The Turkish Empire, Its Growth and Decay

Transcriber’s note: Some of the unusual Latin transliterations of Turkish names from Arabic-Persian Alphabet used by the Ottomans have been corrected to be closer to the modern spellings of these names.
THE TURKISH EMPIRE ITS GROWTH AND DECAY
MAHOMET THE CONQUEROR
From a medallion in the British Museum attributed to the Italian artist Gentile Bellini, who was invited by Mahomet to Constantinople, in 1480, and painted a portrait of him.
The portrait is in the Layard Collection.
ITS GROWTH AND DECAY BY LORD EVERSLEY Author of “The Partitions of Poland,” “Peel and O’Connell”, “Gladstone and Ireland” WITH A FRONTISPIECE AND THREE MAPS LONDON T. FISHER UNWIN LTD. ADELPHI TERRACE
First published in 1917 Second Impression 1918 ( All rights reserved )
The favour with which, two years ago, my book on The Partitions of Poland was received by the public has induced me to devote the interval to a study of the history of another State which, in modern times, has almost disappeared from the map of Europe—namely Turkey.
The subject is one in which I have for many years past taken great interest. In the course of a long life, I have witnessed the greater part of the events which have resulted in the loss to that State of all its Christian provinces in Europe and all its Moslem provinces in Africa, leaving to it only its capital and a small part of Thrace in Europe, and its still wide possessions in Asia.
So long ago, also, as in 1855 and 1857, I spent some time at Constantinople and travelled in Bulgaria and Greece, and was able to appreciate the effects of Turkish rule. As a result, I gave a full support, in 1876, to Mr. Gladstone in his efforts to secure the independence of Bulgaria, and in 1879 was an active member of a committee, presided over by Lord Rosebery, which had for its object the extension of the kingdom of Greece so as to include the provinces inhabited by Greeks still suffering under Turkish rule.
In 1887 and 1890 I again visited the East and travelled over the same ground as thirty years earlier, and was able to observe the immense improvements which had been effected in the provinces that had gained independence, and how little change had taken place at Constantinople.