support of religion; he was recognized as the legitimate Sultan of his dominions; money was coined in his name at Bagdad; the Caliph married his sister; and in the public prayers his name was associated with that of the Caliph. He soon demanded the Caliph's daughter in marriage. This concession was refused and delayed for a long time, but was at last made from necessity. Shortly after the marriage was effected, Togrul died in the city of Rai, after having reigned twenty-six years. He left no children. His nephew Alp Arslan* was his successor, and received from the Caliph the title of Egreddin, or protector of religion. Togrul's brother Jaafar, to whom he had left the government of Khorasan, had been sometime dead.†

About this period (A. D. 1070) there occurred a severe famine in Egypt. There were only three horses left in all Egypt, and those belonged to the Caliph. The rest, as well as the mules and asses, were eaten by their masters. A dog was sold for five dernarii. On one occasion, when a person of distinction descended from his mule and entered the palace of the Caliph, leaving the animal in the care of his servants, three men stole him from their hands, slew and ate him. The men were discovered and, by command of the Caliph, were crucified. In the night other men came, took the bodies from the crosses on which they hung, divided and ate them. At day-break the bones were found in a pile beneath the crosses, all the flesh being stripped from them. Abulpharagius, on whose authority these circumstances are related, states further that in one of the Egyptian cities, Tunis, which had contained three hundred thousand men, not one hundred remained when the famine ceased.

Alp Arslan effected the conquest of Georgia and Armenia, which countries, as has been before stated, had been surrendered by their governors into the hands of the Greeks. He even passed the Euphrates, and penetrated to Cesarea, the capital of Cappadocia, which he besieged without success. His emirs pressed onward into Phrygia, committing wide ravages in their progress. In this province

*This names signifies conquering lion.

†The character of the devastations made by the Turks in their warfare under Togrul and Jaafar, may be seen from the following sentence in Abulpharagius: "Propter multitudinem, diutius quam unam hebdomaden eas non ferebat ulla regio."

they were met by Diogenes Romanus, to whom the empress Eudocia had given her hand, that he might protect her dominions against the Turks. Diogenes was victorious. He drove his enemies beyond the Euphrates, and still advanced upon them. Alp Arslan became alarmed, and marched in person against the Emperor. A battle took place between Khelat and Melasgerd, in which the Romans were defeated (A. D. 1071). Diogenes was taken captive by a slave. Alp Arslan commanded that a regal tent should be prepared for his reception. The next day the Emperor was brought into his presence. "How would you have treated me," said the Turkish Sultan, "had the chances of war thrown me into your power?" The reply was, "As ill as I could; as enemies usually treat each other." The Sultan answered, "It is well; had you said otherwise I should not have believed you. What think you will be my treatment of you?" "One of three things," replied the Emperor, "You will either kill me, or carry me about in state through your dominions as a spectacle, or-but it is unnecessary that I should mention the third course, for it is idle to suppose that you will adopt it." Being pressed by the Sultan to state it, he said, "or, thirdly, you will send me back safely and honorably to my capital and bind me to you for ever as a brother." "It was my intention," said Alp Arslan, "to pursue this latter course, of which you despaired." A ransom was agreed, and Diogenes, after supping with the Sultan, was permitted to return to Constantinople. The two princes embraced at parting. When Diogenes reached Constantinople he found that the Greeks, in despair of his return, had made Michael emperor in his stead. Unable to oppose the new sway with any prospect of success, he retired to a monastery, after collecting the money for his ransom and transmitting it to Alp Arslan.

In the same year the Franks recovered Sicily from the possession of the Egyptian Caliph. The viceroy appointed by the Caliph treacherously surrendered the island, being bribed by a large sum of money.

Alp Arslan died the next year. He had appointed one of his sons governor of Carismia. Shams Melec, who had married a daughter of Alp Arslan, was Khan of Bokhara and other countries beyond the river Gihon. The two

VOL. V.-NO. XIX.

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neighboring princes, Alp Arslan's son and Shams Melec, quarrelled; and the latter thereupon treated his wife with the most atrocious cruelty, charging her with inciting her brother to lay waste his territories. He finally murdered her by trampling her under foot. When Alp Arslan heard of this event, he was fired with indignation, and levying ample forces, set forward to pass the river Gihon with the purpose of punishing the conduct of Shams Melec. The governor of a town in Carismia which resisted his progress was by some means taken captive, and when he was brought into the Sultan's presence, the latter ordered that he should be bound hand and foot and fastened to four stakes, and in that situation be slain by arrows. The Carismian, inflamed with passion at the prospect of so disgraceful a death, exclaimed, "Cowardly prince, that you are! Do you slay men like me in such a manner ?" Warmed by the taunt, the Sultan commanded him to be set at liberty, and, as soon as his order was obeyed, discharged an arrow at him. The arrow, however, missed its destination, and the Carismian rushed upon the Sultan and wounded him in the thigh. A eunuch, rushing between them, received the further strokes intended for his master, and the desperado was speedily cut down by the guards. Not long after, however, the Sultan died of the wound inflicted on him. As if foreseeing his death, he had, before entering upon his expedition, designated his son Malek Shah as his successor.

The uncle, cousin, and brother of Malek Shah disputed his successorship to the crown; but they were all defeated. The Caliph Moctadi (the successor of Cayem, who died in 1070, A. D.) bestowed on Malek Shah the title of Emir-al-moumenin, which before the Caliphs had always reserved to themselves.

His uncle, Cutulmish, fled for safety into the Greek empire. Nicephorus Botoniates rebelled against the Emperor Michael VII, and induced Cutulmish to unite with him in his enterprise. They together besieged Constantinople for four months. Famine at last forced the surrender of the city. Michael took off his crown and gave it to Nicephorus with his own hands, and then retired for the remainder of his life to a monastery.

Malek despatched one of his emirs, Barsook, at the head

of a body of soldiers, with orders to slay Cutulmish. The emissary approached Constantinople, and demanded of the Emperor that Cutulmish should be delivered up to him. Nicephorus replied, "It would be bad faith to betray one who trusts us. But take him if you can; I

will not interfere." The followers of Cutulmish and Barsook joined battle. After many had been slain on both sides, a cessation of arms took place, and Barsook said to Cutulmish, "Why should our followers perish? Let us, too, engage in single combat, with the condition that the person, followers, and property of the vanquished shall be subject to the control of the victor." Cutulmish acceded to the proposal. His enemy, however, practised fraud. He dressed a slave in his own garb, and sent him to encounter Cutulmish. Cutulmish overcame the slave, dispossessed him of his seat on horseback, and alighted to behead him. At this moment, some followers of Barsook, who were in readiness, basely rushed upon Cutulmish and slew him. Barsook was almost entirely deserted by his adherents for this ignominious transaction. Soliman, the son of Cutulmish, received large accessions to his party, and, leaving the Greek dominions, proceeded towards Tarsus, subduing many towns upon the sea coast. It was Soliman who laid the foundation of what is called the Suljukian kingdom of Rouen. It was not long ere, through the suggestion and assistance of the treacherous governor of Antioch, he besieged and took that city. He succeeded in reconciling the inhabitants of Antioch to his government. They were even more pleased with their new lord than with their former Armenian governor. subsequently made an incursion into the interior of Asia Minor and took many cities from the Greeks (among them were Iconium and Nice), the defence of which he committed to his son, Kilidge Arslan, retiring himself to Antioch.

He

At this time an Arabian prince, named Sharfeddoolet Moosleem, ruled over all the territory from Sindia in Irak on the borders of the river Issa to Manbedge, including Mosul, Mesopotamia, Aleppo, and other countries lying along the Euphrates. While the city of Antioch was in the possession of the Greeks, they had paid tribute for it to Sharfeddoolet. When it came into Soliman's

hands he refused the accustomed tribute, and war ensued. In the result both princes were slain.*

We have now reached a period (1087, A. D.) closely bordering upon the first (so called) holy war against the Mohammedans, and here we terminate our remarks, for the present.

F.

ARTICLE VI.

THE EDUCATION MOVEMENT IN MASSACHUSETTS.

WITHIN a few years past the government and people of our Commonwealth have seemed to awaken from their long protracted drowsiness and inactivity upon the subject of common education. A considerable degree of excitement has been felt and manifested all over the State, and much has been done in various ways to elevate the character and improve the influence of our common schools.

We have thought that our readers, whether in Massachusetts, or elsewhere, engaged as their regards must be in the cause of popular cultivation, and in the history of all reforms, would read with considerable interest a sketch of what has been done for education during the last three years in the "Old Bay State." We have, therefore, beginning with the institution of the Board of Education in 1837, prepared a pretty full account of the public acts, whether legislative or popular, upon this subject, which account we now proceed, without further preface, to lay before our friends.

The Massachusetts Board of Education was created by the legislative act of April 20, 1837. It is composed of the Governor and Lieut. Governor, ex officiis, and eight other persons to be named by the Governor and Council. The term of office is eight years, with a proviso that one

*When Soliman died, Aboul Cassem assumed the Sultanship of Asia Minor; but at the period of Malek Shah's death, Kilidge Arslan obtained it. The dominions of Sharfeddoolet at his death fell into the hands of Malek Shah, who, by the advice of his vizier, gave Aleppo, Hamath, Manbedge and Ladikia, as a fief, to the Emir Casimeddoolet Acsancar.