The downfall of Missolonghi was most disastrous to the cause of the Greeks; and it could scarcely be expected that they would recover from such a blow by their own unaided exertions. They still, however, disputed every post with an obstinacy and perseverance, which so roused the fierce indigna tion of the Egyptian pacha, that he covered the country with terror and desolation, cutting down the olive trees, destroying the harvests, and sweep ing the female inhabitants into slavery. Greece, however, was saved by the interference of Great Britain, France, and Russia; and by the treaty of London the Morea and the islands were placed un der their special protection. The faithless conduct of Ibrahim brought on the destruction of the Egyptian and Turkish fleets in the bay of Navarin; and the expedition of the French government into the Morea put an end in that country to the exter minating cruelties of the Egyptians. The armies of the sultan have been expelled from the soil of Greece, and her independence is guaranteed by the powers of Europe.
While the Greeks were thus struggling to be free, a contest of a most sanguinary nature was maintained at Constantinople, between the sultan and his rebellious janissarics. Halet Effendi, an enlightened minister, and the favourite of the sul tan, had fallen a sacrifice to the jealous interference of these troops; and the frequent murders and frightful disorders which they committed rendered them so dangerous to the peace and happiness of the capital, that Mahmoud threatened to abandon Constantinople unless a stop was put to such atro cious proceedings. This threat produced a tem porary quiet; but their rebellious movements were again renewed, and several of their officers, sus pected of plotting against the life of the sultan, were arrested and put to death. Their outrages and domination, however, became at last so in tolerable, that Mahmoud prepared to reduce them to subordination by forcing upon them a new sys tem of discipline; and although every attempt to promote this measure had hitherto proved abor tive and fatal to its supporters, yet he retained so strong an impression of its importance, that he resolved upon their extirpation. At a general council of the principal ministers and officers of the Porte, it was determined to com mence this measure by a draught of 150 men from each orta of the janissaries, who were to be drilled by Egyptian officers, and to be incorporated with the new troops. As these detachments entered upon the new evolutions, under an impression that they were merely the revival of an old exercise used in the time of Soliman, no dissatisfaction was evinced for some time, and preparations were mak ing for a general review, when a standard•bearer happened to call out, "This is very like Russian manoeuvring." The effect was instantaneous. These haughty troops no sooner perceived that they had been led to practice the hated exercise of the Nizam djedit, than their resentment was excited to the utmost. They immediately marched to the
palace of the Porte, which having pillaged, they dispersed themselves throughout the city and com mitted the most frightful excesses. The grand vizier and Janissary Aga escaped their fury only by a timely flight to the country palace of Bashik tash, where the sultan was then residing.
Mahmoud was no sooner informed of the revolt than he hastened to the seraglio, and, with a prompt and energetic decision, took immediate steps for crushing with a strong arm those danger ous and turbulent subjects. At a meeting of the Divan it was resolved to display the Sandschak Sherif; and orders were dispatched to Hussein Pacha and the Topgec Bashi, or commander of ar tillery, to advance with their forces to the capital. The zealous Ottomans hastened to rally round the sacred banner, which was borne to sultan Achmet's mosque; and there, surrounded by the ulema and his court, the sultan pronounced an anathema against all who refused to acknowledge the symbol of the prophet. The janissaries, to the number of upwards of 20,000, had, as usual on such occasions, assembled in the Atmeidan; and the offer of par don, upon condition of their submission, was re ceived with scorn, and answered with the murder of the messengers, and a demand of the heads of the grand vizier, and other distinguished officers. The mufti having declared them beyond the pale of the law, and issued his fetva to that effect, Hus sein Pacha was ordered immediately to advance and extirpate the rebels. Presuming upon their former power and privileges, and on the influence which they had hitherto exercised in the govern ment, the janissaries awaited with confidence a compliance with their demands, when they were awakened to the dreadful reality of their situation by a discharge of grape shot among their dense and crowded masses. After a feeble resistance they retired to their barracks, and offered submiss ion; but Mahmoud, convinced that the safety of the throne and empire depended upon their utter extinction, was inexorable. He ordered the bar racks to be fired and no quarter given. The build ings were battered to pieces by cannon, and the wretched inmates who attempted to escape were thrown back into the smoking ruins. Above 4000 miserable victims perished by the shot or in the flames. During the two following days a tribunal sat in the Atmeidan for the trial of the insurgents. Every janissary taken in arms, or who was suspect ed of having been concerned in the revolt, was strangled on the spot; and others less culpable were banished to Asia. The numbers that suffered on this occasion could never be distinctly ascertain ed, but 20,000 at least were removed by death or exile.