ii6 THE BEE, OR Jan. 19. 



HISTORICAL CHRONICLE. 



INTRODUCTION. 



A Curfory View of the prefent Political State ef Europe, 

 continued from page 80. 



P(}Ia7id. 



X OLAND haifor fome time pad enjoyed a (late of tranqm 

 lity that has been very rarely experienced in that country. 

 This arifes entirely from the political (late of the kingdoms 

 around it. Since the elevation of Prince Potemkin to power, 

 the court of Ruflia has had a prediieiJiion for the operations ot 

 war, rather than the intrigues of the cabinet ; fo that the ftat'- 

 of parties in foreign nations has been Jefs diligently attended tc 

 than formerly. And the late Emperor was fo little capable ot 

 adverting to the nice fprings that operate on the human heart, 

 jis to lofe every advantage in political fineffe that his natural 

 Ittuation put hi his power. Between the partifans of thefe two 

 potentates, and thofe of the King of PruHia, there was a per- 

 petual ilruggle for power, which produced troubles and na- 

 tional difputes that often didurbed the public tranquility. 

 For though the influence of the former preponderated, the 

 PrufTian party always had a confiderable influence. Nov.', 

 liowever, nothing of that kind takes place. The King of Prul- 

 fla, eager to improve every circumllancc to his own advan- 

 tage, availed himfelf of the opportunity that the remi(rnefs ot 

 the two imperial courts prefented to him ; and his party, by 

 ' confequence, foon obtained an undifputed fuperiority in the 

 councils of the republic. RnfTia, which had for a long time 

 had the chief afcendency there, does not feem to have been 

 luvare of the tendency of her remiffnefs till it was too late; 

 and, trufling to the continuance of that afcend«ncy, flic ufed 

 freedoms with the government of Poland which fhc had been 

 accudomed to take ; but was foon convinced of her millake. 

 The republic afferted its independency in a language (he 

 had not been accuftomed to receive from them, at a time 

 when (he had it not in her power, either to enforce her plea- 



