The good understanding of the Ruffian and Ottoman empires had recently fuffered great interruption, in confequence of the oppofition of interefts involved in the election of a Khan of the Tartars, with refpect to which neither power, agreeably to the terms of the late peace, had a right to interfere. An explanatory agreement at length took place, by which the Khan Sahim Guerai, elected through the influence of Ruffia, was acknowledged as lawful Khan of the Crimea by the Turkish government. In the year 1782, neverthelefs, thefe difturbances were revived, and the Czarina entered into an alliance, offenfive and defenfive, with the emperor, in the evident expectation of an immediate war with the porte. And haughty memorials were delivered by the ambaffadors of both the imperial courts at Conftantinople, infifting that the Ottoman court should not henceforth interpose in the affairs of the Crimea; nor encroach upon the prerogatives of the princes of Moldavia and Walachia; nor oppofe the free navigation of the Euxine. Soon after this the Khan of the Tartars, in conformity doubtless to the pre-concerted plan of the imperial courts, fignified his refolution to refign his crown into the hands of the Czarina. After fome affected hefitation, her imperial majefty declared by a public manifefto, dated April 1783, her acceptance of this refignation, and her determination to take once for all the peninfula of the Crimea, together with the island of Taman, and the province of Cuban Tartary, on the other fide of the ftraits of Caffa, extending to Circaffia, under her own immediate adminiftration. The court of Conftantinople, roused by this new and unexpected attack, replied to the Ruffian manifefto with unufual animation and energy." What pretenfions of right (fay they) can her imperial majefty have to territories annexed for ages to the dominion of the porte? would fuch claims on any part of the Ruffian empire not be inftantly refifted? refifted? And can it be prefumed that the fublime porte, however defirous of peace, will acquiefce in what ambition may term policy, but juftice and equity would deem ufurpation? What chriftian power has the porte offended? Whofe territories have the Ottoman troops invaded? In the country of what prince is the Turkish ftandard difplayed? Content with the boundaries of empire affigned her by GoD and his prophet, the wishes of the porte are for peace; but if the court of Ruffia be determined in her claims, the fublime porte, appealing to the world for the justice of her proceedings, muft prepare for war, relying on the decrees of heaven, and confident of the interpofition of the prophet of prophets, who will protect his faithful fervants in the hour of every difficulty." The Ruffian court however appeared no less refolute to maintain and fubftantiate, than that of Conftantinople to refist her claims; and prince Potemkin, a nobleman of great influence and authority at the court of Petersburg, was delegated to take poffeffion of the countries in queftion, in the name of the emprefs. A war now therefore appeared inevitable; but happily for the interefts of humanity, the two leading kingdoms of Europe were at this period governed by wife and beneficent minifters, who fincerely wished to fecure to mankind the ineftimable bleffings of univerfal peace. From motives which reflected the highest honor on thofe celebrated ftatesmen, the comte de Vergennes and Mr. Fox offered the mediation of their respective sovereigns to effect an accommodation : and the porte perceiving itself in a manner abandoned by France her antient ally, and wholly unable to contend against that tide of adverfe fortune which threatened to overwhelm the empire of the Ottomans in final and remedilefs ruin, at length reluctantly affented to the ceffion of the provinces actually in the poffeffion of Ruffia, and a treaty or convention to this purport was figned in the month of January, 1784. Thus Thus did the court of Petersburgh, with no expence of blood or treafure, acquire an invaluable addition of territory, affording an unbounded scope for the aggrandizement of her commercial and maritime power; and which extended the limits of her empire from the frozen fea of Archangel to the utmoft fhores of the Euxine. A new city, called Cherfon, had been already founded by the emprefs in the centre of her Turkish conquefts, destined probably, at fome future period, to become the emporium of wealth and the feat of power. The former defignations of the ceded countries were now by the imperial mandate abolished. Those barbarous names fo offenfive to claffic faftidiousness were no longer heard, and the antient appellations, after the lapfe of a thousand years, reftored. The Crimea became the Taurica-Actiar was changed to Sebaftopolis-Caffa was loft in Theodofiaand the Bog was happily fuperfeded by the Hypanis. The political state of the remaining countries of Europe either requires no diftinct animadverfion, or would lead to difcuffions not within the limits of the present history. It may however be tranfiently remarked, that an event very little to be lamented took place February 1777, in the death of Don Jofeph I. king of Portugal. His reign was marked in the records of hiftory only by weakness and calamity; it was deeply stained with domestic blood, and rendered deteftable by worse than Dionyfian devices of cruelty. The earthquake of 1755 had laid his capital in ruins, and shook the kingdom in a political as well as phyfical fenfe to its centre. The confpiracy of 1757 awakened all the malignity of ceafeless fufpicion, and filled the dungeons of the ftate with the moft virtuous of her citizens. Saved from ruin in the enfuing war with Spain by the interpofition of England, this monarch could not forget nor forgive the magnitude of the obligation; and the commerce of the British merchants, under the ar bitrary bitrary and capricious conduct of the marquis de Pombal, his favorite minifter, fuffered under continual oppreflion.. He was fucceeded by his eldest daughter, Donna Ifabella, married by virtue of a papal difpenfation to Don Pedro, brother to the late king. At her acceffion the. prifon doors were thrown open, and eight hundred perfons were fet at liberty; but these were faid to bear a very fmall proportion to the numbers who had perished in those regions of darkness and defpair, under the fufferings and horrors of their confinement. Pursuant to the intimation of the concluding fpeech of the last feffion, the parliament of Great Britain was convened at an early period of the winter, November 11, 1783; and his majesty stated, as a principal object of their confideration, the fituation of the Eaft India Company.. "The utmost exertions of their wisdom (he faid) would be required to maintain and improve the valuable advantages derived from our India poffeffions, and to promote and fecure the happiness of the native inhabitants of thofe provinces." The addrefs paffed without oppofition. Mr. Pitt in his fpeech on this occafion warned the minifters, "that as to the affairs of India, it would not be enough to attempt measures of palliation, and of a temporary nature; that would only increase the danger by removing it to a dif tance and he expreffed his furprife that this important bufinefs had been fo long poftponed." Mr. Fox well pleafed at this language, acknowledged "that the ftate of India was fuch as would ill-brook de, lay in their deliberations, and he was happy to give notice that on that day fe'enight he fhould be prepared to make a motion relative to India.” On the 18th of November, accordingly, Mr. Fox moved for leave to bring in a bill for vefting the affairs of the East India Company in the hands of certain commiffioners, for the benefit of the proprietary and the pub lic. lic. The plan propofed by Mr. Fox was marked with all the characteristics of his ardent and daring mind. The total derangement of the finances of the company, and their utter incompetency to govern the vaft territories of which they had, by very questionable means, obtained the poffeffion, was too evident to admit of contradiction. The evil was notorious; the only difficulty was to devife an adequate remedy. This famous bill propofed no less than to take from the directors and proprietors the entire administration, not of their territorial merely, but of their commercial affairs, and to veft the management and direction of them in the hands of feven commiffioners named in the bill, and irremovable by the crown, except in confequence of an addrefs of either houfe of parliament. Thefe were earl Fitzwilliam, prefident of the board; vifcount Lewisham, eldest son to the earl of Dartmouth; the right honorable Frederic Montague, the honorable George Auguftus North; fir Gilbert Elliot, fir Henry Fletcher, baronets; and Robert Gregory, efq, who, it could not fail to be remarked, were divided upon the model and in the fame proportion as the members of the cabinet.These commiffioners were to be affifted by a fubordinate board of nine directors to be named in the firft inftance by parliament, and afterwards chofen by the proprietors. And the bill empowered thefe commiffioners and directors immediately to enter into poffeffion of all lands, tenements, books records, veffels, goods, merchandize, and fecurities, in truft for the company, This act, by which the charter of the company was entirely fuperfeded, was to continue in force four years, that is, till the year after the next general election ;—and it was accompanied by a fecond bill, enacting very excellent, wife, and equitable regulations for the future government of the British territories in Hindoftan. The aftoaifhment excited by the difclosure of this plan was very great; and while |
