ed a franknefs which feemed natural; his amiable character indicated gaiety added to great vivacity; but with the defire of information he wanted the patience neceffary to gain inftruction.' The emperor's conduct seems to have been dextrous and proper; but the only refult of the meeting was a neutrality, a measure not wholly confiftent with the king's engagements to Ruffia. The war went on with the Turks; and as Ruffia was victorious, the wished to dictate the most humiliating terms. The emprefs evidently wanted an indemnification for the expences of the war; and at this moment, the Auftrians reviving fome dormant claim on a neighbouring diftrict of Poland, fhe took the alarm, and fuggefted to prince Henry of Pruffia, who was then at Petersburg, that if the court of Vienna chofe to difmember Poland, other powers had a right to do the fame. This obfervation, communicated to the king, was not loft; he faw that it was a means of avoiding a general war; for fome districts in Poland would indemnify Ruffia, who would not, in that cafe, alarm Auftria by infifting on Moldavia and Wallachia: Poland could offer to Pruffia the moft tempting bait in the poffeffion of any power; and had territory fufficient to fatisfy Auftria for her loffes in the feven years war, as well as to the Turks at the peace of Belgrade. The question of right was not examined; it was enough to fabricate fome plaufible claims, and to awe the Polish diet with the confederate armies. The partition has been commonly reprefented as the scheme of Pruffia and Auftria: but it appears to have arifen from this apparently hafty expreffion of Ruffia, matured by the abilities, the temper, and addrefs of Frederic. The emperor was prevailed on with some difficulty, not in confequence of disinclination cr confcience, but from his having demanded an exorbitant fhare of the plunder.

• We will not here dwell on the rights of the three powers; a fingular junction of circumstances was neceffary to produce this difmemberment, and that union of interests which was requifite. They were the fole means of avoiding a general war.

Such was the conclufion of fo many negotiations, which required patience, fortitude, and addrefs. Europe was at this time preferved from a general war, which was ready to burst forth. It was difficult to conciliate interests fo oppofite as those of the Auftrians and the Ruffians. To compenfate the Ruffians for the conquents which Austria demanded thould be restored to the Porte, there was no other medium than that of affigning them poffeffions in Poland. The emprefs, queen, set the ex

The fault is chiefly in the author, but the tranflator would have foftened it if he had faid Jumed a franknefs, and perhaps this word would have been as proper.,

ample,

ample, by causing her troops to occupy the lordship of Zips; and, if an equilibrium between the monarchies of the North was in any manner to be maintained, it was requifite the king fhould take part in the dismemberment. This is the first example which history furnishes of a partition fo regulated, and peaceably terminated, between three fovereigns. But for the circumstances under which Europe at that time was, the mott able politicians must have failed in fuch an attempt. All depends on opportunity, and feizing the moment when opportu nity prefents itself."

In the whole of this tranfaction it is difficult to say which are mcft worthy of admiration, the addrefs and facility of the king where any thing was to be gained by conceffion, his boldnefs when it was neceffary to threaten, or his policy in raifing up apparent rivals, and in preventing thofe who were really. fo from proceeding to extremities. The affairs of Sweden. and of Denmark are fhortly mentioned; the revolution in Sweden is faid to have been fuggefted by France; and we think that Frederic feems to believe the guilt of the unfortunate Matilda. The fituation of the northern powers at that time is, in part, a clue to unravel their prefent movements; and the political fyllem of that period is in fome other points a contraft to the plans now apparently in agitation.-But the politician muft always change with circumstances.

Soon after this time Louis XV. died; and the prefent monarch was highly applauded because he was but lately be come a king. The veteran adds with a coolness almost prophetical: truth confines itfelf to fay, that the young monarch chofe the count de Maurepas for his Mentor, who had formerly been prime minifter, and disgraced under Louis XV.' New jealoufies and diftrufts arofe between the two imperial courts; for a treaty was agreed on, though not ratified, between the court of Vienna and the Porte, in which a part of Wallachia and Moldavia were ceded to the former; territories, which it had been the great object of the empress to prevent Ruffia from obtaining by the peace in this manner, the victories of the czarina feemed deftined to add to the luftre of her rival. This treaty alfo difgufted the king, who had been the inftrument of Auftria in rendering the demands of the empress more moderate; for when the afpiring temper of the young emperor was confidered, it was Frederic's intereft to abridge his power. Our fituation was equally doubtful: the ill-conducted war with America is faid to have been undertaken in the fpirit of defpotifm, and likely to involve Europe in a general conteft. The fubfequent events we need not mention: as the political narrative of Frederic ends in

1775, it is unneceffary to add what the memories of our readers will fupply.

At the conclufion of the feven years war, the finances of Pruffia were in the most defperate fituation, and the country almoft ruined.

In order to obtain a clear idea of the general fubversion of the country, and to reprefent to ourfelves the defolation and difcouragement of the people, it is neceffary we fhould imagine countries entirely ravaged, where the traces of former habitations were scarcely difcoverable; towns almost erafed from the earth; others half-confumed by the flames; thirteen thousand houfes no veftige of which remained; fields lying fallow; the inhabitants deftitute of the corn requifite for their fupport; the farmers in want of fixty thoufand horfes for the plough; and a diminution of five hundred thousand inhabitants, fince the year 1756; a very confiderable number in a population of only four millions five hundred thousand. The noble and the peafant had been pillaged, ranfomed, and foraged, by fo many different armies that nothing was left them, except life, and the miferable rags by which their nakednefs was concealed. They had not fufficient credit even to fatisfy the daily wants of nature. There was no longer any police in the towns. To a fpirit of equity and regularity, baie intereft, diforder, and anarchy had fucceeded. The colleges of justice and of finance had been rendered inactive, by the frequent invalions of fuch numerous enemies. The flumber of the laws produced a licentioufnefs of fpirit in the public, and hence avidity, and the defire of rapacious gain, took birth. The noble, the merchant, the farmer, the labourer, the manufacturer, all ftrove who should fet the highest price on their commodities, their provifions, and their industry; and only feemed active to effect their mutual ruin.'

Genius has only to wave its magic wand, and defolation fhall yield to culture, ruin to profperity, and mifery to comfort and happiness. It fortunately happened, the expreffion is faulty:—the king with the most prudent forefight had always provided in advance for the future campaign; and at this time, the forage fed the poor, the artillery-horfes affifted the labour of the husbandman, the treafury furnished prefent fupply, and the flock which was to continue it, when aided by the exertions of the farmer. In this way, twelve years had fcarcely paffed away, when Pruffia arofe from its afhes, renovated, and improved :-in this fhort space, the king effected more than had been done in an age, partly under the administration of the great elector, fubfequent to the thirty years war. To detail the particular conduct is impracticable without tranfcribing the whole chapter, and it is almoft ufelefs, fince every part of his plans have formerly been explained in other

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other works. The king fhortly mentions his own fyftem of excife and finance, but does not aim at defending fome of its most exceptionable parts.

The new regulations of the army are not lefs minute and important: the king, taught by the eventful history of the late war, by its misfortunes and fuccefs, feems to have examined every part of this vaft complicated machine, and to have brought its minutest portions to that perfection, so as to form one vaft whole. No member was superfluous or useless ; none was employed whofe defignation was not clear and fpecific, whofe action and connexion were not appropriated and well adapted. He owns, however, that this was not effected in feven years, and that it was only in 1770 that the army could be brought with fafety and fuccefs into the field. His obfervations on employing only men of rank and nobility as officers, may appear contracted and prejudiced; but the high fenfe of honour among the German nobility fhould be confidered. The man of rank and family who fhould act difhonourably, the king remarks, would be refufed admiffion into his father's houfe: the artifan, in fimilar circumftances, might return to his bufinefs without difgrace.

After this recapitulation of the political ftate, the finances, and the military power of Pruffia, it feemed to be the king's intention to have refigned his province of historian; but the Bavarian war claimed his attention; and the fourth chapter, containing the moft important events which happened from the year 1774 to the year 1778,' is apparently, though not profeffedly, an introduction to it. This is more obvious from the king's having gone back occafionally to his former ground, in order to explain more fully fome circumstances neceffary to be told previous to his account of the war. France was at this time under the direction of the new Mentor, the count de Maurepas, and our court was immersed in the unfortunate attempt of fubjugating America. The king cannot conceal his indignation at the folly of the defign, and the inadequacy of the attempts to effect it: remembering the former affronts, he traces all to the system, at least introduced by, if not to the immediate exertions of, the earl of Bute; and afterwards examining the connections of England with the different courts of Europe, he remarks, that he was generally abandoned and avoided in confequence of her own misconduct.' Ruffia was exhausted by the war with the Turks, and the petty warfare which continued in the Crimea even after the peace. Poland complained of incroachments beyond the plundered provinces, and the king, affifted by prince Henry, whofe conduct appears to have been that of a difcreet intelligent po

litician

litician, was with difficulty able to keep Ruffia from interfering in fupport of the Poles, whom the protected, and indeed governed. The court of Vienna was at this time the hot-bed of Europe for projects and intrigues;' and the ambition of the emperor for conquests outftripped even the eager. nefs of prince Kaunitz for negociation, or his pride of being the dictator of Europe. The vifit of Jofeph to France not only fuggefted ambitious views of extending his dominions, but even the vain hope of uniting Germany under one monarch. The conduct of France tended to a rupture with England; and other powers, even those whose weakness readered them incapable of lifting their hands, seemed restlefs and uneafy. The king only, who had avoided giving offence, appeared in fafety, except from the ambition of the emperor, which had broken out intemperately on Frederic's being attacked by the gout; for long experience had taught him (he tells us in another place) that a multitude of enemies are found in the world, and that we ought not in fport to raise up foes.' The enmity of France had fubfided into a cool referve; and indeed her connections with Austria would not admit of any particular or more intimate alliance."

In this fituation the elector of Bavaria died suddenly, and the court of Vienna immediately marched fome troops to feize on the electorate, having made an hafty bargain either by means of bribes or threats, with the elector Palatine. The circle of Bavaria, important in itself, and giving too great a preponderance to the former feeble power of the emperor in Germany, was more fo in its fituation: it was a gallery to Alface and Lorrain; it connected the emperor's dominions with the Low Countries; and would be a confiderable affiftance to his fu ture defigns in Italy.' The king was only remotely interested in this event, as it would raife the imperial houfe above that of Brandenburg; but the ambitious views of the emperor were so pointed and glaring, that even in his life-time the ftorm might have burst on his own head. It was neceffary, however, to have some pretenfions to oppofe, and he procured the application of the duke de Deux Ponts (the candidate, it is faid, at this this juncture, for the imperial honours), who was next in fucceffion to the elector Palatine; and of the elector of Saxony, who posfeffed fome allodial claims on Bavaria fubfequent to the life of the prefent elector. He appeared therefore as the defender of the rights of the Germanic body, and the protector of the oppreffed who had applied to him for fupport. Two armies were of courfe affembled, and a correfpondence commenced between the young emperor and the veteran foldier. It was conducted with fingular addrefs on both fides: each kept his

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own