsr advantages AS.
sailed. BY the Russians from without the
sultans were opposed and distracted BIZ theii
own rebel pachas within.
But after all these subtractions, good
deal Of Turkey yet remains. enough % cover
a million Of square miles, and contains
population II about 81 millions, Of whom
about II millionsare Turks genuine children
81 Gilman, and the rest slaYonians Arabs
Reumsliotes Armenians, Kellenes, Druses
Chaldeans Tartars syrians Sc, Il IS q BE-
observed, that the rayahs, Of Christians o
an kinds II the Empire greatly cutnumbsl
Tie Turks.
The present var between the Russians
ana the Turks, Is only the INEVITABLE, con.
sequence Of that hereditary desire Ofthe Ca
to obtain exc usiye possession of she Black
Sea and then IS 8 next step, ct Containing
lpie ii the beginning 81 the Last year, the
M peroi Nicholas sent Prince Menschikol