Mr. Bell on the growing power of Russia. 253 
Witgenstein, Le Fort, Elphinstone, Paul Jones, and the Greigs, 
father and son, the latter of whom still enjoys the command of the 
Russian naval forces, which his father previously possessed. Under 
the instructions of these pupils in the science of defence or destruc- 
tion, the Russians have proved themselves apt scholars, not like their 
stupid rivals, the Turks or Persians, who will not learn, and cannot 
teach. Adventurers of every kind find encouragement in Russia, and 
to foreign aid and foreign instruction she has been more indebted 
than to her own unassisted efforts in the career of conquest. It is fo- 
reigners chiefly that have raised Russia to her present gigantic po- 
litical pre-eminence over every other nation on the face of the 
globe. The universal toleration that is enjoyed throughout her 
vast empire, and the bringing into play, in the service of the state, 
the varied abilities of all, whatever be their country or their reli- 
cion, has been of immense service to Russia in the furtherance of 
her schemes of conquest and commerce. All her literature and 
science has, since the days of Peter, been in the hands and under 
the direction of Germans. Almost all her scientific and literary 
journals, all the expeditions, whether by land or sea, to survey and 
explore the interior, or the boundaries of her immense dominions, 
have been conducted and made by foreigners, especially Germans ; 
and at this very moment, scientific tourists are exploring the vene- 
rable Ararat, the mighty Caucasus, the extended Altai, and the 
Ural Tagh, now so famous for its mineral and metallic produce. 
Colonies have been settled, towns raised, and villages reared, where 
nought but empty deserts and cheerless solitudes. appeared ; and as 
the march of conquest proceeds, colonies, commerce, and civiliza- 
tion bring up the rear. 
But her rapid career has been mightily accelerated by co-existing 
political circumstances, as the distractions in Poland, and the increas- 
ing imbecillity of Turkey. . France, weakened by the war of seven 
years in Germany, and her unsuccessful contest with this country, 
unable to take an active part in the Polish troubles, and assist the 
stupid and intolerant Catholics of that ruined country, in their in- 
sane efforts to keep the dissidents in a state of abject political ser- 
vitude, and utter exclusion from every privilege, whether sacred or 
civil, stirred up the Porte, in an evil hour, ‘to commence war with 
Russia, and this in spite of the remonstrances of her own ambassa- 
sador, the Count de Vergennes, who told his court repeatedly, that 
to stir up the Turks to war, was to seal the political destruction of 
an old and faithful ally, as she was by no means a match for Rus- 
sia in the game of war. Russia had indeed given the provocation, 
by pursuing the confederate Poles across the Dniester, and burning 
the defenceless town of Bata in Little Tartary.. But the matter 
might have been compromised by mutual negociation, and proper 
representation of the injustice of the deed. But the foolish court 
of Constantinople, hurried on by the intrigues of France, and the 
_ complaints of the Polish rebels, Potocki and Krasinski, immediate- 
ly declared war against a power by no means averse to the contest, 
