lis ANNUAL REGISTER, 1794. 



publican notions to the favour of 

 those individuals in whom they 

 discovered discontent at their go- 

 vernment. The number of these 

 in tlie Spanish provinces bordering 

 on France was considerable. They 

 recollected that, in former days, the 

 French had assisted their forefathers 

 when they took up arms against the 

 oppressions of the Spanish govern- 

 ment. Nor indeed were the Spa-" 

 niards at large averse to the idea of 

 limiting the power of the court, 

 and restoring the ancient coitcs, 

 or states. This idea had lately been 

 favourably received by a large ma- 

 jority of the Spanish nation; 

 which, though by no means in- 

 clined to republicaii'sm, seemed 

 thoroughly persuaded of the supe- 

 riority of a limited monarchy over 

 despotism. It ■was principally in 

 Biscay, Catalonia, and the conti- 

 guous provinces, that the French 

 were studious to disseminate their 

 principles; and there they were 

 not a littte successful. The dis- 

 ^tance ofTortugal from the great 

 scenes of action, wais its best stcu- 

 rity against the introduction of 

 French tenets. Immersed in the 

 profoundest bigotry,-: the people 

 of that country were the most sub- 

 missive of any to the absurdest doc- 

 trines and til'.- basest slavery. 



The northern parts ot Europe 

 stood aloof: rather fearfuUhan un- 

 willing to sliare in this great con- 

 test bet ween France and its nume- 

 rous eneiTiies. Sweden, though 

 lately governed by a King who 

 openly avowed his hatred of the 

 French, had boldly maintained a 

 resistance to unqualified monarchy ; 

 and this prince had fallen a martyr 

 to his principles by the hands'>df 

 cr:e of his sulijects. Those to whom 

 he bet^ueathcd the reins of admi- 



nistratlon, were too wise to tread 

 ia his unfortunate steps, in defiance 

 of the best part of the Swedish na- 

 tion J which therefore continued in 

 a situation of neutrality. Den- 

 mark happily followed this pre- 

 cedent, and though considered by 

 some politicians as an implicit de- 

 pendant of Russia, it shewed upon 

 this occasion, that, under the gui- 

 dance of a sagacious ministry, it 

 was able to consult its own inte- 

 rest and to avoid a servile acquies- 

 cence in the dictates of an imperi- 

 ous ally. 



Russia, the scourge and terror of 

 all her neighbours, could not, con- 

 sistently with the maxims of her 

 government, be the friend of any 

 nation that countenanced those of 

 France. Risen victorious from 

 her contest with the Ottoman em- 

 pire, and flushed with her acquisi- 

 tions In Poland, she would willingly 

 have seen every power in Europe 

 involved in the quarrel with 

 France, in the hope of being able 

 to profit by the loss and expence 

 in which this would have involved 

 them. 'In this hope she abstained 

 from all active interference, and 

 reserved herself for the critical mo- 

 ment, when those powers, on 

 whom chiefly she kept a vigilant 

 eye, should retire from the quarrel, 

 weary and exhansted. But her 

 views had hitherto been frustrated. 

 The dread of these administered 

 prudence to some, who from com- 

 plicated motives might otherwise 

 have thought themselves suflaciently 

 aggrieved by the measures enforced 

 against them by a leading member 

 of the coalition, to have sided 

 with France in a decisive and os- 

 tensible manner. Thus it hap« 

 peued, that whatever insidious de- 

 signs Russia might harbour respect- 

 ing 



