the attention of the assembly to others of a less popular nature. They objected to his having introduced the Dalecarlians, who had so freely joined him in the late campaign, into Stockholm, as a garrison. They objected to his having appointed count Lowenhaupt, an intimate friend, as marshal of the diet; and insulted that nobleman so grossly that he absented himself, in disgust, from the assembly.-This behaviour of the nobles brought the contest to an issue, most agreeable to his majesty's views.--Confident in the attachment of his faithful Dalecarlians, and in the support of a majority of the clergy in the diet, and nearly all the peasants and burghers, who hoped for an amelioration of their condition from each successive revolution, he boldly resented the insult offered to Lowenhaupt as an affront to himself. + A violent altercation ensued; in which the nobles threw out some indirect reproaches against him: on which he rose from his seat, and, with a stern aspect, declared, "that there were men among "them who, in their hearts, would rather wish to see the Russians at Stockholm, and an ambassador from that country dictating laws to Sweden, "than sacrifice their own ambitious. views and their thirst of revenge to "the welfare of their country."-The nobles, then, withdrawing from the assembly, his majesty, to remove any idea of his having views of ambition in the measures which he was about to adopt, disclaimed all pretensions to absolute sovereignty, and assured the dietines that, should a continuance of the present disorders compel him to exercise it for a short time, it should continue no longer than while necessity required it. After that, he proceeded to the violent step of causing twenty-five of the chief nobles to be arrested; and gave orders that the leading mutineers among the officers at Fredericsham should be brought to their trial.—This was followed by the resignation of a great number of nobles and officers, who held appointments under the crown. But Gustavus, undismayed by these events, for which he was prepared by that bulwark which he had provided in the attachment of the other orders, proceeded to the yet stronger measure of abolishing the senate, and instituting a new commission for the conduct of state affairs, which was subject to his control. A specious shew of regard for the public good made the cover for every measure 1789 1789 measure of Gustavus. This he assigned as the motive of his present conduct: the convulsed state into which the kingdom had been thrown by the machinations of its internal and external enemies made the fair plea for his arbitrary proceedings. He earnestly exhorted the dietines to unanimity, as the only effectual means of frustrating them; and, that he might bind them firmly to his interest, under the specious pretence of promoting national harmony, he proposed and accomplished an act of confederation, union, and surety, by which himself and all true Swedes were to be mutually bound to defend their common rights, and the present constitution against all impugners, whether foreign or domestic.-As a further stretch of his power, when the equestrian order refused their sanction to this deed, count Lowenhaupt was authorized to give it in their name; and, so prevalent was the terror impressed by the imprisonment of the offending nobles, that the high-spirited count Wachtmeinster alone dared to protest against the measure." Having thus relieved himself from domestic embarrassment by establishing absolute authority, on the grounds of his ascendency in every department of the state, Gustavus could now, without fear of interruption, devote his attention to the foreign affairs of his crown.-After he had concluded. a treaty with Denmark, by which that power agreed to observe a || neutrality during his war with Russia, he embarked for Finland;† and the duke of Sudermania sailed with the fleet from Carlscroon to co-operate with him. Soon after his arrival, a Swedish brigade, estimated at 2000 men, under generals Platen and Mayersfeldt, attacked 3,500 Russians near Dainstadt, and, after a battle fought with dreadful slaughter, in which Gustavus ́signalized himself as a volunteer, they drove the enemy from the field.— The repute which this exploit gained the Swedes was rivalled by a victory which baron de Stedink obtained soon after over general de Schultz; which was so complete that all the Russian artillery and baggage fell into the hands of the victors.-These victories, however, honourable as they were to the Swedish arms, produced no permanent effect. On the contrary, the royal army having crossed the Kymene and penetrated into Russian Finland, was forced to make a precipitate retreat, and sustained considerable loss in repassing that river. The issue of the naval campaign was not more decisive.-The Russians and Swedish fleets encountered in the Gulph of Finland soon after the duke of Sudermania sailed from Carlscroon; but the action which ensued was attended with no memorable incident.-When, to favour the co-operation of the naval and military forces, the duke was joined by a fleet of 40 gallies, a furious battle took place with a fleet of 70 gallies under the prince of Nassau, in which the Swedes acquired honour by the bravery with which they maintained the fight against a fleet so ably commanded, and so far superior in strength. But the duke was constrained at length to leave his rival in possession of the scene of action, and retreat under the cannon of Sweabourg. 1789 RUSSIA. NOTWITHSTANDING the Russian arms had been crowned with almost uninterrupted success in the late campaign, yet the state of the empress's affairs was such as demanded the exertion of all her powers, and the utmost circumspection. Her army was to be recruited. Resources were to be found adequate to the enormous expences of the war. Her partisans were to be supported in Poland in opposition to the intrigues of the Prussian minister. And the task of devising expedients for the maintenance of her government, and the support of her interests in the different courts of Europe, was increased by the opposition she continually experienced from the Anglo-Prussian allies; who, this year, deprived her of a very useful ally by their forcible interposition with the government of Denmark. But we find the empress's efforts proportioned to the exigency of her affairs; and the death of the Turkish sultan, Achmet, before the opening of the campaign, was an event very propitious to her success. The recovery of Oczakow being the grand object of the Turks, prince 1789 August 25. Annual Register. 199. 1789 Potemkin, on whom the empress had conferred the most distinguished honours for his services in the late campaign, was stationed with the grand army in Bessarabia, to guard that fortress, while Suworow was signalizing himself in conjunction with the prince of Saxe Cobourg in Walachia, and prince Repnin and general Kamenskoi were employed with great success in Moldavia. Early in the year, the Turks had attempted to recover the ground they had lost in those provinces; and had been repulsed in several encounters. These were followed by actions of greater moment as the campaign advanced.-The Russians, having a view to the reduction of Bender in Bessarabia, posted their armies in such a manner as to deprive the garrison of supplies. They were thus situated when the prince of Anhalt Bernbourg, with a detachment of Kamenskoi's army, attacked a serasquier who, with 8000 cavalry, was attempting the relief of the fortress, and routed them, after a brilliant action.-After this, no memorable event occurred till the campaign was far advanced. To retrieve the honour of the Turkish arms, the celebrated Hassan Bey then took the command in this quarter. Opposed to him was a strong Russian army, commanded by prince Repnin and several subaltern generals who had distinguished themselves by their conduct. The two armies met at Tobac, not far from Bender; and a battle ensued, which was fought with great valour for several hours: but the Turkish ardour was, at last, overcome by the firmness of the Russians, and the captain pachâ was constrained to yield his enemy a decisive victory, with the loss of all his artillery.-The reduction of Bender was the immediate consequence of this exploit: and before the close of the campaign the fortresses of Bialogrod and Kylia Nova on the Euxine were added to the Russian conquests." Nor were these events the only cause of triumph to the court of Petersburg. Though the war with Sweden was defensive, and was attended with no memorable action on the part of the Russians, yet the successes with which the campaign terminated concurred with those of the Austrian armies to dishearten their enemy, and to give the empress secure possession of her conquests. POLAND Annual Register. 176. b Idem. 180. POLAND AND RUSSIA. THE history of Poland now merits our particular attention, not so much on account of the events and transactions themselves, as because they lead us to discover some of the causes of its decline and final dissolution: and we shall be more disposed to condole with the Poles on their approaching catastrophe, if we attend to their national spirit, and the efforts made bythem, whenever an opportunity presented itself, to attempt the redemption of themselves from their present disgraceful state of oppression. The character of the Poles, a nation of Sarmatian original, was marked with martial ardour, and that haughty spirit which held trade and useful occupations in disdain.—Surrounded by warlike nations, these characteristics were preserved as well by foreign wars as by the intestine broils which ever attend on the feudal system. Having scarcely any foreign trade, and but little intercourse with other nations, whilst these advanced in wealth, and received new impressions by social and commercial intercourse, or by changes in their government and circumstances, the customs, habits of life, and manners of the Poles continued the same. Their form of government also, which vested all property and power in the nobility and gentry, served to cherish their pride, and give them an attachment to a system which was, yet, the cause of national poverty and weakness. And it is deserving of notice, that in Poland, as in other countries where the feudal system has subsisted, the vassals, unconscious of the evils arising from it, have felt a strong attachment to it, and made it their chief pride to support the standard of their baron, or the laird of their clan. These reflections will enable us to account for the efforts made by the Poles in defence of their country, their rights, and independency; and also, for their final reduction by the arms of their confederate oppressors. -They were fond of liberty; they were proud of independency. But the want of resources, of subordination, of skill in tactics, of every thing in the modern system of war which is conducive to success, but personal bravery, rendered them an unequal match for the weil disciplined German and 1789 |