Europe - The Principal Navigations, Voyages, Traffiques And Discoveries Of The English Nation - Volume 4 - Collected By Richard Hakluyt
- Page 42 of 133 - First - Home
Faulcons, 2. faulconers, 4. fowlers, 4.
fowlers chambers, and 3. other small pieces made for the stroogs to shoote
hailestones, and afterwards the great ordinance of the castle was shot off.
On the 31. of Ianuary there happened a great eclipse of the moone, which
began about 12 of the clock at night, and continued before she was cleare
an houre and a halfe by estimation, which ended the first of February about
halfe an houre past one in the morning: she was wholly darkned by the space
of halfe an houre.
The 26. of February the towne of Nagay Tartars, called the Yourt, which is
within 3. quarters of a mile of the castle of Astracan, by casualty was set
on fire about 10. of the clock at night, and continued burning til
midnight, whereby one halfe of it was burnt, and much cattell destroyed.
The Nagayes that inhabite that towne, are the Emperour of Russia his
vassals: It is supposed there are of them inhabiting that place of men,
women, and children, the number of seuen thousand. That night the Allarum
was made in the castle and towne of Astracan. The captaine thereof had all
his souldiers in very good order and readinesse, being of them in number
two thousand gunners and cassaks, that is to say, a thousand gunners which
are accounted meere souldiers, and are not put to any other seruice then
the vse of their pieces, watch, &c. as souldiers which alwaies keepe the
castle, and the cassaks also vsing their pieces, do keepe the towne, and
are commonly set to all kind of labours.
The 7. of March 1580. the Nagayes and Crims came before Astracan to the
number of one thousand foure hundred horsemen, which incamped round about,
but the nearest of them were two Russe versts and a halfe off from the
castle and town: some of them lay on the Crims side of Volga, and some on
the Nagay side, but none of them came vpon the Island that Astracan
standeth on. [Sidenote: Astracan situate vpon an Island.] It was said that
two of the prince of the Crims his sonnes were amongst them. They sent a
messenger on the eight day to the captain of Astracan, to signifie that
they would come and visit him: who answered, he was ready to receiue them:
and taking a great shot or bullet in his hand, willed the messenger to tel
them that they should not want of that geare, so long as it would last. The
ninth day newes was brought that the Crims determined to assault the towne
or castle, and were making of fagots of reede, to bring with them for that
purpose. The tenth day two Russes that were captiues, and two of the
Tartars bondmen ranne away from the Nagayes, and came into Astracan. The
same day word was brought to the Duke of two Nagayes which were seene at
Gostine house, supposed to be spies, but were gone againe from thence
before they were suspected. This Gostine house is a place a little without
the towne where the Tisiks (or Persian merchants) do vsually remaine with
their merchandize. The 11. day the said Nagayes, and one more with them,
came againe to that house earely in the morning, where they were taken by
the Russes, and brought to the captaine of the castle, and being examined,
confessed that their coming was onely to seeke two of their bondmen that
were runne from them: whereupon their bondmen were deliuered to them: which
fauour the said captaine comonly sheweth if they be not Russies, and they
were set at libertie. The 13. day they brake vp their camps, and marched to
the Northwards into the countrey of Nagay.
[Sidenote: The variation of the compass in Astracan was 13. deg. 40.
minutes.] The 16. of April the variation of the compasse obserued in
Astracan was 13. deg. 40. min. from North to West. This spring there came
newes to Astracan that the queene of Persia (the king being blind) had bene
with a great army against the Turks that were left to possesse Media, and
had giuen them a great ouerthrow: yet notwithstanding Derbent, and the
greatest part of Media were still possessed and kept by the Turks. The
factors of the company consulting vpon their affayres, determined to leaue
at Astracan the one halfe of their goods with Arthur Edwards, and with the
other halfe the other three factors would proceed in the ship on their
proposed voyage to the coast of Media, to see what might be done there:
where, if they could not find safe traffike, they determined to proceed to
the coast of Gilan, which is a prouince nere the Caspian sea bordering,
vpon Persia: and thereupon appointed the said goods to be laden aboord the
ship, and tooke into her also some merchandize of Tisiks or Persian.
The 29. of April Amos Rial, and Anthony Marsh, the companies' seruants were
sent from Astracan by the said factors, vp the riuer Volga to Yeraslaue,
with letters of aduise to be sent for England, and had order for staying
the goods in Russia that should come that yeere out of England for
mainteining the trade purposed for Persia, vntill further triall were made
what might be done in those parts.
[Sidenote: May.] The first day of May in the morning, hauing the shippe in
readinesse to depart, the factors inuited the duke Pheodor Micalouich
Proicoorow, and the principall secretary Vasili Pheodorouich Shelepin, with
other of the chiefes about the duke to a banket aboord the ship, where they
were interteined to their good liking, and at their departure was shot off
all the ordinance of the ship, and about nine of the clocke at night the
same day they weyed anker, and departed, with their ship from Astracan, and
being but little winde, towed her with the boat about three versts, and
then ankered, hauing with them a pauos or lighter to helpe them at the
flats.
Enter page number
PreviousNext
Page 42 of 133
Words from 42372 to 43384
of 136233