1 V A 



dofirous of depriving liim of his crown. At the age of 19 

 fie fcnt a fplendid embaffy to the emperor Charles V. the 

 chief piirpol'e of whicli was to obtain from Germany pro- 

 per perfons to affill him in the clvihzation of his fiibjedls, 

 and in introducing arts and manufadlures. More than 300 

 artifans, of all profefTions, aftually arrived at Lubcc in their 

 way to Mofcow, bnt were prevented from proceeding on 

 their jom-ncy by the intrigues of tlie inhabitants 01 that 

 town. Ivan II. raifed the fuperllruftuie of tlie Ruffian 

 grandeur, of which his grandfather had laid the foundation. 

 He inftituted a ilanding army, trained his foldiers to the 

 life of fire-arms, and accuftomed them to a more regular 

 difcipline. By means of this formidable body, he extended 

 his dominions on all fides, conquered the kingdoms of Kafan 

 and Allraean, and rendered the Ruffian name refpedable 

 to the diilant powers of Europe. He gave to his fubjefts 

 the firll cpde of written laws ; he introduced printing into 

 Ruffia ; he promoted commerce, and regulated all the duties 

 connefted with it. While involved in a war with the Poles, 

 a donielUc coui'piracy, in 1 566, occafioned by his tyranny, 

 threatened to deprive him of his crown. Such was the 

 danger, tliat he thought it bell to make a feigned abdica- 

 tion. This produced the propofed efFect of awakening tlie 

 dormant loyalty of the people ; but as foon as he had re- 

 fumed the reins of government, he put to death the leaders 

 of the confpiracy, and fccured himfelf again!!; any future 

 rebellion, by the inllitution of a body of guards drawn from 

 the remote provinces, and attached folely to himfelf. Thefe 

 he augmented, till at length they proved ready inliruments of 

 defpotifm. He entered into a friendly intercourfe with 

 queen Elizabeth of England, to whom he proj oi'ed an al- 

 liance offenfive and defenfive. Though the queen did not 

 ngree to his propofal in its full extent, yet a treaty was 

 jnade, which was the commencement of the intercourfe 

 which has fince fubfided between the two nations. In an 

 invafion of Ruffia by the Poles, the city of Novogorod in- 

 curred the fufpicion of having, by its principal inliabitants, 

 held a correfpondence with the king of Poland. This de- 

 fection was punilhed in the molt barbarous manner by the 

 c/.ar, who, in the courfe of a few weeks, adjudged feveral 

 Ihoufand perfons to death. In 1571, after Ruffia had been 

 defolated by the plague, the Crim Tartars, inftigated by the 

 Poles, made an irruption into the Ibuthern provinces, and 

 advancing towards Mofcow, entirely defeated the Ruffian 

 army, which made a Hand within 18 leagues of the capital. 

 Ivan, upon the news, {hut himfelf up in a fortified cloiller, 

 with his tv.'o fons, and niolf valuable effects, and by this 

 cowardly defertion, allowed the Tartars to enter Molcow, 

 which tliey plundered and burnt, with a vail dellruftion of 

 the inhabitants. The czar's niofl formidable enemy was 

 Stephen Battori, king of Poland, who, with the king of 

 Sweden, declared war againfl Ruffia in 1579, took Narva 

 and Riga, and became mailers of the whole of Livonia. 

 The Rulfians murmured at his condud, and fome of the 

 nobles vejiturcd to make remonllrances againil his fuffering 

 foreign enemies to ravage the country, and re.queflcd that 

 he would permit his eldeil foil to appear at the head of the 

 army. The czar, fufpefting that the prince had urged the 

 iioblts 10 this ilep, reprimanded him in very fevere terms ; 

 and he attempting to juftify himfelf, the father's anger was 

 roufed to fuch a pitch, that he gave him a violent blow 

 with a llaff tipped with iron, which laid him at his feet, 

 and which in four days proved fatal. l"he favage monarch, 

 who did not probably intend his fon's death; paffed from 

 the extreme of anger to that of forro-.v : he refufed to take 

 food or change his drefs for feveral days, and endeavoured 

 to expiatii the deed by a magniliccnt funeral. An unfac- 



J U A 



cefsful attempt to chaftife the Tartars, who had made a nev? 

 incurlion into the Ruffian territories, was the lafl aft of this 

 reign. He negociated with them and returned to Mofcow, 

 when the approach of his own death awakened in him a 

 defire of conferring benefits on his people, tie now en- 

 deavoured to correft abufes introduced by his long wars, 

 performed many afts of cleinency, enjoined his fucceffior 

 to liberate prifoners, repeal taxes, and redrefs the injuries 

 which his brutality had inflifted. He expired in 1584, in 

 the J4th year of his age. He has been reckoned among 

 the great monarchs of his country, on account of his fpirited 

 and fuccefsful attc-mpts to free it fr.im a fireign yoke, and 

 to introduce arts ai.d civilization. He left two fons, of 

 whom Feodor or Theodore fucceeded him. 



.lUAN, Geoiige, in Biography. See the article De- 

 gree for an account of this naval commander, eminent for 

 his inathematical knowledge and flcill in praftical aftronomy. 



Juan, St. in Grography, one of the Cape Verde iflands. 

 See Bkava. — Alfo, the' capital of California. N. lat. 26"" 

 2c'. W. long. 1 1 4" 9'. — Alfo, a town of Mexico, in New 

 Bifcay ; 75 miles S.S.W. of Paral. — Alfo, a town of South 

 America, in the province of Panama, between Panama and 

 Porto-Bello. — Alfo, a fea-port town of Mexico, in the 

 pi-ovince of Nicaragua; 30 miles S E. of Leon.- N. lat. 

 I 2^ 10'. W. long. 87" 38 . — Alfo, a town in Ea(l Florida ; 

 12 miles N. of St. Mark.— Alfo, a fmall ifiand in the 

 North Pacific ocean, near the coall of New Albion, be- 

 tween the iflands of St. Clemente and St. Diego.— Alfo, a 

 town on the W. coall of the ifland of Lu9on. N. lat. 1 7-" 

 12'. E. long. I20- 48'. — Alfo, a town of South America, 

 in the province of Mcxes ; 70 miles E N.E. of Trinidad. 

 — Alfo, a town of Paraguay ; 270 miles S.S.E. of Af- 

 fumption. — Alfo, a river of New Mexico, which runsinto 

 the gulf of California, N. lat. 29' 10'. — Alfo, a river of 

 Spaniih North America; in the province of Nicaragua, 

 which forms an outlet for the lake of Nicaragua to tlie gulf 

 of Mexico. It has been propofed to make ufe of this 

 river in order to open a communication betueen the Atlantic 

 and Pacific ocean. It is faid to be navigated by t};e In- 

 dians through its whole courfe, and was reported in the 

 reign of Charles \'. to be as confiderable as the Guadal- 

 quivir at Seville. The length of the river St. Juan is by 

 the lateft Englilh maps about 100 miles: and it is navi- 

 gated by large flat-bottomed boats and canoes, laden with 

 lallow and other effeiits, which they carry to Pofto-Bello, at 

 the diftance of 80 leagues ; but they are obliged to unload 

 at three places, probably rapids, where canals would be re- 

 quired. Atone of thefe, the callle of our lady, called by 

 the Englidi the fort St. Juan, is placed on a rock, and 

 though fmall, ilrong enough to protect the entrance. It 

 has j6 cannons and a battery ; level w^ith the water is a plat- 

 form, and towards the land it is defended by a ditch and 

 rampart, reaching to the river. The ufual garrifon i? 100 

 men, befides 16 of artillery, 40 mufqueteers, and 20 mi- 

 litia ; which lalt manage the barks, two being placed every 

 night up and down the river. There are 18 flaves, male 

 and female, for the fervice of the garrifon, which is fup- 

 plied with provifions, flefli, fowls, garden Huff, maize, and 

 other articles, from the city of Granada, at the dillance 

 of 60 leagues ; and there are always provilions for fix 

 months. But the chmate is unhealthy, as it rains almoll 

 perpetually, and a recruit of 50 men from the capit?.!, 

 Giiatiniala, is neceffary to fupply the places of thofe who 

 die. This fortrefs js regarded as the key of Nev.- Spain 

 and Peru; and by feizing it, and the port of Rcalejo, an 

 enemy would become mailer of b-.th oceans. Such is the 

 account of Alcedo, cited by P.nkcrton in the 3d volume 

 of 



