r of Poland, and the influence of
Sebastiani, determined the sultan to throw off the yoke of Alexander.
The English made hasty attempts to oppose this, but they were driven
from the sea of Constantinople. Then it was that Napoleon wrote the
following letter to Selim.

"_Osterode, April_ 3, 1807.

"My ambassador informs me of the bravery and good conduct of the
Mussulmans against our common enemies. Thou hast shown thyself the
worthy descendant of the Selims and the Solimans. Thou hast asked me for
some officers; I send them to thee. I regretted that thou hadst not
required of me some thousand men,--thou hast only asked for five
hundred; I have given orders for their immediate departure. It is my
intention that they shall be paid and clothed at my expense, and that
thou shalt be reimbursed the expenses which they may occasion thee. I
have given orders to the commander of my troops in Dalmatia to send thee
the arms, ammunition, and every thing thou shalt require of me. I have
given the same orders at Naples; and artillery has been already placed
at the disposal of the pasha of Janina. Generals, officers, arms of
every description, even money--I place all at thy disposal. Thou hast
only to ask: do so in a distinct manner, and all which thou shalt
require I will send thee on the instant. Arrange matters with the shah
of Persia, who is also the enemy of the Russians; encourage him to stand
fast, and to attack warmly the common enemy. I have beaten the Russians
in a great battle; I have taken from them seventy-five pieces of cannon,
sixteen standards, and a great number of prisoners. I am at the distance
of eighty leagues beyond Warsaw, and am about to take advantage of the
fifteen days' repose which I have given to my army, to repair thither,
and there to receive thy ambassador. I am sensible of the want thou hast
of artillerymen and troops; I have offered both to thy ambassador; but
he has declined them, from a fear of alarming the delicacy of the
Mussulmans. Confide to me all thy wants; I am sufficiently powerful, and
sufficiently interested in thy prosperity, both from friendship and
policy, to have nothing to refuse thee. Peace has been proposed to me
here. I have been offered all the advantages which I could desire; but
they wished that I should ratify the state of things established
between the Porte and Russia by the treaty of Sistowa, and I refused. My
answer was, _that it was necessary that the Porte should be secu