Mahmoud had escaped the fate of Selim, only by the fond fidelity of a slave, who had concealed him in the of a bath; and though diligent search was made for the royal victim, the forces of Bair actar had burst into the seraglio before the execu tioners had discovered the place of his concealment. The services of Bairactar were rewarded with the office of grand vizier, and the first acts of his go vernment were directed against the promoters of the late revolt. Thirty-three heads, among which was that of the traitor Musa, were exhibited at the seraglio gate ; the officers of the Yamaks and the most seditious of the janissaries were seized, stran gled, and cast into the Bosphorus; and the females of the harem who had rejoiced at the death of Se lim sewed up in sacks, and thrown into the sea from the tower of Leander. Having exacted this terrible retribution, the avenger or Selim proceeded to carry into effect those projects of military reform which had cost his lamented master his throne and his life. Instead, however, of re-establishing the nizam djedit, he proposed to revive the military or der of the Siemens,—a name more hateful to the janissaries, because more ancient than their own, than the despised nizam djedit. The first steps in this measure were conducted with great prudence and success, and the janissaries were overawed by the presence of the Albanian troops. Trusting, however, to his own power and influence, he de spised the enemy whom he had humbled, and who felt the injury too deeply ever to be reconciled to their degradation. Their apparent submission de ceived the too confident Bairactar, and mistaking their silence for acquiescence in his measures, he despatched the greater number of his Albanians to the provinces. He thus left himself to the mercy of a body of men who had long been accustomed to dictate to the sovereign, and who would never forgive the wrongs inflicted upon them by a subject.
The feast of Bairam, which is devoted by the Turks to public rejoicings, was chosen by the ja nissaries for a general rising; and the grand vizier had scarcely returned from his accustomed visit of ceremony to the mufti, when his palace was sur rounded by the insurgents, and immediately enve loped in flames. Bairactar, seeing all means of es cape cut off, retired into a small square tower, which was used as a powder magazine, and which he hoped would resist the flames and the attacks of his enemies. But here the unfortunate vizier met his fate, for during the night a tremendous explosion intimated to the whole city that the maga zine with its inmates had been blown into the air. The two following days were passed in a sanguinary struggle between the siemens The former were supported by 8000 Asiatics, under Codi Paella, the friend of Bairactar, and would have overpowered the insurgents; but the troops of the arsenal at Tophana having declared their ad herence to the cause of the janissaries, decided the contest. Sultan .Mahmoud, who had shut himself
up in the seraglio, and had secured himself from the risk of deposition by the death of Mustapha, despatched a message to the victors, with the as surance that the cause of their complaints was re moved, and that the order of siemens no longer existed. Tranquillity was speedily restored, but this bloody tragedy cost the empire many valuable lives; and about a third of the city, with the finest part of the seraglio, was destroyed in the confla gration.
While these scenes were passing in the capital, hostilities with Russia had been arrested by the treaty of Tilsit, in which the Ottomans had been taken under the protection of France. But when Napoleon directed his views of spoliation to Spain, he endeavoured to secure the forbearance of the emperor Alexander, by leaving Turkey at his mer cy. The Russians consequently commenced their operations by a successful attack upon the Turks near Giurgevo; and, having opened a communica tion with the insurgent Servians under Czerni George, they crossed the Danube at Galatz. Seve ral of the fortified towns on the right bank of the river yielded at their approach. Ismail surrendered after a short siege, and Silistria was summoned; hut here they were furiously attacked by the Turks, and after two clays' hard fighting, were compelled to recross the Danube.
In the campaign of 1810, the Russians were more successful. Having with difficulty passed the Da nube, they advanced towards Bazardjik, which, after an able defence, fell into their hands. Silistria also capitulated; but failing in their attempt upon Var na, they invested the Turkish camp at Schumla. Negotiations for an armistice were opened by the grand vizier; but the conditions were so exorbitant on the part of the Russians, as left no alternative but a brave defence, when the Russians were obliged to raise the siege, and retire back to the Danube. The campaign was closed by the capitulation of Rudshuk. In the following year, the Russians un der Kutusoff attacked the Turkish entrenchments at Cadi Keui; and though successful, they retired at midnight upon Rudshuk, which having burned to the ground, they departed beyond the Danube. The Ottomans now assumed the offensive, and by a masterly movement, the vizier crossed the river with 6000 men and six pieces of cannon, and took up a position on its left bank, about two leagues above Giurgevo. Here the Turks bravely defended themselves for four weeks, when, through the re missness of their commander, the Russians having taken possession of their camp, they were routed, but afterwards concentrated themselves at Rudshuk, which they maintained until they were relieved by the peace of Bucharest. By this treaty, Russia ob tained the whole of Besserahia, with that part of Moldavia which lies on the left bank of the Pruth, and the fortresses of Choczim, Bender, Ismail, and Kilia. An amnesty also was granted to the Set. vian s.