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taken to their parliament, would not permit them to plead before the commission appointed to supersede it. For this contumacy they were punished by a command that their names should be included in the list of drafts for the militia; and those on whom the lot fell were obliged to join their battalions, and the rest to act as the city guard. The tragical end of Count Lally, the late French commander in the East Indies, was another subject of public interest in France. This unfortunate man was tried before the parliament of Paris, after three years' imprisonment for his misconduct in India, to which the ruin of the French affairs was attributed. He was capitally condemned, and was executed three days after, being gagged at the place of execution. Though a man who had always acted under the influence of pride and passion, which had led him to violent and imprudent measures, he was by many regarded as a victim to party and private enmity.

Madrid was in this year the theatre of commotions more serious and daring than could have been expected under an arbitrary government. The King, whose French education and long residence in Italy had alienated him from Spanish manners, and given him a prepossession for foreigners, had brought with him to the crown of Spain a number of Italian favourites, and had given his confidence to the Marquis of Squillaci, whom he had made his prime-minister. Being persuaded to undertake the arduous task of new modelling his nation, he published a severe edict against the wearing of flapped hats and long cloaks, the favourite costume of the Spaniards. A young gentleman, on March 23d, appearing near the palace in the prohibited dress, was stopt by a centinel, and drawing his sword, upon giving a signal, a number of people assembled to his assistance. They were fired upon by the Walloon guard, and several were killed. On the following day, they re-assembled in great numbers, attacked and overpowered the guard, and then proceeding to the house of Squillaci, entirely demolished it, and pursued the Marquis himself, who had fled for safety. The riot on the next day took the

form of a regular insurrection. A very numerous body went to the royal palace and demanded to see the King, who at length appeared in a balcony. The insurgents required of him to dismiss his Italian ministers, to repeal all the late obnoxious edicts, and to promise a full amnesty on account of what had taken place. His Majesty found it expedient to comply with these conditions, on which the rioters dispersed, and Madrid became entirely tranquil. On the next day, however, the King withdrawing with his guards to Aranjuez, the populace became more furious than ever; and, placing a guard round the city to prevent any one from leaving it, sent a deputation to Aranjuez to complain of the King's suspicion of their fidelity, and to request his return. He declined this proposal, but granted a general pardon, and promised to send away Squillaci and his family. That minister accordingly set out under a strong escort for Carthagena, whence he embarked for Naples. Mutinies afterwards took place in other cities of Spain; but the general result appears to have been a reflux of loyalty, and the King, after an absence of eight months, returned to Madrid, where he was received with general acclamations.

In Poland, religious bigotry was in this year the cause of dissensions highly dangerous to the internal tranquillity of that ill-constituted state. The dissidents of the kingdom, under which name are included all the separatists from the Roman Catholic church, having undergone many oppressions, applied to the courts of Petersburg, Berlin, Great Britain, and Denmark, as guarantees of the treaty of Oliva, to employ their mediation with the King and republic of Poland in their favour. The treaty in question had secured to the dis sidents the free exercise of their public worship, and the continuance of such privileges as they had before possessed; but, during the variety of changes which had occurred in the Polish government since that period, the predominant party had framed several constitutions by which the privileges of the dissidents were much abridged. The mediating powers, in consequence of

this application, presented memorials in which a recurrence to the spirit of the treaty of Oliva was strongly urged; whilst, on the other hand, the Polish majority insisted upon the observance of their laws, of which the above-mentioned constitutions were now a part. On the opening of the diet on September 1st, the Bishop of Cracow, after declaring that, by the laws of the kingdom, not even the toleration of their worship could be granted to the dissidents, and that they had violated the laws by applying to foreign powers for protection, read the plan of a law to preclude the concession to them of any privileges which they did not now possess; and asking whether it would be agreed to by the two chambers, he was answered by a general acclamation. In the mean time, a body of Russian troops advanced towards Warsaw, and the mediating powers renewed their declarations in favour of the dissidents. A strong memorial was delivered to Prince Repnin, the Russian ambassador, against the entrance of the troops; and the diet, in great heat, demanded that the Bishop of Cracow's proposal should be signed. Tumultuary proceedings followed, during which the King and the Prince primate retired from the diet; and at length the Bishop's plan was again read, approved, and signed. On the last day of sitting, November 29th, the diet seemed to have recovered a degree of calmness, and a resolution was passed, assuring in respectful terms the ministers of the mediating powers that the dissidents would be maintained in all the rights and prerogatives to which they were legally entitled. On the same day the episcopal college signed nine articles, by which the dissidents were allowed the free exercise of their worship in all the places where they had been permitted to erect churches, and in their own houses where there were none; but were however laid under various restrictions denoting a very imperfect toleration.

In Sweden, the public peace was for a short time disturbed by an insurrection of some peasants, in resentment of the exclusion of one of their members elected to the diet. It was presently quelled with no other loss

of lives than the execution of some of the ringleaders. The Swedish diet made a number of economical regulations for relieving the financial difficulties of the

country.

On January 14th, died Frederic V., King of Denmark, in his 43d year, greatly regretted by his people. He was succeeded by his son Christian VII., who being already affianced to the Princess Caroline Matilda, sister of the King of Great Britain, the marriage was celebrated by proxy at St. James's on October 1st. The nuptials took place in Denmark on November 8th. The Prince of Orange having arrived at the proper age, assumed, on March 8th, the administration of the United Provinces, as perpetual Stadtholder, amidst general rejoicings.

56

A. D. 1767.

YEAR OF GEORGE III. 8 & 9.

PARLIAMENT 6 & 7.

Land-tax reduced.-Conduct of the Assembly of New York. - Transactions between the East India Company and Government.— Indirect Taxation of the American Colonies, and consequent Discontents.Divisions in the Cabinet, and Alterations in the Ministry. Death of the Duke of York.- Expulsion of the Jesuits from Spain, France, and Naples. Confederacies in Poland. - Marriage of the Stadtholder.- Success of the Corsicans. - War between the East India Company and Hyder Ally.

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Ir had been customary, after the termination of a war, to withdraw any addition made to the land-tax in support of it, and reduce the tax to its established rate; but, since the last peace, it had been left at four shillings in the pound, that there might be no necessity of laying imposts which would aggravate the burdens pressing upon the lower classes. The country gentlemen, however, becoming impatient of this innovation, a strong effort was made early in the Session of Parlia ment to revive the former usage; and a bill for reducing the land-tax from four to three shillings in the pound passed by a considerable majority, in opposition to the ministry; a defeat which was supposed to bode ill for their durability.

A discontented spirit still prevailing in the North American colonies, the assembly of New York had taken upon them to set aside the provisions of an Act of Parliament for supplying the troops in barracks with necessaries, and to substitute regulations of their own. When this circumstance was reported to Parliament, it gave rise to rise to many debates, and measures of rigour were proposed by some of the members. The ministers, however, took the more lenient but decisive mode of in

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