[Zifir]

This is a short part from William Elton, esq., A Survey of the Turkish Empire, London, Printed for T. Cadell, jun. and W. Davies, 1799. on Turkish sabers. It might be for some interest.

The art of tempering their sabers is now lost, and all the blades of great value are ancient; however, their saber is superior to any of ours in its form and lightness. It is a great error in all the cavalry in Europe to have heavy sabers; I have often heard old German soldiers complain of it, and an old soldier is a good judge. It seems preposterous indeed to make all the sabers in a regiment of equal weight, without regard to the strength of the arm to use it; besides, a sharp light saber will make a deeper cut than our heavy sabers now in use. Among the Turks, every soldier chooses his own saber, and takes such a one as he cam manage with ease; thus, if he misses his stroke he can recover his guard, whilst a man with heavy saber is lost. The part grasped by the fingers in European sabers is much too thick, and weakens the hold. Much is talked in Europe of the balance of a saber by making it heavy in hand (The fulcrum is the fore-finger, and the back part of the hand presses down the pommel; but a man in battle does not keep his hand at one height; he lifts up his arm, and consequently has the weight of the handle of his saber to lift up, and the power is in the elbow and shoulder, not in the wrist alone. It cannot be expected that men in action, particularly new troops, will use their sabers in the same manner they do on field days.) ; this cannot be the case in any degree, except the knob or pommel project out of the hand towards the elbow, which will enable him raise up the point quick by the force of the wrist, after he has given a blow; but the weight of the fall of the blow is diminished in both cases. Let any man strike a blow with a saber heavy in the hand, and then take out the blade, and put on it a light small handle, and strike another blow with it, and he will find the difference. Let him strike with each fifty blows as quick as he can, and observe the difference in time, and the fatigue, and he will be convinced. The sharpness of the edge of the Turkish saber, and the velocity which the arm gives to a light weapon, compensates for the weight of the saber. All their attention has been paid to the saber for ages, with it they conquered their empire, and it certainly deserves some attention for cavalry. The edge of our sabers is never sharp enough, and the angle of the edge is too acute. In regard to its crookedness it has advantage, as a blow straight down gives a drawing cut; and it is a good defense, for the arm being held out horizontally with the saber upright in the hand, a small motion of the wrist turning the edge to the right or left, covers the body by the crook of the saber; the shoulder of the edge, not the edge itself, forms the parry. Fencing with crooked saber was formerly taught to the janissaries. The push with the saber only is preferred for cavalry, the lighter and longer the saber is better, and the nearer it is to a spear or lance. The blow upwards is esteemed the most dangerous by the Turks, as it is the most difficult to parry.