lmen. The conferences at Niemerow were broken off; and the Turkish
plenipotentiaries returned to Constantinople.

The kingdom of Poland now enjoyed the most perfect repose under the
dominion of Augustus. Ferdinand, the old duke of Courland, dying without
issue, the succession was disputed by the Teutonic order and the
kingdom of Poland, while the states of Courland claimed a right of
election, and sent deputies to Petersburgh, imploring the protection of
the czarina. A body of Russian troops immediately entered that country;
and the states elected the count de Biron, high chamberlain to the
empress of Muscovy. The elector of Cologn, as grand-master of the
Teutonic order, protested against this election; but the king of
Poland agreed to it, on certain conditions settled at Dantzic with the
commissiaries of the new duke and those of the czarina. In the month of
July, John Gaston de Medicis, great duke of Tuscany, died at Florence;
and the prince de Craon took possession of his territories in the name
of the duke of Lorraine, to whom the emperor had already granted the
eventual investiture of that duchy.

DEATH OF CAROLINE, QUEEN CONSORT.

In England the attention of the public was attracted by an open breach
in the royal family. The princess of Wales had advanced to the very last
month of her pregnancy before the king and queen were informed of her
being with child. She was twice conveyed from Hampton-Court to the
palace of St. James', when her labour-pains were supposed to be
approaching; and at length was delivered of a princess in about two
hours after her arrival. The king being apprised of this event, sent a
message by the earl of Essex to the prince, expressing his displeasure
at the conduct of his royal highness, as an indignity offered to himself
and the queen. The prince deprecated his majesty's anger in several
submissive letters, and implored the queen's mediation. The princess
joined her entreaties to those of his royal highness; but all their
humility and supplication proved ineffectual. The king, in another
message sent by the duke of Grafton, observed, that the prince had
removed the princess twice in the week immediately preceding the day of
her delivery, from the place of his majesty's residence, in expectation
of her labour; and both times, on his return, industriously concealed
from the knowledge of the king and queen every circumstance relating to
this important affair; that at last, without gi