CHAP. XXXIII.

Britain resumes her attention to the affairs of the continent.-State of foreign powers. Situation and views of Catharine-Character and conduct of the emperor Joseph.-Catharine courts his alliance-Treaty between these princes. Catharine's invasion of the Crimea.-Seizure of that country.-Measures of internal improvement. It is the interest of Russia to cultivate amity with Britain.-Catharine's conduct to Britain not consistent with her usual wis dom-Reforming projects of the emperor Suppression of religions orders. Schemes of naval and commercial aggrandizement.-Dismantles the fortresses of the Netherlands.-Proposes to open the Scheldt. The emperor prefers his claims. Arguments on both sides.-Joseph's allegations entirely contrary to justice. The Dutch prepare to defend their rights.-Russia supports the pre tensions of the emperor.Prussia and France unfriendly to the emperor's demands.-Britain disposed to protect Holland,-Britain's speedy recovery from the evils of war.-Flourishing commerce →→Miscellaneous occurrences.-Death of Dr. Johnson, and a short view of literature and science at his decease.Improvements of the present age in natural philosophy and chemistry-Invention of air balloons.-Ascent of Lunardi from the artillery ground.-General astonishment of the metropolis at this phenomenon.

Britain re

FOR the last twenty years, England had been so much CHAP. engaged in her own intestine and colonial dissensions, and XXXIII. afterwards with the American war and its consequences, that she bestowed much less attention on the general concerns of 1784. Europe, than at any former period of her history since the re- sumes her volution. From the commencement of Mr. Pitt's administra- attention to tion, while recovering her internal prosperity, she resumed her the affairs importance among foreign nations. During the remaining por- nent. tion of our narrative, her interests became so interwoven with those of continental powers, that the general state of Europe must occupy a larger share of the history than has been hitherto necessary.

of the conti>

reign pow

ers.

The empress of Russia had not been engaged in any great State of for war since the peace concluded in 1774 with Turkey; she nevertheless was actively employed in schemes of external aggrandizement, as well as of internal improvement. Catharine's objects were to extend over Germany, and her more northern vicinity, her influence and power, so much increased by her acquisitions in Poland; on the other side to make herself mistress Situation of the Turkish empire, through the extent of coast which she and views should then possess on the Euxine and the Mediterranean: in of Catha addition to her maritime territories in the north, she proposed to attain a commercial and naval eminence, proportioned to her territorial power, rapidly increase the value of her immense

VOL. II.

3

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XXXIII.

1784.

Ar

CHAP, dominions, and become decidedly superior to every other sovereign. The end was grand, nor were the means ill adapted. At peace herself, she had carefully surveyed the circumstances, situation, and character of other states and princes. As the supreme obstacle to maritime exaltation would be Britain, the confederacy formed against the mistress of the ocean was consonant to her wishes, and, without open and direct hostilities, she endeavoured to promote its success. This naturally produ ced a connexion between her and France, the ancient ally of Turkey, the chief object of Catharine's ambition. The sagacious empress, penetrating into the characters of other princes, availed herself of either their strength or weakness, and applied to their ruling passions to gratify her own. The king of Prussia, she well knew, she never could render an instrument for effecting her purposes, though she might procure him as a coadjutor when co-operation with Russia suited his own. She was aware that he would instantly dive into her designs, and effectually obstruct them if they were likely ever remotely to interfere with his interests. Besides, in her principal scheme, his. co-operation could not directly advance her designs, even if he were so disposed. From the situation and power of his dominions, the emperor would be the most effectual auxiliary; and to his personal character, she did not doubt she could apply Character with success. Joseph was fond of distinction, without the and projects means of acquiring it by great and meritorious qualities. peror Jo- dently desirous of increasing his power, without solid and vigoseph. rous capacity to gratify his favourite passion, he was one of those secondary characters, bustling, busy, and active, which in all ages and ranks have been efficacious tools, moved and guided by superior ability. Joseph, she well knew, from his power and vicinity, would be a most useful instrument in her designs upon Turkey, either of encroachment, which she at the time meditated, or of subjugation, which though at a more distant period she no less firinly intended. That she might the more readily win over Joseph to second her views, in the year 1780 she requested a personal conference; they met at Mohilof, and there Catharine thoroughly confirmed the opinion which she had conceived of his abilities and character, and after having impressed him with the highest opinion of her own genius and accomplishments, she appeared to make him the repository of Catharine her most secret designs. She represented to him the advancourts his tages that would accrue to both empires from a close political alliance, union; and the practicability that, by such a connexion, they might share the spoils of Turkey, and each acquiring both an extensive and productive accession of dominions contiguous to their respective territories, their concert, when so increased in power, would enable them to direct the affairs of the German · empire. Joseph very readily acceded, both to the expediency and a treaty of the object, and feasibility of the plan. It was agreed that Catharine should return to her capital, and that Joseph, after

of the em

is conclu

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XXXIII.

making a circuitous tour through the Russian provinces, should CHAP repair to Petersburgh. There they more completely digested their schemes, and a firm alliance was established between the two imperial sovereigns.

1784.

Catharine found that from the late cessions in Turkey she Catharine's invasion of derived great and rapid advantages; her commerce on the the Crimea. Black Sea daily extended its progress; the Russian vessels passed the Dardanelles, and went to traffic at Aleppo, at Smyrna, and in the Italian ports, By so great and increasing benefits, the desire of Catharine was inflamed to extend the kind of possessions from which they arose. The Crimea, so well known in ancient history and poetry as the Taurica Chersonesus, the scene of exquisite tragedy, is a peninsula which projects into the Euxine from the Palus Mootis, or the sea of Azoff. This country, celebrated for its fertility and commerce, and filled with populous towns and cities, was formerly a dependency upon Turkey, and had been, at the last peace, declared to be a neutral principality, under one of the Tartarian khans, or chieftains. The empress studiously fomented dissensions between the ruling prince and his brother, a pretender to the sovereignty, expecting that the former, whom she professed to favour and protect, would implore her assistance, and thus afford a pretext for sending Russian troops into the Crimea. The Tartar solicited the assistance of Catharine, as that ambitious princess desired. The empress, secure of meeting no interruption from Joseph, and well knowing the feebleness of the Turks, invaded the peninsula with a powerful army, still professing that her intention was to relieve the khan. She left him the shadow of power; but taking all the substance to herself, she became absolute mistress of the Crimea. Having ascertained Seizure of the success of the iniquitous invasion, she published one of those that counmanifestoes, in which modern aggressors and conquerors render try. due homage in words to that justice and rectitude which THEIR ACTIONS are grossly violating. In this curious monument of imperial reasoning she affirmed, that her successes in the late. war had given her a right to the Crimea, which from her sincere desire of peace she had sacrificed to the wishes of the Ottoman Porte; that she had proposed the happiness of the Crimeans by procuring to them liberty and independence, under the authority of a chief elected by themselves. But those benevolent wishes had been grievously disappointed : revolt and rebellion had arisen; to suppress which, and restore tranquillity and happiness, from the same philanthropic motives she had been induced, at a very great expense of money and loss of troops, to interfere, for the beneficent purpose of preventing the recurrence of such evils; and had undertaken, once for all, the firm resolution of terminating the troubles of the Crimea. The measures which she had employed, the manifesto farther affirmed, were also intended to perpetuate the peace between Russia and the Porte. In this bountiful display of virtue, seeking

XXXIII.

CHAP the temporal comforts of its objects, Catharine did not forget their eternal happiness, and promised her new subjects a full and free toleration of their religion. The Turks were ex tremely enraged at this usurpation of Catharine, but did not at that time conceive themselves strong enough to commence hostilities.

1784.

Measures

of internal improvement.

It is the

interest of Russia to cultivate

Meanwhile the empress was engaged in improving her own country, and in connecting herself more closely with Joseph. In pursuing the former of these objects, she promoted manufactures, trade, voyages, and expeditions of discovery; particularly for exploring the resources of those dominions which were remote from the metropolis, and not under her own immediate inspection. She endeavoured as much as possible to facilitate communication between distant parts of Russia, and especially by water conveyance. She had projected to open a navigation between the White Sea and the Baltic, by a line of canals which should join the gulf of Finland, the lakes of La doga and Onega, and the river Dwina, and thus save traders with Archangel the dangerous voyage round Cape North, but on a survey of the interjacent country, abounding with rocks and mountains, the scheme was judged to be impracticable. She attempted to establish an intercourse between her eastern and western dominions, by opening a canal between the Pruth, which falls into the Wolga, and the Mista, that communicates by lakes with a river which falls into the Baltic, that so there might be a commercial traffic carried on between the maritime regions of Europe, and the inland recesses of northern Asia; and this great design was fully accomplished.

The policy of Russia respecting foreign alliances, was of much more questionable wisdom, than her schemes of internal improvement. The former princes of Muscovy had uniformly amity with cultivated a close intercourse with England; desirous of naval

Britain.

and commercial aggrandizement, Catharine conceived that the trade and maritime power of Britain were the chief obstructions to her own, and from this opinion rather discouraged than promoted amity with these realms. Were a person in private life to observe, that it is the interest of venders of commodities to cultivate a close connexion with their best customers, he would be charged with advancing a self-evident proposition, which no man in his senses could deny, either as an abstract truth, or as a prudent rule of conduct. Undeniable as it is, yet Catharine was not guided by this principle. The commerce with England is essential to Russia. No merchants, with smaller capitals, or less commercial spirit than the English, will or can advance such sums of money long before the period of return, to invigorate the manufactures, employ the people in a wide and poor country, and enable the small traders to bring their goods to market from remote districts. Without this application of British capital, industry ceasing to be productive, trade and manufactures would languish, and all the efforts of

1794.

Catharine for stimulating the industry of her subjects, must CHAP XXXIII. become less valuable, in the proportion that her policy decreased the English market. Most of the articles that her dominions could supply, might be procured from America; and should repulsive conduct drive Britain from Russia into other channels of import, it would be a loss to her commerce, which from no other source she could compensate. Never could, or can, Rússia profit by disagreement with England. Influenced, Her conduct however, in this important instance by narrow, and unavailing to Britain jealousy, instead of her usual enlarged policy, she conducted not consist herself inimically to the nation with which it was her chief in- her usual terest to maintain the strictest friendship. She continued to wisdom. cultivate an amicable correspondence with France, and the closest union with Joseph, whom she ardently seconded in schemes which now occupied the chief attention of Europe.

ent with

ror.

Since the year 1781, Joseph II. by the death of his mother the empress-queen, had been the sole sovereign of the Austrian dominions; and being now free from restraint, fully exhibited that character which was before discovered by the discerning, but had not yet been displayed to the world. Possessing lively but su erficial talents, the emperor was extremely desirous of ⚫ and distinction. Without original genius to Presuming concert gre. schemes, Joseph was the creature of imitation, projects of and had formed himself on the model of the king of Prussia, the empeas far as his conception of that extraordinary character reached. Among many objects which called forth the exertion of Frederick's astonishing powers, two principally occupied his attention; the acquirement of productive territories, and the improvement of all his possessions, according to their physical, political, and commercial resources, including the advancement of the general character of his subjects. His efforts ably, skilfully, and constantly directed to one or both of these objects, had been so successful as to raise Prussia from being a small and secondary principality, to the first rank among the powers of Europe. Joseph attempted both to improve and extend the Austrian possessions; his means did not, however, bear much resemblance to the designs of his archetype. Frederick directed his efforts to increase national prosperity in its various constituents: whatever opinions he himself might have formed on the subject of religion, he was far from judging it expedient to interfere with the established notions of his subjects, or to subvert any of those establishments, which, either in themselves or by habitual associations, cherish sentiments of piety, the surest sources of both the private and public virtues which exalt a people. If he was a deist, he did not apprehend that his subjects would be the fitter without religion for either defending or improving his dominions. Like many others of no great talents, Joseph considered indifference to religion as a source of distinction; he was ostentatious in infidelity, and wished it, under the name of liberality, to spread through his