that they accepted of peace offered them, on condition of their paying to the Sultan annually a tribute of 18,000 piaftres, and delivering up to him twenty-four of their young native maidens. It was thought, indeed, as accounts from Conftantinople imported, that this latter part, refpecting virgins natives of their own country, would not in fact be complied with. There were fubfequent ad vices that fame year, that Pr. Heraclius had again been seen in different parts of Europe; and in the end of it, that the Porte had received authentic information of another infurrection of the Georgians being intended, in confequence of which a Turkish army was on march towards the Black fea. During the last year we faw nothing new concerning thofe people. How they would behave in cafe of the Porte being engaged in a foreign or domeftic war of confequence, is but a matter of fpeculation.

In the beginning of last year, that most immediately under review, we had a confirmation of what had been afferted near the end of 1767, namely, that a foreigner, who affumed the name of Stefaro, and for fome time acted as a physician in the province of Montenegro, tributary to the Grand Signior, and bordering on the Venetian Dalmatia, had there publicly declared himself to be the Czar Peter III. of Ruffia, pretending that the report of his death was defignedly fpread, but that he found means to escape from his prifon; that Stefano had got himself publickly acknowledged as Czar by the people, faid to be 30,000 men able to bear arms, inhabiting a country furrounded by almost inacceffible mountains, and alfo by the bithop and every order of the clergy, all being extremely attached to the name of Mufcovite or Ruffian, as well on account of their being of the Greek religion, the fame with that profeffed in Ruffia, as because the Ruffian fovereigns have long employed the proper means of maintaining a great influence among them; and that the pretended Peter III. was faid to be a man of fpirit, of a fine figure, and provided in a great deal of money, which he diftributed among his foldiers with profufion. We were told in the course of last year, of the Ruffian ambaffador at Conftantinople having notified to the Bifhop of Montenegro, that the Empress his fovereign would withdraw her ufual liberalities to the churches of that diocefe, fo long as

he and his dependents continued to coun tenance the impoftor. The Venetia foldiers in Dalmatia were reckoned, b the Turkish Agas in the neighbourhood to maintain a fecret correspondence wit Stefano; and three communities of th part of Dalmatia under the republic's do minion actually jomed the Montenegrins The fenate of Venice, wanting to kee on good terms with the Porte, offere rewards for the heads of Stefano an fome of his principal adherents; an declared that the republic was endeavour ing to draw off her fubjects from th party they had taken. When the yea was well advanced, we were informed that the Ottoman miniftry had ordere an army of above 20,000 men to be con ducted against the Montenegrins, and g ven affurance to the Venetians of th Porte's conftant friendship. We ha next an account from Conftantinopl that, near the beginning of Septembe the Turks had made themselves mafte of a fortress and a monastery, both fit ated among the Montenegrin rocks, wit the loss of a great number of lives their fide; that Stefano, at the head 10,000 rebels, as well Roman-Catholi as Greeks, had defended himself wi much valour; and that his defign was erect a free state, like that of Malt Advices which came from Venice abo the middle of October imported, th the Turks had been obliged to aband the firft pofts they took in the mou tains, and incamp in the plain at t foot of them, where they were facki all the villages, and deftroying, witho diftinction of age or fex, the inhabitat of those which made the leaft refiftand The last accounts received in the ye under review, left the fituation of fairs with refpe& to that people very u certain; thofe from one place affertir that the Turks had made peace wi them, in order that they might empl their troops elsewhere; and those fr another, that the Turks and Venetia having agreed to attack the Monter grins in concert, the Turks engaged i precipitately, by which means they w beaten, and fuffered confiderable lofs.

It cannot be doubted but that the C toman miniftry would with to have inte nal peace in all parts of the empire, war had been declared at Conftantinof againit Ruffia, on the 8th of Octob The reafons affigned for that declarat were, a violation of the Turkish territ

by fome Ruffian troops, and their killing a number of Muffulmen, things which the court of Petersburg either difavowed or denied, and the long ftay of Ruffians in Poland, the occafion of which we will foou have to take notice of. Some faid, that what weighed most in the cafe was, a propofal made by many of the Poles, in their distracted fituation, to cede part of Podolia and Volbinia to the Turks, on the fame footing that Moldavia and Wallachia are fubject to them, namely, that the inhabitants fhould pay an annual tribute to the Grand Signior, at the fame time being at full liberty to profefs the Christian religion; and this upon condition that the Turks would aflift thofe Poles to drive the Ruffians out of their Country.

Latest advices received in the year, mentioned fome circumstances, as what perhaps induce the Ottoman miniftry to decline entering into war with Ruffia, if the furious clamours of the populace and foldiery at Conftantinople did not force them, to wit, that befide what has been related of the Montenegrins, a large body of Turkish fubjects was in arms in the Lower Albany; that a great many Greeks in the Morea were oppofing the government; that the Perfians had committed fome hoftilities on the Turkish frontiers, and feemed to be making preparations of confequence for carrying them further.

POLAND was in a very distracted and miferable Gituation during by far the greateft part of the year under review, in confequence of a long train of events, which shall be recapitulated in as concife a manner as we think confiftent with making them be tolerably well understood.

A decree was made by the conventiondiet in 1764, during the inter-reign im mediately preceding the election of his prefent Polish Majesty, in regard to all diffenters from the Roman-Catholic religien, which more than any former one abridged their religious liberty, and entirely excluded them from all civil posts and employments in the state. That decree was confirmed by the coronation diet held after the election, not with tanding remonftrances by the courts of Peterburg and Berlin, backed by the infinence of G. Britain and Denmark; to all which powers, as alfo to Sweden, the Didents had applied for their good of fices.

An ordinary diet of the kingdom af

fembled, at Warsaw, in October 1766. Declarations by the courts of Peterf burg, London, Berlin, and Copenhagen, were prefented to his Polish Majefty, and by him laid before the diet. Thofe declarations demanded the re-establishment of the Diffidents in their civil rights, and the peaceable enjoyment of their modes of worship, afferted in the decla. rations to have been fecured to those people by the laws of the kingdom, which had been obferved during two centuries, and confirmed by the important treaty of Oliva, which could not be altered without the consent of all the contracting parties. After violent contefts in the diet, in which the clergy diftinguished themselves by their keennefs, the matter was referred to the bishops and fenators, for their opinion. Upon report by them, the diet came to a refolution, That they would fully maintain the Diffidents in all the rights and prerogatives to which they were intitled by the laws of the country, particularly by the conftitutions of the years 1717, 1723, and 1736, which in the mean time had been declared and protested against by foreign powers; and that as to their grievances in regard to the exercife of their religion, the college of Bishops, under the direction of the Prince Pri mate, would endeavour to remove them, in a manner conformable to justice and neighbourly love. On the last day of the diet's fitting, the whole college of Prelates, except the Bishop of Wilna, who refufed it, and two others not prefent, figned nine articles, which were depofited among the archives of the kingdom, importing, That the Diffidents were to be allowed the free exercife of their religion in all places where they had been permitted by the law (meaning we fuppofe fince the year 1717) to have churches, and might repair thote churches, or rebuild them, but not enlarge their extent; that they were to have burying-places, the funerals to be per formed without ceremonies, except thofe permitted by the law; that where they had no churches, they might perform di vine fervice privately in their houses; and that the Greek priefts might baptize, marry, and bury, provided they paid the established clergy their legal fees.

A refolution to maintain the Diffidents in all the rights and prerogatives to which they were intitled by the conftitution of the year 1717, and others fince then,

A 2

could

could give but little fatisfaction, as they dated the beginning of their sufferings from the conftitution of 1717. The referring of their religious grievances to the college of the Bishops, a body of men who had brought upon them all the evils of which they complained, and by their ftation could not be favourable to them, was reckoned a measure still more unreasonable than any that had formerly been taken; and alfo a new infringement of the conftitutions of the kingdom, by endeavouring to draw the Diffidents from the civil jurisdiction, under which they ought to be, and fubject them to that of the Popith clergy. A fmall body of Ruffian troops, which had been in Poland during a part of the inter-reign, at the time of the King's election, and till the period just taken notice of, was on this occafion augmented by 15,000 more of them.

The Diffidents, having previously concerted matters with the foreign powers their favourers and protectors, entered into two confederacies, on the 20th of March 1767, at Thorn in Great Poland, and Sluck in the Great Duchy of Lithuania, both to the fame purpose. After taking notice of the ancient conftitutions, which confirmed the liberty of religion, and established a perfect equality among the nobility, conftitutions decla red to be fundamental laws of the state, particularly the conftitutions of 1573, and a good many others specified down ward for above a century, fortified by a folemn oath, that no one should be oppreffed or perfecuted on account of difference of religion; a long recital was made of oppreffions and violences, endured fucceffively by the Diffidents fince 1717, in regard to their perfons, their churches, their rights and liberties. The confederators obferved in the act, that all their hopes of redress from complaints, manifeftoes, and protests, had vanifhed fince the immediately preceding diet, when, instead of their fituation being rendered easier, the constitutions of 1764 had been confirmed, which took from them even the fhadow of all their birthrights, and threatened them with entire deftruction. They fwore jointly to defend their ancient privileges, and the free exercise of their religion; at the fame time protesting, that they would remain faithful and obedient to the King, to whom they fent a deputation, affuring him of their fidelity, and fupplicating his protection. They claimed, by virtue of public treaties, the tutelage

of the powers who guarantee their righ and liberties; and declared, that th had no intention of acting to the det ment of the Roman-Catholic religio but only asked the freedom of their ow and the re-establishment of their ancie rights. The Duke and Nobles of Cor land acceded to the confederacy of I thuania, on the 15th of May.

Soon after, the figning of thofe con deracies, a new declaration of the E prefs of Ruffia was delivered to his Pol Majesty. In it the represented the co cern it gave her, to behold a state, the happiness of which the took fo mu intereft, attacked in its foundations, à forcible feparation of a fixth part the citizens from the main body; a observing, that this was not the o point which divided the Polish natio for that it had for fome time concea in its bofom the feeds of difcord, wh threatened the public tranquillity. S declared, That the took under her p tection the confederation of Disiden as bound by the engagements of crown; and intimated her defire to hi an extraordinary diet affembled, for ing justice to all, and drying up fource of every difcontent and divific at the fame time informing, that her p tection was not confined to the Diffider but would extend to every Pole, fr the moment of his acceding to the p of conciliation. His Pruthan Maje in a fresh declaration prefented ab that time, expressed his fentiments m to the fame purpose; and advised Polish nation to meet in a diet extra dinary, for a general pacification of its members.

On the 25th of May that year, a gr fenatus confultum was held at Warfa in which it was refolved, that an ext ordinary diet, for determining the af of the Diffidents, without mention any other purpose which we got not of, fhould be opened the 5th of Octob

About this time great numbers of ther confederacies were formed throu out all Poland and Lithuania. As by the greater part of them did not at appear unfavourable to the Dithider but only to be against the adminiftrat of public affairs, into which they all ged innovations had been introduced, t were for fome time called Confederat of Malecontents. All thofe confedera published manifeftoes, in which they commended to the inhabitants in gen