[262] and whose name was Stenko Radzin, who upon I know not what discontent at the Russian Governement, forsook his Country and began to act like a Rebel; he came down an Arm of the Wolga below Astracan with 800 men, and then sailing out into the Caspian See, landed between the River Aras and Kizilagaat in the District of Mokhan, where in the beginning of the Year 1667 he sollicited the King to grant him some Land for their maintenance and habitation, giving the strongest assurances, that they would behave like upright Sja — siwen,which in the Turkish Language is as much as to say, true to the Kings. Body or menial Servants of the King, and Loyal Subjects: and that he should always find them ready to defend and serve him. But at Court, where they looked upon these People as Robbers, as formerly they had known by experience, they would not trust them, yet would not (л. 1 об.) give them a flat denial, but kept them in suspence by a dilatory Answer. The Cossacks being impatient, coasted along the Strand of Gilaan with their Ships quite down to the District of Resjt, the Capital Town of that Province, where they set some men ashoor, and desired to buy provisions for their money, but the Governour refused them in a very disobliging manner which so irritated them, that they landed silently in the night, and marching up to Resjtby surprise, plundered the Market andBasars, when some were Killed in the fray, then they returned again to their Ships, well provided with Sustenance for which a little before they had offered money and they likewise kept their footing upon the firm Land. The[263] Governour not able to resist, much less to drive them away, and fearing greater ravages might ensue, dissembled his resentment of that Action, gave them fair words and let them have farther provisions for their money. They on the other hand excused their Conduct by reason of their extreme need and being refused the necessaries for life. They then Kept still and at last gave the Governour Hostages as Securities for their good behaviour. They sent 4 Embassadours to the King to make excuses for this Action, whereunto they were induced by the Governour; they repeated their first Petition for Land upon the Caspian Sea for their sustenance, with the strongest assurances of their faithfull service and Loyalty. They brought Letters which (л. 2) nobody was able to read: they were given to European Fathers and at alst to me: I found both the Language and Characters to be Russian. I did not translate them, and they remained untranslated (the Chevalier Chardin is under a Mistake when he says in his Account of the Coronation of Soliman, that they were in an unknown Character). But the Gourt was informed of their intention[264] by word of mouth by the Russians who understood the Turkish Tongue and whose mother tongue was the same with that of those Cossacks. The King ordered them to be well entertained and left at their Liberty, and sent one of them back again with good words and some hopes, giving Orders to the Governour of Resit to furnish them with all necessaries. In the mean time they were in hopes of getting a sufficient number of men together to surround them. But the Cossacks, seeing no positive Answer was returned but only fair words, perceived the snare, and observing that there was a small Army drawing together, took no notice of it to the Persians, but provided for their own security, and sett sail for[265] in, [266] as if they designed there to wait for an answer and the Return of their Embassadors, because it was a cheaper and more plentifull Place. At Ferrhabaad they made no scruple of admitting them, because they had behaved as well at Resit, and did not seem to have any ill design, as long as their Embassadours were at Court. Their Pockets were well lined with Ducats, which drew the People from the neighbouring parts in hopes of gain, so that the Basar and rest of the Town wTere (л. 2 об.) fuller of people than usual. The Cossacks, suspecting the Persians for detaining their Embassadours, so long, resolved to prevent them, and to take the Opportunity of a publick weekly Marketday. There was a great conflux of Buyers and Sellers, as well as other people[267] who were come[268] to divert them selves or[269] out of curiosity and hope of gain on account of the Cossacks. When the market was at its height, the Cossacks fell upon the people, plundering and stealing whatever was layd out for sale, stripping the people, Killing some and carrying others away with them to their Ships. Thus they got again what they had laid out besides a great deal more in money and Gold, and not content with this they ran to some of the King's Pleasure Hauses not far from the Town, which they plundered also and carried the Booty off to their Ships with which they sailed to the Peninsula Mijaan — Kaal, which joins by an Isthmus to the Province of Mezanderaan [a]cross which they drew a Line to cutt off all communication with the Continent, and so posted themselves here in defiance of the Persians.
While they behaved themselves after this manner in the Silk-country, it fared but ill with their Embassadours at Court; for they were dragged out from a Publick Audience which the King gave in the Talaar Ali Kapi, with 3 people who were joyned to them and came along with them, in all 6 persons, their Necks and Hands were fastened into the wooden Mik[270] and they were led into the[271] one after another, and 2 of them flung alive to the Dogs to be torn to Pieces; the others were pardoned, but forced to be circumcised and (л. 3) turn Mahometans. The Persians imagined, that the Czar of Moscovy had sett them to work to committ this Ravage in the Silk Lands, in revenge for the affront, which Abas II had done to his Embassador in the year 1665, but we could not believe that so generous a Prince as the Czar was, would have done any such thing underhand and with so small a force, if he would have taken notice of the affront. But the Czar, being very powerfull, always observed a strict friendship with King Abas II, there having always subsisted a good harmony between the two Kingdomes, and the Czar was sufficiently sensible of the extravagant proceedings of his people, which[272] at this juncture he with justice laid[273] at their own door. It seems on the other hand, that the King of Persia in the Letter he sent on this occasion, made some complaint, and pointed at a distance at some faults, but this was certain that the Messenger being anxions[274] what answer the Czar[275] might give, died upon the road in Persia, fearing he should incurr the Czar's displeasure,[276] and it was likewise certain, that he took notice of his Embassadour's uneasiness in his Letters[277] in answer to the[278] Epistle of Abas II,[279] when the Cossaks were still posted in the Silk Country; but he sent him at the same time an English Colonel named Mr. Palmer, who had been long in his service: for he had desired him to send him an European officer[280] well experienced in the.[281] Military Discipline and the method of managing war. But in the meantime Abas died, and Sjah Sefi II succeeded, who was not apprized of the value of this man, and as well as his Prime Minister took no notice of him. And what made him more neglected (л. З об.), was, that he was an old man with one foot in the grave, was a person of no presence, and was not talking[282] with the Persians, being capricious selfconceited and proud, nor able to conform himself to their humours. At first he lived pretty well upon his Salary, but that was soon diminished, that he could not maintain himself with his Wife and Children, whom he had brought along with him, at last to get rid of him they denied him all manner of support, unless he would renounce his Religion. Last of all when he was quite reduced to Poverty, the Europeans bore his charges to Gam-ron, from whence the English conveyed him to Bombay. This Embassy was not committed to an unskillfull Russian, but to an Englishman, one ffebdon, a perfect Master of the Russian tongue, in which Langu age his Instructions were drawn up. His Brother was likewise sent as Ambassadour from the Great Duke to the King of England.[283] The subject of the Embassy into Persia, was to make a Convention relating to the Silk Trade, and Hebdon was to have remained in Gilaan or Mezanderaan as Resident to manage the Business. But he arrived at Ispahan at the point of death, and died the next day, so this affair rested here without any farther Step being taken in it for no body of his Retinue had any instruction or orders to proceed with, and from that time nothing[284] has beed done[285] concerning that Commerce. The Proceedings of the Cossacks did also evidently demonstrate, that they did not act by the Czar's directions, for they did not spare the Country of even Great Duke himself (л. 4). These Robbers being thus posted in the Peninsula of Mezenderaan, the Persians fitted out some small Vessels[286] armed with a few pieces of small Cannon and some men, to dislodge the Cossacks by attacking them from the Seaside. But the Persians were unacquainted with the Coast and Engagements at Sea, whereas the Enemy were very ready and expert. The Persians could not manage the ir Ships, nor make use of their men advantagiously against the Enemy, so the Cossacks putt them into confusion as soon as ever they were gott out to Sea, so that the greater part of them fell into the Enemy's hands, who likewise sank most of their Ships, having first taken the Guns out of them. And thus there were but few of the people who escaped being
