HISTORY OF EUROPE. 
tion in the supposed league of Pil- 
nitz. 
A misrepresentation of so gross 
a nature is best done away, by leav- 
ing it to its own exposition. The 
discovery of publicimposture is suc- 
ceeded by indignation®*. But there 
are great political reasons for un- 
folding the real project of the Em- 
peror Leopold, when he met the 
King of Prussia and the Elector of 
Saxony at Pilnitz. The wish of 
that wise and pacific prince, was, 
to oppose an effectual security a- 
gainstthe hurricane which menaced 
Europe: a hurricane like those in 
the physical world, ready to be 
formed by equal forces rushing a- 
gainst each other from opposite di- 
rections: the ambition of conquest 
from the north, and from the south, 
therage of the rightsof men. These, 
he said, were about to meet from 
Russia and France on the fields of 
Germany, and to level her consti- 
tution and her Jaws to the earth, 
unless her sovereign rulers should 
have the good sense to join hands, 
and, in concert with the maritime 
powers, to consolidate the security 
of nations. We have seen the ori- 
inal plan of the intended treaty of 
ilnitz, and know from the best au- 
thority, that the late Emperor, in 
illustrating his own project, was of- 
ten heard to observe, ‘“ That the 
e which Henry 1Vth of France 
Elizabeth of England, aided by 
their wise ministers, had discussed, 
in speculation, for the benefit of 
[87 
Europe, must now be realized far 
its existence.” 
The alarms and precautions of 
Leopold did not escape the penetra- 
tion of Catherine the Great. The 
agents of that princess had been 
long at work to complete her de- 
signs against Poland. The death of 
Joseph bad deprived her of an ac- 
tive, as well as powerful ally, in her 
grand project for overthrowing the 
Turkish empire. The succession 
of Leopold, his peace with the 
Porte, and union with Prussia, had’ 
thwarted her ambition, and morti- 
fied her severely; while the opposi- 
tion of Great Britain, to her acqui- 
sition of Oczakow, had well nigtr 
given a total check to the career of 
her glory. In this dilemma, she 
announced herself the protectress 
oftheancient government of France, 
and stood forward as the heroine 
who was to conquer, like her pre- 
decessor Peter the Great, the new 
barbarism of her time +. 
In this pleasing strain she was 
addressed by the emigrant princes 
and nobles of France. And, after 
the death of Leopold, drawing a 
veil over all the resentment that she 
had nourished against the late union 
between Austria and Prussia; and 
giving it, with uncommon address, 
another direction and acceptation, 
she paid her compliments to. the 
new Emperor Francis, who had 
distinguished himself, under his 
uncle, at the siege of Belgrade, 
as the worthy representative of 
* If any doubt should yet remain concerning the imposture in question, it would’ 
be removed by the perusal of a paper in the Anti-Jacobin of July 2d, 1793, sub» 
seribed Detector, 
There wasa meeting in August 1791, at Pilnitz; bul not any 
plan then and there formed for the dismemberment of France. 
+ Charles X1L, of Sweden, it is well known, like the new rulers of France, as- 
sumed a tone of domination amonghis neighbours, 
[G] 4 
her 
