is hid in fuch darkness, that fome are induced to doubt even of the fact; certainly no opinion can be formed of its nature. It may perhaps be an effect of the general diffatisfaction with the prefent administration, which has fo long prevailed among the people.

The prefent emperor of Morocco feems to poffefs a degree of ability, much fuperior to what has appeared of late years among the monarchs of that empire. The conduct and difcipline obferved by his army at the fiege of Mazagan, was new and unheard of among the Moors of the prefent times. The faith with which he religiously obferved the terms of capitulation, was the more remarkable, as the conduct of the Portuguese governor upon that occafion, might have been thought, by a lefs barbarous prince, a fufficient caufe for acting otherwise.

This prince, who is ambitious and enterprizing, feems very defirous to establish a confiderable maritime force. The treaties of peace which he has concluded with Spain and Portugal, fhew that in this defign, he is influenced by confiderations fuperior to the fordid track of piracy pursued by his predeceffors. The Grand Signior having made a requifition to him, as well as to the piratical ftates of Barbary, for their affiftance against the naval armament of the Ruffians, this prince has promifed to fend 20 fhips upon that fervice; and the piratical states have agreed to fend five fhips each. He has alfo forbid his fubjects from fupplying the Ruffians with provifions er neceffaries of any kind.

As thofe humane and generous

actions which do honour to human nature, fhould neither be overlooked or forgot, we cannot refrain from giving our readers the following letter, which was wrote by this prince to the grand mafter of Malta, in which his own words do him more honour, than any account we could pretend to give of the tranfaction.

"In the name of God, the fole Almighty, to the prince of Malta, grand mafter of the religion of St. John, and to all his council, the emperor of Morocco, Fez, Mequinez &c. wishes health and profperity. In compaffion of feveral Tufcan flaves, who have been long in my poffeffion, and have never yet been demanded of me, I fend them all to be prefented to you by my fecretary Abladi Salciti: by this means procuring myfelf at once the double fatisfaction of making you a prefent, and of reftoring liberty to those unfortu nate people. If you had no captives of ours in your poffeffion, I fhould defire nothing of you in return; but as I know you have, I fhall with great pleasure receive fuch as you may be pleased to fend me.".

This letter was attended by thirty feven chriftian flaves. The grand mafter treated the fecretary with all the honours, which he would have fhewn to an ambaffador from any of the firft European powers; and fent back the fame number of Moorish captives by him. We have too good an opinion of the generofity of the grand master, to believe that he had any more in his poffeffion. A few generations of fuch princes, might civi, lize the moft barbarous nation.

СНАР.

THE HE inclemency of the winter, which in cold climates generally affords a temporary refpite from the fury of war, cannot have that effect when the Tartars are a party in it; on the contrary, that fevere feafon opens to them a new line of action, and is the time in which they commit the greatest ravages. Though the ftrength of the Ruffian lines, and the good difpofition that was made of their troops to cover the frontiers, were a confiderable check upon these cruel incurfions, they could not entirely prevent them; by which means the Ruffian Ukraine, as well as the adjoining provinces of Poland, fuffered greatly. Large tracts of country were every where burnt and destroyed, and numbers of captives, and great quantities of cattle, continually carried off. General Romanzow, who commanded on the fide of Tartary and the Ukraine, did all that could be done to prevent these mischiefs; but the country was fo open, and the line of defence so far extended, that no vigilance was fufficient to guard it in every part against the defigns of fuch an enemy.

There were about 60,000 Turks pofted during the winter, in different places between Choczim,

Bender, and Oczacow. The greatest part of the grand army was affembled in the neighbourhood of Adrianople; another part was ftationed near Varna, a port town of Bulgaria, upon the Black Sea, and a third near the Danube. The Afiatic troops were very fickly, and fuffered two grievances, which feemed to them equally intolerable, the coldness of the climate, and the want of coffee; both of which were fo feverely felt as to cause a very great defertion. The Turks being apprehenfive that the Ruffians would take advantage of the hardinefs of their troops to carry on a winter campaign, and being fenfible of their own inequality in fuch a fervice, had deftroyed or removed all the provifions that were to be found in the countries near the Niefter; a circumftance which now feverely affected their own troops in that quarter.

The following was faid to have been the ftate of the Russian armies in the beginning of the fpring.

That under the command of Prince Gallitzin, was composed of 31 regiments of foot, 40 regiments of horfe, and five of huffars; together with 9000 Coffacks, a train of artillery of 100 pieces of cannon, and a fuitable body of en

gineers.

gineers. The regiments of foot confifted of 2000 men, and thofe of horfe of 800 men each; by which estimation, this army, exclufive of the train of artillery, confifted of 71,000 foot, including the Coffacks, and of 36,000 horse, including the Huffars. The other army, under general Romanzow, contained in regiments of foot, four of horse, and fix of huffars, befides 10,900 Coffacks, amounting by the fame rule of calculation to 40,900 men, and the two armies confifting of near 150,000.

While the armies were employed in covering the frontiers, and in preparing for the enfuing campaign, the court of Petersburg was equally engaged in providing funds for the fupport and carrying on of the war. The contributions impofed upon the peasants were accordingly augmented a ruble and a half each per annum; which it was computed would raife one million and a half of rubles yearly. The province of Livonia was taxed 100,000 rubles per annum; and that of Efthonia 50,000. All perfons in civil employments are to pay 20 per cent. out of their falaries, and thofe that keep carriages are to pay five rubles for each horse. It is however promised, that these taxes fhall continue only during the war.

The empress alfo created, upon this occafion, a new council for political and military affairs, at which he is to prefide herfelf; and fhe has appointed feven noblemen to be members of it. All bufinefs, whether political or military, is to be under the direction of this council, and every member is to give his opinion in writing, upon the fubjects that come before

them; all the dispatches must be figned by the emprefs. To neglect nothing that might contribute to the fuccefs of the war, this princefs applied to her allies for the fuccours which they had ftipulated by treaty to furnish in certain circumftances, and which the now infifted upon receiving either in money or men.

In the months of February and March, Crim Gueray, Kan of the Tartars, at the head, fome accounts faid of 70,000 Tartars, supported by 10,000 Spahis, having broke the Ruffian lines of communication, penetrated into the province of New Servia, which he totally ruined, having burned almost every village in it. By thefe accounts he carried off 14,000 families captive, took above 100,000 head of cattle, and burnt 154 towns and villages; and that the Ruffians having united to oppose his return, he fought a bloody battle with them, in which neither fide had any cause to triumph.

On the other hand, the Ruffian accounts take no notice of any lofs fuftained in New Servia, nor of the expedition in general; but, give a fhort account that the Tartar Kan, having, at the head of a confiderable army, intended to attack fome redoubts, in which general Ifakow with about 4000 men was pofted, that general bravely marched out to engage them in the field, and gained a compleat victory over them.

Both these accounts are probably in a great measure true. The devaftation made by the Tartars in New Servia, is not to be doubted; the number of the captives, and the greatnefs of the fpoil, we may believe exaggerated. That in the

courfe

courfe of this irruption, general Ifakow met with a party of Tartars, and defeated them, is highly probable; every body knows, that the Tartars have no great inclination for those fort of engagements that afford nothing but blows; and that, as they have no point of honour in view, when they have plundered a country, they confult nothing but the means of escape, and the prefervation of their booty.

We cannot avoid to exprefs our regret, at the extreme faultinefs of all the accounts that have been published of the tranfactions of this war. No regular detail of facts has ever been given, and many of the accounts that have appeared, were fo extravagant as to fuperfede all poffibility of belief. Vague, contradictory, and unfatisfactory as they are, we are obliged to make use of them, for want of better information; and can only endeavour to judge, from the confequences, what degree of credit was due to them. Our own gazette, which used formerly to convey fome information, and though not the moft early, or the moft ample, yet fupported by the beft authority, from fome ftrange referve or negligence, has fcarcely fo much as announced the war between these great powers. The accounts that have been given of battles won, that were never fought, and of conquefts made, that exifted only in idea, make it neceffary to receive thofe, that feem fomewhat better attefted, with a great degree of referve and limitation.

The Kan of the Tartars died foon after his return, in confequence of the violent fatigues he underwent in this expedition. His death was a great lofs to the Turks, as

he had a more military turn, and was, by much, a better officer than any in their army. The concern they expreffed for his death, and the acknowledgments they made of the great fervices he had done the Porte, teftify the mifchiefs he had done to the enemy. The Grand Signior appointed his nephew, Dowled Gherai, who had been his vizier, and acquired fome reputation in that ftation, to be his fucceffor, in prejudice of his eldest fon, who had accompanied him in all his expeditions.

About the time of the invafion of New Servia, the confederates of Bar, who, affifted by fome parties of Turks and Tartars, had again become formidable in Podolia, were routed by the Ruffians, and obliged to recrofs the Niefter, with the lofs of their cannon, and fome magazines they had formed.

While these transactions paffed on the borders of Poland, great preparations were made in Čonftantinople for opening the campaign. When the grand vizier was ready to be- Apr. 2d. gin his march, the ftandard of Mahomet was displayed, and carried with great pomp and folemnity through the city to the camp, all the Turks attending it in proceffion. Upon this occafion, it is death for any Chriftian to appear in the streets, or even to look through a door, or window; and a proclamation to that purpose had accordingly been made. The curiofity of two ladies was, however, too strong to be reftrained either by the proclamation, or the danger, and had like to have been attended with the most dreadful confequences.

The wife and daughter of the

Sieur Broynard, the refident from the court of Vienna, were the heroines, who fcorned to betray the rights of the fex, or to facrifice their Chriftian freedom to Mahometan bigotry or rage. Thefe ladies accordingly placed them felves at a window; from whence they beheld the proceffion; but were foon perceived by the Turkish populace, who in the greatest rage and fury, immediately affaulted the ambaffador's houfe. The houfe happened to be strong, and the domestics numerous, who ran to their arms, and made a vigorous defence. A dreadful fray enfued, in which a great number of lives were loft; but the populace having at length made their way into the houfe, they found the minifter's lady, and brought her down into the court, where they were making preparations to ftrangle her, when fortunately a party of Janizaries arrived, who saved her life, and difperfed the outrageous croud. The grand vizir expreffed great forrow for this infult, and begged the minifter would look upon it, as an act only proceeding from the blind fury of an infatuated multitude; he at the fame time affured him, that he should have all the reparation that it was poffible to procure. A few hours after, the vizir fent the imperial minifter a rich present of jewels for his lady, and a bag, which was found to contain the heads of the three principal rioters. The Grand Signior alfo fent the chief interpreter of the Porte with a rich prefent, to apologize, directly in his own name, for the affront.

The Turkish armies being always encumbered with women, with immenfe quantities of unne

ceffary baggage, and great numbers of useless domefties, are confequently unwieldy and flow in their motions. Though the grand vizir began his march from Conftantinople early in April, yet the delays incident to fuch incumbrances, and the difficulty of re gulating fo vaft and undifciplined a multitude, retarded him in such a manner, that it was near the latter end of the month, before he could advance from Adrianople, with the grand army, towards the Danube.

In the mean time prince Gallitzin, who commanded the Ruffian army on the banks of the Niefter, thought this a proper time to attempt fomething decifive, be fore the arrival of the great Turkish force in that quarter. Having accordingly croffed the Niefter with his whole army, he advanced to Choczim, where he encampt in fight of a body of 30,000 Turks commandby Caraman Pacha, and entrenched under the cannon of the town. The prince having made the neceffary difpofi- Apr. 30. tions, attacked the Turks in their intrenchments early in the morning, and notwithstanding an obftinate defence, and a dreadful fire from the fortrefs, at length beat them out of the trenches. The Turks endeavoured to cover their retreat, by detaching a large body of cavalry to attack the right wing of the Ruffian army; but they had fuch a warm reception from the artillery, that they foon retired in great diforder. General Stoffeln, and prince Dolgorucki, were then ordered to purfue the fugitives, at the head of eight battalions; which they did fo effectually, that they followed them into the fuburbs of

Choczim,