and in fuch diforder as to abandon their cannon. The fame accounts fay, that upon their retreat, the Ruffians were met by the Boftangi Bafchi of Adrianople, who was marching to the relief of Varna, and who again routed them with a great flaughter. The Grand Vizir, upon finding the danger that threatened Varna, quitted his camp at Chiumla, to march to its relief; but returned thither, as foon as he was informed of the event. He ftill invariably purfued the wife fyftem which he had adopted at the beginning of the campaign, of avoiding a general engagement, carrying on the war by detachments, and wafting the enemy by a continued, repetition of small actions, while he cautiously fuperintended the whole, and kept his principal force entire. The fiege of Siliftria was carried on for feveral weeks, and the garrifon fhewed the most unconquerable perfeverance and bravery. It feems, by the accounts that have been published, to have been a continued interchange of fallies and affaults. We have no regular detail of this fiege; but by the Ruffian accounts of particular parts of it, which were published when they feemed to form a certainty of taking the place, the lofs of men must have been prodigious. At length the Ruffians raifed the fiege, and repaffed the Danube, in the beginning of December. They, fay, that the elements themselves fought against them, and were an invincible obstacle to their operations; that a very fevere cold fet in, alternately with vaft fnows and rains, which made the rivers overflow in fuch a manner, as to lay the low countries totally under water; that by this means, the communication between the oppofite fhores of the Danube became very difficult, and that between the different bodies of troops in the interior country, was entirely cut off. That in fuch circumftances, it became impoffible to fubfift the troops in a country fo ruined and totally deftitute of forage as Bulgaria; fo that at length, after having gained many advantages, and having, by the deftruction of their forts and magazines, put it out of the power of the enemy to become troublefome to them in their quarters during the winter, they repaffed the Danube. Such is the Rufian account of the event of this expedition; which leads us naturally to enquire, where, or in what manner, the celebrated Serafkier Hoffein Bafha gained fo much honour in this latter campaign, as to be diftinguished as the restorer of the Turkish glory, and as having renewed the luftre (which had been fo long tarnished) of the Ottoman arms. Of thefe particulars, the fhort imperfect accounts that are tranfmitted by foreigners from Conftantinople, give little more fatisfaction than thofe published by the Ruffians. We however gather from them, that this commander having come to the relief of Siliftria, at the head of the Turkish cavalry, he first with great judgment and activity cut off the Ruffian convoys, and afterwards in repeated engagements, routed, and almoft ruined their cavalry; fo that, from the vigour and celerity of his operations, the army was obliged to raise the fiege of Siliftria, and to repafs the Danube with fuch precipitation, that they not only left the magazines which they had +. taken taken from the Turks, but their own alfo behind; and that Hoffein Baha thus literally fulfilled the promile which he had made to the Grand Signior when he was leaving Conftantinople, that there fhould not be a Ruffian on the right fide of the Danube at the winter folftice. We have no authority on which to form a judgment on the nature of the war in the Crimea, or of that union which it seems has taken place, between the revolted Ruffians and Coffacks, and their ancient enemies the Tartars. Nor are we informed, whether the infurgents and their new allies, intended to form an independent government, or whether the former, to fecure themfelves from the punishment due to their rebellion, were willing to fubmit to the dominion of the Tartar Chans, under its ufual dependence on the Porte. It however appears, that this war and revolt have been extremely troublesome to Ruffia. That the enemy made themfelves mafters, early in the year, of the whole peninfula, including Bachiferay the capital, except one or two maritime places that were ftrongly fortified and garrifoned; that the Ruffians have fent different armies under different generals for the recovery of the Crimea, and the chaftifement of the rebels; that though little dependance is to be placed on the contradictory accounts that have been given of.thefe tranfactions, it is evident that a number of actions have been fought with various fuccefs, and a brisk war carried on during the whole campaign in that quarter; and that though we have been informed, more than once, of decifive victories obtained over the rebels and their allies, we still find affairs there to continue in the fame diforder, and that later crders have been iffued at Petersburgh, for the sending of fresh troops, and the making of extraordinary levies for that fervice. One circumftance, which fill adds to the obícurity of the prefent state of affairs in the Crimea, feems however to deferve fome notice. We find that the new Chan of the Tartars, Deules Gueray, had been fent from Conftantinople with a confiderable naval force, and attended by a great number of the principal lords of Tartary, with about two thousand of their followers, either to recover, or to take poffeffion of the throne of his anceftors. Though the details of this expedition are not to be relied upon; yet it is certain that it failed of effect, and that the Chan, with the Turkish armament, returned unfuccefsfully. The Turkish accounts fay, fimply, that the expe dition failed of fuccefs; or, that it was foiled through bad weather; the Ruffians fay, that this prince joined the rebels, and was afterwards totally defeated at the head of a confiderable army, and driven out of the Crimea. As the former of thefe gives an effect without a fufficient caufe, and the latter wants all fubfequent marks of confirmation, we are ftill in the dark as to the real caufe of this failure. It does not then feem very improbable to fuppofe, that the new allies, having formed fome feparate fcheme of government, equally independent of Ruffia and the Porte, might have refufed to acknowledge the authority of the new Chan; nor would the impracticability or abfurdity of fuch a defign, be a fuf ficient argument against its being adopted, by fo headstrong and ignorant a people. Some trifling engagements which happened between the hoftile powers on the Black Sea, answered no other ppofe than to fhew, that from the badness of their veffels, and the wretchedness of their failors, the one was nearly as ill framed to acquire, as the other was to pref rve, the dominion of that boisterous gulph. The Ruffian operations in the Levan', were not this year attended with any great eclat, or productive of any confiderable advantages. Their force, however, at the beginning of the campaign, feems, by the accounts of it that have been published, to have been pretty confiderable, and is faid to have confifted of 17 fhips of the line, of which three were unfit for fervice, 13 ftout frigates, from 22 to 44 guns, three English veffels, which they had purchafed, of zo guns each, and a number of fmall Ragufan and Duleignot veffels, which, with galliots, chebeques, and chebequins, amounted in the whole to about fifty. The complement of men, which the Ruffian hips brought from the Baltic, was about 11,000; but of these many had died, and numbers were unfit for fervice; the fmaller veffels of different kinds, were manned by 3 5co Greeks and Albanians. Thefe, who were fit for nothing but a pyratical war, committed many robberies on the hips of all nations, and had long been the fcourge and ruin of the Grecian inlands. The ifle of Paros, anciently famous for its wine and its marble; but rendered immortal by its fla tuaries, had long been the princi pal ftation of the Ruffians. Though the fituation of this ifland, it lying about midway between the Morea and the Leffer Afia, might feem in fome refpects to render it an eligible ftation, it seems in many others to be greatly defective : among thefe, its diftance from either coaft, particularly from that of the Leffer Afia, might be confidered as a principal objection; and its fmallnefs and barrenness, made it an uncomfortable place of refreshment and recovery for fuch great numbers. It indeed feems furprifing, that after the extraordinary fortune by which they deftroyed the Turkish fleet, and thereby became the uncontrouled fovereigns of those feas, the Ruffians fhould not, in fo many years, have been able to poffefs themselves of any one confiderable island, which by its products might have been a fupport in their enterprizes, and by its ftrength a fecurity in cafe of misfortune. A ftrict connexion and alliance had long fubfiited, between the Ruffians in the Mediterranean, Ali Bey, and the Cheik Daher; and the latter were frequently affifted in their attempts upon the Turkish ports on the coafts of Syria and Paleftine, by the Ruffian fhips, who occafionally landed troops and artillery for that purpose. They alfo fupplied them with fome offi cers, engineers, and a few hundreds of Greeks and Albanians, to manage their artillery. Previcus to Ali Bey's departure for the invafion of Egypt, he fent, in the beginning of the year, one of his principal officers, and bofom friends, to the ifle of Paros, to renew and ftrengthen the alliance with Count Orlow, and to negociate the affistance he should require in the progrefs of his enterprize, as well as to difcover the extent of the friendship and protection he might expect in cafe of misfortune. This envoy, having met with as kind a reception as he could wish, carried back a letter from Count Orlow, in which he promised Ali Bey every affiftance in his power, and pledged himself, in the moft facred manner, that he fhould never be abandoned, and that in the worst extremity, he fhould find an afylum in the Ruffian empire, where he should be as highly respected as he had been in Egypt. The defeat and death of this bold and unfortunate adventurer, put an end to the hopes of advantage which the Ruffians would have had a right to entertain, if he had fucceeded in recovering the poffeffion of that country. It appears that the Ruffians, in the month of April, or the beginning of May, made an unfuccefsful descent upon the island of Negropont, in which they fuffered great lofs, the Turks, it is faid, having totally cut off all the men that were landed. They foon afterwards quitted the island of Paros entirely, the fick, with part of the fleet, being fent to Leghorn, where they fixed an hofpital, and the fhips were refitted; the reft were employed in cruizes, or expeditions. It appears that they made feveral defcents upon the islands of Cyprus, Candia, and others, which were attended with no other advantage than the obtaining of plunder; they were not, however, at all times fuccefsful in these attempts, and four facks, full of Ruffian fcalps, were fent from Stanchio to Conftantinople, as a proof of the reception which they met with in that ifland. Such matters are of little confequence, and if they were otherwife, we are neither furnished with dates nor with facts to be particular in them. As the Cheik Daber, inftead of being difcouraged by the fate of Ali Bey and his army, feemed to acquire new vigour from this miffortune, and now trutting only to himself, redoubled his efforts in Syria, the Ruffians did not fail to encourage and uphold him in his rebellion; to which purpofe, the Greek and Albanian fhips in their fervice, have conftantly attended him in his attempts upon the fea ports of that country. Several of the Ruffian fhips have committed great diforders on the Venetian islands, in, and about, the mouth of the Adriatic fea; and by the erecting of batteries and taking poffeffion of the harbours, have exercifed a fovereignty, which feems incompatible with the respect due to the rights and dignity of an independent ftate. Though this conduct excited complaints at Ve nice, it ftill remains to be feen, whether that republic confiders it as a violent infraction of her territorial rights, or whether it is only the confequence of a private good, understanding between thofe powers. It is not impoffible, notwithftanding the caùtious conduct, and pacific fentiments of the republic, that the continual loffes and fallen ftate of the Ottoman power, might have induced her to litten favourably to the fplendid representations, of her becoming a principai in the war, and thereby recovering, with facility and in a little time, those provinces and iflands, which the [B] 3 had had been lofing piece-meal for two hundred years. The Ruffians, however, took a great number of prizes during the year, which were fold in Leghorn and other ports of Italy, and which might in fome degree indemnify the expences of the fleet. In this refpect they have gone greater lengths, than they had hitherto ventured, in feizing the property aboard chriflian vellels, under the certainty or pretence of its being Turkifh; by this means the Levant trade has been totally ruined, and it becomes a doubt, whether the commercial tates of Europe, or the Turks, have been the greater fufferers in this pyratical war. It is certain that the most favoured of the former have feverely felt its effects; and it is faid that the merchants of Marseilles, and fome others, who were the moft immediately concerned, are irrecoverably ruined. Such has been the languishing ftate of the war in the Mediterranean, which has not, fince the first year, in any degree answered the hopes that were formed upon its original fuccefs, nor the great expence it has 'caufed to Ruilia. It is true, that great damage and milchief has eníued from this naval expedition; but it has fallen principally upon individuals of different nations, without effectually diftreffing, or effentially weakening the enemy. We find that this year, whilft the Ruffians were employed in plundering rich merchant fhips, Conftantinople has been fupplied with corn and provilions, from Egypt and Syria, in the greatest abundance; and as the capital was thus prelerved from the only fatal confequence it had to dread in a war of that nature, the ruin of a few merchants, or the ravaging of fome of its remote and numerous islands, were matters of little importance to the Porte. CHAP. |