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ftance, was, during three months, in the end of fummer and beginning of autumn, grievously afflicted with the plague, which carried off great numbers of perfons.

made the principal figure. Early in the year a fire happened at Conftantinople, which did confiderable damage. But on the 4th of July a terrible one broke out, and continued burning a day and a half. It was reckoned, that by it between 12 and 15,000 houfes were reduced to afhes, and that upwards of 1000 perfons loft their lives. They told us, that no fuch fire had happened there fince the reign of Sultan Amurath. It cannot be fuppofed but that fires fhould now and then be accidentally kindled in any city, especially in one of fuch extent and fo built as Conftantinople. They are, however, reckoned to be frequently the effects of defign, being the fignals to fome infurrection, or the fruits of a general difcontent among the people. Whether in confequence of them fome of the removes in the miniftry were made, as a facrifice to the populace, was not publicly faid; but the janisaries gave feveral intimations of their being in bad humour. There was a violent infurrection among them in the Morea; and as a party of them fided with the bafhaw, and another opposed him, some bloody fkirmishes enfued, in which upwards of 3000 men loft their lives, and near 9000 houses were burnt down. The garrison of Aleppo, compofed of men of the fame body, took up arms against the bashaw commanding there, put him to death, and afterwards reduced his palace to afhes. We were informed, that the inhabitants of Thyatira, one of the richeft cities in Natolia, had risen against their governor; and that at Conia, Salonica, Volo, and several other parts of the Ottoman empire, they were ready to fet up a standard to revolt. It was faid, that the janifaries murmured no lefs against the present Sultan than his predeceffor, on account of his pacific difpofition; nay, that they had been projecting the elevation of another to the throne, who would give scope to their eagerness for war. We have also been lately told, that the intrigues in the feraglio, which it was hoped were entirely extinguished, begin to revive. Befides these civil commo. tions, the city of Conftantinople, with its neighbourhood to a confiderable diVOL. XIX.

The Turkish councils have for a confiderable time been reckoned to be much under the influence of the courts of Verfailles, Berlin, and Stockholm. This was in a great measure owing to those courts being on the fide oppofite to the courts of Vienna and Peterfburg, the clofe connection between which was matter of jealousy to the Porte. One would be apt to imagine, that France must have loft much of the favourable ear fhe ufed to obtain at Conftantinople; and that if the Ottomans think at all about a balance of power, they could not contentedly fee the two Empreffes, their already potent neighbours, further aggrandife themselves by fwallowing up. his Pruffian Majefty's poffeffions. We formerly used to be told, when the janifaries difcovered a keennefs for war against any of the Chriftian powers, that they were fpirited up by French intrigues; because as that nation wanted neither money nor cunning, fo it was fuppofed to have abundance of ill-will to both Ruffia and the house of Austria, against either of which fuch a war would probably have been undertaken. As the court of Versailles has changed fides, and ftipulated to concur in encouraging the Sultan's pacific difpofition, if the janifaries ftill continue in the fame hu mour, it would seem natural to abfolve the French from having any hand at present in exciting them to it. Since the war in Germany broke out, we have had frequent accounts from Vienna of the marks of friendship fhewn by the Grand Signior to the Emprefs-Queen, of his fending her a prefent of horses, and permitting her to buy up feveral thousands more in his dominions for remounting her cavalry. In the mean time there were advices from other quarters, that if the Ruffian troops actually marched to affift the Emprefs-Queen against hist Pruffian Majefty, the Turks would make a diverfion in his favour, with an army of 100,000 men.

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In POLAND very little worth notice Emprefs-Queen, arrived at the frontier happened during last year. Near the towards the end of the year, the advices beginning of June the King went from which came from thence at that time Drefden to Carga, a town on the fron- bore, that the Poles would not grant a tier of that kingdom, where he iffued paffage to it through their country, that the univerfalia for holding a general they would oppofe any attempts to force diet. In most of the dietines for the e- one, and would even reclaim the affilection of deputies, the difputes were ftance of the Turks for that purpose if carried on with sword and pistol, which neceffary. It may not be amifs to reproduced the spilling of much blood, and collect, that three Turkish minifters, the lofs of many lives. Such proceedings though without a public character from in the dietines ufe to be the certain figns the Grand Signior, were at Warsaw of a tumultuous and fruitless general during the last general diet in 1754, diet, fuch as have been for a good many pretty much contrary to the King of times fucceffively, without any one thing Poland's inclinations; "that they correof public concern being done. What fponded chiefly with the lords fuppofed would have happened in the one laft in- to be in oppofition to the measures of dicted, we cannot know, because the the court; that one of them in particutroubles in Saxony prevented the affem- lar brought letters, intimating the great bling of it. The King of Poland ha- friendship of the Porte for Poland, reving fet out from the fortrefs of Konig- prefenting the protection and affiftance ftein, in conféquence of his Saxon ar- the had afforded it as occafion required, my's furrender to the King of Pruffia, as and offering the like fuccours for prebefore taken notice of, he arrived at venting any affairs taking a turn conWarsaw on the 30th of October, ac- trary to its true intereft [xvi. 488.]; and companied by his two fons the Princes that a large body of Ottomon troops Xavierus and Charles, and Count Bruhl have for fome years been so posted, that his prime minister. There, before a they could, upon fhort warning, act tomeeting of the grandees who happened ward either Ruffia or Poland, as might to be in the capital, he expreffed his fa- be judged proper. tisfaction at not having been the author of his own misfortunes, and congratulated himself upon his having got among his dear Polanders. How far he had contributed to what had happened him in Saxony, may in fome measure be eftimated from the papers found in his chancery at Dresden, and published by the King of Pruffia [xviii. 651.]. It is well known, that the King of Poland has very little influence in that state, fometimes called a kingdom, fometimes a republic. The Poles entertain a jealoufy, that, with the affiftance of the two Empreffes, he wants to render the crown, which is elective, hereditary in his family; and this makes them generally thwart his measures. They have a particular grudge at Ruffia for till keeping poffeffion of Courland, a duchy that ufed to be dependent upon Poland, for a fum of money which Peter the Great lent upon it. When part of a Ruffian army, intended for the affiftance of the

Several things relating to RUSSIA have been neceffarily anticipated, such as her new alliance with France, her coldness towards the court of London, and the march of her troops to afflift the Emprefs-Queen against the King of Pruffia. The Ruffians in motion have been very differently computed, namely, from 70,000 to 130,000. Lateft accounts from that part of the world at the end of the year made them amount to about the latter number. It was once imagined, that the papers found and publifhed by the King of Pruffia, would induce the court of Petersburg, as a very impartial power, to be neutral in the war begun between the courts of Vienna and Berlin; but the contrary has happened. The Emprefs of Ruffia fignified her high difpleasure at the imputations thrown upon her in the Pruffian monarch's expofition of the motives which induced him to prevent the defigns of his enemies [xviii. 488.], and yet appears to

justify

justify those very imputations by facts, and by acknowledging that the intends to have his power reduced within narrower bounds. The accounts which came from Petersburg in the end of the year, represented her Imperial Majefty's life as in great danger by an ulcer in her breaft. For fome years paft the landforces of Ruffia have been reckoned at about 300,000 regulars, and 100,000 Coffacks and Calmucks. Her navy has been faid to confift of 43 fhips of the line, 300 galleys, and 160 fmaller veffels, having 40,000 registered feamen to

man it.

A general diet of the ftates of SwEDEN affembled in October 1755, and continued fitting about a whole year. They foon entered upon the confideration of certain questions relating to the King's prerogative, and the privileges of the fenate; in the difcuffing of which the debates run high, their deliberations being greatly imbarraffed by fhoals of pamphlets, that appeared on oppofite fides, ftarted new difficulties, and increafed the doubts and perplexities of the members. The court of France has for feveral years been fuppofed to have been encouraging a project for the reftoration of defpotifm in Sweden. Early last year two members of the diet were accused of having attached themselves too ftrongly to the French intereft, and upon that abfconded. After that feveral perfons were taken into custody, for endeavouring to imprefs the public with favourable notions of abfolute power in the King. However fond the French may have been to get the form of government altered in that country, when they thought it would ferve their intereft, it cannot well be supposed they would in the leaft contribute towards the accomplishment of fuch a project, after they had notice of the accommodation between his Britannic Majefty and the King of Pruffia, confidering that the latter's fifter is Queen of Sweden, and a politician, and especially fince they had a profpect of entering into a clofe connection with Ruffia. If they had put that affair into agitation, they had not been able to ftop its progrefs all at once.

In March the high committee of inquiry made fearch into the scheme fuppofed to be on foot for altering the form of government; and several more perfons were imprifoned. It was faid in favour of a change, that the liberties of the people fuffered much more from the unconftitutional power of a junto, than it would from a proper exertion of the royal authority, which was daily more and more abforbed. On the 22d of June a confpiracy was discovered, which was to have been put in execution the next night. The confpirators had concerted measures for fecuring themselves on all fides, without the effufion of blood if poffible. Next they were to march up haftily to the royal palace, and invest it; then they were to befeech the King to come down to them; and afterwards to force the ftates immediately to confer upon his Majefty the fovereignty, or fupreme power. These proceedings were to be followed by the imprisonment of fome of the fenators and principal members of the diet. This plot being dif covered, many of the persons concerned in it were taken into cuftody, and a good number of them put to death. A corporal, who made the discovery, was rewarded by the ftates with 100,000 rixdollars; befides which he was raised to the dignity of noblesse for himself and his iffue. After this several demands were made upon the King by the diet, and fuch conduct was obferved towards him as he took much amifs. Several remonftrances had formerly been made by the fenate, in which his Majefty had been loaded with heavy imputations. Now the diet appointed a committee to examine the crown-jewels, which were in the Queen's hands. When their demand was made, her Majefty anfwered, that fhe could by no means fubmit to an infpection of that nature, especially as such a step seemed to proceed from a manifeft diftruft which the states of the kingdom entertained of her; that therefore the would cause those jewels be immediately separated from her own, and be delivered to the states; for that the knew herself too well to wear them more. This we were informed the actually did,

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The King addreffed a very pathetic let ter to the states affembled, in which, among many other things, he faid, that in the execution of his defigns for the happiness of the kingdom, and efpecially fince the meeting of the diet, he had met with difficulties which made him very fenfible of the weight of a crown; that he fuppofed, that in the exercife of the royal power he was to have had no other director, under the word of God and his own confcience, than the form of government, his act of fettlement, and the fundamental laws of the kingdom; that he imagined none could, without his knowledge, leffen or extend their bounds, contrary to the fpirit and letter according to which he accepted and fwore to obferve them; that he thought that as he looked upon the promife he had made before God and the ftates to be facred and inviolable, he might require of his fubjects the performance of their promise made to him with equal folemnity; that nevertheless he had the mortification to find, on every occafion, his prerogative induftrioufly incroached upon, and harder conditions prescribed to him than those the King his predeceffor fubmitted to; that by the manner in which the fenate interpreted the laws, he was reduced to a worfe ftate than that of the meaneft Swede, who could not be compelled to act against his confcience; that he knew not whether he was master in his own houfe; and that the things which chiefly wounded his delicacy, degraded the royal authority, and imbittered the exercife of its functions, were the repeated harsh and undeferved reproaches con tained in divers remonftrances, accufing him of acting contrary to his act of fet tlement, of admitting foreigners into the administration of the laws, of giving occafion to measures deftructive of the public liberty, of fuffering himself to be led by evil counsellors, and other fimilar imputations, which he could not call to mind without blufhing. He protested, that the liberties of the kingdom were as facred and dear to him as to any Swede whatever, and that he would chearfully fpill the laft drop of his blood

for their fupport. He declared, that he could no longer hold the reins of gos vernment with any fatisfaction, unless the ftates diftinctly informed him, on what footing he might for the future exercife with reasonable eafe the rights and prerogatives of his royalty, without giving room for differences to fpring up every moment between him and the fe nate, and without incroaching on the li berty of the ftates; and he said, that when the states should have marked out that path, they might be affured he would follow it, and that he would be the prin cipal fupport of their liberties and privi leges. In fine, he declared, that if he were laid under an inability of manifeft. ing the integrity of his heart, and his fervent zeal for the welfare of Sweden, he had rather renounce a crown, than continue to wear it in continual anguish, and on a footing unworthy of royal majefty. On the other hand, the states caufed feveral pieces be inferted in their journal. Among other things they said, that in propofing to infpect the jewels of the crown, they demanded nothing but what was agreeable to the laws and conftitutions; and could not fee without great difpleafure, that the Queen fhould impute this ftep to any diftruft on their part, and make use of such expreffions, as that she knew herself too well to wear thofe jewels longer. Befides this, ob fervations were made on the part of both the King and the fenate; after which the grand committee of the Rates examined the whole, and among other things reported, that his Majesty's declaration, that he could not confirm with his fign-manual what his own confcience rejected, and what he thought contrary to the fundamental laws, was a declaration that he could not govern by the laws of the land, as he had fworn to do; thofe laws requiring him to fign refolutions of the fenate which he did not approve, though they permitted him to enter his protest, and appeal to the states. This, with the reft of the committee's report, the ftates confirmed by a refolution, which concluded with an earnest exhortation to his Majefty, to reftore peace to the kingdom and honour to the

throne,

throne, by executing thofe laws which alone could make him great, by keep ing his people free. The ftatés, after deliberation, fent five members of the order of the clergy to his Majefty at Ulrichfdal, whither the royal family had retired, with a new act of security for the prefervation of the established form of government. To this the King gave his confent; and at the fame time the Queen delivered to that deputation a written declaration, bearing that the detefted the dangerous confpiracy fome time before formed. What were the articles of this new act of fecurity, and whether his Majesty received fuch clear and precife explanations for regulating his conduct in the exercife of his royal prerogative as he wanted, we have not heard. We have been informed, that previous to that deputation there were high debates in the grand committee, in which a nobleman of great parts and probity faid, that it was very anjuft to charge the effects of their own factious intrigues upon their Majefties, who, it was evident, were imbarraffed, and knew not how to act; that, for the honour, fafety, and prosperity of the nation, there ought to be a fettled permanent government; and that the humour of reviewing and altering the conftitution, every diet, must keep up a perpetual fer ment, and in the end make that necef fary which they seemed so much to dread. This is faid to have had great effect in preventing their driving things to extremities.

Great number of the middling and lower people in Sweden continue to ac cufe several of the nobles of too ftrong an attachment to France, upon felfifh views, and of improper behaviour towards fome refpectable powers, even thofe related to the royal family. In the end of the year it was faid, that there had been private meetings among fome of the principal nobility, who began to perceive, that the Swedish nation had been made the dupes of an ally ever un faithful and ungrateful, which no fooner faw an opening at another court, than the eagerly embraced the ftronger power, without in the least confidering the in

tereft of the weaker. This will be eafily understood, when it is recollected, that the Swedes in general think with much regret on the fine provinces along the bottom of the Baltic, conquered from them by Peter the Great of Ruffia; that for a confiderable number of years they have hoped to recover those provinces, on a proper occafion, by the affiftance of France in particular; and that the court of Versailles laft fummer guaran tied all the poffeffions of the Empréss of Ruffia, in fuch a manner as to fupport no claim upon any of the conquefts made by her or her predeceffors upon Sweden. We have already declared our opinion, that it is at prefent more than ordinarily difficult to form a judgment concerning the systems of feveral courts in Europe.

For fome years we have heard the land-forces of Sweden computed at about 64,000 men; and her marine at twenty fhips of the line, and feventy galleys, for the manning of which there were 20,000 registered feamen.

Since the Proteftant intereft in Germany began to be reprefented as in particular danger, their Britannic and Pruffian Majefties have applied to the court of DENMARK for her affiftance to fupport that intereft; any applications to Sweden for the fame purpose being fcarcely heard of, on account of her difjointed circumftances. Both of those kingdoms have for a confiderable time had a fubfidy from France. We have juft taken notice of what might produce an alteration in the fentiments of many Swedes. It is also to be obferved, that there has, for a good many years, been a difference between the court of Copenhagen and the declared heir to the crown of Ruffia, in relation to the duchy of Slefwick, and fome other diftricts, which the Great Duke alledges his Da nith Majefty unjustly detains from him. Repeated negotiations have been on foot for fettling that affair, without effect? and in what light the court of Copenhagen will confider the junction of those of Petersburg and Verfailles, with the danger that the Proteftant religion is fuppofed by fome powers to be in, muff be explained by time.

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