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Heg.1102,

kiaia of the kiflar agafi, and fome other accom- J.C. 1691. plices, were hanged up inftantly in fight of the &1103 troops, and the grand vizier prepared to set out for Hungary with intention to merit more and more the favor of the people and the love of the foldiers.

take the

Kiuperli was at the head of a hundred thousand The Turks chofen troops. The fuccefs of the laft campaign feid. had fo elated the courage of the officers and foldiers, that the Ottomans, who for twenty years had been conftantly beaten under incapable generals, believed themselves invincible under Kiuperli. On the grand vízier's arrival at Belgrade, he learned that the prince of Baden was in the vicinity of Peterwaradin with an army almost as numerous as his. A council of war was called, when it was refolved to march against the Auftrians in order to make them retreat to Buda, in case they should refuse to come to action. Two bridges being thrown over the Save, the army paffed to the other fide. The prince of Baden, on the news of this motion of the Turks, intrenched himself in a place called Salanakem, where he waited for the enemy; Kiuperli foon appeared. Whilft he was obferving the pofition of the Austrians, a body of five thousand Germans, that wanted to join the prince of Baden, coming out of a foreft, met the Ottoman army between the Auftrian camp and him. This troop, vigorously charged, was foon put in fuch diforder, that not a fingie combatant efcaped

death

Heg. 1102,

&1103.

J.C. 1691 death or flavery. This flaughter was over before the prince of Baden had had time to range his army in battle. The janiffaries, full of hope

Salana

kem; where Kiuperli is killed.

and courage, confidered this firft fuccefs as a certain prefage of a more important victory; but Battle of the action was fcarcely begun, when Kiuperli, whofe activity carried him wherever he thought his prefence neceffary, was ftruck by a ball in the temple, which killed him on the fpot. These news being foon spread in the ranks, fo terrified and discouraged the Ottomans, that they presently gave way every where, and thofe, who had expected a victory, were the witneffes or victims of a most fatal defeat; twenty-eight thoufand Turks, killed or wounded, remained on the field of battle, as likewife three thousand Germans, without counting the five thousand that had been entirely deftroyed before the general

action came on.

The Ottomans did not join again 'till they had reached Belgrade, where the prince of Baden did not think it right to purfue them. He chofe rather to take Lippa, which the Turks had conquered the preceding campaign, The oldest of the bafhaws, called Ali, who commanded the Turks fince the death of the vizier, would by no means undertake any thing with troops fo lately beaten and quite difcouraged. He waited for the autumn in a camp well intrenched, and fent word to Adrianople, that the lofs of Kiuperli

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had drawn along with it the lofs of a campaign J.C.1691. Heg. 1102, which had promised to be very glorious. No- & 1103. thing confiderable was done this year, either on the fide of the Poles or the Venetians. All these people were waiting for the general peace, that the English and Dutch ambaffadors were negotiating, but which the French ambassador traverfed efficaciously, by always perfuading the ministry, that the diverfion, which the king his master intended to make in their favor, wouldenable them to obtain a glorious peace. The ambaffador likewife made ufe of a fecond mean, which Lewis XIV. was not fparing of: that was to scatter a great deal of gold in the divan.

J.C.1692.
Heg.1103,

& 1104.

bafhaw is

grand vi.

The caimacan of Conftantinople, called Arabaji bashaw, was raised to the dignity of grand vizier. This minister had neither the talents nor Arabaji the elevated mind of his predeceffor. His extreme made avarice gave the example of depredation to thofe zier. who had fome part in the government; and Mr. Dechateauneuf took advantage of the avidity of the members of the divan, to buy at a dear rate fuffrages against a peace. The Greek, Mauro Cordato, one of the ambaffadors at Vienna, was charged more particularly than his colleague to examine and give an account of every circumstance. Mauro Cordato, bribed with Frenchgold, wrote to the grand vizier, that the victory of Salanakem had thrown the court of Vienna into more confternation than the lofs of a battle. could have done at any other time; that Germany

VOL. IV.

C

- J.C. 1692. Heg. 1103,

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many was fo drained of men and money, that the &104 eight thousand Auftrians killed at Salanakem would be much more difficult to replace, than the twenty-eight thousand Turks left on the fame field of battle, and' that it was impoffible for the empire of Germany to carry on the war two years longer. These confiderations determined the grand vizier to continue it; but from the manner in which he prepared for it, one would have thought that he was himself paid by the house of Austria. He began with putting to death, on the slightest pretences, feveral perfons who might give him umbrage. This cruelty produced an effect quite contrary to his wishes. The friends of the bashaw of Siliftria, of the bostangi pachi, and of the felictar, all strangled, leagued themfelves together against a fanguinary tyrant who knew only to destroy. A palpable fault, which his avidity made him commit, foon furnifhed means for ruining him in his turn. He contrived to give a copper money seven times its intrinfic value, thinking to enrich the state by a proceeding that would have the appearance of increafing the public funds; but this incapable minifter was ignorant that the misuse of authority can never establish confidence. The foreigners, who carry on all the commerce of the East, refused to take these pieces at their nominal value; in a little time the custom-houfe officers and tax-gatherers refused them likewife, though government paid the troops and the people who

brought

Heg.1103,

grand vi

and inca

depofed.

Turpofchi

brought provifions to the feraglio with this falfe J.C. 1692. money. An infurrection was the confequence; and & 1104the injuftice which occafioned it too heinous for The new the author of these abfurdities not to become the zier,greedy victim of them. He was depofed, and stripped pable, is of the great property which a tyrannical administration in feveral bashawcies had enabled him to heap up. Turpofchi, bafhaw of Diarbekar, received orders to come and take the feals of the bathaw is made grand empire. The capiggi pachi had but juft de-vizier. livered him the catcherif of the grand feignior in the palace of his refidence, when an officer of the old grand vizier's, who had been dispatched.before the depofition of the latter, arrived at Diarbekar with feveral delis, to ftrangle him. The new grand vizier had the moderation not to avenge the injury intended him. He brought back his executioners to Conftantinople, without fhewing any refentment to them, or to him who had fent them. On his arrival, he refolved to turn his thoughts seriously to a peace. Mr. Decolliere, the Dutch ambassador, and fir . . Paget, the English ambaffador, preffed it equally. Both had been confuls of their nation, and both had over the French ambaffador the advantage of understanding and speaking Turkish, consequently the facility of treating themselves with the minifter, without having recourfe to druggermen, fubaltern officers, always more ignorant than the ambaffadors of the intentions of their court, and of political refources. Mr. Dechateauneuf

VOL. IV.

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