TURKEY. 



century founded the dynaily of the Seljuks. Tlie fukans of 

 this race gradually extended their power towards the W. 

 and took pofTeflion of Armenia and Georgia, their firft acqui- 

 fitions in the Byzantine empire ; and it is remarkable that 

 thefe fhoidd have continued, when it is confidered, that the 

 Turks had fubdued almoll tlie whole of Afia Minor before 

 the beginning of the 1 2th century. Neverthelefs the ex- 

 tenfion of their dominion was reftrained by the proorefs of 

 the Crufades, which obliged them by the capture of Nice 

 to remove the feat of power to Iconium. About the 

 middle of the 14th century the Turks firft palfed into 

 Europe, and foon after feized the greateft part of Thrace. 

 In the 15th century their fultan, Bajuzet, extended his 

 conquefts even to the Danube, and the provinces of Thrace 

 and Macedonia fell under the Turkifti fceptre, while Adria- 

 nople became the feat of their government. 



Although the Turks, as we have above intimated, formed 

 a part of the people denominated " the Scythians beyond 

 the Imaus," and originally proceeded from the Altaian 

 mountains, they were intermixed by their fettlement on the 

 Oxus with Sogdian and Baftrian tribes, and after their fub- 

 verfion of the Byzantine empire, in which they were aflifted 

 by European troops, many different nations joined their 

 ftandard, and various circumftanccs, befide their inter- 

 marriages with Circaffian women, contributed to render 

 them a very mixed race. Whi-n the Roman arms had fub- 

 dued many of thofe countries and cities which were com- 

 prehended under the widely extended Turkifli empire, they 

 became in the fifth century an important part of the By- 

 zantine empire ; and we fiiall follow Mr. Pinkerton in 

 tracing their principal hiftorical epochs. Accordingly he 

 obferves, that the firft dawn of Turkilh hiftory preceding 

 the reign of Othman, occurs A.D. 1299. In the reign 

 of his fucceffor, Orkan, the Turks took Gallipoli, and 

 penetrated into Thrace, fo that Adrianople was taken A.D. 

 1360; two years after which period, Amurath eftabhlhed 

 the military bands called Janizaries. The Turkilh power 

 was for fome time reftrained after the famous battle near 

 Ancyra, A.D. 1402, between Bajazet and Timur ; never- 

 thelefs the dominion of the Turks increafed in Europe, 

 though they received fev^ral checks from the Hungarians 

 under Hunniades, and from the Albanians under the com- 

 mand of George Caftriots, called by the Turks Scander- 

 berg. On the 29th of May, A.D. 1453, Conftantinople 

 was taken by the Turks. Crimea and the Morca were 

 fubjugated A.D. 1458 ; and in 1480, Otranto in Italy was 

 captured by the Turks. The conqueft of Egypt in 15 17 

 made a confiderable acceffion to the Turkilh power ; Rhodes 

 fubmitted in 1522 ; and foon after the battle of Mohatz, 

 in 1526, the fultan Soliman took Buda. In 1552 the 

 Turks feized the bannat of Temefwar, and they took Cyprus 

 from the Venetians in 157 1. Although ;ifter the famous 

 naval engagement of Lepanto, in this year, their power at 

 fea ceafed to be formidable, they invaded Hungary with 

 various fuccefs, yet Europe obtained an interval of lecunty 

 by their wars with Perfia: however, in 1642, the fultan 

 Ibrahim took Azof from the Coffacks, and about the 

 middle of this century the Turks took poffcffion of fome 

 Grecian ifles. Hungary became the fcene of repeated 

 Turkifli and Auftrian conquefts until the year 1699, when, 

 by the peace of Carlovitz, the Turks furrendered Tranfyl- 

 vania to the Auftrians, the Morea to the Venetians, and 

 Azof to the Ruffians. By the peace of 1739 the Turks 

 refumed Belgrade and Orfova, with parts of Servia and 

 Walachia, formerly ceded to Auftria, and Ruffia was con- 

 ftraincd to abandon Azof. The laft epoch of Turkifh 

 hiftory would lead to a detail of the Ruffian wars agamft 



the Turks, and the decline of the Ottoman empire. We 

 may here obferve in general, that the Turkilh dominion, 

 wherever it has prevailed, has been detrimental in a very 

 high degree to the beft ii.terefts of humanity, and to every 

 improvement, mental or moral, ecclefiattical or civil. 



The religion of the Turks is the Mahometan ; although 

 in this European divifion of the empire, it is fuppofed that 

 two-thirds of the inhabitants are Greek Chriftians. The 

 Turkilh fultan has for fome centuries been the principal 

 leader and fupport of that attachment to the religion of 

 the Koran, which has been the ftay and guard of the Ma- 

 hometan faith. The Mahometan pontiff, or mufti, prefidcs 

 at Conftantinople. The next in rank to him are the mou- 

 lahs, and from thefe are felefted the inferior muftis, or 

 judges, through the empire, and the cadilefchers or chief 

 juftices. The next clafs of divines confifts of the imaums 

 or parilli priefts, who perform the fervice of the mofques, 

 or places of worftiip, while the cadis are judges annually 

 appointed to adminifter juftice in the towns and villages. 

 The Turks have alfo their monks, denominated derviches, 

 of four orders, dedicated to religious offices, pubhc prayer 

 and preaching. Of thefe, the Kadri conftitute a Angular 

 order, appearing almoft naked, and difplaying their devotion 

 by frantic and extravagant dances. The Greeks retain 

 their priefts, bilhops, archbidiops, and patriarchs ; but 

 their church is in the loweft ftate of degradation, and its 

 dignities are openly fold by the Turks. 



As to the government of Turkey, the fultan is a defpotic 

 fovereign, but fo reftrifted by the laws of the Koran, to 

 which he is bound to fubmit, that many Chriftian fovercign- 

 ties are reckoned more arbitrary. The defpotifm of the mo- 

 narch is balanced by a religious ariftocracy ; and many cir- 

 cumftanccs have lately occurred, fuch as the infurreftions of 

 the Janizaries, and the power ufurpcd by the paftias over 

 their own provinces, which indicate the decline and ap- 

 proaching perdition of the empire. The Turkifh laws are 

 contained in the Koran, and in the comments of approved 

 and renowned doftors, which have acquired the force of 

 laws. The Turkifh empire is chiefly guided by thofe of 

 Abou-Hanife. 



The number of inhabitants in Turkey in Europe has 

 been eftimated at 8,000,000, or about 43 to each fquare 

 mile : but as the countries which it comprehends are intsr- 

 fefted by many mountains and barren trafts, this eftimate 

 is fuppofed to exceed the truth. The navy is ftatcd at 

 about 30 fhips of the line, and the army at 150,000 of ill- 

 difciplined foldiers. The revenues of the whole Turkifti 

 empire are computed at about 7,000,000/. ftcrhng, and the 

 ufual expence as not exceeding 5,000,000/. Their revenue 

 is partly derived from a capitation tax on unbelievers, and 

 from the " zecchat," or cuftoms, but principally from atax 

 on land of about 6s. an acre, called the " jizie." Upon 

 the whole, the Turkilh empire may be regarded as in a de- 

 chning ftate, notwithftanding all its endeavours to fecure 

 the friendfliip of various European powers. 



Of the manners and cuftoms of the Turks, our limits 

 will not admit of a minute detail. Marriage is a civil con- 

 traft, managed by female mediation, and li.ible to dillolu- 

 tion at the pleafure of either party. Circumcilion is per- 

 formed at the age of 12 or .4. The dead are perfumed 

 with incenfe, and buried in a kind of fliroud, open at both 

 ends, that the deceafed may be able to fit up and reply to 

 the interrogatories of the angels of death, rhe burial 

 grounds are near the highways, and as one grave docs not 

 hitrude upon another, they are very extcnlivc. With re- 

 gard to diet the Turks are moderate, and their favourite 

 food is rice, of which they prepare their p.lau, boiling U 



