The treaties concluded about the end of the last century, had subjected the weak sultan of the Turks to Russia; the Egyptian expedition had armed him against us.  But ever since Napoleon had assumed the reins of power, a well-understood common interest, and the intimacy of a mysterious correspondence, had reconciled Selim with the first consul:  a close connexion was established between these two princes, and they had exchanged portraits with each other.  Selim attempted to effect a great revolution in the Turkish customs.  Napoleon encouraged him, and was assisting him in introducing the European discipline into the Ottoman army, when the victory of Jena, the war 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 secured in complete independence; and that all the treaties extorted from her, during the time that France was asleep, should be revoked.”