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could not prescribe Laws to the Usbecks, his Allies.

As foon as the Emperor was informed of this infolent Anfwer, he gave Orders in all the Eastern Provinces of his Dominions, as in the Kingdoms of Siberia, Cafan, Bulgaria and Aftracan, to affemble his Troops; he armed the Coffacks and the Calmucks, and built at Aftracan, and along the Wolga, Barks, Gallies, prepares for an and fuch other neceffary Veffels, as he judged Expedition on he fhould have Occafion for in an Expedition the Cafpian

The Czar

Sea.

on the Caspian Sea, of which he, at that Time, formed the Defign, and which the Peace of Nieftadt had put him in a Condition to exe

cute.

The Contempt with which Myrr-Maghmud had received and fent back his Ambaffador, and the Maffacre of his People at Szamachi, and elsewhere, were not all that excited the Ruffian Monarch to this Undertaking. The firm Eftablishment of a ufeful Commerce was what he had always confider'd as the Bafis of the Grandeur and Power of his Empire, and that was the great Spring of all his Enterprizes. It was with this View, that he had built the City of Petersburgh; with this View he preserved the Provinces of Livonia and Carelia; with this View he fet out upon his Travels; and with this View he had founded all the Coafts of the Cafpian Sea, of which he had caufed the exact Plan or Chart to be made we have already mention'd and given the Reader a Draught of, wherein he may view the Situation of most of the Places that the Emperor of Ruffia conquered in this Expedition.

The

The Pretext which the Emperor made ufe of to examine this Sea with so much Exactness was, that he might difcover the Mouth of the River Daria, and go up to its Source; for this bringing much Gold with its Stream, he thought he fhould be able to discover Mines of this rich Metal, over which the River paffed, if it was not brought from the Fountain-Head itself. Those who were charged with this Commiffion, not only brought back Gold, but reported that when they went afhore, and were got about a hundred and fifty Leagues to the North-Eaft, they found a great Stone Building above half cover'd with Sand, the Architecture of which was almoft like that of the Ruins of ancient Persepolis; and that entering it, they found Preffes of a black hard fort of Wood, containing near three thousand Volumes, bound in the Form of large Quarto's, which they intended to have brought with them; but the superstitious People of the Country oppofed it, for Fear that the Structure, which they looked upon as a facred Monument, fhould be profaned, by their fuffering any Thing to be carried out of it; nevertheless, the Muscovites found Means to convey away three Volumes, which they brought to the City of Petersburgh. The Books found in these Ruins were large Sheets of a very thick Paper, fuppofed to be made of Cotton, or the Bark of Trees, laid over with two Varnishes one above the other, one blue, and the other black, as appeared in fome Places that were a little fcaled. The Characters feemed well fhaped, were not joined together, and were painted in white. The Lines were written horizontally; but being all

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of an equal Length, it could not be determined whether they ran from the Left to the Right, after the Manner of the Europeans and Indians; or from the Right to the Left, like the Hebrews and Arabians. Though it was not yet known from what Nation those Characters were derived, there was Ground to believe they came from the Calmucks and Moguls to the Weftward of China, which is the more probable, because the Country of the Calmucks, in the thirteenth, fourteenth and fifteenth Centuries, was the Centre of two large Empires, under the Succeffors of Gingbiskan and Tamerlane; among which Princes there were some very learned, whofe Works in Astronomy and Geography were held in very great Efteem in Europe. Befides the Discovery of this Library, which the Czar looked upon as a precious Treafure, the Peasants in the Neighbourhood of the Ruins that inclosed it, produced several Statues in Brafs, which they had found in the Middle of the Woods, in the Burying-Places of the Calmucks, and among thofe which the Czar repofited in his own Cabinet, was a Roman General crowned with Laurel; two other Figures of Men on Horseback, with Armour like that worn in the Weft in the twelfth and thirteenth Centuries; feveral Indian Idols, and among them, two of the famous Goddess known in China, by the Name of Poufa, and in Thibet, by that of Manippe. The People of Tartary, China, Siam, and the Indians, worfhip her as the Mother of one of their Prophets, who lived fix hundred Years before Jefus Chrift; and in China, is called Foe; in Tartary, Ogouskan; in Siam, Sommona-Kodon; and

in India, Bondda. The Siamefe, who pay him the Homage of a Deity, date their publick Writings from the Epoch of his Death; which precedes the Chriftian Era five hundred and forty-five Years.

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mand his

From what has been faid, it is easy to imagine, The Emperor that, altho' Myr- Maghmud had not behaved of Ruffia rewith the Infolence he did, his Imperial Maje- folves to comfty would never have wanted a Pretence to have Army himself tranfported his Army to the Frontiers of Perfia, in Perfia. which he was now refolved to command in Perfon, and which confifted of above a hundred thousand Men, among whom were no less than thirty-three thousand of those warlike Troops which had been in every Campaign during the War with Sweden.

before his De

parture.

His Imperial Majefty before he left Mofcow Makes feveral for this Expedition, having been again feized Regulations with a violent Fit of the Cholick, had, for fear of an Accident, caufed a Will, written entirely with his own Hand, and particularly appointing his Succeffor, to be placed among the Records of the Empire; he changed the Presidents of the greateft Part of the Colleges, eftablished a Council of Regency, in which Prince Menzikoff prefided, and made many other neceffary Regulations. He alfo con- Calls a Genevoked a General Synod, all the Members ral Synod. of which obliged themfelves, by several most folemn Oaths, to declare their moft fincere Sentiments, as dictated by their own Hearts, according to the best of their Knowledge and Understanding in the Scripture, to conform to the Regulations which fhould be there made. They fwore in the fame most folemn Manner, that they would acknowledge themselves to be,

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as they were obliged, both by Duty and Conscience, the faithful Subjects and Servants of the Emperor PETER the Firft, who was their natural, true, and lawful Sovereign; and after him, of whomfoever his Majefty, by his absolute and indisputable Authority, fhould declare his Succeffor in his Will; and that they would venture their Lives and Fortunes in his Service, and would discover any evil Design against his Perfon or Government, as foon as any fuch should come to their Knowledge.

The Perfon who took this Oath, kiffed the Words which were written, and a Cross that was offered to him; and then fubfcribed them with his Name.

The Emperor PETER having thus caused himself to be acknowledged Sovereign Pontiff, or Chief of the Ruffian Church, and of Confequence first Prefident of the Synod, he opened it, after he had publifhed a Declaration, the Preamble of which was as follows:

We PETER the First, by the Divine Grace, Emperor of all Ruffia, &c. among the many Cares, which the Empire committed to us by the Almighty, requires for the good Government of our Kingdoms and Conquests, we have cast our Eyes on the fpiritual State thereof; and finding many Disorders and Irregularities, we should think ourfelves wanting in our Duty, and guilty of Ingratitude, if, after we have fo happily fucceeded, by kis holy and gracious Affiftance, in regulating our Military and Civil, we should neglect the Spiritual State, &c.

Having declared in general Terms, the Motives that induced him to eftablish the Synod, he proceeded to enumerate many Abuses and

Super