16 



CAUSES OF THE WEAKNESS AND DECLINE 



classes of Christians could give. The aggregate of the whole 

 population of the empire in Europe, Asia, and Africa has been 

 estimated at 25,330,000. * But whatever may be the realnumber, 

 it is far below that which could be maintained in these countries, 

 and this is to be attributed to the slow and certain operation of 

 those measures of pernicious policy which have been long esta- 

 blished f, and to the abuses of the provincial governments. These 

 would have produced a greater diminution of numbers, and a more i 

 general and uniform decline of the power and resources of the em- 

 pire, if they had not been modified by various circumstances. These 

 we may >now proceed to notice. 



1. The exuberant fertility of the soil, and plentiful harvests of 

 rice, corn, and maize, maintain in several districts, even under great 

 imperfections of policy and order, a large population, In some pro- 

 vinces also, the territorial impost, capitation tax, and duties or 

 customs upon commodities are farmed by the governor ; but whether 

 they are placed in his hands, or in those of any other person, an 

 oppressive mode of levying them would be injurious to those en- 

 gaged in the contracts. For the Porte is severe in demanding the 

 fulfilment of them £ ; and if by harsh exactions, the villages are 

 abandoned, the cultivation of the land is neglected ; if any heavy 

 imposition is laid on the merchants, the commerce of the district 

 is lessened, and the caravans pursue a different route. In some pro- 

 vinces, the farmer general of these three branches of revenue, who 

 is termed Mohassil, is a person of high situation ; in the Pashalik 



* See Humboldt, Pol. Essay on N. Spain. This is little more than half of the popu- 

 lation of the Russian empire, which was estimated in 1805 at 40,000,000. The in- 

 crease of numbers has been very great; for in 1783, the census gave 25,G77,000: and in 

 1763, 14,726,000. 



-f The little security there is (says a very intelligent traveller,) arises from the superior 

 ferocity of a few Pashas, which allows of no robbery save their own. The depopulation 

 is gradual, constant, infallible, and indubitably arises from the extreme badness of the 

 government. Browne, 418. 



% Russell mentions more than one instance of persons ruined since the year 1760, by 

 taking the farm of the customs, capitation, and land tax. 



