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CHAP. X.

Amicable change of difpofition in the courts of Madrid and Lisbon, upon the death of the King of Portugal. Some account of that Monarch. Succeeded by his daughter the Princess of Brazil. Marquis of Pombal removed from power: Public joy upon that occafion. Some account of that minifter. State prisoners enlarged, and popularity acquired by that a&t. Orders fent to South America for a ceffation of hoftilities. Account of the ftate and progress of the armament which had been fent out from Cadiz in the latter end of the preceding year. Takes the island of St. Catharine's. Reduces the colony of St. Sacrament. Preliminaries of peace, and a treaty of limits concluded between Spain and Portugal. Obfervations on that event. Armaments ftill continued in Spain. Differences be• tween Ruffia and the Porte. Rival Chans. Petty war in the Crimea. Both fides unwilling to proceed to extremities. War between the Turks and Perfians. State of Ruffia. King of Sweden vifits that court. Dreadful innundation at Petersburg. Emperor vifits France. Treaty between France and Switzerland. Death of the Elector of Bavaria.

E

UROPE has had the fortune to preferve her tranquillity during the year of which we are treating. The ftorm which was gathering fo heavily to the fouthward, if not entirely difpelled, has at least changed its direction. The death of the late king of Portugal has given a new colour to the politicks of that quarter. That event of courfe removed a perfonal animofity, and a kind of peculiar malignity, which had been long fuppofed to fubfift between that monarch and his potent neighbour. Spain being thus difengaged from what the confidered as rather a fort of domestic fquabble, is left at large to purfue a more extenfive policy, and to direct her ambition to objects which may at prefent appear of greater importance.

The late king of Portugal, Don Jofeph the firft, was born at Lisbon on the 6th of June, 1714; where he alfo died, after a long and grievous illness, on the 24th of February, 1777, in the 63d year

VOL. XX. 1777.

of his age, and 27th of his reign. He married, in the year 1732, Maria Anna Victoria, Infanta of Spain, who had then just compleated her fourteenth year, and who had experienced the unufual fortune of being fent a child to France, received as queen, bred up as the defined bride of the late king of that country, and of being afterwards returned, upon a change in the political fyftem of that court, under the pretence of nonage.

The late king fucceeded his father, Don John of Braganza, in the throne, on the 31st of July, 1750. As he had no male iffue, in order to preferve the crown in the full blood of the family on both fides, or perhaps to guard against the danger of a difputed fucceffion, his eldest daughter, the princefs of Brazil, was in the year 1760 married to her uncle Don Pedro, her father's brother, she being then in her 26th year, and he about forty-three. Their fon, the [*M]

prince

undertaken with the moft confident hopes, and for fome time purfued with very flattering appearances of fuccefs. It was fuppofed the principal means for the immediate reduction of the colonies; but it has only ferved, in conjunction with other operations, which in the first inftance have fucceeded better, to demonftrate, the difficulties attending the fubjugation of a numerous people at a great diftance, in an extenfive country marked with ftrong lines, and abounding in ftrong natural defences, if the refources of war are not exceedingly deficient, and that the fpirit of the people is in any degree proportioned to their fituation. It may now, whatever it was in the beginning, be a matter of doubt, whether any fuperiority of power, of wealth, and of difcipline, will be found to over-ballance fuch difficulties.

It would not be eafy at prefent, as, many things neceffary to be known have not yet been fully explained, and improper, as the whole is ftill a fubject of public inveftigation, to attempt forming any judgment upon the general plan or fyftem of this campaign. The general conduct of the war this year has already undergone much cenfure; and undoubtedly, the fending of the grand army at fuch a diftance to the fouthward, whilft the inferior was left struggling with infurmountable difficulties in the north, when it would feem that their junction or co-operation, would have rendered them greatly fuperior to any force which could have been poffibly brought to oppofe their progrefs, feems, in this view of things, not to be eafily accounted for. It is, however, a fubject, upon which no conclufive opinion can yet be formed.

CHAP.

CHA P. X.

Amicable change of difpofition in the courts of Madrid and Lisbon, upon the death of the King of Portugal. Some account of that Monarch. Succeeded by his daughter the Princess of Brazil. Marquis of Pombal removed from power. Public joy upon that occafion. Some account of that minifter. State prisoners enlarged, and popularity acquired by that alt. Orders fent to South America for a ceffation of hoftilities. Account of the ftate and progress of the armament which had been fent out from Cadiz in the latter end of the preceding year. Takes the island of St. Catharine's. Reduces the colony of St. Sacrament. Preliminaries of peace, and a treaty of limits concluded between Spain and Portugal. Objer-vations on that event. Armaments ftill continued in Spain. Differences be tween Ruffia and the Porte. Rival Chans. Petty war in the Crimea. Both fides unwilling to proceed to extremities. War between the Turks and Perfians. State of Ruffia. King of Sweden vifits that court. Dreadful innundation at Petersburg. Emperor vifits France. Treaty between France and Switzerland. Death of the Elector of Bavaria.

E

UROPE has had the fortune to preferve her tranquillity during the year of which we are treating. The ftorm which was gathering fo heavily to the fouthward, if not entirely difpelled, has at least changed its direction. The death of the late king of Portugal has given a new colour to the politicks of that quarter. That event of courfe removed a perfonal animofity, and a kind of peculiar malignity, which had been long fuppofed to fubfift between that monarch and his potent neighbour. Spain being thus difengaged from what the confidered as rather a fort of domestic fquabble, is left at large to pursue a more extensive policy, and to direct her ambition to objects which may at prefent appear of greater importance.

The late king of Portugal, Don Jofeph the first, was born at Lisbon on the 6th of June, 1714; where he alfo died, after a long and grievous illness, on the 24th of February, 1777, in the 63d year

VOL. XX. 1777.

of his age, and 27th of his reign. He married, in the year 1732, Maria Anna Victoria, Infanta of Spain, who had then juft compleated her fourteenth year, and who had experienced the unusual fortune of being fent a child to France, received as queen, bred up as the defined bride of the late king of that country, and of being afterwards returned, upon a change in the political fyftem of that court, under the pretence of nonage.

The late king fucceeded his father, Don John of Braganza, in the throne, on the 31st of July, 1750. As he had no male iffue, in order to preferve the crown in the full blood of the family on both fides, or perhaps to guard against the danger of a difputed fucceffion, his eldest daughter, the princefs of Brazil, was in the year 1760 married to her uncle Don Pedro, her father's brother, fhe being then in her 26th year, and he about forty-three. Their fon, the [*M]

prince

undertaken with the most confident hopes, and for fome time purfued with very flattering appearances of fuccefs. It was fuppofed the principal means for the immediate reduction of the colonies; but it has only ferved, in conjunction with other operations, which in the first inftance have fucceeded better, to demonftrate, the difficulties attending the fubjugation of a numerous people at a great diftance, in an extenfive country marked with ftrong lines, and abounding in ftrong natural defences, if the refources of war are not exceedingly deficient, and that the spirit of the people is in any degree proportioned to their fituation. It may now, whatever it was in the beginning, be a matter of doubt, whether any fuperiority of power, of wealth, and of difcipline, will be found to over-ballance fuch difficulties.

It would not be eafy at prefent, as, many things neceffary to be known have not yet been fully explained, and improper, as the whole is ftill a fubject of public inveftigation, to attempt forming any judgment upon the general plan or fyftem of this campaign. The general conduct of the war this year has already undergone much cenfure; and undoubtedly, the fending of the grand army at fuch a distance to the fouthward, whilft the inferior was left ftruggling with infurmountable difficulties in the north, when it would feem that their junction or co-operation, would have rendered them greatly fuperior to any force which could have been poffibly brought to oppofe their progrefs, feems, in this view of things, not to be eafily accounted for. It is, however, a fubject, upon which no conclufive opinion can yet be formed.

CHAP.

CHA P. X.

Amicable change of difpofition in the courts of Madrid and Lisbon, upen the death of the King of Portugal. Some account of that Monarch. Succeeded by his daughter the Princess of Brazil. Marquis of Pombal removed from power. Public joy upon that occafion. Some account of that minifter. State prifoners enlarged, and popularity acquired by that act. Orders fent to South America for a ceffation of hoftilities. Account of the ftate and progress of the armament which had been fent out from Cadiz in the latter end of the preceding year. Takes the island of St. Catharine's. Reduces the colony of St. Sacrament. Preliminaries of peace, and a treaty of limits concluded between Spain and Portugal. Obfervations on that event. Armaments ftill continued in Spain. Differences be tween Ruffia and the Porte. Rival Chans. Petty war in the Crimea. Both fides unwilling to proceed to extremities. War between the Turks and Perfians. State of Ruffia. King of Sweden vifits that court. Dreadful innundation at Petersburg. Emperor vifits France. Treaty between France and Switzerland. Death of the Elector of Bavaria.

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UROPE has had the fortune

of his age, and 27th of his reign.

E to preferve her tranquillity He married, in the year 1732,

during the year of which we are treating. The ftorm which was gathering fo heavily to the fouthward, if not entirely difpelled, has at leaft changed its direction. The death of the late king of Portugal has given a new colour to the politicks of that quarter. That event of course removed a perfonal animofity, and a kind of peculiar malignity, which had been long fuppofed to fubfift between that monarch and his potent neighbour. Spain being thus difengaged from what the confidered as rather a fort of domestic fquabble, is left at large to purfue a more extenfive policy, and to direct her ambition to objects which may at prefent appear of greater importance.

The late king of Portugal, Don Jofeph the first, was born at Lifbon on the 6th of June, 1714; where he alfo died, after a long and grievous illness, on the 24th of February, 1777, in the 63d year

VOL. XX. 1777.

Maria Anna Victoria, Infanta of Spain, who had then just compleated her fourteenth year, and who had experienced the unufual fortune of being fent a child to France, received as queen, bred up as the defined bride of the late king of that country, and of being afterwards returned, upon a change in the political fyftem of that court, under the pretence of nonage.

The late king fucceeded his father, Don John of Braganza, in the throne, on the 31st of July, 1750. As he had no male iffue, in order to preferve the crown in the full blood of the family on both fides, or perhaps to guard against the danger of a difputed fucceffion, his eldest daughter, the princefs of Brazil, was in the year 1760 married to her uncle Don Pedro, her father's brother, fhe being then in her 26th year, and he about forty-three. Their fon, the [*M]

prince

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