ate, and a majority of the catholic dietines, to the interests
of Stanislaus; while the Imperial and Russian troops hovered on the
frontiers of Poland. The French king no sooner understood that a body of
the emperor's forces was encamped at Silesia, than he ordered the duke
of Berwick to assemble an army on the Rhine, and take measures for
entering Germany in case the Imperialists should march into Poland. A
French fleet set sail for Dantzic, while Stanislaus travelled through
Germany in disguise to Poland, and concealed himself in the house of
the French ambassador at Warsaw. As the day of election approached, the
Imperial, Russian, and Prussian ministers delivered in their several
declarations, by way of protest, against the contingent election of
Stanislaus, as a person proscribed, disqualified, depending upon a
foreign power, and connected with the Turks and other infidels. The
Russian general Lasci entered Poland at the head of fifty thousand
men: the diet of the election was opened with the usual ceremony on
the twenty-fifth day of August. Prince Viesazowski, chief of the Saxon
interest, retired to the other side of the Vistula, with three
thousand men, including some of the nobility who adhered to that party.
Nevertheless, the primate proceeded to the election: Stanislaus was
unanimously chosen king; and appeared in the electoral field, where he
was received with loud acclamations. The opposite party soon increased
to ten thousand men; protested against the election, and joined the
Russian army, which advanced by speedy marches. King Stanislaus finding
himself unable to cope with such adversaries, retired with the primate
and French ambassador to Dantzic, leaving the palatine of Kiow at
Warsaw. This general attacked the Saxon palace, which was surrendered
upon terms: then the soldiers and inhabitants plundered the houses
belonging to the grandees who had declared for Augustus, as well as
the hotel of the Russian minister. In the meantime, the Poles, who had
joined the Muscovites, finding it impracticable to pass the Vistula
before the expiration of the time fixed for the session of the diet,
erected a kelo at Cracow, where the elector of Saxony was chosen and
proclaimed by the bishop of Cracow, king of Poland, under the name of
Augustus III., on the sixth day of October. They afterwards passed
the river, and the palatine of Kiow retiring towards Cracow, they took
possession of Warsaw, where in their turn they plund