Heg.1108,

gene ra

J.C. 1697. Eugene was ravaging Bofnia; that he had burnt & 1109. Saraio the capital of that province; that Said Prince Eu- bafhaw was killed in defending it; that the Vages Bof- troops in concert had elected Daltaban to fucceed nia. The him, a brave warrior, known by important ferba vices against the Poles, and more recently against is confirm the rebels of Afia, and who a fhort time before emperor. had been banished to Bofnia by the last grand

foldiers

a

fhaw, who

ed by the

vizier. Daltaban having affembled all the national troops, which are never called out but on the most preffing occafions, made fo good a difpofition against the army of prince Eugene, that the latter, not thinking it right to hazard a battle, and feeing the feafon advancing,

brought back his, troops into winter quarters in Return of Hungary. The grand feignior confirmed the the grand choice of the foldiers, and fent the three horsefeignior to Conftanti tails to Daltaban, after which he returned to nople.

Embassy from Perfia.

Conftantinople, perceiving nothing on his way but confternation and difcouragement. The Poles, divided between the prince of Conti and the elector of Saxony Frederick Auguftus, both elected fucceffors to Sobiefki by different parties, had not had leifure to make war abroad; and as to the Turkish and Venetian fleets, they had done nothing more than watch each other.

The end of this year was remarkable by an embaffy from Perfia, the object of which was to obtain mofques of the fect of Ali for the Perfians who lived in the dominions of the grand feignior. The magnificent prefents which the ambassador

made

Heg.1108,

made gave a high opinion of the riches of the J.C. 1697Perfians, and of their tafte for the arts; but & 1109. their negotiation was without fuccefs.

The

Ottoman court replied, that all the Muffulmen might adore God and praise his prophet in the places appointed for that purpofe; but that the true Muffulmen ought not to furnish occafions for rendering the Divinity or Mahomet another worship than that prescribed by the original Alcoran. The Perfian ambaffador. left Conftantinople at the end of two months, fufficiently diffatisfied with the fuccefs of his miffion; but his mafter did not then express any refentment of the refufal which he had met with.

A fhort time after the audience of the Perfian ambaffador, Mr. Deferiolles, who had followed the Turks in feveral of their campaigns by order of the court of France, and who had lately been appointed ambaffador at the Porte in the room of Mr. Dechateauneuf, réquefted that a day might be appointed for his having an audience of the grand feignior, to deliver him his credentials and his presents: this ceremony is performed with more pomp for the French ambaffadors than for thofe of the other crowns, on account of the friendship which has fo long united the Porte and that court. We should give, an account of a misunderstanding which deprived Mr. Deferoilles of the honor which he ought to have received, and which was like to bring on a war between the two powers.

An

feriolles,

J.C. 1697. An oda of janiffaries and the chiaus being Beg. 1108, &1109. Come to the French palace to honor the march Mr. De of the ambaffador; the latter, mounted on a the French fuperb horse, preceded by all his houshold richly ambaffa clothed, and by the retinue added by the Turks, admitted followed by all the merchants of the French dience of nation at Conftantinople, repaired from the palace that he inhabited at Pera to the feraglio, why. where he was to be admitted to an audience

dor, is not

to an au

the Otto

peror; and

of his highness. The prefents intended for the grand feignior were carried with him, which confifted of pieces of clock-work, goldfmiths' ware, looking-glaffes of great value, and other rarities which the Turks, who are very magnificent and indolent, fet a great value on. A law, which is almoft as ancient as the Ottoman monarchy, forbids the admittance of any Giaur or Infidel, armed in any manner whatfoever, into the prefence of his highnefs. The Muffulmen themfelves don't appear before the monarch with arms, except in time of war, and when the campaign is open. Mr. Deferiolles had read in the account which his predeceffor had given of his embaffy, that he had never taken off his sword when he was admitted before the throne of the grand feignior. The new ambassador did not doubt that this honor, 'till then unknown in the Ottoman empire, had been granted to the great refpect which the Turks had always fhewn France, and which was increafing every day by the want which the Porte was likely to have of that crown

on

"

on account of its difference with the court of J.C. 1697. Heg.1108, Vienna. Mr. Deferiolles, being refolved to enjoy & 1109. the fame honors as his predeceffor, wore at the audience' a sword very long and very remarkable by the excellency of the workmanship. On his arrival in the divan chamber, he met the new grand vizier Huffain, who received him with the customary honors, and caused to be distributed according to ufage, in prefence of the ambaffador, the pay to the janiffaries and to the bostangis of the feraglio; after this, the grand vizier and Mr. Deferiolles were ferved at a table where they ate alone, and the principal perfons of the ambaffador's retinue at different tables, at each of which fome officers of the feraglio ate with them, and did them the honors. The grand vizier said to Mr. Deferiolles, that Muftapha was returned on purpose from his houfe at Darud Bashaw to give him audience, and that his highness would fee him with pleasure. The repaft being over, caftans were brought, which are a fort of gowns that the grand feignior and grand vizier always give foreigners of diftinction at their audience, and which the latter put on before they appear there. The number of thefe gowns is proportionable to the esteem which the Porte has for the ambaffador or for the prince that it receives, Thirty caftans were distributed to the French ambaffador and twenty-nine of his attendants: the greatest number ever given before. As the Frenchmen, who were to enter into the throne chamber,

Heg.1108 Chamber, were putting on thefe caftans over

>

& 1109. their other clothes, the chiau pachi, who had warned each of them to take off his fword, perceived that the ambaffador kept on his. He warned Mr. Deferiolles a fecond time by the first interpreter, Mauro Cordato, who had been ambaffador at Vienna. On Mr. Deferiolles's refufing rather haughtily, Mauro Cordato affured him, that his pretenfion was of no confequence to the dignity of his master, and abfolutely tended to nothing but to tranfgrefs the laws of the Porte, -as, in the memory of man, no one had entered armed into the throne chamber in presence of the grand feignior. Mr. Deferiolles replied, that Mr. Dechateauneuf, at his audience, had never taken off his fword; Mauro Cordato and the old officers of the feraglio strongly denied it, declaring all, that, fo far from Mr. Dechateauneuf's having worn a fword in prefence of the emperor, he had none on when he came out of his palace, or on his way to the feraglio.* As the quarrel began to grow high between the chiau pachi and the ambaffador, the grand vizier being gone into the throne chamber, Mauro Cordato, who openly profeffed himself attached to France, and who in fact had been magnificently paid by Mr. Dechateauneuf, took the ambaffador afide,

and

* Mr. Dechateauneuf having written in the account which he gave in, and having fince afferted, that he never took off his fword at his audience, it is probable that, as the French wore at that time very short hangers, Mr. Dechateauneuf concealed one of thefe in the plaits of his coat and under his caftan.