b o o k munities; and, in 1588, the Engliih embaflador, Giles
»_V ' . Fletcher*-, concluded, through the intereft o f Boris Godunof,
a treaty o f league and amity between Elizabeth and Feodor,
the fecond article o f which contains, “ A confirmation and
“ re-eftablifhment o f the former privileges o f the companie
“ o f our Engliih merchants, which were infringed and an-
“ nulled in the principal points, with divers necefiary addi-
“ tions to the fame, for the better ordering o f their trade
“ in thofe countrys hereafter t.”
But at length the right o f exclufive trade, which had
been frequently revoked, and as often renewed, feems to
have been finally -taken away by Boris Godunof :; who extended
to the Dutch feveral immunities which had been hitherto
peculiar to the Engliih ; and again reinftated the
Hanfeatick towns in their antient trafiick to Novogorod and
Plefcof J. But ftill, however, the privileges which remained
to the factory were very confiderable, confifting in a free
commerce to any part o f the Ruffian dominions without
paying any duties o f import and export.
At the revolution which placed Demetrius upon the throne,
the Engliih fadtory conceived a ftrong hope o f recovering its
patent of exclufive trade, as appears from a letter written by
that tzar to Sir Thomas Smith, the Engliih embaflador.
“ We, calling to minde the correfpondence, love and amity, which was
“ between our father the great lord,“emperor, and great-duke, Ivan Vaflilie-
“ yitch, of famous memory ; as alfo our brother the great lord, emperor,
•“ and great-duke, Feodor Ivanovkch, foie commander of Ruffia ; and their
•“ filler queen Elizabeth, queen of England : In the like manner we do pur-
“ pofe to have intercourfe, and to be jn love with your lord king James, and
* F le tch e r , w h o w en t this emb>aiTy, and f H a c k lu y t , v o l. I . p . 473.
.had publiihed a curious A c co u n t o f R uffia, J S . R . G., V . p . 159.
jv a i fe llow o f K in g ’ s C o lle g e , C am b r id g e ,
lt more
“ more than hath been in former times ; and in token of our faid love and C H A P .
“ amity, we do intend to favour all his fubjedls within our dominions, and to , 1 ,
“ give unto them more liberty than they, have had. heretofore.” And a lhort:
time before his afiaffination, he • re-eftablilhed the commerce of the Engliih
company, “ in the fame form and manner as heretofore was bellowed òn thè
“ Engliih merchants, in the time of our father of famous memory, the grear"
“ lord and Ctefar, and great-duke Evan Vaffilywieh, of all Ruflia foie com-
“ mander, and as was granted unto them in -the time of -our brother the great---
“ duke Feodor Evanovich, of all Ruffia foie commander
His depofition, however, and untimely fate, prevented tlie-
good effeóts o f thefe favourable refolutions ; and the civil--
calamities which,, fubfequent to his aflaffination, defolated-
Ruflia, almoft annihilated the Engliih commerce. But thefe-
troubles were no fooner terminated by the eledtion o f Michael,
than Sir James Merricke, embaflador from-James Ij
to the court o f Mofcow, .obtained from the- new tzar a frefh.
patent in favour o f the company ; which allowed them, as.
before, a free trade, without paying duties or cuftoms to
Archangel+, . and from thence to Kolmogori, Novogorod^
Mofcow, and other parts o f his dominions J.
This beneficial.commerce was, in..i648, fuddenly annihilated
by Alexèy Michaelovitch, who banifhed the Englifh-
merchants from all his dominions. The caufe of this ex-
pulfion is generally imputed to the refentment which the
tzar conceived againft the Engliih for the execution of-
Charles L §<.with. whom he was clofely connedled by leagues -
o f
* ' Pu rchas’ s P ilg r im s , v o l. I I I . p . -6e, h onou r o f th e A r c h iv i t i M ich sc !. T h is ,
t lb id ; v o l. I I I . p . 738. fp o t foon inc reafed to a tow n , and b ecam e •
t ' ‘A s lon g as th ere was no town^ a t the- th e -g re a t ilap le o f the 'En g liih t ra d e . See--
itiouth o f the D v in a , th e merchandize was S . R . G . V U . p . 470.
fent to K o lm o g o r i, and from th en c e into th e § In th e midil- o f the K h ita ig o ro d a t : -
interior p a rts o f Ruffia. Some’ time in the- M o fcow , th e r e is an antient g a tew a y , w h ich •*
reign o f F eod or Iv an o v itch , th e firft fou n d - ' forms the en tran c e into the prin tin g -office
ations o f the ca itle o f A r ch an g e l were la id : o f th e H o ly Synod : it is o f curious w o r k -
tco k its name from a mon aile ry b u ilt in- m an ih ip, o rn am en ted -w ith figures o f th e
lioa»<