dress ourselves; it is not a favour which your parliament folicits; it comes, Sire, to demand juftice. This juftice is fubject to regulations independent of the will of man-even kings themselves are fubfervient to them; that glorious prince, Henry the Fourth, acknowledged he had two fovereigns, God and the jaws. One of these regulations is, to condemn no one without a hearing; it is a duty in all times, and in all places; it is the duty of all men; and your majefty will allow us to represent to you, that it is as obligatory on you as on your fubjects. But your majefty has not to execute this function; and your parliament with pleasure brings to your recollection your glorious privileges, that of fhewing mercy to condemn ed criminals. To condemn them yourself, is not a function belonging to majesty. This painful and dangerous task the king cannot exercife but through his judges. Thofe who find a pleasure in hearing your majefty pronounce the dreadful word of punishment, who advise you to punish without a trial, to punish of your own accord, to order exiles, arrefts, and imprisonments; who fuppofe that acts of rigour are compatible with a benign difpofition, equally force a wound to external juftice—the laws of the realm, and the most confolating prerogative belonging to your majetty. It does not allow, that opinions delivered in parliaments thould be confidered as motives for your rigour, and in some measure a confolation for us. But if ftrong reafons fhould actuate you to the exile of the duke of Orleans-if it can be called a kindness that you no longer leave two magiftrates expofed to ...... perifh in diftant prisons, or unwholefome places-if it is confidered as an act of humanity, which tempers justice, in releafing them from fuch a fituation-they muft indeed be guilty! But it is the duty of your parliament to judge them—and we demand only, that their crimes fhould be published. The meanest of your fubjects is not less interested in the fuccefs of our reclamations, than the first prince of your blood.-Yes, Sire, not only a prince of your blood, but every Frenchman punished by your majefty, and especially who is punished without a hearing, becomes neceffarily the subject of public alarm. The union of these ideas is not the work of your parliament: it is that of nature, it is the voice of reafon, it is the principle of the most wholefome laws, of thofe laws which are engraved in every man's heart, which is the principle of yours, and which affures us of your perfonal approbation. The caufe of his royal highness the duke of Orleans, and of the two magiftrates, is then without our confent, and, by forcing thofe principles, the act of the throne, whofe only foundation is justice, and without which no nation can be happy. It is, therefore, in the name of thofe laws which preferve empires, in the name of that liberty for which we are the refpectful interpreters and the lawful mediators, in the name of your authority, of which we are the first and most confidential minifters, that we dare demand the trial or the liberty of the duke of Orleans and the two exiled magiftrates, who are imprifoned by a fudden order, as contrary to the fentiments as the interefts of your majesty. Manifefto Manifefto of the Sublime Porte against Ruffia, dated the 11th of Zileade, the Year 1201 (the 24th of Auguft, 1787.) THE peace concluded between the Sublime Porte and the court of Ruffia in 1187 (1774), was chiefly made for the repofe and tranquility of their respective subjects, yet the court of Ruffia has not ceafed to raise and maintain pretenfions capable of disturbing the good harmony which that peace ought to procure it has even proceeded fo far as to feize on the Crimea, a proceeding directly oppofite to the conditions agreed on to serve as the foundation of the treaty of Dainardgik. It was ftipulated in the inftrument then given on both fides, that there fhould be no farther difcuffion between the two empires, and that they fhould enjoy a perfect peace. It was specified in the capitulations that they should avoid for the future all intrigue whatever, and all plots fecret or public; yet the court of Ruffia has raised up prince Heraclius, who was furnished with a diploma of inveftiture as vaffal of the Sublime Porte. Ruffian troops have been placed in Tifflis: they have declared themselves fupreme over the faid prince, and from that moment the diforder in Georgia and our adjoining frontiers has been general. When we alledged that this proceeding was a formal infraction of the treaties, it was maintained to the contrary. It was expreffly agreed on, that the Oczakowians fhould have the free and unlimited extraction of the falt pans which always belonged to the inhabitants of than frontier; yet they have always met with a number of impediments, and experienced every fort of ill treatment from the Ruffians} and when they reclaimed the execution of the conventions, the court of Ruffia has conftantly refused it. The conful of that court has feduced the way wode of Moldavia, who has the rank of a prince; he favoured his flight, and when the Sublime Porte reclaimed him, the Ruffian envoy replied, his court would not deliver him up; a refufal directly oppofite to the treaties. The Ruffian court has fhewn as bad designs by giving what turn it pleased to many fimilar things. It has corrupted the fubjects of the Sublime Porte, by establishing confuls in Wallachia, Moldavia, in ifles and places where the prefence of those officers were useless, and even prejudicial to the true believers. It has invited to its eftates the fubjects of the Sublime Porte, and employed them in its marine and other fervices. It has especially entered into the interior difpofition of our adminiftration, by foliciting either the recall or punishment of governors, judges, vaffals, and of all the officers not in their intereft, and even of the pacha of Georgia and the princes of Wallachia and Moldavia. Every one knows how generously the Porte behaved to the Ruffian merchants:-They carried on their trade in the Ottoman ftates with fafety and liberty, and might go where they chofe; for which reason we expected the fame indulgences for the fubjects of the Sublime Porte. Such were our conventions when the Ruffian court wanted to monopolize all the commerce, and exacted a duty far greater from the fubjects of the Sublime Porte than from other powers. When the fubjects of the Sublime Porte wanted to recover their debts in the Ruffian ftates, ftates, they met a thoufand obftacles; not being able to go where they wanted, they were obliged to return without their due; many even have difappeared without our knowing what became of them.-When the merchant veffels of the Sublime Porte wanted, either through ftrefs of weather or want of water, or any other urgent neceffity, to go on board a Ruffian fhip, the Ruffians kept them off with their guns. They have likewife fometimes fired on our veffels from Soghoudgiak. The court of Ruffia wanted to underftand the article relating to prince Heraclius, amongst other articles of a great deal lefs importance, and gave notice in a minifterial manner, by its envoy to the Sublime. Porte, to furnish a common inftrument for all these objects; if not, it had ordered general Potemkin to march to our frontiers with 6 or 70,000 men, to exa& the execution of all the articles, and that the empress was to come there herself. This notice was an open and formal declaration of war. The order given to general Potemkin to repair to our frontiers, at the head of fo many troops, is analogous to the proceedings of the court of Ruffia, with regard to the ufurpation of the Crimea. If the Ruffians remain masters of it, the Porte cannot hope to remain in fecurity for the future, and they will always have fome bad defigns to fear. Thefe confiderations engaged the Porte to fhew to the Ruflian envoy the defire they had for the Crimea to be established on its ancient footing, and to make a new treaty to cement friendship between the two empires. The envoy anfwered, he could not make thefe propofitions to his court, and that if he was to do it. com he forefaw no good could refult from it. He rejected or eluded the articles which contained our plaints, and formally answered, that his court would not renounce the Crimea. That for all these reasons, and others, either fecret or public, which it is impoffible to enumerate,' the Sublime Porte is obliged to declare war, in confequence of which the has published this manifefto to the refpectable court of France, to inform it of the resolution she has taken to go to war with Ruffia. The Sublime Porte fubmits the motives herein contained to the equity of her friends. Manifefto of the Court of Ruffia against the Sublime Porte, dated Peterf burg, Sept. 13th, 1787. T HE court having received the news of the imprisonment of M. de Bulgakow, minifter at Conftantinople, and the declaration of war made by the Porte, can no longer avoid a rupture, and in confequence has publifhed a manifesto, the tenor of which is as follows: "The troubles which have inceffantly agitated the public repose and tranquillity established between the Ruffian empire and the Porte, by the peace of Kainardgi, are too recent to require recapitulation. Suffice it to fay, that fince the con: clufion of that peace, unto the prefent moment, the Porte has fhewn, in all her condu&t, the most manifeft want of faith, and a difpofition to render the effential ftipulations then made illufive. "Though the court of Ruffia is furnished with a multitude of proofs of this truth, which the reserves for a more a more particular detail to be publifhed hereafter, fhe will at prefent cite the facts, the moft recent, which have brought on the unexpected development fo contrary to the pacific fyftem which the followed moft willingly on all occafions. She flattered herself to have fixed an immoveable basis for peace by the declaratory convention of Aynaly. Cavack, concluded in 1799, by the commerce, and in particular by the tranfaction refpecting the Prefcu' Ifle of the Crimea, the end of which was, as then demonftrated, not to extend the frontiers of the empire, but rather to terminate the diforders and depredations continually made by the people of Prefqu' Ifle, by fubjecting them to a police which would make them refpe&t the laws, and keep up harmony and good intelligence with the frontiers of both ftates. Such were the fincere intention and views of the court of Ruffia, which she was at great pains and trouble to accomplith. "After having reconciled differences of fo delicate and important a nature, every thing feemed to promife a durable peace; but affairs were hardly thus happily compromised and adjufted, on the faith of treaties and engagements the moft folemn and facred, when the next Turkifh miniftry, which fucceeded to that under which all thefe negotiationshad paffed,fhewed difpofitions diametrically contrary to their spirit and tenor. Ill-founded pretenfions foon arofe refpect ing the exportation of falt, which had been granted by treaty to the inhabitants of Oczakow. Ruffian confuls were denied entrance into fome places of their nomination; and as if it had been proved that objects of this nature could not fuffice to effect the rupture in view, protection was publicly permitted. to the invafions of the Lefgis and Tartars of Cuban; the first of which hoftilely attacked the states of czar Heraclius, the acknowledged vaffal of the emprefs; and the laft penetrated into the frontiers of Ruffia, where they robbed, pillaged, and carried off whatever was not defended by the troops ftationed in thofe parts. "The emprefs, conftant to her plan of moderation which her humanity and love of peace made her adopt, upon receiving the above advices, contented herself with calling upon the Turkish miniftry to refpect the treaties, and demanding in confequence fatisfaction for such breaches of faith and peace: but all her remonftrances were fruitless, and anfwered with arrogance and difrefpect. In the mean time, her principles remained unaltered. Being mistress of her choice of means, the ftill preferred once more the way of negotiations, and laid open to the emperor, her ally, the ftate of her affairs, and accepted the good offer of the king of France to mediate between herself and the Porte; the made her pretenfions known to them both, and these monarchs declared thejuftice and equity of them. In fhort, to neglect nothing that might preferve fo valuable a bleffing as the peace of her people, the took occafion, when in the neighbour hood of the Turkish states, during the memorable journey which the had but lately finished, to call her minifter at the Porte, and examine him touching the differences which had arifen, and the means most efficacious for an accommodation of them all. In this view, and in full confidence of the refpect which the Turks Turks would fhew on their part for mutual and folemn engagements then fubfifting, fhe returned her mipifter to Conftantinople. Upon his return he was immediately fummoned to a conference, at which, inftead of the points being refumed which were in agitation before his departure, and acquiefcing in the demands of Ruffia, a new turn to affairs was given, and pretenfions farted, the firft of which was contrary to ftipulations made by treaty, and the others derogatory to the dignity of the emprefs, or rather hurtful to the interefts of the empire. "After the Turkish miniftry had thus broken through the limits exprefsly ftipulated, they thought they might then at once take off the mark, and have difcovered the defign which, in all probability, was long harboured, fince they declared to the Ruffian minifter, that the Porte confidered itself bound but by the treaty of Kainardgi; and as the acts which followed it were but the effect of complaifance, fhe did not think herself obliged to adhere to it longer than fuited her convenience. A term was fixed for receiving a categorical anfwer from the Ruffian minifter to the demands and pretenfions communicated to him. The minifter protefted against the injuftice, the indecency, and impoffibility, in fo fhort a time, of complying with fuch a requifition; he was not heard, not even on the subject of the complaints ftated before this time, and for which he had demanded fatisfaction. All that he could obtain was the promise of another conference, which also took place, but at which the fame demands and pretenfions were repeated, without adding any thing more except a vague promise of the fatif. faction he had demanded. "When the news of these two conferences came to the emprefs, fhe did not abandon herself to the difcontent and refentment which were juftifiable; the thought she might remain fpectatrefs of the attempt which a want of delicacy and circumfpection, fufficiently common on the part of the Turkifh miniftry, had made them hazard; mean while the fequel has proved that it was a plan long formed, and going to be put immediately in execution. In thefe fentiments herimperial majefty was willing to crown all the former proofs given of her moderation and distance in thought from the confequences which fuch a critical fituation of affairs prefaged, by fome condefcendance on her part to fome of the pretenfions of the Porte, and for this purpose orders were difpatched to prince Potemkin, when fuddenly fhe learned that the Porte, without waiting for the expiration of the term fixed by herself, had fummoned M. de Bulgakow to a conference on the 6th (16th), and after propofing to him to fign an act by which the treaty of commerce and the tranfaction concerning Prefqu' Ifle of the Crimea were to be annulled, upon his refufal peace was declared to be broken, and himself sent to the caftle of Seven Towers, where, in despite of the rights of nations, he remains a pri foner at this moment. "Such a proceeding prefents every reflection that can arife on the fubject. The Porte has been will ing to unite perfidy with the most infulting attack. She omits nothing to make manifeft the strong defire that has been long felt to break a peace, which was granted in a manner that was generous and noble. Provoked by a conduct fo offenfive, the empress fees herself obliged |