between any two of the partitioning powers, except in what immediately relates to their fhares of Po land. Among the evils engendered by the prefent age, there is no one perhaps more fatal in its tendency, or contagious in its example, than that which is now become fashionable in Germany and the North, of reviving or letting up of obfolete and antiquated claims and titles. The dangerous fuccefs which has already attended this conduct, will extend the evil, if not timely and effectually checked, to the loofening of all fecurity, and the rendering all property precarious. A claim of this nature, upon the city of Hamburgh, has lately been has lately been started, and put in at Vienna, by Count Schomberg. As the title of the Hamburghers to their liberties, befides an original purchase several times acknowledged and confirm ed, and a public declaration by the diet of the empire in the year 1510, by which Hamburgh was acknowledged a free and imperial city, was ftrengthened by a prefcription of five hundred years ftanding, fuch an attempt at any other period, would only have afforded matter for mirth or ridicule. The cate is now however very different; and the Hamburghers having underflood that a neighbouring monarch was in treaty to purchase the Count's title, and had probably urged him to the tetting up of the claim, the fate of Dantzick flruck them in all its terrors, and has given them no infufficient caufe for the most grievous apprehenfions. A claim in fome degree of the fame nature, though not attended with the fame terror, has been made by the King of Pruflia upon the States of Holland. This claim confifts in a debt, of above a century ftanding, and amounting to more than four millions of florins, which is pretended to be owing from feveral of the cities belonging to the Republic, in the dutchy of Cleves, to the houfe of Brandenburgh. On the other fide it was faid, that this fuppofed debt, with the titles on which it was founded, had been exprefsly abolifhed by the treaty concluded in Auguft 1698, between the Elector of Brandenburgh, Frederic the First, and their High Mightineffes. As the demand for payment was however very preling, it caused fome alarm in Holland; memorials were prelented, and aniwers returned: but the affair does not yet feem to be determined. An exchange of territory has been much talked of, between the King of Pruffia and the Duke of Mecklenburgh Schwerin, by which the latter refigns his principality, and receives the King's part of the dutchy of Cleves in return. Tho' it may be highly eligible to a weak prince, to get out of the talons of an overgrown neighbour, who furrounds, oppreffes, and overwhelins him upon every occafion, and that the value of the equivalent is not fo much confidered in fuch a fituation as the immediate ease and fecurity that attend it; yet fuch an exchange, in the prefent flate of affairs, would establish a most dangercus precedent in Germany, Propofals would foon be made to other weaker princes, to induce them to accept of equivalents, and fuch means would be taken with thofe who were not compliable, to render their inheritance uneafy and of no ufe to them, that in a little time they would deem it a happinefs to obtain any exchange. Such measures are probably the first that will be taken, to prepare the way for a total change of fyftem in Germany. Indeed that empire feems to be in as precarious a fituation, as it has been at any time fince its foundation. The equilibrium is entirely overthrown; and it must be only by a series of the molt extraordinary events, that it can be reftored. The fate of the venal and arbitrary Polish nobility, prefents a mirror to the German princes, which they could not too long nor too attentively study. The total abolition of the Jefuits, after they had for above two hundred years made fo much noite, and by their intrigues created fo much confufion in the world, though it has been fo long expected, is fo remarkable an event, that it will ftamp the prefent year as a diftinguished æra. The reduction of the ecclefiaftical power, is now become lo general in all the Roman Catholic ftates, that it is no longer a particularity in any one; and thofe encroachments which a few years ago would have made the greatet noife, and have been confidered as matters of the most alarming nature, are now paft over in filence as things of courfe. Even the ecclefiaftical princes are following the example of the fecular, and the Bishop of Liege having met with tome oppofition, in his attempts to fecularize a convent of monks in his own territories, has appealed to the Emperor, as Lord Paramount upon that occafion. The event, with respect to the monks, is not doubted, As there feems to be a fashion in all things, even in virtues and vices, fo it appears in nothing more remarkably, than in ecclefiaftical affairs. While it was the mode of the times, to confer honours, power, and poffeffions upon the church, the was overwhelmed with them; piety degenerated into a vice; and private men ruined their families, and kings their countries, only to make her too rich and too potent. When this unnatural power and grandeur had produced the distempers incident to them, and it was thought neceffary to pluck off the adventitious plumage, the tide of fashion took the contrary courfe with equal rapidity, and feems now to proceed with an eagerness that threatens to leave only the skeleton behind. The great commercial failures, which threw fuch a damp laft year upon all bufinefs in this country, arrived at arrived at their utmoft extent about the beginning of the prefent in Holland; and were of to alarming a nature, and fo extenfive in their influence, as to threaten a mortal blow to all public and pri vate credit throughout Europe, Thefe failures were the effect of an artificial credit, and of great speculative dealings in trade, as well as in the public funds of different countries; and though attended with an immenfe lols to individuals, of not lefs perhaps than ten millions fterling, took nothing out of the general ftock, neither money nor goods being thereby leffened. They would, however, by lefiening the value of thofe commodities, have been as pernicious in their effects, as if the lofs had been real, and nothing but the moft judicious and and timely remedies, could prevent this fatal confequence. It is not to be wondered at, that the Republic of Holland, fo long the emporium of trade, fhould have purfued the wifeft meatures upon this occafion; and that in a country of merchants, a number of private men, from their long acquaintance in monied matters, and knowledge of the viciffitudes attending commerce, fhould have acted a manly, fpirited, and generous part, for the fupport of public and private credit. But it was particularly fortunate, that without any time for pre-concert, fimilar measures fhould have been adopted by most of the other trading nations; by which means the fatal confequences that were apprehended were in a great degree prevented, and the mifchief refrained from becoming fo general as it would otherwife have done. Of fome of thefe particulars we shall take notice in their proper places. The dearth which has fo long aflicted different parts of Europe, has this year been grievously felt in feveral countries. Germany, Bohemia, and Sweden, have prefented scenes of the greatest cala mity, and multitudes have perished in that miferable extremity, of wanting the plaineft and moft common neceffaries of life. France, though in a leffer degree, has been a confiderable fharer in this miffortune; and the diftreffes of the. people have occafioned riots and difturbances in feveral of the provinces. Nor has the taking off of the bounty on exportation in England, with all the other meatures that have been adopted to answer the fame purpose, been fufficient to remedy the evils, proceeding from inclement fkies, and unusual feafons. No equal period of time, fince navigation and commerce have brought diflant nations acquainted with the affairs of each other, has prefented fuch a number of earthquakes, in remote and different parts of the world, as the prefent year. From the arctic regions to the center of Africa, and from the extreme eaftern, to the weltern Indies, the globe was every where convulfed, and nature feemed fruggling in fome doubtful crifis. It has, however, pleafed Providence, that the mischiefs have in no degree correfponded with the apparent danger, and have been infinitely greater at feafons, when the flocks have been few in number, and confined in their extent. СНАР. CHA P. II. Nature of the Fruitless ifjue of the negociations for a peace at Bucharest. war on the Danube. Wife conduct of the Grand Vizir. State of the army u.der General Romanzow. Ruffians pass the river; engagement ; nature of the country: difficulties on the march to Siliftria. Attack on the Turkifo encampment. Retreat from Silfiria. General Weijman killed. Rujians repays the Danube. State and inaction of both armies. Latter campaign in Bulgaria. Turks defeated in different engagements. Attempt upon Varna; the Ruffians repulfed. Siege of Siliftria; brave defence; the fiege raised, and the Ruffians again obliged to repajs the Danube. Hafen Bey. War in the Crimea. Ruffian operations in the Levant ; all.ance and connection with Ali Bey and the Chiek Daber; unjuccessful attempts: conduct with respect to the Venetians; objervations on the Mediterranean war. HE negociations carried on THE at Buchare for a peace, Τ were as fruities in the iffue, as the congrefs at Foczani had been beforc. It feems probable, that this event was equally foreseen and intended by each of the contending parties; and that each had its diltinct motives, for gaining to long a paufe, in the midt of a war that called forth all its attention and powers: either thereby to provide the better for its renewal, or to make use of that time in the adjuftment of other difhcult arrange. ments, which could not be fo well attended to in the din and hurry of arms. Thus the views of each of the belligerent powers were in a certain degree answered. The Porte had tipe to get rid of Ali Bey, to restore order and obedience, in a confiderable degree, in its diftracted dominions, and by the eftablishment of difcipline to reftore confidence to its trocps. On the other hand, the court of Petersburg thereby gained time to fettle the new arrangements in Po land, to adjust difficult points with the other partitioning powers, to obferve the countenance borne by the rest of Europe upon fo extraor dinary an innovation, and to hegociate loans, and recruit its armies for the renewal of the war. No authentic account of these negociations has yet been laid before the public, nor would the detail be very interefting. The great, or oftentible bar to an accommodation is faid to have been, the pretended independency infifted upon by Ruffia for the Crimea, at the fame time, that the alfo infifted upon the keeping of two strong fortified garrifons in it, which from their nature and fituation, muit render the inhabitants of that pen infula totally dependent on her, and cut them off from their natural and hereditary friends and allies. It is alfo faid, that the Turks had in this, as well as in the former ne gociation, laid it down as a fundamental principle never to be departed from, to preferve the inde. pendency of Poland, and the union of all its parts inviolate. This feems feems to be confirmed, by a letter which was written by the Grand Vizir, during the height of the conferences at Bucharest, to the chiefs of the confederacy in Poland, in which he affures them and the Poles in general, in the name and upon the irrevocable word of his mafter, that he never would abandon them, nor enter into any peace, till their country was reftored to its rights and independency, and they again enjoyed the government of a free republic, according to its ancient laws and conftitution. As this letter was publicly fhewn in Poland, and no difavowal of it was required from the Grand Vizir, nor no breach of the conferences took place in confequence of it, we may be fatisfied that the Porte had not agreed to the dismemberment of that country, and that as the partitioning powers, had already gone fuch lengths towards the completion of that defign, as nothing but neceffity could make them recede from, it is evident that the peace could have been but little thought of at the congrefs. It is aid, that the navigation on the Black Sea, was another infurmount able obitacie to an accommodation, the Ruffians not only infifting on that right in its utmost extent, but alfo on a free liberty of trade, through the Dardanelles into the Mediterranean, in all the coafts of Greece and the Archipelago, and even in the ports of Egypt and Syria. As these were the great obftacles to the fuccefs of the congrefs at Foczani, it becomes a matter of difficulty to conceive what the commiffioners at Bucharest could treat upon or upon what ground a fresh negociation could have been entered into, without the removal of fome of thofe impediments which were found infuperable in the former; and feems only to be accounted for, by fuppofing that an armistice being equally neceffary to both parties, was all that was looked for by either. 1773. Previous, however, to the breaking up of the conferences at Buchareft, the Turkish commiffioners propofed a prolongation of them, as well as of the armistice, to the latter end of the enfuing month of June, which being refuted by those of Ruffia, and the time March 22d, limited for the negociations being now elapfed, the commiffioners retired, and both fides accordingly prepared for the opening of the campaign. As the Danube was the boundary between the hoftile armies, it became of course the scene of continued action; its wide extended waters, its islands, and its banks, affording endless opportunities for that defultory kind of war, which confits of furprizes by night, and ambufcades by day, of alternate flight and purfuit, and in which, from the vicinity of the hoftile troops, and the facility of embarkation and defcent, neither reft nor fecurity is to be obtained on either fide. A bloody, ruinous kind of war, which foon devours great armies; and in which lives are loft without effect, and courage exerted without honour. This deftructive kind of war, was not, however, a matter of choice with the Ruffians; and the Turks were too fkilfully commanded, to forego the advantages which the nature of the country and the river afforded. To them, who were at home, and abounded |