part of the river, which, fo far as we can comprehend the account, feems to have been nearly parallel to Bender; from which it was diftant about 120 miles. In the mean time a confiderable army of Turks and Tartars marched along on the fame fide of the river to meet June 25th. them. When the two armies came in fight, the Turks immediately, and with great judgment, changed their pofition, and took poffeffion of a most advantageous camp, which they as fuddenly fortified in the strongest man ner. This army was commanded by Capian Ghieri, Kan of the Crimea; a mark to him of the greatest honour, and of uncommon confidence in the Porte; for as these Kans are heirs to the empire, in failure of iffue in the Ottoman line, it has been the conftant policy of that family, not to entrust them with the fupreme command of a Turkish army. This prince had three bafha's under his command, and the army was faid to confift of about 80,000 men. The ground on which they encamped, was a steep, rocky, and almoft inacceffible eminence, which the Ruffian account calls a mountain, covered on one fide by the Pruth, and on the other by the little river Larga. This camp was fo well chofen, and the ground fo difficult, that notwithstanding the repcated efforts of General Romanzow to bring on an engagement, it was above three weeks before he could hazard a general attack. The Turks not being inured to that ftrict difcipline, nor tempered by that long fervice, which enables veteran foldiers to bear with patience, the fight and continued infults of an enemy, twenty thousand of their braveft partizans defcended from their strong camp, and attacked the Ruffians with great refolution; but were repulfed, and beaten back to their camp with confiderable lofs. At length, fome difficulties having been probably removed, or fome favourable circumftances occurred, with which we are not acquainted, the Ruffians, three days after this engagement, mounted the hills at the dawn July 18th. of the morning, where they found four great and strong entrenchments, covered with a numerous artillery; these they attacked with great refolution, and met with as obftinate a defence. The Ruffians however triumphed over all oppofition, and beat them fucceffively out of the four entrenchments, after which the Turks abandoned their camp, and fled in the greatest disorder. The victors became poffeffed of a great booty upon this occafion, befides thirtyeight pieces of brafs cannon, and feveral other trophies. No account is given of the lofs on either fide, in killed, wounded, or prifoners, in this engagement; it is only faid that of the Ruffians was moderate, confidering the length and importance of the action. We are as much in the dark as to the manner in which the retreat was conducted, and whether there was any purfuit; even the route which the Turks took after the battle, is only to be difcovered by comparing other circumstances, which had no immediate relation to this action. In a word, the account given of this battle, though attributed to General Romanzow, is fo inaccurate, that it is only by deduction, from the former and fubfequent conduct conduct of the campaign, that the fide of the Pruth on which 'it happened could be afcertained, as by one part of it the Turkish camp feems to have been upon the right, and by another on the left of that river. The victory at the river Larga was only a prelude to, and contributed to accelerate one much greater; which at the fame time that it does the greatest honour to the military abilities of General Romanzow, establishes the infinite fuperiority of the Ruffian troops beyond a doubt; and evinces almoft to a demonftration, that in the prefent ftile of arms, and difcipline among the Turks, there is fcarce a poffibility of their being able to cope with them. The Kan of the Tartars having retreated towards the Danube, the Grand Vizir thought proper to cross that river at Ifatfka, at the head of the grand army to fupport him. General Romanzow in the mean time purfued his march along the Pruth, towards its confluence with the Danube. The two armies came in fight of each other in the evening, and at eight o'clock the Turks encamped at about 4 miles diftance from the Ruffians, both armies lying between the Pruth and the river Cahul. The Tartars formed a separate corps on the left of the Ruffians, but afterwards fpread themselves in their rear, to cut off detachment which General Romanzow had made for the escort of a convoy of provifions. In certain fituations boldness is prudence; it is in these that great genius is diftinguished from common abilities; the prefent was one of them, and General Romanzow did not want difcernment to perceive it. A more VOL. XIII. a great cautious commander might have hefitated till he had loft his army. The Ruffian army was greatly weakened by making this detach ment; and the inequality of numbers was fuch, as in common cafes would have made it inexcufable to have rifked a battle. The general however having duly weighed the goodness of his troops, the confidence with which they were infpired from a long courfe of fuccefs, and the confequences that might refult from the dangerous defign formed by the Tartars, refolved boldly to attack the enemy next morning. The Ruffian army was accordingly in motion before light, and began its march at the break of day. An unexpected incident which took place in the night, would have flaggered a mind of lefs firmnefs, and damped the courage of any but Veteran troops. As foon as the morning had cleared up, the general perceived to his great aftonishment, that the Turks, notwithstanding their prodigious, numbers, and the daring countenance they bore in the evening, had fortified their camp during the night with no less than three great and strong entrenchments, fuperior to thofe which he had lately forced in the Kan's camp, and defended by a hoft, which as to number and appearance, fhould have defpifed any other protection than what their arms and their valour gave them. The die was however caft, and the General bravely perfevered in his refolution. His fituation was truly critical, for a defeat muft have been attended with the total lofs of the army; nor would count Panin have found it eafy, in that cafe, to have retired in fafety from [B] Bender, Bender, even with the lofs of his The Turks did not however wait to be attacked in their entrenchments, thefe were only in⚫tended as the laft refort, and the Ruffians found themselves almoft furrounded, at a confiderable diftance from the camp, by feveral large bodies of troops, who attacked them in front and flank with the greatest bravery. A defperate engagement enfued, in which the clofe order and excellent difcipline of the Rufians ftill prevailed, and they continually gained ground on the enemy. As they advanced nearer the entrenchments, which were covered with a prodigious artillery, the battle grew every inftant more terrible; at length the Grand Vizir made a fally in perfon, at the head of the Janizaries and all the bravest troops in the army. The conflict now became dreadful, and was fupported with the moft determined refolution and obftinacy on both fides. After a continued fire of artillery and fmall arms, which lafted for five hours without intermiffion, the Ruffians, by the united force of their bayonets, penetrated to the first entrenchment, which they carried by a defperate affault. A pause then enfued, which was only preparatory to a new engagement, between the entrenchments, if poffible more furious than the first. In this the Turks ufed every poffible effort to retrieve the fortune of the day; one body till coming on and renewing the engagement with fresh ardor, as anozher was defeated. At length fee ing that the braveft corps of their Janizaries, and all the other beft bodies of their infantry were fucceffively defeated, and unable to withstand the clofenefs of the Ruffian array, the continued weight of their fire, and the irrefiftable force of their bayonets, they loft all hope and courage, and the fecond and third entrenchments were fucceffively carried. The rout then became general; and the Grand Vizir feeing every thing loft, made the beft of his way, together with his principal officers and the celebrated Count Potocki, to the Danube, which was about twenty miles from the field of battle. The whole camp, tents, equipage, a vast quantity of ammunition, 143 pieces of brafs cannon, and above 7,000 carriages loaded with provifions, became a prey to the conquerors. The fugitives were pursued to the Danube, where the crowds were fo great as to render the paffage very difficult and dangerous, and fome bodies of horse, it is faid, were obliged to swim over; others croffed the Pruth, and directed their courfe to Ibrailow, and other parts of Walachia. It is faid that above 7,000 Turks were killed on the field of battle, and that the roads to the Danube were covered with dead bodies; a great number of prifoners, among whom were many of confiderable rank, were also taken. Some accounts make the lofs amount to 40,000 men, and fay that the Grand Vizir's army confifted of 150,000: General Romanzow in his letter to the Empress, does not give the numbers that engaged, nor the lofs on either fide; he however takes notice of the great inferiority of his own army. The lofs of of men in fuch a battle muft un- at a great diftance from the C- The Tartars had engaged the convoy without fuccefs during the battle, the event of which perhaps had an effect upon their conduct; they were however totally feparated from the Turkish army, and being It would feem that the Turks have not known in any part of this war how to make a proper ufe of Their European their cavalry. horfe were long esteemed among the best in the world: they have ftill great courage, able bodies, good Korfes, are excellent horfe men, and know the ufe of the fabre from their infancy: an army of foot without difcipline is worth nothing; but a body of horfe with thefe qualifications would if properly conducted be at all times formidable. The extenfive plains, vaft waftes, and inexhaustible growth of herbage, in the countries that are the feat of the war, point them out as the proper fcene of action for fuch troops, and where they might undoubtedly be employed with very great effect. As to the Turkish infantry, it is evident, that unless they adopt the improvements in arms and difcipline made by the European nations, they never will be able to make any figure against them in the field. Bender befieged by Count Panin. Brave defence made by the garrison and inhabitants. The Governor in a fit of defpair paifons bimjelf; another chofen by the garrison in his room. Globe of compreffion; a kind of mine fo called by the Ruffians. The place taken by form and burned; a great flaughter made. Budziac Tartars conclude a treaty with the Ruffians. General Romanzow fixes his head quarters at Calpouk, near the Danube. Ibrailow befieged. Kilia Nova taken. Bialogrod taken by Baron Inglefrom. Turks abandon the citadel of Ibrailow, after a long fiege. The Turks being entirely driven beyond the Danube, the Ruffian armies go into winter quarters. War in Georgia. W HILE the arms of Ruffia were thus victorious on the Pruth, under General Romanzow, Count Panin was not lefs induftrious in profecuting their fuccefs on the Niefter. He had for fome time invefted Bender, and was expediting all the neceffary preparations for befieging it in form. Bender was fituated upon the Nieker, about 180 miles to the fouth-east of Chotzim, and 100 north-weft of Bialogrod or Ackirman, which lies at the mouth of the river; and was from fize, ftrength, fituation, and the number of its inhabitants, a place of the greatest confideration in these countries. We have already feen that Gene-, ral Proforowski had been detached early in the campaign, to fcour the country between the Niefter and the Nieper or Borifthenes, thereby to keep the Budziac Tartars in awe, and prevent their impeding the operations of Count Panin. This fervice he performed with great effect, having laid waste and ruined the country, taken a great booty in cattle, delivered feveral thoufands of the poor Walachians who had been carried into flavery, and proceeded fuccefsfully with his in curfions to the very gates of Oczakow, which lies at the mouth of the Nieper, about 130 miles to the fouth-east of Bender. This fuccefs greatly facilitated the operations of Count Panin, who divided his army into two parts, to befiege the fortrefs effectually; a meafure which could not have been attempted with fafety, if the enemy had any army in the field, to take advantage of the feparation made by fo large a river. Every thing being at length prepared, the trenches were July 30th. opened on both fides of the river at the fame time, and the garrifon next day fet fire to the fuburbs, after which a furious cannonade and bombardment was begun from all quarters, and vigo roully returned by the town. fortrefs was very ftrong, and the garrifon very numerous; who, befides the Governor, were headed by feveral Bafhas and officers of rank, fo that the place was defended with the greatest bravery. The In fixteen days from the opening of the trenches, the garrifon made feven defperate fallies, in which though they loft a great number of men, they gave fufficient proofs of |