Foreign affairs. Affairs in Turky 41. and Poland 42. Emprefs of Ruffia's munificence to Dr Dymfdale ib. Difputes between the King and Senate of Sweden 43 Affairs in Corfica 46.

American 47

Mofer's moral and political map of EUROPE

21.

A QUAKER to JOHN WILKES 22.
AMERICAN petition to the King 23.
Du Hamel's experiments on the prefervation
of CORN 24.

A POLITE VICAR defcribed 25.

man 49.

cation 50.

Scots. Concerning Mr Ferguffon 51. Inquiry concerning the MOLE-BEE 8. Thoughts on fome expreflions in PRAYER ufed by Seceders 9.

The state of AGRICULTURE in France 13. An account of the new-invented DENDROMETER 16. with a plate.

MARIA MORTIMER, an affecting story 17. Propofitions by the EAST-INDIA company to the Treafury 19.

vernment 29.

Ex

the colonies 32. POETRY, &c. The general gaol-delivery 38. Wilkes's addrefs verfified ib. tempore on Wilkes's aldermanship 39. Hull's fong to the Royal Academicians ib. On time ib. Elegy 40. Epitaph on a cat ib. On the marriage of a nobleman ib. On feeing a print of Alderman Wilkes ib. LISTS, PRICES, &c. 54.—56.

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Ccording to advices received before the beginning of last year, the TURKISH government had got two infurrections entirely suppressed, one of them in Egypt, the other in the island of Cyprus. A third had been set on foot by Heraclius, one of the chief princes of Georgia, be tween the Caspian and Black feas, where the inhabitants, profeffors of the Chrifian religion, according to the principal tenets and practices of the Eastern or Greek church, had been long obliged to furnish the Grand Signior's feraglio year ly with a number of beautiful virgins, for which their country is famous, as a part of their tribute, Thofe people, VOL. XXXI.

looking upon fuch a custom as fcandalous to their religion, and fhocking to the relations of the girls made fuch victims, had rifen under the command of Prince Heraclius, a man of an enterprifing gemus, who had learned the art of war by travelling in Europe, and got a number of his vafals inftrusted in it, by fending them allo thither for the fame purpose. The Georgians had gained confiderable advantages over the Turks; but finding themtelves at length likely to have the whole force of the empire to fruggle with, as the infurgents in the two ot) er countries, whom they confidered as their aflifants, had been overpowered, it would appear from advices received in 1767,

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that

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, respecting virgins natives of their own country, would not in fact be complied with. There were fubfequent advices that fame year, that Pr. Heraclius had again been feen 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 those 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 moft 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 Stefano, 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 spread, 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 almoft inacceffible mountains, and alfo by the bishop 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 Ruban fovereigns have long employed the proper ineans of maintaining a great influence among them; and that the pretended Peter III. was faid to be a man of spirit, of a fine figure, and provided in a great deal of money, which he diftributed a mong his foldiers with profufion. We were told in the courfe of last year, of the Rullian ambaffador at Conftantinople ha ving notified to the Bishop 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, by the Turkish Agas in the neighbourhood to maintain a fecret correfpondence with Stefano; and three communities of the part of Dalmatia under the republic's do minion actually joined the Montenegrins. The fenate of Venice, wanting to keep on good terms with the Porte, offered rewards for the heads of Stefano and fome of his principal adherents; and declared that the republic was endeavouring to draw off her fubjects from the party they had taken. When the year was well advanced, we were informed, that the Ottoman miniftry had ordered an army of above 20,000 men to be conducted against the Montenegrins, and given affurance to the Venetians of the Porte's conftant friendship. We had next an account from Conftantinople, that, near the beginning of September, the Turks had made themselves masters of a fortress and a monaftery, both fituated among the Montenegrin rocks, with the lofs of a great number of lives on their fide; that Stefano, at the head of 10,000 rebels, as well Roman Catholics as 'Greeks, had defended himself with much valour; and that his defign was to erect a free ftate, like that of Malta. Advices which came from Venice about the middle of Q&oter imported, that the Turks had been obliged to abandon the first posts they took in the mountains, and incamp in the plain at the foot of them, where they were facking all the villages, and destroying, without diftinction of age or fex, the inhabitants of those which made the leaft refiftance. The last accounts received in the year under review, left the fituation of af fairs with refpe& to that people very uncertain; thofe from one place afferting, that the Turks had made peace with them, in order that they might employ their troops elsewhere; and those from another, that the Turks and Venetians having agreed to attack the Montenegrins in concert, the Turks engaged too precipitately, by which means they were beaten, and fuffered confiderable lofs.

It cannot be doubted but that the Ot toman ministry would with to have internal peace in all parts of the empire, as war had been declared at Conftantinople, against Ruffia, on the 8th of October. The reafons affigned for that declaration were, a violation of the Turkish territory

a number of Musulmen, things which the court of Petersburg either difavowed or denied, and the long stay of Ruffians in Poland, the occafion of which we will foon 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 WalJachna are fubje&t 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 Chriftian religion; and this upon conditag that the Turks would allift those 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 subjects 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 diftracted and milerable fituation during by far the greatest part of the year under review, in confequence of a long train of events, which fill be recapitulated in as concile 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 immediately preceding the election of his prefent Polish Majeltv, in regard to all enters from the Roman-Catholic religion, which more than any former one abridged their religious liberty, and entirely excluded them from all civil pofts and employments in the state. That decree was confirmed by the coronation. diet heid after the election, notwith standing remonstrances by the courts of Petersburg and Berlin, backed by the inence of G. Britain and Denmark; to all which powers, as alfo to Sweden, the Didents had applied for their good of Eces.

An ordinary diet of the kingdom af

Declarations by the courts of Peterlburg, London, Berlin, and Copenhagen, were prefented to his Polish M-jestv, and by him laid before the diet. Thofe declarations demanded the re-establish ment 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 oblerved during two centuries, and confirmed by the impor. tant treaty of Oliva, which could not be altered without the confent of all the contracting parties. After violent contests in the diet, in which the clergy diftinguifhed 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 agains by foreign powers; and that as to their grievances in regard to the exercife of their religion, the college of Bithops, under the direction of the Prince Primate, 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 thole churches, or rebuild them, but not enlarge their extent; that they were to have burying-places, the funerals to be performed without ceremonies, except thofe permitted by the law; that where they had no churches, they might perform di. vine fervice privately in their houfes ; and that the Greek priests might baptize, marry, and bury, provided they paid the established clergy their legal fees.

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

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could give but little fatisfaction, as they dated the beginning of their fufferings 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 fill more unreafonable 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 jurifdiction, under which they ought to be, and fubject them to that of the Popilh 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 Dillidents, having previously con certed 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 ftate, particularly the conflitutions of 1573, and a good many others fpecified down ward for above a century, fortified by a folemn oath, that no one fhould be oppreffed or perfecuted on account of dif ference 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 redrefs from complaints, manifeftoes, and protests, had vanished fince the immediately preceding diet, when, instead of their fituation being rendered eafier, the conftitutions 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 exercife of their religion; at the fame time protefting, 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 rights and liberties; and declared, that they had no intention of acting to the detriment of the Roman-Catholic religion, but only asked the freedom of their own, and the re-establishment of their ancient rights. The Duke and Nobles of Courland acceded to the confederacy of Lithuania, on the 15th of May.

Soon after the figning of those confederacies, a new declaration of the Emprefs of Ruflia was delivered to his Polith Majefty. In it fhe reprefented the conceru it gave her, to behold a ftate, in the happiness of which the took fo much intereft, attacked in its foundations, by a forcible feparation of a fixth part of the citizens from the main body; alfo observing, that this was not the only point which divided the Polish nation, for that it had for fome time, concealed in its bofom the feeds of difcord, which threatened the public tranquillity. She declared, That he took under her protection the confederation of Diffidents, as bound by the engagements of her crown; and intimated her defire to have an extraordinary diet affembled, for doing justice to all, and drying up the fource of every difcontent and divifion; at the fame time informing, that her protection was not confined to the Diffidents, but would extend to every Pole, from the moment of his acceding to the plan of conciliation. His Pruffian Majesty, in a fresh declaration prefented about that time, expreffed his fentiments much to the fame purpose; and advised the Polish nation to meet in a diet extraor dinary, for a general pacification of all its members.

On the 25th of May that year, a great fenatus confultum was held at Warfaw in which it was refolved, that an extraordinary diet, for determining the affair of the Diffidents, without mentioning any other purpofe which we got notice of, fhould be opened the 5th of October.

About this time great numbers of ther contederacies were formed throughout all Poland and Lithuania. As by far the greater part of them did not at all appear unfavourable to the Dillidents, but only to be against the adminiftration of public affairs, into which they alled ged innovations had been introduced, they were for fome time called Confederation of Malecontents. All thofe confederacies published manifeftoes, in which they recommended to the inhabitants in general