against accepting the loan from the bank of Berlin, and calling on the nation to teach foreign powers that they had within themselves the means of vindicating their own rights, prefented a confiderable fum in jewels to the public treafury. The marshal count Malachowski caught the fpirit of the example, and offered to lend a million of florins without intereft. Great Poland engaged to pay within one month the amount of the new tax on chimnies for three years, and Little Poland and Lithuania for two years to come. There was a general emulation in providing for the demands of the fervice by extraordinary contributions. The agents of Ruffia did not mifs the opportunity. Every thing was faid, every thing was written, which could influence all ranks of people against the alledged treachery of the court of Berlin. Two without delay, and then to proceed mation. traces of the What paffed on this occafion was directly communicated from Stanif laus-Auguftus, in a letter perfonally addreffed to Frederick William. Reminding him at the fame time of the other points in difcuffion between them, he made a forcible ap. peal to his liberality and generofity: "The more thefe points of "commerce (fays he) are effential "to us, the more highly will your "majefty appreciate the eagerness "of a free and generous nation, to "unite with you, while they repofe entirely on the perfonal equity of "your majesty's known character. "With a king fuch as you, the "fureft way is to addrefs him di«rectly, by intreating him to The Pruffian miniftry found it prudent to let this fermentation fubfide. The marquis Lucchesini declared accordingly, in the name of his master, that he withdrew his project of a treaty, and was contented to let every thing remain on the old footing, till Poland could find fome fair equivalent for the defalcation of the royal revenue, which would follow from an alteration in the existing duties. A promife was even made to lower the weigh, in the balance of his just rates at New Fahrwaffer very confi- mind, the claims of a nation who derably; and to allow other advan- « give him all their friendship, tages to the Polish commerce. This "while they depend on the clear conduct, backed by the influence of" letter of treaties, and on the suf. the British minifter, gave another turn to the fudden paffions of the verfatile multitude. The Pruffian alliance was again popular. In con15th March, fequence the diet un 1790. animously refolved to "ferance of feventeen years. The "idea which they have conceiv-~ "ed of the reigning Frederick"William is, that born to equal «his ancestors in every fort of glory, there is one which he wishes to render peculiarly his [B]3 own, by fetting his grandeur above this fatal maxim, that the "profperity of our own ftate can "only be promoted by the misfor. tunes of our neighbours." If he was fincere in paying this homage, as he calls it, to the virtues of Frederick-William, his confidence muft have been ftaggered by the anfwer. It coldly expreffes a fatisfaction in the late conduct of the Polish nation, but demands justice and impartiality to Pruffia; and then enters at much length on a dry recapitulation of the feveral remon ftrances and memorials on both fides. It again preffes the ceffion of Dantzic and Thorn, a request which, it is faid, cannot be attributed to any unjust and inordinate ambition, as thefe cities are of little comparative value to Poland, naturally belong to Western Pruffia, and were only excepted on the furrender of the circumjacent territory for reafons no longer of any moment. The backwardness of the king and the diet to liften to this propofition when made before is even confidered as a behaviour unfriendly, unreafonable, and unjuft. The king of Pruffia, however, had the caution not to fend this anfwer till after he had formally ratified the treaty of ali ance. plined people, who, fupported by the steady skill and trained courage of his troops, would have presented a formidable obftacle to their com-. mon enemies, and have kept the ravages of war at a distance from his dominions. But in truth, he moft defired to avoid, what he withed others to think that he intended. By an oftentation of his force he hoped to make the trial of it unneceffary, and to drive the new king of Hungary and Bohemia into his terms, by the acceffion of Poland to the confederacy formed to maintain the balance of the North. On the other hand, the Poles imagined themselves to have fecured the fuccour of his armies, in defending whatever better conftitution they might ultimately frame for the future government of their country. They were willing to risk a foreign war, if they could obtain protection to their happiness at home. The article which applies to this fubject is the fixth. It is in itfelf important, and different interpretations were afterwards put upon it by the contracting parties. It may be profer, therefore, to infert the words. It engages, that " if any "foreign power what- Concluded "ever fhould, by vir The anxiety fhewn by Frederick-tue of any preceding 29th March, William for the inftant conclufion of this treaty, arofe from the menacing appearances of hoftilities, for which he feemed to be now seriously preparing, in confequence of his late engagements with the Ottoman Porte. Had he been compelled to have recourfe to arms, he would thus have gained a vaft outwork, and a brave though undifci "acts or ftipulations, or any inter"pretation of them, affume the right "of interfering in the internal af"fairs of the republic of Poland, "or its dependencies, at any time, "or in any manner, his majesty the "king of Pruffia would firit employ "his most efficacious good offices to prevent hoftilities arifing out of "fuch a pretenfion; but if his See vol. xxxiii. Hist. Art. p. 164, "good "good offices fhould ftill fail of ef"fect, and hoftilities against Poland "fhould be the confequence, his "majefty the king of Pruffia, confi"dering this as a cafe falling within "the meaning of the alliance, would "affift the republic, according to "the tenor of the 4th article," that is with 30,000 men, or his whole force, if neceffary. That they might be in a condition at once to merit good faith by obferving it, and to defend their own liberties against all aggreffion, the Poles inftantly redoubled their efforts to ftrengthen and difcipline their army; for which purpofe the king of Pruffia lent them officers: and he did this in a manner the moft gracious to his new allies. When he gave a discharge to prince Louis of Wurtemberg, who was promoted to the rank of lieutenant general in the service of the republic, it was conveyed in a letter highly flattering to the Polish nation. One of the armies foon after collected was put under the command of this officer; but the principal force, which was ftationed near the frontiers, at the post of honour and danger, was given by StanislausAuguftus to his own nephew, prince Jofeph Poniatowski. The late treaty, and the behaviour of Frederick - William in confequence of it, feemed to have produced perfect harmony between the two allies; and in this temper, leave having been requested for the paffage of a Pruffian detachment ordered to Silefia, it was immediately and unanimously granted. But the natural character of the Poles is quick and impetuous. In the negociations which preceded the convention of Reichenbach, they found fresh cause of violent offence against Pruffia. Thefe negociations afforded count Hertzberg an opportunity, as he thought, of forcing the court of Vienna into his plans. He propofed therefore the ceffion of Dantzic and Thorn as the only mode of repaying the expence of his master's armaments, and as the ground-work of the peace; while to recompenfe the republic he required, that Leopold fhould restore to her a tract of 200 fquare leagues in Gallicia, comprehending particularly Zamosk, Zelkiew, and Brody; and he promised, in addition, that Pruffia would lower the duties on the tranfit of goods through Silefia to one-third, and grant other relief to the Polish trade. Averfe as he was from increafing the power of Pruffia, and knowing how much his ally the empress would be hurt by the ceffion of Dantzic, Leopold did not fee how to extricate himself but by clogging his confent with fome condition, which it would appear unreafonable for the cabinet of Berlin In the French Mercury for January 1792, M. Mallet du Pan, referring to count Hertzberg's own private papers, reprefents the propofition to have come from Pruffia, as it is here stated, but makes no mention of Leopold's confent on any conditions. On the other hand, the official paper, published in the Berlin Gazette in April 1791, afferts the whole arrangement to have been voluntarily offered by Leopold. We have here endeavoured to reconcile the two accounts as we believe the fact to have been, and as the internal evidence of the tranfaction, arifing out of the circumstances, objects, and fentiments of the different parties, convinces us that it could only be. At the fame time we thought it right to give our readers notice of this variation in our authorities. to refufe, and embarraffing to admit. He did not object therefore to this arrangement in favour of Pruffia, but complaining of it as contrary to all equity that he fhould give up part of his own dominions, and all his conquests too, he demanded as a compenfation an extenfion of his own limits on the fide of Turkey: at the fame time he took good care that through general Woyna, the Polith amballador at his court, the great object of all the Pruffian politics fhould be known at Warfaw, and probably not in a way most likely to facilitate its acquifition. The districts intended to be given to the republic were worth fix times as much as Dantzic and Thorn, in extent of territory, in population, and revenue; and had been a part of her former domains. But it was not by fuch calculations that The estimated the value of the two cities. They were the moft fplendid appendages of the Polish crown, and the would not barter them for any advantage in a mere bargain. The exchange was not to be mentioned. It is probable, nevertheless, that the firm and fyftematic policy of count Hertzberg would not have fo eafily receded, and that finally Leopold must have given way, to have done what depended on him without any compenfation from the Porte; and to have used his influence with Poland for the completion of the whole arrangement; but the fickleness of Frederick-William here began to difcover itself. The fubtlety and intrigue of prince Kaunitz, unable to make any in preffion on the Pruffian minifter, long used to penetrate and traverse them, were applied with more fuccefs to divide the master from an old and faithful fervant of his crown; and all the young courtiers, who had hardly been initiated in the school of the great Frederick, as well as all they who hoped to build their own fortunes on the ruin of the minifter's influence, readily lent themfelves to the plot. The glory of giving peace to Germany, and a fettlement to the civil commotions in the Netherlands, was painted in flattering colours; the prudence of flopping a contagion, which, aided by the recent example of France, might otherwife endanger the fafety of Holland, was urged; and the enormous expence of continuing ar maments, for which there was no profpect of reimbursement, was not forgotten. The motives of count Hertzberg, in oppofing this train of reafoning, were then artfully dif torted. He was reprefented as the inveterate enemy of Auftria, as a man warm, bold, rejoicing in troubled fcenes, and the inftigator of a fatal war. The king heard this infidious language with growing complacency. He was led into a fecret correfpondence with Leopold; and the ftipulations of the convention, fuch as it was concluded, were agreed without the concurrence of the Pruffian minifter, who to the laft moment remonstrated against it, and only put his fignature to it in confequence of an express order from his fovereign. From that inftant the power of count Hertzberg was gone, though See the official explanation before mentioned, relative to Dantzic and Thorn, published in the Berlin Gazette early in April 1791. he he continued fome little time longer in office. They who fucceeded to the favour of their prince wanted either the enlargement of mind to comprehend, or the dexterity of management to pursue, all the parts of his fyftem, which feems to have regarded the fupport of Poland, as no lefs effential than the acquifition of Dantzic and Thorn. July When it was officially notified at Warsaw, on the part of Frederick-William, that all queftion of the two cities was difmiffed from the conferences at Reichenbach, the diet and nation feemed for a fhort time to return to their former temper. But a new effervefcence was excited, as foon as the actual terms of the convention were known. No regard whatever appeared to have been had to the interefts and pretenfions of Poland; and this omiffion occafioned a diffidence, as to the politics of Pruffia, which never was removed. Nevertheless the republic did not relax in the measures which fhe had before been taking to put herself in a ftate of readinefs, fhould fhe ultimately be called upon, for the performance of her obligations to Pruffia. Orders were alfo fent from Warsaw, much to the fatisfaction of the court of Berlin, for the immediate conclufion of treaties of commerce and alliance with the Porte; and a treaty with Sweden was likewife in contemplation. Nor was the great work of their conftitution neglected by the diet. A plan of confiderable length was now brought for5th ward, materially differing Aug. from the principles of melioration before voted. It held forth to the peasants the immediate protection of the laws, and the means of 5 gradual enfranchisement; it profeffed to give to the towns all the privileges neceffary to encourage induftry and population, but without going to the full extent of their former memorial; it confirmed all the rights of the nobility; and above all, it contained a propofal to render the throne hereditary, under fome reftrictions, and after the death of Stanislaus-Auguftus. As foon as it had been read, the confideration of the whole was adjourned for a short time, and the adjournment was afterwards ftill farther continued, that the members might be enabled to examine and understand it in all its parts. The opinions of the people varied. Some thought it too oligarchical in its tendency; others difapproved the acceffion of ftrength which the crown was likely to derive from it. The greater part however viewed it with hope and affection, and already, with fancies a little too fanguine, anticipated the day, when, the work having acquired confiftence from time, and improvement from experience, Poland would enjoy one of the best governments in Europe. But while they were indulging thefe pleafing fpeculations, an incident happened, which was treasured up as a precious pretence for the future destruction of that very conftitution. A fubaltern officer, and fome foldiers had violated a Greek chapel belonging to the Ruffian embaffy in the fuburbs of Warsaw, and arrested a criminal, who had taken fanctuary there. In truth they were deceived by the appearance of the building, as they proved on their trial, to which they were brought on the repeated demand of the Ruffian minifter for fatisfaction. The officer was broken, and the men se verely |