1

troops.

to quarter and treat the Ruffian troops, thodox and patriotic instructions, that then augmented to about 30,000 men, they might not allow to the Diffidents the defenders of the Polith liberty; any new advantages beyond those which acquainting them, that proper perfons the conftitutions of the country, and lad been every where appointed to rate treaties with foreign powers, expressly the value of provifions furnished to thofe granted them. He obferved, that the King's univerfals for convoking the diet mentioned only the confederacies of Thorn and Sluck, and entirely omitted the patriotic matters intended by their auguft neighbours, in regard to the fupporting of their principal laws, the perpetuating of their liberty, and the removing of thofe innovations which threatened to impair their happiness; and advised them to instruct their nuncios in fuch manner, that they would not permit any thing to be treated of in the diet, but infift on another being convoked, whose univerfals might be analagous to the declarations of the powers concerned, and to the wishes of the nation.

Prince Radzivil, who had been married to the King's Gfer, who vigorously strove to difconcert measures taken for his Majey's elevation to the throne, and had been in foreign countries from the time of that event forward, returned home in immer. Along with the news of that came information, that he had engaged to accede to the confederation made by the Diidents of Lithuania. Count Bra Dicki, who had obftinately oppofed his Majesty's election, but was afterwards received into favour, and restored to his ofice, was reckoned to favour the confederacy of Diffidents entered into at Thorn. All this was reckoned to be fomewhat extraordinary at the time, as both thofe noblemen publicly profeffed the Roman Catholic religion.

In June, the confederacy of Lithuania re-established Pr. Radzivil in his liberty, eftates, and honour, of all which the fates of that Great Duchy had deprived him in 1764; and confequent to that, he was chofen Marthal of the General Confederacy of all Poland, compofed of the particular ones before mentioned, which then began to be called the National Confederacy, though still diftin&t from that of the Diffidents.

Pr. Radzivil fent a deputation to the commiffaries of war and treafury, requiring them to take an oath, that they wold be faithful to the King and the Confederates; alfo that they would fupport and protect the Roman-Catholic religion, and the liberty and privileges of other reliHe likewife published univerfalia, in which he recommended to the nobility and gentry of the feveral provinces, to fumith their nuncios with ample inftrucfr, that at the diet they might delierate, not only on the affairs of the Didents, but also thofe which effentialh concerned all the orders of the state and the public good, particularly the maintenance of the fundamental confti

tation.

The Bishop of Cracow fent a very pathetic and zealous letter to the dietines fembled at Warsaw the 15th of Auguft, in which he exhorted them to arm their Buncios with courage, by giving them or

Such an appearance had the affairs of Poland affumed by this time, as greatly alarmed the court of Rome. The Pope therefore fent briefs, to the King, to the Great Chancellor, to the Nobleffe, to the Bishops, and to the Prince Primate, with fuch arguments and exhortations as were thought most proper to ward off trom Popery, the danger feared. Mean-while councils were frequently held at the Bifhop of Cracow's palace, where all the Prelates at Warfaw affembled.

The King of Sweden not having bitherto done any thing in favour of the Diffidents upon their former applications, they addreffed a letter to him afresh, intreating him to employ his good offices for them, conformably to the treaty of Oliva, in which Charles XI. one of his predeceffors, was a contracting party, His Majesty on this appointed a refident to the King and republic for that purpofe, who arrived at Warfaw the 234 of September, and afterwards prefented a declaration on the behalf of thofe people.

An union of the Confederacy of the Dillidents with the General Confederacy of the Nation, was effected Sept. 26. in the palace of Pr. Radzivil, who on that occafion expreffed great friendship for the Dillidents. Within a few days af ter, the Ruffian troops in the capital were reinforced, and a confiderable body of them was posted at about five miles diftance.

The extraordinary diet being actually opened the 5th of October, during the two firft days it fat, the affair of the

Difdents

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 thofe 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 Ruffian ambaffador, 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 commission. This bred fuch animofity, as occafioned another adjournment to the 16th.

After they met, all the minifters of th
other foreign powers interesting them
felves in the affairs of the Diffidents, i
well as Pr. Repnin, were prefent at th
conferences on thofe affairs, in conf
quence of an invitation. By the begin
ning of November 1767, feveral articic
relating to that fubject were conclude
on and figned. Not having yet got a
authentic account of thofe articles, v
must content our elves with a sketch s
what appeared in the public papers
that time. It was there faid to hav
been agreed, that the Greeks and Pio
teftants thould be on a perfect equalit
with the Roman Cathols; that the
thould be left in a free and undisturber
use of their churches and schools; that i
they inclined to build any in the towas
they fhould be obliged to obtain leav
for that purpose from the King, the no

On the 13th, the Bishops of Cracow and Kiow, the Palatine of Cracow, and the Stables having power to grant them the faro rofte 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 she was refolved to continue her protection and affiftance to the general confederacy, united for preferving the Polish liberties, and correcting all the abufes 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 course of debate, that nothing was like to be taken eare of but the concerns of the Diffidents, though a declaration of the Empiefs, al ready taken notice of, mentioned other matters which they reckoned to be of ebief importance. Pr. Repnin afterwards declared, that thofe members were not detained in prifon, but only guarded feparately by a Ruffian officer each, being treated in other refpects with all the regard due to their rank. Mean while thole Prelates and Magnats were not permitted to return any more to the diet: nor have we reafon to fuppofe, that at the end of laft year they had been restored to their liberty.

favour in their respective territories; the they fhould be intitled to adminißer bap tifm, to marry and bury, without folici ting permiffion from the bishop of the diocele, or paying him any fee; that they fhould be capable of being elected nun cios, and enjoying all employments, a well thofe of magistracy, as of being mis nifters of state, officers of the crown, and even fenators; and that all proceeding in regard to the Diffidents fhould for the future be before a fuperior tribunal, intitled, Judicium Mixtum, the members of which to be of different religions, and the prefident to be alternately a Catholic, Greek, and Proteftant. To fhew that the Roman-Catholic was ftill to be confidered as the dominant religion, it was provided, that the King fhould always be a Roman-Catholic; that if be married a Diffident, fhe fhould not be crowned; and, as one account added, that if for the future any Roman Catholic hould forfake his religion, he fhould not enjoy the benefit of these resolutions, but be fubject to the former laws against the Diffidents.

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 commissaries were appointed for carrying it into execution.

In the beginning of last year we were informed, that the Prince Primate, being a ftrenuous advocate for abolishing the flavish fervitude of the peasants, had prefented a plan to the commiffàries, in the end of the preceding year, for proceeding in that business; but that as it occafioned great debates, and met with much oppofition, it was deferred to a more favourable opportunity.

In January last year, the commiffaries

agreed

t

reed upon a number of important matamong which were, the raifing of King's yearly penfion from 1,000,000 forins to 1,500,000 [about 1 50,000l. [ng], and granting him 1,000,000 n for the support of his ministers at courts; augmenting the Treasurer The Crown's falary from 120,000 to 3,000 derins; adding 40,000 annually he appointments of the Great Treaof Lithuania; allotting 600,000 to Pr. Radzivil, beside ordering parent of 3,000,000 which his family temt to the state; appointing confije te lums for Count Fleming and the jte of Wilna; 400,000 annually for abihing a college of Physicians; and cco Path ducats as a yearly provifion he two Princes of Saxony, the fons of hate king It was alfo affured, that herm veto, by which any fingle Iteret un ordinary diet might put a an end to its proceedings, in virtercely protefting against them, and had been abolished by the electiondiet is the inter-reign, was renewed, and etablished as one of the fundamental laws. This may be the more eafly believed, as it was a thing, however odd-like to Britons, which more foreign courts than one, as well as many Poles, had expreffed a good deal of concern to have done.

On the 1st of February last year, the extraordinary diet met again, according to adjournment. That day feveral things tending to inflame people's minds were laid before the affembly; among others, a manifefto by the Marthal of the Confederacy of Grodno, one of thofe of which the General Confederacy confifted, full of harth terms against Pr. Repnin; a brief from the Pope, which had been delivered by his nuncio to the Prince Prite; another of his briefs to the King, in which it was faid, that his Majefty ought rather to abdicate the crown, than fign any thing which might be of preju dice to the Roman Catholic religion; and & fimilar brief to the Bishops. The nuncis had alfo delivered a manifefto to the Great Chancellor, in which the Roman Pontiff declared, that all who figned a articles prejudicial to Popery, would be excommunicated. All this occafioned 1 new adjournment of the diet; and it uld appear that the Pope's nuncio had better been employed elsewhere, than in delivering fuch briefs and manifeftoes at Wariaw. In fact, we were foon after

told, that a refolution 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 last 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 fhould 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 archives, and not as it had been published in Poland; alfo all former treaties between the republic and the courts of Petersburg 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 Diffidents, were entirely at an end. It was alfo declared, that the treaty which had been concluded by the Great Commiffion with the Ruffian ambassador, as well in regard to the rights of the Diffidents 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 thofe tranfactions must be very defective, perhaps in fome parts erroneous; but thought it not amifs to lay the moft material of fuch as we received together, in order that they may be feen at one view.

The Empress of Ruffia had engaged to guarantee all that fhould be concluded on, with refpect both to the rights of the Diffidents, and to the Polish liberties; fo the treaty was fent to her for a ratifica tion; 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 commiflion, 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; alfo that the marfhal of the confederacy of Lithuania, after writing a manifefto 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 frong efforts of the court of Rome had great influence on the generality of thorough Roman Catholics throughout the kingdom.

What had been fufpected by people of forefight, was foon verified in fat. Scarce ly were the members of the diet difperfed from Warfaw, 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 constitutions, particularly the treaty relating to the Diffidents. They alfo expreffed great refentment against the step taken by the Ruffians of carrying off the Bishop of Cracow, and others, on the 13th of O&ober 1767, and still detaining them in cuftody. Podolia was reckoned the most proper place for opening the fcene, as the Confederates fuppofed the Ruffian troops could not attack them there, without giving umbrage to the court of Conftantinople.

vigour they could have exerted. Mea
while it was not long till a good ma
rencounters happened between them a
the Confederates, in different parts
the kingdom, with various fuccefs, thou
by far moft frequently to the difadvanta
of the latter. The Confederates of E
being defeated, and hardly preffed,
number of them paffed the river Nieft
and took refuge in Moldavia, ancien
a Polifh province, now fubject to the Gra
Signior; on which occafion they were pu
fued fome way over the river by a par
of Ruffians. In order to prevent offen
being taken at this by the Porte, Pr. Re
nin wrote to the Russian refident ther
to intimate that the conduct of the col
nel who commanded that party was qui
contrary to the orders of his court; th
therefore the officer, though other wife
a worthy character, would be put und
arreft, and turned out of his poft. In e
fect, the court of Constantinople, till t
wards the end of last year, gave no p
blic evidence of diffatisfaction with whi
the Ruffians were doing in Poland, b
sometimes denominated the Confederat
disturbers of the public tranquillity.
In June, &c.

[To be continued.]

To the author of the SCOTS MAGAZINE
January 1769

SIR,

Within a fhort time fimilar confedera- ASI was riding a good many years ag

cies were entered into in all the waiwodies of the kingdom, except thofe of Lithuania, which were restrained from fuch measures by the influence of the Prince Primate, a 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 promiling them the crown of martyrdom in the iffue, and furnishing large fums of money for the prefent. The contagion Spread fo much, that even the King's troops could not be trusted to act against the Confederates.

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

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

in a warm fummer betwixt the tow and kirk of Teregles in Galloway, nea Dumfries, I was furprised with feeing great number of bees lighting upon th upper fide of the dufty road, which wa gravel mixed with fand.

The novelty of this fight made me fto to obferve diftinctly what they were do ing; and I faw each of them light with in two or three inches of a hole, int which it immediately ducked down, an went out of fight; with many hundred of which holes the road was riddled fo a confiderable way. Several of these bee had little lumps of wax upon their hind legs, like garden-bees, and were all fize lefs than the mule or working garder bee; and though I looked for them a gain, never faw nor heard of them befor nor fince, till I faw in your Magazine [xxx. 587.] an account of a mole-bee. 1 Thould be glad to hear whether it be a non-defcript, or has been known before. I am, &c.

T