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HE following fhort but curious Account of the Ruffian Empire, as it began to emerge from Barbarism in the Year 1710, cannot but be acceptable to the Public, from the Curiofity of the Subject, and from the Merit of the Performance. Lord Molefworth's Account of the Revolution in Denmark, which totally overturned the Conftitution of that Country, is one of our Standard Books. Lord Whitworth's little Treatife will throw confiderable Lights upon the Formation of the Muscovite Power, and upon the Plans of that extraordinary Genius, Peter the Great. Each Author fhews what lafting Benefits Embaffadors and foreign Minifters might confer on Mankind, beyond the temporary Utility of negociating and fending Intelligence.

Our Author Charles Lord Whitworth, was Son of Richard Whitworth, Efq; of Blowerpipe in Staffordfhire, who, about the Time of the Revolution, had settled at Adbafton. He married Anne Moseley, Niece of Sir Ofwald Moseley, of Cheshire, by whom he had fix Sons and a Daughter: Charles; Richard, Lieutenant-colonel of the Queen's own royal Regiment of Horfe; Edward, Captain of a Man of War; Gerard,

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Gerard, one of the Chaplains to King George the First; John, Captain of Dragoons; Francis, Surveyor-general of his Majesty's Woods, and Secretary of the Ifland of Barbadoes, Father of Charles Whitworth, Efq; Member in the prefent Parliament for Mine-head, in Somersetshire: and Anne, married to Tracey Pauncefort, Efq; of Lincolnshire.

Charles, the eldeft Son, was bred under that accomplished Minifter and Poet, Mr. Stepney; and, having attended him through feveral Courts of Germany, was, in the Year 1702, appointed Refident at the Diet of Ratisbon. In 1704, he was named Envoy Extraordinary to the Court of Petersbourgh, as he was fent Embafiador Extraordinary thither on a more folemn and important Occasion in 1710. M. de Matueof, the Czar's Minifter at London, had been arrested in the public Street by two Bailiffs, at the Suit of fome Tradesmen to whom he was in Debt. This Affront had like to have been attended with very ferious Confequences. The Czar, who had been abfolute enough to civilized Sayages, had no Idea, could conceive none, of the Privileges of a Nation civilized in the only rational Manner, by Laws and Liberties. He demanded immediate and fevere Punishment of the Offenders: He demanded it of a Princefs, whom he thought interested to affert the Sacredness of the Perfons of Monarchs, even in their Representatives; and he demanded it with Threats of wrecking his Vengeance on all English Merchants and Subjects established in his Dominions, In this Light the Menace was formidable--other

wife, happily the Rights of a whole People were more facred here than the Perfons of foreign Minifters. The Czar's Memorials urged the Queen with the Satisfaction which she had extorted herself when only the Boat and Servants of the Earl of Manchefter had been infulted at Venice. That State had broken through their fundamental Laws to content the Queen of Great Britain. How noble a Picture of Government, when a Monarch that can force another Nation to infringe its Conftitution, dare not violate his own! One may imagine with what Difficulties our Secretaries of State muft have laboured through all the Ambages of Phrase in English, French, German, and Rufs, to explain to Muscovite Ears and Mufcovite Understandings, the Meaning of Indictments, Pleadings, Precedents, Juries and Verdicts [z]; and how impatiently Peter must have listened to Promifes of a Hearing next Term! With what Astonishment must he have beheld a great Queen, engaging to endeavour to prevail on her Parliament to pass an A& to prevent any fuch Outrage for the future! What Honour does it reflect on the Memory of that Princefs, to fee her not blush to own to an arbitrary Emperor, that even to appeafe him She dared not put the meanest of her Subjects to Death uncondemned by Law! There are," fays the [a], in one of her Dispatches to him, infuperable Difficulties with

[x] Mr. Dayrolles, in his Letter to the Ruffian Embassador, March 10, 1705, gives him a particular Account of the Trial before the Lord Chief Juftice Holt.

Vide Motley's Life of Peter I. Vol. II. p. 57.

[a] Ibid. p. 67.

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« refpect

"refpect to the ancient and fundamental Laws of "the Government of our People, which we fear do "not permit fo fevere and rigorous a Sentence to be "given, as your Imperial Majefty at firft feemed "to expect in this Cafe: and we perfuade our Self, "that your imperial Majefty, who are a Prince "famous for Clemency and for exact Justice, will "not require us, who are the Guardian and Pro"tectress of the Laws, to inflict a Punishment upon "our Subjects, which the Law does not empower

us to do." Words so venerable and heroic, that this Broil ought to become History, and be exempted from the Oblivion due to the filly Squabbles of Embaffadors and their Privileges. If Anne deserved Praise for her Conduct on this Occafion, it reflects ftill greater Glory on Peter, that this ferocious Man had Patience to listen to these Details, and had Moderation and Justice enough to be perfuaded by the Reafon of them.

Mr. Whitworth had the Honour of terminating this Quarrel. In 1714, he was appointed Plenipotentiary to the Diet of Ausbourg and Ratisbon; in 1716, Envoy Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to the King of Pruffia. In 1717, Envoy Extraordinary to the Hague.. In 1719, he returned in his former Character to Berlin; and in 1721, the late King rewarded his long Services and Fatigues, by creating him Baron Whitworth of Galway in the Kingdom of Ireland, the Preamble of his Patent, enumerating many of his Virtues and Labours, being as follows:

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CUM alii homines re aliâ clari inclytique fefe Nobis commendaverint, haud minorem tamen vel fibimet gloriam acquirere, vel Regnis noftris utilitatem conferre eos exiftimamus, qui res noftras apud principes statusque exteros prudenter feliciterque adminiftrant. Inter bofce quidem eminet plurimum tum longinquo ufu atque exercitatione, tum folertiâ quadam fingulari fidelis & dilectus nobis Carolus Whitworth Armiger. Variis in aulis externis perfunétis muneribus fefe antecefforibus noftris gloriofæ memoria, Gulielmo Tertio Regi, Reginæque Annæ perfpectum imprimis comprobatumque reddidit. In Comitiis Ratisbonenfibus, in Aula Cæfareo-Germanicâ, atque apud Czarum Mufcovia temporibus difficillimis rex maximi momenti femper cum laude tractavit, ac meritis fuis eximiis fummos honores rerum exterarum curatoribus tribui folitos, legati fcilicet Extraordinarii et Plenipotentiarii characterem confecutus eft. Ita ornatum, ita commendatum nos eum accepimus, ac proinde ejus operâ in arduis compluribus negociis tanto cum noftro commodo tantoque omnium plaufu ufi fumus, ut teftimonio aliquo illuftri ejus virtutes, intemeratem præcipuè fidem et conftantiam, remunerandas effe cenfuerimus; et cum Majeftatem imperii noftri deceat, tum rebus tra&andis pondus aliquod adjiciat nobilitatis fplendor atque amplitudo, nos prædictum Carolum Whitworth, quem legati noftri extraordinarii ac plenipotentiarii titulis infignivimus ad tractatus pacis in congreffu Brunfvicenfi proximo celebrandos, qui in Aulâ Berolinenfi, atque apud Ordines Generales Uniti Belgii, plenâ potentiâ res noftras procurat, ad dignitatem gradumque Baronis in Regno noftro Hibernia promovendum effe ftatuimus, Sciatis igitur, &c.

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