E pretending to espouse the cause of aparticular candidate. Advices from ntantinople bore, that the Grand Sigor had declared, he looked upon the ry of Ruffians into that kingdom as an raction of treaties of which he is a gua tee. The Elector of Saxony having died fudy, on the 17th of December, a few s after a puftulous eruption had beupon him, fome called his disease the poz, while others threw out broad , that fome of the Czartorinski's had nd means to take him off, in order to free of a formidable rival. It would that the dietines, or preparatory etings relative to an election, are to held in the beginning of February; that the general diet for that purpofe ed for the 7th of May. The Emprefs of RUSSIA having gone Mocow in the autumn of 1762, to the ceremony of her coronation pered there, the continued to favour ancient capital with her prefence till 3d of May laft. She then fet out from nce on a pilgrimage to Roftoff; probly to teftify her zeal for the religion the country; a circumstance which her hand's deficiency in had contributed ch to draw upon him the fate he met Having performed that, fhe remed to Peterburg, the prefent capital, the 6th of July. We have been in ed, from time to time, of her afficares for the improvement of arts, fablishment of manufactures, remoall difficulties which foreign trade rs under, and putting the internal ce of the country upon a better footNotwithstanding all this, it has been uated that a revolution was feared, feady oppofers of the court being thered at leaft soo leagued together, ers have told us, that the attention her Imperial Majefty to the public ed, and the influence of the ministry, very probably keep all things quiet. ether Ruffia may meet with any difence from the Turks, in confequence the Grand Signior's declaration already ken notice of, must be left to be difcored by time. Mean-while, according the repeated late advices, fhe feems to have war on hands with the Chinese, to the number of near 100,000 men, invaded the fouthern parts of Sibeand been joined by fome numerous of Kalmucks and Tartars. Among dferent objects of difpute between VOL. XXVI. h these two great empires, the Chinese particularly claim the reftitution of fome mines which are on their frontiers, and which Ruffia was continuing to work, and reap the benefit of. Towards the end of the year was handed about, a list of the Ruffian troops, which made them amount to about 400,000 men, about 300,000 of them being regulars. SWEDEN having been difengaged, in May 1762, by advice of the private committee of the diet and fenate, from an expenfive, ruinous, and difhonourable war, on its King clapping up a peace with his Pruffian Majefty, has ever fince enjoyed fuch tranquillity, as to have been very little mentioned in the public papers. Through the great diminution of fecret French remittances to the members of the fenate, whofe power cannot be controlled but by a diet of the kingdom, the court-party, favoured by the body of the nation, had clearly gained the afcendant. Perhaps it may be fome time before France regain all the influence he had in that kingdom, by means of the fenate, before and almost during the last war. It feems to be agreed, that he continues her fubfidy to Sweden, as ftipulated by former public treaties. The condition to be performed by that kingdom is, according to fome advices, to keep 6000 men in readiness to enter Germany, whenever the court of Versailles fhall think the exigency of affairs requires it; while others bear, that a new treaty is on the carpet, by which Sweden is to furnith that power with fix men of war, if judged needful, inftead of land-forces. Towards the end of the year, the courts of London and Stockholm appointed ministers reciprocally to attend one another; a piece of correfpondence which, through the intrigues of France, had been during a confiderable number of years interrupted. His DANISH Majefty fill gives great attention to the improvement of commerce among his fubjects. They suffered much during most of last year, by a prodigious mortality among horned cattle and horfes, which it would seem a gang of wretches found out a method of rendering more extensive, in different places, than it would have naturally been, by dropping poisonous materials in the pastures. As it had been refolved at Peterf burg, in the clole of 1762, to let difputes between the prefent Grand Duke of Ruffia and the King of Denmark, in relation B to to Holstein, remain undecided till the indemnification for the loffes fuftai former come to be of age, it is not eafy his Saxon fubjects. to fee the motives which induced his Danish Majefty to make the augmentations in his troops which were mentioned by fome near the end of last year. The virtuofi must be in expectation of further accounts [xxv. 292.] from the three learn ed gentlemen, whom that monarch fent off for Arabia [xxii. 525.], in October 1760, at his own expence, in order to make obfervations on whatever they could find curious or interesting in a country fo little known. In treating of affairs in GERMANY, it feems needless to mention the preparatory fteps towards reftoring tranquillity to that long-afflicted country, by a treaty of peace between the Emprefs-Queen and the Kings of Poland and Pruffia, which was figned, at the caftle of Hubertfberg, near Leipfick in Saxony, on the 15th of February laft year. The principal articles of that treaty, communicated to the diet of the Germanic body at Ratisbon, were, That no compenfation fhould be made on either fide for loffes and damages: That all confifcations fhould be entirely taken off, and goods feized in confequence of them reftored: That the Emprefs-Queen fhould, twenty-one days after the exchange of ratifications, withdraw her troops from all the countries in Germany not under her dominion, and restore to his Pruffian Majefty every thing that he poffefled before the war; the fortrefes of Glatz, Wefel, and Gueldres, to be in the fame ftate with refpect to fortifications and ar tillery as when they were taken: That his Prullian Majefty fhould, within the fame fpace, withdraw his troops from all countries and states of Germany not under his dominion: That he fhould evacuate all places which belonged to the King of Poland, Elector of Saxony, according to the treaty concluded the fame 15th of February between these two monarchs: and, That all prifoners of war fhould be mutually given back, without ranfom. The peace of Weftphalia, and all the other conftitutions of the Empire, were also confirmed by that treaty. We did not hear but that all thofe evacuations and reftitutions were actually made, con formably to agreement. Though no one of the contracting parties was to make compenfations to any on the oppofite fide in the war; yet it was faid, that the court of Vienna engaged to pay the King of Poland a large fum of money, as an The Emprefs-Queen, being thus liberty to grant fome eafe to her f iffued an ediét, declaring, that pofed to procure a fettlement for who fhould be difcharged from mies; and particularly, that those Reformed religion were to be a into Hungary and Tranfylvania, they fhould enjoy the free exercile religion. It is to be wished, th laft part may be more faithfully ob than the like declarations have b fome former occafions. However th turn out, confidering the very resp footing on which the Auftrian ar ftill kept, as was before obferv cannot fuppofe that many men w to serve, would be discharged from to reap the advantages promised. The court of Vienna's principa next to the taking of precautions whatever may be intended by the have been employed in preparing n for getting the Archduke Fofeph, fon of their Imperial Majefties, his 24th year, elected King of the by which he would of courfe fuc the Imperial crown of Germany, of furviving his father, the prefer peror. We have hitherto heard oppofition to the fcheme being int and according to advices from Ra an electoral diet, to deliberate fubject, had been refolved to be at Frankfort, on the 7th of Jam this current year; but has been d with defigu, as fome have thought the Saxon family have time, af laft Elector's death, to prepare for decency. His Pruffian Majesty having extricated himself, by a very hon peace, from thofe dangers which ten threatened him with little le deftruction, made a tour laft through most of his German don on which occafion he declared, thofe parts of them which had bee dered by his enemies, fhould be taxes for a certain time; and th peasants of Pomerania in particula had formerly been flaves to their fhould for the future be freeme alfo ordered to be diftributed amo moft neceffitous of his fubjects, corn for a year's fubfiftence and their lands, together with the ar horfes for their work, amountin seat number. In order to promote poalation in his dominions, he gave partidar encouragement for having those of own fubjects discharged from military rice provided in wives, and a way of ng; and as he still keeps up a numerous v, he has, to prevent the populating me from being frustrated through ent of men, drawn, as we have been ly told, above 20,000 recruits from fer countries. Having caused a strict airy to be made into the conduct of eral of his officers, restored to him in equence of the peace, his Majefty hed fome of them, not only with dedation, but also with imprisonment different periods of time, and reward others. As he was confiderably dif vealed with the inhabitants of Embden, some parts of their behaviour during war, which he thought to be favour. e to his enemies, we have had no acsants of his designing to re-establish the e to the East Indies from thence. On contrary, he has prohibited the imstation of all Eaft-India filks and chints any part of his dominions, under very here penalties. The Prince of Orange, hereditary Stadtder of the UNITED PROVINCES, ha entered the fixteenth year of his age the 8th of March last year, he next took his feat in the affembly of the -General, first taking the oath of feNot long after, he received a al invitation from the body of nobles Hlad, to take his feat among them, quality of prefident of that college; loan intimation of a resolution taken he hates of Guelderland, for admitting into their provincial aflembly, whenthe thould fee proper. Betty early in the ipring, a refolution entered into by the States-General, ment the land-forces of the repuand to repair the fortifications of barrier-towns. The motive to this fulpicion, not newly conceived, the King of Pruffia, who had fo forbe an army on foot, might intend ke claims upon fome part or pro thep of that state. About the middle of October, they en into another refolution, to add ty-leven hips of war to the marine. reafons affigned, in the public pafor this step, before and after it was were, partly the naval armaments Algerines, and their behaviour to theels; partly the unfatisfactory reply of the British to the complaints of their Eaft-India company; an affair which has been in agitation for feveral years. The States-General having made fome military promotions, which the Prince Stadtholder and his council did not approve of, he refufed, in virtue of the power lodged in him, to confirm them; by which, according to the prefent con: ftitution, they were of none effect. Up. on this we foon received information, that the Dutch were inveighing against him as a tyrannical mafter, fet over them by the intrigues of the British; against whom there were certain men on the exchanges that daily railed, as an arrogant, overbearing, and haughty nation, whofe infupportable pride it was neceifary to humble. Nay, it was hinted, that a refolution would foon be taken which would furprife all Europe. Some understood this of a defign formed by the leading people of the republic, to join the Bourbonite family-compact. We have feveral times obferved, on occafions of this kind, that most of the rich burgomasters, in the great trading towns, fit uneafy under a tadtholder, by whom their power is in a good measure abridged; and that to be again rid of one, they would venture their liberties, civil and religious, upon the good faith of France, to which the exiftence of a stadtholder is not agreeable. Mean-while an intention of breaking with G. Britain was fo far from being openly avowed, that their great men pofitively denied there was any fuch thing in head. We once had advice from Holland, that there was a rumour as if the British minister would speedily be recall ed, which would have been a pregnant fign of a rupture, and this was in fome meafure corroborated by accounts from London; but letters from the Hague, dated near the end of the year, bore, that the report was entirely dropt there. Confiderable uneafinefs has been given to the Dutch by fome of their colonies. At Berbices, a part of Surinam in South America, about 3000 Creole negroes revolted, and massacred all who made any refiftance, whites, negroes, and Indians, without fparing even women or children. They invited the negroes of the other colonies to join them; giving them aflurances, that fo foon as they had entirely fubdued Berbices, they would go into the other colonies, and kill all the whites, whom they would not fuffer any longer to have dominion over them. The Dutch B 2 inhabitants inhabitants of Surinam, having quickly received fuccours from Euftatia and Barbadoes, found themselves in a condition to protect that part called Emerary, where the British planters of Barbadoes had made large purchases, and established feveral valuable plantations. By means of further reinforcements which arrived, they not only stopped the revolters in their progrefs, but obliged them to take fhelter in the woods, from which alfo they fet about diflodging them. Mean-while Jetters from Surinam, dated the 10th of July, brought advice, that the regency there had made peace with the rebels. Others from the fame place, of Oct. 24. import, that affairs were then ftill in a deplorable fituation. It feems the ne groes had clearly made their efcape; in confequence of which the plantations had lain uncultivated, and the proprietors were deprived of the means of re-eftablishing them. According to thofe accounts, a ftill greater calamity was, that an epidemical diftemper raged among the troops tranfported to the colony of Berbices, and among the few inhabitants who had returned from the neighbouring colonies, after the difperfion of the infurgents. In March of the year 1761, the King of Candie, ftill inhabited by descendents' from the ancient natives of the island of Ceylon, in the Eaft Indies, fell on the Dutch fettlements there, with a large army, mafacred about 7000 people in them, and cut down and burnt most of the cinnamon-trees they had. According to fome accounts, the reafon of such out rageous proceeding was, that the King had received advice of a scheme being formed by the Dutch for maffacring mot of his fubjects, and rendering the reft entirely dependent on them. Accounts from Holland in 1762 said, that the Eaft-India company had got information of their affairs in that quarter being restored to their preceding state. Last year they fpoke in a lower tone, faying only, that matters at Ceylon were in a better fituation than for fome time before, fince their people had made themfelves mafters of the port of Patula, and the country adjacent; and that it was not doubted, but that a peace between the King and the company would foon be brought about, and the fpice-trade restored to its former footing. However that cafe may really ftand at prefent, the recovering and maintaining of their fettlements in Ceylon, has been the most gene vowed reafon for the great prepa which have been making, to fend a ful fquadron to the Eaft Indies. I fible the Dutch may endeavour t themselves again as respectable have been in that part of the where during half a century past, till of late, they gave laws to all But perhaps it would be as pru them, as well as jufl, to manage valuable fettlements which their pean neighbours do not dispute wi about, than to attempt the exec fuch schemes in that quarter, in regain the afcendant, as were plai puted to them by the British a ve years ago, in regard to affairs at and others that have been broadly at of late. We cannot properly omit one able turn in commercial matters happened laft year, especially as improbably had confiderable influ feveral deliberations fince held, ar lutions taken, in our own country the end of July, fome merchants at Amfterdam began to stop paym bills of exchange for fums they ow the misfortune increased daily f time, till there were reckoned to ures in that great trading city to mount of above five millions S Credit and business came to be at a even the richest merchants were ed; and every countenance wore toms of diftrefs. The effects of th fenfibly felt by the British funds; of Hamburg received a fevere fho other places fuffered. Different were assigned for so alarming a ca but what appeared probable to moft material one, was the unco general fcarcity of current coin, o ed, as was faid, by the great fums ney which had been negotiated in for Britain, France, the Emprefsand his Pruflian Majefty. Bel middle of October, certain means we did not get diftinct information been found to enable all the merc Amfterdam to recommence bufin cept the two brothers Neuvilles, tuation of whose affairs was so de that no endeavours were used them. The fenate of Hamburg the credit of that city, by ordering lion of marks banco to be advan the admiralty, in different fums, them exceeding 30,000 marks, me geschats there as could give goods in Deng, till repayment could be made; dave intimated to be neceffary with months. They thus not only antad lo preffing a prefent exigency in abled to trade, but also fhewed the pruthefreight of that little ftate, in hapat much ready coin, perhaps a good toare, laid up, in order to whatever as prue might neceffarily require it; notgefanding what the King of Denmark theted from them in 1762. His Pruffian ewly faved the affairs of one of the exec confiderable merchants and bankers aerlin from going into diforder, by adphing him 325,000 crowns, partly on a vermerchant's own credit, partly as the at bafe the King made of a china maadory which he had at Berlin. -13. pa be at a were wert rent [To be continued.] PROTEST. [xxv. 631.] Du Martis, 29° Novembris, 1763. E order of the day, for refuming the adjourned confideration of the t of the conference with the ComFriday laft, being read, The third refolution of the Commons ed, as follows: Refolved by the Commons in parliaaffembled, The privilege of parliament does not d to the cafe of writing and publishEditions libels, nor ought to be alto obftruct the ordinary course of s, in the fpeedy and effectual pros of fo heinous and dangerous an And it being moved to agree with the a cals in the faid refolution, The fame was objected to. After long debate thereupon, The queftion was put, Whether to awith the Commons in the faid refo T eats caufe we cannot hear, without the tion concern and aftonishment, a docmerce advanced now, for the first time, fine tha houfe, which we apprehend to be dangerous, and unwarrantable, viz. et the perfonal privilege of both houses etliament has never held, and ought t hold, in the cafe of any criminal eringecution whatsoever: by which all the 100s of parliament, all hiftory, all authorities of the graveft and fobereft ,, are entirely refcinded; and the fundamental principles of the conftitution, with regard to the independence of parliament, torn up, and buried under the ruins of our most established rights. We are at a lofs to conceive, with what view fuch a facrifice fhould be propofed, unless to amplify, in effect, the jurifdiction of the inferior, by annihilating the ancient inmunities of this fuperior court. The very question itself, proposed to us from the Commons, and now agreed to by the Lords, from the letter and fpirit of it, contradicts this affertion: for, whilft it only narrows privilege in criminal matters, it establishes the principle. The law of privilege, touching imprisonment of the perfons of Lords of Parliament, as ftated by the two standing orders, de clares generally, That no Lord of Parliament, fitting the parliament, or within the ufual times of privilege of parliament, is to be imprisoned or restrained, without fentence, or order of the house, unless it be for treafon or felony, or for refufing to give fecurity for the peace, and refufal to pay obedience to a writ of Habeas corpus. The first of these orders was made after long confideration, upon a difpute with the King, when the precedents of both houfes had been fully infpected, commented upon, reported, and entered in the journals, and after the King's counfel had been heard; it was made in fober times, and by a house of Peers, not only loyal, but devoted to the crown; and it was made by the unanimous confent of all, not one diffenting. Thefe circumftances of folemnity, deliberation, and unanimity, are fo fingular and extraordinary, that the like are fcarce to be found in any instance among the records of parliament. When the two cafes of furety for the peace, and Habeas corpus, come to be well confidered, it will be found, that they both breathe the fame fpirit, and grow out of the fame principle. The offences that call for furety and Habeas corpus, are both cafes of present continuing violence. The proceedings in both have the fame end, viz. to repress the force, and to difarm the offender. The proceeding ftops in both when that end is attained the offence is not profecuted, nor punithed, in either; the neceflity is equal in both; and if privilege was allowed in either, fo long as the neceflity lafts, a Lord of Parliament would enjoy a mightier prerogative than the crown |