it fold as high as eight hundred and fixty rupees per cheft. This is accounted for by the advanced prices which merchants can afford to give at this mart. The Malay traders, who were formerly fupplied with opium from Bencoolen, Batavia, and a few thips fitted out from Bengal, come now to this place in their own veffels, which they navigate with speed and fafety. At Prince of Wales's ifland, they not only buy their opium and piecegoods at a lower price, but find a ready market for all the different articles of traffic manufactured, or produced by the earth, in their own countries. The pepper-plantations on this ifland, in the year 1799, produced nine thousand picoles. And there are now twenty thousand nutmeg trees on the island, belonging to the company, and to individuals, though by far the greater number to the latter. The plants look as healthy, and are as ftrong, as any at either Amboyna or Banda. From its pofition, and other natural advantages, it promiles, in time, to be one of the chief emporiums of India, and to compenfate to Great Britain for any ceflions that may be made, in that country, for the invaluable bleffing of peace, to France or Holland. On the whole, the fettlement on Prince of Wales's ifland is a firiking and pleasing proof, how much the profperity of a maritime and commercial nation, by other means than thofe of war, may be happily improved and extended. VOL: XLI. [F] CHAP. СНАР. V. Determination of the Porte to repel the Invafion of Egypt.-Letter from the Grand Seignior to Tippoo Sultaun, on that Subject.-Tippoo's Anfier.A new Sect of flaumitifh Socinians.-Account, by Tippoo Sultaun, of the Chriftian Domination in India.-Complaints against the English.-Confe deracy for exterminating the Chriflian Infidels from India.--Reflections. -Hypocritical Conduct of the French towards the Turks. Refentment and fpirited Conduct of the Porte.—Alliance between the Porte and Ruffia. -Change in the Turkish Miniftry.-Memorial of the Porte to all foreign Minifters.-Turkish Manifesto, addreffed to the British Minister at Confantinople.-Character of the Turks.-Military Preparations of the Porte. Councils and Fiews of the Ruffians.—Character and political Conduct of the Ruffian Emperor, Paul.-Treaty between Great Britain and Ruffia.— Ruffian Declaration of War against Spain.-The Emperor of Ruffia elected, by the difperfed Knights, Grand Mafter of Malta.-His Munificence to that Order.-New Etablishment for its Maintenance, at St. Peter burgh. A combined, Ruffian and Turkish Fleet fails through the Dardaels into the Mediterranean. And reduces the Venetian Islands on the Western Coast of Turkey in Europe.-Humane and liberal Conduct of the Conquerors of thefe to their Prifoners of War. - To religion did not produce HE fympathies and antipathies the fame effects on the minds of the grand feignior and Turkish divan that they operated on that of the kings of Candabar and Cabul. Thefe, as is ufual with other religionifts, were modified and counterafted by confiderations of policy. The dominion of the Ofmalins appeared a nearer and dearer object than the interests, common to all Muffulmen, of the religion of the prophet. The power and profpects of heretics, infidels, and polytheifts, the avowed enemies of the Khoo - dadaud - circar, in India, were lefs alarming than the new * fead of exciting the Mahometan republic. The grand feignior, inprinces against the enemies of Tippoo, endeavoured to unite them in oppofition to the enemies of all fovereigns and religion. The grand feignior, in a letter, dated the twenty-third of September, 1798, to Tippoo Sultaun, acquainted him of the invafion of the venerated land of Egypt, by the devoted French, notwithstanding the obfervance of long fubfifting friendship on the part of the Sublime Porte; the ambitious views of that irreligious and turbulent people in Hindoftan; and the determination of the, Porte te employ the The dominion of Tippoo, most moft vigorous measures for the purpofe of repelling that rebellious race. The grand feignior requefted that Tippoo would communicate to him whatever fubject of complaint he might have against the Englifh: when, by the aid of God and the grand feignior's good offices, thofe complaints fhould be removed, to his fatisfaction, and the grounds of oppofition and estrangement be exchanged for the defirable objects of harmony and union. To this letter, Tippoo, after the ufual compliments to the grand feignior, and profeffions of reverence and devotion to the common faith of Ifmaulifm, replied, that, as "The French had made themselves enemies to his highnefs, they had made themfelves fo to all the followers of the faith. God (faid he) is the protector and defender of the land of Hindoftan; next to him, this fuppliant, (meaning Tippoo himfelf) at the Almighty throne, does not and will not neglect the fervice of the people. I am fully confident that your highnefs will be difpofed to afford affittance and fupport, in all matters, to us labourers. All Hindoftan is over-run with infidels and polytheifts, excepting the dominions of Khoo - dadaud - circar, which, like the ark of Noah, are fafe under the protection and bounteous aid of God. It is my hope, from the fupreme king of kings, that, as at the appearance of a fecond Adam, the religion of Iflaum will obtain exclufive prevalence over the whole country of Hindoftan, and that all the finful heretics will, with the utmost ease, become the prey of the fwords of the combatants in the caufe of religion. Be it known to those who stand at the foot of the imperial throne, that the 6 treachery, deceit, and fupremacy, of the Chriftians, in the regions of Hindoftan, are beyond the power of expreffion." Tippoo proceeds to deduce the hiftory of the Chriftian dominion in India, from the time when the French and English, "each, with one of their detefted fhips, and a few Caffres" (infidels). on board, came to the coaft, to that when the English had adopted a determined refolution to fubdue the whole of Hindoftan; and, in conjunction with the Nizam Ally Khan and the infidels of Poonah, to fubvert the Muffulman religion. The whole energy of his mind, he faid, was continually exerted to fupport the religion of Mahomct. As an inftance of his zeal, he mentioned a defign he had formed, of quelling, by an armed force, commanded by one of his approved fons, certain exceffive commotions that had been excited, in the neighbourhood of Mecca, by the fon of Abdool Wahaub. This Abdool was an enterprizing Mahometan fceptic, who, fome years fince, establifhed a new doctrine, the foundation of which is, the abjuration of the fignal honours paid to Mahomet. His doctrine, a kind of If laumitifh Socinianifm, did not extend to a denial of the prophet's miffion, but it placed him in the condition merely of a messenger of the word of God, poflefling, in himfelf, no title to the adoration of mankind. This man obtained very numerous profelytes, who traverfed with him the countries of Syria, Arabia, and Egypt, propagating their tenets by the word, The power of the hierarch, Ab dool, fpiritual and temporal, on his death, was transferred to his fon. Tippoo had written to the fupreme [F2] minifter minister of the shereef of Mecca, defiring to be informed of the fituation of affairs in that quarter. "For, (fays he) the holy receptacle is an object of veneration to the followers of truth, and an object of the regard of the all-powerful; and to do fervices thereunto is productive of bleffings both in this world and the world to come." Tippoo, in order to conciliate the friendhip of the Pone towards himfelf, and to roufe its refentment against the English, fiated, in his letter to the grand feignior, that, after he had granted peace, at the earneft and humble fuit of Engidh ambassadors, in 1789,* they hid excited and jomed in a holdle confederacy against the Khon-d daudcircar, in confequence of the friendfhip that fubfifted between the circar and the Sublime Perte. The English, he fated, being informed of the miffion, the friendly reception, and the return of his ambailadors from Conflantinople, "with hearts inflamed and confcious that they had given his highnefs (he grand feignior) proofs of their evil difpofition," immediately conceived, that all the tribe of Ilaum were about to league together for their deftruction. Confederated with the Nizam and the infidels of Poonah, they waged war against the Khoo-dadaud-circar, for four years, At length, near a hundred thousand followers of the faith had determined to flay their wives and families with their own hands, and, rufhing on the infidels, drink the cup of martyrdom, and plunge the infidels into hell. The counfellors, the lords, and the refpected figes of Iflaumifm, all agreed, that this attack upon the dominions of the Khoo-dadaud-circar was in confequence of the deputation of ambal fadors, with letters to the Sublime Porte; and, therefore, that it was advitable, by any means, to accommodate matters for the prefent; to communicate to his highnels all that had occured; and, joined by his highne's's aid, proceed to exterminate the mid Is afterwards. He had approved, he faid, the reprefentation of his faithful fervants, and furrendering three crores and thirty lacks of rupees, and half his country, which was all a dead lols to him, put an end to the content. In conclusion, he prayed that the victorious banners of flaum might be ever prevalent, and every trace of herefy and infidels be wiped away. A with has often been expreffed by men of learning, that fome account of the Punic wars had been left by the Carthaginians as well as by the Romans; or fome of their official papers, containing statements of the conduct of this great and victorious people. The Romans were at great pains to deftroy every monument of Carthage. It was more liberal in the English to preferve the whole, and even to publifh many of the papers that were found, after the fall of Tippoo Sultaun, in his palace of Seringapatam. It is probable, that if any of the Carthaginfan documents had been preferved they would have exhibited fomewhat of the character of thofe left by Tippoo. The conduct of the Romans would have appeared to be deeply tinctured *This matter is not greatly mifreprefented by Tippoo. See Memoirs of the War in Afia. Turkish ambaffador at Paris, nor the reis-effendi at Conftantinople, were able, by repeated inquiries, to obtain any other information refpecting the expedition, from Toulon, than that its only object was the conqueft and the deftruction of the order of the knights of Malta; an object that must be pleafing, and excite the gratitude of all Mufulmen. Birop Talleyrand, the minif ter, of the French republic, for fo with artifice, injuftice, violence, and rapine: but, with much truth, there would have been a mixture of falsehood, and femi - barbarian canning. We fympathife with the fultaun, when he defcribes and deplores the ruin of the Mogul em-, pire, "Thaken to pieces by its own fervants, wounded by the English, and, in its laft ftage, by the Mahrattas, who feized on the few remaining wrecks of its ancient greatnefs and fplendour; " and are deep-reign relations, folemnly affured the ly affected at the fad fpectacle of Ottoman ambaffador, at Paris, that " a poor fightlefs individual, of the there was no other end in view; royal family of Delhi, whofe fer- and that it was the fixed and unal vants (under the Rohilla chief, terable purpose of the French goGholaum Caudir) had put out his vernment, to preferve the ancient eyes, feated in his houfe in a state the friendship which had fo long fubmost abject, and the only refources fifted between France and the Subof his maintenance the fruits of his lime Porte, and to cement and garden!" But we revolt at the ftrengthen it more and more. But, falfehood of the fultaun, in the in the mean time, while the French midft of all his religious profef- minifter was making fuch protefta fions, and defpife his mean and tions, in reply to the letters fent by filly cunning, when we find him, the French chargé d'affaires at Conin his letters to the French, afcrib. ftantinople, Ruffin, as well as by ing the enmity of the British power the Ottoman government, that ento himfelf, to them: in his letters voy had received letters, of an old to Zemaun Shah, attributing it to date, in which the directory had written to him, that it was, indeed, his having deputed ambassadors to that prince: and, in his dispatches true that Buonaparte had orders to to the grand feignior, imputing it go to Egypt; but this was only in to his delegation of an embafly to order to punish the beys, to prothe Sublime Porte. cure certain commercial advantages for France, and to ftrike a blow against England; that it was the intention of the directory to fend an ambalador to the Sublime Porte, for the purpose of arranging all thofe matters, and fhewing various important advantages that would accrue to the Ottomans from that expedition and that if the Porte fhould be fo rafh as to declare war against the French republic, on account of this affair of Egypt, it would be immediately attacked by While Tippoo Sultaun attempted to direct the whole fenfibility and exertions of the Turks against the common enemies of Ifmaulifm, on the one hand, the French, on the other, endeavoured, by foft words and fair profellions, to fufpend and fink, their indignation, at the invaCon of Egypt, in the recollection of the ancient and natural alliance between the Porte and France, and in a jealousy of the Auftrians, Ruffans, and English. Neither the : the |