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CHAP. XI.

Qualities required in a Statesman placed in a new and difficult Si tuation.-Characters of Mr. Charles Fox and the Marquis of Lansdown.-Folly of going to War with France in 1793.-Advantages of Unanimity and Perseverance in one Plan or System.-Unsteadi ness and Vacillation in the Conduct of Great Britain and of Russia.-Different Enterprises.-Individual Interests pursued by the Allies.-Constant Designs of Russia on the Ottoman Empire.-The present Crisis deemed favourable for their completion.-War be. tween the Russians and Turks.-Revolution at Constantinople.Fruitless Expedition to the Dardanelles under the Command of Admiral Sir Thomas Duckworth.—Capture, and subsequent Evacuacuation, by the English, of Alexandria.- Unauthorized Expedition against Buenos Ayres.-General Miranda's Expedition to Caraccas. -Capture of Monte Video by General Sir S: Auchmuty.-Disastrous and disgraceful Attempt for the Re-capture of Buenos Ayres, and Surrender of Monte Video to the Spaniards by General John Whitelocke. Trial and Sentence of General Whitelocke.

N new and difficult circumstances

IN

the affairs of a nation are not to

be conducted prosperously by ordinary precedents, nor odinary talents, though united with habits of business, and minute calculation, and all the powers of declamation. Such times require a leader who is capable of the most profound and comprehensive views one who has risen on the steps of history, and a knowledgeof human nature, to an eminence whence he can see a great way around him; who does not lose him. self in the intricacies of defiles and private paths, but is guided by those vistas and highways which are opened to the accomplished statesman by reading, by reflection, and actual observation on various scenes political and moral.-Such a statesman, in no inconsiderable degree, was the late honourable Charles James

Fox, and such also the late marquis of Lansdown. The marquis was as much superior to Mr. Fox in learn. ing, as Mr. Fox was to the marquis in native vigour of fancy and understanding. But neither was the marquis undistinguished by genius, nor Mr. Fox wholly untutored by letters. Though constantly engaged in either business or pleasure, Fox was not unacquainted with writers in history, politics, and polite literature: and what he read he readily digested, and always remembered. He reasoned like a philosopher, who enlarged his views by study, and tempered the refinements of study and reflection by actual observation on the moral and political scenes around him.-These two eminent statesmen set their faces against the precipitation with which we rushed into the war against France in 1793. They proclaimed

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the danger of forcing the French to was unwise to form a coalition become a military republic; and the against * France originally, yet it extreme improbability of ever being would have been wise to persevere in able, by any assemblage of detached this course when once adopted, and armies, to conquer, and reduce to when there was no retreating without submission, an armed nation of the incurring evils which by the chances of size and population of France, bear- war might possibly have been averted. ing with unity of design against a The history of nations clearly shews,

' coalition of powers seldom properly that even weak measures, when united, and never long. Dumouriez unanimously pursued hy a whole too, a man of talents and learning, nation, are better than more proas well as an accomplished and ex. found systems of conduct now ad. perienced military officer, maintained, opted, now abandoned t. Mr. Fox, in a pamphlet, published in 1795, the inveterate (if we may be allowed that the cause of royalty in France the expression) friend of peace, and would have been more effectually sup- judging perhaps of Buonaparte's chaported by any one memberof the coa. racter, by the frankness and sincerity lition, than by the whole.—The rea. of his own, still hoping for a favour. soning of all those, and other ingeni. able result of the negotiation, did not ous and enlightened men, was sound. afford to the allies that substantial aid And it would have been most fortunate which they expected, and which it for Britain and Ireland, if the coun. would have been wise in the British sels of lord Lansdown and Mr. Fox cabinet to have given. If the whole of had been listened to in time. But the British force that was directed in the wisdom of resorting to those the course of 1807, against Constan. counsels in 1806, may be questioned. tinople, Alexandria, Buenos Ayres, France was roused, and not to be and Copenhagen, and that too stalalled into repose by an acquiescence tioned in Sicily, had been sent to either in her internal arrangements, join the Swedes and Prussians in or foreign aggressions. AmbitionPomerania at any time before the

, 80 powerfully excited, was only in- battles of Heilsberg and Friedland, flamed by gratification. Though it

Though it the tide of war might have possibly

• If the French had been left to themselves, and not compressed into unity of design and action, they might, probably, have fallen into the distractions, miseries, and horrors of civil war. But it was apprehended that peace and intercourse with France might introduce, propagate, and strengthen revolutionary ideas and designs in Great Britain and Ireland; and the landed proprietors of these countries, in general, considered it as a masterly stroke of policy in Mr. Pitt, to prevent so great an evil as that of amity with the French, by giving public spirit an impulsion in a contrary direction. The internal sufferings of the French nation ever since the imprisonment and murder of the royal family, have proved that the violent measure of precaution used by Mr. Pitt was not necessary. A wise economy and redress of all grievances at home, with the natural effects of these, contrasted with the deplorable state of France, might not unreasonably have been eso pected to have maintained in our islands, tranquillity and contentment.

+ For a clear and satisfactory proof and illustration of this point, see lord Bela baven's speeches, in the Scottish parliament, in the debate on the union.- Persererance in any plan derives support

and strength from the mutability of fortune, or accidents.

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been turned, or at least the campaign the Mediterranean, by the subjuga- . would not probably hảve been closed tion of the European provinces of with such a peace as that of Tilsit. Turkey. His successors

on the Nay, if a force of 30'or 40 thousand Russian throne, kept in view his men had been kept, on our south- designs, which he left for their peeastern coast, ( suppose in the Downs) rusal in writing ; and Catharine II. ready to sail at a moment's notice, by the conquest of the Crimea, and this force would have operated in some establishments there, had ad. favour of the allies, without ever set. vanced some steps towards their acting foot on any part of Germany, complishment.- As

the natural by keeping the enemy in such a state enemies—so, in the ungracious lanof apprehension as would have pre- guage of politicks, neighbours are vented him from marching such an called—of Turkey, were Russia,and immense force to the Vistula. Austria, the natural friend and ally

The weakness of coalitions arising of this empire was France. But from the folly, and want of good faith France was first asleep under the in the common cause, was also lamen. weak, improvident, and most un. tably displayed in the conduct of Rus. fortunate reign of Lewis XVI., and sia, who, at the same time that she afterwards distracted by internal began to put her army in motion for contests and dissensions, or occu. opposing a barrier to the encroach. pied in foreign war, first defensive, ments of France, detached not less and then, in the natural progress of than 60,000 men to Moldavia and the passions, offensive. The situaWalachia. It was the interest of the tion of France in these circumcoalition, conjointly and severally, stances, was very favourable to the instead of pursuing individual in. designs of Russia on the Ottoman terests in any part of the world, to empire. The Russians, still profeshave concentrated their whole force sing peaceable dispositions, invaded against the most powerful and dan. Turkey in Europe, and at the close gerous enemy, Buonaparte *. of 1806, they were masters of the

It was evident, the fate of Turkey three provinces of Moldavia, Beswas to be determined not at the sarabia, and Wallachia, as related mouths of the Danube, the in our last volumet, and threatened canal of Constantinople and the sea to cross the Danube and join the re. of Marmora, but on the Vistula, volted Servians under Czerni, or the Pregel, and the Niemen. There black George : who, after gaining the question was to be resolved peated victories over the 'Turks, which master she was to obey, Jaid siege to the strong fortress of France or Russia ?

Belgrade, while the Russians under The vast mind of the great Czar general Myenberg were employed of Muscovy, Peterl, had compre- in that of Ismael. hended, in his plan of conquest in The revolt and progress of the Europe, not only settlements on Servians excited at the Porte the ut. the Baltic and Black seas, but on most indignation. By a firmaun or

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* How can one enter into a strong man's house, and spoil his goods, except he first bind the strong man? And then he will spoil his house. Matt. xii. 29. * Vol. XLVII. History of Europe, p. 211.

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edict, breathing the most barbarous pline and tactics into the Turkish fury, the Servians were devoted to armies, met with the same fate, while death or slavery, without distinction the troops were on their march. of age or sex. For the execution The treasurer of the army, Dettar. of this savage decree, Muchtar Ba- dar Hassan Tabfin Effendi, saved shaw, son of the Bashaw of Jani. his life by a timely and prompt rena, was ordered to march against signation of his office. The move. them, at the head of 8,000 Alba. ments of the army under the grand nese: while an immense but most vizier were so slow, that it was long disorderly army, under the command before he arrived at the scene of of the grand vizier, advanced, from action; and when it did, it served Adrianople towards the Danube. rather to swell the triumphs of the This undisciplined and turbulent enemy, than to retrieve the national mass had not been above four days disasters. Their native impetuosity on its march, when, on the 8th of and strength of body were not an May, the commissary-reneral of the equal match for the national perse. army, Hussein Effendi, was massa- verance and military subordination cred by the furious troops in the and discipline of the Russians. midst of the camp. The cadi Ba. Among troops which, from their toshaw of Conia, a zealous friend to tal want of discipline and order*, the introduction of European disci. may be considered rather as

armed The Turks never fortify their camps; which are formed around the quarters of their commander in chief, but without any regular order, as every one may pitch his tent where he pleases. The grand vizier, with the troops immediately under his command, forms the main body. The Janizaries, with their commander, constitute another body, at some distance fro the other : and between cach is the artillery, with the cannoniers and toonbardiers. The cannoniers are a very numerous body, and some of them who have been trained by French officers, are tolerably expert in the managenient ot' field pieces. But their commanders are ignorant, and their carriages so clumsy, as to require twenty borses, or thirty buffaloes to draw them. The bombardiers being a separate body from the carinoniers, have their separate commander.- The Spalis constitute the Turkish cavalry, and are divided into sixteen legions. · They possess lands as hereditury fiess, which, in default of male children, devolve to their commander, who inay dispose of them as he pleases. Some of them have very considerable estates, by the tenure of which, they are obliged to maintain, and bring into the field, a ceriain namber of horsenien. The Asiatic troops, especially those from Syria and Mesopotamia, form an excellent body of light cavalry. Their horses are ficet, and full of fire, but they are of little avail against heavy and weil-di-scipiineú troops.-Of the Turkish infantry, by far the most numerous body is the Janizuies, who are distributed into 101 legions. Their number is not limited: and mastof the Turks enlist themselves in these legions, on account of the privileges they enjoy. In time of peace some of the Janizaries have a small pay: but in actual service this is granted to all, and they generally insist on its being paid to them in advance. The young men, on their first entrance into this corps, are obliged to serve as scullions to their respective niesses, and to distribute the daily allowance of provisions to their fellow soldiers; an office of much consequence among the Janizaries, who are much less attached to their standards, than to their capkitchen. The loss of the former they con:dur 3s easy to be repaired, but that of the latter, as an irretrievable disgrace. When this happens, the legion is diabada ed, another formed, and provided with new kitchen utensils: of which, for the pre

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armed rabble, than an army, the racter to suffer it : but Selim III. commanders are frequently exposed who had reigned several, and was to the utmost danger, from the in- likely to reign seven, years without constancy and capricious licentious. having any children, was but a weak ness of their own men.

In the cam

and timid, as well as a mild and be, paign of 1778, the grand vizier was neficent prince; and events occurred very near falling a victim to their which brought the law just men. fury, because he attempted to draw tioned to recollection. Before the up, and exercise his ivfantry, in the advancement of Selim to the throne, European manner. To this they and while he was yet kept among had reluctantly submitted for a few the women and children in the sehours, in hopes of receiving a pecu. raglio, he was poisoned by the sulniary gratification. But on finding tana Valida, the mother of his new themselves disappointed in this ex- phew, Mustapha, that her own son pectation, a general insurrection might ascend the throne immediately took place. The Janizaries rushed on the death of Abdul Hamed. Se. into the vizier's tent, with a design lim quickly perceived that he had to massacre hin, but the vizier taken poison, and had instantly re. having the good fortune to escape in course to a powerful antidote, fur. disguise, ordered a distribution of nished by some one not in the inteabout €.6,000 among the soldiers: rest and confidence of Valida; for who, appeased by this act of libe- there is no part of natural history rality, suffered him to appear once and knowledge, that the Turks are more at their head.* But this did so well acquainted with as the ma. not prevent several subsequent at- teria medica of poisons and anti. tempts, all of them frustrated by the dotes. The life of Selim was presersame cause, the jealousy, aversion, ved, his constitution was so much and hatred, of the Janizaries to- shaken, that he mounted the throne wards the Europeans, whom they call with the melancholy consciousness Franks. According to the law of that he could never be a father, and Mahomed, the sultan loses his right that, at the end of seven years, this to the throne, if in the course of incapacity might lead to his de. seven years after his accession he thronement. The sultana who was has no children. It does not how. mother of Selim, being informed of ever appear, as far as we are ac. the impotency of her son, set herself quainted with Turkish history to the devising of means for main. that ever this law was acted upon; taining him on the throne, after the whether a case that might have au. expiration of the seven years allowed thorized its execution, was ever by the law, and by that means to known to have actually happened, preserve the sovereign influence she or that if it did, the reigning prince had acquired, in all matters of gopossessed too much vigour of cha. Ternment. The reins of government

veution of such accidents, they generally take care to be provided with double sets. Though the Janizaries are considered as infantry, yet as such of them as can afford to keep horses will not serve without them, their legions are a confused medley of horse and foot: a circumstance which occasions no small disorder in the Turkish army.–See more on this subject, Vol. XXXIII. and Vol. XLIII. 1801, p. 208. * Voyage de M. Le Comte de l'errier Saubeuf.

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