book fhould be diffolved, and the two nations be again governed
. ■ by different princes. After fome difficulties, and being once
fruftrated in his attempt, he obtained, from a general diet
held at Lublin in 1569, that Poland and Lithuania ihould
from henceforth be united and coniidered as one nation;
that one fovereign ihould be chofen conjointly by both people
; that the Lithuanians ihould fend nuntios to the general
diet, be admitted into the fenate, and have an equal ihare in
the public honours and employments; that no alliance
ihould be made with foreign powers, and no embaffadors
difpatched without the confent of both parties ; - that the
fame money ihould pafs current in both countries ; in ffiort,
that they ihould have no ditlinilion of privilege or intereft.
Upon the ratification of this union, Sigifmond Auguftus renounced
all hereditary right to Lithuania. From this period
the fame perfon has been uniformly eledled king of Poland
and great-duke of Lithuania; and the two nations have been
incorporated into one republic
Grodno is a large and ftraggling place, but contains no
more than 3000 Chriftians, excluding the perfons employed
in the manufactures, and 1000 Jews. It has greatly the
appearance of a town in decline; containing a mixture of
wretched hovels, falling houfes, and ruined palaces, with
magnificent gateways, remains of its ancient magnificence.
A few habitations in good repair make the contrail more
itriking.
The old palace in which the kings ufed to refide during
the diets, flood upon an hill of Land r i f i n g abruptly
from the river, and forming part of its bank : fome remains
of the ancient walls ftill exift. Oppofite to this hill
* Lengnich, Jus Pub. v. I. p. 30 to 33.
is
is the new palace, built, but never inhabited, by Auguftus III. c™*-
as it was not finiihed at the time of his death. In this palace >— ,— ;
are the apartments wherein the diets are held, or rather
will be held, if they are ever again fummoned to Grodno.
According to the treaty of Hrodlo, Lublin, or Parzow, or any
other more commodious town, was appointed for the meeting
of the Poliih and Lithuanian deputies ;■ but in the articles
of union it was ftipulated, that Warfaw ihould be the
place where the reprefentatives of the'two nations were to
affemble*. In 16 73, as we have already obferved, it was
enadled, that every third diet ihould be held at Grodno ; and,
in conformity to this law, the firft national affembly was-
convened here“ in 1678 under John Sobiefki. But when
the next turn o f Grodno arrived, that monarch fummoned
the diet to Warfaw : the Lithuanians ftrongly oppofed this,
infringement of their rights 5 and their deputies; inftead of
proceeding to Wafaw, where the king, fenate, and nuntios
of Poland were met, repaired to this town, and formed a fe-
parate diet. In order to prevent a civil war, which this divi—
fion might occafion, a negotiation took place, and it was at
length fettled, that the diet of 167 3 ihould alienable at Warfaw,
but be called the diet of Grodno, and that the marfhal
Ihould be chofen from the Lithuanian nuntios t. From that
time the diets have been occafionally fummoned to Grodno
until the reign of his prefent majefty, when they have been,
uniformly held at Warfaw; and this innovation has been,
tacitly agreed to by the Lithuanians, on account of the distance
of this town from the royal refidence, as well as in
coofideration of the troubles which convulfed the country.
We carried a letter of recommendation to. Mr. Gillibert,.
a French naturalift of great learning and abilities, who has-
* Lengnich, Jus Pub. v. II. p. 315, &Q; t Vie de Sobielki, p. 19.
the