1821.1 Political Affairs in September. 271 
J aAJ J&. 
Ottoman Government has dispatched 
to St. Petersburgh, in reply to the ul¬ 
timatum. 
The Porte has always respected treaties 
with other Powers, and especially with 
Russia. The energetic and extraordinary 
measures taken against the Greeks were 
only directed against rebellious subjects. 
Every Government has the right, and even 
contracts the obligation, to punish traitors, 
and all who disturb public order. The Ot¬ 
toman Government has disapproved of the 
excesses committed by the populace; but 
the people had taken up arms en masse to 
defend their religion and the legitimate 
throne. Wallachia and Moldavia could not 
beevacuated until the insurrection, of which 
they were the theatre, should be entirely 
suppressed, and peace and order re-esta¬ 
blished there. The detention of some ships 
laden with corn, in the Bosphorus, or in 
the port of Constantinople, was a measure 
commenced by the necessity of storing the 
capital with provisions; besides, it was 
the local authorities who adopted this mea¬ 
sure, without waiting for orders from the 
Government: finally, the Christians pro¬ 
voked this step, because their privateers 
kept the Dardanelles in a state of blockade; 
the Porte, however, is willing to grant a 
reasonable indemnity to such Russian sub¬ 
jects asshall prove that they have sustained 
a loss hy the measure. 
The free navigation of the Strait shall be 
re-established. The Porte never enter¬ 
tained any other views than the punish¬ 
ment of the guilty: all faithful and pacific 
subjects will continue to enjoy the protec¬ 
tion of the laws, and will not be molested 
in the exercise of their religious worship. 
The Austrian Observer of the 7th of 
September, contains the following im¬ 
portant Manifesto of the Grand Seignor. 
To the illustrious Vizirs, the honourable 
Mirimiranes, the estimable Mollas, Judges, 
Sub-judges, Mutesselim, Wayvodes, and 
Ayans, to the other Magistrates and No¬ 
bles of the country, as well as to all the 
other men in authority throughout all Ana¬ 
tolia, is addressed the following order 
It is evident that all the rules and poli¬ 
tical dispositions which from ancient times 
- have been observed in my Sublime Empire, 
are founded upon the noble commandment 
of that pure law, whose solidity and dura¬ 
tion are guaranteed by God, even until the 
day of the resurrection; it is therefore that 
it has never been permitted at any time, 
either to the Ministers of the Empire, nor 
to the functionaries of my Sublime Porte, 
nor to any individual professing the Maho¬ 
metan religion, to act in contravention of 
their authority, It is in no wise less evi¬ 
dent that all the Rayas (the subjects who 
are not Mahometans) who from time imme¬ 
morial have, under the dominion and the 
safety of my Sublime Empire, fulfilled the 
conditions of their vassalage, have hs*d 
their properties and their lives respected # 
and have themselves been objects of the 
favour and protection of my Sublime Porte; 
but when they have transgressed the 
bounds of vassalage and the limits of obe¬ 
dience, recourse must be had to the punish¬ 
ment which has become necessary, and 
which is further confirmed by law. 
The Greek people have been at all txme& 
tributary subjects of my Sublime Porte; 
mercy and clemency have been exercised 
towards them in every particulars their ho 
nour, their properties, and their lives have 
been defended, protected, and secured; 
they have never experienced any other 
treatment than favour and every son of 
kindness, even beyond that which had been 
promised in the treaties with the Rayas ; 
nevertheless, they have had the axtdacity 
to trample under foot the divine mercies of 
which they have been the objects, to pursue 
the paths of ingratitude, and with their 
characteristic perfidy, to maintain a per¬ 
verse and traitorous conduct, opposed at 
once to their allegiance and to good faith. 
If in some places the Greeks have suc¬ 
ceeded in rising against my Sublime Go¬ 
vernment, to which they are subjects, and 
which treats them with so much lenity, my 
great Empire continues (thanks be given* 
to the Almighty!) to be the Empire of Ma¬ 
homet, and my people, the people of Ahmed,. 
By the grace and with the assistance of 
God, the defender of onr faith and of our 
people, as well as by the blessings of the 
spiritual help of our legislator and Sublime 
Prophet, my Sublime Porte has been in¬ 
formed of the insurrection at the very mo¬ 
ment of its breaking out. It has therefore,, 
without delay, adopted proper measures, 
and caused at various times paternal exhor¬ 
tations and instructions to be addressed to 
the individuals of every rank of the said 
Greek nation, as well by the proper au¬ 
thorities appointed for that special purpose, 
as also through the Patriarch. It has ex¬ 
horted them to continue in the way of 
fidelity and loyalty, and within the limits 
of submission and obedience, and it has 
also fully acquitted itself of all the duties 
of mercy and clemency; on the other hand, 
it has inquired into the conduct of those 
who, taking a share in the revolt, have re¬ 
jected every sentiment of repentance, and 
after a previous conviction it has inflicted 
upon them the necessary punishment. 
But they have not appreciated the cle¬ 
mency and mercy which have been evinced 
towards them, and they have not listened 
to the counsels and exhortations which have 
been addressed to them. Their pride and 
their revolt, making, on the contrary, every 
day further progress, my Sublime Porte 
considered ohly of the means of maintain- 
