776 
MURDER OF SULTAN SELIM. 
dragged through the streets of the city; but a more ample 
vengeance was immediately taken on the life of the sovereign he 
had perished in attempting to save. It is said, that in the midst 
of the tumults about the exploded tower, the successor of the 
betrayed monarch rushed to his prison to dispatch him, but 
that Selim defended himself manfully with his sword, till a 
eunuch coming behind him, stabbed him to the heart. Thus 
terminated the earthly existence of a prince, whose wise and 
patriotic intentions merited the gratitude of the very people who 
we here find embrued their hands in his blood; cutting off from 
themselves not merely a gentler master than they had known 
for many reigns, but one who had devised perhaps the only plan 
which could much longer hold them in possession of their homes 
and country. To him Constantinople owes its arsenal ; also a 
great improvement in the construction of its ships of war ; be¬ 
sides a printing press at Scutari, and various other excellent 
institutions. But all are now rapidly sinking into neglect. The 
present Sultan having, in the first instance, put to death or removed 
every powerful Turk who had been instrumental in forwarding 
his predecessor’s Frangy innovations ; and being in every way 
absurd and fanatical, both with regard to politics and religion, 
little hope can be entertained that Turkey, under him, is likely 
to rise higher in the scale of civilised nations. 
February 6th. — We leftLascarad at two o’clock this morning, 
the weather having become fair, but still very cold during the 
darker hours. Having marched seven hours, we passed the 
village of Toorlak and Pizanza. From this last the country 
became quite level, and appeared universally buried in snow. 
Sledges, drawn by buffaloes or oxen, and laden with various 
articles of traffic, such as hay, leather, bees-wax, &c. covered 
