and we had the hiftory of three feffions, filled with the moit interefting matter, to recount. In that time, befides the change of one adminiftration, and the appointment of another (meafures which in both cafes were attended with new and extraordinary circumftances) an unexpected and fignal revolution took place in the state of parties, interefts, and public opinions, throughout the kingdom. In this courfe of things, fome new, and many great conftitutional queftions were agitated. The complex and intricate fate of Eaft India affairs, and the long courfe of enquiry which they produced, were not the leaft difficult or arduous parts of our task. In treating this fubject, we were pledged, and indeed neceffarily bound, to take a retrofpective view of the proceedings in parliament relative to the Company, from the time that the Secret and the Sele&t Indian Committees were appointed by the House of Commons in the year 1781, to the period which comes properly within the line of our narrative. Whatever other effect our new experiment may produce, it will at least afford a proof of our difinterestednefs, and a teftimony of the high fenfe which we entertain of our obligations to the Public: Our publisher having liberally facrificed his own emolument in giving the double volume without any additional expence, and we having, no lefs chearfully, beftowed our labour and time for the fame purpose. THE THE ANNUAL REGISTER, For the YEARS, 1784 and 5. THE HISTORY O F EUROPE. CHAP. I. Retrofpe&ive view of the general affairs of Europe for the year 1780. Emperor. Great fchemes of reform and regulation. Some general obfer vations on them Decree for extending the liberty of the prefs. Decree in favour of the Jews. Ordinances ftriking at the authority of the court of Rome. Oftenfible caufes, and political motives, for the Emperor's journey to the Low Countries in the year 1781. Ill confequences of the war in which Holland was engaged, and of the new political Syftem adopted by that Republic. Refumption of the Dutch Barrier among the principal objects of the Emperor's journey. Obfervations on that measure. Barrier refigned, and the fortreffes dismantled. Alarm occafioned thereby in Holland. Great benefits derived by the Auftrian Netherlands, from becoming the medium of British Commerce, in confequence of the war between the maritime powers.. Sudden rife of Oftend to commercial importance through the fame caufe. Great favours conferred by the Emperor upon the city and people of Oftend. Declares the port free; orders a bafon to be conftructed; grants ground for building to foreign fettlers; and places of public worship to the Proteflant. Emperor examines the obftructions to the navigation of the Scheldt, and wifits Holland. Returns to Vienna. Various wife and bumane regulations adopted in the courfe of the years 1781 and 1782. Enlargement of religious liberty to the Proteftants-of civil liberty to the peasants of Bohemia, Moravia, Silefia, and Auftrian Poland, who are difcharged from their ancient flavery to the lords. Free Exercife of their religion, with other advantages, granted by the Elector of VOL. XXVII, [4] Saxony Saxony to the Roman Catholics in bis dominions. Inquifition abolished by the Grand Duke of Tuscany. Universities reformed by the Emperor. Allots Jchools for the education of foldiers children. Meajures for rendering the city of Trifle a great commercial Emporium. Emperor lends four millions of forins to the merchants of that city. Suppreffion of religious bones in the Auftrian dominions. Ecclefiaftics in the Austrian Netherlands discharged from all foreign jurifdiction. Imperial refeript, difclaiming all fubordination, in fecular affairs, to the Holy See. Suppreffion of religious boufes in the Duchy of Milan. Alarm at Kome. Correfpondence between the Pope and the Emperor. Journey of the Sovereign Pontiff, Pins the Sixth from Rome to Vienna. Received with great honours by the Emperor and Court; but fails in the objects of his journey. Returns to Rome. Reform of the religious orders continued; and extended to the Hierarchy, and fecular Clergy as well as to the Regulars. Commiffion for adminiftering the fequestered eftates; the produce dflined to public purposes. Obfervations and fridures of foreigners on fome of thefe tranfactions. WHILE the four great mari- figns fo fpeedily, as not only, if time powers of Europe were exhaufting their ftrength and facrificing their fubjects in that war, to which the revolt of the British co. lonies in America gave rife, and which in its progrefs fpread fuch defolation through both the Old and the New world, the emperor of Germany was more happily employed, in cultivating the arts of peace, in the improvement of his widely extended dominions, and in ettablishing upon fure and permanent foundations the power, and confequently the fecurity, of his empire. In the laudable purfuit of thefe objects, he was not contented with adhering to the beaten tracks marked out by others, or of waiting the diftant effect of flow and progretive fchemes of improvement. The fertile and active mind of this prince, embracing at once a mulitude of objects, would carry every thing directly to that ultimate point of perfection which it held conftantly in view: as if ruminating on the fhortness of human life, he had determined to eftablish his de he fhould himself be cut off, to place them out of the reach of future contingencies, but to obtain a probability, if he lived, of participating in the benefits he intended for his country. He was accordingly inceffantly occupied in framing,adopting, examining or carrying into execution, numberless projects of regulation and improvement, of lets or greater importance, but including fome of fuch magnitude, as went to the effential reform of the firft departments of the ftate and government, whether ecclefiaftical, civil, or military. This task, fufficiently arduous in itfelf, was rendered ftill more difficult by the nature of his, dominions, compofd as they are of feparate kingdoms, and a number of diftin&t provinces, obtained by different means, and at different periods, fubject to their own peculiar forms of government, and ftill retaining many of their original rights and inftitutions. It would have been contrary to all experience, and confequently to human nature itself, (of which experience is our only evidence) if such, and and fo many schemes of reform, militating with popular opinions, national practices, and tending directly to overthrow eftablishments now venerable by their antiquity, and which has been confidered as facred in their inftitution, could have been carried into effect, with out at least exciting much diffatisfaction and complaint, and without winging the thafts of cenfure, and giving energy to them, if not to more dangerous weapons. All thefe effects, except the laft, the purfuit of these measures indeed produced: nor were the terrors of punishment, the dangers of which were multi plied by the great rewards held out for the discovery of offenders, fuf. ficient to prevent the bittereft libels upon the emperor from being circulated even in his capital. But the mischief went no farther; and this prince proceeded in the establish. ment of his new regulations, with unexampled facilicity and fuccefs. Nor indeed was obfervation confined to the harsher part of criticifm. Foreigners, being under no reftraint, have been equally free in both refpects; but it may be fuppofed, that religious and political prejudices have had fome thare in dictating both their praises and their firictures: for who, in the great European republic, can be totally unconcerned in these subjects? It has been urged, on one fide, that the fpirit of reform is too vio. lent in this prince: and that, though in fome inftances it might have been directed to proper objects, yet, that in general it seemed rather to degenerate into a paffion for innovation, than to be the cool refult of a comprehenfive knowledge and due confideration of things, guided by prudent and practicable views of improvement. They faid, that he fet out too rapidly to be able to maintain his career. That his hafty, indigeftéd fchemes, involved in their formation the principles of diffolution; that they militated with each other; were in many refpects contrary to natural justice, and highly oppreffive; that fome of them warred fo directly against the opinions and feelings of man. kind, that they were already of neceffity abandoned. Nor did even the meaíures which he pursued in the regulation and conduct of his vaft armies, and on which he was fuppofed particularly to reft his fame, efcape the cenfure of military critics, either at home or abroad. It is, however, to be remembered, that the Herculean task of reformation requires very peculiar properties and qualities. That the degrees of fervour, zeal, and fertility of defign, effentially neceffary to conftitute a reformer, frequently lead him to overshoot his objects; but that without thefe, and other correfponding difpofitions and propenfities, he feldom or ever could reach them. That nearly all fuccefsful reformers have accordingly erred in the fame manner, and fallen into a fimilar excefs. And with refpect to military affairs, it is to be obferved, that it is of the very nature of difcipline, to produce a tenacious adherence to forms, and of course an animofity to innovation. To which it may be added, that the diffatisfactions inevitable in all armies, and more particularly in fuch vast hosts, from the great variety of tempers and characters they include, muft throw many impediments in the way of reformation. Upon the whole it may be fuf[4] 2 pected, pected, that the too hafty adoption of his projects, the multiplicity of them, and the endeavour to carry them at once into execution, were among the principal errors of this prince. But it muft at the fame time be acknowledged, even fuppofing the juftnefs of thefe and other objections admitted, that the emperor has, within the fmall number of years that have elapfed fince he arrived at undivided power by the death of his mother, made wonderful advances towards the improvement of various parts of his dominions; that he has done great and praife-worthy things for the benefit, fecurity, and happiness of his fubjects in general, as well as of particular claffes and orders; and that he has made great and effential reforms in feveral departments of the state and government, however the utility of fome of his regulations may yet be thought queftionable. A liberal difpofition with refpect to religious toleration was early to be expected, from the character and general conduct of this prince; and little doubt was accordingly entertained but that it would be freely difplayed, whenever the power was lodged folely in his own hands. Other parts of his difpofition and policy, particularly with respect to ecclefiaftical matters, continued yet unknown and unfufpected, even for fome time after the demife of the empress queen. But the years 1781 and 1782 removed the veil that covered his defigns in this refpect; and it foon became apparent, that the reducing the exorbitant power of the clergy within his own dominions; the fevering and emancipating them from all dependence on the court o Rome; with the fuppreffion of the religious orders, and the appropriation of their property, were among the great and determined objects of the emperor's policy. A liberal extenfion to the liberty of the prefs, which had hitherto been much circumfcribed in the Auftrian dominions, feemed in fome degree an opening to fucceeding events, and might be confidered as throwing fome light upon views which were not otherwife revealed. The order or decree for this purpose was alfo written by the emperor's own hand, and was published early in the year 1781. By one of the articles he allowed a free circulation, without examination or licence, to all thofe literary reviews of various publications, with which Germany, from the number of its ftates, of its public fchools and universities, and the great differences with refpect to religious and political principles or opinions, more particularly abounds than any other country. Even the fubject of ecclefiaftical hiftory is left open by this article. By another, he permits that all firictures upon the conduct of the throne itself might be published with full fecurity; providing only, that they do not defcend to the character of pafquinades or abfolute libels. Upon this fubject he expreffes himfelf with a noble magnanimity" If "there be any thing juft in them, "(he fays) we fhall profit by them; "if not, we fhall difregard them." He likewife permits the free publication of all political news-papers and pamphlets without exception; and the difcuffion even of religious fubjects is admitted, with only this refervation, that fuch writings fhould not attack, in any of their funda. |