The Turks, properly so called, are the followers of Mahomet, defeended from the Tatarian conquerors of these beautiful countries. These being now the actual matters of the empire, and the only perfons who seem to have a real intereft in its exiftence, their situation, moral and phyfical,, fir ft demands our notice. The; great outline of their character, as diftinguifhed from the other inhabitants of this extenfive empire; is the superiority which they , claimtin the grounds of conqueft and religion. To apply to a nation, barbarous as the Turks, any rule of rational policy drawn from the law of nations, would, perhaps, be deemed abfurd; but the enlightened observer mutt everremark, that the fancied right of conqueft is nothing but the right of the iword,, which is never legitimate but when fanCtioned by justice. In the history of the world there have been frequent instances of mighty nations, who, after conquering their opponents by force of arms, have received from their captives the fofter yoke of fcience. It was thus that, in the words of Horace: “Grascia capta ferum vidtorum cepit, et artes Intulit agreiti Latio.
Nor have there been wanting examples of the introduction of arts by the conqueror himself, who has thus made amends, by the bleffing of civilization, for the havock which he had. caused by the fword. The Turks, however, like barbarians, invaded Greece, and fwept before them the monuments of ancient fcience; and, like barbarians, they hold their captives, to the present day, under the benumbing yoke of ignoranee and ftavery. Inftead of promoting the mutual advantage of both nations, by an inter courfe of knowledge and benevolence, they use .the privilege of conqueft only to the .extinction of the common powers of intellect. A politic conqueror, in augmenting the happiness of his new subject, increafes his own power; a barbarian invader weakens his own resources by the continued opprehion of his captives. Abderahman (or Almanzor) who, in the middle of the eighth century, founded a kingdom in Spain of the provinces which had been subject to the kaiifs, promoted intermarriages between Chriftians and Mahomedans. The Arabs, who had been as great enemies to the fciences as the Turks now cultivated them with great success, and had acquired a considerable portion of knowledge and politeness, while the reft of Europe was degraded by ignorance and barbarifm. But the haughty Turk is not merely exalted above his subject Greek as a conqueror; he considers himself ftiil more highly elevated as the favourite of heaven; and the greater part of his ferocity as a tyrant is owing to the arrogant dictates of his religion.
Historical Ottoman 