differences again ran high, fo early as the commencement of the year 1781, between the Porte and the court of Petersburgh, upon the fubject of admitting Ruffian Con. fuls in the three provinces already mentioned; the former indeed wished rather to evade, than abfo. lutely to refufe a compliance; and is faid to have defcended fo far as to write to count Panin, requefling that his court would not infift on a meafure, which was fo exceedingly irkfome to the grand fignior him felf, as well as to the divan. This folicitation did not produce the de-, fired effect; and M. de Stachief, the Ruffian minifter at the Porte, ftill continued to infift that that bufinefs fhould be immediately fettled; obferving that his court made no new claims, that they only demanded a compliance with a pofitive article of the late treaty, and with refpect to that they would

not relax a tittle.

The death of the grand vizir, in the month of February, 1781, afforded an opportunity to the cap. tain bashaw of fuccefsfully urging his great influence with the emperor, in procuring Yfed Mehemet, the governor of Erzerum, whom he knew to be a man of ability, to be appointed his facceffor. As it was about two months before the new grand vizir could arrive to take poffeffion of his office, it was filled up by the captain bafhaw in the interim.

After long difputes, many peremptory demands, and fome haughty anfwers, which feemed to indicate another termination, the Turkith minifters, more from a fenfe of the inability of the ftate for war, than from pacific difpofitions, found. it neceffary, towards the clofe of the

year 1781, not only to give up the point of debate, with refpect to the confuls, but to fubmit to the degrading conceffion of facrificing the Reis Effendi, who is the minifter for foreign affairs, and on whom it was now thought proper to charge all paft difficulties, as well as thofe fpirited replies which had given fo much offence to Ruffia. He being accordingly depofed,, a formal diploma was paffed, acknowledging and receiving Mr. Lakaroff as conful general of Ruffia, with li berty of refiding (which had before been a matter of much debate) at Buchareft, Jaffy, or whatever other part of the three provinces he might think it neceffary.

This conceffion, however mortifying, produced but a fhort-lived effect. New troubles were continually breaking forth on the fide of the Crimea, and the two courts of Conftantinople and Peterburgh were as conftantly embroiled in their confequences. Sabin Guerai, the khan who had been placed over the Tartars of that peninfula by the power and influence of Ruffia, whether through defect of fpirit, or excefs of gratitude, made a more oftentatious difplay of his attachment, and even vaffalage, than was fuited either to his character as khan, or to that of the people whom he pretended to govern; nor was it entirely confiftent with the boasted difintereftedness of that court, which had disclaimed all views upon the Crimea, excepting the fuppofed eftablishment and fupport of its independency. He even defcended fo far, as to accept a captain's commiffion in the emprefs's body guards.

These things were ill to be borne by a high-fpirited people, who had

in all ages confidered liberty as the most invaluable of human bleifings. The means ufed by Ruffia to gain a frong party in the country, to fupport their khan, could only reach to a limited portion of the people; but a great majority were highly diffatisfed at thefe proceed"ings, and withed to be again governed by their own princes, in their own way. They likewife preferred a connection with the Ottomans, with whom they had been fo lang united, who were of the fare religion, and in conjunction with whom they had partaken of fo much glory and fpoil in war, than with a nation, which, befides being Chriftian, they had been in the habit, through many ages, of re. garding either with contempt or enmity.

The difcontented party were encouraged and fupported by the Tartars of the Cuban, as well as the Nogais, and even by fome of the more diftant nations or tribes of that people, who could not but be alarmed at the manner in which Ruffia was fpreading her influence and authority on all fides, and apprehenfive of becoming victims to her power and defigns in their turn. Nor will it be imagined that the Porte itfelf did not fecretly encourage the ill difpofition of this people to Ruffia and to her khan; efpecially as he did not prevent feveral of her Mahometan fubjects, in the Afiatic countries bordering on the Black Sea, from taking an open and active part in the enfuing troubles of the Crimea.

The devaftation which the city of Conftantinople feftained by fire, in the course of the year 1782, has fcarcely been equalled. Defides feveral preceding loffes, and being

4

unufually haraffed by the plague, on the 23d of July in the evening a fire broke out in the quarter called Baliatra, which was moftly inhabited by Jews, and a molt populous part of the town. The wind-being high, and the weather for fome time preceding very dry, it fpread with the utmolt rapidity, and threatened the whole city with deftruction. During feventeen hours that it lafted, the grand fignior, the vizir, and other great officers of fate were conftantly on horfeback, ufing every exertion to stop the progrefs of the flames, and to animate the people to their duty. The number of houfes deftroyed was calculated at ten thoufand, befides mofques, churches, and other public edifices.

But this fire, dreadful as it was, feeined only a preparotary notice to that unfortunate city of the calamity to which it was immediately defțined. In fomething thort of a month, about ten o'clock at night, on the 224 of Anguit, a fire broke out in the quarter called Gibali, fituated towards the middle of the harbour; and this being enraged by a high north wind, was foon extended to fuch a degree, as baffled all efforts for its fuppreffion, and feemed to put an end to all hope. The violence and intenseness of the fire were fo great, that one of the largest and ftrongeft palaces, that of the aga of the janiflaries, totally difappeared in lefs than ten minutes after the flames had reached it.

The flames proceeded from fea to fea, and burned the interior of the feven towers, at the oppofite extremity of the city. In that direc. tion the fire raged three miles in length, through the richeft and beft inhabited ftreets, carrying a frone

of

of fometimes a mile broad, and fometimes lefs, as the irregular hilly fituation of the city would admit. It then branched out in various directions, fo that there feemed at one time no less than eleven diftinct conflagrations. Most of thefe were enly stopped by the fea, confuming the very wharfs, and every thing to the water edge. A great but unknown number of people perifhed; one part being furrounded and in. tercepted by the flames, and the other, more happily throwing them. felves into the water, to efcape a more dreadful fate.

This conflagration (which perhaps has not been exceeded by any recorded in history) continued to rage with unremitting fury for fixty-two hours; the wind blowing fiercely almoft the whole time. If the damage was not entirely irreparable, it was, however, impoffible to afcertain, in any degree, the amount of the loffes. The fufferings and dittrefs of above two hundred thousand people, involved at once in ruin and calamity, and left without refuge or fhelter from the weather, would fill lefs admit of defcription. It was fuppofed that about two-thirds of that vaft and po. pulous city had been deftroyed by the late and the prefent fire; and that above 40,000 houfes then lay in ruins. The deftruction of public edifices was proportioned to that of private buildings. All the cham bers of the janiffaries, above 50 mofques, 300 corn-mills, and zco public ovens, were deftroyed. The lofs of a number of great magazines ftored with provifions (a vaft fupply of which is always neceffarily kept in hand to prevent the danger of a famine in that overgrown metro.

polis) was among the evils moft fenfibly and immediately felt.

The direction of the wind happened to be favourable to the feraglio, and to what might be confidered as the government quarter of the city, which accordingly efcaped the. defolation. The grand fignior, and all the minifters of the Porte, attended, and diftributed money without count to the people. The faft of the Ramizan was fufpended, and every fubfequent meafure purfued, which could afford relief, or even fatisfaction to the people.

But the public fermentation was too extreme to be easily allayed. The repeated misfortunes and prefent mileries of the people feemed infupportable.

A revolution had

been the ufual confequence of much lefs fevere and afflicting trials; and though the good qualities and popularity of the grand fignior, along with the firinnefs of the captain bafhaw, might poffibly enable them to weather the danger, it was how. ever neceffary to hold out fome ob. ject of blame to the people, on which they might vent their illhumour. The facrifice of an unfortunate minifter, however blamelefs or deferving, is indeed the great refource of defpotic governments in cafes of great public difcontent. Happy is it thought when the victim is accepted as a whole offering.

Yfed Mehemet was accordingly depofed from his office of grand vizir, in two days after the fire had been fubdued; and Jeian Mehemet, a man, at leaft of equal, if not fuperior abilities, and more fortunate, was appointed his fucceffor. The late minifter paffed through the ordeal of removal with more impunity, than had been ufually experienced

in fuch circumftances. He was only fent in exile to Demotica, without any mark of ill-will or reprobation whatever. Though we have no particular information on the fubje&t, it feems highly probable, that the prefent appointment proceeded from the fame influence which procured the former. The unufual, and, perhaps in that court, unequalled cordiality which conftantly prevail. ed between the new grand vizir and the captain bafhaw, and the equal part which they ever conti. nued to take, in their endeavours to correct the abufes, and to reflore the affairs of the empire, ferve ftrongly to countenance this opinion.

The late calamity was little cal, culated to encourage the ftate to undertake, or to enable it to main tain a war; at the fame time that the caufes for war were multiplying, and its appearances, on more fides than one, fufficiently menacing. The troubles in the Crimea were rifen to their ut noft pitch. The revolted Tartars had elected a new Khan. A civil war enfued. That beautiful, and lately populous country, became a fcene of defolation and blood. Sabin Guerai was worted, and his party at length reduced almost to nothing. This was the very ftate of things which Roffia undoubtedly withed, and had all along fought for. She had now a pretence for fending her forces into the Crimea, to fupport what the reprefented as the real prince, againft rebels and an uforper. The confequences were eafily forefeen. The Tartars, tom to pieces among them. felves, notwithstanding the aid they received from without, were little able to withstand the regular forces, and unabating exertions of the Ruf

fians. In thefe circumstances they turned their eyes, and directed all their hopes to the Porte, as their last refuge.

At the fame time, the court of Peterburgh highly refented the conduct of the Porte, to which it attributed all the troubles of the Cri mea. It charged them with fo menting the difcontents, and being the author of the revolt in that country; with fuffering and encouraging their fubjects in Natolia to take a direct and active part in the war; and with infligating other Tartar tribes and nations, both to an interference in thofe troubles, and to commit many irregularities elfewhere, particularly on the fide of Caucafus. Strong remonstrances on thefe fubjects were backed by the march of Ruffian armies towards the frontiers, by the forming of magazines, and by all the preparations for war.

Similar meafures were neceffarily adopted on the other side, fo that a rupture between the two powers feemed inevitable.

But another great neighbour, who could fcarcely be deemed lefs dangerous, and was not much difpofed to be lefs troublesome than Ruffia, was defined to involve the Ottoman empire till deeper in embarralsment and difficulty. The emperor of Germany, at the fame time that he was difmantling the celebrated fortreffes on his weftern borders, was affiduoufly engaged, without fparing labour or expence, in enlarging and increafing thofe on his eattern frontiers. Every thing military, all the dreadful apparatus of war, were transferred to the Drave, the Save, and the Danube. The garrifons were replenished, lines formed and filled with troops, and thefe great

as

The long truce between the Porte and the court of Vienna was on the point of expiring; and, in the prefent ftate of their affairs, there was nothing the former wifhed for more than a renewal of the truce, excepting only the conclufion of a folid peace, upon fuch conditions might be capable of preventing future differences, and of fecuring for a long time their tranquillity on that fide. They accordingly propofed fending an extraordinary embaffy for this purpose to Vienna; but the Emperor, who had other views, found means to evade the propofal. That politic prince, determining to be governed in his conduct by future contingencies, was not at all difpofed, for prefent moderate advantages, to give up the profpect of obtaining much greater, when a proper time and feafon might arrive. He was befides fo clofely linked with Ruffia, and their views being directed to one object, which was, however, of fo vaft a magnitude, as to afford full room for the enterprize and ambition of both, little doubt can be entertain. ed, but that plans of future operation and arrangement, fuited to probable contingencies and circumCances, had already been mutually concerted.

However that was, the emperor kept the bufinefs of renewing the truce, or concluding a treaty of peace, at a distance. It was held out in general terms by his minif ters, that for that purpose a new demarcation of limits would be in difpenfably neceffary; that a reftotation of the whole or a part of the ceffions made by the court of Vi.

would be expected; and that the free navigation of the Danube, and of the Black Sea, were objects fo much at heart, that they could not by any means be overlooked. In the mean time, preparations for war were carried on with as much vigour in Hungary, and the adjoining countries, as if it had been a matter determined on; and no doubt could remain on the fide of the Porte, but that a rupture with Ruffia muft inevitably be attended by a war with the emperor.

Under thefe difcouraging circumftances, and the fate of the empire feeming to hang upon the refult, the Divan fpent eight fucceffive days, in the month of September 1782, debating on the queftion of ⚫a war with Ruffia. The ruinous confequences of that power's fucceeding in her defigns upon the Crimea; of the naval ftrength which the excellent harbours, and the commerce of that peniofula, would place in her hands; of the prodigious addition to her power by land (already too great) which her fwallowing up all the nations of Tartars between the Cafpian, the Black Sea, the Borifthenes, and the Danube, and their being involved in the common mafs of her fob. jects, would occafion; were all fully understood, and ftated, as well as many other evils and dangers.

The temper and difpofition of their own people were likewife matters of confideration. The Turks in general, and more particularly the inhabitants of the metropolis, incapable of knowing or comprehending the true ftate of public affairs, and the real fituation of the empire, attributed all that apparent degradation, of which they were too

fenfible,