J.C. 1739 After the marquis of Villeneuve and he had had a conversation of several hours, the mediator went to the grand vizier's tent to propose to him from the Germans the ancient conditions, adding thereto the demolition of Belgrade and Sabach. "As I have but one God," replied the grand vizier, "I have but one word; I will hear of "nothing unless I have Belgrade fortified in my "poffeffion." On this answer general Neuperg demanded his horfes to return into the besieged town; he was on the point of parting, when the reis effendi and the kiaia entered the tent of the marquis of Villeneuve, and having taken him afide, made him promise not to precipitate any thing, and not to break off the negotiation, affuring him that they would do their utmost to bring the grand vizier to conditions not fo hard. On this representation the French ambaffador prevailed on the count of Neuperg to remain in the camp two days longer. The grand vizier fet his pretenfions fo high, only because he thought the count had an unlimited power to make peace. His inftructions were not inferted in his powers; and the Turk had feen in them that the count was to conclude a peace according to his prudence and for the intereft of his mafter and nation. He thought from this, by keeping him in his camp, to be able to force him to accede to his demands. But the ftay of the Auftrian minifter in the camp made no change in his difpofition. Ali Continua tion. Ali bafhaw of Bosnia, who, as we have seen, had J.C. 1739Heg.1152. been grand vizier, came the very fame day to n fee the marquis of Villeneuve. He faid to him, tion of the that the grand vizier was ill, without doubt with negotia vexation at the treaty of peace being fo little advanced. He added, that the prime minifter could not, without the greatest danger for his perfon, give up his claim to the place then befieged; that he would rather let all his troops perifh around Belgrade, than raise the fiege, however rigorous the winter might be, which was as yet at a distance; that a mediator ought to make himself useful to both parties; and that, fince he was very certain the Ottomans would not drop their claim to Belgrade, it was the duty of the French ambaffador to prevail on the Imperialists to make that ceffion. The marquis of Villeneuve promifed to make new efforts. He went to the count of Neuperg and obferved to him, that as the Auftrians were not ftrong enough to bring an army before Belgrade, the place muft neceffarily be taken fooner or later by the Turks. If the Ottomans, added he, fhould permit it to be demolished, why would you not give it up to them, when it would be no longer a key to Hungary? The German minifter replied, that, if his master gave up Servia, he would be little interested in keeping a town of that province, but that he ftuck particularly at the fortifications of Belgrade, Because it would be against the equity and glory of the western empire to furnish an infidel power, the Heg.1152. J.C.1739. the natural enemy of the fovereign of Hungary, with a barrier of fuch importance, which had coft fo much time and fo many men, and had been fortified at the expence of the clergy. On this explanation the marquis of Villeneuve conceived fome hopes. He went to Ali bashaw to give him an account of what had juft paffed between the German plenipotentiary and himself. Three of the fubaltern minifters of the Porte, who were in Ali bafhaw's tent, faid to him, that they did not think this propofition would be accepted by the grand vizier; that Elias bafhaw would immediately give a final plan to communicate to the Imperialists; but that he would not fend back the count of Neuperg to Belgrade. The marquis of Villeneuve, offended at this violence, infifted on the law of nations, the promife of the grand vizier, and the afylum of the mediation, which ought to be facred. He added, that the affair of the pacification required that the count should be fent back, whose dispatches, as long as he fhould be retained in the camp, would always appear to the Germans to be dictated by timidity and the defire of getting out of the hands of the Turks, instead of which, if he returned to Belgrade, the account which he should give of the difpofition of the Turks and the state of their army would be believed. The minifters, without replying to these good reasons, appointed a conference for the next day, at which the grand vizier Elias bafhaw was not prefent, pretending to be ill, whether he was really indifpofed, or that it was feared the ftate of his mind would render him incapable of a dry, methodical difcuffion, neceffary to attain his ends. The reis effendi and the mektoupchi fpoke in this conference, which was held in prefence of all the bashaws and of fome agas of the army; they declared, that Belgrade should be the pledge of peace, and its fortifications the furety of it; they enlarged on the causes of the war, the refources of the Turks to prolong it, and the misfortunes that longer hoftilities would infallibly bring on Hungary. The marquis of Villeneuve in his turn drew a ftriking picture of the evils to which the two nations would expose themselves. The count of Neuperg, lefs prolix than any of thofe who had spoken before him, faid, that he had offered the Turks all Servia, which comprehended Belgrade, provided this laft place were demolifhed, the fortifications of which, fuch as they were, had never belonged to them; that he had added to it a part of Walachia, which it would be eafy to limit; that if thefe facrifices could not procure a peace, he declared he had exhausted his powers, and that he must return to his master to give him an account of the difpofitions of the Porte, and obtain new inftructions, if his Imperial majefty fhould be pleased to give him any. The reis effendi replied, that it would be better for the count to remain in the French ambaffador's tent, and wait for the orders of his court. The 3 D VOL. IV. two .C. 1739 Heg.1152. Meg.1152. 1.C.1739 two Chriftian minifters equally perceived the violence of this proceeding, but they would not fay any thing about it in an open conference, well knowing that the Turks would not alter their conduct, and that they should only excite them to violate the law of nations more openly. But as foon as the meeting was over, the count of Nuperg went up to the druggerman of the Porte and that of France, and ordered them to fay to the reis effendi in his prefence, that he Neuperg, representing the emperor of the Weft, was incapable of yielding either to menace or force; that whatever lot they might prepare for him, he would rather die in the camp of the Turks ferving his master and his country, than lofe his head on a scaffold at Vienna for having betrayed both. He wifhed to have the druggerman of France hear that of the Porte render this fpeech to the reis effendi, in order to be fure that the sense was not altered by the tranflation. The affembly broke up without any thing being agreed on, every body being equally difcon tented. The druggerman of the Porte, who was strongly interested in the peace, because his brother, the waywode of Moldavia, had been a great fufferer by this war, and was likely to fuffer ftill more, ran, after the conference, into the tent of the marquis of Villeneuve; and as he painted to the mediator the embarraffiment of the grand vizier, who could not give up his claim to Belgrade, the marquis |