The palace, built by the late duke, is a great pile of buildings,
containing, a large and a handfome fuite of apartments, but almoft
totally without furniture. It is fo magnificent, and upon fo
large a fcale, for fo little a fovereignty, as almoft to juftify the
witticifm of a traveller, who affirmed that the palace was larger
than the dukedom, eftimating the country not from its fize, but
from its trivial confequence in the fcale of the north.
The academy, inftituted by the prefent duke at a confiderable
expence, contained, in May 1785, almoft as many profefiors as
ftudents, there being eight profefiors, and only twenty ftu-
dents.
The dutchy of Courland and Semigallia is bounded on the
north by the Baltic, on the eaft by Livonia, and by Poland on
the fouth and weft. It ftretches in length 250 Englifh miles,
and its average breadth may be eftimated at about 40 miles.
In the laft chapter I have already obferved, that Gothard
Ketler, grand-mafter of the Livonian knights, in confideration of
ceding Livonia to Poland, was to be inverted with the dutchy
of Courland and Semigallia. At Wilna, where this treaty was
concluded, in 1561, Gothard Ketler, and the principal knights,
quitting the habit and enfigns of the order, he received the
inveftiture of his new dukedom as an hereditary fief to be held
of the crown of Poland, and did homage for the fame.
Gothard dying in 1587, was fucceeded by his fon Frederic;
and, in 1589, it was enadted by the diet of Poland, that if this fief
4 ihould
ihould;. be vacated by the extin&ion of the heirs male of the CH^AP.
line of Ketler, Courland and Semigallia ihould be united to ---- ,---->
Poland. But the republic of Poland was not fufficiently powerful
to enforce this edift when that event took place.
Frederic William, duke of Courland, dying, in 1 7 1 1, without
iflue, the right of fucceffion devolved on his great uncle Ferdinand,
the only furviving branch of the Ketler line; but Peter
the Great, who had overran Courland with his army, took pof-
feffion of Mittau and great part of Courland, under the pretence
of fecuring the dowry for his niece Anne, widow of Frederic
William. Ferdinand,, who was; abfent from Courland, and at
variance with his nobility,.was unable to enforce his right; and
Courland was, during the ipace of ieveral years, governed by the
Ruffian court, under the name of the Dutchefs Anne. The
country was in a ftate of civil confufion, and feveral ineffectual
attempts; were made to raife, firft, a prince of the houfe of Saxony,
and afterwards; Frederic William; Margrave of Schvedt, to the
ducal throne.
At length, in 1726, the infirmities and abfence of Ferdinand
giving a pretext,, the' oppofite party- of nobles determined to
appoint a fucceffor; and AuguftuS the Second, king of Poland,
fecretly influenced the diet of Courland to nominate his own
natural fon Maurice, afterwards fo well'known under the title of
Marlhal, Saxe. This appointment was contefted by the republic
of Poland, and by Catharine emprefs of Ruifia,
The