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TEGOCIATIONS for a peace had been carried during the winter between the Turks and the Ruffians, through the means and under the apparent mediation of the courts of Vienna and Berlin. The conditions propofed by Ruffia appeared very fevere to the Porte. The ultimatum prefented to the court of Vienna, and from which, it was repeatedly declared, fhe would not depart in a fingle inftance, infifted, that the Crimea, Budziac Tartary, and in general all that vaft tract of country on the coafts of the Black-fea, as far as the north shore of the Danube, fhould continue for ever under the dominion of Ruffia; that the fhould enjoy an unlimited freedom of navigation on the Blackfea, together with the poffeffion of the city of Afoph, on the mouth of the Don; and that, as the Porte had entered into this war upon frivolous pretences, and without any juft caufe, the fhould alfo be indemnified for the expence of fo unjuft a proceeding.

Notwithstanding the distracted

fituation of the Ottoman affairs, thefe hard conditions were unanimously rejected by the Divan. The defire of being extricated from their prefent embarrassments was, however, fo prevailing, that they propofed freth terms through the fame medium, which, though more equitable, would not have been without advantage to Ruffia. It is more than probable, that the me diating powers did not yet with for a peace between the contending parties; and that, from a full sense of the inefficacy of compacts, when the immediate caufes upon which they were founded ceafe to operate, they rather chofe that Ruffia should continue embroiled in the war, until thofe arrangements, which they had concluded with respect to Poland, were carried finally into exc→ cution.

However this might be, the negociations, which languished in the hands of the mediators, were found to refume vigor on the banks of the Danube, by a direct intercourse between General Romanzow and the Grand Vizir. By this means a

fuf

fufpenfion of hoftilities and a congrefs were foon agreed May 30th, upon, and an armiftice 1772. was accordingly figned for that purpose at Giurgewo.

By this armiftice, the fufpenfion of arms was immediately to take place in the neighbouring parts, and as foon in the more remote, whether by fea, or land, as expreffes could be forwarded to the Mediterranean, Cuban Tartary, Georgia, and other diftant feats of the war; that the great armies were to continue in the fame fituation that they were at that time, during the fufpenfion, and the Danube to be the common boundary between them; that no new fortification fhould be erected on either fide, nor thofe repaired that had been demolished; and that the Turks in particular fhould make no additions or repairs to the fortrelles of Oczacow or Kilburn, norfend any fresh troops into those places. That the place for holding the congrefs fhould be appointed within eight days from the time of figning the armiftice; that the commiffioners there fhould determine the length of time for continuing the fulpenfion of arms on the Danube and in the neighbouring provinces; but in the diftant countries it was to continue, without farther inftructions, to the first of the ensuing October. Other regulations were concluded with respect to the navigation on the Danube and the Black-fea; and nothing was left undone that could be contrived to keep both parties as nearly as poffible in their prefent ftate during the fufpenfion, and to prevent any advantage from being taken if the congrefs failed of effect.

The Grand Signior having com

plimented the Empress of Ruffia with the choice of a place for holding the congrefs, Foczani, about fixteen miles north of Bucharest, in Walachia, was fixed upon for that purpofe. The minifter, appointed on the part of Rutha, was Count Gregory Orlow, mafter of the ordnance, attended by M. Obrelcow, late minifter at the Porte; and Ofman Effendi, attended by fome other minifters of rank, was the principal Turkish plenipotentiary. The Auftrian and Pruffian miniflers at the Porte, having received a prefent of fifty purfes (amounting to about 25000 dollars) a piece, from the Grand Signior, befides a fixed daily allowance for their expences, attended alfo at the opening of the July 15th. congrefs.

Nothing could afford a stronger contraff, than the magnificence of the Ruffian minitters, oppofed to the Ottoman fimplicity. The former approached in four grand coaches, preceded by Huffars, and attended by 160 domeftic. fuitably habited. The Turkish minifters were on horfeback, with about fixty fervants, as plainly habited and accoutred as themselves. Count Orlow was all over a blaze of jewels: on his breaft was the Emprefs's portrait, together with the enfigns of the different orders with which he had been invested, all of which, as well as his buckles, and feveral other parts of his dress, fhone with diamonds. On the other hand, Ofman Effendi was clothed with a robe of green camblet faced with ermin, and had nothing to diftinguish him but a gold-headed cane. It would appear as if riches and magnificence had taken up their abode in the wilds of Scythia, and

that

that ancient fimplicity had retired to the voluptuous nations of Ala. After many conferences, which continued till the ensuing month of September, the congrefs broke up without effect. The public are not yet well informed of the particular propofitions that were made or rejected on either fide. It is faid that Ruffia infifted upon the payment of a fum equivalent to fourscore millions of livres, as an indemnification for the expences of the war; that the Crimea fhould become an independent ftate; that the Mufti, however, fhould retain a certain degree of fpiritual dominion in it; but that Ruffia fhould alfo retain two strong fortreffes with garrifons there; to which were to be added, the perpetual poffeffion of Afoph, and an unlimited navigation on the Black-fea. We are not informed what proposals were made with respect to the other conquefts: it is however probable, that the Turks would willingly have given up all claim to them, as an indemnification, and to avoid being preffed upon the more dangerous articles.

On the other hand, it is faid that the Turks denied the injuftice of the war, and refused the payment of fo great a fum of money, which would be putting weapons into the hands of their enemies, to be turned against themselves; that they made many objections to the navigation upon the Black-fea, as a measure that would keep the city of Conftantinople in continual terror, and make it at all times liable to fudden invasions and danger; but that the difmemberment of Poland, and the independency of the Crimea, were utterly rejected, as propofals totally inadmiffible, both now and and all future times.

It seems evident that, though the public are not acquainted with the particulars, there must have been fome qualification of these articles on both fides; as otherwife it seems almoft inconceivable, to what purpofe the congrefs fhould have been affembled, or how it could have continued fo long, when the views of the principal parties were fo widely different, as not to admit a hope of reconciliation, and the demands made by the one of fuch a nature, as muft, if complied with, include the inevitable deftruction of the other. However this was, neither of the contending parties feemed much difpofed for an immediate renewal of the war, and, as the armiftice did not expire till the 21ft of September, the season was too far advanced for any military transaction of confequence, if they had been otherwife.

The court of Petersburg did not. feem pleased with the conduct of Count Orlow upon this occafion. Though the repeated accounts of his being actually difgraced were not verified, and he has fince received great honours, there were certain marks for fome time after, which fufficiently fhewed that he was in no high degree of favour. The tranfactions, intrigues, and revolutions, in a female and defpotic court, are frequently of fuch a nature as to be totally inexplicable, even to those who are the moft concerned in their confequences, and who vainly imagine they are at the bottom of all affairs, till a fatal experience convinces them of their error. It would be therefore ridiculous to pretend to affign any caufe, either for the feeming difgrace of Count Orlow, or for his afcent fince to a greater degree of favour. It

has

has been publicly charged upon a moft ambitious and rapacious monarch, who was himself one of the mediators, that the congrefs of Foczani was rendered ineffectual by his machinations. As this prince has the peculiar fortune in his old age, to fiand in a state of perfonal enmity with the greater part of the human fpecies, every charge against him fhould therefore be received with that due caution, which is always neceflary when charges come from enemies.

The prefent Grand Vizir Mouffon Oglou, who was the braveft officer in the Turkish fervice, was alfo the most difpofed to peace of any man in the empire. It may well be fuppofed, that the fame abilities, which gave him fo manifeft a fuperiority in the field, enabled him alfo more clearly to comprehend the fruitleffnefs and fatal tendency of the war, under the prefent ruinous weakness of the Turkifh government. This gentleman was the author of the late congrefs, to which he attended as clofely as if he had been perfonally prefent; having removed to the borders of the Danube, in order to maintain an immediate correfpondence with the minifters at Foczani. Upon the breaking up of the congrefs, before any act of hoftility had been committed on either fide, Mouffon Oglou dispatched an officer to General Romanzow to propofe a re

newal of it.

The ready acquiefcence of the Ruffian general in this measure, feemed to imply a difapprobation of the conduct of the late plenipotentiary. The Turk, as before, waved all forms, and left the nomination of a place for renewing the congrefs to Count Romanzow.

The Auftrian and Pruffian ministers, as well as Ofman Effendi, were already returned to Conftantinople; the Reis Effendi was now appoint-, ed plenipo.entiary on the part of the Ottomans, and M. Obrefcow on that of the Ruffians, and Bucbareft, the capital of Walachia, the place for holding the congrefs. Upon the meeting of the minifters at Bucharest, the fufpenfion of arms, which had been previoutly concluded for forty days, was O&. 29. now extended to the 20th of the enfuing March, and was to continue in the more remote countries for a month longer.

In the mean time, a great point seemed to be obtained by Ruffia, by a treaty concluded with the Tartars of Crimea, in which they are faid totally to have renounced the Ottoman government, to have put themfelves under the protection of the Emprefs, and to have yielded to her the two fortreffes of Kertfch and Jenicala,which commandthe Streights of Caffa, together with the territories belonging to them. In return, the Emprefs reftores to them all the had conquered in the Crimea, and furrenders to them the fortreffes which had been garrifoned by the Turks, upon condition that no Turkish garrifon should ever again be received in them.

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A treaty of this nature makes a figure upon paper, and affords thofe plaufible pretences and appearances of juftice which even conquerors would wish to impofe upon mankind; and may, when strength is oppofed to weaknefs, have a certain weight in the negociations for a peace. In other refpects, it is only a form of words without import. The Tartars were already, without any treaty, in the hands

of

of their most cruel and inveterate enemies, whom they equally abhorred and defpifed; and the very fortreffes demanded by the Ruffians, were already in their poffeffion. In fuch a fituation, they muftundoubtedly fubfcribe to any terms that were propofed; but they could not by any act of theirs, give any right or title to the Ruffians, but that which they were already in full poffeffion of by conqueft. The Tartar Khan, to whom they were inviolably bounden, both by their civil and religious laws, was out of the country; and the fortreffes in the peninfula had never been their property, having been either built by the Turks, or taken by them from the Genoefe. As to the ceding of these places to the Tartars, in confequence of this treaty, we fhall undoubtedly hear no more of it; but if the Turks can be brought to fubmit to the nominal independency of the Crimea, by which they will totally refign the Tartars into the hands of their enemies, as an article of the treaty between the two nations, it is one of the great points which Ruffia is eager to obtain.

The affairs of the Porte have, in confequence of the negociations for a peace, been fo interwoven this year with those of Ruffia, that, except what relates to Ali Bey's rebellion, there remains but little to be faid upon that fubject. The late unfortunate Grand Vizir having been removed from his office towards the conclufion of the preceding year, the celebrated Batha, Mouffon Oglou, brother-in-law to the Grand Seignior, who had diftinguifhed himself fo much in Walachia, both by the taking of Giurgewo, and the defeat of General Eilen, and was the only officer who VOL. XV.

fupported the honour of the Turkifh arms in the last campaign, was appointed his fucceffor. This brave officer, inftead of indulging his natural bias to war, at the rifque or expence of his country, has, as we have already feen, ufed all his endeavours to bring about a peace between the hoftile powers.

Whatever the fuccefs of the negociations may be, this conduct was founded upon true policy. The ruined condition of the Ottoman army at the clofe of that fatal campaign, the weakness of their marine, which could not yet in any degree have recovered the fhock it had fo lately received, the infufficiency of the fortifications upon the Dardanelles, together with the diftractions in the government, the difcontent of the people, and the open rebellions in Egypt and Syria, made the gaining of a year's breathing-time a matter of the utmolt importance to the Porte. In that time, if the Vizir still fupports the character which he has already acquired, the Turkish affairs may wear a very different afpect from that which they then exhibited, Befides the reftoring of order in the government and police, and the providing for the fecurity of the Dardanelles, and fuch a marine as would be fufficient to protect the coafts of the Black Sea, great changes might have been fince made in the difcipline and conduct of their licentious foldiery; who have also had time given them to recover and new brace their courage, and to shake off that terror and confternation which, even among veteran troops, are the certain confequences of a rapid feries of loffes and difgraces. If fuch measures had been purfued, [B] and