triotic zeal for the welfare and fupport of both, fo it behoved him in the prefent, as a good friend to his moft gracious brother and affociate, the elector of Mentz, not only to maintain the rights of bishops within their respective diocefes, but alfo to contribute, with all his might, to their recovering all fuch rights as they had been originally entitled to, of which they have been difpoffeffed for many centuries, and the lofs of which was occafioned by temporary accidents, and unwarrantable encroachments.

That he was therefore refolved to make known to the whole empire, in the clearest and most explicit manner, his way of thinking on that fubject; and alfo to declare to the court of Rome, that he will never fuffer any prelates of the empire to be any ways annoyed in the free exercife of their metropolitan rights, which they hold from God and the church; that he means to look on the nuncios as fo many envoys from the pope, both in political matters, and in such cases as more immediately concern him as head of the church: that he abfolutely cannot permit their having in future any jurifdiction in ecclefiaftical matters, nor can he allow them to prefide in any private court of judicature. He then earneftly exhorts the prelates, in the terms of dearly beloved, that as he thus imparts to them his real fentiments, they will, on their fide, refift all attempts upon their metropolitan rights, as well as thofe of their fuffragans, and sternly to oppofe all encroachments and ufurpations which the court of Rome might be guilty of againft their rights and government: in doing which he gives them the moft pofitive affu

rances of the imperial protection in its utmoft extent.-He concludes by declaring, that he will be ftrictly attentive to all queftions concerning benefices, in order to keep up to the very letter the ecclefiaftical conftitutions peculiar to the Germanic body.

It was not very long after the publication of this memorial, when, at a conference held by the ecclefiaftical princes of the empire at Ratifbon, the following refolutions were debated, and (according to the most authentic information we are able to procure) received the affent of the convention.-To withdraw themselves entirely from the jurisdiction of the pope in their ecclefiaftical government.-To acknowledge no other fupreme than the emperor. To revive the antient complaints of the German nation against the encroachments of the holy fee; and to claim his protection for the restoration of all their former rights to the German bifhops. And, to establish new regulations relative to ecclefiastical difcipline.

Thus did the rash and untimely interference of a mifguided prince in its favour accelerate that final overthrow to the power of the court of Rome, which might otherwife, perhaps, have been yet for some time longer evaded; and thus was an end put, in the year 1786, to that domination in Germany, which the had for fo many ages fucceffively maintained.

The emperor, notwithstanding the multiplicity of his objects of reform, did not overlook even the focieties of free-mafons; upon those in his German dominions he impofed feveral restrictions which muft to them be exceedingly grievous;

and

and though he acknowledged himfelf totally ignorant of their myfteries, (an ignorance which he declared his full determination of continuing in) and acknowledged his having known or heard of benefits arifing from the inftitution, yet the language of the regulations conveyed implications of an odious or degrading nature against them. Their focieties in Germany, befides being very numerous, abounding with names of high rank and confideration, great intereft was used to prevent the obnoxious paffages from making their way into the world, by propofing to fubftitute other terms, which would produce the fame effect, without the fting of implication; but no relaxation whatever could be obtained, and the edict was published in its original form. Their brethren in the Netherlands were, however, ftill befs fortunate, the order there being entirely abolished (fo far as power could reach to do it) and their future affembling prohibited.

This prince, befides the fignal benefits which he had before conferred on the Jews, engaged fo warmly this year in their favour, as to write letters himself to the different trading and handycraft corporations of Vienna, requesting that their youth might be received as apprentices in the various trades and callings of that city.

The ruinous vice of gaming, fo deftructive in all places, and fo difficult, if not impoffible, to be entirely reftrained in any, has, poffibly from that very circumftance, excited the indignation of J feph (who will not admit any difficulty to ftand in the way of reform) in the highest degree. All games of chance are particularly prohibited

10

under the fevereft penalties; and fo rigidly is the law enforced, that eleven officers of grenadiers were, in a fingle inftance, not only deprived of their commiffions, but degraded to the humiliating condition of ferving in the ranks as common foldiers: a punishment which we hitherto conceived to have been peculiar to the Ruffian service.

It would have been more curious, if there had not been previous inftances of it, that the emperor, who in the commencement of his reign held out fuch unlimited freedom, as well as protection to the prefs, fhould now iffue an order totally forbidding any mention whatever of the Germanic league, or of the exchange of Bavaria, in any publication within his dominions. It was, however, rendered rather fingular by the circumftance that a celebrated court writer had just finished and prepared for the prefs an elaborate treatife, intended to overthrow every thing that had ever been advanced, whether against the propofed exchange, or in juflification of the Germanic league.

The ufual difpofition to new arrangement, or perhaps, with more propriety, the ufual prevalent defire of rendering every thing within his dominions perfectly Auftrian, as well with refpect to arrangement as government, the one habitually preparing the people by degrees to flide the more eafily into the other, appeared this year in the Nether lands, as we have seen it before did in Hungary. Thefe confined provinces are to be apportioned into circles; but as Germany in its antient and molt extended ftate was circumfcribed within ten circles, in a corner of one of which these were

then

then included, fo, in due gradation, the Netherlands are now to be comprised in nine. By this means the people in each circle will not only be admitted into the enjoyment of such portion of splendour and happiness as may be fuppofed incident to a diftinct government, but they will likewife (as it is fondly conceived) by degrees lofe all vexatious recollection of their former governments and condition; for it cannot be forgotten, how great are the effects of terms, as diftinguished from ideas, both in facilitating the government of mankind, and in rendering them intractible to it. The Auftrian Lombardy is to undergo. a fimilar arrangement, and to be tortured into eight divifions; which will undoubtedly serve to increase the local felf-importance of the people, how ever deficient it may prove in extending their improvements, or in promoting their profperity.

The spirit of innovation continues ftill to fhew itself in Hungary in small matters as well as in great, of which a fresh inftance was given in removing the courts of juftice, and the feat of government, from Prefburgh back to Buda, the antient capital of that kingdom, from which they had been removed about two centuries ago, upon that city's falling into the hands of the Turks. It is, however, to be obferved, that Buda feemed defigned by nature for being the capital of that country; that its fituation is much more centrical than that of Prefburg; and that the motive for a predilection for the latter could only proceed from its vicinity to Vienna, by which it was immediately under the eye of the court.

It was not to be expected that

the fame keen eye, from which no other object of regulation could efcape, would fuffer the numerous body of proftitutes in Vienna to país unnoticed. They are now compelled to take up their refidence in four large buildings affigned for the purpose, and are totally dif qualified from appearing in the ftreets in their profeffional character. A fuppreffed convent is faid to be one of the buildings affigned to this order of nuns.-Such is the mixture of burlesque which accompanies this activity of regulation, both civil and religious!

But notwithstanding the multiplicity of domestic business in which the emperor feemed entirely immerfed, it did not prevent his paying the most watchful attention to the affairs and distractions of Holland. It was not, however, underflood, that he furveyed the condition of that republic by any means with a friendly eye. On the contrary, difputes were raised relative to the navigation of the Swin, and every petty occafion feized which could afford room for difpute. At the fame time, a public requeft made by the ftates general to the government of the Auftrian Netherlands, for liberty to export Dutch herrings to Oftend, was rejected by the emperor himself, in terms the moft peremptory as well as laconic that could be devised.

In defiance of the fo lately concluded treaty of peace, and apparently of friendship, a new and ferious claim was likewife prepared, and ready to be enforced when the proper feafon arrived. This was a renewal of the claim upon the East India trade, which a Mr. Rancour was employed to justify in a treatife published for the purpose.