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To the right honourable my very good Lord, the Lord Boris Pheodorowich, Master of the horses to the great and mighty Emperour of Russia, his Highnesse Lieutenant of Cazan and Astracan, William Cecill Lord Burghley, Knight of the noble Order of the Garter, and Lord high Treasurer of England, sendeth greeting.

RIGHT honourable my very good Lord, upon the last returne of our merchants shippes out of Russia , there was brought unto my handes, by one Francis Cherrie an English merchant, a letter directed to the Queenes Majestie, from the great and mightie Emperour of Russia, and another letter from your Lordship directed to me: which sayd letter written from the Emperor to her Majesty hath beene considerately and advisedly by her Highnesse read and perused, and the matter of complaint against Jerome Horsey therein comprised thorowly examined: which hath turned the same Horsey to some great displeasure. I did also acquaint our Majesty with the contents of your Lordships letters written to mee, and enformed her of your Lordships honourable favour shewed to her Highnesse merchants from time to time: who tooke the same in most gracious part, and confessed her selfe infinitly beholding unto your Lordship for many honourable offices done for her sake, the which she meant to acknowledge by her letters to be written to your Lordship under her princely hand and seale. And forasmuch as it hath pleased your good Lordshippe to take into your handes the protection of her Majesties merchants, and the redresse of such injuries as are, or shall be offered unto them contrary to the meaning of the priviledges and the free liberty of the entercourse, wherein in some points your Lordship hath already used a reformation, as appeareth by your sayd letters: yet the continuance of traffique mooving new occasions and other accidents tending to the losse of the sayd merchants, whereof some particulars have beene offered unto me to treat with your Lordship upon: I thought it good to referre them to your honourable consideration, that order might be taken in the same, for that they are apparantly repugnant to the Emperours letters written to her Majestie, and doe much restraine the liberty of the trade: one is, that at the last comming of our merchants to the port of Saint

Michael the Archangel, where the mart is holden, their goods were taken by the Emperours officers for his Highnesse service at such rates, as the sayd officers were disposed to set upon them, so farre under their value, that the merchants could not assent to accept of those prices: which being denied, the sayd officers restrained them of all further traffique for the space of three weekes, by which meanes they were compelled to yeeld unto their demaund how unwillingly soever. Another is, that our sayd merchants are driven to pay the Emperours officers custome for all such Russe money as they bring downe from the Mosco to the Sea side to employ there at the Mart within the Emperours owne land; which seemeth strange unto me, considering the same money is brought from one place of the Countrey to another, and there imployed without any transport over of the sayd money. These interruptions and impositions seeme not to stand with the liberties of the Emperours privileges and freedome of the entercourse, which should be restrained neither to times or conditions, but to be free and absolute: whereof it may please your Lordship to be advised, and to continue your honourable course holden betweene the Emperour and her Majesty, to reconcile such differences as any occasion doth offer to their league or trafficke. Thus not doubting of your Lordships furtherance herein, I humbly take my leave of your good Lordship. From her Majesties royall palace of Whitehall this 15 of January, 1591.

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