Calmucks. Thereft of the Country, to Aftracan and the Frontiers of the Ufbecques, is haunted by the Calmucks, and other Hordes, who remove with their Tents according to the Season and Convenience of Subfiftence: The Czar makes them Presents every Year of Cloth, Money and fome Arms; and in Return they are obliged to serve him in his Wars without Pay, which they fufficiently make up to themselves, by plundering Friends and Foes whereever they march; the greatest Number which has of late appeared in Arms for the Czar, was about twelve Thoufand, who, coming eight Days after the Battle of Poltawa, were difmiffed back again; only about two Thoufand were fent into Livonia, The Religion of the Tartars is either Mahometan or Heathen, in which they have been left undisturbed by the Czar and his Ancestors. The Coffacks are diftinguished into three Sorts, known by the Places where they first settled themselves; but are all of the fame Nation, Coffacks. Language, Religion, and Form of Government. They were originally Polish Peasants, formed into a Militia under their own Officers and Discipline, and placed in the fruitful Plains of the Ukraine, to fecure the Frontiers of the Common-wealth against the Tartars; after some Years, they increased prodigiously in Number and Riches, and could no longer bear the Indignities of the Polish Nobility, who affected to treat them as their Slaves on all OccaVOL. II. fions; N fions; this Ufage was the Rife of several bloody Wars, with different Success. Coffacks of the Doh. In one of the firft, the Coffacks being worfted, feveral of them, rather than fubmit to the Yoke, removed from the Ukraine to the unfrequented Banks of the Don, or Tanais, where they begun a new Plantation. In the Year 1637, another Detachment on the fame Occafion refolved to feek their Fortune as far as the Caspian Sea, but in their Paffage were perfuaded, by their old Countrymen on the Don, to stop short and join in an Attempt against Afoph, which they took the fame Year and kept till 1642, when the Turks approaching with a great Army, and the Muscovites refusing them timely Succours, they burnt the Place, and fixed the Seat of their little Common-wealth at Circafky, a Town on an Island in the Don: Some Time after they put themselves under the Protection of the Muscovites; and had lately thirty-nine Towns on that River, from Rybna to Afoph, moft of them on the NorthEast Side: The Country is generally without Trees, but fruitful to a Wonder in Grafs, Flowers, fweet Herbs, wild Afparagus, &c. They fow very little Corn, that being only the Employment of their Slaves; nor do they eat much Bread, Roots, or Herbs; their chief Diet being Fish, Flesh, and Fruits; their Riches confift in Cattle, Horfes, Dromedaries and Camels; in their Houfes and Cloathes they are generally neater than the Muscovites; the Religion is after the Greek, or Eastern Church; they have very few Tradefmen, or Artificers; Arms are their Employment and Delight, which in Times of Peace they exercise by Parties against their conftant Enemies, the Calmuck, Cuban, and Crim Tartars, and in Time of open War against the Turks on the Palus Maotis. Their Government is a Sort of military Democracy; their chief Hetman, or Colonel over all, keeps his Refidence at Cercafky: He is elected in a general Meeting of the Captains and civil Officers of the Nation, but is confirmed by the Czar, and then his Employment lafts for Life, which he often loses on an unfortunate Expedition, or other Tumult: Every Town is like a little Common-wealth, and has its own Hetman, or Captain, chofen Yearly, who has the Care of all Bufinefs Civil and Military, and in the Field acts as Captain of his own Community: They are left in Poffeffion of their old Laws and Customs, pay the Czar no Tribute, furnish no Recruits, and are only bound to appear in Arms at their own Charge when fummoned : But on the contrary their Captains used to receive yearly Prefents from his Treafury of Cloth, Money and Corn: they have very great Privileges; one of the most confiderable was the Freedom of any Peafant or Slave, who being once in the Country could not be reclaimed by his Mafter, or the Muscovite Government; and on this Account vaft Numbers of Deferters fheltered themfelves here in the prefent War, of which the Czar being informed, Prince Dolgorukı was fent four Years ago with twelve hundred Men to fearch them out: he found fome hundreds; but, not being on his Guard, was in his Re turn attacked by the Coffacks, and cut to Pieces with all his People; this occafioned a general Revolt, and employed the Czar about ten thousand Men near two Years, in which Troubles many of their Towns were burnt, and no Quarter given to Man, Woman, or Child; befides feveral hundreds who were publickly executed at Veronitz: This has very much difpeopled the Country, and made the Name of Muscovy odious to the reft. In their most flourishing Condition, they might be rekoned at fifteen thoufand Men fit to bear Arms. The Coffacks of the Ukraine are much more numerous and confiderable, their Dominions Coffacks of theUkraine. extending feveral hundred Miles between the River Borifthenes, or Neiper, and the Don; in 1654, they, with their Hetman, on ill Ufage, revolted from Poland, and put themfelves under the Czar's Protection, giving him up Chioff, Czernifhoff, and feveral other ftrong Towns, as Pledges of their Fidelity. This Country is extremely well peopled, and tilled; their Towns are many, all fortified with a dry Ditch, earthen Wall, and Palifadoes; the Villages are large, and neatly built with Wood; they drive a great Trade in Hemp, Pot-afh, Wax, Corn and Cattle; they live in much Ease and Plenty, enjoying the fame Privileges as thofe on the Don, which, with their Riches, drew upon them the Envy of the Muscovite Nobility and Government, who by Degrees made feveral Incroachments on their Liberties; and from hence fprung an univerfal Difcontent, and the Re volt of Mazeppa to the King of Sweden; which being ill managed, the Refidence Town of Bathurin was immediately taken and burnt, and above fix thousand Perfons put to the Sword without Diftinction of Age or Sex. Coffacks of the The Zaparovian Coffacks are just of the fame Temper and Manner of Life with those on the Don; they are fo called from the Falls in the River Boristhenes, about which they feated themselves chiefly for their greater Security and Convenience of their Incurfions against the Turks and Tartars: When the Coffacks of the Ukraine, difcouraged by the fevere Execution at Bathurin, fet ftill, thefe openly declared for Mazeppa, and continued firm to him to the laft; two or three Thoufand followed his Fortune to Bender, and are ftill with the King of Sweden; most of the rest were cut to Pieces, so that the Remains of that Name are at prefent very inconfiderable. From thefe Accounts it is plain the Czar's Strength must be chiefly computed from his national Muscovites, from whence alone Muscovites. his regular Forces are formed and maintained, if you except fome few Contributions from the Morduars and Czeremefs Tartars, who by Degrees have been civilized and fubjected. The high Their Num eft and most probable Computation of ber. their Numbers is, by |