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borough of Southwark; and third, the city and liberty of Weftminfter. This is a very indifferent defcription of our capital. The city of Westminster is not properly the city of London, more than all the buildings that lie in the county, which, to fpeak within bounds, contains above a hundred thousand inhabitants, fuch as Pancras, Mary bone, St. Giles's, and other parishes. The fame indefinite defcription has led other fo reigners, as well as this author, into another mistake, which is ftill more important, by calculating the population of what is called London, from the bills of mortality, though fome large parishes are not within those bills.-After all, we are very ready to admit that Mr. Totze's defcription of the prefent ftate of Great Britain is more correct than that of any other foreigner.

The prefent state of the Netherlands next follows, and then that of Denmark, which is illuftrated by fome accurate notes. It is to be wished that other parts of this performance had undergone a like revifal. We have nothing to object to our author's account of Sweden, Poland and Ruffia, with which the third volume closes.

We fhail fay nothing decifive concerning this work, because we look upon it, as yet, to be imperfect, and a few elucida-. tions in the unpublished part may render it of very general utility.

II. The Hiftory of the Negotiations for the Peace concluded at Be!grade, September, 18, 1759, between the Emperor, Ruffia, and the Ottoman Porte, by the Mediation and under the Guarantee of France. Shewing the Grounds of the prefent War between the Ruffians and the Turks. Tranflated from the French of M. L'Abbe Laugier. 8vo. Pr. 55. 3d. in boards. Murray.

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HIS is an accurate and an inftructive work: it discovers great knowledge both of men and things. The ablest negotiator may improve himself by attending to the conduct of the marquis de Villeneuve; as the best writer may profit, by imi, tating the eloquence and perfpicuity of M. L'Abbe Laugier's narrative.

Having done this juftice to the ftatefmen and the author, we can with the better grace differ from the English translator, when he fays that the work before us fhews the grounds of the present war between the Ruffians and the Turks. Every nation, it is true, at war with another, confiders its former engagements as being diffolved, and each refumes its original intentions, and either ratifies or alters them by a subsequent treaty. In the prefent war between the Porte and the court of

Ruffia,

Ruffia, it is more than probable that the victor may revive the claims that were either adjusted or remained dormant at the peace of Belgrade in 1739; but we apprehend that the prefent war was grounded upon events entirely unconnected with any thing contained in that treaty. In the prefent grand feignor's manifefto, delivered the 20th of October, 1768, to the foreign minifters refiding at Conftantinople, mention is indeed made, that the Ruffians had fent troops to Balta, where they had committed hoftilities, in violation of the peace of Belgrade; but the Ruffians denied the fact; nor has it ever been confidered fince as a matter of any moment.

In the hiftory before us the author first enters upon a review of the political interefts that kindled up the war between the Ruffians and the Turks, which was terminated by the treaty of Belgrade. The ceflion of Afoph to the czar Peter by the treaty of Carlowitz in 1669, was the more mortifying to the Turks, as it was followed by the Ruffians acquiring an establishment on the Black Sea, the exclusive navigation of which had, till that time, been enjoyed by the Porte. The war which followed between Sweden and Ruffia gave fultan Achmet III. a pretext for fending his grand vifier at the head of a formidable army against that of Ruffia, commanded by Peter the Great in perfon. The event of that expedition, which promised to terminate in the total defeat of the Ruffians, when they were blocked up at Pruth, and were delivered by the addrefs of the czar's miftrefs, afterwards the empress Catherine, is well known in hiftory. It proved to the Turks to be a kind of a Furce caudina, as the Porte, by gaining little more than the reftitution of Afoph, acquired either too little or too much, and the Ruffians were rather exafperated than humbled by their difgrace.

Between the conclufion of the peace of Pruth and the year 1730, both empires were employed in difmembering the unhappy Perfian monarchy. Peter feized Derbent, and established an advantageous commerce on the Cafpian Sea. Anne Iwannovena that year filled the throne of Ruflia, and a revolution had placed the fultan Mahomet on that of Conftantinople. The latter propofed a peace with fhah Thamas, and offered to affist him in retaking all the provinces conquered by Peter I. on the Cafpian Sea. The court of Petersburgh found means to break off this negotiation; and the war going on, fhah Thamas defeated the Turks near mount Tauris. Their fubsequent dif graces obliged them to restore to the Perfians all their conquefts on that fide, and to aflift shah Thamas in diflodging the Ruffians from the borders of the Cafpian Sea; but the czarina

made

made proper difpofitions, fo that neither party fucceeded in its defigns against the Ruffian conquefts.

The death of Auguftus I. king of Poland, in 17 32, engaged the czarina's whole attention to prevent his most Christian majefty's father in-law regaining the crown of Poland, which accordingly went in favour of the late king's fon, Auguftus II. The profecution of this great meafure obliged the Ruffians to make peace with fhah Thamas, by yielding up to him part of their Perfian conquefts. The Turks were fo much exasperated at this pacification, that they marched 100,000 men to Bender, but they durft not employ them against Ruffia, because the Perfians had already commenced hoftilities againft them. Thus their army at Bender was recalled to act against shah Thamas; but the court of Peterburgh was fo much engaged in fupporting Auguftus II. that it took no part in this new war. The Turks employed a ferafkier as their minifter to finish.it by negotiation; and fhah Thamas, who had hitherto gained by every negotiation with both powers, would have gladly renewed the peace, had not his general and minifter, the famous Kouli Khan, thrown him into prison, placed one of his fons upon the throne, and declared himself regent of the kingdom, and generaliffimo of the army, foon after confirming all former treaties between Perfia and Ruffia, that he might employ his whole force against the Turks. Kouli Khan, after haughtily rejecting all terms offered him by the bashaw of Bagdat, was totally defeated by the Turks whom he hated and defpifed. By this time fhah Thamas was reinftated on his throne, and would have made peace with the Turks had not Kouli Khan been at the head of his armies, and after lofing a fecond battle remained completely victorious in a third.

Anguftus II. being confirmed on his throne, the Ruffians refumed their hoftile measures against the Turks, and even ceded feveral places on the frontiers of Perfia to keep Kouli Khan quiet during the war. He had again defeated the Turks. near Erivan, and the Porte had ordered the Khan of the Tartars to relieve Georgia, which obliged them to march through. part of the Ruffian terrritories, where fome diforders had been committed. The Rulian refident at Conftantinople made complaints of this, but they were neglected by the Porte; upon which count Munich, the Ruffian general, on the 26th of March 1736, invested Asoph, and the Turks propofed a peace with the Perfians by reitoring all their conquefts in that kingdom. Even preliminaries were figned, but the ambition of Kouli Khan, who depended greatly on the czarina for mounting the throne of Perfia, broke all measures of that kind. After this abridg

ment

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ment of one of the most curious and leaft understood parts of modern history, our author shall speak for himself.

The practices of this ufurper, Koulican, were no fecret at Conftantinople, where a report had even been spread, and met with credit among those who had opportunities of being well acquainted with the fecrets of the Turkish government, that the money lent by Ruffia to fhaw Thamas was to be reimbursed by the Porte, or, as an alternative, that Azoph fhould be ceded to the Ruffians; that the Porte being in no condition to make the reimbursement, had confented to the Ruffian invafion, preferring the lofing that place by a fiege to the expedient of yielding it up, in order to prevent the murmurs and outrages of the people, which a voluntary ceffion muft infallibly excite. It was affirmed, that this arrangement was fettled in one of the secret articles of the peace between the Porte and Koulican; which opinion was favoured by the dilatory preparations of the Turks against Ruffia; and by this circumftance, that the Ruffian minifter ftill enjoyed his, liberty at Conftantinople, contrary to their ufual practice, as they feldom fail of fhutting up in the prifon of the seventowers, the minifters of those potentates who declare war against them.

The event, however, proved this conjecture to be altogether groundless. The Cham of Tartary received orders to march with all expedition to the relief of Azoph; and he affembled near Orkapi an army of one hundred and fifty thousand men; and commiffions were iffued out, requiring all the militia of Greece and Romania to rendezvous at Bender; and the captain Bafhaw failed for the Black Sea with a fleet of thirty gallies and twenty brigantines, which were joined, during their voyage, by a great number of transports and armed veffels.

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On the 2d of June an envoy from Ruffia arrived at Conftantinople, and delivered to the grand vizier a manifesto, containing the declaration of war. In this paper, among the motives of the rupture, all fubjects of complaint, whether ancient or of a modern date, were recapitulated: the protection afforded to the Perfian rebels against the czar Peter; the late irruptions of the Tartars into the Muscovite territories, and the refufal of the Porte to put a stop to them; the moderation which the reigning czarina had teftified by restoring part of her conquefts to the king of Perfia, and refufing to join her. forces to thofe of fhaw Thamas againft the Turks, which had been fo far from rendering them better difpofed, that they had given a fresh evidence of their ill-will towards the Ruf fians, by oppofing their being included in the treaty with Tamas Koulican. Notwithstanding all thefe effential grievances,

fet

fet forth at great length in the manifefto, the czarina declared herself ftill difpofed to enter into an accommodation, provided it were upon reasonable terms.

This manifefto bore date on the ft of May, though the fiege had been begun on the 26th of March. It, however, produced no change with refpect to the Rufian minifter, who fo little expected being able to preferve his liberty, that he had already taken all neceffary precautions for the fecurity of his effects. As the czarina had left a door open in her manifefto for a negociation, the Turkish minifters were unwilling to deprive themfelves of that refource by an act of violence, which would have afforded fubject for fresh complaint. Therefore they took the refolu ion to fend the Ruffian embassador to the army which was going to march to Bender, and ordered him to be escorted as far as the frontier by a body of janizaries.

On the 16th of June the Ottoman army under the grand vizier began its march to Bender; notwithflanding which warlike preparation, their minifters were infinitely more anxious about finding means of accommodating with the Ruffians in the cabinet, then taking measures for refifting them in the field. From the firft accounts of the fiege of Azoph, they had been looking out for mediators between them. They would have preferred the mediation of France to any other; but as much time muft elapfe before the marquis de Villeneuve, the French embassador, could receive orders and inftructions from his court, and their eagerness to finish this war admitting of no delay, they had accepted offers of motion made them by the embaffadors of England and Holland, and the emperor's refident, in which laft they pretended to repose the greatest confidence, with a view of diverting the court of Vienna from joining the Ruffians against them.

They caufed the marquis de Villeneuve to be founded oftner than once, with refpect to the French mediation; which they were refolved to hold in referve at all events. They even entreated him to fend one of his drogmans to the army, in order to keep on foot a mutual correfpondence with the greater facility.

M. de Villeneuve, unwilling either to engage to a certain point without orders from his court, or to give occafion for any doubts about the favourable difpofition of the king towards the Ottoman empire, concluded on defiring the drogman of the Porte to carry with him a relation of the Sieur de Laria, the French drogman, who poffeffed a great share of abilities, and a perfect knowledge of the Turkish language. This expedient being agreed to by the Turkish minifters, anfwered all their views of a correfpondence with M. de VilleVOL. XXIX. Feb. 1770.

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neuve,

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