Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1853-1862, 1858-02-28
DIR. BAIRD's LECTURE ON GREECE AND TUR.

DR.. BAIRD gave the second lecture on Greece and
Turkey, last night at the Cumberland Presbyterian
Church It contained & sketch Of the history
of that most interesting portion of Europe, Set
ting out with a brief notice Of the physical
character Of both countries, DR.. Baird took up
the early history Of Greece, and gave clear, but
brief notice Of the republics Of Greece, its cvilza
ton, and its amazing efforts TO plant colonies IN
Asia, Africa, and Europe, on the shores Of the
lEgean and Black Seas, the Livaut, the coasts Of
Italy, France, and Spain. He next narrated its
civil wars, the conquest Of the country by Philip
and Alexander of Mscedon, and the astonishing re-
suits to the Eastern World in difusing the Greek
language and Greek civilization, that followed the
conquest of Western and Central Asia by the latter
Of those two remarkable men. He next showed the
amusing influence on Italy and all Southwestern
Europe, which the conquest OfGreece by the Romans
ezerted-
All the Fine Arts iourished in Greece, and espe-
cially at Athens They are six in number: Archi-
lecture, Painting, Sculpture, Poetry, Music, and
ElOquence All fourished first at he capital of the
Republic of Attics, and afterwards at Corinth and
other cities in Greece as well as in the Greek cities
Of Asia Minor Italy, Sicily, and other Greek Colo
MES None Of these rats fOurished at Sparta which
was the capital Of military republic In Greece,
the fine rats received far greater development than
in Phgnicia, or in any other part Of ASIA far no.
bier than they received in Egypt any other part
Of Africa The position OF ancient Athens was
beautifully represented the lecture by large and
admirable map.
Dr. B. then took the history of the Roman En-
pire after ConstantnOple made the capital, du-
ring period of a thousand years, and showed the
causes of its decline and fall, as DR.. Gibbon has
well termed it. Those causes are to be sought in
the inherent defects Of the government the vices Of
society, which christianity, oorruptedby the unhal-
lowed alliance of Church and State could not cure,
the effects of the crusades, etc. He gave an &C
count Of the wars Of the Turks and their invasion
Of Europe; the transfer Of the Of their dOmin
ion from BrOOsa to AdrianOpe, and after eighty or
ninety years of struggle the conquest Of CONSTANT
nOpls and the extinction of the Eastern Roman
Empire, a thousand years after the downfall Of the
Western.
+ The notices which DR.. B. gave of some Of the
thirty-One Sultans, or Padisdahs who have reigned
over the Turks-especially OthmsnO, Bejazet, ANA
rath l., Mohammed l., SOlymau the Magnificent,
MahmOud Ohe father Of Abdul Medjid, the reigning
Monarch were highly interesting; was his &C
count of the late Revolution in Greece, the estab-
ishment of that little Kingdom; aud the great pro-
gress which It is king in civilization.
In the conclusion, DR. B. spoke Of the late War
in the East, pointing out on excellent maps the
scenes Of the battles of Kalcpat Selista, the Alma,
Balscklaya, Inkermaun, and the seige and capture
Of Sebastapol. DR.. b. has no doubt that the late
war has saved Turkey from destruction at the hands
Of the Russians but it has hasteued the overthrow
Of the Ottoman dominion in Europe by the hands Of
her enemy withiu-the Christian population, which
in Turkey, in Europe, stands in the proportion Of
ten or eleven millions to four millions.
The battle Of LepsutO in 1871, probably the
greatest naval battle the world has seen, first
checked the dominion Of the Turks the Those
of Navarino, in 1927, and Of Siuope, in 1854, al
most terminated it; whilst their defeat under the
walls Of Vienna, in 1888 by SObieski and his brave
Poes etectually headed of their long cherished at
tempts to conquer Western Europe.
Dr. B. interested his audience very much with q
description Of Constantinopls with its Mosques, its
minarets its tombs of the Sultans its SeragiO,
etc etc. as well as with his account of the fortresses
on both sides of the Western end of the Dardsn-
nelles. Among other things he said that the Pashs
who commanded st those fOrtifcstions once fred
one of the huge cannons which they contain to
crafty Commodore Porter. Tho conclusion was so
great that the Pashs himself who had taken position
quite too near, good deal hurt, but much more
alarmed. The ball moved slowly, but with great
momentum when it had reached the middle of the
channel it split into two pieces, one of which went
down into the water, and heaved up q great mass
whilst the other passed and lodged in the OpPo
site bank Commodore Porter proposed to 60 over
and see what had become Of it, but the Turks told
him that it would net be worth while, for it had
certainly not stopped and they doubted whether it
ever would But the Commodore went over and
found it buried about ten feet in the bank 1t was
of granite and almost three feet in diameter, the
weight Of the entire ball was /, $50 pounds.
Dr. B. will give his third lecture on Monday night.
1t will be on Holland and Germany. We are happy
to say that the interest in these lectures is decidedly
increasing.