ing the population of infant increafed the extent and power of rifing Rome, carried its repu tation to far as to make diftant nations fubmit to the the fummons of her heralds, we shall find, that no mighty kingdom has actually funk under any single attack, from a foreign power: no empire, permanently established, was ever overturned by the lots of a fingle battle. Greece, enflaved by the Romans, Rome, itfelf, fubjugated by Barbarians, have not ceded fo much to the power of their conquerors as to their own interior feebleness.' Nothing has more contributed to increafe the mafs of hu man knowledge than voyages and travels. From this fource has fprung our acquaintance with the globe which we inhabit, and that extenfive knowledge of our fellow-creatures which is now fo generally diffufed. They have given rife, it is true, to many errors; a number of fanciful and ill-founded theories may be placed to their account. Montefquieu, and other great men have been led aftray by too unbounded a confidence in the herd of travellers: but whoever indifcriminately and blindly follows the herd in any thing, will frequently be deceived, If we wish to draw truth from this fpring of information, we must first of all examine the talents and opportunities of the traveller. He may relate matters, with regard to which he is not capable of judging; or, after a very inadequate refidence in a country, he may prefent us with a long detail of its laws, cuftoms, religion, productions, &c. &c. In either cafe, the judicious reader will pay little attention to the narration, and will avoid theorifing on fo unstable a foundation. It would be doing the highest injuftice to Baron de Tott to rank him with travellers of this kind. With the talents he appears to poffefs, a refidence of 23 years in Turkey, and among the Tartars, and a perfect acquaintance with the language of the country, muft lead us to expect something very different from the lame, imperfect, and, in general, falfe accounts which have hitherto appeared. The peculiar circumstances of the times of which he writes, make us hope for fomething at once fingular aud interefting. Nor are our expectations deceived; we fee the vaft mafs of the Turkish Empire in motion; we fee it, at all times unweildy, rendered feeble and impotent by prejudice, corruption, and defpotifm, at a critical period, which might have decided its fate. The reflecting reflecting mind anticipates the event of the war with Ruffia; knowing how unequal the conteft must be between two powers, where the one, enflaved by ignorance and habit, is rendered incapable of exertions; while the other has been drawing, for a length of years, knowledge and improvement from every quarter, with all the avidity of a docile pupil, and now directs its operations by that accumulated wifdom. The memoirs are preceded by a preliminary difcourfe, where the candour, good-fenfe, and found philofophy of the author are equally difplayed. His reflections on the influence of moral and phyfical caufes on the character of nations are judicious; and the general idea he gives of the Turkish manners and government, difpels the falfe and romantic notions which had been impreffed by former travellers. He has expunged the gawdy and unfaithful colouring of the picture, and expofed it in its native fombre hues. All the pleafures of the Haram are reduced to their real liftlefsnefs and infipidity; and the fables of the gallantry, generofity, heroifm, courage, and juftice of the Turks, give place to a state or things more confonant to the general chain of cause and effect; which informs us that neither virtue nor happiness can flourish under the dominion of defpotifm and ignorance. As Baron de Tott, from the bufinefs in which he was engaged, had but few opportunities of mentioning the Turkish women, he has, in the Preliminary difcourfe, gone into fome detail of the commerce of the fexes in Turkey. We will venture to fay, that whoever reads the acccount, will have no wish to exchange fituations, in this refpect with the Grand Seignior himself. On this fubject, as well as on other occafions, the author attacks the veracity of Lady Mary Wortley Montague His ftrictures on what he calls her "pretended Letters," will confirm the former fufpicions of thinking readers, viz. that her ladyfhip had amusement rather than information in view. The delicacy of Lady Mary is likewife called in question, because the gives the appellation of "voluptuous" to the "indecent" dances of the female flaves. "I, fays Mr. de Tott, have feen the very best exhibitions of "this kind, by thofe who were adepts in the art, but I can find no terms to defcribe them. I certainly fhall not employ the term voluptuous for that purpose." How little we know of Turkish manners is apparent from numerous inftances in this work. As one example among many, we fhall mention the word Seraglio. In all the languages of Europe this word is made to fignify the apartments of the women. Let us bear our author's account of it. Haram only fignifies the apartment of the women, the inclosure which particularly concerns them. We must not therefore confound it with the Seraglio, which means no more than the palace. All the Turks have a Haram, the Vifir himself has no Seraglio. The Ambafiadors of crowned heads have a Seraglio but no Haram. The Grand Seignor has both the one and the other.' We come now to the memoirs; which begin by informing us that the author was fent to Conftantinople with Mr. de Vergennes, with orders to learn the language, and inform him-' felf concerning the Turkish manners and government. He applies himself with affiduity to acquire the language, and is foon able to converfe without an interpreter. It is worth remarking here, that the Turks, who appear fond of difficiles nuga, have added to the difficulties of their language by making ufe of five different alphabets; fo that were they not condemned to ignorance from other caufes, the length of time that must be wafted in the acquirement of grammatical knowledge, is an eternal bar to their advancement in fcience.. The author's attention to convey an idea of the manners of the Turks is every where apparent. An entertainment given by Mr. de Vergennes, affords him an opportunity of painting the aftonishment and other emotions excited in the minds of fome Muffelmen who were of the party. The gaiety, freedom, conviviality, and focial intercourfe of the fexes which they beheld, almoft petrified them with wonder, when compared with the folitary gloom of their enjoyments. The vifit of Madame de Tott, to Afma Sultana, daugh ter of the Emperor Achmet, will enable us to judge of the manners, amufements, and occupations of the women. think we hear the harsh creaking of the three iron gates, and fee the horrid countenances of the black eunuchs; we are difgufted with the dull formality of eaftern manners, and tired with infipid pomp, the unnatural, feeble, Turkish subftitute for happinefs. We The cruelties produced by the jealoufy of power in the Ottoman family are well known, but the notorious extent to which they are carried, may be beft learned from the following paffage. The daughters and fifters of the Grand Seignor, married to the Vifirs and great men of the empire, dwell each in her feparate palace; and all the male children which are born to them, are in-. ftantly fmothered by the perfon who delivers the mother. This is the most public of all their laws, and that which is the left in-. fringed. No attempt is made to conceal thefe horrible affaffinations;, a defpicable fear is the caufe of them, more than the intereft of the throne. What recompenfe can these unfortunate princeties find? But the pride of birth, more monftrous than the atrocious crime it caufes; not content with its victim, ftifles in them the very feelings of nature!' Mr. de Tott, after making us acquainted with Murad Mo!lach, a Turkish humourist and voluptuary, after having gi ven an account of a famine, and the caufes which generally produce it at Conftantinople, after having informed us that the plague which followed, "carried off in that year one "hundred and fifty thousand perfons in the city of Conftan"tinople only," and after various matters, defcriptive of the climate and fituation of this immenfe capital, and of the manners of the inhabitants, relates a vifit he paid to the Drago man (interpreter) of the Porte. Part of this, as a good account of modern Greek manners, we fhall lay before the public. : It was now become neceffary, to think of performing the promise which Madame de Tott had made to the Lady of the Dragoman to pafs fome days with her, and we made her a vifit at her countryhoufe. The family confifted of fix perfons. The old Dragoman's official knowledge made fome amends for an understanding naturally dull; he was in reality very ignorant, and his acquaintance with foreign languages was confined to the fpeaking of bad Italian. His wife was of a lefs advanced age, and had an air of dignity which fupplied the place of her departed beauty; fhe fuperintended her domeftic affairs, and did the honours of her houfe with a kind of civility, which but imperfectly concealed the pride fhe felt in imagining herself, by the fituation of her husband, the first Lady of her nation. The eldest of her fons, who (as will be hereafter feen) fucceeded his father in the principality of Moldavia, and came to an unfortunate end, was of a difpofition naturally mild, but weak and vain the youngest, much prouder, already manitefted figns of that spirit of intrigue and ambition which coft his brother his life. Their eldest daughter was a widow at nineteen, more fresh thanthe morning rofe: fhe was genteelly fhaped, and, to a beauty the most alluring, united an air of modefty, fweetnefs, and languor, the charins of which were irrefiftible. The youngeft, lefs handfome, but lively and entertaining, was engaged to a young Greek who refided near them. This intended fpoufe was, as may be suppofed, defirous of forming an acquaintance with us; and we were fcarcely arrived, before he was announced by two or three flaves, who entering precipitately into the apartment in which the family was affembled, threw themfelves on the young Lady his proposed bride, and covering her with their robes, hurried her away, crying out with much hafte and agitation, Hide yourself, he is coming! Prefently this young man entered, who though refpected and careffed by all the family, could not obtain a fight of the object of his vows but by furprise: in which manner indeed he had often attempted it, but always without fuccefs. He ftaid with us to fupper, but the lady was not fuffered to appear till his departure. The time for taking our repofe was now come, and we were conducted into another large room, in the middle of which was a kind of bed without bedstead or curtains; though the coverlet and P 1. lows exceeded in magnificence the richness of the fopha, which likewife ornamented the apartment. I forefaw that I could expect but little rest on this bed, and had the curiofity to examine its make in a more particular manner. Fifteen mattreffes of quilted cotton cotton, about three inches thick, placed one upon another, formed the ground-work, and were covered by a fheet of Indian linen, fewed on the last mattress. A coverlet of green fatin, adorned with gold embroidery in emboffed work, was in like manner faftened to the fheet, the ends of which turned in, were fewed down alternately. Two large pillows of crim fon fatin, covered with the like embroi dery, in which there was no want of gold or fpangles, refted on two cushions of the fofa brought near to ferve for a back, and intended to support our heads. A fmall octagonal tower, inlaid with ebony and mother-of-pearl, fthod by the fide of the bed, and ferved for a table; upon it was placed a filver candlestick, which held a yel low wax candle two inches thick, and three feet high, whofe wick, nearly as big as ones finger, produced a very difagreeable fmoke. Three china falvers, filled with conferve of rofes, flowers of orange, and lemon-pulp, with a little golden fpatula, the handle of tortoifefhell, to ferve for a fpoon, and a crystal veffel full of water, furrounded this obfcure luminary, which was intended to burn all night; a precaution not to be neglected, where there is fo much reafon to fear, and provide againft, the dreadful ravages of fire. Such were our accomodations at the Dragomans, and I could not but expect to pafs a very indifferent night.' The next evening they made a party on the water. 'I had gone by choice, into the fame boat with the intended hufband of the younger daughter, who had engaged my regard by his perfon, and the gaiety of his manners. He prefently perceived my partiality, and spoke to me without referve, of his concern, at never being permitted to fee the fair one who was to be his wife. I was convinced of the justice of his complaint, and appointed a particular time, on the next day, when I promifed him to procure him a fight of her: he was as punctual to his engagement, as I had been in contriving the means of affording him this gratification; but a fpiteful little flave, who watched him, endeavoured to difconcert all my projects by giving the alarm. The damfel, at the fame instant, perceiving her lover, fled to a gallery on the fide of us; but I ran and flopped her at the entrance, calling to the young Greek, who came up to us in a moment. A reinforcement however, of two harpies, prefently arrived from the bottom of the gallery, cackling like the geefe of the capitol but they were not time enough to prevent a kifs being fnatched by the intended husband and I was greatly pleased to initiate my young friends into the freedom of the French manners, after which we refigned our prey into the hands of the enemy, who were in hafte to carry her off. Nevertheless, this little trick met the approbation of the father and mother, and the young couple were from that time permitted to fee each other without restraint, 'The Diako, a kind of ecclefiaftical preceptor, who had the care of the education of this young lady (for fuch is the custom among all the Grecian families) was the only one who blamed my conduct: he even fpoke of it with fo much heat, that he made me fufpect he regretted his not being able to finish the education of his pupil." -5 The |
