taking of Schabatz. Prince Lichtenftein's troops repulfed in their attempt ta Storm Dubicza; are attacked next day in their trenches; their works defroyed; and obliged to abandon the fiege, and repafs the Unna. Defperate valour displayed by the Turks in this campaign. Wife fyftem adopted by the Grand Vizir in the conduct of the war. Wears out his enemy by continual attack, fmall action, and unremitted duty. Checks at Dubicza and other places, change the character of the war, which becomes defenfive and languid on the Auftrian fide. Great diffatisfaction in the camps and at Vienna, increased by the tardiness of the. Ruffians, whofe junction had been long in vain expected. Not leffened by the innovations and reforms introduced by the Emperor. Prince of Cobourg repeatedly attacked with great fury by the Turks. Emperor prepares at length for the fiege of Belgrade, which had been held out as the first object of the campaign. Collects a prodigious artillery, and throws three bridges over the Saave for that purpose. Grand Vizir, at the head of the grand Ottoman army, marches haftily from Siliftria, to interrupt his defign. Encamps in a most advantageous pofition on the Danube. Emperor breaks down his bridges, entrenches his troops, and adds new works to his already firong camp near Semlin. Sickness and a dreadful mortality, attended by a prodigious defertion in the Imperial armies. Three regiments drawn from Vienna, and 30,000 recruits haftily ordered to fupply thefe loffes. Prodigious waste of treasure and men in the course of the campaign. Recruits eagerly fought in all quarters. King of Sardinia forbids any to be raised in his dominions. Prince of Saxe Cobourg, being at length joined by a Ruffian body of forces under general Soltikow, they jointly commence the fiege of Choczim. The town, magazines, and arfenal being deftroyed, by a dreadful fire of artillery and bombs, the Serafquier is fummoned to furrender, but refufes. Ruins of Choczim heroically defended by the gallant Serafquier and his intrepid garrifon until the end of September. Grand Vizir lays bridges over the Danube at Cladova, and invades the Bannat of Temefwar. Defeat of the Auftrians near Orfova. Continued loffes and misfortunes. That fine country overrun and ruined. Rout of the Emperor's army on his retreat from Karanfebes. Marshal Laudohn takes the command of the army in Croatia, where he reduces Dubicza and Novi, after most obftinate defences. Heavy rains, and the approach of winter, oblige the Grand Vizir to evacuate the Bannat. Emperor's return to Vienna, after writing a general letter to his army. Armistice concluded between the Austrian and Turkish commanders on the Danube. Manifefto, iffued by the Grand Signior, to encourage the Hungarians to shake off the Auftrian yoke, occafioned the Emperor to promise them a restoration of their conftitution and rights. Proceedings at Conftantinople relative to the campaign, the evacuation of the Bannat, and the conduct of the Grand Vizir. [2% С Н А Р. III. Preparations of Ruffia for conducting the war, directed to the fide of the Black Sea. Suppofed caufes or motives for her failure of co-operation with the Auftrians on the Danube. Powerful Squadron equipped for the Medi terranean. terranean. Light Squadron or flotilla, under the conduct of the Prince of Naffau, prepared on the Black Sea. Allied empires seem to have relied too much upon the fuppofed Jupineness of other powers, in the adoption of their prefent ambitious defigns. General apparent difpofition of the powers and States of Europe with refpect to the war. Italian ftates. Spain. France. Northern powers. Holland. Pruffia. England. Great difappointment to Ruffia, and check given to the Mediterranean expedition, through the declared neutrality of England and Holland, and the restraint laid upon its feamen and shipping from entering into foreign fervice by the former. Sixty British officers in the Ruffian naval fervice go in a body to lay down their commiffions, upon the appointment of Paul Jones to a command in the fleet at Cronstadt. That adventurer fent to the Black Sea. Vaft Ruffian army appears on the borders of the Bog. General Soltikow marches to join the prince of Cobourg. Prince Potemkin advances to befiege Oczakow. Several engagements between the Ruffian and Turkish flotillas at the mouth of the Nieper, in which the latter are conftantly defeated. Siege of Oczakow commenced; flotilla deftroyed, and town bombarded by the Prince of Naffau. Unufual length of the fiege and obftinacy of the defence. Winter approaches, and little progrefs yet made. Exceffive coldness of the winter reduces the befiegers to great diftrefs. Ruffian cavalry, incapable any longer of enduring the extremity of the weather, defert their infantry, and abandon the fiege. Mutiny apprehended in the camp. Prince Potemkin, as the last refort, orders a general bombardment and cannonade with red-hot balls. Shell falls upon the grand powder magazine, which blows up with fo terrible an explosion, as to destroy a great part of the wall. Long and bloody engagement in the streets and houses. Town taken with dreadful flaughter. Great defigns of Ruffia against the Ottoman empire interrupted by the war with Saveden. Caufes and motives which operated upon the Swedish fovereign in adopting that unexpected measure. Army fent to Finland: fleet fails from Carlefcroon. Note prefented by the Ruffian minifter at Stockholm, greatly refented by the king. Anfer to it. Circular note to the foreign minifters. Count Razamowski ordered to depart the kingdom. King proceeds to Finland. Hoftilities commence, Ruffian manifefto. Severe naval action between the Ruffians and Swedes. Victory claimed on both fides. Great valour displayed by the Swedes, who were much inferior in force. Admiral Greig attacks the Swedes in the road of Sweaburg, and burns fhip of the line. Ruffians become masters of the midland feas within the Sound; take a Swedish flotilla laden with provifions for the fleet and army. Joy at Petersburgh. Honours paid to admiral Greig. Empress writes a letter to him with her own hand. His death and pompous funeral. De\linquent officers, who had been fent home in irons for misbehaviour in the late fea fight, condemned for life to the gallies. Swedish manifefto. Great disappointments and mortifications experienced by the king, through the difaffection of the principal officers of the army, which renders the campaign ineffective on the fide of Finland. Obliged to abandon the army to the care of his brother the duke of Oftrogothia, and to depart fuddenly himself from Finland, in order to oppose the irruption of the Danes on the fide of Norway. a [56 CHAP. Gaufes of the early meeting of parliament declared in the king's speech; difs putes in the United Provinces; intended interference of France; declaration of the court of Great Britain; treaty with Heffe Caffel; fuccefs of the Pruffian forces; final accommodation. Speech of lord Fielding upon the works of Cherburgh; of Mr. Fox upon continental alliances; upon the difpofitions of the French court; upon the fubfidiary treaty; the increase of the army; and the appointment of admiral Pigot. Mr. Pitt's reply to Mr. Fox on thofe fubjects. Speeches in the house of lords; of the bishop of Llandaff, upon · our right of interference in Holland, and upon the balance of power; of lord Stormont, upon the fame Jubject, and the negligence of minifters. Addreffes in both houses, nem. con. State papers laid before parliament. Mr. Fox complains of the retention of the French notification; anfwered by Mr. Pitt; motion for an addrefs for that paper negatived. Debate on the fubfidiary treaty objections of Mr. Fox; Mr. Pitt's defence. Opinion of Mr. Burke upon foreign alliances, and upon the merits of the treaty. Debate on the augmentation of the land forces; objected to by Mr. Fitzpatrick and Mr. Fox; defended by Mr. Pitt. Debate on the ordnance estimates; on the plan of fortifying the Weft India islands; on the government manufacture of gunpowder; on the new corps of artificers. Account of the impeachment of Mr. Haftings and Sir Elijah Impey in the feventh chapter. Cafe of the late promotion of officers to the flag; motion relative thereto, by lord Rawdon; defended by lord Howe, as expedient and agreeable to prece- dents; the motion fupported by lord Hawke; objected to by the earl of Sand- wich, on the general ground of inexpediency. His account of the establish- ment of the fuperannuated lift; anfwered by lord Rawdon; motion rejected Mr. Baftard's motion on the fame fubject in the house of commons; oppofed by Mr. Beaufoy and Mr. Pitt; different opinions of naval officers upon the jubject; motion withdrawn. Second motion of Mr. Baftard, for a committee of en- quiry; detail of the cafes of the rejected captains; defence of the board of admiralty; the promotion defended by captain Berkeley; condemned by Mr. Fox; opinions of feveral military officers; of country gentlemen; charge of partiality against lord Howe; denied by his friends; motion rejected by a ma- jority of only 16. Third motion, on the same subject, by Mr. Baftard; Speakers in the debate; rejected by a majority of 49. Debates on the India declaratory bill; occafion of bringing in the bill; objected to, upon the general principles of declaratory bills, as unparliamentary, unjust, and as a dan- gerous precedent; motion for bringing in the bill defended by Mr. Pitt, on the plea of neceffity; anfwered by Mr. Flood; India company heard by counsel on the fecond reading; bill oppofed on two grounds; ift, as not containing the true fenfe of the original act of 1784; 2dly, as wefting an arbitrary power leafe. "It was not," faid he, fufpicion of the juftice or grati"tude of the company, nor a con"sciousness that my fervices could "ever become useless to them, but the ingratitude of fome individuals experienced in life, which * made it a matter of common prudence in me, to afk a retribution "for fix years of my time, and ".10,000 fpent in promoting the "eftablishment of the company. But now that I fee it ftanding upon the authority of parliament, and fupported by fo many "great and good men, I release all 66 claim to that retribution, happy "in the noble conceffion made to 86 me, but happier in the return which I now make for it." In the mean time the jealousy of trade, which has done more mifchief to the trade of England than all other caufes put together, created an alarm in England; and the houfes of lords and commons, without previous inquiry or reflection, on the 13th December of the year 1695, concurred in a joint addrefs to the king, against the establishment of the Darien company, as detrimental to the intereft of the Eaft India Company. Soon after, the Commons impeached fome of their own countrymen, for being inftrumental in erecting the company; and alfo fome of the Scots nation, one of whom was a peer, Jord Belhaven ; that is to fay, they arraigned the fubjects of another country, for making ufe of the laws of their own. Among fix hundred legislators, not one had the happy ray of genius to propofe a committee of both parliaments, to inquire into the principles and confequences of the establishment; and if thefe fhould, upon inquiry, be found good, that the benefit of it fhould be communicated, by a participation of rights, to both nations. The king's anfwer was, "that he had been "ill advised in Scotland." He foon after changed his Scottish minifters, and fent orders to his refident at Hamburgh to present a memorial to the fenate, in which he difowned the company, and warned them against all connections with it. The fenate fent the memorial to the affembly of merchants, who returned it with the following fpirited anfwer. "We look upon it as a very ftrange thing, that the king of Britain fhould offer to hinder us, who are a free people, "to trade with whom we please ; "but are amazed to think, that he "would hinder us from joining "with his own fubjects in Scotland, to whom he had lately r given fuch large privileges, by "fo folemn an act of parliament.” But merchants, though mighty prone to paffion, are easily intimidated : the Dutch, Hamburgh, and London merchants withdrew their subfcriptions. The Scots, not difcouraged, were rather animated by this oppreffion; for they converted it into a proof of the envy of the English, and of their confciousness of the great advantages which were to flow to Scotland from the colony. The company proceeded to build fix fhips in Holland, from thirty-fix to fixty guns, and they engaged twelve hundred men for the colony; among whom were younger fons of many of the noble and moft ancient families of Scotland, and fixty officers who had been difbanded at the peace, who carried with them fuch of their private men, generally raised on their own, or the elates of their re lations, lations, as they knew to be faithful and brave; and most of these were Highlanders. The Scots parliament, on the 5th Auguft 1698, unanimously addreffed the king to fupport the company. The lord prefident, Sir Hugh Dalrymple, brother to lord Stair, and head of the bench, and the lord advocate, Sir James Stuart, head of the bar, jointly drew memorials to the king, able in point of argument, information, and arrangement, in which they defended the rights of the company, upon the principles of conftitutional and of public law. And neighbouring nations, with a mixture of furprise and respect, faw the poorest kingdom of Europe fending forth the moft gallant, and the moft numerous colony that had ever gone from the old to the new world. On the 26th day of July of the year 1698, the whole city of Edinburgh poured down upon Leith, to fee the colony depart, amidst the tears, and prayers, and praifes of relations and friends, and of their countrymen. Many feamen and foldiers, whofe fervices had been refufed, because more had offered themselves than were needed, were found hid in the fhips, and, when ordered afhore, clung to the ropes and timbers, imploring to go, without reward, with their companions. Twelve hundred men failed in five ftout fhips, and arrived at Darien in two months, with the lofs of only fifteen of their people. At that time it was in their power, moft of whom were well born, and all of them hardily bred, and inured to the fatigues and dangers of the late war, to have gone from the northmoft part of Mexico to the fouthmoft of Chili, and to have overturned the whole empire of Spain in the South Seas but modeft, refpecting their own and their country's character, and afraid of being accufed that they had plunder, and not a fettlement in view, they began with purchafing lands from the natives, and fending meffages of amity to the Spanish governours, within their reach. And then fixed their ftation at Acta, calling it New St. Andrew from the name of the tutelar faint of Scotland, and the country itfelf New Caledonia. One of the fides of the harbour being formed by a long narrow neck of land which ran into the fea, they cut it acrofs, fo as to join the ocean and the harbour. Within this defence they erected their fort, planting upon it fifty pieces of cannon. On the other fide of the harbour, there was a mountain a mile high, on which they placed a watch-house, which, in the rarified air within the tropics, fo favourable for vision, gave them an immenfe range of profpect, to prevent all furprise. To this place, it was observed, that the Highlanders often repaired, to enjoy a cool air, and to talk of their friends they had left behind in their hills, friends whofe minds were as high as their mountains. The first public act of the colony was to publifh a declaration of freedom of trade and religion to all nations. This luminous idea originated with Paterson. But the Dutch Eaft India Company having preffed the King, in concurrence with his English subjects, to prevent the fettlement of Darien, orders had been fent from England to the governours of the Weft Indian and American colonies, to iffue proclamations against giving affiftance, or even to hold correfpondence with the colony P 4 and |