to fuch a degree, that he could not even bear to hear them mentioned. After one bloody war, he rafhly entered upon another, in which the interefts of Ruffia were no way concerned. He entertained an infuperable averfion to the regiments of guards, which had faithfully ferved his illuftrious ancestors, and made innovations in the army, which, far from exciting in their breafts noble fentiments of valour, only ferved to difcourage troops always ready to fpill their best blood in the caufe of their country. He changed entirely the face of the army; nay, it even seemed, that by dividing their habits into so many uniforms, and giving them fo many different embellishments, for the moft part fantaftical to the greateft degree, he intended to infufe into them a fufpicion that they did not, in effect, belong to one master, and thereby provoke the foldiers, in the heat of battle, to flay one another; although experience demonftrated that uniformity in drefs had not a little contributed towards unanimity.

Inconfiderately and inceffantly bent on pernicious regulations, he fo alienated the hearts of his fubjects, that there was fcarce a fingle perfon to be found in the nation who did not openly exprefs his difapprobation, and was even defirous to take away his life: But the laws of God, which command fovereign princes to be respected, being deeply engraved on the hearts of our faithful fubjects, reftrained them, and engaged them to wait with patience, till the hand of God ftruck the important blow, and by his fall delivered an oppreffed people. Under those circumftances, now laid before the impartial eyes of the VOL. V.

public, it was, in fact, impoffible, but our foul fhould be troubled with thofe impending woes which threatened our native country, and with that perfecution which we, and our most dear fon, the heir of the Ruffian throne, unjustly fuffered: being almost entirely excluded from the imperial palace; in fuch fort, that all who had regard for us, or rather thofe who had courage enough to speak it (for we have not been able to find that there is one perfon who is not devoted to our intereft) by expreffing their fentiments of refpect due to us, as their emprefs, endangered their life, or at least their fortune. In fine, the endeayours he made to ruin us, rose to fuch a pitch, that they broke out in public, and then charging us with being the caufe of the murmurs, which his own imprudent meafures occafioned, his refolution to take away our life openly appeared. But being informed of his purpose, by fome of our trusty fubjects, who were determined to deliver their country, or perish in the attempt, relying on the aid of the Almighty, we chear fully expofed our perfon to danger, with all that magnanimity which our native country had a right to expect, in return for her affection to us. After having invoked the Moft High, and repofed our hope in the divine favour, we refolved alfo either to facrifice our life for our country, or fave it from bloodshed and calamity. Scarcely had we taken this refolution, by the direction of favouring Heaven, and declared our affent to the deputies of the empire, than the orders of the ftate crouded to give us affurances of their fidelity and fubmiffion.

It now remained for us, in purfuance of the love we bore our faithful fubjects, to prevent the confequences which we apprehended, in case of the late emperor's inconfiderately placing his confidence in the imaginary power of the Holstein troops, (for whofe fake he stayed at Oranjebaum, living in indolence, and abandoning the moft preffing exigencies of the state) and there occafioning a carnage, to which our guards and other regiments were ready to expose themfelves, for the fake of their native country, for ours, and that of our fucceffor. For thefe reafons we looked upon it as a necessary duty towards our fubjects (to which we were immediately called by the voice of God) to prevent fo great a misfortune, by prompt and proper measures. Therefore, placing ourfelves at the head of the bodyguards, regiment of artillery, and other troops in and about the royal refidence, we undertook to disconcert an iniquitous defign, of which we were, as yet, only informed in part.

But fcarcely were we got out of the city, before we received two letters from the late emperor, one quick on the heels of the other. The first by our vice-chancellor the prince Gallitzin, entreating us to allow him to return to Holstein, his native dominions; the other by major general Michel Ifmailoff, by which he declared, that of his own proper motion he renounced the crown and throne of Ruffia. In this last he begged of us to allow him to withdraw to Holftein with Elizabeth Worontzoff Goudowick. These two laft letters, stuffed with flattering expreffions, came to our hands a few hours after he had

given orders for putting us to death, as we have been fince informed from the very perfons who were appointed to execute those unnatural orders.

In the mean time, he had ftill resources left him, which were ta arm against us his Holftein troops, and fome fmall detachments then about his perfon; he had, alfo, in his power feveral perfonages of diftinction belonging to our court; as he might therefore have compelled as to agree to terms of accommodation ftill more hurtful to our country, (for after having learned what great commotions there were among the people he had detained them as hoftages at his palace of Oranjebaum, and our humanity would never have confented to their deftruction, but, to fave their lives, we would have rifked feeing a part of thofe dangers revived by an accommodation) feveral perfons of high rank about our perfon requested us to fend him a billet in return, propofing to him, if his intentions were fuch as he declared them to be, that he should instantly send us a voluntary and formal renunciation of the throne, wrote by his own hand, for the public fatisfaction.—Major general Ifmailoff carried this propofal, and now behold the writing which he sent back.

During the fort space of my abfolute reign over the empire of Ruffia, I became fenfible that I was not able to fupport fo great a burthen, and that my abilities were not equal to the task of governing so great an empire, either as a fovereign, or in any other capacity whatever. I also forefaw the great troubles which must have from thence arofe, and have been fol lowed with the total ruin of the em

pire, and covered me with eternal difgrace. After having therefore ferionfly reflected thereon, I declare, with out constraint, and in the most folemn manner, to the Ruffian empire, and to the whole universe, that I for ever renounce the government of the faid empire, never defiring hereafter to reign therein, either as an abfolute fovereign, or under any other form of government; never wishing to afpire thereto, to use any means, of any fort, for that purpose. As a pledge of which I fwear fincerely before God and all the world, to this prefent renunciation, wrote and figned this 29th of June, 1762, O. S.

PETER

It is thus, without fpilling one drop of blood, that we have afcended the Ruffian throne, by the affiftance of God, and the approving fuffrages of our dear country. Humbly adoring the decrees of Divine Providence, we affure our faithful fubjects, that we will not fail, by night and by day, to invoke the Moft High to blefs our fcepter, and enable us to wield it for the maintenance of our orthodox religion, the fecurity and defence of our dear native country, and the fupport of juftice; as well as to put an end to all miferies, iniquities, and violences, by ftrength ening and fortifying our heart for the public good. And as we ardently wish to prove effectually how far we metit the reciprocal love of our people, for whofe happiness we acknowledge our throne to be appointed, we folemnly promise, on our imperial word, to make fuch arrangements in the empire, that the government may be endued with an intrinfic force to fupport

itself within limited and proper bounds; and each department of the ftate provided with wholfome laws and regulations, fufficient to maintain good order therein, at all times, and under all circumstances. By which means we hope to esta blifh hereafter, the empire and our fovereign power, (however they may have been formerly weakened) in fuch a manner as to comfort the difcouraged hearts of all true patriots. We do not in the leaft doubt but that our loving fubjects will, as well for the falvation of their own fouls, as for the good of religion, inviolably obferve the oath which they have fworn to us in prefenee, of the Almighty God; we there upon affure them of our imperial favour.

Done at Petersburg, July 6, 1762.

Her imperial majesty's declaration, &c. on the death of the emperor her husband,

WECatherine II. by the grace of

God, emprefs and autocratrefs of all the Ruffias.- Greeting, &c.

The 7th day after our acceffion to the throne of all the Ruffias, we received information, that the late emperor Peter III. by the means of a bloody accident in his hinder parts, commonly called piles, to which he had been formerly fubject, obtained a moft violent, griping, cholic. That therefore we might not be wanting in Chriftian duty, nor difobedient to the holy commandment by which we are obliged to preferve the life of our neighbour, we immediately ordered that the faid Peter fhould be furnishad with every thing that might be judged neceffary to prevent the [2] 2 dangerous

dangerous confequences of that accident, and to reitore his health by the fuccours of medicine. But to our great regret and affliction we learned yesterday evening, that by the permiffion of the Almighty, the late emperor departed this life. We have therefore ordered his body to be transported to the monaftery of Newfky, in order to its being buried there. At the fame time with our imperial and motherly voice, we exhort our faithful fubjects to forget and forgive what is past, to pay the last duties to his body, and to pray to God fincerely for the peace of his foul; befeeching them, however, at the fame time to confider this unexpected and fudden death as a special effect of the Divine Providence, whofe decrees prepare for us, for our throffe, and for our country, things only known to his holy will."

Declaration delivered by the emperor of Ruffia's order, to the imperial, French, and Swedish minifters refiding at St. Petersburg.

IS imperial majefty, who, upHIS on his happy acceffion to the throne of his ancestors, looks upon it to be his principal duty to extend and augment the welfare of his fubjects, fees with extreme regret, that the flames of the prefent war, which has already continued for fix years, and has been for a long time burthenfome to all the powers engaged in it, far from tending now

to a conclufion, are, on the contrary, gathering fresh ftrength to the great misfortune of the feverał. nations; and that mankind has fo much the more to fuffer from this fcourge, as the fortune of arms, which has been hitherto fubject to fo many viciffitudes, is equally expofed to them for the future

Wherefore his imperial majefty, compaffionating, through his humane difpofition, the effufion of innocent blood, and being defirous, on his part, of putting a top to fo great an evil, has judged it neceffary to declare to the courts in alliance with Ruffia, that, preferring to every other confideration, the first law which God prescribes to fovereigns, which is the prefervation of the people intrufted to them, he wishes to procure peace to his empire, to which it is fo neceffary, and of fo great value; and, at the fame time, to contribute, as much as may be in his power, to the reestablishment of it throughout all Europe.

It is in order to this, that his imperial majefty is ready to make a facrifice of the conquefts made by the arms of Ruffia, in this war, in hopes that the allied courts will, on their part, equally prefer the reftoration of peace and tranquility, to the advantages, which they might expect from the war, and which they cannot obtain but by the continuance of the effufion of human blood. And to this end his imperial majefty, with the best intention, advises them to employ, on their fide, all their power towards the accomplishment of fo great and fo falutary a work.

St. Petersburg, Feb. 12, 1762.

The

The anfwer of the empress-queen to

the foregoing declaration.

THAT animated with the fame zeal, and being of the fame opinion, as his imperial majefty, with regard to the falutary work of peace, and to the putting an end to the troubles and ravages that defolate Germany, fhe was ready to concur with him therein; but that, for that end, the defired his imperial majesty to furnish her with the means of beginning the negotiation, by imparting to her the propofed terms of peace, which he would, without lofs of time, communicate to her high allies, who, as well as herself, would be always ready to co-operate in a matter fo much defired, provided the terms were not inadmiffible, and contained nothing injurious either to their honour, or her honour.

The answer given by the French court to the declaration.

T

HE king maintaining, with regret, these fix years paft, a two-fold war for his own defence and that of his allies, has fufficiently manifested, on every occafion, how much he abhors the effusion of

human blood, and his conftant defire to put an end to fo cruel a fcourge. His perfonal difinterestednefs, the fteps which he thought could be taken confiftent with his dignity, and the facrifices which he did offer, in order to procure to Europe the defireable bleffing of peace, are fure pledges of the humane fentiments with which his heart abounds. But, at the fame time, his paternal tendernefs which makes the happiness and preferva

tion of his subjects a duty to him, cannot make him forget the first law that God prescribes to fovereigns, even that which constitutes the public fafety, and fixes the condition of nations and empires, fidelity in executing treaties, and punctuality in performing engagements to their full extent, preferably to every other confideration.

'Tis with this view, that, after having given fo great examples of conftancy and generofity, his majefly declares that he is ready to listen favourably to propofitions for a folid and honourable peace, but will always act in the most perfect concert with his allies; that he will receive no counfels but fuch as shall be dictated to him by honour and probity; that he should think himfelf guilty of a defection, in lending a hand to fecret negotiations; that he will not tarnish his glory, and that of his kingdom, by abandoning his allies; and that he rests affured each of tl e a will, on their part, faithfully adhere to the fame principle.