.the fame hordes. Accordingly the two great powers of
Ruffia and China, thus pointing .their views to the fame
object, unavoidably claffied ; and, after feveral jealoufies
and intrigues, broke out into open hoftilities about the
year 16.80. The ChineCe laid fiege to Kamarfkoi Olfrog,
and though repulfed in this attempt, found means to cut
off feveral ftraggling’ parties of Ruffians, Thefe animo-
fities induced the Tzar Alexèy Michaelovitch to fend an
embaffy to Pekin ; but this meafure did not produce the
Aib.ifm de- defired effedf. The Chinefe attacked Albafin with a conftroyecl
by the
ciunefe. fflerable force: having compelled the Ruffian garrifon
to capitulate, they demolifhed that and all the Ruffian
forts upon the Amoor ; and returned, with a large number
of prifoners, to their own country.
Aibafinrcbiiiic Not long after their departure, a body of fixteen hun-
fdbVtho'6'8"dred Ruffians advanced along the Amoor;.and conftruóted
chuiefe. a nevv fort, under the old name of Albafin. The Chinefe
were no fooner apprifed of their return, than they
from obfcurity at the beginning o f the feventeenth century. About that
time, their chief Aifchin-Gioïd reduced: feveral neighbouring hordes ;
and, having incorporated, them with his own tribe, under the general
name o f Manfhur, he became formidable even to the Chinefe. Shuntfchi
gtandfon o f this chief, by an extraordinary concurrence o f circumfiances,
was railed while an infant to the throne o f China, o f which his fucceffors
ftill continue in poflèffion. Shuntfchi died in 1662, and Was fucceeded
by Camhi,. who is well known from the accounts of the jefuit miffion-
arifis.
For an account* o f the revolution o f China, fee Duhalde, Defer, de la
Chine, Bell’s Journey-to Pekin, and Fif. Sic; Gef. tom. I. p. 463.
marched
l 99
marched inftantly towards that river, and fat down before
Albafin with an army of feven thoufand men, and
a large train of artillery. They battered the new for-
trefs for feveral weeks, Without being able to make &
breach, and without attempting to take it by ftortn. The
befieged, though not much annoyed by the unlkilful
operations of the enemy, were exhaufted with the complicated
miferies of ficknefs and famine; and notwith-
ftanding they continued to make a gallant refinance,
they muft foon have funk under their diftreffes, If the
Chinefe had not voluntarily retired, in confequence of a
treaty being fet afoot between the two courts of Mofcow
and Pekin. For this purpofe the Ruffian embaffador
Golowin had left Mofcow fo early as the year 1685, accompanied
by a large body of troops, in order to lecure
his perfon, and enforce refpedt to his embaffy, The
difficulty of procuring fubfiftence for any confiderable
number of men in thofe defolate regions, joined to the
ruggednefs of the roads, and the length of the march,
prevented his arrival at Selengifk until the year 1687,
From thence mefiengers were immediately difpatched*
with overtures of peace to the Chinefe government at
Pekin.
After feveral delays, oecafioried partly by policy, and
partly by the poffure of affairs in the Tartar country
through which the Chinefe were to pafs, embaffadors
left