more than once proved highly detrimental to the intereft of France. It was imagined, at the time, that this retention of the Dutch money proceeded from a motive by which the directory doubted not to juftify it. This was the great project of invading Ireland, that had long been meditated, and which they were now preparing to carry into execution. The importance of that noble island to Great Britain was well known. The number and bravery of its inhabitants, the fertility of the foil, abounding in all the neceffaries of life, pointed it out as an acquifition to France, that would fet it above all difficulties, and put an end to the war at once, by depriving England of thofe fupplies of men and provifions, indifpenfibly wanted for its armies and navies. In this vaft undertaking, the French principally relied on the cooperation of the Irifh themselves. They were thoroughly acquainted with the fituation of the country, and the difcontents of the people, by means of the fecret correfpondence between the French government and the heads of the malcontents, who regularly informed it of the measures that were taking, on their part, to excite a general infurrection. The armament, defigned for this great expedition, had been preparing, at Breft, during the whole fummer. It confifted of twenty-five hips of the line, including the feven that composed the fquadron of admiral Richery, who was to join it with all fpeed, fifteen ftout frigates, befide floops and tranfports for an army of twenty-five thousand men, to be commanded by general Hoche, whofe military abilities were esteemed equal to thofe of any officer in the French fervice, Moreau and Buqaaparte himfelf fcarcely excepted. Through feveral unforeseen accidents this armament was not ready for failing till the eighteenth of December. On going out of Breft, fome of the largest fhips ftruck upon the rocks, at the mouth of the harbour, and feveral were loft, and others rendered unfit for present service. The Day after its departure, a violent form arofe, which difperfed the fleet, and damaged many of the fhips. This tempeftuous weather lafted during the whole time of the expedition. On the twenty-fourth, admiral Bouvet, commander-in-chief of the French fleet, anchored with seven ships of the line, and ten others, in Bantry-Bay. In order to reconnoitre the country, a boat was difpatched towards fhore; but it was immediately captured, and multitudes appeared on the beach in readiness to oppofe a landing. After lying fome days in this bay, the ftorminefs of the weather increafed to fuch a degree, that, on receiving no intelligence of general Hoche and the principal officers, who were in a frigate that parted from the fleet, in the gale of wind that scattered it on putting to fea, the French admiral determined to quit his pofition, and make the best of his way to France. The land officers, on board, objected to this, and infifted on landing the troops; but, as general Hoche, who alone poffeft the plan of the expedition, was abfent, he refufed to comply with their representations, and fet fail for Breft, where he fafely arrived, on the last day of December. The other divifions of his fleet had alfo the good fortune to reach that harbour, with the lofs, however, of five fhips: two of the line, and three three frigates: one of the latter was captured by the English, and two foundered at fea, with one of the former. The other, after a defperate engagement, with fome fhips of the British fquadron, off Breft, ran afhore to prevent the being taken. The fate of this fleet proved, even to fenfe, what needed no proof in the eye of reafon, that a fuperior naval force is not, in all cafes, a certain fecurity againft invafion. Ire land, notwithstanding the fuperiority of the English fleet, was fixteen days at the mercy of the enemy, and faved from attack only by the elements. Such was the iffue of this famous expedition: the real object of which had long kept Europe in fufpence. Some thought it Portugal, others the English outward-bound fleets. Few imagined it was fo hazardous an enterprize as the invafion of Ireland. The ftrength of the Proteftants there alone was deemed fully fufficient to repel fuch an attempt, and the Roman Catholics had fo many reasons to be fatisfied with the conduct of government, that no fufpicions were entertained of any defire, on their part, to exchange their connection with England for one with France, whofe treatment of those who were become its dependants, under the name of allies, afforded, certainly, no encouragement to follow their example. The clofe of 1796 was marked by the death of Catharine II. emprefs of Ruffia. Catharine, as we have feen in the preceding volumes of this work, had fubdued by her policy, or her arms, the Crimea, the Cuban, with a part of the frontier of Turkey, and almoft one half of Po land. Indulging ftill in her ambi- tion of conqueft; inflamed, not fatiated, by fo much fuccefs, the fought ftill to extend her dominion, whereever it was bounded only by that of a neighbour, not by the hand of nature. She contrived to stretch forth, as it were, both her arms, the one in Europe, the other in Afia; but contrarily to what had been ufually experienced, both by herself and predeceffors, while the made a conqueft of no fmall importance in the north of Europe, the was vigorously repelled from the fofter climate of Afia. By careffes and intrigues fhe induced the inhabitants of Livonia to infift on the fulfilment of an ancient convention, whereby the Courlanders were obliged to bring all their merchandizes to Riga; though they had, on their own coafts, excellent harbours, happily fituated. A quarrel, which had naturally arifen on this fubject, between the Livonians and Courlanders, was not yet terminated, when the emprefs fent engineers into Courland, to mark out a canal for facilitating the merchandize of that country into Livonia. The Courlanders, feeing this, and fearing left they fhould be foon forced to make ufe of this canal, thought it better for them to be protected, than oppreffed, by the empress, and to be her fubjects rather than her neighbours. Catharine, informed of thefe difpofitions, called to her the duke of Courland, the feeble fon of the famous Biren, under the pretext of having occafion to confer with him on matters of importance. But no fooner was that prince at the foot of the throne of the Autocratrix of the north, than the ftates of Courland held an affembly. The nobi lity propofed to withdraw the country from the fupremacy of Poland, and to put it under that of Ruffia. The principle members of the grand council made a faint oppofition to this alteration, by obferving, that, before they proceeded to a refolution, it would be expedient to wait the return of the duke. The Oberburgraff Hoven rofe up, and spoke a long time in favour of Ruffia. Some counfellors expreffed themselves of his opinion, and others reproached them with treafon. The difpute grew warm on both fides; challenges were reciprocally given, and fwords were about to be drawn, when the Ruffian general, Paklen, appeared in the affembly. His prefence restored tranquillity. No one prefumed to raise his voice againft Ruffia; and the propofal of the nobles was adopted. The next day the act was drawn up, by which Courland, Semigallia, and the circle of Pilten, made a formal surrender of themselves to the emprefs of Ruffia; and it was carried to Peterburgh, where the duke of Cour land learnt, from the mouth of his own fubjects, that they themfelves had deprived him of his dominions. The emprefs immediately sent a governor thither. However fome difcontent remained in Courland: difcontent brought on profcription; and the poffeffions of the profcribed 'were given to the courtiers of Catharine. The favourite, Plato Zuboff, and his brother, Valerian, obtained a great part of those rich and fhameful (poils. The acquifition of Courland to Ruffia was of great importance. It produces much corn, as well as timber: in both of which articles it carries on a great commerce; and it has several ports advantageously fituated on the Baltic, among which are Libau and Vinday: the first a flourishing and commercial city; the fecond, likely to become one day the ftation of the Ruffian fleets. The port of Vindau, which is never obftructed by ice, by a little improvement, might be rendered capable of containing a hundred fhips of the line. At the fame time that the quietly ufurped the fovereignty of Con land, the fent out her arms against Perfia. Under pretence of defending Lof-Ali-Khan, of the race of the Sophis, the aimed at the poffeffion of the Perfian provinces, which border on the Cafpian. Valerian Zuboff, at the head of a numerous army, penetrated into the province of Dagheftan, and advanced to lay fiege to Derbent. His first attack was directed against a high tower, which defended the place; and, after having made himself mafter of it, and put the whole garrison to the fword, he was preparing to make an affault upon the town. The Perfians, intimidated by former fucceffes, and the impetuofity of the Ruffians, cried ont for quarter; and the commandant, a venerable old man, of the amazing age of one hundred and twenty years, and the fame who, at the commencement of the prefent century, had furrendered Debent to Peter I. came now to deliver the keys to Valerian Zuboff. Aga Mahmed was advancing with fuccours to the relief of Derbent, when he heard that the place was already in the hands of the Ruffians. Valerian Zuboff came forth from the place to offer him battle, in which victory declared for the Perfians, who forced their enemies to return into Derbent. Catharine, Catharine, being informed of this, fuccefsful: in all her regulations, immediately gave orders for a body for the internal government of her of troops, which the had in the Ku- mighty empire, there appeared that ban, to go and reinforce the army benevolence, which, for the honour of Valerian Zuboff, not doubting of human nature, is ufually found that her general would very foon in conjunction with fublimity of give a total defeat to Aga Mah- genius. She wifhed, foon after her med. She alfo flattered herself with acceffion to the throng, to introthe hopes of obtaining a greater tri- duce civil liberty among the great umph. The new treaty, which the mafs of the people, by the emanhad just concluded with Great Bri- cipation of the peafantry. It was tain, and with Auftria, fecured to her found impracticable to emancipate the affiftance of thofe two powers their bodies without enlightening against Turkey. In a word, fhe their minds. To this object the now reckoned on the full accom- bent the powers of her inventive, plishment of her darling project, though prudent, genius. Schools of driving the Ottomans out of Eu- were inftituted in all parts of her rope, and of reigning in Conftan- dominions, and a way was opened tinople. But the fuddenly finished, for the lowest of her fubjects to by an eafy death, the career of a liberty, by certain privileges, within fplendid life, in the fixty-feventh the fcope of indufiry and merit. year of her age, and thirty-fixth of The code of laws, drawn up by her reign. She died at Petersburgh, her own hand, was never exceeded of an apoplexy, on the tenth of in point either of fagacity or goodNovember; on which her fon, the nefs: for, we are always to bear great duke, Paul Petrowitz, was pro- in mind, that even Solon found it claimed emperor. expedient not to dictate the best laws, but the best that the people, for whom he dictated, were capable of bearing. Her military plans partook of the ftrength of fimplicity. She did not feed the flame of war to no purpofe, by throwing in, as it were, faggot after faggot, nor wafte time in tedious detours, but, with a mighty and irrefiftible con-centrated force, proceeded directly to her object. She had not the art of appearing affable, generous, and magnanimous, but the merit of really being fo. She was not only a patronefs, but a great proficient, in literature; and, had not her life been spent in great actions, it would, probably, have been employed, though with fomewhat lefs glory, in celebrating the illuftrious atchievements of others. Catharine was the moft illuf trious fovereign, after the exit of Frederick the great, king of Pruffia, on the theatre of Europe, for comprehenfion of mind, lofty ambition, courage, and perfeverance in her defigns, and the general influence of her policy and arms, in the affairs of Europe. Her ambition was not directed merely to the fecurity and extenfion of the empire, but to the civilization and welfare of fubject tribes and nations, by the introduction of arts, liberal and mechanical, and the improvement of manufactures and commerce and all this, by means more gentle and gradual than many of thofe employed by Peter the great; and, confequently, more effectual, In all her wars fhe was It is an invidious invidious thing to pry, with too and had ceafed to be a formidable much curiofity, into the frailties of fuch a character. The fevereft critic has not been able to charge her with anything unnatural, or, in her predicament, and fituation, not eafily to be forgiven. As to the obfcure event that led her to the throne, if this had not taken place, an event of another kind muft have led her first to imprisonment, and then, moft afluredly, to death. The last of her grand defigns was, to curb the power and infolence of the French republic. It was the policy of the empress, who detefted the French republic, with out loving the Auftrians, to let both parties exhaust themselves: determined, however, whatever might be the fate of their arms, to prevent either from acquiring an uncontrolled fway in Germany. Orders were iffied for a levy of a hundred and fifty thousand troops, destined to act, in fome fhape or other, for the relief of the emperor of Germany. It has been queftioned, whether it would not have been wifer policy, in her Imperial majefty, to have moved for the affiftance of the confederates fooner? She, perhaps, entertained a perfuafion, that the allies would ftand firm together, and make a more fuccefsful oppofition to the republic. She was, no doubt, well enough pleased to see almost all the other powers of Europe weaken themselves by war; whilft, at the fame time, it must have been her intention, as has fince appeared, to interfere, more and more, in the general conflict, in proportion as the party fhe detefted gained ground on a fovereign prince; who, though a neighbour, and ancient enemy, yet poffefled a hereditary throne, 10 rival. It is to be confidered, farther, that had he moved fooner, the Turks, on the other fide, inftigated by French intrigues, might have moved allo. The Czarina waited, too, until fhe fhould fecure peace, on the most formidable frontier, by a marriage between her grand daughter and the young king of Sweden; an object which the had much at heart, though it was found impoffible to accomplish it. Catharine II. has left a name that will ever be memorable, and remembered by future generations, to whom the benefits of her inftitutions will extend, with grateful admiration. Yet, it was the love of glory that was her predominant paffion; and the humane will regret that the purfued this through feas of blood: fo that the will take her station in the temple of fame, among the great, not the good princes; and, in this fpeculative age, add to the odium of abfolute monarchy, by difplaying the miferies that flow from unbounded power, united with unbounded ambition. This year alfo, general Washington, the greatest of cotemporary men, as Catharine was of cotemporary fovereigns, refigned the prefidency of the United States. These illuftrious characters were both refpectively at the head of the two lateft, greatest, and most rising empires in the world; both nearly of the fame age; both of equal celebrity; though not of true glory: pure and difinterefted patriotifm being the ruling principle in the mind of Washington; the patriotifm of Catharine only fecondary to her ambition, and fubfervient to the love of fame. General Washington having refcued his country from the oppreffion |