government, condemned in the strongest terms the rejection of the bill from the privy council, as intrenching upon the rights of the crown, and entered a protest against it in the House of Lords. He then suddenly prorogued the parliament to a long day, leaving affairs in great confusion, with all the national business undone.

The campaign between the Russians and Turks opened with an irruption of Krim Gueray, khan of the Tartars, supported by a body of the Spahis, into New Servia, which province he totally ruined, burning its towns and villages, and carrying off a great number of its inhabitants into captivity. About the same time, the Polish confederates in Podolia, who were assisted by the Turks, were defeated by the Russians, and driven across the Niester. In April, the Russian general, Prince Gallitzin, having crossed that river, advanced to Choczim, and attacking a large body of Turks in their entrenchments under the walls of that town, drove them to the suburbs of the place. Soon after, however, he found it necessary to quit Choczim, and recross the Niester with precipitation. General Romanzow was in like manner foiled in an attempt

upon Oczakow. Gallitzin again advanced to the Niester, and, in July, having defeated a Turkish army, invested Choczim. Various actions ensued with dif ferent success, but at length the Russian general raised the siege of Choczim, and again crossed the Niester. In the mean time, Romanzow ravaged the Turkish borders at Bender and Oczakow, and defeated a Russian detachment. The Turks, under a new Grand Vizier, in September, made different attempts to establish themselves on the Russian side of the Niester, but were repulsed with great loss by Gallitzin, and their army was almost ruined. The result was the capture of Choczim, which terminated the campaign in that quarter. In another part, the Russians over-ran the province of Moldavia, and took possession of the capital, Jassy, the Greek inhabitants of the province declaring for the empress, and taking the oath of

fidelity to her. The same success attended the Russian arms in Walachia, the Turks being obliged to retire to the other side of the Danube. In Tartary and the Ukraine the success was nearly balanced.

The occupation given to the Russians on the Turkish border produced a revival of the Polish confederacies, the nobles of Lithuania taking the lead in a spirited manifesto, in which they declared their resolution of defending to the last extremity their liberties encroached upon by the court of Russia. On the other hand, Prince Gallitzin issued a manifesto in an authoritative style, declaring against all neutrality on the part of the Poles, since Russia was determined to have only friends or avowed enemies. The year accordingly passed in a succession of sanguinary actions between the different confederates and the detachments of Russians remaining in Poland, attended with cruelties and devastations which reduced that unhappy country to a most wretched condition. The king, who found himself a helpless spectator of this misery, sent envoys to the powers who were guarantees of the treaties of Carlowitz and Oliva, to intreat their friendly interposition. Towards the close of the campaign between Russia and Turkey, the former power, having more troops at liberty, was capable of acting with greater effect against the confederates, who, in consequence, underwent some severe losses.

The Emperor Joseph in this year began to display his active disposition and attention to improvement, by a visit to his Italian States, in which he applied himself to the correction of the abuses in the administration; and by a journey to Silesia, where he had an interview with the King of Prussia.

In the Swedish diet, which opened in April at Norkioping, a secret committee brought twenty-four articles of accusation against the senate, the consequence of which was the degradation of all its members except two. Although this was an important point gained by the court, it failed in the attempt to carry some new ordinances which would have made an essential change

in the system of government, a resolution passing in the diet, that no alterations or amendments should be made in the fundamental laws of the kingdom..

In February the pope died, and was succeeded, after a conclave of three months, by Cardinal Ganganelli, who took the name of Clement XIV. The new pontiff, though a man of great liberality, and no friend to the Jesuits, steadily refused compliance with the solicitations of the southern courts for the suppression of that order, and also with the requisitions of those of France and Naples for the cession of Avignon and the Venaissin, and of the Duchy of Benevento.. In consequence, the King of France irrevocably annexed the two former to his dominions, paying a compensation for them to the pope, and the King of Naples kept possession of the latter.

The contest of the Corsicans for their independence was in this year terminated by their total subjugation. The French began by negociating with some of the chiefs, which, however, did not prevent several spirited attempts of the Corsicans to take fortified posts from the enemy, but most of them were unsuccessful. A A strong reinforcement of French troops arrived in the island at the beginning of April, and from that time no hope was left of effectual resistance. Corte surrendered in May; and Paoli being surrounded, with a small number of faithful followers, by a greatly superior body of French, after cutting his way through them, got on board an English ship, and was landed at Leghorn. Some chiefs still continued to hold out in inaccessible situations, but the body of the nation submitted to the invaders. The sovereign council of the island was suppressed, and a new one was created under the jurisdiction of the parliament of Provence. Corsica was also declared a member of the Gallican church, and was, in all respects, considered as a part of the French dominions. The conquest was, however, obtained at a cost of men and money which rendered it a dear acquisition.

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The French East India Company was in this year declared bankrupt, and the trade was laid open. Serious

differences took place in the French colony of St. Domingo between the government and the inhabitants, in which blood was shed, and some of the leading people were sent in irons to France.

The war between the English East India Company and Hyder Ally continuing, that adventurous chief eluded the British army in the Carnatic, and appeared in the spring at the head of a body of cavalry within a few miles of Madras. The presidency of that settlement in alarm entered into a negociation with Hyder, and proposed a truce of fifty days, but he would agree only to one of seven. At the end of that period, a peace was signed on the condition of mutual restoration of all places and prisoners taken, a league offensive and defensive, and a free trade between the dominions of each; and thus was terminated a war said to have been not less rashly entered into, than ill conducted, by the Company's servants. Its events produced a great fall of India stock; and, in order to put a stop to the abuses and mismanagement of the government in India, the directors resolved upon sending over three gentlemen of great respectability, Mr. Vansittart, Mr. Scrafton, and Colonel Ford, with the title of supervisors, invested with a power of controul over all their other servants in every department. While their commission was under consideration some objections were made to it by government, accompanied by the proposal that the Company should allot a share in the direction of their affairs to the naval officer who was to command a squadron ordered for India at their request. With this posal the general courts, after long debates, refused compliance; and the operations of the squadron were, in consequence, limited to the Persian gulf, on the coast of which some disorders had risen, detrimental to the Company's affairs. The supervisors sailed from England in September on board the Aurora frigate, but neither they nor the vessel were ever more heard of.

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86

A. D. 1770.

YEAR OF GEORGE III. 10 & 11.

PARLIAMENT 2 & 3.

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King's Speech and Debates. - Resignations in the Ministry and new Appointments. Lord North's Prime Ministry begins. - Debate on the Jurisdiction of the House of Commons in Elections. - Motions of the Opposition rejected. — Repeal of all the Duties on Export to America, except that on Tea. Grenville Act passed relative to controverted Elections.- Livery of London's Remonstrance to the King, and motions in Parliament relative to it. Wilkes discharged from the King's Bench, and chosen Alderman.- Writings of Junius, and Prosecutions for their Publication. - Riot at Boston.- Fire at Portsmouth.- Dispute with Spain concerning the Falkland Islands, and various Proceedings in consequence.- Motion against Informations ex officio, and to enquire into the Administration of Justice. -Discussion respecting the Directions of Judges to Juries in Prosecutions for Libel. — War between the Turks and Russians. — Affairs in the Mediterranean. Revolution in Egypt.- Distresses in Poland. Conduct of the King of Prussia towards Dantzic.Danish Expedition against Algiers.- Contests in France between the Court and Parliament.- Marriage of the Dauphin. - Commotions in Corsica. French Expedition against Tunis.

THE King's speech, by which the session of parliament was opened on January 9th, began with the notice of a distemper which had broken out among the horned cattle, and proceeded to advert to the disorders still prevailing in the colonies, but was totally silent with respect to the discontents in the kingdom on the subject of the Middlesex election. These, however, were not passed over by the opposition in the House of Commons, who introduced a motion for an amendment to the customary address following the speech, assuring his Majesty that they would immediately go into an enquiry into the causes of the discontents. The motion produced a long and unusually acrimonious debate;