ST PETERSBURGH, May 4. INTELLIGENCE has been received there, that the Swedes having entered into the Ruffian territories, and poslessed

themfeives of a very ftrong post, called

Kannanko Ty, on the borders of the Lake Saima, an attempt was made by the Ruffians to diflodge them. For this purpose ten thoufand men, under command of Gen. Igelstrom and the Prince of Anhalt, were drawn together, and an attack was made, at break of day, upon the Swedish intrenchments, which were defended by

about three thousand men. The Swedes withstood this assault, which was made

in three columns, with the greatest intrepidity, and repulfed the Ruffians, who

are faid to have left near two thousand men on the field. This misfortune is greatly aggravated by the lofs of the Prince of Auhalt, who was shot in the thigh, and died foon after, and by that of Major-General Keiboff, who manded the detachment of guards fent on this expedition. Many other officers are also said to have shared the same fate, of whom, however, no particular account has yet been received.

STOCKHOLM May 18.

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An account has been received here of the lofs of two Swedish ships of the line, in an unfuccessful attempt made by the Duke of Sudermania, on the 13th inft. against the port of Revel.

STOCKHOLM May, 21.

A messenger is just arrived with the news that the king attacked the Ruffian feet of armed vessels at Fredericksham on the 15th inftant, and, after an action which lafted three hours, obtained a complete victory. He has taken thirty of the enemy's armed vessels, funk or destroyed ten, and burned the whole of their tranfports, with the lofs of no more than twenty men.

VIENNA.

A Courier from Berlin has brought difpatches to the Count de Podewil from VOL. XI. NO.66.

They assure us that Frederick, to defray the expence of his preparations, will receive a part of Galicia; and that the King of Hungary is disposed to content

himself with the boundaries established

by the treaty of Paflarowitz.

But, unfortunately, there are greater obitacles in the way of peace; for it is proposed, that Russia shall give up Bender, Choczim, Moldavia, and Walachia -a facrifice which the Empreis will never make.

Frederick and Leopold appear to act with equal frankness on the present occafion: The latter has fent to the former, a prefent of two fine horfes.

The King of Prussia has written to the King of Sweden to engage him in peace. The letter is published here, and nothing can be more moderate than the terms proposed by Frederic. The letter has been carried to Gustavus the King of Sweden in his camp at Finland, by a Spanish courier, accompanied by a Ruffian

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one.

In an audience which the Count de Podewil had with the King on the 25th instant, Leopold faid to that Minifter, "I wish to live in good intelligence with the Court of Berlin. I entertain for Frederic an esteem with which he has long inspired me.. If he knew me as well as I know him, we should never be at war."

On the part of the Czarina, however, there is every thing to fear. If Prussiashall be able to remove the obstacles which arife from that quarter, the Court of Berlin will owe to their prime minister, the Count de Hertzberg, that increase of political glory which must necessarily refult.

BERLIN,

say, I wish that the Poles should henceforth be free from injustice and vexation. I wish they should be fatisfied, because they have declared themselves my friends."

If, in speaking to my nation, I have prefumed my letter would be attended with fuccess fuccess; in doing so, I did homage to your virtues. It is with fuch sentiments that I shall always do myself the

of Pruffia.

Monfieur my Brother,

It is already certainly known to your Majesty, that the Diet of Poland has unanimously decided to all your republic to your Majesty without delay, and without pretending to regulate before hand the points of commerce, which are at present in discussion, between your Majesty and us. The more these points of commerce are essential to us, the more highly will your Majesty appreciate the eagerness ea of

a free and generous nation, to unite with you in reposing entirely on the perfonal equity of the known character of your Majefty.

With a King fuch as you, the surest way is to address him directly, by entreathim to weigh, in the balance of his just foul, the claims of a nation who gave him all their friendship, while they depend on the clear letter of treaties, and on the fufferance of seventeen years, The idea which the nation has formed of the reigning Frederick William is, that, formed to equal his ancestors in every other fort of glory, there is one which he wishes to render peculiarly his own, by fetting his grandeur above this fatal maxim, that the profperity of our own state can only be promoted by the misfortunes of our neighbours.

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You cannot, Sire, be ignorant of the great difficulties which ought to have opposed, or at least retarded the refolution which the Diet of Poland formed on the 15th current; nevertheless, those difficulties yielded to the sentiment-that it was with you, Sire, we had to deal. I told iny nation, that I would perfonally address myself to your Majesty; that I would lay before you the rights, complaints, and demands of my nation; and likewise the whole Diet, without coming to a vote, faid, Let us proceed to be come the allies of this King, too loyal; doubtless too truly great, to wish to take advantage of the confidence which we shall put in him. He will order, without doubt, his Minifters to remedy the just complaints of the Polish nation. He will

Majesty the good Brother and Ally,
Warsaw, 27th March 1790.

STANISLAUS AUGUSTUS.

The Anfwer of bis Pruffian Majesty to the preceding Letter.

Monfieur my Brother,

The Prince Jablonowsky delivered me a letter 'which your Majesty wrote me, dated 17th March, and which claims my personal interference to put an end to the commercial grievances with which the Polish nation thinks itself oppressed in its intercourse with Prussia. I am flattered with your confidence, and will endeavour to justify it; but I entreat your Majefty and the nation, to observe likewise the fame justice and impartiality which it demands of me, towards me and my state, and to weigh in exact balance, the real circumstances of the important object in question.

If your Majefty wishes to recal every thing which has passed since the ceffion of Western Pruffia, you cannot forget that the charges and inconvenience to which the Polish nation upon the Viftula, and towards the Baltic fea, is perhaps exposed, folely take their origin and their source from the convention of commerce in 1775, between Pruffia and Poland, by which all the merchandize which the Polish nation transports to Dantzic, or exports, have been charged with the fame duties of twelve per cent. which already existed from the time of the Polish dominion.

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If abuses have crept into the receiving of these duties by the misconduct of the collectors, it is what the Pruffian subjects no less experience in Poland. I have endeavoured to redress them as much as poffible, when complaints appeared.

[The King then enumerates the many instances in which he had favoured the trade of the Polish nation: but with regard to Dantzic, he says,] It cannot be justly demanded, that I should grant the fame advantages which my own cities enjoy, to a city which is on all fides furrounded by my dominions, without belonging longing to them, and which does them so much mischief by the contraband practices of its inhabitants, and the chicanery of its magiftrates.

I perceive well that the Polish nation suffers in an indirect manner, but it is its own fault, and it ought to remember that it has not been less ill-treated by the monopoly of the commerce of the Vistula, which the city of Dantzic had usurped from the time of the Polisi dominion in prejudice of the other Pruffian cities. This vice cannot fail to remain inherent in the commerce which the Poles carry on by the Vistula into Dantzic, fo long as the cities of Dantzic and of Thorn remain separate from my territories, by which they are completely furrounded, especially the first. It is to remedy this great evil that I have proposed to your Majesty, and the illustrious Diet, to make with me a new treaty, by which I shall diminish the duties established at twelve per cent. on the Viftula, to a tax so moderate that the Polish nation shall have no reason to complain; and I have demanded, that, in compenfation of the great loss which I shall sustain in my fihances, they should give up to me the fovereignty of Dantzic and Thorn, which, by their natural fituation, belong to the territory of Western Pruffia; and which, at the time of the ffion of that country, was excepted only for particular reasons, and of little importance.

I thought I might make these proposals without being taxed with unjust views of ambition, because these two cities are fituated in the middle of my dominions, and their sovereignty belongs to the poffeffor of Western Prussia, and the ally of Poland, to whom they give an acceffion of force equally neceffary to Pruffia and Poland. They are of no importance to Poland, and rather render their commerce difficult and troublesome by the conventional duties.

NATIONAL ASSEMBLY, May 22.

A long debate took place on the interesting question with regard to the power of making peace and war.

Much time was taken up in reading the different plans which had been proposed, and confidering various amendments; at last, however, the following was adopted, article by article, by a very great majority.

The National Assembly decrees, as articles of the conftitution

Article I. That the right of making peace and war belongs to the nation. That war cannot be determined on but by a decree of the legislative body, which shall be made upon a formal and neceffary propofition of the King, and then sanctioned by his Majesty.

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II. That the care watching w the external fafety of the kingdom, of maintaining rights and its poffessions be delegated to the King by the conftitution of the state. That it shall likewise belong to him to discuss foreign political connections, to conduct negociations, to chuse their agents, to make preparations for war proportioned to those of the neighbouring states, to distribute the land and fea forces in that manner which shall appear to him to be proper, and to regulate their motions in cafe of war.

III. That in case of hoftilities, either impending or commenced to support an ally or preserve a right force of arms, the King shall be bound, without any delay, to give notice to the legislative

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IV. That the nation renounces all ambition of conquest, and that it will never employ its forces against the liberty of any people.

V. That upon the same notice being given, if the legislative body determine that war ought not to be made, the executive

cutive power shall be bound inftantly to take necessary measures to ftop or prevent all hoftilities, the ministers remaining refponfible for delays.

VI. That in cafe of an impending war, the legislative body shall remain fitting during its ufual time of vacation; and shall be without any vacation during the continuance of the war. (Sent back to the committee of the conftitution.)

VII. That every declaration of war frall be made in the terms-" On the " part of the King in the name of the "nation."

VIII. That during all the continuance of the faid wars, the legislative body may require the executive power to negociate peace.

IX. That it shall belong to the King to discuss and to fign with foreign powers all the conventions which he shall judge necessary for the good of the state, and that treaties of peace, of alliance, and of commerce, shall not be executed till they shall have been ratified by the legislative body.

X. That at the instant when war shall cease, the legiflative body shall determine the interval at which the extraordinary troops shall be discharged, and the army reduced to its permament establishment That the foldiers of the faid troops shall riot be continued but till the fame period; after which, if the extraordinary troops remain assembled, the minister shall be responsible, and profecuted as a criminal against the nation: That for this purpose, the committee of the constitution shall be

bound inceffantly to pay attention to the mode in which the minifters shall be made responsible.

whom they confidered as the generous Defenders of the People. Abbe Gauttee was carried to his own house id triumph, in the arms of the Citizens.

It is impoffible to describe the consternation which was visible on the faces of those Members who wished to preferve the King's power, when the first Article was carried by a great majority-their amazement increased as the other articles were carried one by one, till at laft they appeared to be absolutely petrified with the horror of disappointment.

May 28.

On Wednesday the Marquis de la Fayette was appointed Grand Prevost of the kingdom of of France: The confequence is the abolition of the Chatelet' Department of examining offenders. Every thief taken is brought before the Marquis, and either dismissed or executed within 24 hours. A fummary ftile of judgment, which nothing but the miserable anarchy of this unhappy kingdom can for a moment juftify.

May 28. The Assembly received several addreffis, and were occupied with the confideration of fome business, mere ly of a domestic nature, which cannot be interefting to a British reader.

The Prefident then announced a note, which he had received from the Keeper of the S als, by which he was informed. that the King had accepted and fauctioned feveral decrees; and that, in particular, his Majefty had accepted that which had for its object the right of making. peace and war.

The attention of the Assembly was then called to a letter from M. de la Luzerne, on the part of the King, relative to the navy.

The examination of this affair was remitted to the Committee of the Marine: it was, however, in the mean time decreed, on the motion of M. Vadreuil, That failors should be immediately raifed to man the fleet; and that, in raifing them, the fame mode should be followed which had been formerly practifed.

This letter informed the Afsembly, that "The King proposes to arm fourteen ships of the line, fourteen frigates, fix cutters, and fix other veffels as storeships, and for carrying dispatches;" to be upon a footing with the armaments going on in the neighbouring States.

The letter also fubmitted to the Affembly the present state of the navy, and the

money

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ture.

out.

He finished this interesting recital by recounting the labours of the National Assembly, his own, and those of the other ministers; and concluded by fubmitting his administration to the test of public opinion.

His speech was followed by long and diftinguished bursts of applause. The President made him a speech in reply, which was also much applauded.

A proclamation of the King was read,

appointing, that henceforth no corkade should be worn but the national cockade, and exhorting all good eitizens to abstain from dissention and outrage.

The reading of this proclamation excited the most lively applause: The cries of Vive le Roi, were heard from every part of the House, and the Assembly unanimoufly decreed, that a deputation of 24 members should wait upon the King, to testify to him the fentiments of affection, love, and gratitude, which his proclamation has inspired, and to thank him in the name of the nation, for the means which he has employed to cement the

chains which unite all Frenchmen to their beloved Monarch.

June 5.

After some previous business, the Prefident communicated to the Affembly a declaration of M. Fitzgerald, the English minifter, addressed to M. de Montmorin, upon the probable extenfion of the decrees of the National Affembly to the Scotch College.

The English Minifter observed, that this inftitution, which was founded in 1355 by David Murray, Bishop of Scotland, and confirmed in 1603 by the Archbishop of Glasgow, owes every thing' it poffefses in France to the generofity of Scotchmen, and proposes, That either the establishment should be preferved, or that its managers should be allowed to fell its property, and transport it to some other country. He added, that the acquiefcence, in one or other of these requests on the part of a noble and generous Nation, and in friendship with England, would be highly agreeable to the King of Great Britain and his people. This proposal was remitted to the Ecclesiastical Committee.

ITALY.

AVIGNON April 30.

On the 27th instant a general council was held in the Common House, wher they came to two important resolutions the first was relative to the fuppreffion of the tribunal of the inquifition; and it was ordered, that the Rev. Father Mabel, the inquifitor, should be informed of: it, and that all the exteriour marks of the tribunal should be fuppreffed. The second, which was taken the fame day in the City Council, decreed the deftruction of the instrument used to rack the

prifoners, which was placed at a great height in the wall of the prison of St Peter. This resolution was executed immediately; a number of mafons worked for three hours in destroying this machine. This punishment was generally inflicted by the order of the Vice-Legate, and the fufferer was either severely racked or killed by it. But it was not deemed an ignominious punishment. It al ways diflocated the arms, and frequently tore the breast. The remains of this engine of torture were afterwards carried in great pomp to the Common House by the Sbirres guards, who usually rack: ed the prisoner. The next day, the 28th,

the