raise the siege; but so weakened was the Russian force by detachments, that it was only with four battalions of infantry, five hundred Cossacks, and twelve guns-in all, scarce four thousand men.

men, the chosen troops of the monarchy, to raise the siege; and the Sardar of Erivan joined him with a large body of irregular horse. The Russian general resolved to anticipate the attack; and, leaving eight battalions and a few guns He was met on the banks to observe the fortress, passed the of the Abarane by Abbas Mirza at the Araxes by a ford, by means of hides head of five thousand infantry and five forming air-bladders, adopted from the thousand irregular horse, with twentyOrientals by Paskewitch for the occa-eight guns. Notwithstanding this great sion. He found the Persians in a strong disparity of force, the Russian general, position outflanking his right, and sup-moved by the danger of the beleaguered ported on their own right by an imposing mass of five thousand irregular horse. The enemy appeared in great strength, and the position extremely formidable; but a headlong charge of the dragoons of Nijni-Novogorod and a body of Cossacks having checked the horse opposed to the Russian left, the infantry in the centre succeeded in making themselves masters of an elevated platean in their front, from which their guns commanded the whole field of battle. The Persians, seeing their centre forced and their right in disorder, broke and fled on all sides. It was no longer a battle, but a rout; and before the Russians sheathed their victorious swords, the Persians had lost five thousand men killed, wounded, and prisoners, several standards, and nearly their whole artillery. Abbas Mirza himself narrowly escaped being mnade prisoner, and owed his escape entirely to the fleetness of his horse. The loss of the Russians was only fortynine men; and Paskewitch soon after reaped the substantial fruits of victory by the acquisition of Abbasabad, which surrendered on 31st July.

23. The Persians, however, were not discouraged by this defeat, which was, in truth, rather a "battle of the spurs" than a regular action. They made a vigorous attack on General Sipiagine, who was conducting a considerable park of artillery at Krasowsky, on the frontier of Russian Georgia; and though he succeeded in effecting the junction, it was only after repeated assaults and a very severe loss. They next laid siege to the monastery of Elschmiadzine, which was soon seriously endangered by the fire of their batteries. Upon this Krasowsky took the field to

stronghold, resolved on an attack. The combat which ensued, though in the end favourable to the Russians, was extremely bloody, and evinced a degree of discipline and organisation in the Persian army much beyond what had been hitherto encountered. The Russians, without much difficulty, made themselves masters of the Persian position, which was the summit of a rocky ridge. But when they were there, they found the reverse side to consist of steep precipices, almost impracticable for artillery; and while hesitating what to do next, the Persians attacked them with the utmost impetuosity on all sides, while their artillery, which was admirably served, made fatal ravages in their ranks. At length the enemy were repulsed, but not before they had inflicted on the Russians a loss of twelve hundred men in killed, prisoners, and wounded, Krasowsky himself being among the latter. The Persians were weakened by nearly two thousand men. It was remarkable, in this well-contested action, that two Persian battalions charged two of the Russian guard, and came off victorious.

24. Informed of the narrow escape of this corps from destruction, Paskewitch hastened to the support of his lieutenant with all the forces which he could collect, and obliged Abbas Mirza to retire to the right bank of the Araxes; after which he undertook the siege of Sardarabad, the reduction of which was necessary before undertaking that of Erivan. It yielded after a siege of only four days, and Paskewitch immediately sat down before Erivan. The garrison, which was three thousand strong, made a gallant defence, and repulsed several attacks; but such was the consternation

of the inhabitants, that they could not | ing to destroy the important magazines be brought to take any efficient part in in Tauris, the second city in the emthe defence; and on the 13th October, pire, and the residence of the heirwhen a battalion of the imperial guard apparent to the throne, moved by forced had already mounted the breach, they marches upon that town. It formerly insisted on the governor imploring the contained 250,000 inhabitants, now clemency of the conqueror. The gar- reduced by Mohammedan tyranny to rison, consisting of three disciplined 40,000; but it was still, next to the battalions, the governor, and seven capital, the most important place in other khans, were made prisoners of the kingdom. At the first news of the war; the whole artillery of the fortress, approach of the Russians, five thousand with immense stores of ammunition and of the troops in the garrison left the provisions, fell into the hands of the town and disbanded. This disgraceful Russians; and the bulwark of Persia, defection left the governor, Ali-Yarregarded over all Asia as impregnable, Khan, only two battalions, with which fell into the hands, and permanently it was impossible to defend a town of remained under the power, of the Mus- such extent. With this handful of covites. Though the place had been in men, however, he endeavoured to maina manner taken by assault, no disorders tain the ramparts; but he was deserted of any kind were committed by the be- in presence of the enemy even by them, siegers. The Russians were received and compelled to seek safety in flight, rather as deliverers than enemies, and attended only by two followers. victors and vanquished met together in was soon made prisoner; and the town, peace within its formidable ramparts. with its whole artillery, having been With great but not undeserved pride, taken, Prince Eristoff next day, being Paskewitch addressed to his brave com- the birthday of the Empress, celebrated panions in arms a proclamation, which a solemn service of thanksgiving in the recalled the bulletins of Napoleon in great square of the place. The English his Italian campaigns: "Brave com- consul and all his suite were present on rades! you have conquered in this cam- the occasion. Five days afterwards Paspaign two provinces, taken eight stan-kewitch made his solemn entry into dards, fifty guns, two sirdars, twenty khans, six thousand prisoners in arms, ten thousand who had cast them away, and great stores of provisions: such are your trophies!"

25. The remainder of the campaign was nothing but a series of easy successes, which cost the Russians more fatigue than blood. Prince Eristoff, whom Paskewitch had detached upon that service, occupied Ourdabad on 7th October, passed the Araxes on the 10th, the rugged defiles of Daradis on the 13th, and received the submission of all the tribes on the south of the Araxes. Such was the terror which the fall of Erivan inspired, that scarce any resistance was anywhere attempted; and before the end of October, Abbas Mirza found himself deserted by all his forces except five thousand horse and fifteen hundred foot, with which, and twelve light guns, he retired in haste towards Khoi. Eristoff, having received intelligence that Abbas Mirza was prepar

He

Tauris, where he was received with great solemnity by the whole dignitaries of the Armenian Church, accompanied by an immense concourse of people, who rent the air with their acclamations, and strewed the road with flowers. The Russian general immediately set about the organisation of the conquered provinces as part of Russia, and established a landwehr, as a lasting barrier against their Mohammedan enemies.

26. These repeated disasters convinced the Persians at length of the necessity of coming to terms. On 29th October the governor of the province of Tauris sent in offers of accommodation; and Paskewitch having stated the conditions on which he was empowered to treat, and accorded a delay of six days, within which they might be accepted, the Persian Government sent in their unqualified submission on the 9th November. The Persians agreed to everything that the

stroyed their fleet at Navarino, with sity to have several months, generally having violated the treaties of Buch- half a year, to complete their preparaarest and Ackerman, and established tions and bring up their forces. When connections with the malcontents in most of the troops have a thousand or every part of the empire. The Rus- fifteen hundred miles to march before sians replied by accusing the Porte of they reach the theatre of war, it may having excited the mountaineers of readily be conceived how long a time Caucasus to revolt, and invited them must elapse before any considerable to embrace Islamism; with having concentration can take place. Every violated or delayed the execution of preparation, however, was made durall the treaties in favour of its Chris- ing the spring months to augment the tian subjects, arbitrarily closed the military forces of the empire, and comBosphorus on various occasions, and municate a warlike spirit to the indeeply injured thereby the southern habitants. The army stationed in provinces of the empire. It must be Poland was in great part moved to the confessed that the balance of injuries Pruth, and the troops,there augmented inflicted was here decidedly in favour by a fresh levy of twenty-five thouof Russia, as might have been antici- sand men, calculated, with the forty pated in a contest between the superior thousand already in arms in that kingand the weaker power; but, what was dom, to form an imposing reserve. really extraordinary, and perhaps un- Wittgenstein was appointed commanprecedented in the annals of diplo-der-in-chief and General DIEBITCH macy, the Turks had the candour to admit, in a published declaration, that they had signed the treaty of Ackerman without any intention of performing its conditions, and merely to gain time, a thing often done, but rarely confessed.*

30. Although hostilities had thus been determined on on both sides, yet it was not till the beginning of April that they actually commenced. The vast extent of the Russian empire renders it a matter of absolute neces

adjutant-general of the army on the Danube, which by the beginning of April mustered 70,000 men actually in the field. This force was augmented by the guards and 2d corps, which arrived in the end of August, in all to 102,000. A grand review of the guards in presence of the Emperor, the PrinceRoyal of Prussia, and the Prince of Orange, took place in St Petersburg in the beginning of April, at which the most unbounded enthusiasm was evinced. They defiled, with the Grand

* "Les demandes faites par les Russes, l'an passé à Ackerman, au sujet des indemnités, et surtout l'égard des Serviens, ne furent aucunement susceptibles d'être admises; néanmoins, les circonstances étant pressantes, on y acquiesça bon gré mal gré, et par nécessité, afin de saisir l'occasion de conclure un traité pour le salut de la nation Mohamétane."-Circulaire aux Ayams de l'Europe et d'Asie, 20 Decembre 1827; Ann. Hist. x. 120; Documens Historiques.

t Wittgenstein's army consisted of three corps d'armée and a reserve, in all eight divisions of infantry and five of cavalry, which should have presented 100,000 men and 80,000 effective under arms. Their numbers actually in the field, however, were nearly as follows:

32. The Divan on their part made the most vigorous efforts to maintain their independence. Though taken at a manifest disadvantage, from the old military force of the empire having been destroyed, and the new one not yet organised, they succeeded, by rousing the religious zeal of the Mussulmans, in putting themselves, in a short time, in a surprisingly respectable posture of defence. The ships which had escaped the disaster of Navarino were equipped anew, and got ready for sea; the forts on the Dardanelles and the Bosphorus armed and garrisoned with trusty troops; war proclaimed against the Russians with MOLTK, i. 17.