' John's preJecessor, Basil, styled himself— Basil, by the e™« "f God. Ihe great Monarch, Tiar and Sovereign of all the Russias; Grand Prince of Vladimir, of Moscow, of Novgorod, of Pskolf, of Smolensk, of Tver, of ^'ougory, of Perm, of Viatka, of Uulgar, &c.: Monarch and Grand Prince of Novgorod-Seversky (north Novgorod), of Tchemigofl, Riaun, Volok, Rjeff, Bclsk, Roslotf, Yaroslav, Byelozersk, Oudory, Obdofy, Condy, 4c., &c.; yel was he forced once a year to stand within the walls of the Kremlin, and feed (he horac of the Tatar chief with oats out of his own cap.
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»Sa themselves with making periodical incursions to possess themselves of plunder, in lieu of tribute which the Russians refused to pay.
War, the malady of princes, as Erasmus calls it, was continued with much desolation, and to the frequent advantage of the Crimean Horde, for at one time the Khan was enabled to place his son on the throne of Kazan, at another, Astrahan was won and Toula besieged; and in 1571, Dyvlett Ghyrey, who was burning to revenge himself for the loss of Kazan and Astrahan which • were retaken by the Russians, advanced upon Moscow with 120,000 horsemen, burnt the city, and carried off to the Taurida, tc^ether with iai^e booty, upwards of ioo,coo captives.
The Crim Tatars were then at the zenith of their power — a warlike race, able, without an effort, to send ioo,coo men into the field, at a time that their number of both sexes and of every age scarcely exceedeil 1,000,000. In 1578, 40,000 of their troops were despatched to reinforce Moustapha pasha, the general of Amurat III. in his war with Persia; but they were completely beaten by the forces under Amir Hamza at Shirwan.
Among the more remarkable expeditions undertaken by Russia against the Crimea, were those under the leadership of prince Galitzin in 1688; but it was not until 1777, that the continued struggles between the Russians and Tatars were completely terminated, when Souvaroff dispersed the troops of Dyvlett Ghyrey, who fled to the Caucasus.
The Khan Sahym Ghyrey, already placed on the throne by Catherine, to the exclusion of Selym,' son of Dyvlett and rightful
' Selym met with his death in the altempt to recover his lost dominion. The life tS his infant son Kalty was saved hy a dependent, who earned the child, then in his serenth year, to some relatives in the Caucasus. In 1S03, when in his fifteenth ye«r, Kaltj fonned the acquaintance of two Scottish missionaries at Karayass, Messrs. Bnunplon aud Mitchell, but he was soon chiimed by a childless uncle, a Mahomedan, who proclaimed
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ANNEXATION OF THE CRIMEA, 153
heir, had lived many years at St Petersburg whither he had been sent as a hostage, and he sought, upon his return to the Crimea as sovereign, to rule over his subjects in the Russian fashion. He desired to form a disciplined army, create a fleet, and hold a brilliant court; but the heavy expenses occasioned by these innovations forced him to arbitrary taxation, and a general revolt against his authority ensued. He called to his aid the Russians, who were not long in answering his summons, and af^er appearing in the country as allies of the sovereign, they remained as masters. The cession of Ghersety (Kertch), and Yeny-Kaleh to Russia was the return made by the Khan for the protection afforded him. He afterwards sought an asylum at Kalouga, but he left his place of retirement from a longing to proceed to Turkey, where he was arrested, sent as a prisoner to Rhodes, and decapitated. On August i, 1783, the Empress Catherine issued a manifesto annexing the Crimea to her empire, and on January 9, 1 784, was signed the treaty between Russia and the Porte, by which the former acquired the sovereignty of the Crimea. Russian troops poured into the Taurida, carrying destruction before them, and even razing towns. Caffa was ruined, and of 500 houses at Kertch, 30 only were left standing.
There was a time when Solghat was celebrated for its mosques, baths, and market-places. One magnificent mosque, with walls of porphyry and a court of white marble, was built in him to be Iiis heir. For the second time, however, did young Katty Gherey appeal to the missionaries, declaring il lo be hi!> delerniinalion to become a C-hrislian, and with this eni] in view he addressed a letter in English lo the secretary of the mission society at Edinbui^h. Having received the support of the Emperor Alexander I., Katty proceeded to the Scottish capital to pursue his studies at the university, and during his stay in that cily was married to Anne, daughter of J. Neilson, of Millbank, Esq. After his retum to Riimia, Kally retired to the Crimea, where he was possessed of some property that was eiven to him by (he Emperor. He has left two sons and two daughters.
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