and fit for any villany; who, beginning his political career as an opposer of arbitrary power, is supposed always to have entertained a party of his own, and to have been the secret instigator of every mischief, in order to make way for his ambitious projects. Having fallen under the suspicion of criminal views towards the crown, he found it expedient for the present to withdraw to England.

The national assembly was now closely occupied in wholly regenerating the frame of polity, laws, and government, the King unconditionally acceding to every thing which they chose to establish. The first object was to reform the representation of the people, and abolish all local differences, by entirely breaking the ancient division of France into provinces, and substituting a new one founded upon a combined ratio of territory, population, and taxation. In this scheme the whole kingdom was distributed into 83 nearly equal sections, named departments, and which took their denominations from circumstances of geographical situation. These were subdivided into districts and cantons, and a plan of representation and administration was formed corresponding to this partition. The further changes were the abolition of all distinction of orders, the resumption of tithes and all ecclesiastical property, with the suppression of monastic institutions, and the extinction of all the provincial parliaments, instead of which new courts of justice were instituted, with trial by jury. To this last change great opposition was made; and in the midst of the agitations consequent upon such radical alterations, and the still urgent financial difficulties, this year, so memorable in the French annals, concluded.

While these events were passing in France, the neighbouring Austrian provinces of the Low-Countries were the scene of violent commotions tending alike to a revolution in the government, but of a nature entirely different from that in the former country, since its object was to restore a popular constitution abrogated by arbitrary power. It has been mentioned that

the preceding year closed with a refusal from the States of Brabant to vote the usual supplies to a government now become a mere tyranny. This resistance inflamed the resentment of the Emperor Joseph to such a degree, that he addressed an edict to the province, in which he not only annulled all his late concessions, but recalled his oath to observe the terms of the Joyous Entry. At the same time all the rigours of a military administration were continued, and many persons, on suspicion of disaffection, were thrown into prison. The Flemings now finding that they had no alternative between absolute submission and resistance, boldly took the latter part, and whilst the Austrian armies were chiefly occupied in the Turkish war, they rose in arms in the different provinces, and attacked the imperial garrisons. After some successful actions, the insurgents obtained possession of many of the principal towns without a contest, and even the city and citadel of Ghent were deserted by the garrison. On November 30th, the States of Flanders assumed the supreme authority in that province, and issued resolutions declaring the forfeiture by the Emperor of his title as their sovereign, and ordaining the levy and maintenance of an army, and an union with the States of Brabant. Brussels was soon after delivered from the Austrian power; and no regard being paid to the Emperor's conciliatory proposals, the States of Brabant, on the last day of the year, bound themselves, in presence of the citizens of Brussels, by a solemn oath, to preserve the rights, privileges, and constitution of their country; and soon after joined in an offensive and defensive league with Flanders.

Great discontents took place at Constanstinople on account of the loss of Choczim and Otchakof; and an additional misfortune befel the Ottomans in the death of the Grand Seignior Abdul Hamet, one of the best and most enlightened sovereigns who for a long time past had occupied the Turkish throne. He was succeeded by his nephew Selim, who soon displayed his rapacious and sanguinary temper by the confiscation

and execution of the Grand Vizier, who had been honourably acquitted of the charge brought against him in the former reign, as having by misconduct occasioned the loss of Otchakof. On the expiration of the armistice, the war recommenced between the Turks and Austrians along the frontiers of Transylvania and the banks of the Danube, whilst the Russians acted partly as allies to the Austrians, and partly pushed their successes in other quarters. Fortune or conduct now entirely deserted the Ottomans. Marshal Laudohn took Turkish Gradiska in June, and afterwards laying siege to Belgrade, obliged that important place to surrender in October. The Prince of Saxe-Coburg, and the Russian General Suwarrof, entirely defeated the main Turkish army under the new Grand Vizier near Martinesti in Wallachia, on September 22d, the relics of the vanquished re-crossing the Danube. Bucharest afterwards fell. Hassan Pashaw was defeated by Potemkin and Repnin, and Bender, Bielgorod, and other places, were the prize of victory.

The King of Sweden, involved at the same time in a foreign war, and in party differences at home, found no other means of extricating himself from his embarrassments, than appealing to the nation at large, the inferior orders of which were generally attached to him. He summoned a diet to meet at Stockholm, which he opened on January 26th, in a long and eloquent speech. He found the nobles for the most part in opposition to him, but the other three orders were in his favour; and confiding in their support, he ventured upon the bold measure of seizing by military force, and committing to prison, twenty-five among the principal nobility. These were officers lying under the charges of treason, treachery, disobedience, and mutiny. A great number of resignations followed, of persons in every department of the, state, civil and military, but the King steadily pursued his purpose. He totally abolished the senate, and instituted in its place a new court, the model of which he is said to

have taken from the French cour pleniere: and he framed an act of confederation by which all Swedes were bound to mutual defence, and to the preservation of the existing constitution and laws. This last he procured to be passed in the diet, notwithstanding the opposition of the order of nobles, whose consent, in their absence, he caused to be declared by the signature of Count Lowenhaupt, the Marshal of the diet: and against this direct infraction of the constitution only one noble had the courage to enter a protest. The trials of the persons arrested commenced in March, and after occupying many months, terminated in very severe sentences, some of them extending to capital punishment; but the King's disposition not being sanguinary, few lives were sacrificed. With respect to foreign foes, the King's first care was to procure the neutrality of Denmark, which was effected by the interposition of the British minister. He then returned to Finland, and pursued the war with Russia. Some actions of no great moment ensued, and at length the King was obliged to make a hasty retreat from the Russian territory, which he had incautiously entered. At sea a bloody engagement took place, August 25th, in the Gulph of Finland, between the Swedish and Russian fleets of galleys, in which the Swedes, who were considerably inferior in force, were finally obliged to take shelter under the cannon of Sweaborg. This result gave a superiority to the Russians for the remainder of the campaign.

418

A. D. 1790.

YEAR OF GEORGE III. 30 & 31.

PARLIAMENT 6 & 1.

Reception of the French Revolution in England. - Parliament: King's Speech: Parties in the House. Dissenters again defeated.― Mr. Flood's Motion for Reform of Parliament. - Budget. - Quarrel with Spain respecting Nootka Sound. Hastings's Trial. - Irish Parliament.-Party Contests: Mr. Burke's Book on the French Revolution. Paine's Rights of Man. ·French Affairs.— Abolition of Ranks and Titles.-General Confederation. - Necker's Resignation. Death of the Emperor Joseph and Succession of Leopold. Convention of Reichenbach.- Submission of the Belgians. Affairs of Sweden, and Peace with Russia.— Russian Successes against the Turks. East Indies. - War between the Company and Tippoo Sultan.- New Parliament. Question respecting Impeachment.

THE efforts of the French people to liberate themselves from arbitrary power, and establish a constitution upon the principles of rational freedom, had in their commencements been regarded with general favour by the English nation, which could not but recognize the same rights in another people, that they had themselves so happily asserted. But the violence with which their revolution had finally been effected, and the subversion of so many ancient and venerable institutions by which it was attended, now began to render their proceedings alarming and obnoxious, not only to all the habitual supporters of authority, but to those who were attached to the establishments of their own country, and dreaded the progress of a spirit of innovation. On the other hand, the friends of reform, civil and ecclesiastical, whose expectations had so often been frustrated, gene