runs thus: We fhall give a pretty full ex- I fhould take fome effectual meatract of this important paper;-it fures to deftroy for ever that odious difgrace, which, for the honour of the nation, I would with to forget the remembrance of, it is even for its own intereft, as well as mine, that I fhould purify the conftitution, in many inftances obfcure and inexcufable, and to fix it upon a proper bafis. "Without having any farther controverfy in refpect to raifing the fupplies, I order you to proceed, without delay, to the granting of them, in virtue of my full and fovereign power. "To this object I have empowered my government-general to afford you any military affiftance in enforcing the fupplies, fhould it be found neceffary. "I promile myself that you will pay implicit refpect, as you ought to do, to my fovereign commands, as they are founded on a thorough knowledge of the cafe, nor fuffer yourfelves to be led away by objects foreign to your duty; and farther, that you will not give countenance to thofe indifcreet perfons, who, by an obftinate refiftance and a criminal conduct, have incurred my difgrace; nor embarrass the exercife of my rights, and the prerogatives of the crown. I have, moreover, ordered my government-general to carry into full force the laws I have ordained, and to spare no methods to put them into the fpeedieft execution, without minding (in regard to any of my fubjects who may difpute them) the common forms of law, which were only made for ordinary cases. At the fame time, I acquaint you, that I have broken and annulled thofe claufes and conditions by which fome of the courts have exceptions, and new-modified my orders. "Not doubting but you will think with me, that if my dignity and my rights require, that I cannot give you a stronger proof of my clemency, nor of my real affection, than in communica ting my intentions, which, after what has happened, I was fully authorized to do by my fovereign power alone. "I must likewise acquaint you, that the mitigation of the rigorous parts of my difpatch of the 7th January laft, only holds good to long as every order of my citizens obferve the implicit respect it owes me; and that if there should ftill be found refractory perions, who fhould be guilty of the least feditious ftep injurious to my authority, I have given implicit orders to my government-general to act against thofe culprits without obferving the ufual forms of law, which, in all fuch cases, are to be made fubfervient to the neceffity of the cafe. (Signed) JOSEPH, rights, and which reftored tranquillity to the kingdom, the country was convulfed nearly by like circumftances as those which have arifen on this occafion, with a more rapid progrefs. The fame enemies without laid for us then in fecret the artful fnares which they now do openly; the fame views within, which then undermined and afflicted the body of the ftate, feem now to have rallied and acquired fresh vi gour. What is it then that can oc cafion fuch violent fhocks as thofe we now feel, after tranquillity had been reftored, and all the ancient diffenfions appeared to be ftifled? They can only have the fame fource, namely, the different confuled opinions of intereft, whence arife diftruft and jealoufy, and the falle explanations of fundry privileges relating to each order: upon which, however, we fhould be all of one mind, for the equal advancement of the public good: fince a people enjoying the fame liberty, born in the fame country, cultivating the fame foil; a people obeying the fame laws, acknowledging the fame king, and worshipping the fame God, ought not to be divided in opinion on the fubject of privileges to which all the citizens in common feem to have an equal right. But particular orders, who are diftinguished from one another, both by ancient ordinances and a long feries of events, and by the nature of the ftatutes of the kingdom, and fhining merit, ought neverthelefs to poffefs neceffarily certain privileges peculiar to each order, and to which they have an unalien able right. But if these prerogatives are not founded on a lawful bafis, if they are not fuitably determined, they will infallibly create inteftine divifions, which, though they do not always expofe the public weal to imminent danger, yet they interrupt tranquillity, fo effential, and commonly divert the attention from the true aim. If ever a kingdom has experienced the effects of it, it is without contradiction our dear country, which ariftocratical ambition has convulfed and abandoned to ufurpation, and democratical defpotifm has divided. It is time to annihilate these diforders, which I thought I had extirpated at the beginning of my reign, and which I have endeavoured to remove to give vigour to our conflitution. It is juft to confirm the privileges that the two first orders of the kingdom enjoy; but as they are not clearly defined in the conftitution, there may refult fresh difputes from it. It is equitable to eftablifh privileges for the order of plebeians, fince nature feems to have given the members of that order a right to hope for them as fellow-citizens in the fame country. And at what æra can you deserve it better, and have a clearer right to fee fixed, determined, and afcertained on a folid bafis, your own privileges, and thofe of your pofterity, than the present epocha? At this æra, when you have devoted yourfelves of your own accord to the fervice and defence of my perfon and the ftate, and have manifefted the fame virtues as thofe by which your fellow. eflates before you obtained their privileges? It is juft, therefore, that you fhould alfo have a flare. It allo time for us to remove reciprocally from among ourfelves every fubject for difpute, to unite in fuch a manner as to avoid all ambiguity, and to preferve our common fafety on an immoveable foundation. If the conftitution is preferved according to its maxims and its end, and confirmed in fo evident a manner, that no doubt can in future be formed refpecting it; this is the fafeft means of preferving the union. Thefe maxims are falutary; they confift of these points: when the ordinance of government receives fecurity from him who governs; when the fubject under the law enjoys the right of impofing taxes freely on himfelf, with entire fecurity in the poffeffion of property to be cultivated and defended; equality of right among equal citizens. Echold the nature of the act of union and fafety, which now you will hear read to you. Citizens, Swedes! Let us then bind ourfelves for ever in this union, which can only give confidence, privileges, liberty, and fafety! and as the enemy think we are divided to fuch a degree that they hope to opprefs us, let us fhew them, that united even in danger we are the fame valiant nation we were formerly.. May the Almighty hed his grace on our refolutions, and infpire us with a 1pirit of union and confidence! Declaration made by Mr. Elliot to the Count Bernfierf, April 23, 1789. Willingly accuifce to the de fire Your excellency has expreffed of receving in writing the fummary of thofe eprefentations I had the honour to make to you by word of mouth, by the orders of my court. Your excellency will be pleafed to remember, that at the inftant that the king of Denmark yielded up a great part of his land and fea forces as auxiliaries to Ruffia, his Danish majefty applied for the intervention of his Britannic majefty to re-establish tranquillity between Sweden and Ruffia. It is alfo with the livelieft forrow that I muft recall to your excellency's memory, that the empres of Ruffia thought proper to avoid the mediation of the king and his al lies; and that this refufal was the only caufe of the continuation of hoftili ties, fince his majefty the king of Sweden had accepted, in the freeft and most amicable manner, that offer from the three courts, which were animated with the only defire of ftopping the shedding of blood, and maintaining the Northern balance. Your excellency has afterwards been witnefs, that the king and his allies have acted with energy, to give the most undoubted proofs that they thought the prefervation of Sweden was of the greatest impor tance; and that these courts mutually endeavoured to obtain a cellation of hoftilities from the land and fea forces of his Swedish majefty, which had acted in the military opera tions of the laft campaign, and their endeavours had the most falutary effects. The king my mafter till fees with forrow, that fince that epoch the offers of mediation and fervices from from the king and his allies have not produced the defired effect; nor could they incline the emprefs to agree to a mediation for reftoring peace to the Eaft or to the North of Europe. Under thefe circumftances, when Ruffia refules to accept every mediation, and that the continuation of hoftilities proceeds from this refufal only, his Britannic majefty and his allies think they should strongly reprefent to the court of Denmark, that this court appears to them entirely freed from every ftipulation of a treaty merely defenfive; and even to add, that in the prefent cafe the joining of the Danish forces either by land or fea to those of Ruffia would even cause Denmark to be confidered as one of the powers at war, and could but justify the king of Sweden in afking for a fpeedy and efficacious affiftance from his Britannic majesty and his allies, from whom his Swedish majefty has accepted a pure and unlimited mediation. From the principles of fincerity which I have ever obferved towards a court in alliance and a friend to Great Britain, I muft affure you, fir, that neither the king of Eng land, nor his allies, can give up the fyftem they have adopted with the defign only of maintaining the equal balance of the North-a balance no lefs interesting to Denmark than to all maritime and trading nations. I doubt not that you excellency perceives how little the most favourable interpretation of your treaty could affift the emprefs, if it occafioned by land and by fea a vigorous co-operation of the three powers in defence of Sweden: nor that the council of Copenhagen is too VOL. XXXI. wife and too moderate to expofe either Ruffia or Denmark to an increase of hoftilities from courts which in other refpects with but for peace, and who desire to establith it on the most folid foundation, and on conditions the moft advantageous to every party concerned. Therefore, fir, I must exprefsly intreat you, from the king and his allies, to induce the court of Denmark not to grant any part of their forces, either by land or fea, to act offenfively against Sweden, under pretence of a defenfive treaty; but, on the contrary, to fupport a perfect neutrality in every province, and on all the feas belonging to the king of Denmark. Depend on it, fir, that as foon as Denmark will have taken a refolution fo conformable to the wifhes of its true friends, the concurrence of the king of Denmark towards the re-establishment of a general peace would be infinitely agreeable to the king my malter; and I dare add, that your excellency has too long been acquainted with the true interefts of Ruffia, and with the fentiments of England, not to be fenfible that the emprefs of Ruffia cannot better confide to effect a peace that to his Britannic majefty, and his allies. My inftructions are, to alk of your excellency a clear and decifive anfwer on the intentions of his Danifh majefty with regard to a junction of part of his forces, either by land or fea, to the forces of her imperial majefty of Ruffia, and to propofe the neutrality of the Danifi ftates, and of the Danish feas, under the moft efficacious promifes of [Y] fecurity The defire of avoiding every kind of useless animofities has caufed me to addrefs myself to your excellency by a private letter, rather than deliver a formal declaration, the contents of which might have been made more public than the actual circumstances of affairs require; and I am bold enough to flatter myfelf, that, whatever may be the event of my negociations, your excellency will do me the juftice of acknowledging that I have laboured to prevent the miseries of war. May our united endeavours revive in the hearts of the fovereigns the true love of their fubjects, too unhappy victims of that chimerical love of glory which nas fo frequently and fo unneceflarily ftained Europe with blood." Articles of the Quadruple Alliance between Ruffia, Auftria, France, and Spain. A RTICLE I. That in cafe any of the parties are attacked by fea or land, the other three fhall defend, with money, forces, or fhipping. II. The treaties of 1748, 1753, 1756, the Bourbon family compact in 1761, and the convention between Auftria and Ruffia in 1787, fall be in full force. III. Their moft Chriftian and Catholic majefties oblige themfelves to obferve the strictest neutrality in the prefent war with the Turks. But in cafe the emperor fhould be attacked by any other power, the French king is to furnish him 50,000 men, or an equivalent in money, on demand. And in cafe the French king is attacked, the emperor is to furnish the like fuc cours. IV. The king of Spain agrees, on his part, to the aforefaid third article, which the emperor alfo does toward the king of Spain. V. If the emprefs of Ruffia fhould be attacked in the prefent war with the Turks, his moft Chriftian majefty engages to affift her with eight hips of the line, and fix frigates; and his Catholic majefty is to fornifh the like fuccours; the empres of Ruffia binding herfelf to furnish either or both powers with an equal afiftance, in case any attack is made on them. VI. The treaty of commerce be tween France and Ruffia, made in 1787, fhall be in full force, and a fimilar treaty be figned by Ratla and Spain. VII. The treaty of 1761, be tween France and Spain, to be in full force. VIII. Though this treaty is to be purely defenfive, the parties agres, that if any of them are attacked, the other three fhall not make peace, until the province which is invaded is reftored back in the fame ftate it was before attacked. IX. Whenever any of the parties fhall, by their ambaffadors, demand ftipulated fuccours, the faid ambafiadors fhall be reciprocally admitted into the councils of war, and deliberate upon, and fettle whatever may be moft advantageous to the four contrafting parties, and the auxiliary fuccours are to be augmented as events may require. X. The high contracting parties fhall have liberty to invite tuch other powers to accede to the pre Tent |