1.C. 1723. toman emperor and the czar of Ruffia to folicit Heg.1135, & 1136. fuccours.. It was already known that Shah Tha mas had concluded a treaty with Peter the Great. They learned during the same ramazan, that the Khilan, a province on the coast of the Caspian fea, had just submitted to the Ruffian arms, and that Shah Thamas confirmed all thefe conquefts to the czar, on condition that the Ruffian monarch fhould affift him to drive the Afghvans out of his empire. The Perfian ambassador was badly received at Conftantinople; he could not see the grand feignior but at his coming out of a mofque during the beiram. He delivered to him, in the fame manner as the lowest of the populace could have done, a memorial in behalf of his mafter, conceived in the most humble and preffing terms. Achmet III. replied to this fort of request, as he always did, by giving it to his grand vizier. They had not dared receive this Perfian as the character with which he was invefted feemed to require, because the people, equally diffatisfied that war was not declared against the Ruffians, and that government feemed to incline towards Shah Thamas against the Afghvans, who were Sunnite Muffulmen, threatened a fedition that might have broken out during the ceremony of the audience. J.C.123. Meanwhile, nothing was talked of at ConftanHeg.1136. tinople but a war against Ruffia. The bashaw of against Diarbekar had entered into the province of Shirvan; and the Armenians of Naksivan, displeased with their unfortunate king Shah Thamas, who Hoftilities Ruffia. had Heg.1131. had been fo indifcreet as to treat thofe fub-J.C. 1724. jects with rigour who remained faithful to him, invited the bafhaw of Van to come and take poffeffion of their country. This chief had no difficulty to drive out of a defolated province The what Perfian foldiers were left there. of the mar Bonac. tween the minifters of the the envoy czar. During the rejoicings which these advantages Mediation occafioned at Conftantinople, and which were quis of mixed with thofe of the beiram, the conferences Confe appointed between the grand vizier, the reis rences beeffendi, and the Ruffian refident, commenced under the eyes of the French ambaffador. The Porte and time for the campaign drew near. Ibrahim ob- of the tained, by the advice of the marquis of Bonac, that Achmet fhould appoint a general divan, where all the principal persons of the ulema and the general officers should be called. The grand vizier laid before this affembly the fituation of affairs, the claims of the czar, those of the Porte, and the disputes that might raise up a war between the two empires. The fear of becoming fufpected either by the ulema or the troops, prevented his recommending conciliatory meafures, which he fo much wifhed; but as all the members of the divan were for having war declared against the czar, the druggerman Nn VOL. IV. of Heg.1136. J.C.1724 of the Porte defired permiffion to enter the affembly in behalf of the French ambaffador. Being admitted, he defired leave to present the proposals of the mediator. When he had obtained it, he began by declaring, that the parties were of a mind, as the czar confined himself to the borders of the Cafpian fea, which the Turks had no thoughts of conquering, and that he would voluntarily abandon to the Ottomans Georgia and all Armenia, provinces more fertile and nearer the frontiers of the empire; that the Ottoman Porte should never think of conquering all Perfia, fince history taught, that dominions too much extended had always been deftroyed by difunion, after long and bloody wars; that it was easy to draw a line of limits, to feparate the provinces that fhould belong to Ruffia, from those which the Porte would reserve to itself; that this agreement would spare much blood, and fix the chances of a war, always doubtful and ruinous; that it was not the interest of the Porte to oppose the rife of Ruffia, fince that power, become more formidable, would keep the house of Austria in awe, the almost natural enemy of the Muffulmen; that in fine though neither the French ambaffador nor he, the druggerman, were well verfed in the Alcoran, both being Chriftians, they were however of opinion that the Afghvans were wrongly confidered as Sunnites and orthodox Muffulmen, fince they would not acknowledge the powerful emperor of the Turks for commander of the Faithful; Faithful; that therefore it was both reafon and J.C. 1724. Heg.1136. justice to take up arms against the ufurpers for the fon of the fophi, the lawful inheritor of Perfia, making him pay for the fuccours which fhould re-place him on the throne, with provinces. that fhould fettle the Ottoman power on the most folid foundation. This difcourfe, which lasted more than half an hour, pronounced with precifion and clearnefs, made a great impreffion on the affembly. It ftifled particularly the clamours of the ulema. The grand vizier having asked the mufti, if a prince who refused to acknowledge the commander of the Faithful could be confidered as a Sunnite, and if it was not enjoined to reduce him by force of arms, the chief of the law replied, that, as the true Muffulmen had but one God, they should have but one master to reprefent that God on earth. Ibrahim having taken the votes immediately after this anfwer, three parts of the affembly were of the druggerman's opinion, to recommence the conferences with the Ruffian refident, under the mediation of the French ambaffador. "Since this is your opinion," Peace is faid the grand vizier rifing, "I will go and in the "inform the emperor of it." This prince, as much pleased as furprised at the fudden change, admitted the druggerman of the Porte into his prefence, for him to repeat what he had just said in the divan. This was perhaps the first time that a druggerman was introduced into the inner rooms of the feraglio. He was loaded with preNn 2 VOL. IV. fents refolved on divan. Heg.1136. J.C. 1724. fents, and, a little time after, Achmet placed him on the throne of Moldavia. Conditions of the treaty. The conferences were recommenced the next day, and the preliminaries were soon settled. The marquis of Bonac fent a relation of his with thefe preliminaries to the czar, and to receive the orders of that prince. Peter the Great did not fail of approving conditions that granted him every thing which he had claimed; but when Mr. Duffon Daillon (that was the name of the marquis's relation) had brought back Peter the Great's acceffion to the treaty, there were again long debates, as the Turkish minifters were afraid the people would diflike to see the Muffulman Tartars under the fceptre of a Christian prince. The marquis of Bonac repeated to them several times, that these Tartars came from the dominions of the Aliians, whom the Sunnites looked upon as Giaurs as well as the Chriftians. The defire which the grand feignior and his prime. minister had for peace, made them ftifle all fear. They caused their confent to be preceded by a fetfa from the mufti, which declared the Afghvans' heretics, ufurpers, and rebels. A few days after the publication of this mandate, which great care was taken to distribute in Constantinople and all the great towns of the empire, the treaty was figned. It contained fix articles, preceded by a preamble, in which was mentioned the ceffion made to the czar by prince Thamas of the provinces |