25th Nov.

king's coronation, when the delegates were introduced to pay their compliments at court, the council of war judged it prudent to diftribute ball cartridges to the troops, and to order that the artillery fhould be loaded. But the peace of the capital was disturbed by no other tumult, than the loud and enthusiastic expreffions of loyalty and joy.

At length the delegates humbly reprefented their cafe in a long memorial to the king and the diet. With a fobriety of mind, highly honourable to them, they did not afcend to theories of natural equality; they infifted only on the abrogation of invidious laws, and the restitution of their rights under an earlier and more equitable jurifprudence, with fuch a fair extenfion or accommodation of the principle, as circumstances might demand. They ftated the profperity which the cities and royal towns formerly enjoyed under the Jaghellon family, and even fo low down as the reign of Stephen Bathori, while they fill preferved any remains of thofe privileges which they now reclaimed; they traced their prefent decay in wealth from the extinction of their political importance; and they propofed the means of reeftablishing them in their former flourishing condition. They not only defired a general recognition of their ancient rights; but infifted alfo on the fpecific declaration of various points in their favour. The principal were, that every individual, foreigner as well as native, fhould be entitled to full protection and fecurity; that the nobles fhould not hold the burghers in contempt, nor lofe their own rank by exercifing trade or commerce, but that the

two orders might intermarry, and mutually inherit; that the army, the church, and all civil employments under the treafury, fhould be thrown open to the burghers, and that they might be at liberty to purchase lands of noble tenure, in Poland as well as in Lithuania: for, while the burghers of the granddutchy had this road to nobility acceffible to them, the burghers of the kingdom (excepting thofe of Cracow) were reftrained from purchafing more than about ten acres within a limited distance of their refpective towns, for their fubfiftence and convenience merely, and without deriving from thence a qualification to vote as landed proprietors in the dietines.

There were fome other articles defigned to regulate the jurifdiction to which the burghers fhould be exclufively amenable, and to give them immediate weight in the commiffion of treafury on all queftions of trade and commerce. But that which most deferves attention, is the article relative to their fhare in the national reprefentation. Their prayer was, "That not only fome cities and royal towns, but all, each in its

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refpective waiwody, fhould have "the right of electing deputies to "the diet, and of charging them "with proper inftructions; and in "cafe the ancient privileges of the "cities and towns should be renew"ed, that they should be no more

impeached or diminished, but on "the contrary be extended, parti«cularly in all refpects that might

tend to render the form of go"vernment more perfect." The former part of this demand gave fome alarm to the graver members of the legislature, who knew not how to calculate, and who feared

to

to hazard in a rash experiment, the poffible confequences of admitting at once a new intereft in the state to fo large a portion of the fupreme power. It was this propofition, therefore, which was the only real fource of difficulty, and which finally was modified, as we fhall hereafter fee, with the full acquiefcence of the burghers, who did not think themselves juftified in refufing much, because they could not obtain all. They acted on the occafion with the wifdom and found fenfe which tempered all their notions of alteration in their conftitution, and which are moft confpicuous in the latter claufe of this fame article, where, inftead of vainly holding forth an immediate and ablolute perfection, they limited their wishes and hopes to a principle of growing improvement, fpringing from the root of paft experience. This is truly to imitate the English conftitution, as in their fubfequent work the Polith nation profefled to do: it is to do more; it is to emulate thofe well-difciplined and good habits of mind, which have hitherto qualified the people of this country for the enjoyment of their own excellent form of go

vernment.

The delegation which prefented this memorial originated in affemblies not convoked by any regular authority, and confequently had no character of a legal body. Probably it was to be afcribed to this defect, that the fubject was not brought forward in the fhape of a direct motion. It lept nearly 17 Dec. three weeks, when an 1789. order being made for the city of Warfaw to pay 400,000 forins in the current month on account of the new taxes, the opportunity was dexterously fized to

bring the memorial under difcuffion. The informality already mentioned was objected to it; but it was anfyered, that the demands of the burghers, if they were fubftantially juft, fhould not be rejected, from a pedantic adherence to form. The majority, however, were firm in maintaining the due order of proceeding. So after a long debate it was refolved, with the exprefs approbation of the king, that the memorial fhould be referred to the feveral chancellors, who were the proper channels of communication from the cities and towns, to examine the facts contained in it, and report their opinions upon it to a committee; that the subject should there be re-confidered, and finally brought, with all the information thus collected, before the diet. And the next day the king named this committee, which he formed of fuch members only as were known to favour the pretenfions of the burghers.

It was on the fame day, when the claims of the cities were debated, that a report was at length made from the committee of the conftitution. Scarcely had they begun their fittings, but fpeculators without number overwhelmed them with plans, and fome of thefe, as might be expected, were deeply tinctured with the political philofophy of the times. The committee, however, feemed to be fully impreffed with the magnitude and moment of their task. They paufed and deliberated. Their progrefs in no degree kept pace with the public expectation. Impatient of the delay, the marthal of the diet, count Malachowski, lamented to that affembly, that he had fo long filled his high office in vain. A year, he faid, had elapfed, and yet he had not feen one of the ar

dent

refpects. The diet was purified in its very origin by making a qualification of property neceflary for a vote in the dietines, and thus ftriking off the poorer nobles, great numbers of whom, unable to engage in trade or commerce, had been reduced to become the menial fervants of the more opulent, and were thus expofed to eafy corruption alike from foreign or domestic enemies to the peace of the republic. This was followed too by a meafure calculated to embarrals the operation of corruption, and make it less compendious. It was propofed to take away the abfolute negative which every feveral nuncio claimed a power of exercising in free diets at his difcretion, and which, once interpofed by any one perfon on any one matter of ftate, difcuffed in the course of a feffion, annulled all the proceedings of the whole feffion. Unanimity for the future was only to be required in altering the cardinal laws of the new conftitution. In confequence

all diets of confederation were to be abolished, which were at best but aukward expedients, to evade the neceffity of unanimity, and gave a fanction to all thofe inferior confederations which though a fuperceffion of all law, yet having been acknowledged by the law, had long torn the kingdom in pieces.

When this report was taken into confideration, the fecond article, which narrowed the right of fuffrage before poffeffed by all of the equeftrian order, gave rife to warm debates: but the principle was ftrenuously and zealously fupported by the eloquence of the king, who * was known long to have meditated fuch a measure, as of the higheft

utility to the ftate. The article therefore paffed, and though fome difcontent on the subject foon after fhewed itfelf among the poorer nobles, and was even faid to be encouraged by the princefs Sapieha, fier to the grand general Branicki, and mother of prince Sapieha, marshal of the diet for Lithuania, yet it was afterwards incorporated into the laws for the regulation of dietines, and made part of the popular conftitution of 1791. The ret of the report was received without difficulty. The corner-ftone of the new edifice being thus laid, the diet adjourned for the holidays, after having directed the marshals to acquaint the feveral palatinates, by their circular writs called univerfals, with the fortunate refult of the national councils.

The language of this addrefs was plain, grave and dignified. It enumerated fuccinctly what Dated had been done, and what ftill remained to be done. 314 Dec. "Poland (it was faid) 1789.

"has withdrawn herself from the

yoke of the guarantee, refumed "her independence, fent away the foreign troops, and fuppreffed "the permanent council, that ma

giftracy no lefs difagreeable than "dangerous to the nation; in fine "fhe has laid to reft all her domeftic "troubles, fhe has provided for her defence by augmenting or rather creating an army, and has at"tended to the proceedings of fo

reign powers, by legations and by fending minifters to their re"fpective courts." The confequent exaltation of the national character in the eyes of other ftates, the refpect paid to the republic by the

Ottoman