FROM THE ST PRIEST MSS. AMONG the miscellaneous papers collected by the noble family of St Priest, of Languedoc, many of them of high interest, is a volume of the political correspondence of the ambassadors of France at the Ottoman Porte, comprising a space of 231 years, from 1547 to 1778. These curious materials for history were extracted from the chancery of the French palace at Pera, where the minutes of correspondence, and the original despatches of the mi nisters, were ordered to be lodged, by the Count de St Priest, he being then ambassador at the Sublime Porte, from the commencement of 1769, until the latter of the above dates. This was in contravention of the pledge by which he was bound, in his diplomatic character, not to risk the divulgement of the secrets of state; at the same time, however, he could not have entertained a suspicion of their eventually passing into other hands besides those of his own family. Such, however, owing to a sudden and unexpected casualty which befel his son, the Chevalier Charles Emmanuel de St Priest, has been their fate; and their genuineness being placed beyond a doubt, the intrigues they develope, and the lights they throw on the origin and progressive stages of the wars in which Europe was engaged, during the above protracted period, cannot fail to cause them to be regarded as valuable documents. This MS. volume is interesting in another point of view, inasmuch as it contains precise relations of the more remarkable events which passed at Constantinople, as they were transmitted to the French Court by the ambassa dors during their embassies. It is proposed to give occasional extracts from this political correspondence, together with such subjects from the miscellaneous papers as may lay claim to the highest notice, on account of the information and amusement they may afford. We commence by presenting our readers with the particulars of the embassy of M. de Feriol, a personage who, it will be seen, as the first display of his address in diplo macy, makes a dashing attempt to beard the Grand Master of the Order of St John of Jerusalem, a Sovereign Prince, at his own Court. The original letter of Louis XIV., at the close of this correspondence, may be pointed out to the particular attention of the reader. Reign of Louis XIV., Embassy of M. FIRST EXTRACT FROM THE POLITICAL From M. de Feriol at Malta to the August 9, 1699. I would not see the Grand Master unless on condition that I should take the right hand of him. (Que je pren draís la droite sur lui.) Having, how ever, assembled his council, this was refused, with an expression of his regret, and a pretext that he could not make any innovation in the customs of his order. He observed besides, that M. M. de Guillerargues and de Girardin had not made any difficulty in taking his left. On this reply, I considered it to be my duty not to land. stead of a caftan, an honour which has been bestowed on the ambassadors of Holland and England, and which will be also granted to the imperial ambassador; and, as I said, for this reason, that the ambassador of a great king who takes the lead of all others, ought not to be treated with less distinction than them. I was told in re ply, that these ambassadors had not been clad in pelisses unless in private audiences, and that, with relation to the imperial ambassador, it was astonishing that I should pronounce on a fact which had not yet occurred. I insisted that I would not abate a jot of my demand; and, after several con ferences, in which I was steady to my purpose, it was proposed to me that I should take my public audience in a caftan, under a promise that in the course of a few days I should have a private audience in which I should be clad in the pelisse. I consented to this, not conceiving it to be your Ma jesty's intention, at the first moment of my embassy, to push matters to an 4 L weeks, when he got better; then Andrew took it, and he has had it this mounth, but is now getting Better but very weak; they have wrought all this Summer with people in the Town for Six Shillings a-day, but did not get ther victules, they have made a good dale of money; but we have to pay dear for the House; but we have a good Garden that we Can Live upon, and has Sold a great dale out of it a 100 Duson of Cowcombres, and therty Bushels of potatoes. We had peas 10 foot High, and Beans 12 foot Some Hundreds after one. It has been a very warm Summer hear, and there is a fine Crop of Every kind of grain, and Hundreds of people Coming from the old Cuntry to eat of it; we get the finest of the wheat hear; Twelve Stone of it is 27 Shillings, and we are Expecting it will be at 20 in a month; we took fifteen acers of meadow Hay to mow and win from one Mr Macgill; we had three Dollars the acre, and we made it in three weeks; and he has given us as much Lea Hay for nothing as will winter our Cow, only we had it to mow and win. He is a very ricth man, and has befriended me more than all the farmers in Esther Ettrick or yearrow ould have Dun. The here with Merchants and people of tread, is as plenty as Ever I Saw it any Town in Scotland. There is a market hear Every day for beef and mutton, and people Comes in from the Cuntry with Butter and Chease, and Eggs, and potatoes, onions, and Carrots, melons, and Skuashins, and pumpkins,―with many things unknown in Scotland. The people hear Speaks very good English; there is many of our Scots words that they Cannot understand what we are saying; and they Live far more independant than King George; for if they have been any time hear, and got a few acers of there farm Cleared, they have all plenty to Live upon; and what they have to Sell, they get always money for it, for bringing it to york. There is a road goes Straight North from york into the Cuntry for fifty mills; and the farm Houses al most all Two Story High; Some of them will have as good as 12 Cows, and four or five Horces; they are Growing very ricth, for they pay no taxes, but Just a perfict trifell, and rids in ther gig, or Chire, Like Lords. We Like this place far better than the States; we have got Sermon three times Every Saboth; they are money the Baptists that we hear; there is no Presbetaren minister in this Town as yet, but there is a Large English Chapel, and a Methidest Chapel; but I do not think that the Methidests is very Sound in their Doctrine; they Save all infants, and Saposes a man may be Justified to day, and fall from it to-morrow; and the English Minister reads all that he Says, unless it be his Clark Craying always at the End of Every peorid, good Lord Dliver us. If Tom Hogg ould Come Over and hear the Methidests one day, it ould Serve him Craking about it for one Year; for the minister prays as Loud as Ever he Can, and the people is all doun on there knees, all Craying, Amen; So that you Can Scarce hear what the prest is Saying; and I have Seen Some of them Jumping up as if they ould have gone to Heaven, Soul and Body-but there Body was a filthy Clog to them, for they always fell down again, altho crying, O Jesus, O Jesus, Just as he had been to pull them up through the Loft. They have there field meetings, where they preach night and day for a week, where Some thousands atends; Some will be asleep, and Some faling down under Convictions, and others Eating and Drinking! Now, Robert, if this Comes to you, write to us how you are all, and all the News that you Can think of; and if you think that William will Come hear or not, we have got as much Land as will Serve us all; but neither you nor him will Like America at the first, as Every thing is New hear, and people has Every thing to Learn. There is not many Carts hear, they all waggons with four wheels. I have Seen three yoke of oxen in one waggon, and they plow with oxen; many of there plewghs has but one Stilt, and no Colter: The wages is not So good hear as formerly on So many people Coming from Briton and Irland. Tell John Riddel that I have as much Hickery on my farm as will be fishing wands to thousands, and many of them a Hundred foot High, and they are for no Ewse to us but to Burn; but it is the best fire wood in the world. I shall Say no more, but wish, that the god of Jacob may be your god, and may he be your gide, for Ever, and Ever, is the Sincer prayer of your Loving Father, till Death, JAMES LAIDLAW. Pay your Letters to the Sea, or they will not Come to us. FROM THE ST PRIEST MSS. AMONG the miscellaneous papers collected by the noble family of St Priest, of Languedoc, many of them of high interest, is a volume of the political correspondence of the ambassadors of France at the Ottoman Porte, comprising a space of 231 years, from 1547 to 1778. These curious materials for history were extracted from the chancery of the French palace at Pera, where the minutes of correspondence, and the original despatches of the ministers, were ordered to be lodged, by the Count de St Priest, he being then ambassador at the Sublime Porte, from the commencement of 1769, until the latter of the above dates. This was in contravention of the pledge by which he was bound, in his diplomatic character, not to risk the divulgement of the secrets of state; at the same time, however, he could not have entertained a suspicion of their eventually passing into other hands besides those of his own family. Such, however, owing to a sudden and unexpected casualty which befel his son, the Chevalier Charles Emmanuel de St Priest, has been their fate; and their genuineness being placed beyond a doubt, the intrigues they develope, and the lights they throw on the origin and progressive stages of the wars in which Europe was engaged, during the above protracted period, cannot fail to cause them to be regarded as valuable documents. This MS. volume is interesting in another point of view, inasmuch as it contains precise relations of the more remarkable events which passed at Constantinople, as they were transmitted to the French Court by the ambassa dors during their embassies. It is proposed to give occasional extracts from this political correspondence, together with such subjects from the miscellaneous papers as may lay claim to the highest notice, on account of the information and amusement they may afford. We commence by presenting our readers with the particulars of the embassy of M. de Feriol, a personage who, it will be seen, as the first display of his address in diplo macy, makes a dashing attempt to beard the Grand Master of the Order of St John of Jerusalem, a Sovereign Prince, at his own Court. The original letter of Louis XIV., at the close of this correspondence, may be pointed out to the particular attention of the reader. Reign of Louis XIV., Embassy of M. FIRST EXTRACT FROM THE POLITICAL From M. de Feriol at Malta to the King. August 9, 1699. I would not see the Grand Master unless on condition that I should take the right hand of him. (Que je prendrais la droite sur lui.) Having, however, assembled his council, this was refused, with an expression of his regret, and a pretext that he could not make any innovation in the customs of his order. He observed besides, that M. M. de Guillerargues and de Girarin had not made any difficulty in taking his left. On this reply, I considered it to be my duty not to land. From M. de Feriol to the King. Jan. 2, 1700. My audience of the Vizier has given ise to a difficulty. I demanded that should be clad in a sable pelisse in VOL. VI. stead of a caftan, an honour which has been bestowed on the ambassadors of Holland and England, and which will be also granted to the imperial ambassador; and, as I said, for this reason, that the ambassador of a great king who takes the lead of all others, ought not to be treated with less distinction than them. I was told in reply, that these ambassadors had not been clad in pelisses unless in private audiences, and that, with relation to the imperial ambassador, it was astonishing that I should pronounce on a fact which had not yet occurred. I insisted that I would not abate a jot of my demand; and, after several conferences, in which I was steady to my purpose, it was proposed to me that I should take my public audience in a caftan, under a promise that in the course of a few days I should have a private audience in which I should be clad in the pelisse. I consented to this, not conceiving it to be your Ma jesty's intention, at the first moment of my embassy, to push matters to an 4 L extremity. It is very dangerous to give way to the Turks: they are, of all the people in the world, the most haughty with the humble; and an ambassador who displays any degree of weakness at the commencement of his embassy, may assure himself that he will be only nominally so during the remainder of his stay. It would be very easy for your Majesty to bring the Turks to reason in two campaigns. For my part, I dread neither their threats nor their outrages! From the same to the same. January 8, 1800. What has passed in the Seraglio is an event of too much importance not to induce me to send an extraordinary courier to acquaint your Majesty with the particulars. The same honours were paid to me as to my predecessors, nay, some others, of little importance, and of which it is useless to speak here, were even added, up to the moment when I was about to enter into the presence of the Grand Seignor. The Chiaoux Bashi, who was offended at my not allowing him, in proceed ing to the Seraglio, to take the right hand of me, pointed out that I had my sword. I was told to lay it aside, as it was not the custom to enter the Seraglio with arms. I defended myself by citing the example of M. de Castagneres and other ambassadors; but the fact was denied that they had worn their swords at the audiences granted them. In reply, I pointed out that the sword made a part of the French dress; and that, besides, if your Majesty in person should visit the Grand Seignor, you would certainly not be subjected to the usages of the Seraglio, any more than would the Grand Seignor to French usages, if he should come to your Majesty's court. It was thus, I added, that your ambassador, by whom you are represented, ought to be treated. All the Capidgis, and all the Cadileskiers, were sent to me, to persuade me to lay aside my sword, and to ask advice of the officers who followed me- -(his suite.) I replied, that this was useless, and that the orders of your Majesty were so clear, as to whatever concerned your glory, that they did not need any other interpreter beside him to whom they had been confided. The Turks at length resolved to have by surprise what they could not obtain by the me naces to which they had resorted. I was told that all was settled, and that I might proceed to the audience. I put my hand on my sword, which I covered with my coat, perceiving that I was not followed by my people. At the moment when I did this, a Capidgi, of a gigantic form, came to snatch it from me. I saluted him with a kick of the knee in the stomach, which made him recoil. He returned to the attack, and I called aloud to the drogoman at the door, to know whether it was thus that the law of nations was to be violated, and whether we were enemies. The Grand Seignor, who heard the noise, sent the chief of the white eunuchs to say that no violence should be offered to me, and that, if I did not choose to lay aside my sword, I was free to return home, which did, accompanied by the Chiaoux, in the same way as in proceeding to the Seraglio. From the same to the same. February 7, 1700. The Venetian ambassador had his audience yesterday. My house was invited, and I sent thither sixty domestics, and a number of noblemen equal to that of the noble Venetians he has with him. The latter engaged in a dispute about precedency; but the affair was settled otherwise. I assert ed that the French nobility did not yield to any other, and that, as the entertainment was given by the Venetians, they were bound to do the hon ours. From the same to the same. February 9th, 1700. The imperial ambassador arrived yesterday, and had extraordinary honours paid him, insomuch that it would appear in order to receive honours from the Turks, to be necessary to make them feel the weight of your authority. The ambassador's gentlemen did not hesitate to complain of his harshness, in the presence of my first secretary their and drogoman, and to express dissatisfaction at his having forced them to lay aside their dress, and to take another, which is neither Turkish, nor Hungarian, nor after the fashion of the Tartars. They are without hat and sword, and wear a round cap over their perukes. To this cap the am bassador himself has added an aigrette, which renders him a very extraordinary figure. From the same to the same. September 23, 1700. The Bedouin Arabs have plundered the caravan on its return from Mecca, on the pretext that they have not received a kind of tribute which the Porte pays them annually. From the same to the same. October 11, 1700. < The Grand Seignor has levied Christian troops at Aleppo and in the vicinity, to send against the Arabs. This is perhaps the first time that arms have been put into the hands of the Christians to combat the Musulmans; and at has not failed to excite murmurs. November 1, 1700. Five Demands which the King orders M. de Feriol to make to the Grand Vizier. 1st, To be admitted to the Grand Seignor's audience with your sword. 2dly, That the Bostangi Bashi should make satisfaction to you for his illtreatment of the person who steered your boat, and who ought to be considered as your domestic. 3dly, That the Porte should grant you an order for the re-establishment of the churches of Scio. 4thly, That another order be given for the rebuilding of the roof of the holy sepulchre, which is threatened with certain ruin. And, 5thly, That the Pacha of Jerusalem should be punished for having, through motives of avarice, treated a consul who was at Jerusalem with indignity, and having forced him, in a degrading manner, to quit the place. Reply of the Grand Vizier to the above Five Demands. We have fully comprehended all the things which you have made known to us. 1st, It is manifest that, on the side of the Sublime Porte, nothing whatever has been done contrary to the rights and to the friendship of the Emperor of France, with whom there has subsisted for two hundred years a reciprocity of friendship; but you having invented a new manner, contrary to the Ottoman ceremonialthe two supreme judges came to dissuade you from it-and you being pre judiced by a weak insinuation which your predecessor had instilled into your mind in this particular case, besides his other disagreeable manners of acting-you have thought proper to put off your audience to another time. Which is most worthy of astonishment? Whether that you were not permitted to enter the imperial chamber with a new manner, contrary to the ceremonial always observed; or, that you abandoned that illustrious assembly on a pretext which has not any example-and, as it is not meet to concede any point of the ceremonial of the Ottoman empire, it is also not just that good friends should undertake to infringe it in any degree. 2dly, The island of Scio is a reconquered country-and, according to the law, the possessions of those who united with the enemies of the Porte have been given away. Now, it is certain that the inhabitants who follow the Latin rite did unite with them, for this has been verified. 3dly, It is not the custom for any one to take a Mussulman into his service without permission; and the mariner in question, having invented here a new manner, has been slightly punished-however, to give a due satisfaction on this head, it has been represented to his Highness. 4thly, The repairs of the roof of the holy sepulchre were formerly ordered; but it having been found that they were not urgent, they were delayedand persons will now be sent to see whether it has need of repairs, in which case an order will be given for that purpose. 5thly, The French consul had no sooner arrived at Jerusalem, than his conduct was so bad as to give suspicions to the men of the law that disturbances would ensue-but persons of probity, on whom a dependence can be placed, will be chosen to make inquiries, and come at the truth of this fact; and provided the Pacha should have been wrong, he will be deposed and punished. The conditions of the alliance, and the articles contained in the capitulations, will be strictly observed. From M. de Feriol to the King. February 4, 1701. The Jenissari Agassi having, without reason, arrested one of my janissaries, and sent him into exile, has been |