Eastern times. [volume] (Bath, Me.) 1846-1857, 1854-09-07

- oOShio iil'c clSo tidH q iouA StoIy OI pOlSOn-
ings, assassinations, massacres, pleasingly en-
livened by the moral reflections of Sultan
somebody al every new enormity. But | am
not therefore Of opinion that the Turks are
cruel as nation. Too much power is good
for nobody. The sultans had too much pow
er, and they misused it, For the rest, they
were generous, simple and sincere, when it
was not their interest to be otherwise, and
when their childish wiles were not called into
action by having to deal with Greek. Such
they were; such they are. | see no valid
reason to assert that our Eastern allies are
much changed since Berezena chastised the
Khan of the Geougen, or Disabdi harried the
unwarlike subjects Of Byzantine Tiberius.
Europe is changed, however. The Emperor
OF Austria is no longer the Insignificant person
he was when John Sobieski rescued Vienna
from the Ottoman hordes; and France is an
other sort of country than it was when Charles
Martel saved Christend0m on the plains of
Tours. Russia also could hardly be brought
to understand a joke as well as when Achmet
the Third dictated peace to subdued Peter
the Great upon the banks of the Pruth Four
hundred years of oppression have even united
the Greeks, have nerved their arms, and made
them more sharp-witted and unscrupulous
than ever. Thus, turn which way the Regu-
lar Turk will, he has no elbow room. He
would be delighted to have quiet little game
of conquest and pillage, or even one which
was not quiet, for the matter of that; but
there is no longer a field for Turkish talents,
and many stiff;hearted elderly Turkish gen.
tleman believes firmly that the world is COM
ing TO an end in consequence.
Our new acquaintances Q continue TO call
them our new acquaintance, for really the
present generation of Europeans seem almost
to have been ignorant of their existence until
lately) have a great dislike to renegades.
They explain it from an interesting observa-
tion of the Caliph Omar. An Arab chief ap-
peared before him, and desired 10 renounce
the faith of Islam, because it did not allow
him to marry two sisters at the same time.
The caliph Immediately applied stout stick
with great vivacity to the applicants head
and, as If that were not sufficient argument
for such person, the Commander of the
Faithful gave the wretch TO understand that
an apostate ought to suffer death. Thus,
whatever your worthless adventurer now set
fIF1rr a, &c
Turkey may think 10 the coparary, he will
gain nothing but contempt by turning Turk.
have seen swarms of deluded miscreants
who did so ; but they got nothing by it and
shamble about COnstantinople, haggard, seedy
and despised.
One of the questionable things about the
Regular Turk in the eyes of all British gen.
tlemen Of honor, must be his inveterate dis
like to dueling; which he cannot be brought
to understand. He supposes our duels are
fought by command of our Sultana, and con-
stitute merely means at the disposal of that
august potentate for getting rid of disagreea-
BILE people. They have an extremely con-
venient custom for quarrelsome folk. At the
feast Of the Bairam, every Turk is bound to
make it up with his enemy, be that it what
it may. Whether they hate each other more
cordially afterwards or not, this deponent
knoweth not.
They do not appear to object to dueling or
to danger of any kind from fear Of DEATH
Their downright pluck on all occasions is be-
yond all question or dispute. They decline to
go to lonely places on cold mornings for the
purpose of numbering friend who has trod-
den on their toes, because it is not in accor-
dance with their principles. They avoid giving
people chance Of treading on their toes by
persevering in the excellent old system of
tucking them out of the way by sitting down
cross-legged upon them while they carry on
all verbal intercourse with each other in such
a fowery and wonderful strain, that cause of
offence can rarely occur. No doubt, if cause
Of offence do occur, they still prefer now and
then poisoning TO any more noisy means of
quieting person who has become obnoxious
to them. they have not, however, attained
the elegance in the art of silent destruction
which has been attributed to the Italians and
Russians; nor is (or ever was) the custom so
common among them. A Turkish difference,
especially with Greek, is often settled by
hired servants, whose chief employment is to
shake and thump people who cannot be
brought to reason by other means. The
Greek gentlemen understand this; and avoid
personal encounters, therefore, as much as
possible.
Regular Turks are fatalists. They are not
Of the opinion of Pope and most modern phil
osophy They think that nature is not only
held fast in Fate, but that Fate holds the hui
man will in its tight grasp, also. They be-
lieve that everything, from the growth of lit
tie apples to the roasting of Greek rebels,
was pre-ordained Thus, they are not fond
of taking useless steps to avert disaster, and
insurance offices are unknown among them
They would consider such an institution as a
temple of Malnmon and unrighteousness-
Even the Quarantine is an institution, and by
no means pleasing among them. The doctor
does not appear to them the potent parsonage
he seems to US. They respect him, indeed,
as soother OF pain but they hold that no
man can ayart that which il written For