Avontuurlijke reys-togten van Johan Smith, in verscheyde gedeelten des werelds, begonnen in het jaar 1593 ...

1593

victory over Transylvania.

Stuhlweissenburg besieged by Mercury.

The Duke of Mercury then besieged Stuhlweissenburg, otherwise called Alba Regalis, with an army of 30,000 men, among whom were about 10,000 French, a place which was so strong by art and nature that it was considered unconquerable. As soon as he had set himself before the city, Sorties of the Turks. the Turks made a sally on the camp of the Germans, and killed about 500 men there, and made their retreat before one was properly aware of it. On the night following that, they did nearly the same among the Bohemians and the Hungarians, which success caused them to suspect they would find the French in their camp equally careless, which failed them, Which was paid back to them in the end. as at least 8 or 900 of theirs were hewn to pieces and taken prisoner. In this skirmish Bravery of Grandville. that courageous Lord Grandville, French Colonel, received some 7 or 8 dangerous wounds, yet he pursued his enemy to the gate, and although he came away alive, he died on the fourth day.

Effect of the Fireworks.

Count Meldritch, through the report of 3 or 4 Christians who had fled from the city, knew well how to employ the fiery dragons I had prepared at every war-cry where the greatest surge and pressure of men was, of which I had also given instruction to Count Sulch, of Comora. I prepared them thus: having taken 40 or 50 earthen pots with large round bellies and filled them with gunpowder, and covered the same with pitch mixed with Sulfur and Turpentine, placing in the middle of the pots many musket-balls stuck into that mixture, and covering that again with a strong waxed cloth, well provided with twisted strands of hemp, which is prepared with linseed oil, camphor, and sulfur powder, which I knew how to arrange in some made-up slings, with which I positioned myself near the place where I knew the greatest surge of people was.