through this mutinous foldiery. A piftol ball J.C. 1731. Heg.1143, wounded him in the arm, but did not hinder him & 1144. from repairing to the feraglio, where he informed the grand feignior that the rebellion was 'recommencing. Whilft the rebels were running to feize tents and kettles to encamp in the Atmeidan, the bafhaws, affembled at the call of the grand feignior, fought companions to go and attack the rebels; for the last revolution had taught them the value of time. At break of day, the grand vizier, the aga of the janiffaries, the captain bashaw, and all the bashaws of the bench, at the head of what they had affembled of levantis, boftangis, topggis, jebeggis, and even fome janiffaries, marched to the Atmeidan under the standard of Mahomet. They found only the four hundred men under arms, affembled by the emiffaries of the fultaneffes. Without deigning to enter into a conference with them, they attacked them vigorously. The emir who carried the standard of Mahomet was knocked off his horfe. If the rebels had been able to get poffeffion of this revered ftandard, fuperftition perhaps would have turned the devout Muffulmen on their fide. The bafhaws were fo convinced of it, that they made use of all their efforts to preferve this facred banner, and this made them perform prodigies of valour, At length the people appearing to declare for them, the rebels took to flight. The major part took refuge in the odas of the janiffaries. The bafhaws were for purfu VOL. IV. Xx ing J.C. 1731 ing them thither, but the grand vizier, Cabacu Heg.1143, & 1144 lak, was afraid of difaffecting that foldiery, which L had not yet taken any part. The odas having the right of afylum, the grand vizier would not violate them, for fear of furnishing a pretext for the bad intentioned, who might be very numerous. Two hundred of the rebels were left dead on the field of battle, as likewife their chiefs; feventy were made prifoners. Cabaculak had these immediately strangled, and in the very place where they had been vanquished; and having caused the tubulcham to be beaten to affemble the janiffaries, he ordered, that nine of the feventeen odas then at Conftantinople should march the next day to join the army in Perfia. Two prin. The two princeffes, who were foon known to have the Otto- been the inftigators of this fresh confpiracy, were ceffes of man blood the old feraglio. are fent to both fhut up in the old feraglio. Their riches, which they had made fuch a bad use of, increased the public treasure. Each of them had affigned her for fubfiftence only two piafters a day, which make five fhillings fterling. Mahmout had been defirous of going himself at the head of his troops against the rebels; but as the name of Achmet III. had refounded in the Atmeidan, his ministers perfuaded him not to go out of the feraglio, left fome of the confpirators, hidden within its walls, fhould take advantage of his abfence to fhut him out and replace his uncle once more on the throne of his ancestors. In a country where every thing belongs to the Heg.1143, ders given firft occupier, fuch fteps are often decifive. Mah- J.C. 1731. The grand vizier, Cabaculak, turned his attention to the affairs of Perfia. He propofed reinforcing the nine odas that he had already fent thither; but he advised his master not to quit the capital, nor to fend him, the vizier, away, 'till tranquility should be perfectly restored. - The grand feignior, who thought it prudent not to let any thing remain of what the rebels had done, refoived to depose Rustan bashaw of Erivan, and even put him to death, because Patrona Calil had Xx 2 VOL. IV. of Heg.1143, J.C.1731 of his own authority appointed this general to &1144 command in Perfia, and it was fuppofed that The grand there was a fecret correfpondence between Rustan feignior and the rebels. He fent a capiggi to Selim, aga refolves to have the the army general of kiaia, or lieutenant to Ruftan, with the appointment of bashaw of Erivan for him, by virtue of Perfia put which Selim was to take the command, and have fent against to death. What hap- his commanding officer arrested and executed as pens in confe quence. a rebel. The capiggi pachi, charged with this delicate commiffion, took off, or at least concealed, the marks of his office, and fet forward for the army as a private fpahi going to join his corps. On his arrival at the gates of Erivan, where all was refounding with the acclamations of victory, he learned, that Ruftan had just totally routed the Perfians, who had attempted to befiege that place; that having gone out to meet them, he had made a great carnage, and was preparing to purfue them. The capiggi pachi, doubting already of the fuccefs of his miffion, afked to be conducted to Selim aga. He was told that that brave officer had exposed himself too much in the action, in which he had been grievously wounded, and was juft dead of his wounds. Mahmout's envoy, greatly embarraffed, meditated to fteal away from the army whilft on the march which it was going to begin; but Ruftan bafhaw, to whom an account was given of the moft trifling events, foon learned that there was a new comer in the army, who called himself a fpahi, and who belonged to ngne Heg.1143, none of the corps of that foldiery, employed un- J.C. 1731. der his orders. The general caused this man to & 1144. be brought before him. From his embarraffed air, and several contradictory answers, Ruftan ́ thought him a fpy. He inftantly ordered that he fhould be hanged; upon which, the capiggi pachi, who had no other measures to take, and who thought he might expect fome return for his fincerity, gave Ruftan the commiffion which appointed Selim aga commander in chief, and the order for him to have Ruftan put to death. After having read it, Ruftan ordered the army to march, and wrote to the Porte, by the fame capiggi pachi, an account of the death of the officer whom they had intended for the command in Perfia; that as to the reft, his life belonged to the emperor, but that it was better for him to lofe it in ferving his master, than by the hands of the executioner; that he had juft vanquished the Perfians; that he hoped to beat them again in a few days; that in the intermediate time it was neceffary that he should live, and that afterward the most powerful emperor would decide on his fate. Ruftan bafhaw kept his word, for having come up with the Perfians at feventy-two miles from Erivan, before they had time to recover themfelves, aided by the fuccours of Ali bafhaw of Tauris, he beat them a fecond time, and drove them back as far as Dervan. Thefe accounts would have caufed great joy at Conftantinople, if fparks of a fire badly extinguished |