tages, the engagement was very fevere, and continued from feven in the morning till noon. The Ruffian accounts, which are the only ones we have of this action, confefs that the Turks fought with great and unusual obftinacy. They were however at length totally defeated, and obliged to repass the river with great loss, and in the utmoft diforder and confufion. It was computed that about 60,000 Turks croffed the river before and during the time of the engagement. Prince Gallitzin charged at the head of five columns of infantry, with fixed bayonets, who deftroyed the flower of the Turkish cavalry. It is faid, that the lofs of the Turks in this battle, amounted to 7000 men that were killed upon the fpot, befides the wounded and prifoners, and a great number that were drown ed. Several pieces of cannon were taken by the Ruffians, and a confiderable number of horfe tails, and other trophies of victory. This dreadful carnage, the fignal and immediate punishment of folly and rafhness, would have ftruck any mind, that was not fo totally perverfe and incorrigible as that of the vizir's. It feems unaccountable, that the foldiers, who were fo turbulent and ungovernable under the late vizir, fhould now bear the continual deftruction that attended this extravagant conduct, without flying into any act of violence or extremity. It per haps ferves to fhew, that there is nothing that an army will not at tempt or endure for a general who keeps the foldiers warm in continual action, if at the fame time he directs his conduct in such a manner, as to leave room for hope to operate in his favour. The vizir, immediately after this action, began to prepare for another operation of the fame nature. He now laid but one bridge over the river, which he had the precaution to cover with large batte ries of cannon, and prepared to pafs the whole army over. All thefe attempts were made in one particular part of the river, in the neighbourhood, and nearly within fight of Choczim; and the perfeverance in this inftance was fo obftinate, that it feemed as if it would not have answered the views of the general, to have effected a paffage either higher up or lower down. Eight thousand janizaries and four thousand regular cavalry, the flower of the whole Ottoman army, had already paffed over with a large train of ar- Sept. 17. tillery, and the reft of the army was in motion to follow, when a fudden and extraordinary fwell of the waters of the Niefter, carried away and totally deftroyed the bridge. Thus were twelve thousand brave men hemmed in, between a great and implacable hoftile army on one fide, and an impaffable river on the other, without time to fortify or entrench themselves, or without the poffibility of a fingle hope to arife from their courage. The Ruffians loft no time in making use of fo extraordinary an advantage. An engagement truly defperate enfued, in which the affailants fought with all the boldnefs of affured fuccefs, and the defendants like men who only wanted to fell their lives as dear as pof. fible. The feverity of the Turkish manners, which has not admitted of the civilized and humane car tels, tels, eftablished among the Europeans in their wars, together with the pride and difdain of the janizaries, prevented, a capitulation from being defired, or any propofal made to lay down their arms. The flaughter was accordingly prodigious. We have no account what number of prisoners were made; but as they were only taken fingly, and in the heat of action, they could not be very numerous; probably they were mofly officers. Not only the field of battle, but the river, over which fome few hundreds of Turks made their escape by fwimming, was for feveral miles covered with dead bodies. The Ruffians took 64 pieces of cannon, and above 150 colours and horse tails. The agitation of mind and diftrefs, which the Ottoman foldiers mut fuffer, who were the unhappy fpectators on the oppofite fhore, of the cruel flaughter of their friends, may poffibly be conceived, but cannot be described. Perhaps to a feeling mind, the momentary agony was more poignant to the looker on, than to him who was the immediate fufferer. While the conteft continued, the whole army was buried in a profound filence; but when the flaughter was finished, and all hopes and fears were now at an end, they expreffed their rage and grief, by the loudeft cries and lamentations, and the bittereft curfes and imprecations upon the vizir. Under this impulfe of grief and fury, they immediately broke up the camp, and cafting off all obedience to a command which they defpifed and detefted, abandoned the ftrong fortrefs of Choczim, with all its stores and a numerous artillery, and retired tumultuously towards the Danube. The following extraordinary inftance is faid to have been given upon this occafion, of the unconquerable ftrength and violence of those paffions, which in certain fituations take poffeffion of the whole human mind; and is a more apt illuftration of the temper that prevailed in the Turkish army at the time, than any defcription of it that could be attempted. A thoufand Turks, under the influence of a blind rage and fury, after the action was intirely over, croffed the river upon rafts in the face of the conquering Ruffians, and there became voluntary facrifices in this unavailing effort to revenge the lofs of their friends. Thus was the fortune of the war totally changed, and the grand Turkish army intirely ruined in the space of one fhort month, by the folly and temerity of a fingle man. And thus the Ruffians have finished a doubtful, if not a lofing campaign, with great advantage and glory, and have ftruck a panic through the whole Turkish empire. Caft down by repeated misfortunes and difgraces, the haughty Ottomans feem to have loft all fpirit and refolution; and in the engagements that have fince happened, their numbers have only added to their lofs and difgrace. It was computed that they loft 28,000 of the best and braveft of their troops, within little more than a fortnight: and that 40,000 more abandoned the army, and totally deferted, in the tumultuous retreat to the Danube. As it may be confidered the greatest misfortune that could befal the grand vizir, For the YEAR 1769. vizir, to furvive the fatal effects of his mifconduct; it is no lefs furprizing that he did not fall a victim to the fury and violence of the foldiers. His fortune was however not only fuperior to this danger in the camp, but also to that of the bow-ftring at home; a punishment which has fo often, in this country, been the fate even of great ability and bravery, when attended by ill fuccefs. Two hundred Ruffian grenadiers having croffed the river on a float, were furprized to find themselves mafters of the important fortress of Choczim, which had been fo long the bone of contention, and the fcene of fo many confiderable actions. A few Turkish women and children were the miferable guards they found in a strong town, with great magazines, and two hundred pieces of cannon. The revolt in the army was fo general, and the defpair and diforder fo great, that they did not even fet the town on fire, or attempt to destroy any thing. Prince Gallitzin placed a garri fon of four regiments in the fortrefs, under the command of colonel Weifman, and difpatched the generals Elmpt and Proforowski, at the head of large detachments, in purfuit of the enemy. He then refigned the command of the army to general count Romanzow, and returned covered with laurels to Peterburg. Count Panin at the fame time took the command of the army lately commanded by general Ro manzow. In the mean time the Ruffians Over-run the great province of Moldavia, and general Elmpt entered and took poffeffion of the capital city of Jaffy, (fituated on the river Pruth, about an hundred In the mean time, as the Turkish As foon as order could be in any degree reftored in the Ottoman camp, attempts were made to retard the operations of the Ruffians in Moldavia and Walachia, by fending confiderable detachments of Turks over the Danube to oppofe their progrefs. In thefe attempts they have been very unfuccefsful, having been generally worfted with great lofs, and by very inferior numbers. In confe quence of one of thefe engagements, the Ruflians made themportant felves mafters of Galaes, an im On the fide of the Ukraine and Tartary, count Panin has failed in his attempt upon Bender: he has however fuccefsfully ravaged the neighbouring countries of Budziac, and the Little Tartary, from whence his parties drove a prodigious prey of cattle. On the other hand, the calga, or brother to the khan of the Tartars, has made a fuccefsful irruption into the Ruffian territories on the left of the Borifihenes, from whence he is faid to have carried above ten thousand unhappy people into captivity. Such is the cruel afpect of war among these fierce na tions. . General Romanzow has fixed his head-quarters at Laticzew in Podolia, and has cantoned the bulk of his army along the banks of the Niefter. In this fituation he keeps the confederates in awe, and is near enough to fupport the generals Proforowiki and Elmpt, in the fuperiority which they have acquired in Moldavia and Walachia: a pofition abfolutely neceffary, as the Turks will undoubtedly make the most vigorous efforts as foon as the feafon will admit, for the recovery of these fine provinces. Count Panin's army is ftationed on the borders of the Ukraine, in fuch a fituation as most effectually to cover that and the adjoining Ruf fian provinces, from the incurfions of the Tartars. It may however feem ftrange, that general Romanzow did not advance with the bulk of his army into the newly acquired provinces, or even push on to the banks of the Danube, and endeavour to become mafter of the principal posts upon that river, while the terror and disorder of the Turks operated in its highest degree. It is little to be doubted that this measure was thought of, and it is as probable that there were ftrong reafons against the adopting of it. It might have been objected, that Poland would by this means have been in a great measure abandoned to the licentiousness of the confederates and the fury of the Tartars. That the fafety of the grand army would be endangered, at fuch a distance from its pofts and magazines, and with fuch enemies as the Tartars, befides the numerous garrisons of Bender and Oczakow, in its rear; and that the army commanded by count Panin, which had an extenfive and difficult frontier to defend, would thereby be entirely expofed. It is alfo to be imagined, that notwithstanding the natural fertility of thefe provinces, the miferable havock that was made in them both by, friends and enemies for a full year, must make them utterly incapable of providing fubfiftence for a confiderable army. No fatisfactory account has been published of the progress of the Ruffians on the fide of Georgia. The famous count Tottleben, fo remarkable for his difgrace in the laft war, having in confequence of a moft fuppliant petition, been re ceived into the emprefs's favour, has been employed upon this expedition. As this general had before ferved in the countries adjoining to the Cafpian, he feems to have been well qualified for this fervice, and it is faid that he has been joined by prince Heraclius, and that they have committed feveral hoftilities on the fide of Armenia. It does not however appear, that their operations have hitherto been productive of any very extraordinary effects. The misfortunes of the last campaign, do not feem to have funk the Grand Signior's fpirit. The preparations for war both by fea and land are carried on with unremitted ardour; and it is faid that he refuses to liften to any terms of accommodation, that are at all degrading, or inconfiftent with his dignity. In this fpirit he has received judicial informations in the divan, from the civil officers of Moldavia and Walachia, of the facility with which the Greek inhabitants of thofe provinces fubmitted to the Ruffian government, and has thereupon declared them rebels, and according to the cruel mode of the eastern nations, ordered man, woman and child to be extirpated. It is alfo faid, that he has fignified to the republic of Venice, in a high and haughty tone, that their obferving a bare neutrality, would not in the prefent ftate of affairs be deemed fufficient; but that they must avow themselves, either as friends or enemies. The unfortunate Moldovani Ali Pacha has been degraded and ba nifhed to one of the Greek islands, and Halil Bey, of whom we have no prior account, is appointed grand vizir in his room. It is faid that the fultan intends to command the army in perfon, and that the Turks, difpirited by their ill fuccefs, and their fears worked upon by fome ancient prophecies, are very unwilling to ferve, and form difmal apprehenfions of the event of the war. It is not to be wondered at, that the imaginations of a people, fo exceffively credulous and fuperftitious as the Turks, fhould in fuch circumftances be eafily worked upon. The weaknefs of the government, the licentioufnefs of the foldiery, and the want of able and experienced officers, are however the real prognoftics that forbode danger to their empire. ་ ་ ་ CHAP |