wild beast from the abyss under that eighth form of government which is a repetition of the short-lived

seventh

"proaches of the Danube: and the revolt of the Servians "opened to him the heart of European Turkey, and served to

secure to him the passage of the above river. All, in a word, "appeared to presage the approaching entry of his armies into "Constantinople. But the multiplied faults of his generals "made the war linger without any decided advantage: and "Turkey thereby escaped from a destruction, which otherwise appeared inevitable.

"After the peace of Tilsit, and more especially after that of "Altenburg, France found herself in immediate contact with "Turkey, from the confines of Croatia to the mouths of the "Caltaro, and from Chimera as far as the Morea. This con❝tact seemed adapted to change the nature of the preceding "relations of the two empires. It did not, in fact, appear "possible, that France could have preserved in her vicinity the

same interest for the preservation of the Ottoman Empire "which she had when situated at a more remote distance. "The successive aggrandisement of Napoleon's empire, and "the ever increasing pressure which he exercised from west to "east and which even his fatal war in Spain had never sus

pended, all seemed to announce, that a new change in the "political system of Europe was about to produce the dismem"berment of the Turkish Empire. Nevertheless, the conduct "of Napoleon towards the Porte was uniformly dubious : whe"ther it was, that he had not yet fixed his determination on "that point, or that the time had not yet arrived for putting "his plans into execution.

"It results from what we have hitherto laid down, that the "immediate danger, under which Turkey was with regard to "Russia and Austria towards the end of the last century, "ceased at the period of the French revolution: but, when the "political system of Europe shall at length have been consolidated "and tranquillity reëstablished in the west, this same danger may

"again

seventh form; he expresses, only in somewhat varied phraseology, the same idea, as when St. John tells

us

"again recur. However distant this period may be from us, it " is not the less to be foreseen: and, if the Ionian islands had fallen into the hands of one of the two latter powers, this cir"cumstance alone would have hastened its approach. It has "always been the interest of France, and at present it is more "particularly so of England, that the commerce of the Levant "should not fall into other hands than those of subjects of the "Ottonian Empire; and the integrity of this Empire is one of "the inseparable conditions. In the actual state of things, the "aggrandisements of Russia and Austria render a protecting

66

power infinitely more necessary to the Ottoman Porte. "France enfeebled can no longer serve as a counterpoise in "her favour on the continent, where her government has lost "all its influence. There is no one then but England, who, "by the preponderance of her naval forces in the Mediterra"nean, can preserve and guarantee Turkey from harm and "the occupation of the Ionian islands gives her still stronger

means of attaining this object. In the first place, their geo"graphical situation, embracing the southern parts of Greece, "and placing them in contact with all the provinces which "(properly speaking) may be called Greek, gives to the power, "under whose protection these islands may remain, an influ« ence in these same provinces sufficient to stop the effects of "all the intrigues and plans which the other continental powers "might attempt there. Again: the permanent presence of "the British forces on a point so nearly approached to the "Ottoman Empire, by rendering the bonds which already "unite these two powers still stronger and more direct, gives "a much greater degree of weight to the mediation of the first, "and materially adds to the security of the second."

After giving a scientific military account of the Turcomannic means of defence in case of invasion, and after shewing their complete inadequacy, General de Vandoncourt proceeds as follows.

"We

us that he beheld the wild beast rise out of the sea into his first term of living existence.

The

"We took an early opportunity of delineating the projects "of Russia and Austria on European Turkey. We asserted, "that the French revolution of 1789 and afterwards of 1814, "by calling towards the west the whole attention of the great "European powers, had procured to Turkey a repose of twenty "five years; but that this factitious repose could only last, till "the moment her neighbours were in a state to resume and "follow up the execution of their original plans. Few words "will suffice in order to prove this assertion: and these proofs "will be drawn from no other source than the geographical "position of Russia and Austria.

"Neither of these two powers can be reckoned in the num"ber of the maritimo-commercial nations of Europe. Never"theless, no one is ignorant, that, for nearly a century past, "they have been busied in the formation of a navy. Who "therefore can entertain a doubt of their now seizing with avi

dity every mean of attaining their object? It is further evi"dent, that they cannot find what they seek, unless it is at the "expence of Turkey.

"Russia is not and cannot be satisfied with the expensive and " useless establishment, which she has undertaken at Odessa. "In order to be the absolute mistress of the navigation of the "Black sea, it would be necessary for her to have the port of "Varna. But, to possess Varna, it is requisite for her to have "Moldavia, Wallachia, and Bulgaria: and, for the possession

of the Black sea to afford adequate advantages, it is besides "necessary to hold the outlets, without which the former is

nothing more than an interior lake. Hence it is, that, since "the time of Catherine II, Russia has always kept her eyes on "Constantinople and of this capital she would already have "been mistress, but for the rivality of Austria, whose govern"ment has hitherto been unprepared to consent to such an aggrandisement,

"Austria,

The sole difference between the two parallel passages is, that the former is retrospective, and the

latter

"Austria, on her side, who, since the reign of Maria The

resa,

had sought to form establishments on the Adriatic sea, "was already far advanced in her projects, when the peace of Campo Formio placed her in possession of the ports of Zara "and Caltaro. She afterwards lost, but has now by treaty "regained, them; and thus becomes nearly mistress of the "navigation of the Adriatic sea. Nevertheless, the possession "of Dalmatia is not sufficient to satisfy her. This poor and "arid province is no other than passive. It is nothing more. ❝than a narrow strip of sea-coast detached from Erzegovina, "Bosnia, and Servia, with which it once formed a single whole "under the name of the empire of Servia. As it is, Dalmatia "has no other means of subsisting than by foreign succour. "Nothing therefore is more natural than to desire to unite it "afresh to the provinces, from which it has been detached, " and which would furnish it with those resources of which it “stands in need. This consequence leads to the idea of uniting "to the Austrian Empire all the country situated between the "river Timok, mount Scordus, the Moraca, and the sea, by drawing a line from the point where Wallachia touches on Hungary as far as Skutari.

66

"It is in conformity to these views, that those plans of campaign will always be directed, which Russia and Austria may "undertake against Turkey in any war in which these powers

66

66

may be engaged: since, whatever is the motive that may lead "them to declare war against the Ottoman Empire, a secret "object will always convert it into a war of invasion, of which "the phases will display themselves as the disasters of the Ottoman army increasè. Russia, since the last peace, having free 66 access into Moldavia and Wallachia, will extend herself ra"pidly in these provinces as soon as hostilities have com"menced: and it is from thence, that her armies, well com"manded, may proceed towards the centre of the Ottoman "Empire,

6

latter prospective. Since St. John saw the wild beast rise up out of the sea perfect in all his mem

bers,

"Empire, and by the capture of Varna consolidate the con"quest of Bulgaria.

"Austria, embracing Bosnia on three sides, does not possess "less facilities for the invasion of this province and for cutting "it off from the remainder of the Ottoman Empire. She may "take the field with three armies; which, by directing their "march on one central point, would depart from the two ex"tremities as well as the middle of an extended circumference. "On the left, the Austrian army would enter into Servia, where "it would find the same facilities as the Russians: and the in"surrection of this province would place it in possession of all "the country bordering on the rivers Nissava and Morava, and "consequently of the openings to Vidin, Sophia, Vrana, and "Uskiub. From Croatia a second army would penetrate di"rectly into Bosnia, and might be exclusively entrusted with "the occupation of this province. From Dalmatia and Ragusa "a third army might proceed without great difficulty to Bosna"Seraj; and from thence occupy the roads to Jacova, Pris"renda, and Pristina; and thereby cut off all communication "between Bosnia, Macedonia, and Albania.

Many political circumstances will at all times aid Russia "and Austria in the projects of invasion, which these two "powers may wish to undertake against the Ottoman Empire; " and insure their success, whenever they shall be inclined to "understand each other and act in concert. The first of all,

beyond contradiction, is the hatred, which the Greeks enter"tain towards the Turks. This inveterate and ever-increasing "odium is so much the more founded; because the avarice, " tyranny, and rapacity, of the Osmanlis close up every avenue, "which the natural industry of the Greeks might open to them"selves. The deep and general hatred of the Greeks towards "the Turks will always lead them enthusiastically to embrace "the cause of any power, which they may conceive able and

"willing