in Bellarabia, not far from Bender, where the Turks feemed, under the aufpices of Haffan Bey, to have recovered their former confidence and courage. But the grand admiral's fortune was now to defert him; and, after a hard-fought battle, for feveral hours obftinately maintained, his army was totally defeated, with the lols of feveral thousand men, and of the greater part, if not the whole, of their artillery. We have had various opportunities of feeing, that one of the most fatal as well as the moft common confequences of the Turkish deficiency in difcipline and tactics is, that they are incapable of drawing an army off from a field in the face of the enemy, or of conducting a retreat properly; fo that their battles admitting of no medium, abfolute victory or total defeat are the only alternatives. This battle decided the fate of Bender: before which prince Potemkin immediately fat down; but notwithstanding the, long distress it had already undergone, it was not furrendered until the middle of November. Every thing now, either fell before or fled from the arms of the combined powers, and it seemed as if nothing lefs than the winter could have prevented the fubversion of the Ottoman empire, at least in Europe; its existence afterwards muft have been fhort indeed! The Turks were now fo funk and dif-fpirited, that they could no longer hear the fight of their enemy, and any fmall Auftrian or Ruffian detachment was fufficient to difperfe any number of those that attempted to form a body. The Afiatics, ftruck with horror at the idea of being compelled to endure an European winter, could not be retained any longer, by entreaty or force, but marched off, without leave or notice, in great bodies to the Hellefpont. And while the Porte was thus overborne on the fide of Europe, her ancient and implacable enemies, the Perfians, hoping to profit by her prefent diftrefs, feemed for a time to forget thofe mutual animofities which feemed incurable, and began to direct thofe fwords, which had for fo many years been drenched in civil blood, againft her eaftern frontiers. To render her fituation still more deplorable, and even hopeless, anarchy and infurrection prevailed in feveral of the beft provinces of the empire. The Ruffians pursued their con quefts to the Black Sea, where the ftrong port town of Bialogrod, more generally known of late years by the Turkish name of Ackirman, fituated at the mouth of the Niefter, fell without much difficulty into their hands; fuch being the present state of hopelessness and diforder, that the garrifon was not competent to its defence. Kylia Nova, another fortrefs, lying on the northern mouth of the Danube, and which in better times would have been deemed a conqueft of difficulty, became now likewife an easy prey. The Auftrians were likewife carrying every thing before them; Bucharest, the capital of Wallachia, the strong fortrels of Czernitz, with the greatest part of that fine province, notwithstanding the unconquerable fpirit and indefatigable exertions of prince Maurojeni, (who of all their Chriftian fubjects was diftinguished for never fwerving from his faith and loyalty to the Ottomans) fell incontinently into their hands. On the fide of Servia they were no lefs fuccefsful; having ta kea Cladova, the places of lefs strength firength and confequence furrendered without oppofition, and they overrun the province to the walls of There, however, their progrefs was stayed, by the virtue and unexpected firmnefs of the garrifon; who, at a time when all hearts were funk in difmay and terFor under the present torrent of misfortune, boldly rofe to oppofe the danger, and, difdaining to liften to any terms of accommodation, prepared for the moft obftinate de fence. The fiege of Orfova was commenced with all the expedition, and the operations conducted with all the vigour, which a fenfe of the latenefs of the season, and ftrong refentment for the confident prefumption of the garrifon, could poffibly induce. A terrible bombardment, with fhowers of red-hot balls, and all the other modern methods of accelerating the deftruction of fortresses, were accordingly recurred to with unceafing violence. But the minds of the befieged were not easily subdued; and they covered and maintained their works with fuch defperate valour, that the impreffion made on them bore no proportion to the fury with which they were affaulted. By this means the progrefs of the Auftrians was protracted, until the feverity of the winter, operating as a powerful auxiliary, compelled them to raife the fiege; and thereby afforded that meed of honour to the garrifon which their unequalled bravery fo highly merited. This disappointment was the more felt, as it was well known in the army, that the emperor fet his mind particularly upon the taking of Orlova, and could not at all regard the fuccefs of the campaign, great as it was, complete without. It is but juftice to Selim (whofe conduct upon his acceffion we reprehended with not more severity than justice) to acknowledge, that he bore this unexampled torrent of ill fortune with the greatest constancy and firmness, and that, instead of finking in despondency, or of perfevering in a vain reliance on his native powers, he had judgement enough to perceive that they were totally incapable of preferving the empire, and fpirit enough to feek for other refources wherever they could be found. With this view he refumed the policy of his uncle, and looked to Europe as the only quarter which could afford a counterpoife to the exorbitant power and ambition of the two domineering empires. Sweden had already done all that he could, and more than fhe could bear; but the difproportion of force was fo vaft, that while the ruined herself in the attempt, the effect which it produced in the operations of Ruffia against the Porte were scarcely perceptible. Other alliances were then to be fought, and, as France was now out of the queftion, the king of Pruffia, and the maritime powers, were the only object of hope; and indeed the only European ftates who were capable of interfering with effect in checking the progrefs of the combined empires. He accordingly laid himself out with the greatest affiduity to cultivate the friendship of these three powers, and to enter into the cloleft poffible alliance and connection with them; thus refting his hope of preventing the downfall of the Crefcent, and the overthrow of Mahometanifm, upon Christian affistance, inftead of the aid of his prophet. [M] 3 С Н А Р. CHOÁ P. VIII. Difficult and embarrassed state of the King of Sweden's affairs at the clofe of the year 1788, notwithstanding the armistice with the Danes, and the retreat of their army out of the kingdom. Situations in which the most daring and bazardous meafures become prudent and neceffary acts. Gustavus heroically determines to overcome his difficulties, and thereby retrieve his affairs, or to perish in the encounter. Fortunately, notwithstanding some intervening jealoufies, the three lower claffes of the people ftill continued much attached to him. Incurable animofity of the equestrian order. Diet fummoned to meet at Stockbolm. King calls a meeting of the magiftrates, accompanied by fifty of the most ancient and respectable citizens of that capital, to whom, as to a grand council of ftate, be communicates, in a most eloquent speech, the whole ftate of bis affairs; fhews how his inveterate foreign enemy had, by infiduously prac tifing upon his own difaffected fubjects, rendered them the inftruments of frus trating all the well-laid defigns, and blafting all the fair hopes of the preceding campaign. Affembly encourage the king to the profecution of the war and engage to fupport him with their lives and fortunes against all his enemies. Diet meets. Equeftrian order foon fhew their indifpofition to ftand upon good terms with the king. They first cavilled about the body of free Dalecarlians, which had joined the king with fo much zeal in the preceding feafon of danger, being garrisoned in Stockholm. This the nobles refented with much ill-humour, on the double account of its being an infraction of the freedom of the diet, and of its being a direct affront to their order, from its implying a fufpicion of their loyalty and honour. But being totally unsupported by the other orders, their ill-humour on this ground comes to nothing. The king having appointed count Lowenhaupt to be marshal of the diet, the nobility, on that account, infult him fo grofsly, that he abfents himself from discharging the duties of his ftation under fuch public dishonour. The king, finding himself fecure in the attachment of the three other orders, goes to the diet to demand reparation for the infult offered to himself through the marshal. High words and very harsh language between the king and the nobles, until he throws out a charge of difaffection and treafon, without naming particular perfons, when they all quit the affembly in a body. King makes a speech to the remaining states, which is received with fatisfaction. Three days after, their houses being fuddenly furrounded by detachments of the guards and of the armed burghers of Stockholm, 25 of the principal nobility of the kingdom are feized, and fent prifoners to the caftle of Fredericfboff. Mutinous commanders and officers in Finland already arrefted, and on their way, as prifoners, to Stockholm, to be tried for their lives. Ordered to prepare for their trials. Names of feveral of these unfortunate gentlemen. King's conduct meets fuch general approbation, that the fmallest commotion is not produced by these violent measures. Numberless refignations take place; ffirit and ftrength of the equeftrian order entirely broken. Dangerous precedent established against the nobility, of carrying on the public bufinefs in the diet without them. New privileges granted to the peajants. Senate entirely abolished, and a new court appointed to supply its place. King's fpeech to the diet. Act of confederation. King, triumphant at home, prepares for the profecution of the war, by fea and land, with the utmat utmost vigour. Severe fentences paffed on the Finland officers, confiderably mitigated through the king's lenity. Successful efforts of Mr. Elliot, in behalf of the allied courts, to induce the court of Copenhagen to agree to a strict neutrality, relieves the Swedish fovereign from all apprehenfion on that fide. War in Finland. Rough face, and favage nature of the country, little calculated for rapid fuccefs or brilliant altion. A number of small but fevere and bloody actions take place. Encounter between the Ruffian fleet, and the Savedifh commanded by the duke of Sudermania, terminates without decifion or effect. Baron Stedink defeats the Rufian general de Schultz. This fuccefs counterbalanced by the hafty and dangerous retreat which the king was obliged to make out of Ruffian Finland. King exposes his person like a common volunteer. Takes Hogfors, where he is joined by his fleet of gallies, and other light veffels, which are speedily attacked by the prince of Naffau, with a fimilar armament. Unufually hard-fought, defperate, and bloody action between the hoftile fleets. Swedes worfted, and obliged to retire under the cannon of Sweaberg. Great fuperiority of the Ruffians in point of number, could not be compenfated by any exertions of valour. This action, decifive with respect to the fortune of the campaign. King again retires, with much difficulty and danger, from the Ruffian territories, and his garrison at Hogfors narrowly efcapes being cut off. Rufians, while the weather permits, become mafters of the fea, and fpread terror every where. Winter puts an end to the campaign, and the king returns to his capital. WE E faw, in our laft volume, the exceedingly embarrafled fate of the king of Sweden's affairs, and the more than common perfonal and political dangers with which he was environed in the latter part of the year 1788; and, though these were much leffened by that powerful interpofition which, towards the elole of the year, obliged the Danes to withdraw their invading auxiliary army, and to conclude an armiftice for fix months, yet he was ftill involved in fuch difficulties as rendered his fituation extremely critical, For the confequences of his being overborne in war, by an enemy too mighty for his contention with any reasonable profpect of fuccefs, formed only a part of the evils and dangers which he had to apprehend. That enemy, by her influence and cabals with his own fubjects, had found means to shake his authority in the very feat of his power. He had already experienced the fingular misfortune, of a well-difciplined and undaunted army, not only queftioning his orders, but heightening the difgrace to him and to themselves, by refufing, in the field, and in the view of a foreign enemy, to draw their fwords in his behalf. The army's entering afterwards into a convention, and affuming the authority of concluding an armistice with the fame enemy, and that without confulting the king's approbation, or feeking his confent, could not add much to the effect of their former conduct, with refpe&t either to military fubordination, or to the point of allegiance. Thus the na ture of the war was totally changed, and inftead of any queftions upon that fubject, the only ftate problem now feemed to be, whether the king fhould continue to reign. in any form. He had indeed difficulties to en. [M] 4 counter, counter, which would have required all the fortitude and all the abilities of either the firft, or the great Guftavus to furmount. In this ftate of affairs, peace must have been of all things the most defirable to the king, and the most suitable to his circumstances. But his potent enemy was too haughty, and too implacable in her resentments, to liften now to peace upon any terms of equality. She had befides too intimate a knowledge of his affairs, and too clear a view of the difficulties and dangers with which he was furrounded, not fully to comprehend the advantages that were to be derived from them: fo that political intereft and perfonal animofity were equally indicative of the courfe to be purfued. The king faw that peace could not be hoped for upon any conditions, which would not be in the laft degree difgraceful at prefent, and totally ruinous to the rights and interefts of the crown in future. That he muft have figned a charte blanche, to be filled up by his mortal enemy: that the immediate and inevitable confequence would have been, his return to that wretched state of thraldom under which his father had languifhed through life, and which reduced him to the hard neceffity of determining to relinquith a crown, rather than to bear the name of it, fubjected to the affronts and mortifications which he continually experienced. There was no alternative but that of putting every thing, crown and exiftence, to the hazard, in an he roic endeavour to overcome the difficulties and furmount the dangers that ftood in his way. It was a fituation as new as it was dangerous; involved in war with a fuperior enemy, and diftracted by internal diffention, to attempt a reform of government, and the new-modelling and punifliment of a mutinous army, under the eyes of that enemy, and which had itself been the author both of the diffention and mutiny. Highly emulous of the glory of the moft renowned of his predeceffors, Guftavus felt his mind equal to the magnitude of the difficulty and danger; and, in the worst event that Could happen, he determined rather to perish in the generous encounter, than to fink into the obfcurity and infignificance to which, in the prefent circumftances, he must have been condemned, by the degrading conditions of fuch an inglorious peace as he could now only obtain, It happened very fortunately for the king, that through his reign, and even during his father's life, be had highly gained the opinion, attachment, and affection of the lower claffes of the people. The order of peafants was generally devoted to him, and the burghers in no fmall degree; we have heretofore seen more than one inftance, of the strong attachment which the citizens of Stockholm, in particular, bore to his perfon, and of the advantages which he derived from it. It is true, that one act of his reign, as well as fome fubfequent duplicity with which he was charged relative to it, contributed not a little to leffen his popularity. This was the monopoly of brandy, the making and fale of which was feized by the crown, and no private diftilleries admitted. No impofition could have been more grievous in fo poor a country, where fuch immenfe quantities of that commodity are of neceflity confumed, and where every man that pleafed was before his own distiller. In confequence of great complaints and ftrong remopftrances on the fub ject, |