prefent conftitution in church and state. The paper being read, and deliberated upon, the ftates took an oath, before his Moft Serene Highness, that they would endeavour to caufe the contents of it be faithfully obferved. As we are informed, the principal articles of this piece are, That the Proteftant religion, and the conftitution of government, as now established, shall be preferved; that the county of Hanau fhall be separated from the other territories of the landgraviate, and be given to the eldeft fon of Prince Frederick, to be held and governed by him in an entire independence, till the death of his father; that the hereditary Princess may retire to the fame county, if the thinks proper, and take out of the revenues of it the fums neceffary to defray the charges of her maintenance, and the expence of her court; that no church fhall be granted to Roman Catholics for the public exercife of their religion; and that the young princes, the fons of the hereditary Prince, fhall be fo immediately under the tuition of the Landgrave their grandfather, or the states of the landgraviate, that their father fhall have no fhare in the direction of their education. To bind Prince Frederick more effectually to the obfervation of these two acts, it is ftipulated in one of the articles, that the ftates fhall not do him homage after his father's death, till he has previously promifed upon oath to obferve them. They tell us, that the King of Pruffia, and the evangelic body of the empire in general, have already confented to grant their guaranty for the execution of thofe articles; and that the maritime powers, and the King of Denmark, will be asked to do the fame. In order to cultivate the principles which the three young princes have received, they have been fent to the univerfity of Gottingen in Hanover; and the ftates of the country have voted 10,000 crowns for defraying the charges of their journey thither. It seems to be generally thought, that the Princefs their mother will retire to Hanover. Not long ago the republic of VENICE and the Emprefs-Queen had plenipo tentiaries at Caprio, treating about th regulation of limits between their re fpective dominions. One of the prin cipal articles under their confideration was, a propofal made by the court o Vienna, for obtaining, in exchange fo fome other territories, a neck of land in the Veroneze, which extends from the Tyrol to the Mantuan, by which means the Imperial troops might march from Germany into Italy, without be ing obliged to fet foot on the republic' dominions. This congrefs broke up without bringing the affair to a conclu fion; but we were told, that the mini fters met in it made a draught of a con vention, which will be easily finished when they have afcertained fome fact which may be inquired into at leifure It is fuppofed that the court of Versaille will endeavour to traverse this measure and that he will the more probably fucceed, that the Venetians feem to en tertain fome jealoufy of the pains take by the Imperial court to eftablish com merce at Trieft, which is not far di ftant from Venice, and may prove dangerous rival. The Duke of MODENA now refide at Milan, where he acts as adminiftra tor of the government of AUSTRIA LOMBARDY, in name of the Archduk Peter Leopold, third fon of their Impe rial Majefties, who, according to agre ment, is to marry the Duke of Mod na's grand-daughter. His SARDINIAN Majefty feems ft difpofed to perform the engagements came under by the treaty of Madri concluded in 1751, between their Ir perial and Catholic Majeflies and hir felf, as principal contracting parties, which it was ftipulated, that he fh not grant a paffage through any part his dominions to the troops of forei powers, without the previous confent the powers any way concerned in th treaty; and that he fhall furnifh a c tain number of auxiliaries to the E prefs-Queen, in cafe Auftrian Lomb dy be attacked. That he may be i condition to do fo, and alfo to def his own fubjects, he keeps his forces near as good a footing as they were ΓΙ ring the laft war. The fortreffes are in excellent condition, and the magazines well filled; fo that though defirous of peace, he is not unprepared for war. A good many troops are kept on the frontiers towards France. If the depredations of the French fmugglers be not the caufe of this, they are at leaft the pretence, and fuch a pretence as is not likely foon to fail.In the fpring his Majefty iffued an ordinance, for fubjecting all foreign veffels that fhould unlade in the port of Villa Franca to the payment of 2 per cent. on the amount of their cargoes. The court of London made remonftrances on the subject, being defirous to have the British trading fubjects ftill exempted from this tax, as by a particular favour they had been fince the year 1750; but we have not yet heard what fuccefs attended the applitation. His Majefty conceived a difguft at the court of Rome in the end of 1753, becaufe the Pope's nuncio at Turin did not get a hat at the general promotion of Cardinals then made; on which occafion the nuncio was defired to depart, and the Pope's coat of arms was ordered to be taken down from the nunciature; but we are informed that the court of Turin is now better fatifhed, and that a reconciliation feems to be not far diftant. The republic of GENOA has hitherto found it impracticable to reduce the Cor Jican malecontents to obedience. For fome time paft it has been fuppofed that the Genoele, quite wearied out with the continual ftruggles of those people to recover their liberty, and willing to proture the means of reftoring the bank of St George to its former credit, were difpofed to fell the fovereignty of the ifland, in order that it might be erected into a kingdom for the Duke of Parma, or the Infant Don Lewis Cardinal of Bourbon, both half-brothers of his Catholic Ma jefty If a bargain to that purpofe was actually concluded, it is not improbable that the execution of it has been prevented by the private endeavours of fome other powers, who thought the domition of the houfe of Bourbon in Italy too large already; or that the Bour VOL. XVII. bonites themfelves voluntarily delayed. the affair, that they might not push on a rupture, till they fhould judge themfelves to be in every refpect ready for a general war, if that should prove to be the confequence. Sometimes the malecontents themfelves talked of fubje&ting their ifland to Spain; at other times fome of them made overtures for putting themfelves under the Imperial protection, and annexing the island to the duchy of Tufcany. The general averfion to the yoke of Genoa was at the fame time fo ftrong, that upon information, towards the end of 1753, that the Sieur Guiliani, general of the province of Balagna, was endeavouring to bring about an accommodation with the republic, M. Gafforio, commander in chief of the malecontents, caused him be arrested and confined. It would feem the Genoefe entertained fome hopes that they would be better able to deal with the malecontents if M. Gafforio were taken out of the way, or that they fuppofed he was concerned in the fcheme for fubjecting the island to the house of Auftria: for not long after, he and his nephew were fhot dead as they were walking in his garden; and the murderers, of whom Gafforio's own brother was one, making their escape, we were afterwards informed, that fome of them gave an account of a confiderable reward the Genoefe were to give the brother for his unnatural deed." In fact the friends and partifans of M. Gafforio were fo much perfuaded that the regency of the republic had a hand in his death, as to declare to the Marquis Grimaldi, her Commiffary-General at Baftia, their firm resolution to act offenfively against the troops under his com mand, till the murderers fhould be delivered up to them. They alio commit ted many hoftilities against the partifans of Guiliani, whom they fufpected to have been concerned in the affair. Ha ving affembled a body of 7 or 8000 men in the fpring of last year, they began to blockade Baftia, capital of the ifland, about the beginning of May; but not being provided with artillery proper for a fiege, and the Marquis de Grimaldi haC ving ving received reinforcements from Genoa, they were foon obliged to retire. Having at length received tome battering cannon, and a large quantity of am. munition, they returned to a poft near Baftia, and one of their detachments blockaded Ajaccio. It was foon found, however, that they were not even then in a condition to undertake any thing of confequence; and therefore they retreated to the mountains, from whence they frequently fent detachments into the plains, to plunder thofe whom they knew to be in the Genoese interest. A bout that time they fettled the adminiftration of their public affairs upon a commander in chief, and three lieute nants general; by which means they hoped to prevent intelligence being given of their future defigns. In Auguft the Marquis Grimaldi refigned his charge of Commiffary-General in Corfica, and the Marquis Doria, with a reinforcement of troops, arrived there to fucceed him. He began his adminiftration, by declaring, that he would first ufe all gentle methods for bringing the iflanders to lawful obedience; puriuant to which he ordered all the gibbets and engines of torture erected in the principal parts of Baftia to be demolished. Since then we have not heard that any thing of confequence has been done on either fide. Whether the regency of Genoa ftill entertain hopes of getting the Corficans again brought under obedience to the republic, or only endeavour to keep footing in the island, at as little expence as may be, till a proper time for declaring the fale of it, is what we can not pretend to determine. Since June 1753 the republic has had another affair on hands, which has gi. ven her confiderable uneafinefs. The inhabitants of St Remo thinking themfelves oppreffed by taxes impofed upon them, contrary to the convention made when they became fubject to Genoa, they confined their governor and his guard; put themfelves into the best pofture of defence they could; and fent deputies to Milan, to crave afiftance, and to put the place under the protection of the Emprefs-Queen, aflerting their town and district to be a fief of the empire. They were very foon obliged, however, to fubmit at difcretion to their old mafters; who hanged fome of the ringleaders, imprifoned the magistrates of the place, impofed upon the inhabitants a fine of 200,000 livres, deprived them of all their privileges afcertained to them by charter, carried off all the papers that could be found containing any account of their ancient rights, and ordered a citadel to be built to command the whole town. Soon after the Genoefe troops entered, many of the inhabitants retired privately, and went to other places, till they might fee what turn their affairs would take. The government of Genoa, fome months after, publifhed a general pardon to all of them, except fourteen, who should return within a limited time; notwithstanding which, we received no advice that any of them did fo. Early last year, thofe who remained at St Remo, not able to brook the fevere treatment they met with, were juft on the point of making another attempt to fhake off the Genoefe yoke, being joined by the people of many hamlets near them; but their fcheme having been got notice of fome days before it was to have been put in execution, all principally concerned in it were difcovered and feized. In the mean time, they who had formerly retired made application to the court of Vienna, and got a favourable answer. Upon notice of this, the leading men among thofe who had not before quitted the place, likewife retired with their best effects, and took fhelter at Oneglia, where the King of Sardinia received them as unfortunate oppreffed people. The government of Genoa fummoned them to return to their habitations and their duty; but were answered in fuch a manner as might convince them, that they had no longer any fubmiffion or deference to their orders to expect. A decree of the aulic council of the empire in favour of the St Remifts, was actually paffed, and notified to the Genoefe. The latter not thinking fit to comply, it was fuppofed that orders would be fent to the Marquis de Botta, the Emperor's plenipotentiary plenipotentiary in Italy, and the King of Sardinia, Vicar-General of the empire on that fide of the Alps, to fee the fentence carried into execution. About the fame time we had advice, that 24,000 Antrian troops were speedily expected in that country, which would not only have ferved to give weight to what had been decreed concerning St Remo, but perhaps to have fome influence on the affairs of Corfica. Thefe Auftrians however did not march; one reason of which, as we were told, was, that feve ral Italian powers entered into a refolu tion, not to permit any corps of foreign troops to enter the country, on any pretence whatever. The Genoefe had in the mean time reprefented their danger to the court of Versailles; which gave them affurances of being fuccoured, and 60,000 French troops were cantoned in Dauphiny and Languedoc, fuppofed to have been for that purpose, though under colour of fuppreffing the affemblies of Proteftants in thofe provinces. Things being in this fituation, the court of Vienna thought proper to try, whether the conjuntture might not, with good management, induce the republic of Genoa to take fide with the house of Auftria, preferably to that of Bourbon, in case of new troubles in Italy. She therefore fest thither an ambaffador to make the propofal, who alfo gave certain hints, not only about St Remo, but likewife concerning other fiefs of the empire lying within the Genoefe ftate, tending to thew the fenate, that it would be their intereft to keep on good terms with the Emprefs Queen. It was faid, that a good many of the leading men in the nate feemed to be gained over to the Auftrian intereft; but all that the amballador could obtain upon the whole, as a declaration, that the prefent ftate of domeftic affairs was fufficient to employ the whole attention of the govern eat; and that therefore, in cafe of new disturbances, they would obferve an a neutrality. Not long after this ambafador's departure, we had advice, that the inhabitants of Campo Freddo, another ritory dependent upon Genoa, reckong themselves unjufily treated, had car ried their complaints directly to Vienna. Upon this the French envoy at that court, by orders of the King his master, joined the Genoefe minifter there, and reprefented, that the complaints of thofe people ought firit to have been judged of by the republic of Genoa, agreeably to the feudal rights and the imperial capitulations, which exclude all recourfe per faltum of the fubject to the superior lord, before the immediate fuperior has taken cognifance of the affair. He also upon that occafion reprefented, that as to what regarded St Remo, the aulic council ought to have taken notice, that that town has, at all times, had no other dependence than on the fovereign jurifdiction of the republic of Genoa; that for the fpace of 600 years that republic has received no inveftiture of the city and district in queftion, nor done any act importing an acknowledgment of its being a fief, and that confequently the peaceable enjoyment of an immemorial poffeffion, and the inconteftable rights of fuch an independent fovereignty, cannot be attacked, without injuring the most notorious rights of princes, as well as the public peace. The Vice-Chancellor of the empire delivered an answer to these representations, but we have not yet feen the contents of it. Only it appears, that the aulic council has refolved to maintain its right to take cognisance of both complaints. The Infant Duke of PARMA last year received from the Catholic King, his half-brother, a further augmentation of his annual penfion, befides a prefent of 70,000 piftoles, to discharge the debts he had contracted. We had little worthy of notice from ROME through the year, but that, after the great diftribution of hats, Cardinal Spinelli was appointed to be Protector of Scotland, in the room of the late Cardinal Riviera; that Cardinal York obtained from the French King a yearly penfion of 30,000 livres from the revenues of the abbey of St Amand, in the diocefe of Tournay, that the Pope has been made arbitrator for terminating a difpute arifen between the EmprefsQueen and the King of Sardinia, con C 2 cerning cerning the right of nominating to the bifhoprick of Vigevano; and that his Holiness has ordered public magazines to be established at Civita Vecchia, for facilitating the exportation of corn from the ecclefiaftical ftate to foreign coun tries. Augmentations were gradually made of the NEAPOLITAN troops throughout the year; fo that from about 30,000 men in the beginning of it, they were increased to about 55,000 in the end. Great diligence was alfo ufed to put the marine on a good footing; and to that end several new men of war and frigates have been built. Many have thought that his Sicilian Majefty's revenues could not defray the charges of fuch armaments; and therefore have concluded that he had a large fubfidy from Spain. People have been divided in their fentiments about the reafon of railing fo great an army by fo fmall a ftate, efpecially in time of peace. Some fuppofe it intended to fupport one of his brothers in taking and maintaining poffeffion of Corfica, if oppofition fhall be made to that measure, when it is judged proper to attempt the carrying of it into execution; which does not appear an unlike ly way of employing a fubfidy from Spain. Others reckon, that as his Majefty always declined acceding to the treaty of Aix la-Chapelle, he is making preparations to preferve the kingdom of Naples and Sicily, by force of arms, for one of his own children, when he may come to fucceed to the throne of Spain, upon the death of his prefent Catholic Majelty; though the defign of an article in that treaty was, that in cafe of fuch fucceffion, the Infant Duke of Parma fhould mount the throne of the Two Sicilies, fo as to make way for the reverfion of Parma, Placentia, and Guaftalla, to the Emprefs-Queen and the King of Sardinia. The court of Naples feems moft difpofed to avow this latter reason. But that is not a certain proof of its being the true one. For, may it not be afked, what fhould tempt his Sicilian Majefty to make levies which his revenues cannot fupport, merely in order to be in readiness for an event which may not happen within the courfe of a goo many years, of whofe near approac there is no evidence, and which if di ftant would, with fuch managemen prove ruinous to his finances? If the as fitance of a fubfidy is acknowledged from whence can it be fuppofed to com but from Spain? and if from thenc what could induce his Catholic Majeft to grant it with fuch a view? or how could his granting it be confiftent wit his good faith as a contracting party i the treaty of Aix-la Chapelle? What ever may really have occafioned the a maments in queftion, his Sicilian Majo fty's complaints against the arrangement made in that treaty are indeed well e nough known; and therefore a nego tiation has been brought upon the tapis by the courts of Vienna and London under the mediation of those of Ver failles and Madrid, for engaging him now at length to accede to it. In the fummer of 1753 a difference arole between the court of Naples and the knights of Malta. The former al ledging that the Archbishop of Syracus had a fpiritual jurisdiction over that ifland ordered him to vifit it This the prelat thrice attempted to do, but was all th times hincered from landing; th knights judging it to be of dangerou confequence to allow a fubject of an other power fuch a privilege in their d minions. Upon this his Sicilian Maj fty published an ordinance, forbiddi his fubjects to fupply the Maltese wi corn or other provifions. This ord was afterwards recalled, but again newed in the beginning of last yea His Majefty at the fame time gave rections for feizing the effects and queftering the revenues of commander belonging to all knights of Malta with his dominions, unlefs they should actua ly refide at fuch commanderies. So after this affair began, the Grand Mi fter of Malta fent notice of it to all th powers of Europe with whom his orde holds correfpondence. His Moft Ch ftian Majefty having undertaken to m diate a termination of the difference, directed a previous inquiry to be mad into the prerogatives of the Archbisho |