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Account Of The Grand Seignor, Sultan Selim Iii.
reien of his brother Mustafa , had endured a state imprisonment , winch the jealous policy of the seraglio had long ordained . As a solace of his confinement , he cultivated literature and the arts of peace . His disposition , mild and beneficent , induced him to forego the ancient prejudice , and to " superintend the education of Sultan Selim , g iving him every liberal indulgence . Sultan Mustafa and the of Abdulhamidand the only remaining
Sultan Mahniood , sons - , heirs of the empire , are both minors . They experience a generous , return for their ' father ' s kindness , and are treated with suitable respeft . Each has his serarat ? suit of apartments , and sixty attendants , amongst whom are thirty elderly female slaves , with an annual reveof 5000 IsterlingThe good Mussulmanwho laments the
posnue . . , sible extinaion of the imperial family , is comforted by the astrologers , who have publickly declared , that after he has attained to forty years , Sultan Selim will be blessed with a numerous progeny . ' His countenance is handsome and impressive , and his figure good ; is not liiin
he is affable , and ' possesses much speculative genius ; --formed of the characters and separate interests of his , _ contemporary princes , and has every inclination to reconcile his subjects to the superior expediency of European maxims , both , in politics and war . But it is dubious if he be capable of that energetic activity , and that personal ' exertion , which are required in an absolute prince to remodel a people whose opinions are not to be changed but by an
universal revolution . _ " ' Peter the Great and Charles XII . in their plans of regenerating , or conquering the Russians , did not depend solely upon the agency of ministers for success . . . - ' . The curiosity of Selim respetting the other nations of Europe orig inated in frequent conversations with Rachib Effehdi , the present who for time at Viennaafter
historiographer-royal , was some , envoy , the last war . Those who have gained his confidence since the commencement of his feign have consulted that inclination , and improved eyery opportunity of extending his intelligence on those subjects . It is asserted , that the young men in the seraglio are now instructed in the French language by his command ; and his partiality to French wine is no secret amongst the well-informed .
' The first efforts towards improvement have been applied to the army and marine . Forts have been erected on the Bosphorus , regiments have been trained to European discipline , chiefly by French officers , and the fleet will become in a certain degree formidable . When he . has leisure to render his vast territory , at least in the vicinity-of his capital , more resemblant of civilized nations , he will probablestablish apostwhich may facilitate communication
bey , tvveen distant , provinces . During the last war many p laces of importance were taken , or evacuated , weeks before the ministry were in possession of the fact . The only imperial works how seen in his dominions are . mosques ' , aqueducts , " and fountains : . he may hereafter , turn his attention to great ' roads , noiy barely passable , ivhich would be-as Useful , monuments of his faine . '• '
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Account Of The Grand Seignor, Sultan Selim Iii.
reien of his brother Mustafa , had endured a state imprisonment , winch the jealous policy of the seraglio had long ordained . As a solace of his confinement , he cultivated literature and the arts of peace . His disposition , mild and beneficent , induced him to forego the ancient prejudice , and to " superintend the education of Sultan Selim , g iving him every liberal indulgence . Sultan Mustafa and the of Abdulhamidand the only remaining
Sultan Mahniood , sons - , heirs of the empire , are both minors . They experience a generous , return for their ' father ' s kindness , and are treated with suitable respeft . Each has his serarat ? suit of apartments , and sixty attendants , amongst whom are thirty elderly female slaves , with an annual reveof 5000 IsterlingThe good Mussulmanwho laments the
posnue . . , sible extinaion of the imperial family , is comforted by the astrologers , who have publickly declared , that after he has attained to forty years , Sultan Selim will be blessed with a numerous progeny . ' His countenance is handsome and impressive , and his figure good ; is not liiin
he is affable , and ' possesses much speculative genius ; --formed of the characters and separate interests of his , _ contemporary princes , and has every inclination to reconcile his subjects to the superior expediency of European maxims , both , in politics and war . But it is dubious if he be capable of that energetic activity , and that personal ' exertion , which are required in an absolute prince to remodel a people whose opinions are not to be changed but by an
universal revolution . _ " ' Peter the Great and Charles XII . in their plans of regenerating , or conquering the Russians , did not depend solely upon the agency of ministers for success . . . - ' . The curiosity of Selim respetting the other nations of Europe orig inated in frequent conversations with Rachib Effehdi , the present who for time at Viennaafter
historiographer-royal , was some , envoy , the last war . Those who have gained his confidence since the commencement of his feign have consulted that inclination , and improved eyery opportunity of extending his intelligence on those subjects . It is asserted , that the young men in the seraglio are now instructed in the French language by his command ; and his partiality to French wine is no secret amongst the well-informed .
' The first efforts towards improvement have been applied to the army and marine . Forts have been erected on the Bosphorus , regiments have been trained to European discipline , chiefly by French officers , and the fleet will become in a certain degree formidable . When he . has leisure to render his vast territory , at least in the vicinity-of his capital , more resemblant of civilized nations , he will probablestablish apostwhich may facilitate communication
bey , tvveen distant , provinces . During the last war many p laces of importance were taken , or evacuated , weeks before the ministry were in possession of the fact . The only imperial works how seen in his dominions are . mosques ' , aqueducts , " and fountains : . he may hereafter , turn his attention to great ' roads , noiy barely passable , ivhich would be-as Useful , monuments of his faine . '• '