projects which he adopted at home, and the continual innovations in all the established forms of internal government, laid fuch a foundation of difcontent in a very great and valuable part of his fubjects, as feemed capable, in its confequences, of interfering in no fmall degree with his foreign views.

Of all his dominions the noble kingdom of Hungary, whether confidered with respect to extent, intrinfic value, or the peculiar character of its inhabitants, feemed to merit a very high, if not the first place, in point of confideration, and particularly to demand the greatest attention and the most lenient hand in its government. The brave and haughty nobility, and the warlike inhabitants of that country, after having, through a courfe of ages, fhed fo much blood in refifting the invafions of their rights, and the various oppreffions to which foreign government is but too prone, had at length the unpa ralleled magnanimity, without any retrofpect to paft injuries, to fave the houfe of Austria, at a fimilar expence of blood, perhaps from final diffolution, in the hour of its great. eft distress, and most imminent danger. Every body knows the fitua Mon in which the late Maria The refa's affairs were, when, with the prefent emperor, an infant, in her arms, the threw herself and him for refuge and protection upon the generosity of that gallant nobility. The affection and ardour with which her diftrefs and eloquence infpired them, is not lefs a fubject of admiration; nor how fpeedily and effectually they turned the tide of fortune in her favour. Perfonal gratitude for fo unexampled a fervice, operated during the

long reign of that great princess, in producing a great regard to the privileges of the Hungarians, and their government was conducted upon fuch principles, as afforded general fatisfaction, and confequently ferved to confirm their zeal and attachment.

A haughty, martial, and ancient nation, especially if they have not been foftened by arriving at the highest point of cultivation and refinement, are generally (perhaps always) great enemies to innovation, and exceedingly tenacious of their old forms and cuftoms; even though thefe might admit of or require improvement. This difpofition will be fortified and increafed, if it is accompanied with ftrong national prejudices and averfions, founded upon a sense of former injuries. Men are indifpofed to follow the example, or to adopt the customs, of thofe whom they hate, however laudable; and the Hungarians had no predilection in favour of the Germans, nor of their government.

The emperor, in the courfe of his numberlefs fchemes of reform, had trenched deeply upon the civil and religious eftablishments of Hun. gary. He had new-modelled their courts of justice, and reduced their number from thirty eight, which was that of the diftricts into which the kingdom was divided, to ten only; which was confidered as a number infufficient for its due ad-. ministration in so extenfive a coun try. He had introduced the German mode of military confcription, than which nothing could have been more odious to the people, into Hungary and the adjoining provinces. He had likewife abridged the power, influence, and privi

leges

leges of the nobility; and feemed intent upon placing that kingdom under the fame form of govern ment with his Auftrian provinces. The vaft armies which were kept on the frontiers to awe the Turks, ferved to give a fanction to these measures, but could not leffen the difcontent of the people.

The rude peafants, inhabiting the mountainous and woody countries which form the borders be. tween Tranfylvania and the Auf. trian Wallachia, blind to confequences, and equally, ignorant of their own force and condition for war, as they were of that which they were to encounter, broke out into an open, and, until its extent could be known, alarming rebellion, towards the close of the year, 1784. It does not appear clearly, whether this revolt proceeded from their averfion to the new military confcription, in confequence of which they had been lately inrolled, and arms placed in their hands, or whether it was occafioned by the oppreffion of their lords. It is probable that the operation of both caufes concurred in the event; but however this was, their fury fell indifcriminately upon the nobility and the public officers. Their numbers amounted to fourteen or fifteen thoufand; and fo totally ignorant were they of public affairs, and of all the circumftances of their fituation, that they ventured to elect one of their chiefs, and a peafant like themselves, named Horiah, to be their king; and this extraordinary reprefentative of majesty had a feal actually made, with the reprefentation of a fpear piercing a heart, and the motto of Horiah, Rex Dacia, infcribed on it. VOL. XXVII.

The favage and infatuated peafauts committed the moft horrible cruelties. They attacked the nobility feparately in their caftles, which they every where deftroyed, and maffacred whole families, without diftinction of age or fex. About 200 of the nobility were butchered in this manner, before they had time either to efcape or to make any effectual preparation for de-. fence. The numbers and fiercenefs of the rebels fupplying the want. of difcipline and military fkill, they for fome time repeatedly defeated fuch small detachments of troops as could be haftily collected to oppofe their ravages.

Though this ftate of things could not be laiting, yet, through the nature and difficulties of their rude country; as well as the distance of the royal forces, the rebellion fubfifted for three or four months before it could be finally fuppreffed. The infurgents had, however, the cou rage or rafhnefs to venture a ge neral action with the Auftrian forces, in which they dearly purchafed a full knowledge of their infufficiency to fupport fuch a contention, they being routed without difficulty, and a confiderable flaughter made, with little lofs to the victors. The mock king, Horiah, with their two other principal leaders, having been betrayed by their own followers, as Pugat. cheff had, in a fimilar enterprize, fome years before in Ruffia, were furprized, and taken alive in a cave. One of these found means to hang himself with a very narrow undif covered girdle, which he wore next to his fkin, poffibly for that purpofe. Horiah, and the other, were fent about as a public fpectacle, to [/]

undergo

undergo different parts of their allotted punishment, in the scenes of their greatest enormities, and in the fight of their deluded followers. A fixed number of the inhabitants from each of the rebellious districts were at length obliged to attend at the place of execution, in order to behold their miserable exit upon the wheel. The tragedy did not entirely end here; for the prifons being over-crowded by the great number of prisoners taken, they foon generated a peftilential diftemper, which was not only fatal to many of these unhappy people, but did much mischief in the country; fo, that, inftead of thinking of farther punishment, befides throwing the prifon doors open, the recovery of the infected, and the means of preventing the contagion from spreading farther, became the only objects of attention.

In the mean time, the ever vigilant monarch of Pruffia was taking the most efficacious measures for preventing the exchange of Bavaria, for protecting in all refpects the rights, and for preferving from violation thofe family conventions, by which the different branches of the Palatine line were mutually bound to each other and to the empire. For these purposes, and to counteract the effect of that dangerous union, and of that vaft power which might be combined against himself fingly, he found it neceffary to form an alliance and confederation with those neighbouring princes, who were equally interested in preferving entire the Germanic fyftem and the conftitution of the empire, and whofe joint power might be fufficient to give effect to their union.

Nothing could be more vexatiously alarming to the court of Vi

enna, nor any thing more fubverfive, in various refpects, of its views. The manner in which it was felt, and the deep resentment which it infpired, were fufficiently obvious, from the bitterness which was expreffed against its great framer, who was described as little lefs that being the common difturber of mankind, as well as of Germany; while not only the prefent alarm, but all the evils which might in confequence of it diftract the empire, and poffibly involve it in blood and ruin, were imputed to the inordinate ambition and finifter defigus of that monarch.

The king bore these personal cenfures and imputations to all appearance with the most perfect indifference. He juftified his conduct upon the grounds of reafon, juftice, and policy: no warmth of reply, no cenfure, no feverity of retort, appeared in any of his publications. A report which was spread at that time, if the fact should hereafter be eftablished, would ferve highly to exalt that monarch's character, and to fhéd much additional luftre upon his paft and prefent conduct in the bufinefs of the Palatinate. It was reported, that two rich, extensive, and fovereign bithoprics (one of them vying in power and greatnefs with the ecclefiaftic electorates) were held out to him in perpetuity, as a temptation for not oppofing the defigned scheme of barter; and that he rejected the propofal (or, as he is faid himself to have termed it, the bribe) with the strongest marks of indignation.

The court of Vienna had shifted its ground, fo far as its communications to the public went, with refpect to the affair of Bavaria. At firft it was generally disavowed; the

report

report declared to be totally unfounded, and ftrong infinuations thrown out, that it originated in a certain quarter, where an infidious difpofition to perplex the affairs, and to disturb the peace of the empire, was conftantly prevalent. But after the propofal from Ruffia to the duke of Deux ponts, and the promulgation of the business by that prince, the existence, or abfolute conclufion of the treaty feemed only to be denied, while the measure in itfelf was juftified; the competency both of the emperor and the elector to make any amicable exchange of territories, which might fuit their mutual intereft or convenience, being ftrenuously infifted on; while it was held out that such a measure, being unaccompanied with force or violence, and calculated equally for the accommodation or advantage of both parties, could not in any degree be confidered either as a violation of the general laws of the empire, or a breach of any particular treaties.

In the midst of these complicated affairs, while fomething was likewife to be apprehended from the movements and difpofition of the Ottomans, the emperor had points of the greatest importance to his interests, and very near to his heart, to carry within the empire, against which a part of his foreign policy militated in the strongest manner. These were no less, than the election of his nephew, and prefumptive fucceffor in his hereditary dominions, the archduke Francis, fon to the great duke of Tuscany, to the dignity of king of the Romans, which could only preferve the empire in his family; and the other was of little lefs importance, being the erection of a ninth electorate,

to fupply the chafm in that body which the extinction of the house of Bavaria had occafioned.

The candidates for the new electorate were the landgrave of Heffe Caffel, and the duke of Wirtembergh. The former from his power, wealth, and extent of dominion, would undoubtedly ftand alone as a claimant if no other confidera. tions than these were to interfere; but the duke of Wirtembergh's eldest daughter being confort to the grand duke of Ruffia, and his youngest the intended fpoufe of the archduke Francis, the emperor's apparent heir, it was of the greatest importance to these two powers, that he fhould be promoted to the rank and office of ninth elector, as well for fecuring thereby a majority offuffrages in favour of the intended king of the Romans, as for more remote caufes. Nothing then could feem more irreconcileable with the pursuit of these objects, than the exciting and spreading that general alarm and apprehenfion of his defigns among the numerous members of the Germanic body, which it was impoffible that the attempt of uniting Bavaria to the Austrian dominions, upon whatever conditions, or under whatever pretence, should not occafion, even if the whole Palatine line had confented to the transfer.

The new treaty of union and confederation, for maintaining the indivifibility of the empire, the rights of the Germanic body in general, and of the respective states in particular, was figned at Berlin on the 23d of July 1785; the principal parties being the king of Pruffia, the king of Great Britain, as elector of Brunswick Lunenburgh, and the elector of Saxony. The margrave [1] 2

of

of Anfpach, the duke of Deuxponts, and fome other princes, were either then or foon after included in it, and it was either known or fuppofed, that it had received the fanction of feveral others of no small power among whom Sweden was mentioned) who were ready, if the occafion called, to become parties to the alliance.

T

As the court of Vienna had omitted no means in its progress to prevent this league of union fro being carried into execution, fo the refentment now fhewn was propor tioned to the vexation which it excited. Circular declarations were publicly addreffed to all the courts of Europe and ftates of the empire, endeavouring to give an odious colour to the treaty, and exclaiming againg it, as being founded only on private, finifter, and ambitious de figns, as tending to difturb the peace of the empire, and as being in its nature and defign inimical to the Germanic conftitution, and to the liberties and rights of that body.

In the mean time the Imperial minifters at the German courts were inftructed strongly to reprefent the mifchiefs and dangers of fuch confederations; that, befides that being injurious to the body at large, individual members, by acceding to them, were impofing fetters on themselves, as they would thereby be reftrained from thofe amicable, neighbourly, or family exchanges of territory, or arrangement of limits, which might be equally convenient and ferviceable to the parties on both fides; and which could not in any degree be confidered as the fmalleft violation of the conflitution of the Germanic body. They were likewife to prefs ftrongly, in the emperor's name, thofe itates

which had not declared themselves, for an open, precife, and categori rical answer, as to their determina. tion on that point; and if the answer was favourable, to propofe the queftion, whether they did not think it might be neceffary to form a counter alliance, in order to oppose those violent enterprizes against the cons ftitution, which were to be apprehended from the former. If this leading question was agreed to, they were then to require their acceffion to an alliance, which his Imperial majefty had suggested for the defence of the conftitution.

There is no room for fuppofing that this fcheme of a counter alliance was productive of any effect.

On the other fide, the king of Pruffia communicated to those fo vereigns who were by treaty or intereft connected with the Germanic body, a declaration, figned at Berlin on the 23d of Auguit 1785, containing an expofition of the caufes and motives which not only led to the new German confederation, but which rendered the measure abfolutely neceffary for the prefervation of the empire. In this piece, after delineating the conduct and appa. rent views of the court of Vienna; expofing the futility of the diftinction, with refpect to its confequences, between a forced and voluntary exchange of Bavaria; and refuting the position held up on the other fide, that the latter would be neither a violation of the Germanic constitution, nor a breach of particular treaties; he proceeds to thew the dangerous tendency and confequences of that meafure, if permitted to be carried into execution. He ftates, that the addition of fo fine and fo extensive a country as Bavaria to the dominion of the house of

Auftria,