Whether it was, that the fugitives fpread their own animofity wherever they went, among a people who were already too well difpofed to receive it, or that the fame caufes will at certain times produce equal effects, in those who hold no commerce, or communion of fentiments; certain it is, that the fame fpirit ran now like an infection through the flaves of all denominations, and from them pafled to thofe Indian tribes that were fettled among the Portuguefe. Frequent infurrections accordingly took place in different parts of the country, and though they were defeated, they could not from its extent, be fubdued; they only retired to more remote and independent nations of Indians, who first granted them protection, and afterwards affift

ance.

The infurgents and confederate Indians, have fince brought an army into the field, confifting, it is faid, of near 20,000 men: a bloody action has paffed between them and a comparatively small body of Portuguefe, who, with the affiftance of a train of artillery, defeated them with great flaughter. The circumftances, however, attending this victory, were not of a nature to afford much fatisfaction to the conquerors. The Portuguese, befides their artillery, were abundantly provided with arms and ammunition, both of which the infurgents and their allies were very deficient in: notwithstanding this fatal impediment, they fought with uncommon bravery, till they had expend ed, with the few arms they were poffeffed of, their whole ftock of powder and fhot; after which they made a moft admirable retreat, not

withstanding the fire of cannon; having fhewn as much judgment in the latter part of the action, as they had refolution in the firft; a circumftance rarely heard of among barbarous nations,

When fuch a fpirit is fhewn by people long habituated to oppreffion and fervitude, it can be no matter of furprize, that those brave and unconquered tribes of Indians in Chili, who have for near three centuries withftood all the power and artifice of the Spaniards, thould ftill watch over their liberties with the fame unremitting vigilance which had hitherto fo happily preferved them. It may, however, be obferved, that certain-pations and difpofitions of the mind operate, at certain feafons, like epidemical difcafes, upon large bodies of people, who have no connection in interefts, nor commerce in opinions.

It is well known that Spain has had the painful office for fome ages of realizing the fable of the dragon that never flept, with respect to the invaluable gold mines that are in the countries of the free Indians of Chili, which the guards with unceafing care from the approaches of all others, while the is herfelf tormented by the knowledge of their worth, and the brave poffeffors will not fuffer her to gratify her avarice by the fmalleft advantage from them. In confequence of this jealoufy, the Spaniards made early and repeated attempts to become entire mafters of the island of Chiloe, which from its length, and nearness to the coaft of Chili, which it covers for a confiderable extent, as well as its being full in the way from Cape Hora and the ftreights of Magellan, would effectually pres

vent

vent the opening of a commercial intercoufe between any foreigners and the natives of that country.

The spirit of liberty, and the intrepidity of the natives, prevented this defign from being ever put fully in execution. The Spaniards, however, either in or about the time of their great General Baldivia, made a fettlement upon the island, and erected a confiderable town called Caftro, which they fortified, and added fome forts for its greater fecurity. After this town had continued in their hands for near two centuries, the watchful jealoufy of the Indians proved at length fuperior to the care of the garrifon and the ftrength of the fortifications, infomuch that they by fome means became mafters of it about feven years ago, when they burnt and deftroyed it totally.

It is probable that the late voyages of the English and French in the South-feas, together with the fettlement at Falkland's itland, were the immediate motives that induced the Spaniards to form a defign of re-establishing their fettlement at Caftro. To answer this purpofe, three fhips full of men, arms, and ftores, were dispatched early in the year by the viceroy of Peru to Chiloe; which having arrived off the ruins of

March 27th, Caftro, attempted to 1772. land the men; but were repulfed by the natives, who ran down in great numbers to the fea fhore with fuch weapons as were next to hand, as foon as they perceived their defign. The boats being obliged to return to the fhips, they brought their broadsides to bear upon the fhore, and difcharged their artillery with such execu

tion upon the defenceless bodies of the Indians, that a confiderable flaughter was foon made among them; and they were obliged to difperfe. Having effected their landing, they took a formal poffeffion of the country in the name of the king of Spain, and immediately fet about the conftruction of their works; at the fame time dispatching an exprefs, with the greateft expedition, to acquaint the viceroy of Peru with their fuccefs.

This affair was thought of fo much confequence by the viceroy, that he immediately fent nine large veffels (which it seems must have been ready prepared for the pur pofe) with a confiderable body of troops, and all manner of necellary ftores, to fupport and compleat the new establishment. We have no particular detail of the subsequent tranfactions; but find, upon the whole, that the Spaniards were obliged fo foon after to abandon the island, that it is evident, they had not time to bring their works to any degree of perfection.

Whether this attempt of the Spaniards alarmed the continental Indians with respect to their own fecurity, or that they refented the injury to their ifland brethren as a caufe common to them all, we are not told. However this was, the free nations of Chilefe in the inte

rior parts of the country immediately after affembled in arms, and a general infurrection as speedily took place among those who had lived under the Spanish government on different parts of the coaft. The city of Baldivia, by much the most confiderable in Chili, and the emporium of the richest gold mines that the Spaniards are poffeffed of, was the first object of their fury.

They

May 14th.

They marched thither, to the amount of ten thousand; and began by attacking the gold mines, where they cut the guards to pieces, maflacred all the whites they met with, and fet all the negro and Indian flaves at liberty. They then proceeded to attack the town, and foon became mafters of the larger part of it, which lies without the walls; but the inhabitants having retired to the inner town, which is fortified, and the Indians having fuffered feverely from the fire of their cannon and fmall arms, and finding that they were incapable of taking it, in their rage fet fire to the fuburbs, which were entirely confumed, including three fine churches, an hofpital, and feveral religious houfes.

The accounts we can receive of

tranfactions in that part of the world, muft, from fituation, the nature of the government and other obvious caufes, be extremely defective. Some accounts mention the entire deftruction of Baldivia; and that they afterwards attacked St. Jago, the capital, and feat of juftice, a great part of which they alfo burnt. However imperfect or defective these accounts may be, it is certain that this infurrection was thought of fuch importance, that the viceroy of Peru immediately ordered a body of 4000 men to be affembled at Lima, and to march from thence to oppofe the infurgents, and that a very confiderable armament has been fent out from Spain for the fame purpofe, under the command of Don Juan de Caftro, an officer, from whofe experience and abilities the most fanguine hope are formed by the miniltry,

Upon the whole, it is to be ap prehended, that the prefent infurrrections upon the continent of America are only preludes to much greater which are to fucceed, and that the Europeans will, fooner or later, have too much caufe to repent the infinite number of Africans whom they have naturalized in that part of the world. The negroes are much more cunning, ingenious, and enterprifing, than the native Indians; they carry with them fome fhare of the arts, boldnefs, and knowledge of arms, which they acquired from their matters; the Indians alfo have their peculiar and diftinct qualities and character ftrongly marked: it is not unlikely, therefore, that fuch an union may produce an extraor dinary fermentation.

However eligible it may be to employ an immenfe number of flaves in iflands, where they are circumfcribed by narrow and impaffible boundaries; the cafe is very different upon a boundless continent, covered with endless forests, mountains, and lakes, and containing fuch numberlefs tribes of people, that the enquiries of feveral ages have not been fufficient even to obtain a knowledge of their names. We fee already, that their common fufferings frequently unite the Africans and natives in a common cause. Every infurrection, therefore, however it may be quelled for the present, will leave behind it the feeds of many future ones. The fugitives will fpread their knowledge, their griefs, and their animofities, wherever they go; and they can converse with no people that are under any obligations of good-will to the Europeans,

CHAP.

NEGO

TEGOCIATIONS for a peace had been carried on during the winter between the Turks and the Ruffians, through the means and under the apparent mediation of the courts of Vienna and Berlin. The conditions propofed by Ruffia appeared very fevere to the Porte. The ultimatum prefented to the court of Vienna, and from which, it was repeatedly declared, the would not depart in a fingle inftance, infifted, that the Crimea, Budziac Tartary, and in general all that vaft tract of country on the coafts of the Black-fea, as far as the north fhore of the Danube, should continue for ever under the dominion of Ruffia; that the should enjoy an unlimited freedom of navigation on the Blackfea, together with the poffeffion of the city of Afoph, on the mouth of the Don; and that, as the Porte had entered into this war upon frivolous pretences, and without any juft caufe, the thould alfo be indemnified for the expence of fo unjuft a proceeding.

Notwithstanding the distracted

fituation of the Ottoman affairs, thefe hard conditions were unanimously rejected by the Divan. The defire of being extricated from their prefent embarralfments was, however, fo prevailing, that they propofed fresh terms through the fame medium, which, though more equitable, would not have been without advantage to Ruffia. It is more than probable, that the mediating powers did not yet with for a peace between the contending parties; and that, from a full sense of the inefficacy of compacts, when the immediate caufes upon which they were founded ceafe to operate, they rather chofe that Ruffia should continue embroiled in the war, until thofe arrangements, which they had concluded with respect to Poland, were carried finally into execution.

• However this might be, the negociations, which languished in the hands of the mediators, were found to refume vigor on the banks of the Danube, by a direct intercourse between General Romanzow and the Grand Vizir. By this means a

fuf

fufpenfion of hoftilities and a conMay 30th, grefs were foon agreed upon, and an armistice 1772. was accordingly figned for that purpose at Giurgewo. By this armiftice, the fufpenfion of arms was immediately to take place in the neighbouring parts, and as foon in the more remote, whether by fea or land, as expreffes could be forwarded to the Mediterranean, Cuban Tartary, Georgia, and other distant feats of the war; that the great armies were to continue in the fame fituation that they were at that time, during the fufpenfion, and the Danube to be the common boundary between them; that no new fortification fhould be erected on either fide, nor those repaired that had been demolished; and that the Turks in particular fhould make no additions or repairs to the fortreffes of Oczacow or Kilburn, norfend any fresh troops into thofe places. That the place for holding the congrefs fhould be appointed within eight days from the time of figning the armiftice; that the commiffioners there should determine the length of time for continuing the fufpenfion of arms on the Danube and in the neighbouring provinces; but in the diftant countries it was to continue, without farther inftructions, to the first of the enfuing October. Other regulations were concluded with refpect to the navigation on the Danube and the Black-fea; and nothing was left undone that could be contrived to keep both parties as nearly as poffible in their prefent ftate during the fufpenfion, and to prevent any advantage from being taken if the congrefs failed of effect.

The Grand Signior having com

plimented the Emprefs of Ruffia with the choice of a place for holding the congrefs, Foczani, about fixteen miles north of Bucharest, in Walachia, was fixed upon for that purpofe. The minifter, appointed on the part of Rutfia, was Count Gregory Orlow, mafter of the ordnancé, attended by M. Obrefcow, late minifter at the Porte; and Ofman Effendi, attended by fome other minifters of rank, was the principal Turkish plenipotentiary. The Auftrian and Pruffian minifiers at the Porte, having received a prefent of fifty purses (amounting to about 25000 dollars) a piece, from the Grand Signior, befides a fixed daily allowance for their expences, attended alfo July 15th. at the opening of the congrefs.

Nothing could afford a ftronger contraft, than the magnificence of the Ruffian minifters, opposed to the Ottoman fimplicity. The former approached in four grand coaches, preceded by Huffars, and attended by 160 domeftics fuitably habited. The Turkish minifters were on horieback, with about fixty fervants, as plainly habited and accoutred as themfelves. Count Orlow was all over a blaze of jewels: on his breaft was the Emprefs's portrait, together with the enfigns of the different orders with which he had been invefted, all of which, as well as his buckles, and feveral other parts of his drefs, thone with diamonds. On the other hand, Ofman Effendi was clothed with a robe of green camblet faced with ermin, and had nothing to diftinguifh him but a gold-headed cane. It would appear as if riches and magnificence had taken up their abode in the wilds of Scythia, and

that