fty's conduct, from the false imputay

Saxony.

of the court of

The last is a memorial setting forth the co act of the courts of Vienna and Saxony towards the King of Pruffia, and their dangerous defigns against him. To these are fubjoined copies of the original documents in

P

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ty.

proof of the allegations of his

'n the f ce, the Pruffian minifter at the Hague declares the name of his mafter, that he has been unjustly calumniated by the court of Saxony, which he affirms was the aggreffor, in forming defigns with the court of Vienna, for difpoffeffing him of Silefia, and even for the deftruction of his whole power. He affs they had gone fo far as to negotiate an eventual partitior his majesty's dominions; and that the Saxon ministers haded neither malicious infinuations, nor even the most atrocio calumnies, in order to alienate all the world from his majefty, and to raise up enemies against him every where. He could not therefore avoid having recourfe to the only means which

out of

him to prevent inevitable ruin, by putting it

of the court of Saxony, 'till a future peace, to increase the number of his enemies. He fays he has acted with all poffible moderation. The country of Saxony enjoys peace and ferenity: his troops obferve the most exact difcipline, and all imaginable refpect is fhewed to the queen of Poland: he profeffes great friendship and esteem for his Polish majefty, and declares that the Germanic body has nothing to fear from his defigns.

With all due deference and veneration for the great abilities and perfonal character of this illuftrious prince, our new ally, we cannot help thinking that his juftification ought to have been a little more convincing. The fecret feparate article of the treaty of Petersbourg, concluded in the year 1746, between the czarina and the empress queen of Hungary, which is produced as a proof of a settled defign against the Pruffian dominions, appears to be no more than a precaution againft the enterprizes of his Priffin majefty; for it exprefsly declares, That her majelly the comprefs queen of Hungary and Bohemia, fhall with the frictest care and attention and the most inviolable fidelity obferve the peace of Drefden, concluded in 1745: but, if

• con

his majesty the ki "peace; whethe of Hungary an

* contrary to the expectation and wish of the contracting parties, of Prussia should first depart from the faid noftilely attacking the emprefs queen ohemia, or her heirs and fucceffors, or her imperial majesty of all the Ruffias, or even the republic of • Poland, then the empress queen's right to the faid part of Silefia and county of Glatz, yielded up by the above-mentioned peace, should again take place and re-acquire the full ce ⚫ and vigour.'-In fuch a cafe the allies agreed te agung.

the aggreffor, and the elector of Saxony, being in. ed to arg to this treaty, ftipulated an eventual partition of the conquetts they might make. We apprehend this is no more than a defenfive alliance, in which any power at any time has a right to engage for its own fafety; and that fome fuch p aution was not only excufable but even indifpenfible in the neourhood of an enterprizing prince at the head of one and forty thousand disciplined foldiers; a prince w! mqtions are fudden, whofe arms are almost irresistible, and from whose sword some of the contracting parties ftill feverely marted. His Pruffian majefty is too well ar the law of nature and nations, to deny that a

.

dred

with

righs aemnifi.

not only to repel force by force, but alfo to obta cation for the damages it might have received: nay, it has even a natural right to difable a turbulent enemy from taking any effectual steps for its annoyance. This being the cafe, we apprehend there is nothing extraordinary or unjust in the eventual partition, against which he fo loudly exclaims; for the express provifo upon which this article is founded, is his own infraction of the treaty of Drefden. Neither do we think he had any reason to be alarmed by the military preparations of the empress queen, on the apparent eve of a general war in Europe, and at a time when he himself had such a formidable army on foot.

The law of nature and nations will justify a prince who for his own preservation takes poffeffion of a neutral country, in order to anticipate the defigns, of a powerful enemy: but what law will authorise him to live at difcretion and raise contributions in that country? or even to expel the fovereign of it from his dominions; and deprive him of the troops raised for the defense

fence of his perfon and authority. That the Saxons fhould enjoy as much security and tranquillity, as if they were at peace with all the world, while the Pruffian army is in the bowels of the electorate, is indeed a very remarkable instance of the Pruffian difcipline, which we hope to see teftified by the people themselves. We know not what confidence the Saxons may have in the integrity and friendship of his Pruffian majesty; but we should be apt to think, that such a vifit would, in fome degree, difconcert their good humour, interrupt their commerce, and give a fmall fhock to their public credit. The refpect which has been paid to the perfon of the queen of Poland, is, to be fure, a convincing proof of the invader's gallantry and greatness of mind. It was by dint of the most fuitable reprefentations only, that she was prevailed upon to fuffer fome papers to be taken out of the state-paper-office at Drefden. Thofe reprefentations were doubtless very cogent, and this circumstance puts us in mind of a scene in the play, called The Beaux's Stratagem, which the reader will excuse us for not particularifing.

In the second piece, which is an answer to the imperial deeree of commiffion at the diet of Ratifbon; and to that of the aulic council, his Pruffian majefty uses the fame arguments which we have already difcufled. He complains that the de cree was calculated to excite all the other members of the em pire against him: a prince who has given such singular proofs of moderation, juftice and humanity! he was informed by good hands that the court of Saxony did intend to let the Pruffian army pafs quietly through their country; but at the fame time propofed, as foon as his majesty's troops fhould have fet foot in Silefia or Bohemia, to march their army into the heart of the king's dominions, and to make fure beforehand of those countries which they had thought proper to makechoice of as their fhare of the spoil.-It was God's mercy and particular provi dence that this intention was difcovered, and that too by good hands because the court of Drefden is fo hardy as to deny the charge. Nay, this is likewife the cafe with the empress queen : his Pruffian majefty affirms and the denies; and if we were not fo fully convinced of that prince's virtue, generofity, and difinterested difpofition, we might be apt to fay Cur enim potius

• credam

credam Hippocrati quam Hierophilo.". The king's humanity is ftill further manifefted by the compaffion he expreffes for the calamitous fituation of his Polish majesty, his next neighbour and dear friend. What pain, what anxiety, what, agony, it must have produced in the bofom of this tender-hearted mo-> narch, to be under the neceffity of driving Augustus out of his own country he must also have felt feverely for the distress of: the unhappy queen of Poland. We hope the illustrious con-> queror will not fuffer in his health from the humanity of his affections.

The king of Pruffa protefts that if the empress queen - had given him the affurance he fo earnestly defired; viz., that he fhould not be attacked neither during the prefent year, or in the course of the next, he would have been entirely satisfied: but this it seems was evaded. Surely this was a small favour. She could not at any rate attack him without infringing the treaty subsisting between her and his majesty; and therefore ther might have amused him with such a declaration, seeing there. would have been no greater crime in breaking a verbal promise, than in acting contrary to the more folemn engagements of a treaty.But let us fee what answer the actually made, when the Pruffian enyoy Klingraff, demanded, in the name of the king his mafter, the tendency of the armaments and the military preparations making by the court of Vienna, and whether they might not, perhaps, concern the king of Pruffia? The em press replied, "That in the violent general crisis of affairs in Europe, her duty and the dignity of her crown required her to take fufficient measures for her own fecurity, as well as for the fafety of her friends and allies.' This was doubtless an evafive answer: but we apprehend the king of Prussia might have demanded and obtained an explanation, before he had invaded her dominions without any previous declaration of war. It appears from a letter of count Fleming to the count de Bruhl,that. the intention of the empress queen was to avoid explanations ; but if his. Pruffian majesty had demanded a categorical anfwer, perhaps the might have been more explicit. At any rate, we apprehend the law of nations fuggefts and requires fuch a demand, previous to any act of hostility.

This

. This piece is concluded with his Prussian majelty's proter! against every thing contained in the commifforial decree above-mentioned, that is injurious to his perfon. He referves to himself his rights and liberties, as well as the juft fatisfaction which a crowned head, and an eminent elector of the empire, is entitled to demand, according to the law of nations, and the fundamental conftitutions of the empire, from a council which has fhewn fo little regard for his dignity, at the diet of Ratifbonne.

In the third piece, the king of Pruffia endeavours to vindicate his conduct from the imputations of the court of Saxony, by reminding the public of his generofity to Augustus at the peace of Drefden; by taxing the count de Bruhl the Saxon minifter, with having endeavoured to blacken the character of his Pruffian majefty by the moft malicious tricks and infimuations, as well as of having treated of his master's acceffion to the treaty of Petersburg; a measure to which the court of Drefden had agreed on certain conditions. The king of Prufa firft got fcent of this fcheme in an intercepted letter from count Rutowski to marfhal Browne. He afterwards learned that count Flemming's negotiation at Vienna pointed to the fame object. Thus alarmed, the king made à friendly vifit into Saxony with feventy thousand attendants; there he was confirmed in his conjectures by the large magazines provided in that country. But what led him into the heart of their defign, was a road lately cut through the mountains of Bobemia, marked at certain diftances with posts, bearing this remarkable infcription, the military road. Thofe pofts are fo • many speaking proofs of the concert which has been long fince formed between the courts of Vienna and Saxony, and are but too strong a juftification of the reasons the king had to pre⚫vent the effects of it.'--Though we cannot conceive how those Saxon pofts fhould be fpeaking proofs, we must own they are ftanding and ftubborn facts, and ferve to demonstrate that there was actually an intention to travel that way; but this is the first time we ever heard an high road enumerated among the fecrets of ftate. The count de Brubl must be a tare politician if he has the art of concealing a military road in his cabinet. It is a fratagem at leaft equal to that of the 5 kings