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siege to Vienna itself. For a time, Turkey threatened the independence and liberties of Europe then, as much as Russia does at the present. The Turkish flag sent terror through Europe. The Turkish fleets swept the Mediterranean Sea. But it had to consolidate as well as conquer, and, in the course of time, its wild, warlike, aggressive spirit was arrested. A century after the complete conquest of the Byzantine empire, the Turks, instead of increasing in strength, began to lose some of their power; and from that time to the present Turkey has been gradually decaying. We know there are two opinions on this question; but no one can dispute that Turkey, at one time, was much more powerful than she now is; that she could then take care of herself and defend herself; that she did not want the assistance of England or France, but relied on her own inherent strength. They cannot deny that Turkey has since been getting weaker and weaker-that in all recent wars she has been conquered-that large slices of her territory have been taken from her. They cannot deny that even within the memory of those now living, Algiers, Egypt, Greece, the Archipelago, and Bessarabia, were parts and parcels of the Ottoman empire; that the successive treaties of Azof, of Kainardji, of Jassy, of Bucharest, and of Adrianople were as many acts of capitulation on the part of the Turks. They cannot deny that an insurrection occurred in Turkey about twenty years since, and that it resulted in the establishment of the kingdom of Greece, and that thereby away went with one blow a large portion of her dominions. They cannot deny that Ibrahim Pasha advanced nearly into Constantinople in 1833, when Egypt threatened to be the conqueror of Turkey, and was only arrested in his progress by the Emperor of Russia; and had it not been for him, Turkey would have been overthrown by its own subjects. In fact, Turkey is the most anomalous nation in the world. It is propped up by the jealousy of surrounding nations. It only exists by toleration. All travellers unite in speaking of its internal weakness, and inevitable decay, and yet we hear it perpetually prated in the House of Commons, and by the small-fry out of the House of Commons, that the integrity, and independence of the Turkish Empire must be maintained; as if this very independence, and this very integrity had not been trenched on long since by every nation in Europe, England not excepted,

for who was it that fought the battle of Navarino, and crippled the naval power of Turkey? Why England, France, and Russia. There is nothing more certain in the political aspects of the present, there is no tendency of the age more unmistakeable, than that Turkey is decaying, that it must decay, and pass away. We know it is said that the Turks have progressed of late years; but the progress is only apparent and superficial. It is not the result of self originating energy, but imitation. It does not spring from the development of the inherent resources of Turkey, but from grafting on Turkish institutions English and French habits. But this is all mere external show. It is impossible for Turks, with their Asiatic natures, and fatalistic faith, to rival Europeans with their superior physical powers and superior religious belief. Hence the Turks must decrease in numbers, and decay in strength But we have been governed, in what we have said, more from the plain teachings of history, than any speculations on the possible.

The Turks are in possession of the finest part of Europe; in fact it may be called the garden of the world. Its soil is fertile and its climate is salubrious. Its shores are washed by the silvery waves of the Mediterranean Sea. But still, with all these natural advantages, the Turks are decaying. They conquered the Greeks by the sword; but they gave the conquered nation nothing in return If the English go to India and effect conquests, it generally gives the conquered some equivalent either in the shape of better laws, public order, a higher social system, or commerce. If the English subdue they also benefit. This is not said to justify all they have done in India and elsewhere. But what have the Turks given Greece and the other States they subdued? Nothing. They have given them no commerce because they had no commerce to give. They have given no science because they are not a scientific people. They have given nothing hardly worthy the name of art because they have never produced artists worthy of the name. They brought a religion with them; but is Mahometanism superior to Christianity? They certainly did not bring a superior social system, as they sanctify polygamy and infanticide. No; the Turks took from the Greeks their country and their liberty; and offered them nothing but a sword stained with blood, and a Khoran blotted with immorality. They have given Europe nothing worth

having. Whereas Greece, on the other hand, has rocked the cradles of two civilisations, the Classic and the Christian. They gave the world History and Philosophy, and taught it to love the Beautiful. Never did any nation bequeath such a worthy legacy to the world as Greece; and never did any nation do less for Europe's real good than the Turks. Yet the Turks hold the Greeks and other European Christians under their subjection to the present time. And whenever they had the power, they treated the Christians with insult and cruelty. During the last few years, they have, to some extent, relaxed their tyranny, and treated the Christians with something approximating to respect. But they have only done this because they could not help themselves. Russia, on the one hand, and France and England on the other, demanded that the Christian population of Turkey should be treated as men. Menaced by internal disorder and external frowns, Turkey has from time to time given way, but never with any good grace. Its toleration never arose from conviction, but from necessity. Hence the Turks throughout Turkey were not so tolerant as the Government. The Government, being brought into close con tact with European Powers, saw the propriety of yielding, and promised and no doubt promised faithfully-to yield. But the small-fry in office in the provinces were slow to do the bidding of the Government. Consequently, while the Christians in Turkey were suffering from tyranny, the Christians outside Turkey grew disaffected.

A majority of the Christian population of Turkey profess the Greek religion. The Greek religion is the national established religion of Russia; hence Russia has interfered on behalf of the Christians of Turkey more than any other nation; and while interfering it has always had the aggrandisement of the Turkish empire in view. This, no doubt, has been the dream of Russian ambition and the secret of Russian policy. Russia is already the largest empire in Europe, and with Turkey added to its dominions it might, be enabled to hold the destinies of Europe's future in its hands. Hence has arisen the present war, which we intend considering, with some minuteness, in the next number of the FAVORITE.

J. P. E.

U

PRINCIPAL MEN ENGAGED IN THE WAR.

No. 1.

NICHOLAS

THE Emperor Nicholas has now been the ruler of All the Russias for somewhat more than eight-and-twenty years. He was born in 1788, and is the grandson of that unfortunate Peter III., who was murdered at the instigation of his wife, Catherine II., in order that she might be placed upon the throne in his stead, and the son of the equally unfortunate Paul I., who, in 1801, met with a fate similar to his father's, being strangled in order to make room for his eldest son. This son, Alexander, died in 1825, and was succeeded by his brother, the present Emperor Nicholas.

His ascent to the throne took place amid many difficulties. He had an elder brother, named Constantine, to whom the sovereignty would have by right descended, had not the late emperor thought proper to leave behind him a ukase commanding that hereditary rights should be disregarded, and the crown be placed upon the brows of Nicholas. Against this decree nearly the whole army rebelled, and when the day came for the Russian patriarch to receive its oath of allegiance to the new Emperor, he was greeted with tumultuous cries of Long live Constantine!' The crisis was perilous, and the danger imminent; and the patriarch was at a loss how to proceed. Just at that moment, how ever, there galloped up into the midst of the immense square, crowded with troops, an officer wearing no badge to distinguish him from the other superior officers, but guiding his horse in such a manner as to give you faith in the fable of the Centaurs. This officer was the Emperor Nicholas, at that moment just at the period of life in which youth and ripe manhood unite in all their splendour.

Hardly had he assured himself of the fidelity of one or two regiments of horse guards and a few batallions of ar tillery, ere he advanced boldly to the front of the great body of the mutineers, and gave them the accustomed imperial salute: Good day, children!' It was answered by mingled cries of Long live the constitution!' and 'Long live Constantine! The hour of death or triumph was therefore this. It must decide whether Nicholas be treated henceforth as an emperor or a rebel. He turned towards those

of the troops whom he believed, or feigned to believe, to be disposed to obey him, and cried: These madmen will neither listen to the voice of their patriarch nor that of their Emperor; let the cannon therefore speak to them!'

At this order, accompanied by a gesture of command, the guns belched a flood of fire and shot upon the insurgent soldiers, as also upon the vast crowd of citizens who had gathered in the expectation of seeing how Russian soldiers would kill an Emperor. A long contest ensued, and the kennels of the city ran with blood. But order was estab lished before nightfall, Nicholas completely triumphing. He then entered the Imperial palace, exclaiming: 'What a commencement for a reign!'

He exhibited a similar amount of personal courage on another occasion, that, namely, of the insurrection of the military colonies of Novgorod, as also in that of the insurrection which was caused in the capital by the ravages of the cholera. In this last instance, he fell upon the insur gents like a thunder-bolt, followed only by a single aide-decamp, and in five minutes the whole multitude had cast away their arms, and thrown themselves upon their knees to implore pardon. Ever since, the mere sight of the Czar has been sufficient of itself to immediately repress any insur rection.

A recent French writer, M. Leouzon Leduc, who knows Russia well, has described the Emperor as being ‘without exception, the handsomest man in his empire, if not in Europe. More than six feet tall, with a broad and lofty forehead, a perfectly-formed nose, a remarkably-fine mouth, and lips equally capable of expressing the severity of command, and the smiling gracefulness of condescension, his look is imposing and majestic in the extreme. He scarcely ever doffs the military habit, and to him it is something more than a vain symbol, for his life is as rude and laborious as that of the camp. Long before daybreak, whilst all his empire is still sleeping, the Emperor is up, preparing-with his shoulders covered with an old military mantle, which serves him instead of a robe de chambre-the orders to be given during the day to his various Ministers. He works to excess, and there is nothing done in his empire that he does not examine and see into himself."

The political objects which the Emperor has always kept chiefly in view have been the same as those pursued by all

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