Catharine was forced for a time to connive at thefe en-
< croachments; but no fooner was peace * eftabliihed with
the Turks, and the rebellion of PugatchefFcrulhed, than ihe
immediately turned her whole attention to Poland; and it
is owing to her fpirited remonftrances, that both Auftrians
and Pruffians have relinquiihed their ufurpations ; and confined
themfelves to the limits marked by the treaty of partition.
The partitioning powers did lefs injury to the republic
by difmembering its faireft provinces, than by perpetuating
the principles o f anarchy and coufufion, and eilabliihing on a
permanent footing, that exorbitant liberty +, which is the
parent of faction, and has proved the decline of the republic.
Under pretence of amending the conftitution, they have confirmed
all its defeats, and have taken effeftual precautions
to render this unhappy country incapable of emerging from
its prefent deplorable ftate.
The delegates, tvho ratified the treaty of partition, were
alfo empowered by the diet to concert with the three courts
any alterations in the conftitution which might appear beneficial
to the kingdom; in confequence of thefe full powers, the
* T h e peace between the Emprefs and
the Turks was figned on the 21ft o f July,
1774, in Marflial RomanzoPs camp near
Bulgaria; and in a letter from Warfaw,
dated A u g u ftiq , o f the fame year, it is faid,
“ T h e Emperor and King o f Pruifia conti-
“ nued encroaching upon the Poliih terri-
u tories, and enlarging their frontiers which
“ were marked by the treaty o f Peteriburg.
“ But upon the conclufion o f the peace, the
“ Auftrian and Pruffian troops retired with-
“ in their refpective lines. Behold already
“ the good effe&s o f this glorious peace f
** What would have become o f us, i f the
** arms o f the Ottoman empire had prof-
“ pered according to the wiihes o f many,”
And in another, dated Sept. 14, 1775,
1 The king o f Pruffia has written to the
1 emprefs o f Ruifia a letter in a moft en-
‘ chanting ilyle. A fter much praife, he
‘ adds, that notwithftanding the juitice
f o f his claim upon thofe parts which he
‘ has annexed to his.former acquiiitions,
‘ he ihall make no difficulty in facrificing
‘ them, as a proof o f his readinefs to oblige
c her Imperial majefty; provided the houfe
‘ o f Auftria will alfo reftore what ihe has
1 taken,”
-j- “ Our* liberty,” faid a Pole, “ is like a
1 two-edged fword in the hand o f an infant,
‘ and for that very reafon our neighbours
‘ are anxious to preferve it entire.”
4 delegation
delegation continued fitting from May 1773 to March 1775, cl^ p'
during which period the convocation of the ordinary diet was >— .— 1
poftponed, until the members of the delegation had agreed
to all the innovations propofed by the embafladors ; and until
every part of the government was finally arranged. Notwithftanding
the wretched condition of Poland, and the re-
fiftlefs power of the three courts, yet the king and the majority
of the delegates long with-held their confent to the
propofed alterations.
Some idea of the fpirit of the delegates may be formed
from the following account of one of the meetings, when the
propofitions relating to the change of government were firfi:
produced in September, 1773. Prior to the appearance
of the three embafladors in the aflembly, much was faid,
and with great vehemence, againft the projected innovations
; many reproaches were thrown out againft
the authors of that plan, for facrificing the public advantage
to their private ambition, refentment, and interefts.
At the entrance of the three embafladors, a dead filence
took place for fome minutes, until the fecretary of the Ruffian
embafly began to read the plan for new-modelling the
conftitution ; then a general murmur fpread through the
whole aflembly, and, as he proceeded, increafed to fuch a
degree as almoft to drown his voice; nor was it without
frequent interruptions, that he was permitted to finiih its
recital. He had fcarcely concluded, when the whole body
of delegates loudly demanded the treaties of partition and
alliance: the embafladors anfwering, that many"points could
not be adjufted without farther inftructions from their re-
fpeitive courts: it was replied, that in the mean time they
misOrht