CHAP. 1774. Continental affairs. CHAP. XIII. Continental affairs.-Progrefs and conclufion of the war between Ruffia and Turkey-terms of peace-motives of Catharine.-Poland.-Views of Pruffia and Auftria.—France. -Death of Louis XV.—character,—tool of his favourites, he did not difcern the commencing changes of public opinion.Promifing beginnings of Louis XVI.-Spain deprives the inquifition of its moft terrible powers.-America.-Effects of the Boston port bill-ferment through the provinces— communicates to other colonies.—Refolutions of the provincial affemblies-general concert propofed-folemn league and covenant.—A general congress meets at Philadelphia—approves of the conduct of Massachusets, and promises support— declares principles and objects of association.—Declaration of rights-of grievances, and propofed redress.-Petition to the king.—Address to the people of Britain.-Of Canada.-Remonftrance to general Gage.-Address to the colonies.— Meeting breaks up.-General spirit of the colonial proceedings. -Military preparations.-Maffachufets Bay the great hinge of peace and war-contention with the governor-forms a provincial congrels, which affumes the fupreme power. אן N continental Europe, the Ruffians and Turks ftill continuing their bloody war, occupied the chief attention of their neighbours. Vigorous preparations were made on both fides; Catharine, from the fuperiority which fhe had manifested during the greater part of the war, expected that fuccefs muft ultimately attend her armies when powerfully reinforced; while the Turks, elated with the advantage of the preceding campaign, and farther encouraged XIII. 1774. Progrefe and conclufion of the war between Ruffia and Turkey. by the fuccefs of the rebellion in the eastern and CHAP. fouthern provinces of Ruffia under Pugatcheff, hoped by military exertions to regain what they had loft. The Porte excited the Tartars to join the Ruffian rebels, in order to increase the disturbances of Ruffia on that fide, while the Turkish force fhould be concentrated against their main army on the Danube. In the beginning of this year, the death of the emperor Muftapha produced a change in the difpofition and conduct of the army. Confidering his fon Selim, then in the thirteenth year of his age, as too young to fuftain the reins of government in fo critical a fituation of affairs, he appointed his brother Abdulhamet to fucceed him on the throne. Some of the Janizaries were diffatisfied with the fucceffion of the late fultan's brother, wishing Selim to be placed immediately on his father's throne; and, as these troops influenced the whole Turkish army, their diffenfions created parties among the rest of the forces. A very great army, however, was levied, confifting (when they arrived at the Danube) of two hundred thousand men. Marshal Romanzow was posted on the other fide of the river with about eighty thousand foldiers. After a confiderable oppofition, Romanzow croffed the river, and Bulgaria again became the scene of war. A fevere engagement took place between general Satioff at the head of a detachment of Ruffians, and a body of Turks, in which the former with much difficulty kept the field. On the 20th of June, generals Kaminfhi and Suwarrow encountered the Reis Effendi, who was at the head of forty thousand men ; but both the cavalry and infantry XIII. 1774. CHAP. of the Turks deferted their colours and camp, with out striking a blow. From this time the Ottomans were in every quarter feized with a difmay that made them abfolutely refufe to face the enemy; and, in fine, they mutinied against their own leaders. They plundered the baggage, robbed and murdered their officers, difbanded themselves, and pillaged their own country all the way to Conftantinople. The grand camp under the vizier was deserted, and his immenfe army crumbled away to an inconfiderable number. Marshal Romanzoff, not failing to take advantage of this dreadful fituation of the enemy, cut off all communication between them, their magazines, and the capital. The Turkish leaders had now no alternative, but to fue for peace on fuch terms as the conqueror fhould dictate. The conditions were, the ceffion of Afoph, Kinbrun, and Janikala, to the Ruffians; the free navigation of the Propontis, Euxine, and Archipelago; the independence of the Crimea ; and the fum of 4,500,000 rubles, as an indemnification for the expence of the war. So moderate were these terms, that they were little more than what Ruffia had demanded while the Turkish armies were entire. Did we confider Ruffia merely in relation to her enemy, we might be surprised that she did not impose harder conditions on a foe that had given her great disturbance, had actually been the aggreffor, and was now at her mercy; but, on viewing her fituation, both internally and relatively to other powers, we must be convinced that fhe was guided by found policy. Terms of peace. * At 4s. 6d. There XIII. 1774 Catharine There were two powerful parties at the court of Pe- CHAP tersburg, one headed by count Panin, and the other by count Orloff: the former had recommended peace on moderate terms; the latter, the continuance of the war, unless the enemy yielded to the conditions which Ruffia chose to dictate. Catharine, Motives of who found it her interest to observe a neutrality between the two parties, both of which fhe knew to be zealously attached to her own government, had now an opportunity of gratifying them both; the one by concluding peace, the other by impofing the The rebel Pugatcheff, a man of great abilities, intrepid courage, and rapid enterprize, was becoming daily more formidable. Her treasure terms. was nearly exhaufted by the expences of the war, and the improvement of her extenfive dominions was greatly interrupted. The Poles were in many Poland. places in a state of infurrection, especially in her part of the divided territories; and combinations were forming for a more general affertion of their rights. Auftria, although, fhe agreed in the parti- Auftria. tion of Poland, was not by her recent fhare of fpoils lulled to a forgetfulness of the dangers which might accrue to her from her partners in the plunder. She still regarded with the most vigilant jealoufy the progrefs of the Ruffian arms fo near her frontiers. The king of Pruffia himself, closely con- Pruffia, nected as he was with the Czarina, by no means defired her aggrandizement where he could not come in for a fhare of the acceffion. The more fouthern powers fhe well knew to be very much inclined to oppose her and her advances; her ally, Great Britain, was fully occupied with her own XIII 1774. CHA P. internal and colonial affairs. For all these reasons, it was the interest of Catharine to conclude a peace on the terms which fhe proposed; and fhe foon reaped the advantage of her policy, by being enabled to vanquish the Polish infurgents, to crush inteftine revolt, and bestow a lefs divided attention on improving her immenfe dominions in various constituents of national profperity. France. Death of Louis XV. Character, In France, an event took place this year, which caused a great change in the internal policy of that country. On the 10th of May, Louis XV. died, in the fixty-fifth year of his age, and the fifty-ninth of his reign. This king, who poffeffed very moderate talents, was educated in the ignorance so general among arbitrary princes in long-established governments, where little perfonal effort is neceffary to maintain a flavery confirmed by prescription, and in that luxury which had fo long prevailed at the court of France. Of a pleafing figure, he acquired those exterior accomplishments and light graces which the joint vivacity and frivolity of fashionable France were fo well fitted for bestowing. He was in one sense a man of good difpofitions, for he was mild and compaffionate, unless driven to be other. wife by the impulfe of his counsellors. He did not exercife tyranny from inclination and choice, but often permitted it from imbecility. Having neither vigour of understanding nor firmness of mind for governing himself, he was through life the pupil of others. Always in a state of intellectual minority, the administration of his affairs was wife or foolish, good or bad, according to the character of those who happened to be his guardians. Thus, during the |