the campaign presented a feries of the most rapid fucceffes. Cladova, Semendria, Czernitz, &c. followed the example of Belgrade. Orfova only attempted a ferious refistance, and it was not reduced till after a long investment and blockade.

On the eastern fide, the prince of Cobourg, general of the Austrian army in Walachia, after gaining a confiderable advantage in an action fought near Foczan, attacked, in conjunction with the Russian general Suwarrow, with a very inferior force, September 22, 1789, the army of the new grand vizier, Haffan Pacha, a rafh and ignorant commander at Martinesti, and gained a complete victory. This was attended with the immediate capture of Bucharest, the capital of Walachia, and the almost entire reduction of the country north of the Danube. In the mean time, Bielgorod on the Black Sea, and the city of Bender on the Tartarian frontier, surrendered to the arms of Ruffia, now conducted by prince Potemkin.

During this campaign the war in the north was carried on little to the advantage of Sweden: for although the king of Sweden had entirely re-established his authority, and taken a fevere vengeance on the individuals who by 'their audacious and inflexible contumacy had arrested the progress of his arms, he could not so easily regain the advantages he had lost by that unexpected and unseasonable oppofition. The immenfe power of Ruffia was now fully exerted. Sweden was reduced to act upon the defenfive in Finland; and various naval encounters took place, in which the bravery and fuperior skill of the Swedes did by no means compenfate for the Ruffian fuperiority of force.

In the ensuing campaign of 1790, the triumphs of the Ruffian arms over the Ottomans continued without any confiderable interruption. The progress of these barbarous conquerors had been throughout marked with blood and defolation; but the capture under general Suwarrow,

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of the city of Ismail, taken by storm December the 22d, 1790, exceeded in horror every action of the present war, and may vie with that of any preceding one. The garrifon, confifting of the flower of the Turkish army, was massacred in cold blood, and the inhabitants indiscriminately given up to the worse than brutal licentiousness of an enraged foldiery.

The military fuccesses of the Austrians under the heroic Laudohn, served only to incite the faithless and perfidious Joseph to renew his attempts against his fubjects of Flanders and Brabant. Count Murray, diftinguished by his lenity of temper, was succeeded in the government by count Trautmansdorff; and the military placed under the command of general Dalton, an officer of approved skill, but of unrelenting and savage ferocity.

The new system commenced with the revival of the former attempt against the university of Louvain. This being refolutely resisted, the rector and profeffors were expelled by the point of the bayonet, August 1788, and many lives loft by the indiscriminate firing of the foldiery. Similar outrages and excesses taking place at Antwerp, Mechlin, &c. in consequence of the orders issued by the government; and military law, enforced by military execution, being in a manner proclaimed through the provinces, a prodigious emigration of the principal inhabitants immediately succeeded. The emigrants being favored and protected by the Dutch government, now under the influence of England, and Pruffia, assembled in numerous bodies on the frontier; at length, in the autumn of 1789, they entered Austrian Flanders in great force, and in a very short space of time overran the whole country, a few fortresses excepted, the Austrians flying before them with the most disgraceful precipitation.

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The emperor now once more offered, in the most flattering and concilatory language to restore to them their ancient constitution, and even to endow them with additional tional privileges, but his overtures were rejected with fcorn. The states of Brabant affembling at Bruffels December the 22d, 1789, in concert with the deputies of the other provinces, formally disclaimed allegiance to the emperor, and proceeded to the appointment of an admistration. General Vandermersch, diftinguished for his patriotifm and bravery, was nominated to the command of the troops. M. Vander-noodt was declared prime minister, and M. Van-Eupen secretary of state.

In the month of January 1790, the plan of a federal constitution was formed by the BELGIC states-fuch was the appellation they now affumed, nearly similar to that of the united provinces. Unfortunately, however, it foon appeared that the leaders of the revolt, either little understanding or little regarding the essential rights of the people, had merely changed the imperial despotifm to an aristocratical tyranny. The catholic religion was established in its most intolerant form, the power of arbitrary imprifonment was affumed, the liberty of the press disallowed, and the immunities of the privileged orders confirmed and even extended.

In the midst of these transactions, and while the infurgents were at the height of their successes, died, February 1790, the emperor Joseph. He was fucceeded in his hereditary dominions by his brother Leopold, grand duke of Tuscany, and who now took upon him the style and title of king of Hungary. This prince, as the fove• reign of a small ftate, had acquired the reputation of moderation, and even sagacity. But in proportion to the elevation of his fituation his faults became more confpicuous, while his excellencies either wholly disappeared, or were henceforth very dimly seen.

Interesting as the transactions now related appeared in the view of Europe, they nevertheless yielded both in importance and fingularity to the events which were at the fame time taking place in the kingdom of France.

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The appointment of the archbishop of Toulouse as suc-1 ceffor to M. de Calonne, proved the fource of equal difappointment to the court and to the nation. On his elevation to the post of minister, his patriotism seemed to vanish; and, by lofing the confidence of the people, he deprived himself of the power of being serviceable to the monarch. The project of the court to obtain the fanction of the affembly of notables to the measures in contemplation had proved wholly abortive; recourse must now again therefore be had to the parliament of Paris; and on the 12th of June 1787, an edict was sent to that body for enregistry, impofing a heavy duty on stamps. Instead of a loyal and dutiful compliance, the parliament demanded the communication of fuch documents as should enable them to judge of the neceffity of introducing new taxes. That this was a just claim, they faid, the very expression of verifying the royal edicts implied.

The refusal of this demand produced a refusal on their part to enregister the edict; and after violent debates, and repeated efforts of the patriotic party in parliament, it was at length voted that a national afsembly would be neceffary previous to the impofition of a new tax, and a resolution at the fame time passed to fupplicate the fovereign to assemble the STATES GENERAL of the kingdom.

In the remonftrance presented on this occafion by parliament to the throne, the stamp duty is pronounced more dangerous than even the exploded gabelle; and they remark, " that after five years of peace, after an augmentation of the revenue during the present reign of five millions fterling, it was scarcely to have been expected that the name of TAX should have been pronounced by a beneficent fovereign, but for the purpose of alleviating the burdens of the people."

The answer of the king was peremptory and haughty. Far from conceding to the wishes and prayers of the parliament,

liament, he rose still higher in his demands. Reserving to a future day the declaration of his intentions respecting the stamp tax, he tranfmitted to them a new edict of far greater importance, for commuting the exifting vingtièmes into a regular and equal land-tax, " which from the zeal and loyalty of his parliament, his majesty was pleased to say, he expected them immediately to register."

The parliament, affuming more intrepidity as the danger became more imminent, fummoned the peers of France on the following day, as was usual in great emergencies, to afsist in their deliberations; and it was voted in full affembly, that the parliament perfisted in their refolution, and renewed their fupplication to the fovereign to assemble the states general of the kingdom.

Before the second address could be presented, a royal message was delivered, announcing the intention of the king to hold a bed of justice. The parliament, immediately re-assembling, came to several resolutions expressive of their determined resistance. The bed of justice was nevertheless held and in defiance of the resolutions read by the first president M. D'Aligre, the edicts were forcibly enregistered. These proceedings, contemptuously described as "the empty form of collecting by the keeper of the feals the opinions of the affembly, where no one could give a vote," were at the subsequent meeting of parliament declared null and void, and expunged from their records.

This refolute oppofition of the parliament produced a wonderful effect on the already highly agitated state of the public mind. Such were the apprehenfions entertained by the government of the general spirit which pervaded the mafs of the people, that great numbers of the military were affembled at Paris, and the members of the courts of justice were obliged to pass to their fittings through armed ranks of foldiers with bayonets fixed. VOLIL.

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