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THE

ENGLISH REVIEW,

For MARCH 1790.

ART. I. A General Hiftory of the Othoman Empire. Dedicated to the King of Sweden. Tranflated from the French of M. de M— D'Obsson, Knight of the Royal Order of Vafa, Secretary to the King of Sweden, formerly his Interpreter and Chargé d'Affaires at the Court of Conftantinople. The Work is enriched and elucidated by valuable Engravings: Vol. I. 4to. 51. 5s. Robinfons. London, 1789.

AN authentic hiftory of the Othoman empire has hitherto been wanting to the republic of letters. Religious and political prejudices have feparated the Turks in fuch a manner from the rest of mankind, as to render it extremely difficult to obtain an accurate knowledge of the principles of their government. Effects have been noticed, but their caufes have remained unknown. From a diftant, fuperficial, and tranfitory view of their cuftoms, manners, religion, and laws, falfe ideas of them have been diffufed through every part of Europe.

For gaining a juft knowledge of the Othoman people, the author of the prefent work feems to have poffeffed very advantageous opportunities. Born at Conftantinople, intimately ac quainted with the Turkifh language, fuftaining a political character, and employed during his whole life in the fervice of a court, whofe friendhip was unfufpected by the minifters and public officers, Chevalier D'Ohflon was enabled to furmount thofe impediments which had been heretofore found to be irre, fiftible. A comparison of the native historians with the erroneous ENG. LEV. VOL. XV. MARCH 1790.

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and imperfect accounts given by foreign writers, urged him, he tells us, to compose a history of the Othoman empire, derived from the original and only true fources of information. In the progrefs of his laborious work, he perceived the neceffity of previously explaining the tenets, the mode of worship, the manners, and the public adminiftration of the Othoman people; but particularly that remarkable, universal code, which, digefted by Ibrahim Haleby, and confecrated under the name of Multcka, conftitutes the religious legislation of that extenfive empire. This part of his undertaking was expofed to peculiar difficulties. His zeal, however, he tells us, was not relaxed by impediments. Indefatigable industry, the means of information which the exercise of his employment and the particular commiffions refpecting the immediate fervice of the Porte afforded him, and his perfonal connexions with the principal officers of state, have rendered the execution of his work fuperior, he fays, to his own expectations. We give him full credit for his diligence, and think that his talents are not exceeded by his affiduity.

He not only endeavoured, he affures us, to obtain the moft complete intelligence concerning the government, but he studied, in the original volumes, the doctrine and univerfal code of Iflamifm, affifted by a theologian and a lawyer, men of the greatest learning and of the highest reputation in the empire.

With regard to the public adminiftration, he derived his information from the minifters, the officers actually employed, and even from those who prefided over the offices belonging to the different departments of the ftate. They extended fo far their confidence and kindness, as to give him extracts from their refpective registers; these extracts are now in his poffeffion; on thefe his claim to authenticity is entirely founded; and in his eftimation, he declares, that truth and the moft fcrupulous accuracy, conftitute the firft merit of his work, the produce of twenty-two years of anxiety and labour. Flattered by his having undertaken to tranflate their annals, and to give Chriftian Europe an idea of the Othoman power, there was no mark of kindness which they did not continue to fhew him till his departure from Conftantinople on the 9th of March, 1784.

Even the officers of the palace furnished him with information refpecting the feraglio, the fultan, and the royal household. He was indebted for his intelligence concerning the fultanas, Cadinns, and the imperial Harem, to the female flaves of the feraglio. After fome years of fervitude, many of these obtain their liberty; they then quit the imperial palace, and are given in marriage to certain officers of the court, who always ardently folicit an union with them, in hopes of being advanced by their intereft with thofe ladies and fultanas, of whom they have been previously the

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forvile dependants. By the information of thefe officers, and of the Chriftian women who are allowed a free accefs to them as foon as they depart from the feraglio, our author tells us, he has rectified those erroneous opinions which he himself had formed concerning the fultanas, the ladies, and the Harem of the Grand Signior.

This work is divided into two parts, entirely distinct and separate; the one comprehends the Mahometan legislation, the other the hiftory of the Othoman empire.

The Mahometan legislation is divided into five codes, the religious, civil, criminal, political, and military; and is prececeded by an introduction, which fhews the spirit of that legiflation, and explains whatever has a reference to the ancient Imams, the doctors, interpreters of the law, and the founders of four religious rites, which have an equal claim to orthodoxy.

I. The RELIGIOUS CODE comprehends three parts, the dogmas, the external worship, and the morality of the Othomans. In the dogmatical part are exhibited the articles of faith digefted by Omer Neffefy; thefe are, illuftrated by historical and political obfervations, and afford an idea of the cofmogony of the Mahometans, of their traditions concerning the remoteft ages, of their refpect for the patriarchs and prophets, of their peculiar veneration for the perfon of Jefus Chrift, of their opinions refpecting Mohammed, his difciples,, the four first khaliphs, their faints, &c.: here an account is alfo given of the principal herefiarchs; in this part of the religious code are fhewn the true fpirit of their dogma refpecting predeftination, the wisdom of their law concerning the illufions of judicial aftrology, the prejudices which fo powerfully prevail amongst them; in fine, whatever has a reference to the Imameth, that is, to the religious functions of the fovereign, his titles, his rights, and the qualities which it is neceffary he must poffefs, in order to be deemed worthy, according to the canonical law, to reign over the Mahometan people.

In the ritual part is described whatever regards the external worship of the Mahometans; namely, 1. The meaning, nature, and ufe of purifications, the circumstances which constitute a ftate of legal purity or impurity in either fex; from whence the true cause of their frequent ufe of warm baths is fully explained; 2. The prayer Namaz, to which every muffulman is bound to devote his attention five times a day; the effence and nature of this part of their external worship; the public ceremony on Fridays, and on the two feftivals of Beyram; the peculiar prayers deftined for the fick, for travellers, and foldiers; those which are confecrated for the thirty nights of Ramazann, for public calamities, for uncommon events; the ceremonies of circum

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cifion, thofe of funerals, &c. here alfo are explained the cuttoms which are of human inftitution; whatever relates to the infide of the mofques, the preaching of their Scheykhs, their veneration for particular nights in the year, and for the relicks of their prophet; 3. The charitable tithe impofed on all the rich, and derived from that part of their property employed in luxury or commerce; the facrifices to which all the citizens in easy circumstances are commanded to fubmit; the foundations or pious gifts; the temples of Muffulmanifm; the various edifices which furround thefe, and which are defigned for the instruction of youth, the relief of the poor, and the public utility, fuch as hofpitals, hotels, fchools, colleges, libraries; the Wakfs, or property confecrated to their fupport, as well as to that of the mofques, and of the minifters who perform religious duty in them, together with the rules of their adminiftration.

This is a comprehenfive view of what is contained in the first volume of an elaborate work, which, when finished, the author fuppofes, will confift of feven or eight. But before we give our readers an idea of the manner in which it is executed, it will not be improper, perhaps, to exhibit the author's plan for the remainder of his work, as he explains it in his preliminary difcourfe.

In the ritual part of the religious code the author means to defcribe, 4. The faft in the month of Ramazann, and the auftere penitence with which it is kept, which confifts in abstaining from food from fun-rife till fun-fet, without taking even a drop of water; and the religious attention of the people in general to observe it with the ftricteft rigour other abftinences are here alfo mentioned, as likewife the fpiritual retreat, the illumination of the mofques in Ramazann, and the various etiquettes obferved by the court during the thirty nights of this month; and, 5. The pilgrimage to Mecca, with all the laws and customs which are attendant on that important act of Iftamifm. The øbfervations annexed to these circumstances have a relation to the events which were anterior to the time of Mohammed, to the origin of the Arabs, to the foundation of Mecca, of its temple and fanctuary, to the traditions which gave birth to the people's profound veneration for the Keabé, to the aristocratic government of the ancient Arabs, &c. Proceeding afterwards to whatever has a reference to Mecca fince the eftablishment of Mahometanism, he intends to defcribe the fituation of that city, its political revolutions, its temple, its prefent fanctuary, the rich oblations made in different ages, the black stone Hadjher' ulewed, the veil, and the external cincture of the Kéabé; the golden fpout, the facred wells of Zemzem, the ftations round the fanctuary deftined for the Muffulmen who obferve the four orthodox

rites; the facred camels, the Suré Eminy, commiffary of the Porte, who is charged with the money fent annually by the Sultan to the two Arabian cities; the great caravan of pilgrims, who go from Syria to Mecca, conducted by the Pafcha of Damas; the Scherif of Mecca, and the Pafcha of Djidda; the preeminence of Mecca over Medina; the diftinction enjoyed by the pilgrims during the remainder of their lives, &c. &c.

The moral part of the religious code is to comprehend four general points: 1. Whatever has a reference to food, aliments clean or unclean; the manner of hunting, or legally putting beafts to death; drink, game, animals perinitted or forbidden; 2. The precepts relative to clothing, and to moveable effects, in which the ufe of precious metals is rigorously prohibited; 3. The labour prefcribed to the men, who are commanded by the law to employ themselves in arts and trades; 4. The moral virtues, charity, probity, chastity, modefty, the duties of decorum, an attention to whatever may lead to vice, to diffipation, to a forgetfulness of God, fuch as games, inftruments of mufic, images and figures of men and animals. The firft code is to be concluded by a general difcourfe, which will defcribe, 1. The whole body of the Oulémas, from the Mouphty to the laft of the Naibs; 2. The minifters who perform fervice in the mofques; and, 3, All the Mahonetan Derwischs, who are divided into thirty-three different orders of hermits.

II. The CIVIL CODE will confift of thirty-one books, fubdivided into many chapters and articles. The author here will make mention of the marriages of the Muffulmen and the Nonmuffulmen who are tributary fubjects of the empire; of those of the flaves, &c.; of the nuptial gift or dowry with which the husband muft prefent his wife; of the equality of treatment which the Muffulman is obliged to obferve towards his wives; of the legitimation of children; of the aliments legally due from the husband to the wife, from the father to the children, and from children to their indigent fathers or mothers; of repudiations, perfect, imperfect, conditional, &c.; of divorce in confequence of a legal procedure; of the enfranchifement of flaves of both fexes; of the legal interdiction; of the qualification of flaves s of the age of majority; of the rights of minors, of old men, of hermaphrodites, of the dumb, of those who have impediments in their speech; of foundlings; of run-away flaves; of perfons who have lost their way; of things found; of commercial focieties; of fales and purchases; of bail; of affignments; of letters of attorney; of trust; of loans; of gifts between living persons ; of leafes and rents; of acts of violence; of rapes; of vicinal redemption; of agriculture; of mortgages; of civil teftaments; of guardians and teftamentary executors; of the rights of inhe

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