the Grand Vizir, and his garrifons, magazines, Adrianople, and home; fo that he was equally incapable of fubfifting where he was and of retreating. Thus was the grand camp at Schumla completely invefted, and the Turkish empire as it were enclosed in a net.

In this deplorable ftate, the Qrand Vizir made a hopeless attempt to gain time, by propofing a fufpenfion of arms, for the renewal of a congrefs, and the conclufion of a peace. These were conceffions not now to be obtained or expected, and the Grand Vizir was obliged to fubmit to the terms prefcribed by the conqueror. Thefe were, however, very moderate, confidering the present state of affairs, Marthal Romanzow having demanded little more, than what the Ruffians had infifted upon in the two late congreffes.

In fuch a crifis there was no room for chicane or delay. Two Turkish plenipotentiaries having arrived at General Kamenski's quarters, were there met by Prince Repnin, and in two fhort conferences every thing was concluded. It was remarkable, that the conferences were held, whether by accident or defign, on the very spot where General Weifman had been defeated and killed in the preceding year. This peace, fo glorious to Ruflia, was figned on the 21st of July, the Grand Vizir only referving for himself the approbation of his court.

In the letter written by that unfortunate minifter to the Porte, he faid that himself and the remains of his army were deftitute both of military ftores and provifions, and were fo entirely inclofed and invefted at Schumla, that they had no means of fubfiftence left but

through the Ruffians. That being thus expofed to the difcretion of the conquerors, he had no part left to act but that of demanding a fufpenfion of arms, and of being conftrained to fign the terms dictated by them. He gives a striking proof of the reprefentation which he makes of his condition, by obferving that he fends the officer, who conveys the letter and the treaty of peace, under a Ruffian paffport,

This letter, and the news that accompanied it, was productive of equal confternation and grief at the Porte. A grand divan was held, confifting of all the heads of the law, the minifters, and the chief military officers; but consultation was now in vain, and they were obliged to fubmit to conditions which they were not able to difpute. The treaty of peace was accordingly ratified, and the confent of the mufti being neceffary for that purpofe, he immediately iffued his fetfa, or ordinance, in which he ufes the following expreflions: "Seeing our troops will no longer fight the Ruffians, it is neceffary to conclude a peace."

The treaty of peace confifts of 28 articles, the principal of which are,-The independency of the Crimea; the abfolute ceffion to Ruffia of Kilburn, Kerche, and Jenickala; and of all the district between the Bog and the Dnipier; a free navigation in all the Turkish feas in which is included the paffage thro' the Dardanelles, with all the privileges and immunities which are granted to the most favoured nations. Ruffia restores all ber conquefts; but is to retain Azoph and Taganrok.

There are, befides, feveral ftipu[4] 4 lations

lations in favour of the inhabitants of Moldavia and Walachia, as well as thofe of the Greek islands reftored by Ruffia to the Porte, with the particulars of which we are not acquainted, as no authentic copy of the treaty has yet been published. It is, however, known, that they acquire fome new privileges and fecurities. The Tartar Chans of the Crimea are to render no farther duties for the future to the Grand Signior, than thofe which they owe to him as the Supreme Caliph of the Mahometan religion.

The grief which infected the feraglio, and the members of government, upon this difaftrous conclufion of the war, did not extend its influence any farther. The people in general were fo tired of the miferies of the war, and fo difpirited by the continual loffes and difgraces which they fuffered, that they confidered peace, at whatever price it was purchased, as a happiness. The Grand Vizir alone was unable to brook the grief and indignation which thefe difgraces excited, and died fuddenly on his return to Adrianople. We have not fufficient information on which to found any opinion, with refpect to this general's conduct in the courfe of the campaign. Whether by continuing too long in the camp at Schumla, or by any other overfight, he contributed to the miffortunes which overwhelmed the army, or whether they proceeded entirely from the difobedience and cowardice of the foldiers, remains yet to be determined. The ability which he fhewed upon former occafions feems, however, to countenance the latter opinion.

The fituation of the Grand Vizir at Schumla, naturally reminds us

of that in which Peter the Great found himself on the banks of the Pruth, in the year 1711. They both lay at the mercy of their enemies, and the fate of their respective countries in a great degree depended upon the event, They both alfo escaped better than could have been expected, confidering the hopeleffnefs of their fituation, and the nature of the enemy in whose power they lay. The confequences were in other refpects materially different. Peter efcaped from danger, only to become more terrible; while the vizir, though he faved his army, fell a victim to the disgrace. The interefts and future fafety of the Ottoman empire were facrificed on the banks of the Pruth to the fordid venality of one minifter, and the ftupid ignorance of another; while Marthal Romanzow has obtained very confiderable advantages for his country. might be faid, in the language of aftrology, that the far of Ruffia was now predominant, and determined to wipe off the difgrace on the Pruth, with every circumftance of exultation and triumph on the Danube.

It

Nothing could exceed the joy and feftivity which prevailed at Petersburg, upon the confirmation of this happy peace. The emprefs ordered that eight days should be devoted to public feafts and rejoicing; rewards were diftributed as ufual, in the magnificent fpirit of that court; and that even the wretched might partake of the public joy, the doors of the prifons were fet open to all, who were not charged with high treafon. Even thofe miferable outcafts of mankind, who languished unknown and unpitied in the frozen wilds of

Siberia,

Siberia, were thought of in this feafon of benevolence, and an order was issued, that all those who, fince the year 1746, had been condemned to that natural prifon (which, like the other world, admits of no escape) fhould be releated.

The articles of peace were fulfilled with great good faith on both fides; and the ratifications being exchanged, the Porte nominated Abdul Kerim, the Begler Beg of Romelia, as ambaffador extraordinary and plenipotentiary to the court of Petersburg; whither, it is faid, he is to proceed with a prodigious train of not less than 1300 perfons. Prince Repnin is_alfo appointed ambaffador to the Porte on the part of Ruffia. The Grand Signior gave orders that all the flaves who had been made in Servia, Georgia, Walachia, Moldavia, the Morea, and other provinces, by the Turks and Tartars during the war, fhould be difcharged and fet at liberty, himself paying a compenfation of 100 piafters to the owners for each flave. Above 3000 Turkish prifoners who were difperfed in Rullia, were alfo reftored to their country. The Greek inhabitants of Walachia, fenfible of the part they had taken in the war, feemed afraid to truft to the Turkish faith or clemency, notwithstanding the ftipulations that were made in their favour, and it is reported that a great number of them, to the amount of 3000 families, are preparing to emigrate into the Ruffian domi

nions.

Whilft pacific measures were pursuing on the Danube, the Captain Batha with the armament which had been fitted out for the

Crimea, after fome finall encounters with the Ruffian fleet in the Black Sea, which was much inferior in ftrength and number, made an effective landing on that Peninfula of the troops under the command of Dowlet Gherai, to the amount of twenty thoufand men. Thefe forces, having joined the Tartars, were engaged in battle with the fecond Ruffian army under the command of Prince Dolgorouki, when the meffengers on both fides arrived, with an account of the conclufion of a peace. Upon this unexpected advice the engagement immediately ceafed, and the contending generals and armies, with uncommon temper, withdrew to their refpective camps. It appears that Dowlet Gherai had already been fo fuccefsful, as to have made fome contiderable acquifitions in the Crimea, all of which he has fince relinquithed in purfuance of the treaty.

Some fmall engagements between the Ruffians and Turks in the Mediterranean, were of little confequence when they happened, and are of none at prefent. The crowd of Greek banditti, particularly Albanians and Dulcignotes, who had joined the Ruffians in this war, merely for the fake of plunder, have fince its conclufion infefted all the feas of the Archipelago with the moft cruel piracies. Thefe barbarians not only plunder the fhips of all nations without distin&ion, but murder the crews in cold blood, with the moft favage inhumanity. The French have particularly fuffered, and some frigates of that nation have been fent out to exterminate thofe mifcreants.

The conclufion of peace has already prefented the inhabitants of Conftanti

Conftantinople with a fpectacle, which was before equally unheard of and unexpected: Ruffian frigates of war, which had made their paffage from the Mediterranean through the Dardanelles, riding at anchor in their harbour. Some Ruffian trading veffels, with commodities from the ports on the Black Sea, have fince arrived at that capital.

The Porte in its prefent temper, has condescended to apppoint a minister to treat with Kerim Kan, one of the prefent conquerors, or fpoilers of Perfia. This ufurper has long been troublesome in the neighbourhood of Baffora, to which he lays fome claim as fovereign of Perfia, and the Porte under its prefent apprehenfions of a war, by this negociation, recognizes him in that title, in hopes thereby of evading the former claim.

Thus has ended the long and bloody war between thofe great empires, in which the one has reached the fummit of glory, and the other has fallen to the loweft state of humiliation and difgrace, though without any proportionable

lofs of territory. It is not impoffible, that this may be the last war between them for many years. Ruffia has gained her grand point, of a free navigation in the Turkish feas, and has fo effectually reftrained the Tartars, as not only to fecure her wide extent of frontier, but to render them useful, inftead of dangerous neighbours. These people will of courfe become her fubjects, before they well know it; any farther conquefts on that fide would be useless, if not prejudicial. On the other hand, nothing lefs than a total, and not very probable, change of system in the Ottoman government, can enable that empire to encounter Ruffia in her present state of greatnefs. The enmity arifing from a rivalship in power and in glory, is now at an end; and it is very poffible that new interefts may take place and new, connexions be formed among their neighbours, which may render it good policy in both empires to forget former animofities, and to unite in fupport of a common caufe..

CHAP.