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nation. He pretended to be infpired by heavenly vifions, which he affirmed were then prefent to him. He also complained of the power of witchcraft, with which he faid he was tormented. On this account, he could not take his trial; but is committed to clofe cuftody till he either recovers, or is configned to a permanent place of safety.

FORTUNE,

A gentleman lately having occafion to call in the neighbourhood of Cavendifh-fquare, took coach; on being asked by the coachman what he deemed an unreasonable fare, he flew into a paffion, and, by an involuntary act, drew out of his waistcoat pocket a bit of paper, which after having twifted about his finger, he threw into the kennel, fwearing he would not give him the value of that bit of paper more than the ufual fare. On his return home, he miffed a bank note of confiderable value, which he recollected having put into his waistcoat pocket; on mentioning the matter to his. fervant, he called to mind the above circumftance, and, on going to the place, actually found the note in the kennel where he had thrown it.

SHIPWRECK.

The Middlefex East Indiaman, juft arrived from China, brings the melancholy news of the lofs of his majesty's fhip Guardian, of forty-four guns, on her voyage to Botany Bay. She ftruck on an ifland of ice on the 23d of December laft, in latitude 44 fouth, and longitude 41 eat of London; and although every exertion was used on the part of the officers and feamen to fave the fhip, it was found impracticable. On Christmas-day four boats, containing the greatest part of the crew, left the fhip; but the commander, captain Riou, rejected the entreaties of the reft of the officers, and insisted on remaining on board to the last moment. It is feared, that this gallant man has fallen a facrifice to too nice a fenfe of his duty. One of the four boats, in which were the Rev. Mr. Crowther, the chaplain; Mr. Richard Farquharton, the purfer; Mr. Thomas Clements, the

mafter; Mr. Wadman, master's mate Mr. Sommerville, the gunner; M: Trimlett, one of the midshipmen, and fix feamen, ten days after the left the Guardian, providentially met with a French merchantman, eighty leagues from Cape Natal, who carried them into the Cape of Good Hope; from whence they were conveyed to St. Helena in a French frigate called the Driade. There is great reafon to fear the other three boats were loft, as they have not fince been heard of.

The lofs of the Guardian is of the higheft detriment to the settlement at Botany Bay, as almoft their existence depended on the arrival of this hip, which had on board all the ftores, cattle, provifions, and plants, intended for the relief of that place. It is fuppofed, that only about thirteen out of near three hundred, were faved of this unfortunate crew. Among those loft, was Mr. Pitt, only fon of lord Camelford.

ACCIDENT.

A letter received from on board the General Goddard, at Diamond Har bour, dated 6th November 1789, has the following particulars. The tygers have been numerous about the thores here for feveral days paft; and much mifchief is to be apprehended from them: one of the men belonging to our fhip was very near being killed yesterday noon, by one of these ani mals. A boat was difpatched with a fufficient number of men on board to get wood; and while the people were working on fhore, one of them was feized by a tyger, fo very ferocious, that he carried off the back part of the poor man's head and neck in an inftant, befides making feveral large wounds in his body with his teeth and claws: and it is expected that he cannot furvive this dreadful misfortune. When the tyger was running off with this unfortunate man, he ftretched out his hand, and laid hold of a tree, which he held faft, while his companions fired at him; on which he immediately quitted his prey: they were no fooner got into the boat, than two other tygers ap peared.

A

GENERAL HISTORY

OF THE IMPORTANT

National Occurrences of the Year 1789.

INCLUDING, PARTICULARLY,

A DETAIL OF THE FRENCH REVOLUTION.

Written purpofely for this Wcik, by a great literary Character,

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which skirt the dominions of the emperor, have long been regarded by that monarch, as an enviable object of acquifition, both from the augmentation of revenue which they would neceffarily produce, and from the effectual barrier which their towns and forts would afford against the dangerous incurfions of fuch formidable neighbours. The em-. prefs, alfo, experienced an equal anxiety, not only to fecure to herfelf the quiet poffeffion of the Crimea, the refignation of which fhe obtained at her last peace with the Turks, but to acquire a farther extenfion of domain, on the fide of Tartary. This inordinate defire of the haughty "Catharine to extend her territories, by means fo fatal to population, when her kingdom affords fuch a fcanty fupply of inhabitants, must be confidered as the ne plus ultra of political madnefs: but ambition, like avarice, is infatiate ;-its eagerness to accumulate, increafes in proportion to the magnitude of its poffeffions.

The efforts of thefe united powers, during the campaign of eighty-eight, were greatly inadequate to the expence of equipment. The Turks, with a greater portion of fuccefs, indeed, than the vigour of their exertions

entitled

entitled them to expect, impeded the
progrefs of the Imperial arms; the
emperor was foiled in all his at
tempts; and the campaign must have
proved equally pregnant with lofs
and dishonour, but for the inter-
vention of one fortunate occurrence,
folely to be ascribed to chance: we
mean, the capture of Oczakow, on
the feventeenth of December, occa-
fioned by the fall of a bomb on the
powder magazine, which caufed fuch
an explofion as effected a practicable
breach in the walls, and gave the
befiegers an opportunity, they had
long fought for in vain, to take the
place by affault. This event was
the more important, as it expofed the
Euxine to the naval power of Ruffia,
which the Ottoman fleet was wholly
unable to oppose. For though the
ignorance of the Turks has, in many
refpects, been greatly exaggerated,
as well by the baron de Tott, as by
M. Savary; proofs of which have
been exhibited by M. de Peyffonel
and the abbé Toderini; yet their
ignorance of military and naval
tactics, is a matter of fuch notoriety
as not to admit of a doubt. Father
Bofcovich tells us, that in fome voy-
ages which he made in Ottoman vef-
fels, in the year one thousand seven
hundred and feventy-two, he per-
ceived the most incredible faults in
their navigation; which occafioned
the annual lofs of feveral hundreds
of fhips in the Black Sea; and the
baron de Tott remarks, that many
of the Turks were, during his refi-
dence among them, even ignorant
of the ufe of ballaft. An academy,
indeed, for navigation, called Mu-
hendis Khane, or the Chamber of
Geometry, was inftituted in the year
one thousand seven hundred and fe-
venty-three, by Gafi Affam, high
admiral, under the aufpices of the
fultan Mustapha the Third, and af-
fifted by M. de Tott; and another
academy was erected for experimen-
tal navigation, in the year one thou-

fand feven hundred and eighty-four, by the grand vizier, Hamid Chalib Pacha, aided by two French engi neers; which still continues to flourifh. But the Turks have not yet derived fufficient knowledge, from these wife inftitutions, to difplay any visible symptoms of improvement in nautical affairs.

Such was the relative fituation of the belligerent powers at the commencement of the prefent year: during the winter, the most formidable preparations were made on all fides for renewing the conteft with additional vigour; the army of Ruffia was defigned to be augmented to five hundred thousand men; that of the emperor amounted to near two-thirds of the number; the Turks received an immenfe acceffion of force from the inexhaustible hordes of Afia; and Sweden-their only ally-exerted her utmost faculties, to render her alliance effectual.

Thus prepared, it was natural to fuppofe the enfuing campaign would be obftinate and bloody at leaft, if not decifive; and the eyes of all Europe were fixed on that theatre of war, in which more than a million of men were expected to be employed. The Turks had ever difplayed a pertinacity of courage, which had sometimes fupplied the place of military skill, and had always rendered them formidable adverfaries;while the fuperior difcipline of the German troops, infpired them with that confidence, which is fo effential to the attainment of victory. The Ruffians, daring and robuft, inured by the rigours of their native climate, to the patient endurance of hardships, which the troops of the fouth are unable to fupport, regarded their Afiatic foes with a degree of contempt, which, though fometimes dangerous, is generally beneficial: and the king of Sweden prepared to animate his foldiers to uncommon exertion, as well by the force of exhortation, as the

more

more powerful influence of example.

But though the Turks, thus enforced, feemed better able to refift the attacks of the enemy, than in the preceding campaign, all their efforts were to ill-directed, or fo feebly urged, that the progrefs of the Imperial army has been every where rapid and fuccefsful. This relaxation of vigour and judgment appears, too, the more extraordinary, as the death of the grand fignior made way for the fucceffion of a youthful fultan, who, eager to retrieve the credit, and fupport the power, of the nation, breathed no thing but war, and exerted his utmott endeavours to infpire his troops with the fame fpirit of enthufiafin as glows within his own bofom.

After the capture of Oczakow, the Ruffians opened the campaign, by defeating a body of the enemy at Galacz, from whence they proceeded to take poffeffion of the left fhore of the Danube, as far as the mouth of that river. The fubfequent oppofition they experienced, was trifling; town after town furrendered; and, till the fiege of Bender, they appeared rather as an army of allies paffing unmolested through a friendly territory, than as a body of hotfile troops marching through an enemy's country. At length, that important fortrefs was taken, and its capture was fucceeded by the fall of Akerman; two events of the highest confequence to their future operations.

The emperor, in the mean time, difplayed equal activity, and met with equal fuccefs. Though we do not incline to believe all the wonderful accounts of the foreign gazettes, which relate that battles wellcontefted, and maintained with vi gour for many hours, have been won with little or no lofs, yet the event fufficiently juftifies the claim of victory, and proves that the Germans

defeated the Turks in almost every engagement. The moft diftinguifhed and the most important action of the whole campaign, was the capture of Belgrade, which facilitated the entrance of the Imperial troops. on the dominions of the enemy, and fecured them a retreat in cafe of difafter. To this was owing the fubfequent conquests of Bucharest, Gladova, and the whole diftrict of Servia, as far as Orfova; the fiege of which, fince converted into a blockade, has closed the campaign.

No action occurred worthy of notice between the Ruffians and Swedes; the campaign being trifled away in fkirmishes by fea and land, neither conducted with fpirit, juagment, nor decifion.

But while the Imperial allies were purfuing their conquefts with fuch aftonifhing rapidity, the jealousy of different powers was naturally excited by thofe fymptoms of inordinate ambition, which feemed to increafe in proportion to the progress of their arms. The neighbouring potentates began to entertain apprehenfions, not more ferious than just; and the Pruffian monarch was the first to determine on a steady, though as yet imperceptible, oppofition to thofe encroachments, which, by threatening deftruction to the balance of power, feemed calculated to fubvert, by degrees, the liberties of Europe. For the more effectual promotion of his fchemes, evidently founded on the foundest principles of a liberal policy, he perceived the neceffity of fecuring fome powerful allies, who' might guard him from the attacks of any potentate, who fhould incline to fecond the ambitious projects of the Imperialists. With this view, he wifely fixed on Great Britain and Holland, as the best able, both from force and fituation, to af ford him the requifite protection; and a triple alliance was, in confę

0 2

quence,

quence, concluded between the three powers; whofe united arms, fupported by Sweden and the Porte, may boldly bid defiance to all the reft of Europe. But as thefe ftares were at a confiderable distance from his dominions, he judged it prudent to ftrengthen the alliance by the acceffion of a fourth power, fo fituated as to be able, in cafe of emergency, to afford him immediate affiftance: that power was Poland; a kingdom, the inftability of whofe government, which united all the evils of an elective monarchy with thofe of an overbearing aristocracy, has continually produced inteftine divifions, and enticed the encroachments of foreign potentates.

The late king of Pruffia, Frederic the Second, obferved, that Poland was a perpetual anarchy, in which the great families, divided by feparate and oppofite interefts, facrificed the public good to their private and felfifh views, never uniting but in the cruel oppreffion of their fubjects, whom they treated rather as beafts of burden, than as human beings. The Poles, faid the royal author, are vain, haughty in profperity, abject and cringing in adverfity. They will fuffer nothing to operate as an obftacle to their accumulation of wealth, which, when acquired, they will lavish with a puerile prodigality: Frivolous, and deftitute of folid judgment, they are always ready to adopt a party with precipitation, and to abandon it without reafon or reflection; and by this inconfiftency of conduct, they involve themselves in the most diftreffing embarraff ments. They have laws; but, for want of coercive juftice, they are inadequate to command either refpect or 'obedience. The party of the king acquires a temporary weight, when a confiderable number of vacant employments are to be filled, but lofes ground the moment they

are difpofed of. The women are fagacious, and full of political enthufiafm; and are intriguing in affairs of government, while their hufbands are getting drunk.

This national character, the juftice of which we have no reafon to doubt, is probably owing to the defects in the government, which have a greater influence over the minds and manners of a people, than the generality of mankind are able to perceive, or willing to admit. Be that as it may, the king of Pruffia forefaw, that unlefs fuch alterations took place in the government of Poland, as would give it stability, its alliance must prove rather an object of apprehenfion than defire. For this purpofe, he ordered his ambaffador to communicate his wifles to the members of the diet, and to make an offer of procuring their emancipation from the defpotic influence of Ruffia, which had long obtained in the councils of Poland. Though the king and his principal adherents were hoftile to the interference of Pruffia, the oppofite party prevailed; in confequence of which the conftitution is about to experience fome important changes; the army is ordered to be augmented to one hundred thoufand men; and the kingdom is, at length, by the exertions of Frederic the Third, on the point of acquiring that degree of confequence among the nations of Europe, to which its fituation and refources juftly entitle it.

Thus, with Ruffia and the Empire, the rapidity of conqueft, far from accelerating the attainment of their projects, has only ferved to remove them farther from the goal of their defires. The oppofition raised against them by the vigilance of Pruffia, is fo truly formidable, that their progrefs must be effectually checked; and, if we mar venture a conjecture founded on prefent appearances, a war begun in injustice,

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