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.