5$o A. D. 177a. 



Among the enormities, which took place in confequence of the dif- 

 memberment of Poland, perhaps the fate of the illuftrious free city of 

 Dantzik is the only event, which properly comes within the province 

 o C'Knmercial hiftory. The king of Pruflia began by feizing the ter- 

 ritory belonging to the city, the adjacent ifland of Holm, the two 

 peninfulas running into the harbour, and the faburbs of the city. He 

 then furrounded the city with cuftom-houfes, at which he levied exor- 

 bitant duties upon every article of country produce, that was carried to 

 market ; and he impofed new duties upon imports and exports, the pay- 

 ments of which he enforced before the fhips were allowed to come into 

 the harbour. In open contempt of the treaties cxifting between Great 

 Britain and Dantzik, by which Britifh commerce hadenjoyed confider- 

 able advantages, he raifed the duties upon Britifh imports, and parti- 

 cularly upon tobacco, the chief article of them, fo as to amount near- 

 ly to a prohibition. Not contented with this demonftration of his gra- 

 titude to a people, who had fo liberally fupported him againft the great 

 powers of Auftria and Ruffia, now his aObciates in the difmembermcnt 

 of Poland, he ere<3:ed an exclufive company vefted with the fole right 

 of importing and exporting fait, and gave to another the monopoly of 

 bees-wax. At length the magiftrates, feeing themfelves hemmed in on 

 every fide, fo that no corn, provifions, nor any other thing could go in 

 or out of the city, deprived of the navigation of the Viftula * and the 

 Baltic fea, and alfo deferted by their citizens, who had fled by thou- 

 fands to Sweden, France, and other countries, their trade utterly an- 

 nihilated by intolerable exadions, and their interefl negleded by all the 

 numerous powers, who were bound by treaty, and even by intercft, 

 to prote<5l them, were compelled to fubmit to the power of Pruflia. 

 Thus, with the ridiculoufly futile protedlion of a hundred treaties of 

 friendfliip and guarantee from the various powers of Europe, fell the 

 great and flourifliing commercial city of Dantzik, a prey to the rapacity 

 of the magnanimous and philofophic Frederik. 



The fpirit of independence feems this year to have pervaded and ani- 

 mated the whole of South America, and made the European fovereigns 

 of that continent tremble for the fafety of their dominion over thofe 

 wealthy provinces. The iiegroes of the Dutch colony of Surinam, avail- 

 ing themfelves of the knowlege of fire-arms they had attained by the 

 inflirudions of the white people, rebelled againfl; their mafters, and re- 

 peatedly defeated the foldiers, who were fent againfl; them. In Brazil 



* The king of PruiTia was faid to have extort- be placed to the account of exaggeration, it was 



e<l fcven miUions of dollars from the unhappy peo- ftill a pretty good ftroke of phindtr. The forcible 



pic by forcibly foreftalling and monopolizing the tranfplantlon of families in the ftile of the antient 



torn brought down the Viftula or feized in the ad- Egyptian and Perfian policy, the tribute of mar- 



jacent countries, which he paid for in bafe money, liageable virgins, and the other rapacious and op- 



and forced the people to rc-purchafe with good preflive arts of «he Pruffian hero, do not belong 



money. Granting that even half the fura fhould to this work. 



