182] ANNUAL REGISTER, 1812. 



CHAPTER XVIII. 



Russia. — War with Turkey — Treaty of Peace — Treaties with Siceden 

 and England — French Invasion and Retreat, — Siveden : its Policy — 

 Diet — Treaty with England — Warlike Preparations — Denmark — 

 Austria — Hungarian Diet — Germany — Sici/y : its new Constitution 

 — Turkey, 



1 



MUCH that relates to the oc- 

 currences in the Russian 

 empire during^ this year has been 

 necessarily anticipated in the last 

 chapter, on account of its inti- 

 mate connection with the affairs 

 of France; but various circum- 

 stances remain to be considered, 

 in which Russia either stood apart 

 from that power, or acted upon 

 her own plans, without the imme- 

 diate compulsion of events. 



The close of the last year left 

 the Russians in a course of success 

 against the Turks, who, under the 

 grand vizier, had crossed the Da- 

 nube with their best troops. The 

 Petersburgh gazette contains a re- 

 port from General Kutusotf of the 

 surrender of the vizier's army 'as 

 prisoners of war, with all their 

 artillery, on November 26th (De- 

 cember 8th)after having lost 10,000 

 men in different attacks. This 

 event, it was generally thought, 

 wrould be so decisive of the Russian 

 superiority, as to lay the Turks at 

 their feet, and oblige them to con- 

 sent to such conditions of peace as 

 might be imposed by the con- 

 querors ; but the Ottoman Porte 

 continued firm in the resolution 

 of making no sacrifice of territory, 

 and appearances were made of vi- 

 gorous preparation for another cam- 



paign. Doubtless, the prospect of 

 an approaching necessity to the 

 Russians of employing their prin- 

 cipal force in the defence of their 

 own country, which the French 

 emissaries would not fail of making 

 known in its full extent afjCon- 

 stantinople, greatly encouraged 

 that court in its determination. 

 An armistice, however, for an inde- 

 finite period, was in the meantime 

 concluded between the Russian 

 and Turkish commanders, and a 

 congress for negociations of peace 

 was sitting at Bucharest. 



Notice having been given of 

 the cessation of the armistice, arms 

 were resumed on the 10th of Fe- 

 bruary, and the Russian troops 

 were put in motion towards dif- 

 ferent points of the Danube to 

 prevent the crossing of that river 

 by the Turks, The Russian ad- 

 vanced guard passed to the right 

 bank of the Danube on the lath 

 with little opposition, and the 

 Turkish posts fell back upon 

 Rudschuck, where the grand vizier 

 lay with '20 or 25,000 men, wait- 

 ing to be joined by the reinforce- 

 ments which were on their march 

 from all parts of the Ottoman em- 

 pire. General Langeron was at 

 this time commander-in-chief of 

 the Russians, and bis head-quarters 



were 



