Diffidents, which was first brought on the carpet, met with fuch oppofition, as induced Pr. Radzivil, in quality of Marfhal, to adjourn the next meeting to the 12th. That interval was employed in ufing every expedient for drawing over those who had spoken against a plan propofed by Pr. Radzivil; which was, to appoint a commiffion, furnished with full powers, to enter into conference with Pr. Repnin, the Russian ambassador, concerning the affairs of the Diffidents. Not withstanding fuch pains, the meeting on the 12th proved extremely tumultuous, the Bishops of Cracow and Kiow, fome other Prelates, and feveral Magnats, declaring, that they would never confent to the establishing of fuch a commiffion. This bred fuch animofity, as occafioned another adjournment to the 16th.

On the 13th, the Bishops of Cracow and Kiow, the Palatine of Cracow, and the Starofle Dolmski, were arrested and carried off by detachments of Ruffian troops. The crime alledged against them, in a declaration published next day by Pr. Repnin, was, That they had been wanting, in their conduct, to the dignity of her Imperial Majefty of Ruffia, by attacking the purity of her intentions toward the republic; though he was refolved to continue her protection and affiftance to the general confederacy, united for preferving the Polish liberties, and correcting all the abuses which had been introduced into government, contrary to the fundamental laws of the country, From this it would feem thofe Prelates and Magnats had urged, in the courfe of debate, that nothing was like to be taken care of but the concerns of the Diffidents, though a declaration of the Empress, al ready taken notice of, mentioned other matters which they reckoned to be of chief importance. Pr. Repnin afterwards declared, that those members were not detained in prifon, but only guarded separately by a Ruflian officer each, being treated in other refpects with all the regard due to their rank. Mean while those Prelates and Magnats were not permitted to return any more to the diet: nor have we reafon to fuppofe, that at the end of last year they had been restored to their liberty.

The meeting of the diet we are confidering was alfo tumultuous on the 16th; but the day after, Pr. Radzivil's plan was approved, and commiflaries were appointed for carrying it into execution.

After they met, all the minifters of other foreign powers interefting th felves in the affairs of the Diffidents well as Pr. Repnin, were prefent at conferences on those affairs, in co quence of an invitation. By the be ning of November 1767, feveral arti relating to that fubject were conclu on and figned. Not having yet go authentic account of thofe articles, must content ourselves with a sketch what appeared in the public papers ab that time. It was there faid to b been agreed, that the Greeks and I teftants (hould be on a perfect equa with the Roman Catholics; that fhould be left in a free and undistur ufe of their churches and fchools; the they inclined to build any in the tov they should be obliged to obtain le for that purpose from the King, the bles having power to grant them the f favour in their respective territories; they should be intitled to adminifter b tifm, to marry and bury, without fol ting permission from the bishop of diocese, or paying him any fee; that thould be capable of being elected n cios, and enjoying all employments, well thofe of magistracy, as of being nifters of state, officers of the crown, even fenators; and that all proceedi in regard to the Diffidents should for future be before a fuperior tribunal, titled, Judicium Mixtum, the mem of which to be of different religions, the president to be alternately a Cat lic, Greek, and Protestant. To that the Roman-Catholic was ftill to confidered as the dominant religion was provided, that the King fhould ways be a Roman-Catholic; that if married a Diffident, the thould not crowned; and, as one account ad that if for the future any Roman Cal lic fhould forfake his religion, he th not enjoy the benefit of these resoluti but be subject to the former laws aga the Diffidents.

In the beginning of last year we v informed, that the Prince Primate, ing a ftrenuous advocate for abolit the flavith fervitude of the peasants, prefented a plan to the commiffaries the end of the preceding year, for ceeding in that business; but that a occafioned great debates, and met much oppofition, it was deferred i more favourable opportunity.

In January last year, the commiff

ag

eed upon a number of important mats; among which were, the railing of King's yearly penfion from 1,000,000 hth florins to 1,500,000 [+bout 150,000l. erling], and granting nim 1,000,000 wins for the support of his minifters at reign courts; augmenting the Treasurer f the Crown's falary from 120,000 to 00,000 florins; adding 40,000 annually the appointments of the Great Trearer of Lithuania; allotting 600,000 arly to Pr. Radzivil, befide ordering yment of 3,000,000 which his family d lent to the itate; appointing confirable jums for Count Fleming and the hop of Wilna; 400,000 annually for ablishing a college of Phyficians; and Loco Polish ducats as a yearly provifion the two Princes of Saxony, the fons of eir late king. It was also affured, that ↑ Liberum veto, by which any single ember of an ordinary diet might put a ap or an end to its proceedings, in vire of only protesting against them, and hich had been abolithed by the election. jet in the inter-reign, was renewd, and established as one of the fundamental laws. This may be the more eaily believed, as it was a thing, however dd-like to Britons, which more foreign ourts than one, as well as many Poles, ad expreffed a good deal of concern to ave done.

On the 1st of February last year, the traordinary diet met again, according adjournment. That day feveral things anding to inflame people's minds were ad before the affembly; among others, manifefto by the Marthal of the Confetracy of Grodno, one of thofe of which je General Confederacy confifted, full harth terms against Pr. Repnin; a fief from the Pope, which had been dewered by his nuncio to the Prince Prijate; another of his briefs to the King, which it was faid, that his Majefty got rather to abdicate the crown, than gn any thing which might be of preju ce to the Roman Catholic religion; and Limilar brief to the Bishops. The nunhad also delivered a manifefto to the Great Chancellor, in which the Roman ontiff declared, that all who figned a articles prejudicial to Popery, would excommunicated. All this occafioned new adjournment of the diet; and it ould appear that the Pope's nuncio had eter been employed elsewhere, than in vering luch briefs and manifeftoes at Warfaw. In fact, we were foon after

told, that a resolution had been entered into, not to fuffer any nuncios from Rome to come for the future into Poland; that a fynod or ecclefiaftical court fhould be formed, the Prince Primate to be prefident, for deciding, as the laft refort, all fuch ecclefiaftical caufes as had formerly been carried to the court of Rome, or laid before the nuncio refiding in the kingdom; that the tax on the Pope's bulls thould be abolished, or at least diminished; and that a regulation fhould be made with respect to tithes.

The treaty concluded with Ruffia in 1686 was confirmed, according to the form in which it exifts in the Ruffian ar chives, and not as it had been published in Poland; alfo all former treaties between the republic and the courts of Petertburg and Berlin.

On the 5th of March, the last day of the diet's fitting, an entry was made in the journals of it, that the General Confederacy of the States, and that of the Dilidents, were entirely at an end. It was alfo declared, that the treaty which had been concluded by the Great Commiffion with the Ruffian ambaffador, as well in regard to the rights of the Diffi dents as to the affairs of the kingdom, had now the force of a law, and was to be confidered as a fundamental and perpetual conftitution.

We are fenfible, that the accounts we have had it in our power to give of those tranfactions must be very defective, perhaps in fome parts erroneous; but thought it not amifs to lay the most material of fuch as we received together, in order that they may be feen at one view.

The Emprefs of Ruffia had engaged to guarantee all that should be concluded on, with refpect both to the rights of the Diffidents, and to the Polifh liberties; fo the treaty was fent to her for a ratification; which it received.

Some days after the diet resumed its fittings in February last year, it was obferved in advices from Warfaw, that the number of fenators and nuncios returned to give their fuffrages, was not near fo great as it had been in October preceding; from whence it was inferred, that among the abfent there were probably fome diffatisfied with the arrangements of the grand commiffion, and who might repent of having taken part in the general confederacy. After this we were told, that the marshal of the confederacy of Grodno, in confequence of his manifefto

already

already taken notice of, had retired to Rome, had taken the habit of a monk, and was publicly exhorting to a croifade in defence of the Catholic religion in Poland; also that the marfhal of the confederacy of Lithuania, after writing a manitefto against every thing transacted under the influence of foreign arms, had fold his eftates, and likewife retired to Rome. It needs not be doubted, but that the ftrong efforts of the court of Rome had great influence on the generality of thorough Roman Catholics throughout the kingdom.

What had been fufpeted by people of forefight, was foon verified in fact. Scarce ly were the members of the diet difperfed from Warsaw, when advice was received there of a new kind of confederacy being formed in Podolia, a province bordering on Turky, which was afterwards called the confederacy of Bar. The intention of it was, to abolish, by force of arms, all the new conftitutions, particularly the treaty relating to the Diffidents. They alfo expreffed great refentment against the ftep taken by the Ruffians of carrying off the Bishop of Cracow, and others, on the 13th of October 1767, and still detaining them in cuftody. Podolia was reckoned the most proper place for opening the fcene, as the Confederates fuppo fed the Ruffian troops could not attack them there, without giving umbrage to the court of Conftantinople.

Within a fhort time fimilar confedera. cies were entered into in all the waiwodies of the kingdom, except thofe of Lithuania, which were reftrained from fuch measures by the influence of the Prince Primate, nobleman of that Great Duchy. The Popish clergy excited all ranks to what they called the defence of their religion, in reality not attacked, by promifing them the crown of martyrdom in the iffue, and furnishing large fums of money for the prefent. The contagion fpread fo much, that even the King's troops could not be trufted to act against the Confederates.

The Emprefs of Ruffia fent a declaration, importing, that her troops fhould not only remain in Poland till the reftoration of the public repose, but march against the Confederates, and treat them as difturbers of it.

It was a confiderable time before the Ruffian troops were much further reinforced; and the directors of their operations feemed loth that they should act with the

vigour they could have exerted. Me while it was not long till a good m rencounters happened between them the Confederates, in different parts the kingdom, with various fuccefs, tho by far moft frequently to the difadvant of the latter. The Confederates of being defeated, and hardly prefled number of them paffed the river Nie and took refuge in Moldavia, ancie a Polish province, now subject to the G Signior; on which occafion they were fued fome way over the river by a p of Ruffians. In order to prevent off being taken at this by the Porte, Pr. H nin wrote to the Ruffian refident th to intimate that the conduct of the nel who commanded that party was o contrary to the orders of his court ; therefore the officer, though otherwi a worthy character, would be put u arreft, and turned out of his poft. In fect, the court of Conftantinople, til wards the end of last year, gave no blic evidence of diffatisfaction with the Ruffians were doing in Poland, fometimes denominated the Confede difturbers of the public tranquillity. In June, &c.

[To be continued.]

To the author of the SCOTS MAGAZ SIR, January 1 was riding a good many years

As

and

in a warm fummer betwixt the kirk of Teregles in Galloway, Dumfries, I was furprifed with fesi great number of bees lighting upo upper fide of the dusty road, which gravel mixed with fand.

The novelty of this fight made m to obferve diftinctly what they wer ing; and I faw each of them light in two or three inches of a hole, which it immediately ducked down went out of fight; with many hur of which holes the road was riddl a confiderable way. Several of thes had little lumps of wax upon thei legs, like garden-bees, and were fize less than the mule or working & bee; and though I looked for the gain, never faw nor heard of them nor fince, till I faw in your Maj [xxx. 587.] an account of a mole-b thould be glad to bear whether it non-defcript, or has been known b I am, &c.