cumftance of the moft alarming nature. It is not then to be fuppofed, that an active youthful prince, at the head of great armies, and poffeffed of great refources, would look tamely on, at fo dangerous and unwelcome an intrufion. It is rather to be imagined, that, prepared as he is for all confequences, he views attentively the course of the war, and waits till the temper of the hoftile powers will admit of his effectually employing his mediation for a peace,

The king of Pruffia obferves the fame referve in this refpect, that the emperor has done. He is alío armed, and equally guarded against all events. It is poffible, that as these princes feem now to be upon a very friendly footing, this object may appear to them both in the fame point of view. This would certainly be their intereft; however their connections, their alliances, and their mutual jealoufies may prevent it.

The king has however upon all occafions condemned the conduct of the Polish confederates, and feverely reprehended, and fometimes chaftized, fome parties of them that made accidental incurfions upon his territories. In other refpects this prince pays his ufual attention to the good of his fubjects, and to the increafing of the commerce in his dominions; and among other regulations for the ease and conveniency of the merchants, has established a bank and lombard at Embden, and a particular bank at Berlin, befides the general one already there.

The king of Denmark proceeds in the fame good difpofitions to his people, and the fame patriotic

intentions, that we have before had fo much pleafure in taking notice of. The time he spent in his tour to other countries, he fhews was wifely laid out for the good of his own. He is now accordingly copying in his own dominions, thofe inftitutions whofe utility more immediately ftruck him when he was abroad. Among other inftances of this nature he has established a Royal Society of Agriculture, and to honour and encourage it has declared himself its protector. This fociety, which includes arts as well as agriculture, the king has endowed with a confiderable fum, which is to be difpofed of in prizes, for the encouragement of experiments in agriculture, and of ingenious artificers. His majefty being alfo ftruck at the fight of the royal foundation at Chelsea, he has given direction for the building an hofpital, for the reception of fuperannuated foldiers; and adds to this munificence, by forming an establishment for foldiers widows and children. The fame humanity has induced him to order two hofpitals, one at Copenhagen, and the other at Bergen, to be founded for the reception of disabled fea

men.

We have before taken notice of the attention the king of Denmark fhewed in the beginning of his reign, to the oppreffions which the peasants fuffered; as well as the pains he had taken, and the example he had fet, to free them from their fervitude. He has this year paffed an ordinance which has given the moft univerfal fatisfaction, and which regards the fharing their eftates and effects among their children. By this decree, the eldest child, male or female, fhall, [B 4]

upon

upon the decease of its parents, be entitled to one half, and no more, of their effects and poffeffions; and the other moiety is to be divided equally among the reft of the children, whether male or female; but if there be but two children, then the eftate and effects of the deceased are to be equally fhared.

Thefe numerous regulations and establishments have not diverted his attention from commerce; a fubject which mankind at length begin to underftand, and which feems now to occupy the thoughts of almoft every civilized nation. Upon this principle he has declared Gluckftat, a ftrong town fituated near the mouth of the river Elbe, a free port, and has abolished all duties on veffels that may pass the winter there, as well as on merchandize, whether brought to the place, or only paffing through. How much more liberal as well as politic are thefe fentiments than thofe of his anceftor, who attempted to make all fhips that paffed up or down the river, to pay a toll.

In refpect to foreign affairs, the court of Copenhagen feems intimately connected with that of Peterfburg. In confequence of this connection, upon fome extraordinary appearances in Sweden, and the apparent prevalence of the French party there, the king fitted out early in the season, a fquadron of eight men of war of the line, and two frigates. This fleet continued armed and ready for fervice the whole fummer, and probably had a great effect upon the meafures purfued in that country.

The extraordinary affembly of the ftates in Sweden, was not attended with the confequences,

which it is probable the oppofite parties feared or hoped. No change has been made in the form of government, nor has the king's power been enlarged. He is however emancipated out of the hands of an arbitrary fenate, who were determined to thwart him in every inftance, and whofe infolence he experienced upon every occafion. The French intereft, which had a principal share in calling the diet, has fully fucceeded in establishing its own influence, which now predominates, and will probably continue to do fo, in the councils of that kingdom.

Great heats arose between the king and the fenate, about the place to be appointed for the affembling of the states. The king wished and proposed Stockholm; but the fenate appointed Norkioping for the place of meeting. It is true that this place had been appointed, at the breaking up of the laft diet, for their next meeting; but this agreement was not at all binding on the king and fenate, who might appoint any other place that was more convenient. The king fhewed the great inconveniences that would attend meeting at this town, which is above ninety miles from Stockholm. That the fenate, who are obliged by their duty to fit in Stockholm, are obliged by the fame duty to compofe a part of the diet. and that to fulfil both at once, would be to effect an impoffibility. Nothing could however. conquer the obftinacy of the fenate, who feemed mechanically to oppofe the king in every thing. Without perhaps confidering, that feasonable and rational conceffion, would better anfwer the purposes

of

of the Ruffian and English intereft, which they had been fuppofed to efponfe; and would give fewer, and lefs plaufible pretences to their enemies. They, however, abfolutely refufed a compliance with the King's requeft, and contended, that the fenate fhould be divided, one part of it to remain in Stockholm, and the other to attend the diet.

The king upon this delivered a declaration to the fenate, which he got printed and publifhed; in which he fhewed, that this propofed divifion of it, was not only contrary to the fundamental laws of the kingdom, but in itself impoffible; that the fenate ought to have the king at the head of it; that he could not be at two places at the fame time; and, therefore, that part of the fenate, where he did not prefide, could not be authorized to tranfact any business of the ftate. He farther declared, that he could not but confider this ftep as an alteration of the conftitution of the state; as an infringement of the royal prerogative; and as an ufurped authority, which never was, nor never could be acknowledged, while the regal power, and that of the states, remained entire. The diet was at Apr. 19th. length opened at Norkioping. The first bufinefs the ftates went upon, was the conduct of the fenate. The fecret committee brought 24 articles of accufation against all the fenators but two, and allowed them but forty-eight hours to prepare for their defence. Nothing could withstand this torrent; they were all, except thofe two, degraded from their feats in the fenate, declared unworthy the

confidence of the ftates, and condemned to pay the extraordinary expences that attended their meeting at Norkioping. The principal charges against them were, their oppofing the convocation of the ftates; their making Norkioping the place of meeting in fpite of the king; and a declaration they had made to the different colleges, in the preceding December, that the kingdom might be governed by the fenate without the king, and their afterwards upholding the fame principle in feparating the fenate.

May 6.

In the mean time, fome motions that were made in the difpofition of the troops, and fome measures that were taken for compleating the regiments, having alarmed the neighbouring powers of Ruffia and Denmark, the king caused a declaration to be delivered to all the foreign minifters, in which he totally disclaimed the smalleft intention of difturbing the public tranquility. He declares that the interior affairs of the kindom were the fole motive for convoking the ftates; and that from the harmony that prevailed in their delibera tions, he did not doubt but all their refolutions would concur with. his own patriotic views. He concludes by declaring, that if any thing fhould happen to disturb the tranquility of the north, he never would have any occafion to reproach himself with having been in the least the cause of it.

Notwithstanding the good humour of the affembly, the court failed in the grand point for which it was convoked. Several new ordinances were propofed, which would have made a great, if not a total alteration in the prefent

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fyffem of government. These were debated a long time with great heat and violence; at length the question was put "Whether it be proper to make any innovations in the conftitution of the king "dom;" which was carried in the negative in the order of the nobles, as it had been before in thofe of the burghers and peasants. A refolution then paffed, "That no

propofitions fhall be made any st more in this diet, tending to "alterations or amendments of the "fundamental laws," The court however fhewed great ftrength upon this occafion; the majority against their intereft in the order of nobles, upon the firft queftion, being only twenty fix; the whole numbers were, 457 to 431.

Though the diet continued fitting the remainder of the year, nothing very material was done. The fecret committee renewed the treaty of fubfidy with France; and that power is to pay up the arrears of the old one, which are very confiderable. An augmentation of the troops has fince taken place; but it is certain that Sweden is in no condition to enter into a war with Ruffia. The former gave up the sword, when it gave up Livonia. That province was the granary that fed its people; it ftill does fo by permiffion of the Ruffians; in fuch a fituation, a war must be carried on againft difficulties, that neither bravery nor skill can furmount. Such an event would however at prefent be very troublesome to Ruffia.

The friendly part which England has taken, (not without fome confiderable rifque to the fecurity of her own commerce) in receiving and affifting the Ruffian fleet, both

at home and in the Mediterranean, does honour to her faith as an Ally. It is certain that Ruffia is the only power that can at prefent ballance the proteftant fcale, against the preponderating weight of the two great houfes of Bourbon and Auftria; to which may now be added Sweden, and poffibly Portugal. The maritime powers in particular act right, in cultivating and cementing the closest union with Ruffia.

With regard to Holland, her affairs are now in fo happy a fituation, as to call but for a very flight account. The Prince Stadtholder, not only enjoys the love of the people in a very high degree, but feems equally poffeft of the confidence of the states. Whether it is to be attributed to the happygenius of the house of Orange, or to whatever other caufe, it is certain that public affairs are conducted with new order and vigour in the united provinces. An augmentation has been made in their troops, and difpofitions have for fome time been making, towards putting their marine upon a refpectable footing.

France has fucceeded in its defign upon Corfica; that island now makes a part of its domain. All Europe were filent witnesses to a direct breach of a treaty to which the principal powers in it were parties; and to the ruin of a brave people, because they did not think themselves the property of their invaders. Happily for mankind, neither the ftate of the finances of France, nor the weight of its national credit, are at prefent encouraging to an immediate attempt of the fame nature, upon any other of its neighbours. The late fuc

cefs

cefs is however flattering; the fame fupineness may happen to prevail in fome other inftance.

The bankruptcy and total fufpenfion of the French Eaft India company, is a ftriking proof how far that country is from having recovered the violent fhocks which it received in the late war. The fatal ftroke given to national faith, credit and honour, by the late violent measure of ftopping the payment of the intereft arifing on the public funds, and taking away the benefit of furvivorship in the tontines, will be feverely felt in any future one. Upon the whole, war does not feem, at prefent, to be at all a defirable object to France. Notwithstanding thefe appearances, France is now faid to be arming in feveral of her ports, particularly thofe in the Mediterranean. It is certain that the naval expedition of the Ruffians, is far from being to the liking either of this court or that of Madrid, and the armaments they are making feem to befpeak an oppofition to it. If this fhould be the cafe, England can fcarcely avoid becoming a party, and the greater part of Europe will probably be engaged in the conteft.

The court of Spain, fenfible of the loffes it fuftained in the laft war,

has not only used the utmost diligence to replace them, but is taking the most effectual measures to prevent any danger of the fame nature for the future. They have accordingly built fuch a number of men of war, both in the Spanish and West Indian perts, that the navy is much more formidable now than it was at the commencement of the war. The fortifications of the Havanna are improved and

augmented in fuch a manner, that it is now faid to be impregnable. The Spaniards are alfo making a formidable fettlement at the mouth of the Miffiffippi, where they have again taken poffeffion of new Orleans under the command of general O Riely, who landed there with a very confiderable body of forces, and after having executed feveral of the principal inhabitants without any form of trial, fent others of them to France in chains, where they were distributed among the ftate prifons.

Portugal continues in the fame ftate of weakness and disorder, which has particularly marked its government for a great part of this century. Whether the taking of Mazagan, the laft place which they held on the coaft of Morocco, be a real lofs to Portugal, otherwise than as fome diminution of miliary honour, is very problematical; it has however brought on a peace with Morocco, which must be ufeful, though perhaps humiliating.

The fpirit of the politics of Portugal has been, for fome time paft, to diminish ecclefiaftical power, riches, and influence; neceffary preliminaries to any great improvement of that country; but which have not hitherto been accompanied with other regulations equally prudent. The measures taken in Portugal, on this and all other occafions, are fuch, as rather difguft by their harfhnefs, often by their cruelty and injuftice, than they ferve the public by the goodness of the principles.

The late attempt faid to have been made upon the life of the king, is told in fo ftrange a manner, and every thing relative to it