miles of Kaminieck. By this tranfaction, the house of Auftria becomes poffeffed of two thirds of the upper Poland, the provinces of Red Ruffia and Pocutia, together with a part of Podolia, if not of Volhynia, containing in a direct line, from the borders of Silefia, weft, to the diftrict of Kaminieck, eaft, an extent of country, of confiderably more than 300 English miles, and in its greatest breadth, from the Crapach mountains, which divide Pocutia from Moldavia on the fouth, to the borders of Lithuania on the north, of not less than two hundred, forming a vaft extent of frontier, along the borders of Silefia, Hungary, Tranfylvania, and Moldavia. Notice was given in this specification, that the Count de Pergen was appointed commiffary, plenipotentiary and governor in the new provinces, and the people were ftrictly commanded to pay ready and chearful obedience to every thing he fhould ordain. They were alfo informed, that though the day was not yet appointed for their taking the oath of allegiance to her imperial majefty, it thould how ever be foon determined upon; and they were charged in the mean time, to conduct themselves as quiet and obedient fubjects, in the fame manner as if the oath had been already adminittered; in failure of which, they were threatened with thofe punishments due to rebellious fubjects. The fpecifications delivered by the Empress of Ruffia, were as little adhered to, as thofe prefented by the Empreis-queen. She alfo, by way of indemnification and exchange for divers ancient rights, and just and indisputable pretenfi ons, feizes on the following pro vinces and people, whom the incor porates for ever with her empire; viz. all Polish Livonia; that part of the palatinate of Poloczk fituate on the right of the Dwina, or Dus na; all the palatinate of Witepfk, on both fides of that river; all the palatinate of Mfciflaw; the upper part of the palatinate of Minfk, along an imaginary line to the fource of the Druetz; and alfo the lower part of the fame province, which extends on the other fide of the Druetz and the Nieper. Though thefe limits take in a vaft extent of country, comprehending, befides Polifh Livonia, about one half of the great duchy of Lithuania, it is faid, that the ufurpation 'on this fide has been fince much increased, and now includes the country between the Berezina and the Nieper. The Empress not only folemnly promifes her new fubjects the free and public exercife of their religion, and fecurity in their property; but alfo declares, that looking upon them now as her dear children, the renders them all in general, and without exception, equal fharers in all the rights, liberties, and prerogatives which her ancient fub jects enjoy. In return for all thefe graces and benefits, it is only expected that they will render themfelves worthy of them, by a fincere love of their new country, and an inviolable attachment to o magnanimous a fovereign. All the inhabitants, from the highest to the loweft, are, at the fame time, ftri&tly commanded, to take a folemn oath of allegiance to her Czarian majetty, in the courfe of a month; but if any of the nobility or land-holders fhould not chufe to con As the king of Pruffia, it is fuppofed, would be confidered as highly in the character of a royal philofopher and writer, as in that of a warrior, a more clear and learned illuftration of his rights was accordingly expected from him, than from the other partitioning powers. His fpecifications were iffued under the appellation of letters patent, and were addreffed to the different orders and eftates by name, whether ecclefiaftical or fecular, and to all the inhabitants in general, of the territeries of Pruffia and Pomerania, hitherto poffeffed by the kings of Poland; and alfo to thofe of the diftricts on this fide of the Nottée, hitherto appropriated to Great Poland. In thefe letters the king lays down the following pofitions, which he fays, are facts notorious to all who are converfant in history, viz. That the kings of Poland did many ages ago violently diffeize the dukes of Pomerania of that part of the duchy called Pomerellia; and that they have alfo with equal injuftice ufurped and detained a confiderable diftrict of the New March, lying on this fide of the river Nottée; that the dukes of Stettin, were the legal and natural heirs of the dukes of Dantzick; that the latter line be ing extinguished, fo early as the year 1295, their territories, which confifted of that city and Pomerellia, fell into the hands of the knights of the Teutonic order, from whom (in the courfe of fome ages) they paffed into thofe of the kings of Poland; by all which means, the house of Stettin was deprived of its rights, and prevented ever after from recovering them; and that the house of Brandenburgh are the heirs and univerfal fucceffers of all those dukes we have mentioned. Without entering into the fyftem of northern jurifprudence, many objections will arife to claims founded upon thefe principles; among which, the darkness of the hiftory of ignorant and barbarous nations in thofe remote times, and the uncertainty in attempting to trace marriages, fettlements, and defcents, through the families of petty lords, whofe names are doubtfully preferved in books of heraldry, and were scarcely heard of beyond their own diftricts when they lived, are fufficiently obvious. It might also be obferved, that long and unimpeached poffeffion, is acknowledged by the univerfal confent of mankind, as the most certain and equitable title, by which a right can be claimed in any thing; and would in itself be fufficient to preclude any claims, fet up in the darkuefs, and founded upon the rubbish of a blind antiquity. Hiftorical facts, however, mili tate as firongly againft thofe claims, as any reafons drawn from their nature, or the opinions and practice of mankind. It appears that Meftvin, the laft duke of Dantzick, four years before his death, appointed his nephew Premitlaus, then duke, and afterwards king of Poland, Poland, to be his heir, and to fucceed to all his territories; that having communicated this difpofition to the ftates of the country, they agreed to it, and were in his lifetime fworn to Premiflaus, who accordingly fucceeded him, upon his death, in the year 1295. It alfo appears, that neither the dukes of Stettin, nor thofe of Wolgaft, who were the poffeffors of what is properly called Pomerania, ever plead ed their rights, if they had fuch, or laid any claim to thofe territories, though they frequently shifted their mafters, and were more than a century and a half in the poffeffion of the Teutonic knights. It might not be unworthy of obfervation, that Premiflaus fucceeded to the territory of Pomerellia, 122 years before Frederic, the Burgrave of Nurenburgh, and anceftor to the prefent royal family of Pruffia, had purchased the marquifate of Brandenburgh, from the Emperor Sigifmund. It is alfo a queftion of much doubt, whether Pomerellia was ever confidered as a part of Germany, much less as a fief of the duchy of Pomerania; the empire has always been exceffively tenacious of its paramount rights, and its neglect of them in this inftance, would be as extraordinary, as the filent acquiefcence of the dukes of Stettin in the lofs of a fief, which was guaranteed to them by its laws and conftitution. Perhaps it may be needlefs to obferve, that in the volumes of treaties, to which in the courfe of fevera! ages, the kings of Poland and the electors of Brandenburgh have been parties, no notice was ever taken of thofe claims now made by the latter; that if any fuch claims had really exifted, they must have been long fince cut off, by repeated and exact specifications of limits and territories, or renounced, in common with all others, in return for thofe valuable grants and confiderations, which the electoral houfe had the addrefs to obtain in its concerns with the republic; and that fome of these treaties took in, either as parties or guaranties, almost all the great powers in Europe. Or if it should be supposed, that thofe claims might arife from the king's poffeffion of Ducal Pruffia, it should be remembered that his right to that province is founded upon no better title, than what proceeded from the perfidy and treachery of Albert of Brandenburgh, who having in breach of his truft and oath, as grand mafter of the Teutonic order, betrayed the poffeffions, which they had fo dearly earned with the fword, into the hands of the king of Poland, received that province from him as a fief in reward of his conduct, and as his fhare of the spoil. The king of Pruffia was well aware, that the objections we have mentioned, as well as many others, might be made to the nature and juftice of his claims; he has accordingly, in the letters patent, taken the trouble to obviate one of those which we have stated, by fhrewdly obferving, that the dukes of Stettin, had never made any renunciation of their rights to Pomerellia; a fact which must be as readily admitted, as that they never claimed or pretended any fuch rights. As to all others, he refers the public, as well as the parties concerned, to a work, which he fays was then in the prefs (but which has not yet been publifhed), in which he has given to all his reco me Europe inconteftible proofs of rights, confirmed by authentic Ords, and the ftrongest argunts drawn from hiftory and We fhall enter into no particular difcuffion of the claims of this prince, upon that part of Great Poland, which lies between the Draga, and the Nottée, which he pretends to have been originally a part of the New March of Brandenburgh; the rights here, feem to be founded upon fimilar principles, and liable to many of the objections, which we have already mentioned. From this ftate, however, of proofs and deductions, his Pruffian majefty concludes, "that the rights of Poland to these provinces, having been thus in its origin unjust and vicious, cannot, according to the unanimous opinion of all civilized nations, be corrected or, amended by a long prefcription; but rather that the rights of the houfe of Brandenburgh, not only to thofe provinces, but also to the other great and important claims, fet forth in the manifefto, remain in full force and integrity." Having thus eftablished the clearnefs of his titles, and the equity of his claims, this prince declares, that as neither his inclinations lead, nor any law compels him, to fuffer any longer fuch great and various acts of injuftice, he will make ufe of the means in his hands, not only to recover the provinces thus torn by Poland from his Duchy of Pomerania, and the New March of Brandenburgh; but that he will alfo indemnify himself for the fruits and revenues of thofe extenfive provinces during this long detention of them. To this end he therefore feizes all that part of Great Poland fituated on this fide of the Nottée; and alfo, all the territories of Pruffia and Pomerania, on this, and on the other fide of the Viftula, which the kings of Poland have hitherto poffeffed under the name of Polish Pruffia; excepting only Dantzick and Thorn. As the king is fully perfuaded, that the republic of Poland having well weighed his demands, as well as the circumstances attending them, will yield to his rights, finish all differences between them by amicable treaties; and be ready and difpofed to make equitable conventions therein; he therefore exhorts and commands the people, to fubmit themselves voluntarily to his dominion, to acknowledge him for their lawful king and mafter, demean themselves as faithful and obedient fubjects, and abstain from all communication with the kingdom of Poland. As a farther and immediate pledge of their fubmiffion, they are commanded to do homage, and to take the oaths of allegiance and fidelity, in fuch manner as shall be specified to them, at fo fhort a date as the 27th of September, though the letters patent were only figned on the 13th of the fame month. 1 Upon a ftrict and immediate compliance with thefe conditions, the inhabitants of thofe provinces are promifed to be maintained in their poffeffions and rights, whether ecclefiaftical or civil, and especially thofe of the church of Rome, in the free exercife of their religion; and that in general they fhall be fo governed, that every fenfible inhabitant fhall find reafon to be content and happy, and have no caufe to regret this change. But if, on the contrary, any perfon fhould [C] prefume prefume to disobey thofe orders, by any, either, act, or neglect, or fhould in any wife render himself guilty, or even fufpected of infidelity and difobedience, fuch delinquents are threatened, without exception of perfons, with all thofe punishments, which are ufual in fuch cafes. No fecurity, either of perfon or property, is granted by the letters patent, to thofe who from principles of honour, or confcience, or a diflike to foreign laws and a military government, would fooner abandon their country, than be guilty of a violation of the one, or fubmit to a compliance with the other; as little regard is fhewn to the rights of thofe who are abfent in other countries, and who from the fhortness of the time, cannot poffibly comply with the terms prefcribed. The fame difregard to the eftablished rights of mankind are fhewn in the Auftrian fpecifications, by which no alternative is allowed to those who do not chufe to accept of the terms propofed, nor are CHA they even informed, whether they par Declaration from the king and the fenate of Poland. Its effects upon the titioning powers; produces a fecond declaration from the court of Vienna. The king and the fenate, overawed by the threats of the partitioning pow ers, confent to the affembling of a diet, and iffue circular letters, for the convocation of an extraordinary council of the fenate. Wretched ftate of the nobility and inhabitants of Poland. The King of Pruffia, contrary to his declaration, feizes upon the territories, fuburbs, and revenues of the city of Dantzick; erects a cuftom-house at the harbour, and levies infupportable duties upon all commodities; foreign fhips flopped; injuries to the British traders, contrary to treaty; grants dejtructive monopolies ; feizes upon the post-office; artful measures to induce the magistrates and citizens to furrender the city into his hands. The city of Thorn oppreffed in the fame manner: noble fortitude of the inhabitants. Conduct of the partitioning powers with respect to the holding of a diet, and other matters. declaration from the king, and his reduced fenate at Warfaw. TH HE manifefto prefented by the partitioning powers, produced in about a month, a counter Oct. 17th. In this declaration |