whom we were willing to leave unpunished, in order to avoid even the shadow of an act of fovereignty, fo long as we could cherish the least hope of at length reftoring good order, and preventing by this means the effential interefts of our empire from being injured. But to our great regret all these measures, dictated folely by our love of humanity, tended only to bring upon us loffes and damages, which we have the more fenfibly at heart, as they affected our fubjects. The lofs in men is not. to be appreciated; we will not attempt to eftimate it; that in money, according to the most moderate calculations, amounts to upwards of twelve millions of rubles. To thefe particulars is to be added another of the utmost importance, both in its object and with regard to its confequences: we have just been informed, that the porte has begun to lay claim to the exercise of fovereignty in the tartar dominions, by fending one of their officers, at the head of a detachment of troops, to the island of Taman, who has even proceeded to cause the officer to be publicly beheaded, who was fent to him by the khan Schaghin-Gheray, with a commission only to inquire of him what were the motives for his arrival in that island; and what evidently proves the nature of the miffion of this commandant of the troops is, that he made no difficulty in declaring openly to the inhabitants of Taman, that he looked upon them as fubjects of the porte. This decifive, though unexpected step, convincing us of the inutility of the facrifices we had made upon the last peace, annuls in confequence the engagements we had contracted, with the fole intention of firmly establishing the freedom and independence of the Tartars, and fufficiently authorizes us to enter again into the enjoyment of those rights which we had lawfully acquired by conqueft; the more fo, as it is the only means remaining for us to fecure hereafter a folid and permanent peace between the two empires. Animated therefore with a fincere defire of confirming and maintaining the laft peace concluded with the porte, by preventing the continual difputes which the affairs of the Krimea produced, our duty to ourself, and the prefervation of the fecurity of our empire, equally demand our taking the firm refolution to put an end, once for all, to the troubles in the Krimea; and for this purpofe we re-unite to our empire the peninfula of Krimea, the island of Taman, and all the Kuban, as a just indemnification for the loffes fuftained, and the expences we have been obliged to incur in maintaining the peace and welfare of these territories. In declaring to the inhabitants of thofe countries by the prefent manifefto, that fuch is our imperial pleafure, we promife them, for us and our fucceffors in the imperial throne of Ruffia, that they fhall be treated upon an equality with our antient fubjects; and that, in taking them under our high protection, we will defend against all people their perfons, their eftates, their temples, and the religion they profefs; that they fhall enjoy the most abfolute liberty of confcience, without the leaft reftriction, in the public exercife of their worship and their ceremonies; and that not only the nation in general, but also each individual in particular, fhall participate in all the advantages enjoyed by our antient fubjects. But we alfo expect from the gratitude of our new fubjects, that, touched with thefe favours, they will be fenfible of the value of this fortunate revolution, which removes them from a convulfed ftate of difturbances and diffenfions to one of entire fecurity and perfect tranquillity under the protection of the laws; and that, ftriving to imi tate the fubmiffion, zeal, and fidelity of thofe who have long had the happiness of living under our government, they will render themselves worthy of our imperial favour, benefi cence and protection. Given at our imperial refidence of St. Petersburg, the 8th of April, in the year of Grace 1783, and in the 21st year of our reign. (Signed with her imperial majefty's own hand) CATHARINE. (L. S.) No. II. LEITER from the EMPRESS of all the RUSSIAS to his PRUSSIAN MAJESTY. MY advantageous fentiments refpecting the houfe of Pruffia, fentiments of which I have given efficacious proofs, permit me to hope for the fame on their part. I expect it the more, as I have ever been convinced of their reciprocal affection. The war which is preparing between the emperor of the Romans and the Hollanders excites the immediate attention of the cabinet of Berlin, of which the Dutch endeavoured by all forts of intrigues to fecure the acceffion. Your wifdom acknowledges that the pretenfions of the emperor are equally juft and moderate. Nature herself hath granted to the auftrian Low Countries the ufe and advantage of the river in difpute; Auftria alone, by virtue of the law of nature and nations, is entitled to an exclufive right to the ufe of the river in queftion. So that the equity and difinterestedness of Jofeph II. can only impart this right to other people, it belonging exclufively to his ftates. The fentiments of Austria merit esteem and attention, but the avidity of the Dutch, and the judgment which they permit themselves to affume on account of the treaty of Munster over the house of Auftria, are notorious and blamable in every respect. Nothing can be alleged with foundation in favour of Holland, therefore fhe merits not the affistance of any foreign power. The confequences which these republicans are drawing upon themselves by their obftinacy, must be fubmitted to the moderation of the emperor alone. I am firmly refolved to affift his pretenfions with all my land and fea forces with as much efficacy as if the welfare of my own own empire was in agitation. I hope that this declaration of my fentiments will meet with the fuccefs which our reciprocal friendship deferves, and which hath never been interrupted. CATHARINE. No. III. MANIFESTO of the SUBLIME PORTE against RUSSIA, dated the 11th of ZILEADE, the Year 1201 (the 24th of August 1787). THE peace concluded between the Sublime Porte and the court of Ruffia in 1187 (1774) was chiefly made for the repofe and tranquillity 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 so far as to feize on the Krimea, a proceeding directly oppofite to the conditions agreed on to ferve as the foundation of the treaty of Kainardgi. 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 should 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 raifed up prince Heraclius, who was furnished with a diploma of inveftiture as vaffal of the fublime porte. Ruffian troops have been placed in Tifflis; they have declared themfelves fupreme over the faid prince, and from that moment the diforder in Georgia and our adjoining frontiers has been general. When we alleged that this proceeding was a formal infraction of the treaties, it was maintained to the contrary. contrary. It was exprefsly agreed on, that the Otcha kovians fhould have the free and unlimited extraction of the falt-works, which always belonged to the inhabitants of that 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 refufed it. The conful of that court has feduced the waywode of Moldavia, who has the rank of a prince; he favoured his flight, and when the fublime 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 defigns by giving what turn it pleased to many fimilar things. It has corrupted the fubjects of the fublime porte, by establishing confuls in Valakhia, Moldavia, in ifles and places where the prefence of thofe officers was ufelefs, and even prejudicial to the true believers. It has invited to its eftates the fubjects of the fublime porte, and employed them in its marine and other fervices. It has especially entered into the interior dispofition of our administration, by folliciting either the recall or punishment of governors, judges, vaffals, and of all the officers not in their intereft, and even of the pasha of Georgia and the princefs of Valakhia and Moldavia. Every one knows how generously the porte behaved to the ruffian merchants: - they carried on their trade in the ottoman ftates with safety and liberty, and might go wherever they pleafed; for which reason we expected the fame indulgences for the fubjects of the fublime porte. Such were our conventions when the ruffian court wanted to monopolize all the commerce, and exacted a duty far greater from the subjects of the fublime porte than from other powers. When the subjects of the fublime porte wanted to recover their debts in the ruffian ftates, they met a thousand obftacles; not being able to go where they wanted, they were obliged to return without their due; many even have disappeared without our knowing what became of them. When the mer chant |