RUSSIA, TURKEY, AND BULGARIA. 57 



right of Russian navigation in the Turkish Seas, and the independence 

 of the Tartars. For several years the humiliating conditions of this 

 Treaty caused constant friction between these two Powers, and in 

 1787 under the Sultan Sehm III., this animosity broke out into open 

 war. Austria allied herself with Russia in the struggle, and their 

 united armies poured down with desolating fury upon Turkey, Belgrade 

 was taken, the provinces of Moldavia and Bessarabia, were conquered; 

 but these victories roused the jealousy of England and Prussia, and 

 under their mediation, added to the critical aspect of affairs in 

 Western Europe, Russia agreed to an Armistice, and on January 

 9th 1792 a definite Treaty of Peace was signed at Jassy in Moldavia, 

 the provisions of the Treaty of Kainardi were confirmed, by which 

 Russia restored to Turkey all her conquests, and the river 

 Dniesta was declared a perpetual frontier between the two Empires. 

 It was also agreed that the Porte should pay an indemnity for the 

 expenses of the war to Russia, of 12,000,000 piastres, but immediately 

 after the conclusion of the Treaty, Russia, to the admiration of the 

 Porte, generously renounced the payment, and the relations of the 

 two Empires were greatly improved thereby, and from this period 

 Turkey advanced in civilisation, and reforms were secured in the 

 administration of the Empire. 



I'he next serious intervention of Russia in the East, occurred in 

 1820, when the Greeks, no longer able to endure the brutahty and 

 tyranny of the Ottoman rule, broke out in rebellion against Turkey, 

 and for six years strove hard to regain their independence, during 

 which time the Great Powers maintained an observant neutrality. 



Russia anxiously watched her opportunity, for she believed the 

 dissolution of the;_©ttoman Empire was at hand, but to the surprise 

 of the Czar Nicholas, and to the dismay of England, the patriotism of 

 the Greeks was not powerful enough against the energy of the Turkish 

 forces, who gradually crushed the Greek insurrection, and recovered 

 their authority and rule. 



In this crisis the neutrality of Russia failed, and she determined to 

 intervene alone in the struggle between Greek and Moslem, which 

 forced the Government of Mr. Canning to intervene, and to offer an 

 obstinate resistance, and to substitute the joint intervention of the 

 Three Powers, Great Britain, France and Russia, in place of the 

 isolated intervention of Russia, and in the name of Peace they 

 declared war against Turkey, destroyed her armaments, and insisted 

 upon the withdrawal of her garrisons from the Morea. 



This was one of the last public acts of Canning's political career 



