tions at
Petersburgh and Stockholm, that the empress of Russia thought proper to
own herself satisfied, and all those clouds of trouble were immediately
dispersed. Yet, in all probability, her real aim was disappointed; and,
however she might dissemble her sentiments, she never heartily forgave
the king of Prussia for the share he had in this transaction. That
monarch, without relaxing in his attention to the support of a very
formidable military power, exerted very extraordinary endeavours in
cultivating the civil interests of his country. He reformed the laws of
Brandenburgh, and rescued the administration of justice from the frauds
of chicanery. He encouraged the arts of agriculture and manufacture;
and even laid the foundation of naval commerce, by establishing an
East-India company in the port of Embden.

Nor did the French ministry neglect any measure that might contribute to
repair the damage which the kingdom had sustained in the course of the
war. One half of the army was disbanded: the severe imposition of the
tenth penny was suspended by the king's edict: a scheme of economy was
proposed with respect to the finances; and the utmost diligence used
in procuring materials, as well as workmen, for ship-building, that
the navy of France might speedily retrieve its former importance. In the
midst of these truly patriotic schemes, the court of Versailles betrayed
a littleness of genius, and spirit of tyranny, joined to fanaticism, in
quarreling with their parliament about superstitious forms of religion.
The sacraments had been denied to a certain person on his death-bed,
because he refused to subscribe to the bull Unigenitus. The nephew of
the defunct preferred a complaint to the parliament, whose province it
was to take cognizance of the affair; a deputation of that body attended
the king with the report of the resolutions; and and his majesty
commanded them to suspend all proceedings relating to a matter of such
consequence, concerning which he would take an opportunity of signifying
his royal pleasure. This interposition was the source of disputes
between the crown and parliament, which had like to have filled the
whole kingdom with intestine troubles.

CONDUCT OF DIFFERENT EUROPEAN POWERS.

At Vienna, the empress-queen was not more solicitous in promoting
the trade and internal manufactures of her dominions, by sumptuary
regulations, necessary restrictions on foreign superfluities, by opening
her ports