1689 wife much retarded by their Artillery, confifting of 700 Pieces of Cannon, and many Mortars. In their Way thither, at Kairka, upon the Borysthenes, a Party having taken fome Tartars, they learned that the Cham was not at Precop, but at Bondgiac, and had not the leaft Sufpicion of fo formidable an Army coming upon him. On May the 13th they had Word brought, by their Scouts, that the Enemy was at Hand, upon which they put themselves in order to receive them; the Baggage, guarded by the Foot and the Artillery, marched on the Right, the Horfe were pofted on the Left of every Divifion. The Forces of Mofcow, headed by Prince Galliczin, kept in the Middle, the Forces of Novgorod moved on the Right, the Hettman on the Left; and on the Hettman's Left was Dolga Kourka and Cherremittau, who commanded the Forces of Belgorod; and Romanorrick made up the Rear. The Tartars charged the Vanguard of Schein, from thence, after fome Skirmishes, they wheeled on a fudden from Right to Left, and fell upon Cherremittau's Forces, who being over-powered, were quickly put to the Rout: The Horfe fled, and the Enemy ran to the Baggage, which they had like to have carried off; but Prince Galliczin immediately fending Succours to Cherremittau, the Tartars were forced to retire, and leave the Ruffians a free Paffage till they got to Thorna d'Oliva, where they encamped for the Convenience of Water, the Place being marfhy, and five Leagues diftant from Precop. A fmall Body of Tartars, under Sultan Garka, advanced to discover their Enemies March; and, that they might learn wherein the Strength or Weakness of the the Army lay, took feveral Prifoners, from whom they drew what Information they wanted. They afterwards carried them to the Cham, who then lay encamped at Kaldnfchek, a little River about two Leagues from Precop, which runs into the Palus Maitis; for, an Account being brought him that the Mufcovites had invaded the Crim, he was come from Bondgiac, with 4000 Horfe, to defend his Territories. On the 16th the Army decamped, and moved to Zelena Dolina, a League from Thorna; hither came the Cham, to meet the Mufcovites, with all his Forces, which amounted to thirty or forty thousand Horfe, marching in feveral little Divifions, and having infenfibly furrounded the Ruffians, they were obliged to halt. The two Armies gazed upon one another for fome Time without attempting any Thing, altho' certainly the Muscovites ought to have began the Fight, but they were glad to keep themselves out of Harm, fenced in with strong Pallifadoes, which they had brought in their Waggons. The Foot and Artillery defended this Camp fo ftrenuously, that the Tartars could not break into it. The Horfe were not entrenched, which invited three or four Detachments of Tartars, of 1000 Horfe each, to charge them: They were no fooner attacked but they fell into Disorder; however they made their Baggage ferviceable to them, for from thence the Cannon and fmall Shot galled the Tartars, and laid three or four hundred of them upon the Ground, and with them feve-ral Muscovites. On the other Side Sultan Naradin, with his Troops, charged the Coffacks of Sont and Akrerko, who were commanded by C 4 Emilian 1689 Cherre 1689 Emilian, the Dominidiak, or Ruffian Secretary of State; this Gentleman knew very little of the Art of War, and was fo frightened, that he could not ftand before the Tartars, who breaking in among the Baggage, and killing the Horfes, prevented the Muscovites from drawing off their Waggons; they pierced in as far as the Centre of those Waggons, and carried off twenty Pieces of Cannon, which they found mounted upon Carriages, and Horfes harneffed to them. In fhort, if the Boyar Kouka had not advanced with his Troops, the Coffacks had been entirely cut off. mittau was attacked at the fame Time by another Body of Tartars, who broke in as far as his Baggage, but he defended himself much better than Emilian, and forced the Tartars to retire. In thefe Skirmishes the Tartars being repulfed, although the Advantage and fome Plunder fell to them, the Muscovites moved forwards to get some fresh Water; fo the next Day they marched to Kalanfchek; the Cavalry were ordered to mix with the Waggons and Carriages, and all the Army, which till then had been divided, joined into one Body, and made a Square Figure, the Baggage was furrounded with the Cannon and Infantry, who carried their Pallifadoes upon their Shoulders, to be the readier in planting them. The Tartars appeared again, while they were in this March; but having viewed the Army on all Sides, and finding the Horfe had fecured themselves, they forbore Action, and were content to keep the Mufcovites in Fear of them; but they foon withdrew, and went to defend Precop, which they thought would be attempted by the numerous Army of the Muscovites, who who that Day encamped at Halanfchek, and the next paffed the River, where finding no Tartars, feveral of them were encouraged to leave the Baggage, and afcend the Hill to dif cover Precop, which appeared to be all in Flames, for the Tartars had fet Fire to the Suburbs, left the Muscovites fhould have taken Poffeffion of them. 1689. On the 16th they marched ftraight on to 18 Precop, and fat down within Cannon Shot of the Town, having the Black-Sea on the Right, and the Defart on the Left: They made no Shot from the Town, because it was too far to do Execution, but they fired incef-fantly from a Tower that ftood on the Shore of the Black-Sea. The Mufcovites thought of attacking the Town in the Night, but were ftrangely furprized to receive Orders,, in the Evening, to return; which was occafioned by a fudden Treaty fet on Foot, by the following Accident. The Army being encamped pretty near the Town, the Nogays and Calmuck Tartars, Sub-jects of Mufcovy, fkirmifhing often with the Precopians, à Nogay, who ferved the Cham, faw by chance, a Muscovite of his Acquain-tance, and calling out to him, What do we contend for, faid he, there would be no. Occa-fion to fight if your Boyar would make Peace with our Cham? The Muscovite replied, that if the Boyar Galliczin believed the Cham was that Way inclined, he might perhaps come. into Measures with him: But if the Cham really defired Peace, he ought to fend and treat about it. Well, faid the Precopian No'gay, do you break the Matter to your Gene-ral, and you may venture to affure him, that C 5. the 1689 the Cham is willing to come to Terms. The Muscovite went immediately to Prince Galliczin's Tent, and having procured an Audience from him, acquainted him with all that had happened, and all the Difcourfe that paffed between him and the Tartars. The Prince liking the Motion, caufed a Letter to be wrote, in the Name of this Muscovite to the Precopian Nogay, to this Purpose: Fhave related to the General, Prince Galliczin, what paffed between us; he is content to come to an Accommodation ; it lies upon you to get fome Perfon to be fent to him with the Cham's Proposals. This Letter, being delivered to the firft Tartar that appeared, was carried to the Cham, who having read it, fent to ask Prince Galliczin if it was wrote by his Order, and being answered that it was; he fent a principal Perfon, Suilech Murza, and the Muscovites fent a Boyar, named Efmeyan, in exchange for Hoftages. In this Treaty, the Mufcovites propofed the five following Conditions: That all the Ruffian Slaves fhould be reftored. That the Tartars fhould make no more Inroads into the Czars Dominions. That they fhould quit their Claim to 80,000 Roubles, annually due to them from Muscovy. That they should not moleft the Poles, nor affift the Turks. The Murza gave fome Hopes of an Agreement, and fpun out the Conference to keep them in Sufpenfe till next Day, well knowing fo great a Multitude could not long fubfift where they were without Forage and Water: But the next Day he answered, that the Cham would accept of Peace, on no other Terms than thofe he was already engaged in with the Czars: That he infifted upon the Payment of the yearly Tribute, and expected to |