ment for his royal highnefs the king's fon, prince Charles: nevertheless, his majesty the king of Poland has hitherto refufed to liften to any overtures for an accommodation, or for making fatisfaction for the many complaints of the emprefs not to mention the treaty of perpetual peace established between Ruffia and the republic of Poland, and which has been infringed by Poland, in many points; her imperial majefty complains, firft, that, notwithstanding the requifition made by her ambaffador, the king has not given her fatisfaction with regard to the irregular conduct of the four minifters, who figned a memorial highly offenfive to the court of Ruffia and its fovereign. Secondly, that the king has not yet acknow. ledged the lawful duke of Courland. Thirdly, that the laws and liberties of Poland are oppreffed, as well as the friends of Ruffia, who are kept from all employments, and from all favours, because they fupport liberty and the laws; and who, on that very account, merit the protection of Ruffia; who, being the guarantee of the rights of the republic, muft not fuffer any change in its conftitution, but must be its firmeft fupport, &c. &c." who had no time to prepare myself for it. The grief with which I am juftly oppreffed cannot make me forget a kingdom which was fo dear to the kings my father and grandfather, or thofe faithful fervants who gave them fo many proofs of a fincere attachment. I feel the irreparable lofs you have fuffered; and it would give me the highest confolation to be able to mitigate it. I propofe to make the republic an offer of my fervice, and of all the affiftance that is in my power to give her, if, by conferring the crown on me, fhe will entrust me with the reins of government: and I have all reafon to hope, that if the Polish nation be difpofed to give me this mark of their affection and confidence, all the neighbouring powers will chearfully acquiefce in it. You gave the laft king, my father, fo many proofs of your attachment, that I flatter myself you will fhew the fame affection to me and I am very fénfible how much it is in your power to contribute to procure me the fatisfaction I afpire after, of governing an illuftrious nation, which will ever be diftinguished by its fidelity and attachment to their kings. Be perfuaded that my gratitude fhall be in proportion to the greatness of the fervice done me of this you can have no doubt, if you do me the juftice to believe me animated with the fame fpirit as my anceftors. I pray God to direct the deliberations of the republic, and to keep you, Sir, in his holy protection. I am, your affectionate friend, FREDERICK. СНА CHARACTERS. W E conceived, that we could not more agreeably open this part of our defign, than by laying before the reader the prefent ftate of a people, now oppreffed by flavery and funk in the groffeft ignorance, who were once the most famous in the world for valour and genius, for arts and learning. The opportunity Mr. Stuart bad, during his long refidence at Athens, of becoming intimately acquainted with the genius and difpofition of that people, and his well known abilities to difcern and to defcribe, will naturally give the following article all poffible weight. Some account of the modern Athenians. From Stuart's antiquities of Athens. TH HE Athenians have perhaps to this day more vivacity, more genius, and a politer addrefs, than any other people in the Turkifh dominions. Oppreffed as they are at prefent, they always oppofe, with great courage and wonderful fagacity, every addition to their burden, which an avaricious or cruel governor may attempt to lay on them, During our stay, they, by their intrigues, drove away three of their governors, for extortion and mal-adminiftration; two of whom were imprifoned, and reduced to the greateft diftrefs. They want not for artful fpeakers and bufy politicians, fo far as relates to the affairs of their own city; and it is remarkVOL. VI.. able enough, that the coffee-houfe, which this fpecies of men frequent, ftands within the precincts of the ancient Poikile. Some of their priests have the reputation of being learned men, and excellent preachers: the most admired of them, in our time, was the abbot of St. Cyrianée, a convent on Mount Hymettus; he is a man of great reading, and delivers himself with becoming gefture, and a pleafing fluency of elocution. Here are two or three persons who practise painting; but whatever genius we may be tempted to allow them, they have indeed very little fcience; they feem never to have heard of anatomy, or of the effect of light and fhade; though they fill retain fome imperfect notions of perfpective and of proportion. The Athenians are great lovers of mufic, and generally play on an inftrument, which they call a Lyra, though it is not made like the an cient lyre, but rather like a guitar, or mandola. This they accompany with the voice, and very frequently with extempore verfes, which they have a ready faculty at compofing. There is great fprightlinefs and expreffion in the countenances of both fexes, and their perfons are well proportioned. The men have a due mixture of ftrength and agi lity, without the leaft appearance of heavinefs. The women have a peculiar elegance of form and of manner; manner; they excel in embroidery and all kinds of needle-work. The air of Attica is extremely healthy. The articles of commerce which this country produces, are chiefly corn, oil, honey, wax, rofin, fome filk, cheese, and a fort of acorns, called velanede by the Italians and the French, but written BaλaviTns by the Greeks: thefe acorns are ufed by the dyers and leatherdreffers. The principal manufactures are foap and leather. Of thefe commodities, the honey, foap, cheese, and leather, and part of the oil, are fent to Conftantinople; the others are chiefly bought by the French, of which nation they reckon that feven or eight fhips are freighted here every year. The Turkish governor of Athens is called Vaiwode. He is either changed or renewed in his office every year, the beginning of March. The Athenians fay, he brings the cranes with him, for thefe birds likewife make their first appearance here about that time; they breed, and when their young have acquired fufficient ftrength, which is fome time in Auguft, they all fly away together, and are feen no more till the March following. Befides the Vaiwode, there is a Cadée, or chief man of the law. His bufinefs is to adminifter juftice, to terminate the difputes which arife between man and man, and to punish offenders. There is alfo a Mudeereefe Effendi, who prefides over the religious affairs of the Mohammedams here; and those, who are defigned to officiate in the mofchéas, are by him inftructed in the Mohammedan ritual. The Difdar Agá is the governor of the fortrefs of Athens, which was an 2 Memoirs of the late Dr. BERKELEY, bishop of Cloyne. George Berkeley was the fon of a clergyman in Ireland, of a fmall living, but at the fame time remarkable for his learning and piety; he therefore gave his fon the best education his circumstances would admit of; and, when fitted for the univerfity, taxed his little fortune, in order to fend him to Trinity college, Dublin. Here he foon began to be looked upon, as the greatest genius, or the greateft dunce, in the whole univerfity; those who were but flightly acquainted with him, took him for a fool; but those who fhared his moft intimate friendship, looked upon him as a prodigy of learning and good-nature. Whenever he appeared abroad, which was but feldom, he was furrounded by a crowd of the idle or the facetious, who followed him, not to be improved, but to laugh. Of this he frequently complained, but there there was no redrefs; the more he fretted, he became only the more ridiculous. An action of his, however, foon made him more truly ridiculous than before: curiofity leading him one day to fee an execution, he returned home penfive and melancholy, and could hot forbear reflecting on what he had feen. He defired to know what were the pains and fymptoms a malefactor felt upon fuch an occafion, and communicated to his chum the cause of his ftrange curiofity; in fhort, he refolved to tuck himself up for a trial; at the fame time defiring his companion to take him down at a fignal agreed upon. The companion, whofe name was Contarine, was to try the fame experiment himself immediately after. Berkeley was accordingly tied up to the cieling, and the chair taken from under his feet; but foon lofing the ufe of his fenfes, his companion, it feems, waited a little too long for the fignal agreed upon, and our enquirer had like to have been hanged in good carneft; for as foon as he was taken down, he fell, fenfelefs and motionless, upon the floor. After fome trouble, however, he was brought to himself; and obferving his band, Blefs my heart, Contarine, fays he, you have quite rumpled my band." When it came to Contarine's turn to go up, he quickly evaded the propofal; the other's danger had quite abated his curiofity. Still, however, Berkeley proceeded in his ftudies with unabated ardour. A fellowship in that college is attained by fuperior learning only; the candidates are examined in the moit public manner, in an amphitheatre erected for that purpofe, and great numbers of the nobility and gentry are prefent upon the occafion. This examination he paffed with the utmoft applaufe, and was made a fellow, the only reward of learning that kingdom has to beftow. Metaphyfical ftudies are generally the amufement of the indolent and the inquifitive; his bufinefs as a fellow, allowed him fufficient leifure, and his genius prompted him to fcrutinize into every ab ftrufe fubject. He foon, therefore, was regarded as one of the best metaphyficians in Europe; his logic was looked upon rather as the work of a man skilled in metaphyfics, than in the dialect of the schools; his treatife upon matter, was alfo thought to be the most ingenious paradox that ever amused learned leifure; and many were the anfwers made to it by the literati of Europe. His fame as a fcholar, but more. his converfation as a man of wit and good-nature, foon procured him the friendship and efteem of、 every perfon of fortune and underflanding; among the reft, Swift, that lover, yet derider, of human nature, became one of the most intimate, and it was by his recommendation that he was introduced to the earl of Peterborough, who made him his chaplain, and took him, as his companion, on a tour through Europe. Some time after his return, he was promoted to a deanery, in which fituation he wrote his Minute Philofopher, one of the most elegant and genteel defences of that religion which he was born to vindicate, both by his virtues and his ingenuity. It was at this time allo, alfo, that he attempted to establish an university for our American colonies, in Bermudas, one of the Summer islands. Doctor Depufch, an excellent mufician, and fome others of great abilities, were engaged in this defign, and actually embarked in order to put it in execution; but the fhip being caft away, Berkeley was left to contrive fomething elfe to the advantage of his country. He interested himself deeply in a fcheme for improving the English language, by a fociety of wits and men of genius, eftablifhed for that purpose, in imitation of the academy of France; in this defign Swift, Bolingbroke, and others, were united; but the whole dropt by the death of queen Anne, and the removal of Harley from the office of prime minifter. His friendship and connections, however, did not, as was the cafe with Swift and fome others, prevent his promotion; he was made bishop of Cloyne; and fure no clergyman ever had jufter pretenfions to the mitre! No man was more affiduous or punctual in his duty, none exacted it more ftrictly from his inferior clergy, yet no bishop was ever more beloved by them. He spent his time with the utmost chearfulness, innocence, and humanity; the meanest peafant within ten miles of his feat, was familiar with him; thofe of them that wanted, fhared his bounty; and thofe that did not, had his friendship and advice. The country which was defolate and unimproved, he took the utmost pains to improve, and attempted to fet an example of the proper methods of agriculture to the farmer, as he had before of piety and benevolence to the whole kingdom. Metaphyfical ftudies were ftill his amufement, and the difpenfations of charity he looked upon as his duty.—But the opinions of metaphyficians he, at laft, began to contemn, and to doubt of the certainty, not only of every argument upon this fubject, but even of the fcience. He therefore turned his thoughts to more beneficial ftudies, to politics and medicine, and gave inftances in both, of what he could have done, had he made either his particular study. In politics, a pamphlet published by him, intituled, The Querift, is a fine inftance of his fkill, and was attended with fome beneficial circumftances to his native country. His treatife on tar-water rendered him more popular than any of his preceding productions, at the fame time that it was the moft whimfical of them all. Here he pretends to prove, a priori, the effects of this, fometimes, valuable medicine; but then he extends them to every, and even oppofite diforders.-The public were long undeceived before his lordship, who was the inventor, could be fo. He had built an hofpital at his own expence, near his gate, and to it all the poor were welcome; he attended them himself as phyfician; dofed them with tar-water, of the virtues of which he was entirely confident. His intention in this particular cannot be fufficiently applauded, though, perhaps, the fuccefs might not have answered his expectations. Perhaps he carried his veneration for tar-water to an excefs: he drank it in abundance himfelf, and attempted to mend the conftitutions of his children by the fame regimen: this, and, however, he could never cffect; |