chives of the Ruffian empire, and not as it was published and hitherto received in Poland.

. It was alfo refolved by the Commiffion to fupprefs the jurifdiction of the Nunciature, and that instead thereof, a fynod, or ecclefiaftical council, fhould be erected, of which the Primate was to be Prefident. That this tribunal fhould, decide, as the dernier refort, all fuch ecclefiaftical caufes as had been hitherto carried to the court of Rome, or laid before the Nuncio from that court refiding there. That the tax on Pope's bulls fhould be abolished, or at least reduced, and that a new regulation fhould be made concerning the tythes. A minifter plenipotentiary was alfo to be fent to Rome, to inform the Pope of their motives for re-establishing the Diffidents in their ancient rights, and to defire his Holiness to withdraw his Nuncio, and not to fend any more to Poland, but to inveft the Prince Primate with the character of Hereditary Legate.

While the High Commiffion was employed in this manner, a brief was delivered to the King, and another to the Primate, by the Pope's Nuncio: in the brief to the King it was faid, that he ought rather to abdicate the crown, than to fign things that were fo prejudicial to the Roman Catholic religion. The Nuncio alfo addreffed a brief to the Bishops; and he delivered on the part of his Holiness, a manifefto to the Great Chancellor, in which he informed all thofe who may subscribe to any articles of that nature, that they should be excommunicated. The Marshal of the confederacy of Lithuania alfo entered a proteft, against all the acts of the commiffioners, and

against every thing that was now tranfacting, or that should be tranfacted, under the influence of foreign arms. This protest also contained many fevere invectives against the Ruffians, and animadverted upon their conduct in general in the bittereft terms. But previous to the Marfhal's taking thefe fteps, he had the precaution to fell all his eftates, and immediately after quitted the country and retired to Rome, to fhelter himself from all pursuits.

The diet having met, Feb. 1. was again adjourned for three weeks; the motives affigned for this measure were, that feveral things that tended to exafperate the minds of the people, particularly the proteft before mentioned, and the briefs delivered by the Nuncio, were to be laid before them. In the mean time the commiffioners, who feem to have fubftituted themselves in the place of the diet, and affumed the whole legiflative authority of Poland, proceeded with the utmoft vigour and expedition. When a diet agreeable to their interefts could be called, there was no doubt of their giving the form of ratification to their refolves. They were, however, confiderably retarded in the execution of one part of their commiffion, that which regarded the finances, by the oppofition of the clergy, who abfolutely refused to part with any more of their revenues towards defraying the public expences. The commiffioners, however, fixed the public contributions at 23 millions of Polifh florins per annum; they alfo ordered a coinage of one hundred millions of filver, and twelve millions of copper.

All

1

All the treaties between the Republic, the Empire of Ruffia, and the King of Pruffia, were renewed and confirmed; and the Empress of Ruffia was declared and continued guarantee of the rights and privileges of the Polish nation. The Ruffian merchants were to be exempted from the payment of any particular duties established in Poland; but were to be subject to the cuftoms of tranfit appertaining to the Republic. By the abovementioned treaty of commerce, and by thefe new regulations, Ruffia took poffeffion of the whole commerce, as before the had done of the whole government of Poland.

By another regulation, the Dukes of Courland were not to be obliged to receive in perfon the inveftiture of that dutchy from the Kings of, Poland; and the Courland nobility were to be exempt from all toll duties throughout the King

dom.

The diet, after two more adjournments, at lengrh finally met; a confiderable body of Ruffian roops attended as ufual, to prevent disorder, and to promote unanimity. The ftates had very little trouble they had nothing to do but to ratify all the articles that had been paffed by the High Commiffion; and as an inftance of the harmony that fubfifted between all the parties, it was agreed, that fuch conclufions as the commiffioners had paffed among themfelves, in their private deliberations, fhould be confirmed and ratified, as well as those which they had paffed jointly with the Ruffian ambaffador. The treaty which the commiffioners had entered into with the ambaffador, as well refpecting the Diffidents, as the ftate in gene

ral, and whatever other matters, was declared to have the force of a law, and was to be confidered as a fundamental and perpetual confti turion. It was then declared that the general confederacy of the ftates, as well as that of the Diffidents, were now at an end, and the deputies made an entry to that purpose in the journals; after which the bufinefs for which it afMarch 5. fembled being now finifhed, the King clofed the diet.

It may perhaps be worth obfervation, that in this complicated treaty, or whatever other name it can be called, which includes at once both public and private, foreign and domeftic affairs; that it was at the request of the commiffioners, and feems to be underftood as a favour, that Prince Repnin gave his confent, that the following words might be inferted in it, viz. " without prejudice to the treaty of Oliva, or that of Carlowits," though the fupport of those treaties was almoft the fole pretence the foreigners could have for intermeddling in the affairs of that country.

The commiffioners had propofed to affign to each of the Grand Marfhals of the two confederacies, the fum of roo,000 florins, in confideration of the great expences they had been at in the discharge of their employs with dignity. This offer was rejected by both the Marfhals, who nobly refufed to accept of any retribution or recompence whatfoever, and declared, that in all their endeavours for the public good, they never had in view to be of charge to the ftate, much lefs to feek any intereft of their own at the expence of their fellow citizens; that they were happy in having

ferved their country to advantage, and fufficiently fatisfied with the fuccefs of their labours. In return for this unexampled patriotifm and difinterestedness, it was refolved to return them thanks in the name of the Republic, and to enter the whole tranfaction in the archives of the kingdom.

It might now appear that the affairs of Poland were fettled upon a fixed and permanent bafis; at leaft it might be imagined, that the prefent regulations would, for fome confiderable time, have fecured its tranquillity. But nothing can be more inexplicable, by the imperfect lights that are afforded at this distance, and which appear only through a doubtful medium, than the late and prefent ftate of affairs, and the conduct of the different parties in that country..

Laft year the whole nation ran into confederacies; all these leffer confederacies were at length fwallowed up, and became parts of two great ones: the general confederacy of the States, and that of the Diffidents and foon after a thorough union and coalition took place between those two. A diet was called, at the defire of all the parties; Prince Radzivil, at whose return home the whole nation kept feftival, prefided in it. The Diffidents were re-inftated in their rights, which was a measure that both the confederacies expreffed their defire of, and made one of the articles of their union. The diet was finally closed, and both the confederacies voluntarily diffolved in the greatest harmony; the Marfhals thoroughly fatisfied, and the refpective parties fo to all appear

ance...

Immediately after this pleafing appearance of quiet and tranquillity, without mention of any intervening act that can account for it, we fee every thing in confufion, and the whole kingdom in a flame. The Diffidents are every where cruelly oppreffed, no mention now in their own immediate defence of any union, or of thofe numerous and powerful confederacies, which they formed laft year upon grounds fo much lefs urgent. Prince Radzivil, who fo lately guided the voice of the whole nation, and feemed to be the only man in it capable of caufing any great revolution, is now no more heard of, feems to have loft both power and popularity, and cannot preferve peace even in his own neighbourhood.

The extraordinary violence of the measures pursued by the Ruffians, particularly the unheard-of outrage of feizing the fenators, and carrying them prifoners out of the country, muft, till we can acquire clearer information of the tranfactions there, be regarded as the primary caufe, as well of those feeming inconfiftencies of conduct, as of all the fucceeding calamities. The apparent authority with which they dictated the fubfequent meafures both of the Diet and the High Commiffion, whofe deliberations, if they can be called fuch, were carried on under the muzzles of their muskets, and whofe conclufions in many things had more the appearance of edicts coming from a Ruffian Governor, than of the refolutions of a Polish Senate, could not fail of producing the highest and most general diffatisfaction.

It