Note 44 — GENERAL OBSERVATIONS ON THE POLITICAL POSITION OF THE PRINCIPALITIES.

Whenever the Russian or Austrian armies have entered the territory of the principalities in their wars against Turkey, the natives have immediately joined them. At the beginning of the war in 1806, Bukorest was garrisoned by about 10,000 Turks, who declared themselves determined to make a desperate stand against the Russians, and to burn the city, if they should finally see the impossibility of preventing them from taking possession of it. Some inhabitants gave information of this plan to the Russian commander-in-chief Michaelson, who immediately despatched to Bukorest a corps of 6000 men under the command of General Miloradovith, which, by forced marches arrived suddenly before that city, and three days previous to the time they were expected by the Turks. These latter were seized with consternation; all the inhabitants rose against them, and some armed with sticks, others with bricks, tongs, pokers, daggers, swords, and with every thing, in short, that came within their reach, they fell upon the poor Ottomans without mercy, and cleared the town of them as the Russians were entering it. More than 1500 Turks were left dead in the streets, and the Cossacks, who preceded the regular troops, soon reduced them to a state of nudity, in which they remained exposed to the view of the public some hours after tranquillity and order had been restored.