XXX CONTENTS. A.D. 1663— aetat. 28. His courtship and nuptials 54 The Earl of Carlisle lands at Archangel on an embassy to the Czar
Summary
Passages from the diary of General Patrick Gordon of Auchleuchries : A.D. 1635-A.D. 1699"
XXX
CONTENTS.
A.D. 1663— aetat. 28.
His courtship and nuptials 54
The Earl of Carlisle lands at Archangel on an embassy to the Czar 63
A.D. 1664— aetat. 29.
His entry into Moscow, and audiences of the Czar. Failure of his mission 56
A.D. 1665— aetat. 30.
Gordon is made Coxonel. He learns the death of his elder brother. He asks leave to
visit Scotland, and is refused 57
A.D. 1666— aetat. 31.
The Czar resolves to send Gordon on a mission to England >, , 57
Keasons and objects of the mission 58
He has an audience of the Czar, and receives his credentials 60
Departure from Moscow, and journey to Pskov 61
Arrival at Riga 66
Voyage from Riga to Lubeck 67
Hamburg and Altona ^ 69
Harburg. Zelle. Hanover. Neustadt. Buckeburg 70
Hameln, and its pied piper. Herford. Bielefeld 71
Lippstadt. Haltern. Wesel 72
Emmerich. Kimegen. Thiel. Bommel. Sir George Ayscue 73
Dort. Middleburg. Flushing 74
Sluis. Bruges 75
Ostend. The Dutch fleet 77
Ghent. Convent of English Benedictine nuns 77
Bruges. Priory of English Austin Canonesses. The Great Fire of London. General
Thomas Dalyell of Binns. Lieutenant-General Drummond, first Viscount
Strathallan =.... 78
Voyage from Nieuport to Dover 79
Canterbury. Gravesend. Deptford. Peckham 81
Arrival in London. Earl of Lauderdale. Audience of King Charles II 82
Earl of Aberdeen. Earl of Clarendon 83
Colonel Patrick Gordon of the Steelhand 84
The Tower. Earlof Rothes 85
Earl of Middleton. Earl of Carlisle. Sir "William Davidson. Sir William Thomson.
Dr. Robert Morison 86
A.D. 1667— ffitat. 32.
Supper at the Cock. The Rhenish wine house. Sir George Ent. The Knight's
Errant 86
Letter from King Charles II. to the King of Poland in favour of Gordon's father-
in-law 87
Gordon was brought up and remained a lifelong Roman Catholic, at a time when the Church was being persecuted in Scotland. At age of fifteen, he entered the Jesuit college at Braunsberg, East Prussia, then part of Poland. In 1661, after many years experiences as a soldier of fortune, he joined the Russian army under Tsar Aleksei I, and in 1665 was sent on a special mission to England. After his return, he distinguished himself in several wars against the Turks and Tatars in southern Russia. In recognition of his service he was promoted to major-general in 1678, was appointed to the high command at Kiev in 1679, and in 1683 was made lieutenant-general. In 1687 and 1689 he took part in expeditions against the Tatars in the Crimea, being made a full general. Later in 1689, a revolution broke out in Moscow, and with the troops under his command, Gordon virtually decided events in favor of Peter the Great against the Regent, Tsarevna Sophia Alekseyevna. Consequently, he was for the remainder of his life in high favor with the Tsar, who confided to him the command of his capital during his absence from Russia. In 1696, Gordon's design of a "moveable rampart" played a key role in helping the Russians take Azov. One of Gordon's convinced the Tsars to establish the first Roman Catholic church and school in Muscovy, of which he remained the main benefactor and headed the Catholic community in Russia until his death. For his services his second son James, brigadier of the Russian army, was created Count of the Holy Roman Empire in 1701. At the end of his life the Tsar, who had visited Gordon frequently during his illness, was with him when he died, and with his own hands closed his eyes. General Gordon left behind him a uniquely detailed diary of his life and times, written in English. This is preserved in manuscript in the Russian State Military Archive in Moscow. Passages from the Diary of General Patrick Gordon of Auchleuchries (1635–1699) was printed, under the editorship of Joseph Robertson, for the Spalding Club, at Aberdeen, Scotland, 1859.