RUSSIA AND CHINA. 19^, 



marched iiiftantly towards that river, and fat down be- 

 fore Albafin witli an army of feven thoufand men, and 

 a large train of artillery. They battered the new for- 

 trefs for feveral weeks, without being able to make a 

 breach, and without attempting to take it by ftorm. The 

 befieged, though not much annoyed by the unfkilful 

 operations of the enemy, were exhaullied with the com- 

 plicated miferies of ficknefs and famine ; and notwith- 

 ilanding they continued to make a gallant refiftance, 

 they muft foon have funk under their diftreffes, if the 

 Chineie had not voluntarily retired, in confequence of a 

 treaty being fet afoot between the two courts of iMofcow 

 and Pekin. For this purpofe the Ruffian embaffiidor 

 Golowin had left Mofcow fo early as the year 1685, ac- 

 companied by a large body of troops, in order to fecure 

 his perfon, and enforce refpecSt to his embalfy. The 

 difficulty of procuring fubfiftence for any confiderable 

 number of men in thofe defolate regions, joined to the 

 ruggcdnefs of the roads, and the length of the march, 

 prevented his arrival at Selengifk until the year 1687. 

 From thence meffiengers were immediately difpatched 

 with overtures of peace to the Chinefe government at 

 Pekin. 



After feveral delay??, occafioned partly by policy, and 

 partly by the poihire of affairs in the Tartar country 

 through which the Chinefe were to pafs, embalTadors 



left 



