the moft horrid cruelties. These charges are reciprocally made; and it is to be feared, with too much truth, on both fides. One inftance however deferves to be particularly marked, in hopes it may ftand in fome more lafting work than this, a perpetual record of the infamy of the perpetrator.

Nine Polish gentlemen, whofe arms had been cut off at the wrifts, prefented in the capital city of their native country, this new and fhocking fpectacle. A fpectacle that would difgrace a nation of favages, and that even amongst them would excite every latent feed of pity, indignation, and horror, into action. The Ruffian general Drewits, was the detefted author of this inhuman and execrable act; and fome accounts make him the immediate operator in it.

If we turn our eyes from this difguftiug fcene, we fhall behold Germany, so often the theatre of war, now happily flourishing in all the arts and bleffings of peace. We have already taken notice of the conduct hitherto obferved by the two great powers of this empire, in regard of the war that rages fo violently on their borders. In other refpects, the violent jealoufy and animofity, that fo long and fo fatally prevailed between the courts of Vienna and Berlin, feem, under the aufpices of the prefent emperor, greatly to leffen, if not totally wear off.

Thefe powers have had fufficient trials of each others ftrength; they 'know what each is equal to. Silefia, that was the great object of contention, feems, through length of time, and the hopeleffness of recovery, to be as much refigned on one fide, as it is fecured to the VOL. XII.

other by prefcription, and the ftrength of poffeffion. If the king of Prudia is arrived at a time of life, when he need neither wish to hazard his own reputation, nor to run the rifque of leaving his fucceffor involved in a dangerous war, by engaging in a quarrel with a young, enterprifing and powerful prince, the emperor has as little reafon to be eager to venture himfelf, on his firft effay, in a conteft with fo redoubted and dangerous an antagonist.

The fame active difpofition, which we have before taken notice of in the emperor, the same inquifitive defire to enquire into and become thoroughly acquainted with the griefs and complaints of his fubjects, and the fame benevolent inclination to redress their grievances or relieve their wants, Continue ftill ftrongly to mark every part of his conduct. Upon the death of the late pope, notwithstanding the feverity of the feafon, the roughness of the country through which he was to pass, and the badnefs of the roads, which at that time of the year March 3. are almoft impaffable, he fet out privately for Rome with a fmall retinue, under the title of count Namur. This journey was fo fecretly concerted, that nobody except the empress queen knew any thing of it within a few hours of his departure.

At Rome the emperor met the great duke of Tufcany, who had been there for fome days before him. The illuftrious brothers continued together in that celebrated capital for feveral days. The conclave was then fitting, and as the emperor remained incognito during his ftay, he thereby avoided [D]

all

all the honours that were defigned to be paid, and to which he was entitled. He afterwards vifited Naples, Florence, Leghorn, Turin, and his own Italian dominions.

He continued a confiderable time at Milan, where he liftened to every complaint that was brought before him, and redressed every grievance with which he was acquainted. From many peculiar circumftances attending this dutchy, the adminiftration of government in it was liable to numberless evils and abufes. The emperor applied himfelf with the greateft attention to remedy thefe. Advertisements were pofted up, that all perfons, to the meaneft of the people, should have free access to him upon any caufe of business, or any complaint of grievance. The effects correfponded with his patriotic intentions, and the people already experience the happy difference, between the moit defpotic and the mildeft of adminiftrations. To fecure this happinefs for the future, he has appointed a council, compofed chiefly of natives, of the greateft worth and honour, who are to ferve as a check upon the governors, and to act as mediators and judges between them and the people.

The travels of great monarchs to other countries, and their mutual vifits, are among the peculiarities that diftinguish the prefent age. The emperor upon his return home having immediately gone to infpect into the ftate of the camps which were formed upon the borders of Bohemia and Hungary, took that opportunity to pay a vifit to the king of Aug. 25. Pruffia, who was then at Neifs, a ftrong city of Silefia. Nothing could be more cordial or

friendly than the behaviour of these great princes, who spent two nights and a day together, and had more than one private interview. The fubject of their conferences may poffibly be hereafter known by the effects which they produce; but probably will not tranfpire otherwife. It is certain they parted with the ftrongeft marks of mutual confidence, friendship, and esteem.

In the midst of the peace and tranquillity that prevailed in the empire, the world was furprized to hear, that the imperial and peaceable city of Aix-la-Chapelle, fo noted for lending its friendly aid to compromife the differences of others, was itself fuddenly invefted by a ftrong body Feb. 9. of the elector Palatine's forces, under the command of general Horft, attended by a confiderable train of artillery and fome bombs. The peaceable citizens kept their gates fhut for two days, and fometimes ventured to appear upon the ramparts. The Palatine troops, by rifing early, got in the third morning, without wafting their ammunition, and happily without fhedding any blood. their fpleen was principally directed to the magiftrates, they quartered themselves by fifty or fixty a piece in their houses; but the burghers met not with the fmalleft inconveniency, and were generously paid for what they took from them.

As

talled Malfweyer, where there is a houfe with the neceffary conveniencies fitted up for carrying on the dying bufinefs, which the grand major lets to whom he pleases for the elector's benefit. He happened lately to let it to a proteftant, who carried on the bufinefs in all its branches, and in all colours. The magiftrates maintained, that he had no right to dye any colour but fcarlet, and that to dye other

colours he must be free of the dyer's company, which no proteftant can be at Aix. The dyer, upon this obftruction to his bufinefs, applied to the elector, as his lord, for redrefs. The Palatine court, finding its repeated folicitations to the magiftrates were of no effect, took the method we have defcribed of procuring justice.

The Palatine troops did not however continue long in poffeffion; a mandate was prefented from the emperor, by which they were commanded to quit the city in a limited time, under pain of incurring the ban of the empire. At the fame time the magiftrates were ordered, that if any expences were incurred, they should pay them out of their own pockets, and not charge them upon the people in general.

If the repeated alliances by marriage, which had before taken place between the houses of Austria and Bourbon, was an object of jealousy to thofe, who did not wish that the accidental temporary alliance between these families fhould become permanent, it is now much increafed by the marriage concluded upon, between the arch

dutchefs Maria-Antonia and the dauphin of France. A negociation that was fet on foot, in the courfe and in confequence of this treaty of marriage, between the emprefs-queen and France, for the forming of a new barrier in the Low Countries, whereby fome territories were to be exchanged, and others ceded, gave, with reafon, great umbrage to the ftates of Holland.

Some former differences had fubfifted between the courts of Vienna and the Hague. A very large debt is owing to the latter, on account of the barrier; the importunity for which, and the confequent altercations, probably induced the emprefs-queen to declare Oftend a free port, and fo make several other regulations in the Low Countries relative to commerce, which are highly prejudicial to the subjects of the ftates. The latter however exerted themselves with fo much fpirit, upon the defign of making a new partition of territory, that it is now wholly laid afide. The other differences are also faid to be in a fair train of being concluded to mutual fatisfaction. As the new fcheme of the barrier would have been very alarming to Great Britain as well as to the states, there is no doubt but that court would have taken proper measures to prevent it, if it had proceeded any farther. It is alfo to be hoped that the courts of London and Berlin, will ufe their endeavours to re ftore that confidence and harmony, which had fo long and fo usefully fubfifted between Vienna and the Hague.

This event procured a temporary refpite to the court of Rome, from the dangers with which it was more immediately furrounded. It reftrained, at least for a time, that epidemical avidity with which the Italian princes feemed to grafp at the temporal poffeffions of the church; though it could have no effect upon the general difpofition which is now fo prevalent among the Roman Catholic princes, to circumfcribe, within the narroweft limits, its power and operation in their refpective dominions.

The election of a new pontiff was fingularly marked, by the appearance in Rome of the emperor, during the fitting of the conclave, a circumftance not known before for fome ages. His brother the grand duke of Tuscany, who ap.

The

peared in his proper character, was accordingly treated by the cardinals with the greatest honours, and received fome very rich and magnificent prefents from them. emperor, by appearing only in the character of a private person, avoided the troublesome ceremo→ nials, by which his prefence muft otherwife have been particularly diftinguifhed. What effect the prefence of thefe princes had upon the tranfactions in the conclave, cannot be determined; they however departed from Rome before the election was ended.

At length, after the conclave had continued fitting for fome thing more than three months, cardinal Ganganelli was declared pope, and af- May 19.

fumed the name of Clement the XIVth. This cardinal was born in the ecclefiaftical territories: was a monk of a branch of the Francifcan order, and was then fixtyfour years of age. He had been created cardinal by the late pope in 1759, and had ever fince lived in the cell belonging to his order in Rome, in the most private and reclufe manner. The apparent moderation of this unambitious conduct, had probaby a confider

able

able fhare in the caufe of his election, as fuch a temper fèemed the moft proper to conciliate the differences between the fee of Rome, and the princes of the houfe of Bourbon. The choice accordingly gave univerfal fatisfaction, and all ranks of people feemed to vie in teftifying their approbation of it. The first act of the new pontiff, an act always extremely popular, was to lower the price of bread, oil, and every fpecies of provifion. He also ordered the city of Rome to be purged of vagabonds of every fort, and appointed houfes for their reception, where they were divided into claffes, and thofe who were able, compelled to work for their fubfiftence, while the aged and infirm were provided with all neceffaries. He alfo fuppreffed the cuftom of kiffing the toe, a ceremony which was practifed by the generals of the ecclefiaftical orders, when they felicitated a new pope upon his election. The pontiff, instead of receiving this teftimony of his exaltation, embraced them all, except the general of the jefuits, to whom he only gave his bleffing. This peculiar mark of coolness or indifference, was looked upon as ominous to that order, and to forefhew its fpeedy and final diffoultion; an indication however not yet juftified by the event.

Part of the pope's anfwer to a very flattering and elaborate fpeech that was made to him by the tribunal of the fupreme inquifition, in which his merit and great qualities were exalted to the highest degree, may not be unworthy the attention of other princes on their acceffion to a throne. "The Saviour of the world, faid the pontiff, was loaded with praifes on

his entrance into Jerufalem, by the fame people, who foon after heaped reproaches on him, and demanded his death."

Repeated folicitations were immediately made to the new pontiff, by the courts of Paris, Madrid, Naples and Lifbon, for the fuppreffion and total extinction of the order of Jefuits. Requifitions were at the fame time made, and ftrongly enforced, for the entire ceffion of Avignon and the territory of the Venaifin in France, and the dutchy of Benevento in the kingdom of Naples.

Thefe demands were received with a firmnefs which probably was not expected from the moderation and facility of the new pope's character. To prevent feparate and continual difcuffions with the minifters of fo many different powers, the pontiff wrote a letter to the French king, wherein he declared the fentiments by which he would abide. To fhew that his non-compliance, did not proceed from a diflike or oppofition to the houfe of Bourbon, he first premised the marks of attention that he had given to the duke of Parma; that he had readily fent the difpenfations which he requested for his marriage; that he had fufpended

the effects of the brief which he complained of, as well as of the bulls relative thereto; and that he cordially gave him his apoftolic benediction.

In regard to the Jefuits, he faid, he could neither blame nor annihilate an inftitute which had been

applauded and confirmed by nineteen of his predeceffors; that he could the lefs do it, because it had been authentically confirmed by the council of Trent, and that by

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the