measure upon fituation, and upon the extent and nature of their commerce. France muft behold with the greatest uneafinefs a new arrangement of power, which threatens totally to unhinge the ancient fyftem of Germany and the North. Though the had not been a member of the Germanic body, it would notwithstanding have been a matter of the greateft importance to her, from fituation and neighbourhood only. Other caufes alfo confpire, independent of fecurity, to make this meafure extremely odious. By the lead which fhe had for fo many years affumed in the affairs of Europe, he had acquired a habit of being looked up to, and by the addrefs and dexterity of her minifters, all negociation and intrigue feemed to originate from them. It muft therefore be very galling, exclufive of all other confiderations, to fee a measure of fo extraordinary a nature adopted and nearly executed, without her participation or confent; at the fame time that it calls up an unwelcome recollection of that weakness, which has hitherto tied her down to be a mere fpectator. It is however believed, and probably with juftice, that she has difburfed very confiderable fums of money in fupport of the confederacies in Poland. The number of Freach officers who were upon that service was alfo too great, to admit of any doubt of their having, at leaft, the fanction of government, It is alfo fuppofed, and feems equally probable, that France was neither wanting in her endeavours to engage the Porte in the war with Ruffia, nor in preventing the conclufion of a peace between thofe powers. What effect her negociations in Sweden, and her apparent influence upon the present king, may be productive of, cannot be determined: if it be true, as has been reported, that France is ne gociating with fome of the German princes for their troops, there can be little doubt that the still intends to take an active concern in the affairs of Poland. The maritime powers are far from being uninterested in the fate of that country. Every thing commercial is interefting to them; and they carried on by the way of Dantzick and the Viftula a prodigious trade, even with the moft remote and interior provinces. By the present partition, the King of Pruffia becomes mafter of the whole fea-coaft, of the Viftula, and confequently of the whole commerce of that vaft country. He at the fame time takes poffethion of all the great trading cities and towns, of the richest and beft cultivated provinces, and, though his fhare is the least with refpect to extent, he is at once feifed of all the mercantile, manufacturing, and induftrious part of the nation. What fecurity the maritime powers have obtained for the continuance of their rights, and the prefervation of their free liberty ot commerce, has not yet been laid before the public. Undoubtedly they have obtained full fecurity upon thefe heads, as the enterprizing character of that prince is too well known to admit of the smallest negligence in thefe particulars, This prince had always a ftrong inclination to become a maritime power. He has, or may very foon have, all the means of becoming fo; but a marine is a work of time, even with the greatest natural advantages. The King of Pruffia is [4] 3 not tion, not fatisfied with the title to their new acquifitions, which they derivel from force in the firft inftance; apply to the fame force, for a better, in the fecond; and think to fanctify their violence, by obtaining fome of the outward forms of a legal right. As if the violence that makes a man deliver his right was lets juftifiable, than that which obliges him to fign a writing to his own deftruction. Under the influence, however, of this tender regard to the forms of equity, the miferies of an undone king, and of a ruined people, are to be aggravated by an unpro not young-and it might require the reign of more than one prince of activity and conduct to become formidable at fea. We can never confider any probability of that kind, however remote, without fome ferious reflections. But as the immediate effect of the late partition, is to lower France and to aggrandize Ruffia, Auftria, and Pruffia, who may thereby become a balance to the house of Bourbon, it will be always a question, whether on the whole confideration, the late proceedings can become a proper motive to Great Britain for departing from the fyftem, which has hitherto made her confider her nearest neigh-fitable and unheard-of infult. A bours as her first objects of jealoufy; and therefore induced her not to obftruct the growth of the other great powers on the continent, though this growth might be at the expence of weaker powers, with regard to whom the protection of the European fyftem of balance would be loft. All these confiderations, render this a problem in the British politics, of no eafy folution, even when it is impoffible to approve of the violence which is offered to humanity and juftice, in the partition of Poland. Whilft the three great powers are making a spoil of Poland, the unhappy king of that country is a fort of an honourable prifoner in his capital furrounded with foreign troops, it is not yet time he fhould quit it; and he muft not only wait to be a fpectator of the diffolution of his country, but is alfo doomed to light the funeral pile with his own hand. Such is the power of habit, that thofe who have loft all regard to the effence of justice, are ftill fcrupulous admirers of its forms. Thus the powers in quef The diet is to be fummoned with the bayonet at its breafts. Some perfons will be forced, a few others procured, and the king himself ob liged to attend this meeting bufinefs will probably be but short, The juftice, equity, magnanimity, and friendship of the partitioning powers, will be extolled in the highest degree; their undoubted right, to every thing they chufe to take, acknowledged in the fulleft terms; and every inftrument they think proper to prefent, immediately executed. Upon a fimilar principle of juftice, it is faid, that the king is to be indemnified for his perfonal loffes, at the expence of the republic. Such parts of that vast country, as either did not come within the views of the partitioning powers, or as they could not agree in the partition of, they have judiciously, as well to fhew their equity to the world, as to prevent the fatal confequences of prefent difputes among themselves, agreed to form into an hereditary dominion for the prefent king. This new kingdom will be held held by the fame fecure tenure, by which Courland has been held by its dukes, fince one of them had the honour of being married to a princefs of Ruflia; who though The had no iffue, took care to entail much more certain and lafting benefits upon that country. Whatever future revolutions may take place, the Foniatowski family will always be certain of a fecure refuge in Siberia. The year of which we treat, was too fertile in events, for their operations to be confined to the deftruction of Poland. Its annals are to be marked with one of the most extraordinay revolutions, confidered in all its parts, which we can meet with in ancient or modern hiftory. The fudden and unexpected change of government in Sweden, has not yet, however, been productive of any change in the general political ftate of affairs. Whether this will continue to be the cafe, may be a matter of some confider ation. It is indeed fcarcely to be imagined, that a prince who had the dexterity to compafs, and the refolution to execute fo arduous an enterprize, will long. continue a cypher in the fyftem of Europe. Great revolutions and changes in government, require to be marked at the time, or to be followed, by ftriking and brilliant actions. The minds of men in fuch a fituation, must not be suffered to cool; nor are they to have leifure to make invidious comparisons between the late and prefent times, or to grow reftlefs for want of occupati 1. Something must be held out which will attract their whole attention; and their minds and bodies must be exercised in fuch a manner, that at length, when reft can be obtained, they will be glad to accept of it upon any terms, and will find themselves too happy in the enjoy ment, to venture to look back any thing that may disturb it. Thefe are matters that cannot poffibly efcape the penetration and fagacity of a prince, who in a few months, has been able to effect fuch extraordinary things. Who at twenty-five years old, has outplotted the most experienced politicians; who has out-talked the most rigid republicans in his difcourfes upon liberty, and outcanted the most zealous enthusiaits in his appeals to Heaven. Such a prince will undoubtedly find other occupations for his fubjects, than to make reflections upon their own condition, or compari fons between different forms of government. Defpotism, in the hands of an active prince, however unhappy to the governed, fometimes makes the itate refpectable to its neighbours, and is capable of great exertions in war. Sweden, while under a free government, has, in a great meafure, recovered the cruel fhocks which the experienced, thro' the defpotifm and madness of Charles the Twelfth; the people, in the wantonefe of their private happiness, looked back with regret to the glorious exploits of their anceftors. It is therefore probable, that as the whole powers of the ftate are now centered in the hands of the king, he will ufe ftrenuous endeavours to recover fome share of that rank and confequence in the fyftem of Europe, which was fupported with fo much luftre by his predeceffors, in the laft, and the beginning of the prefent century. The revolution in Denmark, if it deferves that name, does not af[4]4 fe&t fect the general state of public affairs. It opens indeed to public view, fuch fcenes as it would ever be the intereft of crowned heads to keep concealed from common eyes. Denmark is at present furrounded by dangerous neighbours, and the times are critical for a weak government. The prefent politicks of Germany and the north, are inexplicable to those who are not in the fecret. The three great powers, whofe jarring interefts have been reconciled, by their joint views of immediate advantage in the divi fion of Poland, are poffeffed of fo mighty a force, that there fcarce feems a poffibility, even of impeding, much lefs of preventing, the full completion of thofe defigns which they have already avowed. Peace feems to be nearly concluded between Ruffia and the Porte; but if it had been otherwife, as the latter was totally incapable of defending itself against the former, without any other interference, what alliance could now be formed, that could counterbalance the joint weight of Auftria and Pruffia thrown into the fcale? We notwithstanding fee each of these powers making every preparation for war, that it could do, if already attacked by a fuperior enemy. They ftand ready armed at all points with their fwords drawn, and as if they were amazed at what they had already done, and were not determined what to do next; as if they apprehended danger from withont, which they would prevent by carrying it to others; but were jealous and afraid of each other. Other parts of the northern politicks are equally myfterious. Nothing could be more contrary to the intereft and policy of Ruffia, than the change of government in Swe den; yet the emprefs congratulates the king with the greatest fincerity upon the happy event; and is fully fatisfied with the fhare, which it is believed, her faithful friend and ally the king of Pruffia had in that revolution. Sweden and Denmark are preparing for war with the greatest diligence by sea and land; yet they give mutual affurances of friendship, and of the strictest intentions to preserve a good neighbourhood, France is in avowed oppofition to the partition of Poland, and is fuppofed to have, almoft, an unbounded influence on the king of Sweden; while that prince is upon the most intimate terms with his uncle, who is a principal in the partition. It would appear to those who are not politicians, that the prefent communion of friendship and intereft between Ruffia and Pruffia, would infallibly prevent any ferious falling out between the former and Sweden, at leaft, till those affairs were finally adjufted, in which the interests of the petitioning powers were equally concerned; we fee notwithstanding, that the emprefs of Ruffia has collected troops from all quarters, and even withdrawn the greater part of those who seemed neceffarily ftationed in Poland and Lithuania, in order to form a confiderable ariny on the frontiers of Sweden. The extraordinary incidents of the prefent year, have not been wholly confined to Europe. There have been confiderable disturbances in feveral parts of South America. The vaft multitudes of Africans in the colonies have begun to make confiderable efforts towards recovering, recovering, in the boundless forefts of America, that freedom which they were not capable of preferving in their own. Common oppreffions unite all nations and colours in one common intereft; and we now fee the long-haired copper-coloured American cordially join with the black woolly-headed negro in a refiftance to the oppreffors of mankind. A most alarming infurrection of the negroes, in the Dutch colony of Surinam, has for feveral months involved the inhabitants in the greatest terror and diftrefs, and endangered the poffeffion of their extenfive and valuable fettlements in that quarter. The infurgents had not only provided themselves effectually with arms and ammunition, but acquired fuch a knowledge, from the inftructions or example of their mafters, in the use of them, that they have defeated the foldiers and militia in feveral engagements; and, having taken their cannon, have fet an example of managing artillery before unknown among negroes. Ships and troops have been fent from Holland to quell this infurrection; and no doubt can be formed but they will fucceed in defeating the negroes, and in either driving them farther into the woods, or in difperfing them entirely; the feeds of the evil will however remain, the country is too extenfive to admit of their entire deftruction, and they will be received, if not protected, among the various nations of In-. dians. An infurrection in the Brafils was of ftill greater confequence, and feemed to have threatened the exiftence of the Portuguese power in that part of the world. The firft appearance of this infurrection was in the neighbourhood of St. Joseph of Maragnon, where the negro and Indian flaves, in the month of May laft, having, in the evening and at night, fuddenly feized all the arms and ammunition which they could meet with at the plantations where they were employed, affembled in a body, to the number of three thoufand, and marched the next day to attack that fort and town. A foldier, who had escaped from them the preceding night, fortunately arrived time enough in the morning to alarm the town and the garrifon. Instead of waiting to be attacked, they marched out, to the number of 800 men, to oppose them, and took poffeffion of an advantageous piece of ground, through which their enemies muft neceffarily pafs in their approach to the town. The rebels, who were marching in great hafte and diforder, were Itartled at this fight, and the foremoft having fuddenly halted till the reft came up, a fhort confultation was held, the refult of which was, their attacking the Portuguese immediately in a body, which they did with great refolution, having referved the fire of the few arms they were poffeffed of, till they difcharged them full in their faces, after which they fell on with fwords, clubs, and such other wear pons as they had been able to procure, with great fury. The fuperiority of arms and difcipline prevailed, as ufual, over number; the Portuguese having kept up a continued platoon fire, and by fome judicious motions almost entirely furrounded them, the infurgents were routed, with a confiderable laughter, and a great number of them were taken prisoners. Whe |