But the Russians will always continue to be "the abhorred enemies of the Turks: and reluct"antly (as I must in fairness say) these last were at length obliged to abandon us, and to prefer á "connection with France as being the only power "which would be willing to support them against Russia. "Whether the Porte, now that we ourselves are at war with Russia, would consent to end a war which to neither of us has any longer any ob"ject, is a question that at this distance could not "be easily decided. The Turks, I am confident, "have no wish to be in hostilities with us. "In speaking of the powers which of late years "have acted a leading part at Constantinople, I "have abstained from making any reference whatever to the Austrians. I have done so, because though the immediate and the powerful neigh"bours of Turkey, they have never since the days "of Prince Eugene been in the least dreaded by "the Porte: and of late years, since their reverses. in their wars with revolutionary France, they "have been held in such little estimation by the "Ottoman ministers, that there was not a single "mission at Pera which did not seem to possess an equal influence. England, England, France, and Russia, were in my "time the only powers that were ever thought of or considered and I should expect to find, that "the defeats and subsequent disgrace of Russia "had now caused her to be as much despised in Turkey as she used to be abhorred and feared.”. Much the same language is held by Mr. Thornton with respect to the probable difficulty of conquering Turkey. "The toprakly soldiery, being untaught and undisciplined, do not seem to "merit a higher estimation than the provincial "militia of the Christian states; and, on a review "of the disposeable force of the Ottoman empire, should scarcely be taken into account: but to an invading army they oppose a resistance by no means to be despised. Every motive of "enthusiasm, patriotism, and private interest, "confirms the aversion of the Turks to the domi."nion of foreigners. In our own time, the inha"bitants of Bosnia, Albania, and Croatia, a hardy "and warlike race, have successfully defended "their religion and their country against the dis ciplined troops of the Emperor of Germany: " and the French armies in Egypt met with more "obstinate resistance from an armed yeomanry, "than they have since experienced in traversing "the "the most warlike countries of Europe. The "ojakli, or householders in Egypt, no less than "the feudal proprietors, fought with valour, un"diminished by the want of success, from the "ruined walls of Alexandria to the ancient Ro"man frontier of Syenè. The language of the "historian bears unequivocal testimony to their "patriotic virtue. Alexandria was taken by storm: "the besiegers left two hundred soldiers in the "breach through which they entered: but of the 66 6.6 besieged none fled, they fell with glory on the spot which they had failed in defending With such examples before our eyes, we may be permitted to question the facility of subduing a "people, whose country, from its very nature, "must encourage their exertions and protect their independence. The allied nations of Europe have "only to march, says Count Marsigli, their great 66 est difficulty will be to divide the conquered coun try. But, though we now discover, since the "blaze of the Ottoman power has subsided, that "their former conquests were the chastisements "of divine justice for the sins of Christendom, " and that the sultans never were and never will * Denon's Voyage dans la basse et la haute Egypt. Vol. i p. 48, 223. • be "be strong in their own might: yet it perhaps "still remains to be discovered, whether a people, "who would refuse to obey even their sultans if "they ordered them to renounce their possessions ❝in favour of a stranger, and whose country from "the difficulty of forming magazines affords no "facilities to the invader; whether such a people, "in spite of the acknowledged debility of the "empire, would not give ambition cause to repent "of its insatiable thirst of conquest*." On the whole, I see little reason to change my opinion respecting my conjectured date of the 1260 years, and still less to adopt the hypothesis of those who suppose that they have already expired. III. I cannot conclude without making my acknowledgments to the present Bp. of Killalla for the correspondence with which he has honoured me relative to the rendering of certain passages in the prophet Isaiah. In consequence of this correspondence and my perusal of his valuable translation of that prophet, I trust that the version, which I had exhibited, is in many parts materially improved. If on some points I have ventured to Thornton's Present State of Turkey. p. 207-209. differ from his Lordship, my dissent, which was unreservedly expressed to him, has at least been attended with one good effect. It has served to shew, that a man of real talents and sound learning knows how to despise the petty pertinacity cf maintaining at all hazards opinions which he has once advanced. Inferior minds, as if conscious that the flimsy texture of their productions must be materially injured even by the slightest detrac tion, seem anxious to consult their dignity, if not by argument, yet at least by an invincible obstiin argament: while superior minds, not arrogantly, but necessarily and involuntarily, feeling their superiority, precisely as a strong man cannot avoid feeling his strength, shrink not from the fearless liberality of concession, as well knowing that the sterling value of their labours cannot be depreciated by the generous and unreserved acknowledgment of occasional error. nacy Ubi plura nitent,-non ego paucis ཚུ March 14, 1809. CON |