had given full fatisfaction to the deputed divines on the fubject of religion, and the orthodoxy of his principles; but what was of infinitely more importance than his religious tenets, it was at the fame time difcovered, that all the military fury of his zeal was directed against the Chriftians; they being the infidels, whofe converfion being hopeless, rendered their extermina. tion neceffary.

This intelligence was foon farther confirmed, by the new faint's commencing, at the head of his followers, a fierce war against the Georgians; and they being allied with the Ruffians, and his enmity being directed equally against all Chriftians, this original object of alarm foon became an ufeful inftrument of the Turkish government. For he founded the alarm among the Leffghis, and all the other nations of Caucafean Tartars (who have in all ages been among the fierceft, braveft, and moft independent of mankind) of the danger to which their religion and libertics were expofed, through the power and near approach of the Ruilians; and thus contributed to the forming of a general combination against them, at a time when the Porte, from the critical fituation of her affairs, however dangerous and fatal the knew their progrefs in that quarter would be to her interefts and fafety, could not venture to make any direct oppofition to their deigns.

Among the other extraordinary conceffions which the emperor extorted from the Porte, not as the price of his friendfhip (for that was not even pretended) but merely of his prefent quiefcence, none could be more fingular in the conception,

or extravagantly unreasonable and ́unjut in the demand, than that of his requiring payment at Conftantinople for the lotfes which his fubjects had futtained from the piracies of the Barbary flates, together with the reftoration of the captives; and a peremptory requifition that they fhould in future be entirely freed from their depredations. It was in vain hewn that the grand fignior heid no fuch authority at prefent over thofe ftates as could in any degree enable him to reftrain their piracies, or even warrant his mak- · ing fuch a demand upon them; that he was not in a condition to compel them to any measures which were contrary to their own interests or likings; but that, if it had been otherwife, it would be as contrary to juftice as to reafon, that, having no complaint against them himself, he thould enter into fuch a war on the account of another; that the idea of his being antwerable for their piracies, and making good the loffes fuftained by them, was fo extravagant in its nature, that it could fcarcely be fuppofed it was feriously adopted.

The arrogance of power on the one fide, and a fearful fenfe of it on the other, could not but produce humiliating effects. The Barbary fiates have, of late years, thaken off almost every appearance of dependance on the Porte, (nor was that at any time fo perfect as to reftrain their piracies) and the Algerines not long fince refufed, with the greatest infolence, to pay a small cuftomary tribute upon the acceffion of a new dey. Yet the grand fignior found himfelf under the ne, cellity of fuing to his old valals to afford that fecurity to the emperor's new commerce at Triette and [D] 3

Fiume,

Fiume, (who had not a single ship or frigate of war for its protection) which the old trading powers of the Mediterranean, poffeffed of confiderable naval force, cannot procure for themselves. It cannot be doubted that fome refpect for paft dignity, a regard to the general interefts and fecurity of the Mahometan religion, with a confideration of the fhaken and critical ftate of the Ottoman empire, were the motives that operated with the piratical ftates of Barbary in granting a peace to the emperor's fubjects.

We have before taken notice of the progrefs which arts and general knowledge are making in Conftantinople, and that the grand fignior had himself ordered the erection of printing-preffes. He has fince gone farther, and has ordered editions of the Ottoman Hiftory, and of feve ral useful and valuable works, to be printed at his own expence.

It was not, however, to be expected, that the new experiments and phyfical discoveries with refpect to air, and the means of human conveyance through it, fhould have yet reached that capital, which had fo long been wrapped in the feemingly impenetrable gloom of indolence and ignorance, and where a ftupid pride shut out the means of information, and feemed even to feal up the fources of curiofity. It was as little to be expected, that whenever fuch knowledge was communicated, or its effect difplayed, the artist or adventurer fhould not have been a native of the Western world.

But, contrary to all fpeculation on that fubject, a Perfian phyfician had the honour to be the firft aeronaut, who not only attempted but fuccefsfully accomplished the pur

pose of afcending into the regions of the clouds at Conftantinople. Though this Eaftern philofopher, undoubtedly, derived his knowledge from the numberless experiments made in France and England, yet, confidering the frequent failures which occurred in both, and the great expence which conftantly attends thefe projects, the facility with which he conftructed and filled with gar, or air, a balloon of great fize, without fubfcription or fupport of any kind, is not a little furprizing. His ingenuity and courage were, however, amply rewarded in the event. In the prefence of the grand fignior and his principal officers, he, accompanied with two gentlemen of the court, afcended into the air from the grand terrace, which had been elegantly decorated for the purpofe. They had previously paid their refpects perfonally to the fultan, who prefented each of them with a rich pelice, which they triumphantly wore in the afcent. Nothing could be more flattering to the aeronauts, or more magnificent, than the fight which they had to contemplate; all the inhabitants of that imperial city gazing and loft in admiration, and the forbidden beautiful gardens of the feraglio open to view, and filled with the fultanas and ladies in their richest habits. They paffed over into Afia, and came profperously to ground at about 30 leagues diftance from the capital, after furveying one of the most beautiful and moft delightful countries in the univerfe. After a knowledge of the terrors which the fight of balloons have impreffed on the minds of the people in the philofophical countries of England and France, we may form fome idea of the effect which this produced on

the

the Afiatic fide of the Hellefpont, at fuch a diftance from the capital. But the Mahometans were ftruck with peculiar and inexpreffible dread and horror, under the fuppofition that their prophet was coming to take vengeance for their manifold offences. In this terror they proftrated themselves every where upon the earth; and it was with the utmoft difficulty that the aeronauts could fo far undeceive a few of the moft fenfible and courageous, as to procure affistance for fecuring the balloon. The aeronauts were treated with the greatest marks of diftinction and honour upon their return to court, and moft nobly rewarded, particularly the Perfian phyfician, by the grand fignior; who likewife ordered the balloon to be hung up in the church of St. Sophia as a perpetual memorial of fo wonderful an event.

At the fame time that this adventure excited fo much pleature, and was fo amply rewarded at Conftantinople, fuch is the difference of tafte and opinion, that the proffered exertions of one of the most eminent aerial voyagers were rejected by the emperor of Germany and the Pruilian monarch; and all attempts of the kind were abfolutely forbidden by the emprefs of Ruilia in any part of her dominions. The refufal of thefe great princes was founded on the inutility of the difcovery, and the fatal confequences to which these voyages were liable, and with which they had already been attended. The great expence which they occafioned, and the lofs of time and idlenefs which they excited among the people, were undoubtedly, though not specified, among the operating caufes of rejection with thefe prudent princes.

In the beginning of the year 1784, an unexpected minifterial revolution took place in Denmark. It was not, however, attended with any other confequences, than that of a reform or change in the councils and government of that kingdom. The queen dowager, who is a princefs of the houfe of Brunfwick Wolfenbuttle, and who in common with her family is poffeffed of no fmall fhare of fpirit and ability, is almoft neceffarily fond of power, and strongly addicted to ftate intrigue. Her being a fecond wife, perhaps, enabled her to acquire the greater degree of infiuence in the late reign, and other circumftances afforded her an opportunity not only of retaining but increafing it in the prefent. This fondness for power, and the jealousy attendant on it, were generally fuppofed to have operated principally in producing that fatal revolution, in which the late unfortunate queen Carolina Matilda was the chief victim, but in which two of the ruling minifters and favourites perifhed, under circumftances of fuch inhuman cruelty, as ftruck all Europe with horror. The nation has fince been funk in a degrading state of apathy, and feemed almoft entirely to have loft its rank in the estimation and confideration of the other powers of Europe.

That bloody catastrophe ferved to eftablish the power of the queen dowager beyond all controul, and byond the probability of its being fhaken. She had filled the great offices of ftate with her adherents and favourites; and the infant fon of the unhappy Matilda being little thought of, and the probabilities againit his life at that tender age being confiderable, her fon prince [0] 4

Frederic

the counts Rofencrantz and Bernftorff, being recalled from their long exile, and placed at the head of a new adminiftration, in which only one of the late cabinet was retained. At their first meeting a new plain of administration, faid to be compofed by the prince, and to have already received the royal fanction, was read by him in the prefence of his father; and, being approved of by all, and then figned by the king, became an authentic inftrument of government. The prince was immediately appointed prefident of the new council, which was compofed of his uncle prince Frederic, and five or fix of the newly-appointed great officers of

ftate.

No revolution of the fort, under fuch a government, affecting a party fo long and fo firmly rooted in power, and fupported by fuch great interefts, was ever accomplished with greater facility; nor has the temper, moderation, and wifdom, which prefided in the whofe condnct of the bufinefs, been often equalled. No other marks of reprobation or refentment were experienced by the members of the late cabinet, than the mere deprivation of their power, and lofs of their places: the fmalleft harshness, or remembrance of paft injury, did not appear in any part of the proceedings. This conduct will appear the more exemplary and wife, to thofe who recollect the unequalled cruelties which stained the preceding revolution, and who confider the bitterness of spirit which their remembrance could not still but inevitably excite.

The fame moderation and wifdoin prevailed in every thing. The queen dowager, as fome confolation

for that difappointment which her ambition fuffered, and for that lofs of matked power, which holds out fuch irrefiftible charms to her fex and time of life, was gratified by the princely donation from the king, of the fuperb cattle of Frederici burgh, in the duchy of Holstein, with the extenfive demefines, eftates, and royalties appertaining to it; and, to render this free gift the more pleating and complete, it was granted in perpetuity, with full authority to the queen to transfer, fell, or difpofe of it by bequeft, in whatever manner the might think proper. Similar large poffeffions, with the fame unlimited rights, were conferred upon prince Frederic, whofe conduct through all the past tranfactions had been fo blameless, that even his being the inftrument or object of another's ambition could not throw the imalleft d'gree of imputation upon his character. The queen dowager retired to her caftle in Hoftein, and the mott perfect tranquillity prevailed and continued throughout the kingdom.

The prince royal of Denmark has had the happy fortune, inftead of diminithing the early hopes that were formed of him, or lofing any part of the eftimation in which he was held, to confirm and increase both in a very high degree. Besides his unusual attention and application to public bufinefs, he fhews a moft laudable difpofition to letters, and is become the patron of learned men, and of literature. Inftead of watting his time in the amusements and iports incident to his time of life and condition, he is already erecting an indelible monument to his fame, by becoming the reftorer of the learn ing, hiftory, and antiquities of his

country.