artillery-men. All this he did with such expedition, under the auspices of the sultan, who was perfectly sensible of his merit, that he effected his purpose of frustrating the design of the Russian admiral, with every obstacle that prejudice, jealousy, and self-interest could raise in his way. During these operations in the Archipelago, the Russian armies were employed in recovering the ground in Moldavia and Walachia which the Turks had gained in the winter; intending to derive every possible advantage from the diversion which the fleet made in their favour.-Halil Bey, who was newly appointed vizier, was at the head of the grand Turkish army near the Danube; and the Khan of the Crimea commanded a smaller army of 80,000 men on the Pruth.--To affect their purpose in the face of two such armies, whose strength far exceeded their own, the Russian forces were divided into four armies. Whilst count Panin was preparing for the siege of Bender, and generals Prosorouski and de Berg were employed, the one on the side of Oczakow, and the other against the Crim Tartars, Romanzow, who commanded in chief, crossed the Niester in the month of May; and advancing slowly through Moldavia, on account of the vast quantity of sumpter waggons with which he was encumbered, reached the Pruth in the ensuing month.*-Pursuing the course of that river he found the Tartar chief * g De Tott. 2. 38 to 205. The accounts we have of the encumbrances of a Russian army would be incredible were they not given upon good authority, and sufficient reasons assigned for it; that is, the desolation which had already been made in the country through which they were to pass, which rendered it necessary to take every kind of provision for the whole campaign. General Manstein, who served under marshal Munich in the war of 1736, speaking upon this subject, says, I am very certain that I "do not exaggerate in averring that never did the army under Munich take the field without "having ninety thousand carriages in his train, especially after the experience so lately made of "the difficulty of subsisting at the expence of the enemy. But as the mention of such a prodi"gious number of carriages may stagger the belief of the reader, I think myself obliged to state the necessity. For an army of 80,000 men there were carriages required for six months' provision "of flour: this alone took up 40,000 waggons. The baggage of a regiment employs 250 waggons "each. Add those of the generals, of the irregular troops, of the train of artillery, seven or eight "thousand settlers and victuallers, and leave any one to judge whether I have exceeded the truth.” -[Memoirs of Russia. 134.]—A want of attention to this circumstance has defeated the purpose of many, otherwise successful, campaigns. When we reflect on the origin and effects of the present empress's wars with the Porte, we shall not be sorry to find that a Russian campaign, in the countries which have been the seat of them, is attended with such embarrassments. When we consider that the only motive to them was a boundless ambition, the only object, conquest, and that some of the most fertile countries in Europe have been repeatedly desolated by them, we shall be rather inclined 1770 1770 chief encamped in a well chosen position, near its banks. Unwilling to risk an attack, Romanzow waited patiently, in hopes that some favourable change might take place. At the end of three weeks; when the Turks were growing impatient of inaction, or were tempted by the artifices used by their enemy to draw them from their ground, 20,000 of them descended from their rocky fastness; and, giving the Russians battle, were repulsed with considerable loss. This success so emboldened the besiegers that they ventured at last to storm their enemy's camp. † Hlaving, with much bravery overcome the resistance made to their ascent of the eminence on which it was formed, in the face of the Turkish batteries, they drove them successively from four intrenchments with great slaughter. The vanquished Khan retreating towards the Danube was met by the grand vizier, who had crossed that river, and was marching to his support.Romanzow, on this occasion, like the illustrious Peter, suffered his ardour to carry him beyond the bounds of prudence. He was advanced within a few leagues of the confluence of the Pruth and the Danube, when he found himself surrounded by the united armies of his enemy: and, what rendered his situation still more distressing, he had made a large detachment to reinforce a convoy of provisions.-A capitulation, or an engagement under every disadvantage of ground and numbers, was now the dire alternative. Thus circumstanced, he did not hesitate. Confident in his own generalship and the valour and discipline of his troops, he resolved to give his enemies battle while his own men were warmed by victory. The Turks, notwithstanding their vast superiority of force, had guarded themselves with three strong intrenchments. But nothing could intimidate the Russians. They were encountered by the Turks before they reached the camp;‡ and several severe but undecisive conflicts ensued. The vizier, then, making a sally with his janissaries, the battle was renewed with desperate fury. Such was the invincible firmness of the Russian infantry, such the well-directed fire of their artillery, and such the advantage which they derived from the use of the bayonet, against the sabre, when they came to close quarters, that the Turks inclined to lament that any human being should be invested with power that enabled her to inflict evils on the neighbouring countries sorer than all the plagues of Egypt united; to send out armies that carry with them fire and sword, and mark their progress with famine and pestilence. Turks were at length forced to give way on all sides, and were driven from the field, and obliged to repass the Danube with the loss of great part of their army, together with one hundred and forty-three pieces of artillery and seven thousand waggons laden with provisions. Such was the triumph of military skill and discipline over numbers. These events were very favourable to the success of the Russian arms in other parts. Count Panin had been engaged some days before Bender when he was informed of the victory at Kagul, and received a reinforcement in consequence of it. Prosorouski had, moreover, co-operated with him by ravaging the country of the Budziac Tartars; who were, at last, constrained to conclude an alliance with the empress: and baron d'Ingelstrohm made a favourable diversion, with a detachment from Romanzow's army, in Bessarabia.-All these circumstances encouraged Panin to prosecute the siege with redoubled vigour. When he had been two months before the fortress, when all other expedients had proved unsuccessful, and the seraskier who commanded there had refused to capitulate, what was called a globe of compression was prepared; a complex mine containing sixteen thousand pounds of gunpowder. During the terror and confusion occasioned by the tremendous explosion of this mine, the fortress was attacked and carried by escalade in three different quarters at the same instant. The carnage that ensued was rendered more dreadful by the flames which enveloped the combatants. After a battle which continued several hours within the walls, the seraskier, who had retired to the citadel, offered to capitulate, but was refused. The Russians gained possession of the fortress, with near six thousand janissaries and spahis in garrison. Eight thousand had been slain in the course of the siege: and the remains of the wretched inhabitants were obliged to abandon their houses to the flames.-Nor did the destructive hostilities of this campaign terminate here. Whilst the grand vizier, with his vanquished army, remained in Bulgaria, and Romanzow occupied an advantageous position between the Danube and the Pruth, several strong detachments from his army reduced the fortresses of Kilia Nova, Bialogorod, and Ibrailow. After which he went into winter quarters at Jassy, and count Panin amidst the ruins of Bender." September 27. Catharine 2 Williams's Northern States. 3. 323. Ann. Reg. 11. L'Evesque. 339. Tooke. 2. 36. 1770 1770 Catharine flattered herself that she should be able to cajole Great Britain, the only state whose naval force she stood in awe of, by holding forth the commercial advantages arising from her friendship, whilst she accomplished one part of the vast design which she had in contemplation, by establishing a naval power in the Euxine and in the Mediterranean. Nor does it appear that such apprehensions of danger were excited in the maritime states as might have been expected by the unprecedented sight of a Russian fleet passing the straits of Gibraltar. On the contrary, we find Great Britain kindly assisting in the advancement of a power, which was soon to become her rival, soon insidiously to act the part of an enemy under the cloak of neutrality. But when her fleet had triumphed over the Turks, and that of her enemy was destroyed at Cisme; when to these successes were added those of her armies in Moldavia, Walachia, and Bessarabia, the possession of which would have extended her dominions to the Danube, the court of Vienna was justly alarmed at the idea of having so powerful a neighbour on the Hungarian frontier; a monarch, which, should she extend her conquests to Constantinople, would, from that instant, be enabled to dictate to all the powers in the Mediterranean. The imperial minister, count Kaunitz, communicated his sovereign's sentiments on this subject to his Prussian majesty, in a congress this year at Neustadt; and would gladly have prevailed on him to unite with the Austrian court in opposing the empress's progress. But Frederic, whose mind was occupied by different objects, was content to make general professions of friendship to the emperor, and to unite with him in mediating a peace between Russia and the Porte. The partition of Poland was already in contemplation. With a view to the accomplishment of this, prince Henry of Prussia visited Russia at the close of this year, under pretence of paying his respects to the empress, and negotiating the business of the mediation. The Prussian monarch, in fact, hoped that his brother, by his address, would gain an ascendant over the empress, which would be beneficial to him in this important affair. Nothing could exceed the honours with which he was received at Petersburg. There, amidst the rejoicings on account of the successes of the Russian arms, and the brilliant entertainments and sumptuous banquets + December 3. See Germany. given k Mem. de Fred. II. 5. 56. Tooke, 2. 11. 26, given in honour of the Prussian prince, were schemes of ambition concerted against the unfortunate kingdom of Poland; which was soon to fall a sacrifice to its own distractions, the successful intrigues of the powers which were to be associated for its destruction, and the supineness of the neighbouring states, in quietly suffering a transaction so inconsistent with the general welfare of Europe. 1770 POLAND. THE affairs of this kingdom appeared more important in the eyes of the world as the plot which was formed against it was gradually developed, and when the interests of the Poles were seen to be connected with those of the neighbouring states.-It began, at this time, to be the general opinion that his Prussian majesty, although he had acted with much caution and reserve respecting Poland, was to be benefited by the empress's scheme of aggrandizement in this country, which was notoriously hostile to the general welfare: and it was expected that, as an extension of dominion by either of these monarchs would particularly affect the house of Austria, the young emperor, who seemed to breathe a martial spirit, would become the champion of independency.* Therefore, when it was seen that, instead of inviting the continental powers to unite with him in prescribing bounds to their ambition, and the maritime states to co-operate in opposing the execution of We may, on this occasion, observe, the policy of the Austrian court towards the empress of Russia; originating in personal pique towards Catharine on account of the empress's deserting her interests in the late war, and thus frustrating her designs at the instant when she entertained the most sanguine hopes of accomplishing them, as well as in the desire of resisting a power which might be considered as the rival of Austria in the north." The election of the king," says Lind in his Letters on Poland, 66 was indeed acknowledged; but every thing shewed a coldness and dis"affection to the courts of Petersburg and Warsaw. And no sooner had the malecontents taken up arms, then their chiefs were permitted to fix their head quarters in Hungary there all their "councils were held, and the plans of distressing the king and his government formed. The "monies furnished to them by the court of Saxony were remitted by bankers of Vienna; they were received with apparent marks of good-will at the court. The infamous manifesto of Pac, "which declared the throne vacant, the king an usurper and intruder; which excited all his subjects to take away his life by any means, was printed in the empress's dominions, in the begin"ning of August, 1770; and from thence was distributed all over Europe; the author, meanwhile, 66 1770 |