she committed to the hands of her sia, and other provinces, that the paramour Joseph Aga Chia Jassi, divan, availing themselves of the ab whose policy it was to favour, by all sence of the Janizaries, who had means, the introduction into the marched under the command of the Turkish army, of the European dress grand vizier to the Danube, had and tactics, with imposts for the resolved to put Constantinople, the maintenance of a new soldiery, that bulwarks of the Dardanelles, and there might be a military force to be other strong-holds, exelusively into depended upon, in the event that the hands of the new soldiery, who, the Janizaries should by any means, it was added, acted in concert with or on any pretence, be excited the enemy, and intended to deliver against the government. Handsome Turkey in Europe, into the hands barracks were built for their ac. of the Russians.

On the 26th, commodation, at different places in 27th, and 28th days of May, meet the environs of the capital ; they ings were held between certain were handsomely paid; and their chiefs of the order of Janizaries, number was every day rapidly in. and the Ulemas, i. e. priests and creasing, for which abundant pre. lawyers ; at which it was resolved texts were furnished by the open that Selim should be dethroned, and robberies and other disorders com. his nephew Mustapha reign in his mitted in the vicinity of Constanti. stead. According to an antient nople, and the anarchy that pre- custom, the Janizaries in Constan. vailed in all the provinces. The tinople meet together every Friday, progress of the revolt in Servia, the which is the weekly festival of the troubles of Arabia, which restraiu. Turks; when the grand seignior, who ed the Mussulmen from paying their is himself a Janizary, presents them devotions at the tomb of the prophet with bread, and soup (schiorba, or at Mecca, the invasion of Moldavia sherbet) in token of fraternal good. and Wallachia, and further con- will and affection.

The acceptance quests and humiliations menaced by of the sherbet is a token of alle. the Russians: all these circumstan- giance to the sultan, on the part of ces had produced a general spirit of the Janizaries. On the 29th of discontent, and when they were May, the Janizaries assembled at the combined with the new institution place of Elmeidan, according to of Nizammi Geddid, the troops custom. The soup was set before dressed, disciplined, and paid, in the them. The Janizaries would not European manner, among whom taste it. Just before they had as. great numbers of Greeks had been sembled at the usual place, they had received, a general murmur of dis. witnessed the procession of the im. satisfaction against government was fortunate Selim to the mosque, at. heard among the Janizaries, the tended by a guard, consisting for great militia, and the founders of the greater part, of soldiers of the the empire; to whom the household Nizammi Geddid ; among whom, as troops, or imperial guards of the above observed, were a number of Nizammi Geddid appeared in the Greeks. This complaisance of the light of upstart intruders, and odious emperor for Christians, which had rivals. It was rumoured at Con- been also most signally displayed in stantinople, and throughout Roma. the frequent intercourse and atta. 4

hility

bility of the sultan towards the had been for some time dead. Hér French ambassador, Sebastiani, the lover and confidential friend, Joseph Turks regarded with indignation, Aga Chia Jassi, who was a man of and almost with horror.

talents and vigour, had retired from There were 5,000 Janizaries sta. court, and the unfortunate Selim tioned at Bajukdere, and the forts had fallen under the direction of on the Black Sea, and the canal of counsellors, it would appear, both Constantinople. After the depar. weak and treacherous. ture of the grand army for the Da. The infamous Bostangi, on his nube, the sultan Selim sent Mahomed return, persuaded his soft and easy Effendi, who had been ambassador master, that all was quiet. But the from the Porte to London, and was Janizaries in the garrisons, having a zealous friend to the English*, joined their brethren in Constanti. to those garrisons with uniforms in the nople, the whole, to the amount of European style, and money, to invite 15,000, seized the batteries of the and allurethem rather than to giveor- seraglio, and compelled the three ders for joining the regular regiments regiments on duty there, to join of the Nizammi Geddid. While he them. From the seraglio, they repair. was employed in reading the instruc- ed to the suburb of Tophana, where tions with which he was charged by the cannon-foundery is established, the grand seignior, the Janizaries be placing as usual their standards and gan to murmur dissatisfaction and seething pots in the midst of the as. rage, and one of their officers cut semblage. In the mean time, they him down on the spot with a sabre; issued assurances to the inhabitants saying, “ In the name of God I of Constantinople, that nothing was siay not the Mussulman, but the intended that ought to occasion the English Mahomed." On being in- least apprehension or alarm. They formed of this event, the weak and elected for their commander, a bra. irresolute Selim dispatched to the zier of Constantinople, and took an rebellious Janizaries the Bostangi oath by stepping across a naked Baschi to appease them with money, sword laid on the ground, that they and to say that they had done well would neither invade the property, in killing Mahomed Effendi, who nor: make any attack or attempt on had imposed on them, and not the lives of either Turks or Chris. faithfully delivered the orders that tiaus, nor come to any resolution had been sent, but devised others without the consent of the Mufti, merely out of his own invention, and Ulemas. After this, they proand for his own private purposes. ceeded in profound silence to the The perfidious and covetous Bos- place of Elmeidan. In the march, tangi delivered the message with one of their fraternity was detected which he had been entrusted, but in stealing a basket of cherries, and put the money into his own pocket. another in openly robbing a man of The Janizaries were not appeased; a pair of shoes. As a proof and and only regarded the sultan with earnest of their determination to the greater contempt. The dow- respect both the lives and properties ager sultana, the mother of Selim, of all the people, they put those

* He was comm
nmonly called at Constantinople Inglis Mahomed Effendi.

Janizaries,

Janizaries, even for those slight of demanded a new sultan. And the fences, to death upon the spot. The Mufti sent a deputation to Selim, to moment they arrived at the place acquaint him with what had passed, appointed, they formed themselves and to demand, in the name ofthe peointo a council of war, sent for the ple, compliance with their 'request, Mufti and some of the principal Selim, anticipating this event, had ulemas and cadis, and put the ques. gone, about half an hour before, to tion to the Mufti, what punishment the palace, or rather prison of his he deserred, who had established nephew; whom he took by the the new military force of Nizammihand; warned him against giving Geddid ? The Mufti replied, himself up wholly to the advice of * Death; and that according to the those about him, particularly when judgment of the koran; since the they advised any great changes; and divan had introduced among Mus. wished him a happier reigr than his sulmen, the manners of infide s, and had been. Then taking in his hand manifested an intention to suppress, a cup of poisoned sherbet, he began the Janizaries, who were the true lift it towards his lips, when defenders of the law, and the pro- Mustapha, who was melted into phet.” The Janizaries then sent, tears, snatched it out of his hand, in writing, a demand, tö Selim, of 'threw it on the ground, swore that twelve heads of men, who were his life should be held sacred, and, members of the divan. The sul that he should ever respect him tan without hesitation immediately as his uncle, and regard him as a., sent them the head of the Bostangi, friend. Baschi, and some little time there. When the deputation from the after, six other heads, which they Janizaries to Selim arrived at the, hewed in a thousand pieces, and, it seraglio, they found already a new was affirmed by many, licked the 'sultan. Intelligence of this event blood. Two members of the divan was immediately communicated to had the courage to appear at the the Janizaries, who left their camp place of Elmeidan, of their own ac- to see Mustapha going in state to cord, to vindicate themselves against mosque, according to the custom on the charge of violating the law of similar occasions. the prophet: in as much as they being over, the Janizaries returned had never advised, but on the con. to their respective quarters,* It is trary, set their faces against the in- needless to mention, that among the troduction and encouragement of sacrifices demanded by the Janizathe dress and military tactics of the ries, was Joseph Aga, the confident Christians. They were heard with of the sultana, the mother of Selim. patience, and suffered to depart in He was a sworn

enemy to the peace. The Janizaries were not French faction, and a friend to the satisfied with these sacrifices, but English. It was through liis influ.

This account of the revolution at Constantinople is taken chiefly from a narrative published by a French officer, who arrived from that capital with a passport from Mustapha at Milan, towards the end of July. The first reports of this event of the Janizaries, Mufti, and Ulemas, breaking ferociously into the seraglio, and the death of Selim, that appeared in our newspapers, and bave been copied from theiu into other periodical publications, are wholly erroneous. Vol. XLIX.

0

The ceremony

And found them agreeing in the principal facts, and even circumstances. + Bulletin 90th, of the grand French army, Koningsberg, 12th July. The French ariny stationed in the province of Friouli, and encamped at Brescia, Verona, Bassano, and Alexandria, at this period was greater than any French army that had ever been in Italy before. The different divisions of this army, besides the purpose of overawing the French dominions in Italy, were considered as so many depôts for re-inforcing the armies of Naples and Dalmatia. To this last army re-inforcements might be sent, not only in transports across the Gulf of Venice, but by land. For, in violation of the treaty of Presburg, in the autumn of 1806, Buonaparte had forced Austria by threats of war, to agree to the passage oftroops from Italy, with the establishment of resting places, and magazince, across her maritime provinces. Rapport du ministre de la guerre, &c. seance du Senat Conservateur du 4 Avril, 1857.—Declaration et manifeste de la Cour de Vienne, Le 27 Mars, 1809.

!

give an overt and decisive proof of
friendship and confidence in France,
by breaking off all peaceable inter-
course with Russia, and Britain,
berally. He then, assuming a very
lofty tone, presented a note to the
Turkish government, stating in the
most positive terms, that if the
Turkish seas, and particularly the
passage of the Dardanelles, and the
canal of Constantinople, should be
left free and open to the enemies
of France, the grand signior must
be considered as the friend and ally
of Russia and England. In vain
the Turkish ministers urged treaties
of peace and commerce. Even a
strict regard to neutrality required,
according to Sebastiani, not only
that the Dardanelles and Bosphorus
should be shut against the fleets of
Russia and England, but also
against their trading ships, carrying
for the use of enemies of France,
arms, clothes, ammunition, and pro-
visions. But ff, after all, the sub.
lime Porte should insist on the ob-
servance of those commercial trea.
ties, then France, on the other
haud, would assert her right to
march by land, to contend with the
Russians on the banks of the Neis-
ter. Mr. Arbuthnot, the English
minister at the Porte, who had ob.
served, that ever since the great
victories obtained by the French
over the Prussians, the influence of
the French at Constantinople had
increased, and that of Russia and
England been proportionably' di-
minished, did not fail to write
home to our government the state
of affairs there, and at the same
time, transmitted the note of Sebas.

tiani.

Intelligence, to the same effect, was communicated to the British government by the Russian ministers at Petersburgh, accompa nied with a recommendation to send a British fleet, with a large military force, which might defeat the ascen dancy of the French counsels at the Porte, and cause powerful diversion of the force of France in favour of Russia. A negotiation for peace with the Porte, was commenced by the Russian in conjunction with the English government. To give weight to this, a fleet under the command of sir Thomas Duckworth, was sent to force the passage of the Dardanelles, and, if certain terms should not be acceded to by the Turkish government, to bombard Constantinople. The fleet con sisted of seven ships of the line, besides frigates and bomb-ships. Two of the ships of the line were three-deckers, three carried 84 guns, and two 74. This naval force cast anchor at the isle of Tenedoš, about the middle of February, where it was joined by the frigate on board of which Mr. Abuthnot had made his escape from the personal violence of which he had been in apprehension at Constantinople.* Our fleet passed the Dardanelles on the morning of the 19th. A Turkish squadron, consisting of a 64-gun ship, four frigates, and several corvettes, had been for some time at anchor within the inner castles.

Orders were given to com modore sir Sydney Smith, who was well acquainted with those seas, having been stationed there with a naval force under his command,

Mr. Arbuthnot carried along with him all the English residing at Constanti sople. From the Endymion he sent a letter to the Reis Effendi, committing the protection of British property to the Turkish government.