were to take place at Warfaw. As the King of Pruffia and his brother fet out for Silefia, about the fame time that the Emperor did on his tour, it was imagined that another conference would have been held between them, which might perhaps, in its effects, have been decifive of the future fate of fome other countries; it does not however appear that any meeting took place between thofe princes.

However ambitious the defigns of this Prince might be, or have already fhewn themselves, he ftill continues, by the fimplicity of his manners, his attention to bufinefs, and his affability, to confirm the affections of his fubjects in a very high degree.

As this æra feems particularly fatal to the affumed powers of the court of Rome, it could not be expected that a prince of the Emperor's character, fhould overlook any of those that militated with his own internal rights. He has accordingly claimed the inveftiture of all the Bishoprics in his hereditary dominions, and has already proceeded to the exercite of this right, by appointing the bishops that are to fucceed in four or five fees, that became vacant in Bohemia and Hungary. This innovation has occafioned great trouble at the court of Rome, where the example, with respect to other Roman Catholic powers, is confidered as dangerous, as the meafure is in itfelf prejudicial to its interefts. The Pope has accordingly ufed every means, and is faid to have offered to make great conceffions, to prevent the Emperor from perfevering in a refolution, that ftrikes fo fatally at the bafis of papal power. It is however faid, that

all conceffions and applications upon this head have proved ineffectual, and that the Emperor continues immoveably fixed in his determination.

The calamities that have been occafioned by the dearth in Bohemia, and fome other of the hereditary countries, exceed all defcription. In the former particularly, gold and filver are faid, in a great measure, to have loft their ufual effect, and to become almost incapable of procuring food of any fort; fo that the rich and the poor were finking equally under one general calamity. We have before obferved, that the ravages made during the preceding year in that kingdom by fickness were dreadful. It appears that in the first eight months of the year 1772, the deaths in that kingdom amounted to 168,331, which more than doubled the number of births, in the fame space of time; and it was fuppofed that the deaths during the laft four months, were in full proportion to those of the preceding. the preceding. And though the fury of the distempers feemed confiderably exhaufted, foon after the opening of the prefent year, they were not entirely abated, until the late harvest (notwithstanding the most extraordinary tempefts, and unheard of devaitations by field mice) brought food and health at the fame time to the diftreffed people.

To prevent, fo far as human forefight may do, the return of fo dreadful a calamity, has been an object of confideration with the Emperor. To this purpofe he has propofed to the States of Bohemia, to abridge one-third of the ftatute work, which the peasants are obliged to perform for their lords,

and

and which hitherto was fo great, and took up fo much of their time, that they were rendered utterly incapable of cultivating their own farms to any advantage. This humane and neceffary measure, has however been strongly oppofed by the great lords; but as the Emperor perfeveres in his intention, there is no doubt of his fucceeding; as thofe matters, which would prove impracticable to other princes, ceafe to be difficulties with those that are beloved by their fubjects.

The further politicks of the court of Berlin, are, as ufual, ftill fecret. With respect to his military preparations, the King has not fhewn lefs affiduity, than his younger, though not more active, neighbour. He has accordingly found means, with very little additional expence, to ftrengthen his armies by an increase of between 40 and 50,000 effective men, which he has done by increafing the companies of foot, from 169, their former complement, to 210 men each, without the addition of a fingle officer in fo great an augmentation. He has alfo made an alteration (which, however trifling it may feem, will, it is faid, be of great confequence) in the ram-rods of his foldiers mufkets, which in confequence of this regulation, are made exactly alike at both ends, whereby the foldier will fave the time, which he before loft, by turning the ram-rod in charging; and it is faid that by this improvement, together with that of a new exercife, and manoeuvres in firing, in which they have been laborioully inftructed, the foldiers are arrived at fuch perfection, as to fire twice as often now, in a given

time, as they could before; though they were then reckoned the quickeft at firing of any troops in the world.

The preffing of men for the army has been carried on with as much affiduity throughout the Pruffian dominione, as it could have been in the hottest war, so that even ftrangers have not been exempted from it. The new acquifitions have been particularly drained of their able men, who are fent into garrifon till they become perfect in their new occupation, while the veteran troops are drawn out to be ready for immediate fervice. Thus a double purpofe is answered, and as the old army is ftrengthened by the addition of a new one, thofe provinces are proportionally weakened, fe that if a war fhould take place, they are rendered incapable of doing any thing effectual towards the recovery of their liberties. The King is faid to have framed a new regulation, by which one half of the foldiers, are by an alternate fucceffion, to be conftantly employed during peace in agriculture and manufactures, while the others as closely attended to their military duties. Though this regulation carries a fpecious appearance, it may be doubted whether it will be productive of any very extraordinary advantages to agriculture, as the precarioufnels of the affiftance will always throw a damp upon the fpirit of the farmer.

The western Pruffia is already brought under the fame military government with the reft of the King's dominions, the whole of which may be confidered as a vast encampment, of which Berlin compofes the head quarters. Com

plete

plete lifts have been made out of all the cities, towns, and villages, in the new acquifitions; of the houfes and poffeffions; the number of inhabitants of all ages in each, and their refpective occupations, All the males of a certain age, that have not been taken to fupply the army, are enrolled in the militia, have received an uniform, and are obliged to learn their military exercifes. It is also faid, that every male child when born, receives a military collar, and ten dollars, by which he is ever after confidered as a foldier immediately in the King's fervice, and thereby liable to all the rigour of the military laws. This account, however, requires a degree of confirmation, which it has not yet received; as one of the first and most popular acts of the present King's reign, was the taking off that fhameful badge of flavery from the necks of feveral thousand children, on whom it had been impofed by his father.

The Bishop of Warmia in RoyalPruffia, is a prince of the empire, and was by the ancient conftitution prefident of the kingdom, and poffeffed under the Kings of Poland, little less than entire fovereignty in his diocefe, the nobility being immediately dependent upon him, and exempted from all the royal jurifdictions. The people accordingly flattered themselves, that though they had changed their paramount lord, they would in a certain degree escape the fate of the rest of the kingdom, and ftill continue under the immediate government of their bishop. Such an independence in any part of his dominions, was little fuited to the views and difpofition of the King of Pruffia; he according tripped the bishop

of all his temporal and juridical rights, and put the people upon the fame footing as to government with the rest of their countrymen.

All bufinefs of almost every fort, had for time immemorial been carried on in Poland by the Jews. Exclufive of thofe occupations of merchandizing, brokerage, and money-dealing, which are common to them in other countries, they here fuperintended the noblemen's families, were their agents, factors, and managers of their eftates, and the phyficians, furgeons, apothe caries, inn-keepers, dealers, and tradefmen of the country. By this means they formed a very great and confiderable part of the nation; and though the induftry, (arifing from their freedom) of the natives of Pruffia rendered them lefs neceffary in that country, they were even there very numerous. The King of Pruffia, however, whether from a particular diflike to this part of his new fubjects, or with a view to obtain great fums of money from them, and perhaps alfo to acquire fome knowledge of the extent of their riches, published an edit, by which all thofe Jews in the new acquifitions, who were not poffeffed of a capital of 1000 crowns, were peremptorily commanded to quit the country within a limited time. This fevere profcription, which broke through alt the ties of blood, connection, acquired habits, and country, occafioned a deputation of twelve elders of the Polish fynagogues, to intercede with the King for their unfortunate brethren: in confequence of which application, accompanied with a prefent of 70,000 crowns, he remitted fome part of the feverity of the edict, by reducing the qualification

qualification for living in the country to 500 crowns, and enlarging, in certain cafes, the term limited for their departure.

Another edict was iffued, by which all religious bodies of whatever profeffion, and the governors of hofpitals and public charities, were obliged to fend in an exact account of their respective incomes to the royal chamber at Marienwerder. By a third ordinance, all perfons were forbid, whether in town or country, to difmifs any of their men fervants, without first giving notice to the King's commiffaries, and obtaining their licence for fo doing. These are fome of the effects, which every order of the people have already experienced from the change of go

vernment.

The King's conduct, with respect to Dantzick, has been extremely various. The fate of that city is till fo uncertain, that a detail of the proceedings relative to it, would be as ufelefs as void of entertainment. At different times, the application of the maritime powers, and of the Ruffian minifter, feemed to have operated in favour of the city; and fuddenly after, without any apparent caufe, the fame violence and threats have again taken place; the tolls, excifes, and port duties, have been fufpended, renewed, taken off, and laid on; and every later account, teemed with new meafures or regulations, which overthrew the former.

It appears that the Ruflian mini. 'fter, who acted the part of a mediator, has fupported the King's claim to a part of the harbour, which in effect gives him the command of the whole. This claim is founded upon the territorial rights

of the abbey of Oliva; which though they had generally lain dormant for feveral centuries, and the city had the free occupancy of the channel in question; from which only its value arose; yet these rights were at certain times claimed, and about half a century ago, became fo much an object of liti gation, as to lay the foundation for a law fuit, which was commenced with the city of Dantzick at Warsaw: but which was never decided.

Upon the ratification of the treaty of ceffion at Warfaw, by which the King gave up his claims on Dantzick, except his rights to the harbour, which he still retained, he withdrew his troops from the three fuburbs of Schiedlits, Stolzenburg, and Schotland, which he had before fortified, and declared royal towns, as well as from the other pofts they occupied in the neighbourhood of the city, only infifling upon being repaid a large fum of money which he had laid out in the fortifications and to engineers, together with fome other demands, and being for the future acknowledged as the protector of Dantzick. Some tranfactions, however, which have taken place fince the close of the year, thew that this unfortunate city is ftill in as precarious a fituation as it had been before; and that the only certainty it has left, is the lofs of its liberties, and of its ancient power and fplendor.

The conduct of the Pruffians with respect to Thorn, bears fo great a fimilitude to that which they obferved at Dantzick, as to make it needless to enter into the particulars. Too much, however, cannot be faid in praise of that

virtue,

virtue, fortitude, and unconquerable perfeverance, with which the magiftrates and inhabitants have, under a blockade of two years, withstood all the violences of rapine, and the menaces of power, and fhewed themfelves equally proof against want, temptation, and danger; who have had repeatedly the hardinefs to declare, when apparently furrounded by inevitable destruction, that they knew of no fovereign but their lawful prince, and that in the laft extremity, they would freely part with their lives, fooner than refign their liberties into the hands of unjuft power. By this noble and determined refolution they have hither to preserved them.

While the Jesuits have funk under the vengeance of the Roman Catholick powers, and the Pope himself hath put the finishing hand to their destruction, the King of Pruffia affords them that afylum and protection which they are denied in all other countries. It would be of little confequence to refine upon the motives or policy of this conduct; the King himself, in a letter to his agent at Rome, accounts for it by obferving, that by the treaty of Breflau he had guaranteed the religion in the ftate it then was; that he had never met with better priests than the Jefuits; and that he might inform the Pope, that as he was of the clafs of hereticks, he could not grant him a difpenfation for breaking his word, nor for deviating from the duty of an honeft man, or a King. As the Jefuits are poffeffed of feveral confiderable colleges in Silefia, it remains to be seen, whether they will pay obedience to the Pope's bull,

under the protection of a protestant prince.

The late revolution in Denmark, has not been productive of any particular change in the internal government, or public, conduct of that country. Some feverities to printers, and fome harsh orders against the people's affembling, and meeting in any confiderable numbers, feemed rather to shew a weakness in government, than any real caufe for fuch fufpicious proceedings, which fhould only be practifed in cafes of the greatest danger and neceffity. The Sieur Thura, having written a piece, entitled, The Prognofticators, which reflected feverely on the authors of the late revolution, was condemned by the high tribunal to fuffer the fame punishment which Struenfee and Brandt had already undergone.

The dangers which were apprehended from abroad, may be fupposed to have had fome share in promoting the internal quiet. It is certain that the state of affairs in Sweden, and the motions made on the fide of Norway in the beginning of the year, were not a little alarming to the court of Copenhagen. The garrifons in that country, notwithflanding the feverity of the climate. were accordingly repaired and reinforced in the depth of the winter; and the troops were every where augmented, and put in the best condition. The fame diligence was ufed in equipping a confiderable fleet, and in preffing and raifing 6000 additional failors; for which purpose, all thofe in foreign fervice were recalled, and fuch other measures purfued, that foon after the opening of the Baltic,