the clamour of the manufacturers and merchants engaged in the Ruffian trade was fo great, and an averfion to war, efpecially with a power that was confidered as an old, a natural, and a beneficial friend, fo prevalent throughout the nation, that though the majorities in favour of the minifter on the queftions relating to the armament against Ruffia amounted almoft to a hundred, he thought it prudent to relax, and to perfuade Pruffia and Turkey to accommodate all differences with the Emprefs, according to the plan which he had propofed. By a peace fuddenly concluded at Galatz, on the 11th of Auguft 1791, Ruffia retained Oczakow and the country between the Bog and the Dnieper, which had belonged to Turkey before the war. The latter of these rivers was to be the boundary of both powers each to be equally entitled to the free navigation of the river; and each to erect fortifications on its refpective fhores. Concerning the value and import ance of this new acquifition to the Ruffian empire, various and oppofite opinions were entertained, at leaft various arguments were urged on the different fides of this queftion; for an account of which, we refer our readers to our Sketch of British Hiftory, and the Debates in Parliament. It is a fact well known to all who were beft acquainted with the at fairs of Ruffia, that the Empress in all her plans, whether of negociation, alliance, or war, had conftantly in view the expulfion of the Turks from Europe, and the restoration of the Greek empire: an idea that was first conceived by the great and comprehenfive mind of the Czar Peter; and of which the cabinet of St. Petersburg has never loft fight during the fucceeding reigns, to this day. Her interfe rence, foon after her acceffion to the throne, in the affairs of Poland, and during the whole course of her reign, was connected with her grand plan. It was neceffary in her wars with Turkey, to fecure for her armies the refources which Poland afforded, and still more, that the Poles fhould not take part with the Turks against her. The political circumstances and fituation of Europe, as we have already noticed, were fo favourable to the ambitious and vaft designs of Catharine when he began to make preparations for a war with the Turks, that it is probable fhe did not think at that time of fheathing the fword until the fhould be in poffeffion of Conftantinople. The resistance of the Turks, more vigorous than was apprehended, contracted her views to the erections of Moldavia, Wallachia, and Beffarabia, into an independent fovereignty for her great favourite Prince Potemkin *, who had become an object of great jealoufy "As a confolation to Prince Potemkin under his disappointment of an independent fovereignty, for the prefent, he was appointed by the Emprefs, Hatman of the Coffacs, an office of the greatest trust and power in the empire, and which likewife carried in it a fhew of fovereignty; and which had never been filled up fince the days of the celebrated Mazappa. Potemkin, foon after the peace, died fuddenly by an apoplectic stroke, to which, from his manner of life, he muft have been pecularly predifpofed. The refentment of the nation, which had been repreffed by the dread of his power, immediately broke out into the most bitter invectives against loufy and envy to the Ruffian court, even the Grand Duke not excepted, and principal nobility, and the interpofition of the allies to the retention of Oczakow; on which the perfevered to infift, notwithstanding memorial on memorial, and remonftrance from the allies, not, it may be fairly prefumed, from any idea from its value, when balanced with the expence and the danger too attending a protraction of even the most fuccefsful wars, but from the haughtinefs and pride of her, character, which could not brook an appearance of constraint in any part of her conduct. his memory. He was accufed of facrificing with equal facility the honour of his Sovereign and the interefts of the empire to the views of his own aggrandizement: of crushing friends and enemies, without diftinction and without remorte, when they flood in the way of his own preferment; and of privately fending immenfe fums out of the empire, for purposes which he durft not avow. His private vices (too rich a field for cenfure) were induftriously brought to light. Pofterity, if it fhall think the life of Prince Potemkin worth the recording, may perhaps find in him, both good and great qualitics :-but as his contemporaries were not inclined, after his death, to allow him either the one or the other, his Sovereign, who refpected the memory of a fervant she had believed faithful, chofe to confign his name to a premature oblivion, and to impofe filence when the could not command approbation." Letters from Scandinavia in the years 1789, 1790, and 1791. We have had occafion to know that thefe letters were written by a very intelligent gentleman, who had good opportunities of being affured of the facts he relates, and whofe character places him far above any suspicion of voluntary mifreprefentation. From the concurrent teftimony of different writers of credit, it fufficiently appears that there are many fovereigns who do not poffefs revenues equal to those which Potemkin fpent; and that his luxury equalled that of an ancient Perfian Satrap, or Roman Pro-conful. Few princes gave an audience with more state. Some Livonian gentlemen, of very high rank, who went to Petersburgh on affairs of importance, found him in an undrefs, playing at cards with his nieces. When they were announced, he scarcely deigned to look at them; and, continuing his game, difmiffed them without any other compliment or ceremony than an ordinary falute. When he thought proper to enter into converfation with strangers, they found him both instructive and entertaining. So rapid and fo long a career could not indeed have been fupported but by a man of great talents and firmness of character. Having become mafter of the Ruffian empire, he increased its internal weakness, while he added to its external glory. We have already seen that he was encouraged by the Emprefs to afpire to the throne of Moldavia and Wallachia. Difappointed of this, he is faid to have formed feveral other plans of independence, fuch as being raised to the Duchy of Courland, &c. He died at the age of fifty, leaving to his heirs the rich territory of Simila in Poland, which contains. 30,000 ferfs. His whole property amounted to about seven millions fterling -As the repeated ufe of ftrong cordials prevents the natural effect of ordinary refreshment, fo a fatiety of riches, pleasures, honours, power, and almoft of great and fuccefsful enterprizes, left Prince Potemkin in a state of diffatisfaction, uneafinefs, and melancholy, and infpired his mind with longing defires after fome gratification yet unknown-fomewhat new, vaft, and unbounded. The caprices and eccentricities of Potemkin gave credibility to what we read in Suetonius and other ancient writ ers, of the freaks and extravagancies of fo many of the Roman Emperors. CHAP. CHAP. VI. Situation of Poland at the Close of 1790. Poland treated with Infolence by the Courts of Petersburg and Vienna. Sound Policy of an Alliance between Poland and Prufia. Unusual Condefcendence of the Courts of Vienna and Peterfourg. Awakened Spirit and Patriotifm of the Polish Nation. Abolition of the permanent Council, and Establishment of a permanent Diet in Poland. Conceffions to the Poles by the Ruffians and Auftrians. Augmentation of the Military Strength of Poland. Situation of Northern and Eaftern Europe at the Commencement of 1790. Sketch of a New Conflitution favourable to the Liberty and Happiness of all Ranks. Excites Jealousy and Alarm in the Courts of Berlin and Peterburg. King of Pruffia demands the Ceffion of Dantzick and Thorn. Character, Circumftances, and Conduct of the King of Poland. Patriatic Ardour of the Poles of all Ranks. Decrees of the Polish Diet in favour of the Commons. The Meeting of the Polish States changed into a Dict of Confederation; in which all Queftions are to be decided by a Majority. The Diet opened by the King in Perfon. The Diet abfolves the King from his Coronation Oath. Debates in the Diet. The King and the Diet accept, with the Solemnity of an Oath, the New Conftitution. TH HE fituation of Poland at the clofe of the year 1790, was become extremely critical. The Polish nation was full of refentment at the thraldom in which it had been held, ever fince the difmemberment of the kingdom in 1773, by its three neighbouring powers, Ruffia, Auftria, and Pruília; and had, from that fatal epocha, been watching with indefatigable diligence for an opportunity to break the fetters of this ignominious bondage; but near fifteen years elapfed before the leaft ray of hope appeared. It was not until the ambition of the two principal oppreffors of Poland had involved them in a war with the Turkish empire, that the patriotic party in Poland, long filent and inactive through the consciousness of its inability to fpeak or to act to any effectual purpofe, began at laft to conceive that the period was come when an attempt might be made with fome confidence of fuccefs, to throw off the yoke of thofe oppreffors. The courts of Peterburg and Vienna had recently exhibited a ftriking proof of the contempt in which they held the Polish government. Without condefcending to the ufual formality eftablified between feparate ftates, of requefting permiflion, or even giving previous notice, they had ftationed two large bodies of their refpective troops on the Polifh territory. Such an infringement of territorial rights, had been further aggravated by a propofal to affemble a diet, in order to enter into an alliance against the Poite with thofe two powers; whofe intentions to expel the Turks from Europe, had raised no little alarm in this part of the world, particularly in Poland; which, for obvious reafons, could not view without the moft ferious concern, the depreffion of a power, of which tribute as speedily and vigorously as poffible to its emancipation. Fortunately for the projects entertained by the Poles, that power which had co-operated with the two others in their fubjugation, was not at this time on the like terms of union with his former affociates. The dread of that increafe of their power which muft wife from the conqueft of the Turkifh dominions in Europe, had awakened his jealousy of them, and difpofed him, for his own fake, to unite with Poland in counteracting a scheme, which, if carried into execution, would render Ruffia and Auftria the arbiters of those parts of the European world, and eftablith a fuperiority over him, the confequences of which it was eafy to forefee. it was the evident interest to con- This indeed was the invariable opinion of moft politicians, who forefaw that whatever acquifitions the houfe of Brandenburg might make by a partition of Poland, they would never contribute fo firmly to its ftrength and prefervation, as the integrity and independ ence of the Polith monarchy. The largeft fhares in that partition would, as in the antecedent difmemberment, be thofe of Ruflia and Auftria: the power of which would increase much more than proportionably to that of Pruffia. Thus, all circumftances duly weighed, the court of Berlin would gain more by making a common caufe with Poland, than by entering into a confederacy against it with its enemies, who probably would find pretexts to unite afterwards against him. The rapacity of Rufiia, on the one fide, and the retentments of Auftria, on the other, might not only deprive the houfe of Brandenburg of its newly-acquired poffeffions in Poland, but even of its German conquefts from the house of Auftria, and reduce it at laft to its electorate and mere title of Margrave. Nor were the Poles ignorant of the jealoufies entertained or Ruflia by the two northern kingdoms of Denmark and Sweden, This latter, through the enmity fubfifting between the nobility and the King, was in a ftate of internal diffention, that greatly weakened its natural ftrength; and the former had, for a feries of years, laboured under the influence of Ruffia. But the fpirited exertions of the Swedish monarch had completely defeated the attempts of the nobility to reftore the former ariftocracy; and his equitable and patriotic regulations in favour of the Prompted by thefe confiderations, the court of Berlin refolved to act an oppofite part to that which it had taken at the difmemberment of Poland. That spacious, fertile, and populous country, now appeared in its true light; a formidable barrier to the anibitious defigns of Ruffia to extend its empire to the weft, and to stretch its influence at once into the north and into Germany. The Poles were no lefs convinced, that if the Prufhan monarch condufted himself on principles of found intereft, he would always regard them in the light of a moft ufeful ally one from whom he could not reasonably entertain the least apprehenfion of inftability in his determinations to remain faithfully fuch, and whose interests were intimately blended with his own, while the infatiable thirst of increase of territory continued to actuate the two imperial courts. commons, commons, had entirely fecured them in his interest. Denmark too, it was well understood, would gladly embrace an opportunity to throw off its dependence on Ruffia. Thus it appeared that, with a proper degree of policy and good management, many enemies might be opposed to Ruffia in the north, while occupied in the fouth with the Turks; who, though frequently defeated, still maintained the conteft with both the Auftrians and the Ruffians with unabated courage and vigour. In the diet that opened in October 1788, the preponderance of the Pruffian over the Ruffian party, had been fo ftrong and manifeft, that the court of Peterburg had been compelled explicitly to give way to the refolutions of the Poies, as well as that of Vienna. Thefe powers had been requefted to withdraw their troops from the Polith territories, and to indemnify the inhabitants of the districts where they had been stationed, for the damages they had fuffered. They promifed compliance in a ftyle of conciliation and regard, to which they had been long difufed. What doubtless contributed to this condescendence in thofe two haughty courts, was the remonftrances to that of Petersburg by the King of Pruffia, in behalf of the Poles, and the apprehenfion of his hoftile intentions if they were not duly attended to. Encouraged by the part which he had fo oftenfibly taken, the diet and the whole nation felt a renovation of that ancient fpirit which had once fo ftrikingly characterized the Polish nation. They took a slep on this occafion, which proved how earneftly they were determined to pursue the most vi gorous meatures. They refolved that their fittings fhould continue till the military plans that were for the public defence had been com pleted; they inftituted a new department for the organization of the army, from which every one was excluded that lay under fufpicion of partiality to Ruffia; and a fcheme of taxation was framed, to provide for the maintenance of the numerous forces that had been voted. Thefe different refolutions were carried with a vigour and decifion that overwhelmed every fpecies of oppofition. The few partizans of Ruffia remaining in the diet, whether they acted from fordid motives, from the dread of offending Ruffia, and of not being able finally to refift her vengeance, or whether they fufpected the fincerity of the Pruilian declarations in favour of Poland, notwithstanding their warmth and frequency, or from whatever cause their oppofition might proceed, they were conftantly overpowered by a vaft majority. There ftill exifted, however, a powerful impediment to the patriotic zeal of the diet; namely, the permanent council, inftituted in 1775. This council was invefted with the whole power of the state during the intervals between the fittings of the diet; which, meeting only once in two years, and fitting only fix weeks, could exercife but little controul on this council. It owed its inftitution to Ruffian policy; and its members at this period were not confidered as fufficiently inclined to fupport the measures of the popular party. For this reason the diet came to a determination to fupprefs it, not withstanding the remonstrances of the |