Kelly W.K. The History of Russia: from the Earliest Period to the Present Time. Volume 2
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A.D.
1788]
WAK WITH SWEDEN
-
.
95
between
the
two countries
respecting
the
bridge
over
the
small
river
Kymene,
the
boundary
between
the two
states,
whether
it
should
be
painted
in
Swedish or
Russian
colours
;
he
provoked
the Russians to maintain this
disputed right
by
force of
arms,
and
then
proclaimed
that he
had been
attacked
by
them,
and was
therefore
justified
in
carrying
on a
defen-
sive
war
without
consulting
the estates.
"We leave
it
unde-
cided whether
he took
possession
of
the
bridge
by
force,
and
thereby compelled
the
Russians to resist force
by
force
;
or
whether,
as the
best
accounts
allege,
he
caused some
Swedes
to
be clothed
in Russian uniforms
in
order to attack his
own
soldiers,
and
in this
way
to
justify
an offensive war.
The distance from
the river
Kymene
to
Petersburg
is
less
than 150
miles. There would
have been
no
difficulty
in
storming
the small fortresses of
Vyborg
and
Friedrichshamm,
which
lay
upon
the
route,
and an
unexpected
attack
from
the sea
might
probably
have
led to
the
surprise
and
capture
of
Cronstadt and
Cronslot,
the former of which is
less
than
twenty
miles from the
open
waters,
and the latter
is
situated
on
a
sand-bank in the sea.* The favourable
moment, however,
for an
attack
by
sea
had
been
already
allowed to
pass by
the
king's
brother
Charles,
duke of
Sudermania,
who commanded
the Swedish
fleet;
and
by
land,
the
king
was
precipitate
when he
ought
to have
delayed,
and
hesitated
when
every-
thing
depended
on
rapidity.
On the 22nd of June duke
Charles,
with fifteen
ships
of the
line and
five
frigates,
had
fallen in with
three
sail
of
Russian
ships,
to the
north of the
island
of
Gothland,
which he
ought
to
have
captured,
but was
restrained
by
a
feeling
of
reluctance
to
begin
the war
(which
was
then
actually
commenced),
and
immediately
a
superior
*
The Swedes
were
not
aware
of the
fortuitous
advantage
then
offered
them
by
a
singular
incident. Just before
the
Russian
admiral
received
orders to
weigh,
the
empress
had
given
the
command
of a
ship
to the
famous
Paul
Jones.
As soon
as the
British
officers
in
the
Russian service
heard
of
this
appointment,
they
repaired
in a
body
to
the
Admiralty,
and announced
their
determination
to
quit
the
squadron
to
which
that
pirate
bad
been
attached.
By
this
act on
their
part
seven
or
eight ships
were
left without
officers,
until
the
empress,
smothering
her
resentment,
withdrew
Paul
Jones from the
squadron,
under
pretence
of
sending
him
to the
Black
Sea;
but
fearing
a
repetition
of
so
un-
pleasant
a
scene,
she contrived to
get
rid
of
the
daring
adventurer
altogether.
96
HISTORY
OF
RUSSIA.
[CH.
XLV.
Russian
fleet
appeared.
Admiral
Greig,
an
Englishman,
who
commanded
it,
was far
superior
to the
Swedish
grand-admiral
and
prince
in
talents,
experience,
and
power
of
endurance
;
his fleet
outnumbered
the Swedish
by
two
ships
of
the
blue
and
two
frigates,
and therefore the
issue
of
the
engagement
between
the two
fleets
which took
place
on the 17th
of
July
was
the less
inglorious
for the Swedes.
They
fell
in with
the Russians
off the island
of
Hogland,
and
fought
with
great
skill
and
courage
;
they
lost,
it is
true,
one
of
their
line-of-
battle
ships,
but took one
of
the
Russian
fleet in
its
stead
;
at
length,
however,
they
were
compelled
to seek for
safety
in
the harbour
of
Sveaborg,
where
they
were
kept
in a
state
of
blockade
by
the
Russians
during
the
whole
of the
campaign.
The
king
made himself
ridiculous as
a mere
quixotical
braggart.
The
secretary
of
his
embassy
in
Petersburg
de-
livered
such
an
extremely
absurd
ultimatum,
that no
other
answer
was
given
than
an order from the commandant
to
take
his
departure
from the
capital.
Gustavus
enacted
the
paladin
with
great spirit,
but
proved
himself
wholly incapable
in
the
field. With
the
army,
as
in
Stockholm,
he
delighted
to be a
king
and
knight
among
the
ladies,
at
balls,
operas,
and
tournaments,
and trifled
away
three
precious
weeks
when a
moment's
delay
might
have frustrated
all his
plans.
He commanded
armaments
to
be
prepared
and a
commis-
sariat to
be
provided,
but left the
whole
superintendence
to
others,
who
neglected everything,
and instead
of
preparing
means
to
oppose,
entered into secret
correspondence
with
the
Russians.
All
this
immediately appeared,
when the
king
at
length
resolved
to storm
the
fortress
of
Friedrichshamm.
He found
himself
destitute of
heavy
artillery
and other
materials
of
war,
which
he
supposed
were all in
readiness,
and whilst the
artillery
was
being
slowly
brought
up
by
land,
the nobles were
devising
the most shameful treason.
It
was
arranged
that
Friedrichshamm
should be
at
once
attacked
both
by
sea
and
by
land,
and
Siegeroth
had
actually
landed
his
troops
and
commenced
operations
when he
sud-
denly
received counter
orders,
because the
troops
which
were
with the
king
refused
obedience. In these
circumstances,
Gustavus
had no other
alternative than
to
return
to
Stock-
holm,
in order
there to
recover
his
royal
dignity
and
power
which he
had lost at
Friedrichshamm. He
entered
Stockholm
A.D.
1789]
"WAR WITH SWEDEN.
97
in.
September,
and thenceforth
occupied
himself in
preparing
a
coup
d'etat,
which he
accomplished
on the
17th of
February
in
the
following
year.
Meanwhile,
his
traitorous
nobles
had
concluded
a truce
with
Russsia,
which
was so far
advan-
tageous
to
Gustavus,
that it liberated his
fleet
from its
captivity
in the
bay
of
Sveaborg.
He
was
now
dictator and
autocrat
;
he had at command the means of
prosecuting
the
war with
Russia;
but the favourable moment
was
past,
and
the
Russians
had
already
completed
all their
preparations
by
land
and sea
for
the defence of their
provinces
bordering
upon
Sweden. Gustavus's
project
of
burning
the
Russian
fleet in
the
harbour
of
Copenhagen
was
totally
unworthy
of
those
chivalric
feelings
which he
affected
;
it was
discovered
beforehand,
and
brought
him
nothing
but
disgrace.
When
he
again
joined
the
army
in
Finland,
his
Swedes
gave
evidence
of
their
attachment and
courage
;
but he
himself
again
contrived
to
injure
the success of
the war
by
his
absurd
interference in its conduct.
In
the
murderous
fights
which
ensued from the middle of June
till
the end
of
July,
both
the
Russians and Swedes lofet
great
numbers
of
men,
without
any
other
gain
on either
side
than
military
renown. The
Swedes
in the
mean time
were
unfortunate
at
sea,
and could
not
have
profited
by
their
success
had
they
been
victorious
by
land.
Admiral Ehrenswerd
commanded
the
Swedish flotilla of
flat-bottomed
boats,
constructed
for
navigating
the
rocky
shallows of the
coast,
whilst
the similar
Russian fleet was
under the
orders
of
the
prince
of
Nassau-Siegen,
who had
shortly
before
been commander of the
Russian fleet in
the
Black
Sea,
and had
fallen
into
disputes
with
Potemlun,
which
led to
his
being
sent to
the
Baltic.
The Russian
ships
of
the line were
under
the command of admiral
Tchitchakof,
and had
on
board a
considerable number
of
British
naval
officers
of
experience.
This
fleet had on
the
26th
of
June
fallen in
with that
of the
Swedes,
which was
so
injured
in
an
engagement
between Bornholm and
Gothland
as to
he
obliged
to return to
Carlscrona. The
unfortunate
issue
of
the
battle
was
generally
ascribed
to
disloyalty
on the
part
of
some
of
the
nohle
naval
officers.
The
king
still
persisted
in
his
determination
of
opening up
a
way
for
himself
to
Peters-
burg,
and
therefore of
storming
Friearichshamni.
He
him-
VOL. II.
II
98
HISTOBT OF RUSSIA.
[CH.
XLV.
self
directed
the execution of
the
project, although
he
was,
properly
speaking,
merely
a volunteer with
his
army. By
his
interference
he
exposed
the
Swedish
army
to
considerahle
loss,
on
the same
day
(24th August)
on which
the Russian
flotilla
gained
an
important victory
over
the
Swedes
at
Bo-
gensalm.
Priedrichshamm,
according
to the
king's
com-
mand,
was to
he stormed
hy
the
three
generals, Siegrotb,
Kaulbart,
and
Platen
;
the
assault,
however,
failed of
success,
and the
Swedes
were
obliged
to retire
;
their flotilla
was
twice
beaten.
The first
victory
of the Russians at
Eogen-
salm
was attributed
to the
prince
of
Nassau-Siegen,
who,
however,
was
accompanied
by
three
or
four
persons,
who
rendered
him
the
same service which the
British officers
did
to admiral
Tchitchakof.
On
the
1st of
September
the
Swedish
flotilla
experienced
a defeat at
Hogfors,
and the
land
army,
commanded
by
the
king,
was
there also
compelled
to
retreat.
The loss
in
human life
was,
indeed,
great,
but
the
real
injury
small,
for
the Swedish
army
continued
till the
beginning
of winter
to
occupy
its
quarters
on the
frontiers of
Bussia.
During
the
winter,
Gustavus withdrew from his
army,
but
he
resumed
his duties
as commander
in
March, 1790,
and
was
now
careful
to
supply
all the
deficiencies of
the
two
previous
years.
On
the 15th of
April,
in
Finland,
he
reduced
the two
important
posts
of
Karnakosky
and
Pardakofsky
near
Vilmanstrand;
his Swedes were victorious
at
Valkiala;
and
on
the
30th
repulsed
the
Bussians
in their
attempt
to
recover
the two
posts
just
mentioned.
On the 4th
and
5th
of
May
the
Swedes
were
afterwards beaten
at
Aberfors
by
the
Bussian
general
Numsen,
and
lost
twelve
pieces
of
cannon.
The
king
having
again
taken
Pardakofsky,
the
key
of
Savolax,
immediately
caused
a
portion
of
his land
forces to
embark
in the
flotilla,
of which
he
himself
assumed the
command,
and ordered
the
remainder
of
the
army
to
press
forward
by
the
shore
towards
Petersburg,
relying
on the assistance
of
the
fleet,
which
was to receive
them on board
in
case
of a
defeat.
The fleet consisted
of
nineteen
large
ships,
twenty-
seven
galleys,
and a
number of
gun-boats,
which
in
all
mounted
about
2000
guns.
It
was
absolutely
necessary
to
the
execution
of this
adventurous
undertaking,
that
Pried-
A.D.
1790]
WAE
WITH
SWEDEN.
99
ricbsliarnm
should
in all
haste
be
reduced
by
storm. The
king
having
been
successful
on
the 15th in
a naval
engage-
ment,
made his
third
attempt
at
storming
the
fortress
on
the
17th
and
18th of
May,
and
notwithstanding
a
great
loss in
men,
failed
in
effecting
his
object.
Although
the
way by
land thus
remained
barred,
he
nevertheless
persisted
in
his
design
of
terrifying
the
empress
in
her
capital.
Gustavus
having
now
embarked
a
greater
number of
Swedish
troops
than
before,
reached
Vyborg,
and on the
2nd
of
Junej
1790,
disembarked
a
division of
his
army
at
Blorke,
about
forty
miles
from
Petersburg.
The whole
success
of
this rash
enterprise
depended
on
his
remaining
master of
the
sea.
In
order
to
maintain this
superiority,
duke
Charles
was
to
prevent
the
junction
of
the
two Russian
fleets,
one
of which
was
lying
in
Cronstadt
and the
other in
Revel,
and on the 3rd
of June
he
was ordered
to
engage
the
division
of
the fleet
in the
former
harbour.
The Swedish
fleet
was no sooner
thus withdrawn
from its
position
than
an
opportunity
was afforded
to
the Russians
to
form a
junction
between
their
two
fleets,
which
actually
took
place
on the
day
the
duke entered
the
sound
of
Vyborg
(6th
June)
.
The
Swedish fleet was blockaded
by
the Russian
squadrons,
con-
sisting,
when
united,
of
thirty ships
of
the line and
eighteen
frigates
;
the
former,
however,
continued
to
keep
up
its
connexion with
the
flotilla.
It
appears
that both the
Swedish fleets
would have
been
entirely
lost,
had the
two
Russian
admirals
been
qualified
for
such a
command.
Cap-
tain
Pelissier,
who
had served
in
Holland,
is said
to have
given
admiral
Tchitchakof
advice
which
he
ought
to
have
followed,
had
he not been too
obstinately
attached
to his.
own
opinions
;
Pelissier
even
pointed
out to
generals
Such-
telcn
and
Soltikof the
places
where
they
ought
to have
erected their
batteries in order
effectually
to
bar the
egress
of
the Swedish
fleet from the
bay
;
no
attention, however,
was
paid
to
his advice. The
prince
of
Nassau-Siegen proved
himself to
be
in
no
respect superior
as a commander
to
Tchitchakof.
On the other
hand,
if the advice
of duke
Charles had been
adopted,
the Russians would
have
been
victorious without
a battle
;
king
Gustavus
and
Stedingk,
however,
rescued
the honour
of
the Swedish
name.
n2
500
HISTOKY OF
RUSSIA.
[CH.
XLV.
The Swedes
had now been
closely
shut
up
in the
bay
of
Vyborg
for three
weeks,
and at
the
end
of
June
were re-
duced to extremities
;
in the
beginning
of
July
a
grand
council
of war was
held. Duke Charles and
many
other
members of the council
recommended
a
capitulation,
but
the
king
and
Stedingk
were
in
favour of
making
a
desperate
effort to force
their
way
through
the
enemy's
line.
The
attempt
was
accordingly
made on the 3rd
of
July,
and
through
Tchitchakof's
neglect
it
was so
far
successful,
as
it enabled the Swedish
fleet to
bring
the
blockading squa-
dron to
an
engagement.
But the
Swedes
lost
in
it
not
only
seven
ships
of
the
line,
three
frigates,
and
more
than
thirty
galleys
and
gun-boats,
but
almost the whole of the
royal
guards,
the
queen's
regiment,
and that of
Upland,
amount-
ing
to 6000 or
7000
men,
which had
been
put
on board the
fleet.
"Whilst
the
larger
Swedish
ships
thus endeavoured
to
gain
the
open
sea,
the flotilla
had
withdrawn
for
safety
into
an arm of
the
gulf,
which runs
parallel
to the shore and
stretches
towards Friedrichshamm.
This
inlet,
called
the
Sound
of
Suenske,
is
extremely
difficult of access
on the
side
towards
Friedrichshainm,
in
consequence
of a
group
of
rocky
islands
at its
mouth,
but
it
may
be
safely
reached
through
the
open
harbour of
Asph. By
this
way
the
prince
of
Nassau-
Siegen
determined to
pass
into
the sound
with
the
Russian
flotilla,
and attack the Swedes
in
their
place
of
refuge.
The latter
were well
protected
from the attack of
the
Russian fleet
by
rocks,
and
when
the
prince
gave
orders
for
the assault
on
the
9th,
the sailors were so
exhausted,
and
his
orders for
battle were so
unskilful,
that the
king
of
Sweden
gained
a
splendid victory
on that and the
following
day.
The
loss of the Russians was so
great
as to
have
surpassed any
which
they
had suffered since the seven
years'
war.
Fifty-
five
vessels
were
captured,
a number
of
others
destroyed,
and
14,000
Russians
either taken
prisoners
or slain.
In
spite
of this
signal
victory,
the
fickle
king
of
Sweden
had
now
awoke from his dream of
humbling
the
pride
and
glory
of
Russia
;
already
he
began
to cast his
eyes
towards
France,
and
in the
following
year
he dreamed his monarchical dream
in
favour of
the French
emigrants.
The
idea
of
becoming
the
Cucupeter
or
Godfrey
of
Bouillon
of
the
aristocratic
and.
monarchical
crusade,
which
Burke at
that
time
proclaimed
A.D.
1790]
TREATY
OF VARELA. 101
in the
English
parliament
and in his
work on
the French
revolution,
had been
awakened in
his mind
in
1790,
and the
empress
of Russia
found means of
confirming
him in his
visionary
projects.
Moreover,
his means were
exhausted,
and
he therefore lent a favourable
ear
to
the
proposal
of
Galvez,
the
Spanish
ambassador,
who
began
to mediate for a
peace
between Sweden and Russia.
This
peace,
concluded
at Varela on
the
Kymene
on the
14th
of
August,
1790,
served
to
show how
empty
all
Grus-
tavus's
splendour
was,
and how unreal and inefficient were
all the efforts he had
made.
It was now
seen that
all
the
blood had been shed to no
purpose,
and all the treasures of
his
very poor
kingdom
mischievously squandered,
for
every-
thing
remained
on
the
footing
on
which
it had been
in the
spring
of
1788.
CHAPTER XLVI.
AUSTRO-RUSSIAN
AVAR WITH
TURKEY
TREATY
OF YASSY,
We
now return
to the war in
which
Austria
and
Russia
were
jointly
engaged
against
Turkey.
The whole
Austrian
army
was
ready
to take the field
at
the end of the
year
1787:
it
formed an immense cordon
stretching
from
the mountains
on the coast of the
Adriatic Sea to
the
Carpathians,
and
consisted of
a main
body
and five divisions.
Unhappily,
the
emperor Joseph
was
desirous of
commanding
the
main
army
in
person,
under the
unskilful
direction
of
Lacy,
his
military
Mentor,
who.
like
his
pupil
Mack,
was
a
good
drill-
sergeant,
but
no
general.
The main
body
consisted of
25,000
infantry
and
22,000
horse,
and the
whole
of
the
troops
together
amounted
to
80,000
cavalry
and
245,000
foot,
accompanied
hy
898
pieces
of
artillery.
In
Fehruary,
1788,
Russia
and Austria had
simultaneously
declared war
against
the
Turks
;
but
in
August
of that
year
England
and
Prussia
entered
into
an
alliance,
the
main
object
of
which
was to
place
Prussia
in
a situation
to
pre-
vent the
aggrandisement
of
Austria,
if
necessary,
by
force
of
arms.
This,
however,
was
superfluous
in
1788,
because
the
102
HISTORY
OF RUSSIA.
[CII.
XLVI.
diversion
effected
by
the
king
of
Sweden
prevented
the
Russians from
proceeding
with
their usual
rapidity,
and
the
emperor
Joseph
by
his
presence
with the
army
frustrated
the
effect
of his
immense
armaments.
The
dissatisfaction
with
the
whole
conduct of
the
war became so
general,
that
Joseph
was
at
length,
obliged
earnestly
to
entreat
Laudou,
who
had
been the
popular
hero of the
Austrians
since the
time of
the seven
years'
war,
and
whom the
emperor
had
hitherto
neither
employed
nor
consulted,
to
assume
the com-
mand
of the
army
in
Croatia.
Laudon,
having
made
an
express
stipulation
that
the
emperor
was
not
to
interfere
with
his
plans,
marched
against
the
Turks,
defeated them
under the walls of
Dubitza the
very day
after he
joined
the
army,
and reduced that
fortress
;
then
pushing
into the
heart
of
Bosnia,
he
compelled
Novi
to
surrender,
whilst
the
emperor
himself was
obliged
to
hasten to
the
aid of the
army
in
the
Bannat,
which was
very
hard-pressed by
the
Turks.
The
division under
Wartensle-
ben,
which
should
have
supported
it,
had
been driven back
by
the
Turks,
who
succeeded,
in
consequence
of an incom-
prehensible
neglect
on
the
part
of the
Austrians,
in
getting
complete possession
of
the
rocky
bed
through
which
the
Danube
has
forced a
passage
at a
distance of
six-and-twenty
miles above
New Orsova.
The
pass,
which
is
not more
than
a
pistol-shot
in
width,
is
commanded
by
a fortified
cleft in
the
rock,
called
Veterani's
hole,*
and this
post
the
Austrians
should
and
could have
maintained
when the
main
body
of
the
Turks
appeared
at
Old
Orsova on
the 7th of
August
;
this,
however,
they
neglected
to
do. The
Austrian
general
suffered
himself
to be
defeated,
and lost
thirteen
pieces
of
cannon,
and
as his
communications with
the main
army
were
cut
off,
he
was
obliged
to retreat
so far
that the
garrison
of
this
important
post
was left
to its
fate.
The Turks sacrificed
great
numbers of
men
in
order
to
seize
this
fastness,
by
the
possession
of
which
they
immediately
became
masters
of the
whole
navigation
of the
Danube as
far down
as
Belgrade.
As
soon as
the
Danube
was
lost,
the
imperial
army
found
itself threatened in
the
rear.
*
Field-marshal count
Veterani,
in
the
year
1692,
with
captain
d'Arman,
300 men and
live
pieces
of
cannon,
defended
this
passage
for
forty-five
days against
the
whole
Turkish
army.
A.D.
1788]
ATTTRO-EUSSIAN
WiE WITH TURKEY.
103
[Nothing
but
disaster
attended
the
operations
of
Joseph
and
AVartensleben. The
army
under
the
prince
of
Coburg
was
somewhat less unfortunate.
Khotchim,
which
the Rus-
sians
had
captured
in
the last
war
without
firing
a
shot,
was
reduced
by
it
after a most heroic
resistance
of
three months
;
and
this was the last
exploit
of
a
campaign
in
which
30,000
Austrians
fell in
desultory
skirmishes,
and
40,000
were
swept
off"
by pestilence
—
losses but
poorly
compensated
by
the
cap-
ture of
Szabatch, Khotchim,
Dubitza,
and Novi.
Circum-
stances, however,
afterwards
proved
more
favourable.
Yassy
was taken
;
in
October,
the Russians
were in
possession
of
five
districts
of Moldavia and of several
passes
in
Vallachia,
and the
main
army
was
again
able to
extend
the
limits of
its
operations.
AVartensleben
sat down
with
a
part
of the
army
before
Mahadia;
and
the
emperor
kept
possession
of
the
country
from
Pantchova to
Semlin.
After the massacre
perpetrated
by
Suvarof
upon
the
Turks
on
the
promontory
of,
Kinburn,
the
Russians
had remained
for
a
long
time
quiet
;
but
by
their
possession
of the
coasts,
they
effectually
prevented
the Turks from
landing
any
troops,
and
by
the
capture
of
the
island
of
Beresan,
wholly
excluded
them from
the
mouth of the
Dniepr.
It was
not till late
iu
the vear 1788
that
Potemkin
summoned
Suvarof
from
Kin-
a/
burn to conduct the
siege
of
Otchakof,
where,
however,
he was
wounded,
and after his return to
Kinburn the
siege
made
very
little
progress.
The avarice
of Potemkin
deprived
the
soldiers of
the
necessary supplies
;
and
the dreadful cold
and
disease
proved
far
more
injurious
to
them
than the attacks
of
their
enemies. At
length
the frost became
so intense
that
the
men were
obliged
to
excavate
pits
for
dwellings,
but
the
same
frost
also
opened
up
a
means of
attacking
the
fortress
and
reducing
it
after the Russian
fashion,
that
is,
without
regard
to
the
sacrifice
of thousands of
men,
a
few
weeks
earlier
than
they
could otherwise have
clone. The
city
is
completely
protected
on the side towards
the Black Sea
by
a
marshy
lake
called Liman
;
and now
that the lake
was
frozen,
Potemkin
issued
orders
to
storm
the fortress
from
the sea
side,
where
it
was
weakest.
The Russians
were
cruelly
sacrificed
:
one
regiment
was no sooner
mowed
down
than another was
compelled
to
advance,
and above
four
thou-
sand
men were slain before
the
storming
of
Otchakof
was
104
HISTOET OF RUSSIA.
[CH.
XLVI.
effected
(16th
Dec.),
an
exploit
which
was
afterwards ex-
tolled to
heaven. The
Russians
having
at
length
borne
down
all resistance
and
forced their
way
into the
city,
were com-
pensated
for their
losses and
sufferings
during
the
siege
by
three
days'
murder
and
pillage
;
they
put
citizens
and
soldiers,
men,
women,
and
children to the
sword
without
mercy
or
distinction. It is
said that
20,000
Turks
perished
in
this
massacre
;
but this
piece
of
Russian
heroism,
which was
not
performed by
Potemkin
himself,
but
by
others
at his
com-
mand,
was
also
rewarded after the
Russian
fashion.
Every
soldier who had
taken
part
in
the
siege
received
a
medal
of
honour,
whilst
Potemkin,
who had
contributed
nothing
to its
success,
derived
the
only
real
advantage.
The
empress
had
previously deprived
Razumofsky
of
the
office of
hetman,
which
she
now
conferred
upon
Potemkin,
who received
in
addition a
present
of
100,000 ruhles,
besides what he
had
appropriated
to
himself out of
the
moneys
destined
for
the
besieging army,
and what
he had
seized
out of the
rich
booty
which fell into
his
hands
after
the
capture
of
the
city.
The
death of
the
sultan
Abd-el-Habed
in
April,
1789,
made no
change
in
the
relations
between the Turks
and
Russians. His
successor, Selim,
continued to
prosecute
the
war,
and
Suvarof
having
recovered
from
the
effects
of
his
wound,
again
joined
Potemkin's
army,
and was
put
at
the
head of
the
division
which was to
co-operate
with
the
Austrians.
Laudon had
now the
command of the
Avhole
Austrian
army
;
the
prince
of
Coburg,
however,
retained
that
of
the division
which
was to
keep open
the
communications
with
the Russians
;
and
again
he
gave
such numerous
proofs
of
his
incapacity
to
conduct
any great
undertakings,
or even
to
help
himself out
of
trifling
difficulties,
that the
history
of
the
campaign
of
1789 alone
ought
to have
prevented
the
emperor
Leopold
from
entrusting
him with the command
against
the
French,
who
possessed generals
and
soldiers of
a
very
different
kind
from
those of
the Turks. Selim
III.
had
succeeded
in
getting
on
foot a
very
considerable
force,
which
Avas destined
to
operate
on the
extreme
point
of
Moldavia,
where that
country
touches
upon
Transylvania,
and is
separated
from
Vallachia
by
a
small
river,
which also
divides
the little
town of
Fokshani
into
two
parts,
one
belonging
to
Moldavia,
and
the
other
to Vallachia.
Coburg
was