and againft the enemy, eagerly wifhing for a general engagement, as the only measure that could release them from labours which they abhorred, and from a restraint and difcipline which they could not endure. While the camp was thus in a continual state of mutiny and disorder, numberless complaints were transmitted to Conftantinople, where the outcry against the grand vizir grew as loud as in the camp, and the intemperate violence of a licentious, foldiery, became the measure of conduct to be obferved by an ignorant and unfteady court. The grand vizir acAug. 12. cordingly became a facrifice, and Moldovani Ali Pacha, a man of a fierce and violent courage, and who feemed to think that no other qualifications were requifite to a general, was apposnted his fucceffor. Several other changes took place in the camp at the fame time. The prince of Moldavia was depofed and fent to Conftantinople, and the principal dragoman, or chief interpreter of the porte, (an office of great truft, and always bestowed on a Christian) was degraded. A few days before thefe changes took place, an event happened in the camp, which, as it ftrongly marked the cruel ferocity of manners that ftill prevails among the Turks, was alfo productive of two noble inftances, of the most heroic valour, and inviolable attachment. Caraman Pacha, who we have before mentioned, and who had also a command in one of the late actions near Choczim, having gone to meet the vizir on his march, that general, as foon as he saw him, flew into a most violent paffion, and immediately ordered his head to be cut off. The unfortunate bashaw endeavoured to retire, and, at the fame time drawing his fword, defended himself bravely, but being foon furrounded and overborne by numbers, was cut to pieces. In the mean time his felictar, or swordbearer, fired with rage and indignation at the fituation of his mafter, fuddenly drew out a pistol, with which he attempted to fhoot the vizir. It happened fortunately for the vizir, that a faithful domeftic having feen the motion of the felictar's arm, ftepped fuddenly between his mafter and the fhot, which he received in his own body, and fell dead at his feet. The felictar was foon cut to pieces, and the heads of the bafhaw, and of his friend, were exposed together to public view. It does not appear, what real or fuppofed crime excited the rage of the vizir. Caraman Pacha feems to have been a brave officer; and it is faid, that of 2000 Albanians which he commanded in the late action, le brought but an hundred out of the field; a circumftance which feems to indicate his deferving a better fate. No well founded opinion can be formed, from the accounts that have been published, of the fituation or difpofition of the Ruffian army, for fome time after its repaffing the Niefter. We are much in the dark as to the motions of the Turkish army, for fome time after the new vizir had taken the command. All we know with any degree of certainty is, that the Turkish detachments which purfued the Ruffians into Poland, were bravely withftood by the latter, and after being repulfed and [C 4] defeated defeated upon feveral occafions, were finally obliged to repafs the Niefter. During thefe tranfactions, general Romanzow committed great devaftations upon the Turks in the borders of Bender and Oczakow, where he plundered and burnt feveral towns and villages, defeated a Turkish detachment, and carried off a great booty of cattle. The Tartars alfo committed great ravages in Poland, where they almoft totally deftroyed the palatinate of Bracklaw, befides doing much mifchief in other places. It appears probable, though we have no detail of the particulars, that prince Gallitzin ufed great diligence in reinforcing his army, as well by drawing trong detach ments from that under the com`mand of general Romanzow, who had no enemy to engage his attention, as by calling in thofe that were in the neighbouring parts of Poland. We accordingly find that in the beginning of September, the Ruffian army was again polted on the banks of the Niefter, and effectually defended the paffage of that river against the Turks, whofe whole army under the command of the new vizir was arrived on the oppofite fhore. In this fituation, 8000 Turks, confifting intirely of janizaries and fpahis, the names that diftinguifh the two celebrated corps, of their bravest and beft difciplined foot and horfe, paffed the Sept. 3. river in the night, and at the break of day attacked a body of Ruffians who were en'camped on this fide. Prince Repnin, who was pofted in the neigh bourhood, marched immediately to the relief of this corps, and attacked the Turks at the head of 5. four regiments with fixed bayonets. The engagement was furious and bloody, and the Turks were drove back and pursued to the river, which they attempted to repafs, in the greatest diforder and confufion; having in this ill-judged attempt, above 4000 of their number either killed or drowned. This fatal inftance of the danger of fending detachments across a great river, in the face of a powerful enemy, without communication, or a poffibility of fupport, might have been a falutary inftruction to any general who was capable of benefiting by experience. This was not the cafe of the vizir, whofe rafhnefs and obftinacy, made him equally incapable of acquiring knowledge, or receiving inftruction. He knew that extreme caution was the only charge that could be brought against his predeceffor; the direct contrary was therefore to be the rule of his conduct. Upon this principle he was determined to fight, and would wait neither for time nor the occafion; but, blinded by his own impetuofity, would force every thing to fubmit to it. The vizir accordingly having laid three bridges over the Niester, the Turkish army, without any pretence of ftratagem or deception, began to pafs the river in the face of the enemy. Prince Gal'litzin having perceived this mòtion early in the mornSept. 9. ing, immediately attacked thofe troops that had crof fed the river in the night, who con quently could neither chufe their ground, nor have time to extend or form themfelves properly where they were. Notwithtanding thefe extreme disadvan tages, 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 repafs the river with great lofs, and in the utmost disorder 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 spot, 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 horse tails, and other trophies of victory. This dreadful carnage, the fignal and immediate punishment of folly and rafhness, would have ftrack any mind, that was not fo totally perverfe and incorrigible as that of the vizir's. It seems 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 attempt or endure for a general who keeps the foldiers warm in continual action, if at the fame time he directs his conduct in fuch 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 batteries 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 seemed 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 thoufand 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 destroyed 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 poffible. 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 prifoners 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 efcape by fwimming, was for feveral miles covered with dead bodies. The Ruffians took 64 pieces of cannon, and above 150 colours and horfe tails. The agitation of mind and diftrefs, which the Ottoman foldiers muft fuffer, who were the unhappy fpectators on the oppofite fhore, of the cruel flaughter of their friends, may poffibly be conceived, but cannot be defcribed. 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 ftores 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 strength and violence of thofe 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 description of it that could be attempted. A thoufand Turks, under the influence of a blind rage and fúry, 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 fpace 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 spirit 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 beft and bravest 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, 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 alfo 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 themfelves mafters of the important fortrefs 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 ftrong 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 deftroy any thing. Prince Gallitzin placed a garrifon 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 Petersburg. 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 fapital city of Jaffy, (fituated on the river Prath, about an hundred miles to the fouth-eaft of Choczim) without oppofition. As the Greek natives of this province had always fecretly favoured the Ruffians, they now took this opportunity of their fuccefs, and the abfence of the Turks, to declare themselves openly. The principal inhabitants accordingly affembled at the capital, where the general received their homage in the name of the emprefs, and the oaths of fidelity which they voluntarily tendered to her. He then took the neceffary measures for the administration of justice, and for the interior government of the province. In the mean time, as the Turkish army was retired to the other fide of the Danube, the Ruffians carried on their incurfions to the borders of that river, and over-run the greatest part of the province of Walachia, Prince Proforowiki having taken Bucharest the capital, and made Gregorio Giko the prince of that country, with all his family and court, prifoners. The Greek inhabitants alfo fubmitted, whereever the Ruffians appeared, with the fame facility that those of Moldavia had done. As foon as order could be in any degree restored 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 oppose their progrefs. In these attempts they have been very unfuccefsful, having been generally worfted with great lofs, and by very inferior numbers, In confequence of one of thefe engagements, the Rufians made themfelves mafters of Galaes, an im portant |