the Ruffian commander, if any event should take place in the Baltic, which required their mutual exertion. As the Grand Duke was now far advanced in his twentieth year, a marriage was determined upon between him and one of the princeffes of Heffe Darmstadt; and as it was thought proper, in a matter of fuch importance to his happinefs, that the choice fhould reft folely with himself, the Landgravine, and her three daughters, arrived at Petersburg for that purpofe. The Grand Duke's choice was foon determined in favour of the Princess Wilhelmina, who was about a year younger than himself; and that Jady having conformed to to the Greek religion, was baptized in that faith by the new names of Natalia Alexiowna. The Oct. 10th. marriage was fome time after folemnized with great magnificence, the Grand Duke having then entered into his 21ft year. A few days prior to the Great Duke's marriage, and on the anniversary of her coronation, the Emprefs loaded Count Panin, who had been his governor, with honours and emoluments. She bestowed upon that nobleman an estate for ever, valued at near 7000l. a year, and a penfion for life to the fame amount, befides an appointment of about half that fum, for conducting the department of foreign affairs, together with the choice of any houfe in Petersburg, to be purchafed for his refidence, and an allowance of money for plate and furniture, of about 35,000l. She alfo fhewed a proportional munificence to all the officers of the Grand Duke's late houshold. of Courland, died at a great age, on the last day but one of the preceding year, and was fucceeded by his fon. As the reigning duke was known to be in no degree of favour at the court of Petersburg, his poffeffion of that dutchy was held to be very precarious; while it was generally thought that it would have been thrown in as an equivalent on one fide or other in the partition of Poland, and probably might by fome marriage arrangement be formed with fome of the adjoining provinces into an independent ftate. It is probable, that whatever difficulties prevented the execution, more than one design of this nature was in contemplation; and the Duke himfelf was fo fenfible of the dangerous ground he flood on, that he attempted to bring abouta match with one of the remaining princeffes of Heffe Darmstadt, in hopes thereby to ftrengthen his intereft. This defign was crushed as foon as it was known, by the emprefs, who is faid to have fent him word, that he had no occafion to think yet of matrimony. In this hopeless fituation, he was fummoned to Petersburg, and his ruim was thought to be decided; but a change foon appeared in the conduct and defigns of the court; whatever it proceeded from, he fuddenly became a favourite at court, and the emprefs has concluded a marriage for him with a Ruffian princess. The greateft attention has been unremittingly paid to the forming of a great fleet in the feveral ports of the Baltic, where Sir Charles Knowles, who obtained permiffion to retire from the British service, and engage in the Ruffian, has The famous Count Byron, Duke exerted his well-known knowledge and and abilities, in fuperintending the building of feveral fine fhips upon the English model. In a word, nothing is left untried or undone, by which Ruffia may become a great maritime power. A small Iquadron, confifting of four fhips of the line and a frigate, under the command of Admiral Greig, was fent very late in the feason, to reinforce the fleet in the Mediterranean; and it is fuppofed a very ftrong force will be fent on the fame fervice, upon the opening of the Baltic. The war and conquefts in Georgia, of which we heard so many extraordinary accounts, have come to nothing. General Sukatin and twelve officers, were the wretched remains that returned to Peterfburg, of an army that had fo long been represented as triumphant, and as aiming at no lefs than the fubverfion of the Turkish empire in Afia. They attributed their misfortunes to causes that were at all times to be foreseen; to the impracticability of the country, the want of fufficient force, and the impoffibility of neceffary fupplies; to which fhould have been added, the native bravery of the inhabitants, and their total difinclination to fubmit to a Ruffian government. Some new filver mines that have been discovered in Siberia, feem to promise an indemnification to Ruffia for the treasure of which she has been drained by the war. That wide and forlorn region, that was fo long unknown, and feemed wrapt up in an eternal winter that rendered it inacceffible to mankind, teems with inexhaustible treasures, and will in time prove the Peru and Potofi of the north. Thefe new mines have afforded upon their firft VOL. XVI. opening 45,000 pounds of fine filver, which is faid to have been obtained with little difficulty or expence. The empress, according to her ufual magnificence, has bestowed on the intendant of the royal mines, who made the discovery, a princely fortune, and has ordered that they may be worked with all diligence. The ill fuccefs of the campaign afforded an opportunity to the emprefs of fhewing her magnanimity, by not throwing the leaft blame upon her commanders or armies ; on the contrary, Count Romanzow feems to ftand as high in her favour, as he did in the most fortunate periods. As fpectacles have always been found neceffary in defpotic governments, either to divert the people from thinking of public affairs, or, upon certain occafions, to keep up their fpirits, a reprefentation of the taking of Giurgewo from the Turks, was exhibited, at confiderable expence, and with great applaufe, at Petersburg. Upon this occafion, a regular fortification was erected and defended, and all the military forms observed, and approaches conducted, to the final fpringing of mines, making a breach, and taking the place by ftorm. The great failures which took place in the principal commercial ftates, were felt in their effects throughout Europe, and produced every where an almost general ftagnation of mercantile credit. The wife conduct of the empress upon this critical occafion, and the particular attention and regard which the paid to the English factory and merchants at Petersburg, cannot be fufficiently praifed. She immediately iffued orders to the [C] Court court banker, that the British merchants should be fupplied with any fums of money that were neceffary to fupport their credit, in the prefent trying exigency; and took every other measure that could fhew how much she had the commercial interefts of her country at heart, as well as her particular regard to a friendly and allied power. Great divifions feem to have prevailed this year in the court of Peterfburg, the extent and nature of which are little known. Two parties, which took the names of their refpective leaders, and feem to divide the empire, have, however, been avowedly formed, upon the great question of war or peace. The former of these, under the aufpices of Prince Orlow, are eager for a continuation of the war, and of obtaining all the fruits from its paft fucceffes, as well as from those in expectancy, that they are capable of affording; the fecond follow the opinions of Count Panin, who is a zealous advocate for peace, and does not want fufficient arguments, to fhew its expediency, if not neceflity. The emprefs has bestowed her favours and honours fo equally upon thofe leaders, that it looks as if the thought it neceffary to trim between the two parties; Prince Orlow refumed his functions early in the year, in confequence of a letter written to him in her own hand for that purpose; and Count Panin has been called upon in the fame manner, fince its conclufion, to exert his great faculties for the fecurity and prefervation of the empire. It is however faid, that the empress, upon all occafions in the council, has given her opinion for the continuance of the war. Such differences of opinion would. be of little confequence, if other marks of difcontent had not appeared, in different parts of the empire, as well as at court. Of the causes or effects of these little can yet be faid. It was however obferved, that in the midft of the fplendour and magnificence of the Great Duke's, nuptials, and of the fumptuous feftivals that enfued, difcontent, fufpicion, and apprehenfion, were in many countenan ces.too vifible to be concealed.. CHAP: CHA P. IV. King of Poland's circular letter. The grand council of the nation affembled at Warfar. Meafures for the holding of the diet. Articles prefented by the minifters of the petitioning powers. Memorial; threats; answer; declaration from the Pruffian minifter. Ferment in the diet. Warfar furrounded by the foreign troops. Protefts against the diet. New confederacy, under the auspices of the allied powers. Foreign troops enter the city, and are quartered in the palaces of the principal nobility. Heavy contributions threatened to be impofed. Peremptory order to the diet, to conclude the act of ceffion within eight days. The act paffed, in the diet' and fenate, and figned by the King. Delegates appointed, and the diet breaks up. New fyftem of government propofed. Treaties concluded by the delegation with the minifters of the allied powers, and ratified by the King. Some particulars of the treaty with the King of Pruffia. EmpeDearth, and depopulation in Bohemia. Court of Berlin; conduct obferved with respect to the new provinces; Jews; Dantzick; fortitude of the citizens of Thorn; Jesuits protected. Denmark; treaty with Russia, Saveden; calamities in the provinces; preparations; Finland peasants; letter from the King to the Count de Hopken. ror. TH HE King of Poland, in his circular letter for the calling of the fenatus confilium, which was to meet at Warsaw, on the 8th of February, 1773, informs the fenators, that their meeting had for its object, the prefent diftrefsful ftate of their country, invaded and divided between three neighbouring powers; and encourages them to hope, that if they concur with him with temper and unanimity, in such measures as fhall appear moft eligible in their unhappy fituation, that Divine Power, who had fo miraculously rescued him from the hands of the affaffins, when there did not appear a glimpse of hope for his deliverance, would ftill, in fome manner interfere, for the preservation of their country, and its deliverance from a foreign yoke. It is one of the preliminary requifites in Poland, for the convocation of a diet, that the king at a stated time, previous to its intended meeting, fhall write circular letters to the feveral palatinates, for their holding dietines, or meetings for the election of deputies, at a time appointed; in which letters he alfo acquaints the nobility with the caufes for holding the diet, and the feveral matters that are to come under its confideration. By this means, as the electors are acquainted with the nature of the business that is to come before them, they have an opportunity to inftruct their reprefentatives as to the matters which they are to grant, or to refuse. The minifters of the partitioning powers, accordingly prepared a number of articles against the meeting of the grand council, which contained fuch matters as they intended should be particularly laid before the diet. The principal of these were, that the ftates of the [C] 2 kingdom kingdom fhould acknowledge in the presence of the King, that the rights claimed by these powers to the provinces of which they had taken poffeffion, were refpectively founded in juftice; that when their pretenfions have been approved of and confirmed in the diet, the new frontiers of the kingdom fhall be regulated and confirmed for ever by the ftates; that to render this purpofe the more effectual, a map fhould be taken of the country, in which the boundaries fhall be exactly delineated, and then confirmed, as before, for ever; that as a farther fecurity to the permanence of thefe arrangements, trearies fhall be entered into with the other powers of Europe for their confirmation; and that as the preceding conftitution of Poland occafioned great prejudices to the kingdom itself, that the power of their kings was limited and much diminished; and that the disorders occafioned thereby extended even to the neighbouring countries, it was neceffary to make fome confiderable alterations in the conftitution, the neceffity and legality of which should be acknowledged by the states. In the mean time, those senators whofe lands lay in the fequeftered provinces, were forbid to attend or act in the fenate, and as many more staid away upon choice, who would have no fhare in the prefent tranfactions, the whole number of that body that could be collected, (which, fhould have been confiderably more than a hundred) amount ed only to about thirty. And left the King and the fenate fhould for a moment forget the mifery of their Situation, and imagine they were met as free men, to debate upon the affairs of their country, memo rials, full of reproaches and threats, were delivered by the minifters of the allied powers, charging them with tergiverfation and delay, and appointing a limited day for the convocation of the diet, with denunciations of the feverest vengeance in cafe of failure. Feb. 19th. In the answer, from the King and the fenate, to thefe memorials, figned by the great officers of the kingdom, much complaint is made of the extreme rigour and harfhnefs of their proceedings, which is aggravated still more, by the extraordinary ftile, tone, and manner of the memorials, with the fhameful neglect of all appearances of refpect to the King and to the republic; they appeal to the neceffity, which urged their paft condefcenfions, and their prefent, to fhew that their conduct could not deferve the reproaches, nor demand the threats, that are thrown out upon them; that the King with the senate, having taken into confideration the serious menaces and imminent dangers which have been announced in case of refufal, he has yielded to the defire of the three courts, and in confequence appointed the 19th of April for the meeting of the diet. It is laftly folemnly requested, that the allied powers will caufe their troops to evacuate the territories of the republic, previous to the meeting. of the dietines, in order that the elections and the diet may proceed with full liberty, and that the fenfe of the nation may explain itself without conftraint or danger. No great bufinefs was done in the fenatus confilium, except appointing the time for the diet, returning the foregoing anfwer, mak |