4] 
system at all hazards, and against 
all opponents, they formally de- 
clared, that whoever opposed a, by 
forming confederacies or planning 
insurrections for that purpose;or by 
exciting mistrust either openly or 
sectetly, should be reputed enemies 
and traftors to their country, and 
punished with the utmost rigour of 
the law. The more effectually to 
intimidate persons disposed to of- 
fend, a trtbunal was erected, with 
orders to sit constantly at Warsaw, 
and to try all persons accused before 
it, by any citizen of repute and 
property. 
The next step taken by the go- 
vernment, was to dispatch a notfi- 
cation to every European power, of 
the alterations in the constitutional 
system of Poland, and of the mo- 
tives which had prompted them. 
Of all the sovereigns and states, to 
whom intelligence of this great 
event was regularly communicated, 
none replied to this communication 
with a stronger appearance of satis- 
faction than the king of Prussia. 
He expressed himself in terms of the 
highest approbation and applause at 
every thing they had done upon this 
occasion. If they had not been 
taught by experience to place little 
reliance on that prince, his protesta- 
tions of friendship and attachment 
to Poland were so strong and fer- 
vent, that the most cautfous states. 
man might have easily been de- 
ceived. Butthe grounds on which* 
the Polish government relied, with 
some reason, were, that the in- 
terests of Prussia were, if rightly 
understood and pursued, intimately 
connected with those of Poland. 
This chiefly induced them to place 
a degree of confidence in the 
warmth with which the court of 
4 
ANNUAL REGISTER, 1796. 
Berlin seemingly entered into their. 
views. Nevertheless, the more 
doubtful and wary politicians pro- 
nounced its conduc to be influenced 
only by the circumstances of the 
moment; duplicity was requisite 
to cover the measures it was at that 
instant forming in eoncert with the 
courts of Petersburgh and Vienna. 
‘The Russian court, accustomed 
for a length of years to a humble 
deference to its mandatés, from the 
Polish government, considered these 
transactious in Poland in hardly any 
other light than open rebellion. It 
was at this hour busily eccupied in 
petting a final termination to the 
Turkish war, and the manner in 
which this was concluded, evidently 
proved that other motives than 
those of moderation accelerated the 
decision of that business. It was 
not tillthe middleof August, 1791, 
that a treaty of peace was con- 
cluded between the Porte and the 
court of Petersburgh: and the re- 
mainder of the year was consumed in 
the necessary operations subsequent 
toa pacification. It was not for this 
reason, till the return of the Russian 
armies from the theatre of war, and 
after they had rested in their winter- 
quarters, that a resolution was 
tormed to employ them in the prose- 
cution of the designs against 
Poland. 
In the mean time, the three par- 
titioning courts, as.they have been 
justly styled since the first dismem- 
berment of Poland, in 1773,.were 
conjointly devising in what manner - 
to accomplish the ultimate objeét 
they had long proposed: the utter 
subjugation of the Poles, and the 
division of their country. These 
three ambitious powers had seen 
enovgh of the reviving spirit. of 
liberty 
