rents continuing with them, and most of the crown-troops joining the diet's party, which afterwards met with no oppofition worth notice. We were told, that the parties which retreated into Turky received an intimation, requiring them directly to evacuate the Grand Signior's territories. There were accounts of fome of them being foon after that in Hungary; but those and posterior advices concerning them were very indistinct. Early in June, the French ambassador at Warfaw took leave of the Prince Primate and feveral Senators. On that occafion he told them, That the King his mafter could not confider the diet as legal, nor the ftates affembled as the body of the republic; and that confequently his minifter's prefence was become uselefs. The Primate replied, Then the States do not acknowledge you as ambasfador. They parted with very little ceremony; and from that inftant the Frenchman had no public honours paid him. Not long after, his Moft Chriftian Majesty fent a letter to his refident left behind at Warfaw, ordering him to quit that capital without feeing the Primate; and declaring, that he referved to himself to make known, at a proper time and place, his intentions with refpect to the reparation to which he had a right to pretend; as well as his fentiments in regard to all that had paffed in Poland from the commencement of the interregnum. This example was followed, as it was pretty natural to expect, by the ambassador from the court of Vienna, with his refident, and the refident of Spain, who departed the 18th of July, having previously taken leave of the Primate. From those circumftances it was eafy to fee, that all hopes in relation to a prince of Saxony had been thrown up as defperate. throne; while others reckoned he was a partifan of Pr. Charles of Saxony. $ remarkable and open countenance was en by the courts of Petersburg and Berto Count Poniatowski, likewife a nathe, that the eyes of the public were immediately turned towards him. In Febury of last year, an action happened ween his party and that attached to A. Charles, in which about 400 men were Eed on both fides. A ftrong confederacy was formed in Lithuania, for oppofing the elevation of a foreigner to the thane, particularly one of the Saxon fa, left, among other confiderations, the crown fhould come to be reckoned bereditary in it. Pr. Radzivil, Palatine Wilda in that great duchy, who feemed to act in concert with Branitzki, did all be could to break the confederacy, or at haft to harafs thofe engaged in it. The regency ordered Branitzki to march towards the frontiers of the kingdom, with the army under his command, in order that all intitled to a vote in the enfing dietines might have full liberty to give it as they should think proper. He obfinately refused to obey, as was pretty well forefeen; which was improved as a good reafon for requesting the afliftance Tef Rufian troops, fome of whom had en tered Poland towards the end of the preteding year, under colour of watching oer certain motions in it, according to treaties, others having been posted so as harto be ready for the fame purpose. A part of the troops advanced to the very neighborhood of Warfaw, the capital. Mean While the Empress caufed it to be noti fel, that they should offer no violence to the dietines, which were to meet, and dule deputies to the diet of convocation for fettling what related to the election. Several of thofe dietines were tumultuous, is very common in that country, and for in fame there were lives loft. At length the diet of convocation met at Warfaw, the 7th of May laft. One of its first irrefolutions was, to diveft Count Branitzki of the command of the crown-army, and to confer it upon Pr. Czartorinfki. That prince immediately took the ufual seth, and ordered all the colonels in the own-army to join him instantly with their troops. This not being well compled with, Czartorinski, with the affiftace of the Ruffians, obliged both BraCitaki and Radzivil, after feveral ren& Genters, to retire within the frontiers of date Tarky, very few of their former adhe For of t grip wid The diet of election affembled the 27th of Auguft, in the ufual place, being a plain near Warfaw; and after going through the customary folemnities, during which remarkable order and quietness prevailed, Count Poniatowski was chosen King, the 6th of September, with great unanimity. He was formally proclaimed next day, under the name of STANISLAUS AUGUSTUS; and was crowned the 25th of November, with all the pomp and ceremony which is commonly obferved on fuch occafions. Count Branitzki, according to repeated advices, was fo wife as to fubmit to the choice made; and afterward wrote to his Majesty, begging to be be excufed for his not attending the coronation. A fevere fentence had been previously palled against Pr. Radzivil, which is faid to be carrying into execution. The Poles appear to entertain very high expectations from their new King; and are every now and then fending abroad accounts of the obfervations they make portending good to the state. A mong other things, they tell us he has publicly declared, that he will give audience, not only to great perfonages, but to the meaneft peafant; and that he has ordered the Pruffian code of laws to be tranflated into Latin, a language understood by many in that kingdom, in order to offer pecuniary and honorary rewards to the best devifers of a body of laws, conformable to the brevity of that code, and adapted to the genius of his people, and conftitution of the country. Several matters of importance were tranfacted in the det of convocation, which we did not chufe to mention for merly, that the connection of what rela⚫ ted to the election of a King might not be broken. In the end of May, that diet declared the investiture of Pr. Charles of Saxony, in 1758, to the duchy of Courland, a fief of Poland, null and void; acknowledged John Erneft de Biron, formerly Duke, long banished into Siberia, and lately restored to the poffeflion by the Emprefs of Ruffia, to be the lawful Duke; and refolved that the dignity fhall continue in his family as long as there fhall be male iffue of it. Some time after, an inftrument was drawn up, with the feal of the Republic affixed, giving the Empreis of Rulia, and her fucceffors, the title of Emperor or Empress of all the Ruffias, an acknowledgment which had never formerly been made, the engaging,, on her part, that peither fhe, nor any of her fucceflors, thall ever lay claim to any of the provinces belonging to Poland, which might be included in that title before the treaty of 1683.The King of Prullia's Royal title was in like manner acknowleaged, on bis ftipulating, that neither he, nor any of his fuccefors, fhall lay claim to any part of Polith Pruflia. It may here be oblerved, that a diet of convocation can do in Poland, what an ordinary one when there is actually a king cannot. In a diet of the former fort, a plurality of votes determines matters, as in many other ftates; whereas a diet called by a King actually on the throne, can be diffolved b fingle veto, or proteftation, of any member against its acting further. A refolution was alfo taken to ex all Proteftants, and other diffenters the Roman-Catholic church, from e ing any post or place under the gov ment. We were informed, that a d tation from thofe people arrived at St holm, in order to befeech his Swedish jefty to mediate in their behalf; and the deputy was to make the fame red at Copenhagen, Berlin, the Hague, London. Very little was to be expe from any mediation of the King of S den, who had not so much as a min at the diet during any part of its fitti but we were told a declaration was ind that as the Swedish crown had enga to maintain the Proteftants at all tim and in every place, the court could behold the oppreffion of the Protefta in Poland with an indifferent eye. W ther the deputy actually went to the ot courts mentioned, we did not hear. Ho ever that might be, the Rullian and Pr fian ambailadors at Wariaw made frie ly representations in favour of the P teftants. Such accounts of the affair came too late to be in our magazines laft year, will fall in courfe to be tak notice of in thofe of the prefent. Near the end of 1763, we had repea ed advices, that an army of about 100,0 Chinele troops had invaded the fouthe parts of Siberia, a vaft province of Ru SIA, and been joined by numerous bod of Kalmucks and Tartars. It was ev then infinuated, that the reports we without foundation. They might pe haps be industriously raised abroad, in c der to be a colourable reafon for motio among the Ruflian troops made on an ther account, namely, his Polish Maj fty's state of health. In fact, the first counts we had of an approaching war wi China were from Petersburg, dated Sep 20. of that year; and foon after we information of that King's death, th were entirely dropped. On the 11th of April last year, a tre ty of defenfive alliance, mutual guarant and free commerce, to continue for eig years, was concluded between the E prefs and his Pruffian Majesty. In the beginning of fummer we had vice, that the Ruflian clergy, who poffe ed confiderable eftates in lands and ho fes, had just made a furrender of them the crown, in conformity to an old at nd ed re ter de, zed les, not nts a of tac with the pushing of which was reckoned #ve contributed to the ruin of the e Emperor Peter III. [xxv. 4.]; that Bey are to have fettled falaries paid them t of the exchequer; and that the famade by this economy are to be aped to the maintenance of invalid folGers, and other public purpofes. The Empreis fet out from Petersburg the 8th of July, with defign, as we were Ma, to vifit the feveral ports in Livonia, and concert measures for extending comBere throughout that province. While that tour, the made a vifit to John ErDe: Biron, at his capital of Mittau; and gave him fresh affurances, that he would perfift in her refolution to employ good offices for maintaining him, and is male itlue, in poffeffion of the duchies Courland and Semigallia. his utterance, which was uneafy to himfelf, and rendered his discourse almost unintelligible to others, the observed in him a total deprivation of fenfe and reafon; and that therefore he had refolved to leave him where he found him, and given orders for procuring him all the com forts and conveniencies which bis fituation would admit of. Another account bore, that the Prince had, fome time before the fatal catastrophe, been removed to the fortress of Schlusselburg, by order of the Emprefs, from the place which had long been allotted to his unfortunate family; that he was of a high spirit; that the hardfhips of a perpetual confinement had not extinguished that vigour of mind, and thole happy talents, which fo eminently characterife the illuftrious houfe of Bruniwick; that he was of fuch fentiments Ding her abfence from Petersburg, and understanding as rendered him much a lurid affair happened in its neighbour more worthy of a crown, than many ehood. In the night between the 15th ven of thole who have worn one with reand 16th of July, Prince Ivan, or John, putation; and that his untimely end we barbaroufly murdered in the fortrefs will perhaps be confidered by many as, at of Schluffelburg. He was the great- leaf, a piefumptive evidence that he was Francion of John, elder brother of Pe- no idiot. It is agreed, that the bloody ter the Great, who for fome years reigned deed was performed by two of the prin ty with Peter, but afterwards, on cipal officers in the garrifon, a captain account of his defects of body and mind, and a heutenant, who, as the manifefto oned his fhare of the government. tells us, had the Prince under their imThe Pr. Ivan's mother was Anne, a prin mediate charge, with strict injunétions to a of Mecklenburg in Germany, grand- let none approach him; by that means to ter of the Czar John just mention prevent ill-intentioned people from gied, and his father Pr. Anthony Ulric, ing him any trouble, and from niater of the reigning Duke of Brunf-king ufe of his name or orders to disturb Vik-Lun-burg. In October 1740, the the public tranquillity. It is alio eviFace lately murdered was declared Em- dent, that the occafion was in fome reperor of Rulia, when only about three pet given by one Mirowitz, a fecond lieutenant, defcribed in the manifefto as a man of very profligate character and defperate fortune. The manifetto favs, That, about two o'clock in the morning of the 16th, he all of a fudden called up the main guard, formed it into a line, and ordered the foldiers to load with ball; that the governor of the fortress, bearing a noife, came out of his apartment, and afked Mirowitz the reafon of this dif turbance; but received no other anfwer than a blow on the head with the buttend of his musket; after which the governer was immediately arrested; that Mirowitz furioully attacked the few foldiers who guarded the Prince, with a defign to fet him at liberty, and perfiited in the enterprile, till the two officers intrusted with the care of him, leeing it impofiible to refift a force fo much fupe. rior, to prevent worfe confequences to s old, pursuant to the will of the Ewers Anne Joannowna, then just deled, aho was a daughter of the Czar . Next year, in November, the inlist Emperor was depofed; and the fucjen returned to Peter's line. From that time forward Ivan, his father, his mother, and the rest of their family, 5 were perpetually confined, in fo clofe and cealed a manner, that the public knew very little concerning them. The cts given of Pr. Ivan's ftate of body and mind before his murder, and the occon of that catastrophe, with fome cirDritances of the cafe, have been very fent; and on the one fide more has been infinuated than clearly expreffed. In a memorial publifhed by the court it id, That, on occafion of a vifit which e Emprefs made him, foon after her wendag the throne, befide a defect in trek VOL. XXVII. B the tually nipping the fedition in the bu the former being made a general, an the latter a lieutenant-colonel, befic their receiving large penfions and pr fents. the public, prudently put an end to his days. By that paper we are alfo inform ed, that Mirowitz, upon feeing the dead body, was fo confounded, that he inftant 1y acknowledged his guilt, discovered his repentance to the foldiers he had fo lately headed in fedition, and tamely allow ed himself to be feized, and committed to cuftody. To fome this conduct feemed unaccountable in one who had efpoufed the interefts of the malfacred prince, either fincerely, or to ferve his own purpoles. A narrative printed at the Hague, foon after the horrid transaction, and which could not but be reckoned to have been drawn up by the directions of the court of Peterburg, fays, indeed, that Mirowitz declared he had an order from the Empress to let the prifoner at large; and that the foldiers, finding by the refiftance made, that the order from the Emprefs was fufpected, abandoned him: but it appears from the manifefto, that this fenfe of the cafe did not occur to them, till after they had, at fuch an unfeasonable hour, attacked with fire-arms the guard fet over the Prince, been repulfed, brought a piece of cannon from a baftion to be employed in carrying on the project, and at length feen the dead body. One would think, that the very propofal to execute an Imperial order in fuch a nanner, might have been enough to render any pretenfions to the having of it ridiculous to all foldiers of common fenfe. Various reflections have been made on this melancholy affair, which we leave to the confideration of others, to whom time may afford better lights by which to judge of them. The Ruflian fenate condemned Mirowitz to be broken on the wheel, and prefented a warm addrefs to the Emprefs, intreating her not to confider him, in any respect, as an object of pity; but her mercy mitigated his punishment into the leis fevere death of being beheaded. This he publicly underwent the 26th of September; and we were informed, that he behaved at his execution, as he had done throughout the whole tranfaction, with much refignation. Great interceflion was faid to have been made for him. Whether his compofure, and continuing all along to take the whole guilt upon himfelf, might be occafioned by his being kept in the hopes of pardon to the lafl, we cannot fay. The captain and lieu tenant, who actually killed the Prince, were nobly rewarded, for their fo effec Great attention is given, from time time, to the internal ftate of the Empir in different respects. A plan for impro ving the beauty and conveniency of th capital, propofed by one Mr Gilchrist, Scotfman, is to be carried on under h direction. Orders have been given f digefting the ftatute-law of the countr under several heads, and for translatin the Danish, Swedish, and Pruffian law into the Rulian tongue, that fo a com plete code may be compiled for the ufe the fubje&ts.- A fcheme is on foot fe drawing as many foreigners, well kille in divers valuable manufactures. as poffible, to fettle in that empire, by pro curing their releafe from confinement i their respective countries, at the expenc of paving their debts when they do no exceed 100 rubles, or about 221. 10 s Sterling. - Twelve experienced geo graphers are faid to be returned from completing a furvey of the very extensiv and formerly little known province o Siberia, of which they have given to fa vourable accounts, that the making o public roads throughout it is to be begu next fummer upon the Emprefs's charges Six inhabitants of Kamchatka, i that province, fet out in 1759, to at tempt a paffage, by fea, to the northweft part of America. On their return which was fome time before the beginning of last year, they reported, that af ter failing feveral months to the northeast, they discovered a cluster of fixteer idlands great and small, on two of which they landed; and ftaid a long time, or account of the great facility of getting provifions; that the inhabitants, in their form and manners, refembled the Americans on the north side of the river St Laurence in Canada; and that they found there foxes and other animals with very fine furs. How much farther than thofe islands they failed, or what hindered them from making out their intended paflage, we have not had an opportunity of learning. It would feem, however, that they gave information in other respects favourable; as we have received advice, that the Sieur Lomonozow, of the academy of Petersburg, has formed the project of again attempting fuch a paffage, and that two frigates defined for this enterprife, Weld were to winter at Kola, that they may be ready to fail thence in the fpring. A great many families of Jews have been induced to leave Germany, and go to fred atodes in Siberia, by very confiderable encouragements granted to that people, particularly by allotting feveral thouand acres of land to their chiefs. The indaftry and policy of that race are well known at Petersburg; and they are to form a settlement on the river Bical, in order to carry on a trade with the Nortern and Mogul Tartars. Some new doveries, not specified by our intelligence, have been made toward Japan; and we are informed, that a resolution has been taken to improve them. SWEDEN is ftill kept very much under the influence of Franch counfels, partly bra ftipulated fubfidy, partly by fecret largeles to particular members of the fe nate, whofe power is fuch as not to be controllable but by a diet of the king do. According to former treaties, the Swedes were to keep 6c00 troops in rea Cinefs to enter Germany, whenever the court of Versailles fhould think the exigency of affairs required it. For fome Lime paft a propofal has been on the carpet, for changing the ftipulated troops into a certain number of war-ships, in cale they fhould be wanted by France. It feems the fenate would willingly agree to fuch an alteration; but a treaty to that purpose cannot be formally figned, without the concurrence of the different orders of the kingdom in diet affembled. The fenate accordingly refolved, on the ef September last, that an extraordiay diet thould be called for the 15th of January of the current year; and we were told, that the alteration propofed was to be one of the first points on which the fates would deliberate at their meeting. There have also been reports of a new treaty being concluded with the Court of Vienna, likewife comprehend ing France. This triple alliance is faid to be formed with defign to counteract certain fchemes of his Pruffian Majefty, whole connections with Ruffia, and intereft with Poland, appear every day more formidable to thofe contracting powers. Advices from Stockholm in the end of the year bore, that it was doubtful whether the extraordinary diet would anfwer the intentions of those who took much pains to get it fummoned; as it was reckoned the chambers of Burgeffes and Pealants frould steadily oppofe the naming of a fe cret committee; being fully perfuaded, that foreign alliances and fubfidy-treaties, however advantageous to particular perfons, are greatly detrimental to the na tion. Whatever way matters may turn out in that refpect, it is affured, that both the army and marine have been confiderably augmented. The King of DENMARK appears to have adopted the maxim of avoiding all offenfive alliances. At the fame time he purlues the means of rendering his alliance refpectable upon any needful occafion, by making his people opulent and flourishing. For this purpose constant endeavours are used to extend their com merce; and according to advices not long ago received, his kingdom has been enriched with the addition of no fewer than fifteen new home-manufactures fince the year 1762. He has continued to make confiderable augmentations to his landforces and marine, and has been fortifying fome confiderable paffes on the feacoaft. Some afcribe thofe measures to the warlike preparations making by the other powers of Europe; others particularly to the Empress of Rulia's having been heard to declare her indignation at the navy of that powerful ftate having fuffered itself to be hitherto blocked up, as in a prifon, within the confines of the Baltick fea. Though it was faid to have been refolved at Petersburg, in the end of 1762, to let difputes between the Great Duke of Ruffia and the King of Denmark, in relation to their respective dominions in Holftein, remain undecided till the former come to be of age; yet his Danish Majefty may probably have had a principal eye to thefe in the precautions he has taken, not knowing how foon a change of counfels may happen.— In August 1762, fix Danish gentlemen, viz. two learned profetiors, a phyfician, a counsellor of the court, an engineer, and a painter, fent at the King's expence, arrived at Cairo in Egypt, to collect ancient manufcripts, with other curiofities, and make difcoveries, in that country, Arabia, and other places. From Egypt they fent about 150 manufcripts in the oriental languages, fome of them venerable for their antiquity, which arrived at Copenhagen a confiderable time ago. From thence they went to Arabia the Stony, where thev vifited Gebel el Mokatab, or the Written Mountains, Gebel Mufa, or Mofes's Mount, and all the neighbourhood, taking exact copies of feveral particulars B 2 |