1811.) 
that of Poland; it was a republic of 
which the nobles were the citiz en-sove- 
reigns, under the presidency of a duke. 
The Poles pretended to unite this 
duchy with their republic after the ex- 
tinction of the house of Gothard Kettler, 
whom we have already mentioned; but 
the nobility of Courland, supported by 
Rtussia, maintained their right to choose 
anew prince. Poland was forced to ac- 
quiesce in 17386, Soon after the Cour- 
landers received orders from their august 
protectress, the Czarina Elizabeth, to 
elect the adventurer Biron, whom they 
before would not even adimyjt into their 
body as a simple noble. — Fro:n that 
period, Courland was in fact no more 
than a province of Russia; and, in order 
to confirm theic dependance, in 1795 the 
Courlanders demanded to be iifcorpo- 
rated with the empire of the Czars., 
The nobility of Courland, proud of 
their descent from the ancient Knights of 
the Sword, tenaciously kept up. the dis 
tinction between the ancient and modern 
nobility. The ancients are those whose 
ancestors assisted at the last meetings of 
the knights in 1620, 1631, and 1654; 
they reckon several new families since 
that time, who are not comprised in the 
hist of the members of these assemblies. 
No knight of the new order can acquire 
any dignity, or hold any superior em- 
ployment. A gentleman of Courland 
enjoys the indigenat in Poland, the saine 
as a Pole enjoys it in Courland; but 
neither the one nor the ether can claim 
the privileges attached to this right, but 
from the time they were settled in either 
country. The laws exempt the vassals of 
the noblesse, and all those attached to 
their service, from all taxes and imposts 
upon whatever belongs to them. Their 
estates were exeinpted from the quar- 
tering of troops upon them; they pos- 
sessed their domains in full sovereignty ; 
and, in order to preserve the family, they 
enjoyed the right of primogeniture: they 
paid no sort of taxes but in time of war, 
as vassals of Poland, to serve on horse- 
back. In 1727, the contingent of the 
nobility was fixed by a convention‘ at 
206 horse, and about as many infantry ; 
they could, hawever, claim an exemption 
from this by paying 30,000 crowns for 
the first year of the war, and 10,000 for 
every year after during its continuance. 
. The nobility had solely under their own 
dependance ail subjects born on their 
estates; they could even make bye- 
jaws for them, provided there was no- 
thing centrary to the common laws of 
1 
Mode of Life of a Portuguese Bishop. 505 
the state. They, decided, at their own” 
pleasure, upon all differences between 
their subjects, and could even inflict 
corporal punishment at their own 
option ; so that a noble could punish one 
of his vassals whenever he thought fit; 
but flogging by the public executioner, 
and banishments, were very rare, be- 
cause the estate would thereby lose a 
subject, whose preservation interested 
the proprietor. Ifa peasant was accused 
of any capital offence, the lord of the soil 
was obliged by the statates, under a pe. 
nalty of an hundred florins, to cause hin 
to be tried by a criminal court composed 
ofnobles. To the honour of the indivi- 
duals it should. be meitioned, that this 
despotic power was very rarely exercised 
in a tyrannical manner. 
The Duke, in his quality as vassal, was 
obliged to furnish Poland with 200 ca- 
valry, or 500 infantry; he was not ever 
permitted in time of peace, to keep more 
than 500 regular troops in pay; his re- 
venues were very considerable; they 
arose principally from the customs, the 
feudal taxes, and the ducal domains, 
which were supposed to consist of one- 
third of the duchy: the total of these 
different revenues was. valued at three. 
millions two hundred and fifty thousand 
Polish florins. 
increased his revenues: he concluded 
treaties of commerce with different 
powers of Europe ; and in 1664, England 
ceded to him the Island of Tobago in the 
West Indies. Te even fitted out some 
ships of war for other powers; and ia 
1652, he sent the King of Poland, inde- 
pendently of his contingent as a vassal of 
that power, a thousand auxiliary in- 
fantry. W. 2B. H,. 
a 
To the Editor of the Monthly Magazine. 
SI, © 
I SEND you a pleasing picture of the 
mode of life of a catholic bishop at 
Castello Branco, in Portugal, well wor- 
thy the consideration of our heads of 
cathedrals, taken from a modern Ac- 
count of Portugal, by a clergyman. at. 
tending General Moore’s unfortunate 
ariny: by publishing it you will do your. 
duty, as every thing that tends to lessen 
the prejudices of mankind against each 
other's religious principles, is serviceable 
to the whole world. 
“* We were lodged at the bishop’s 
palace, and found him a man of most 
amiable and iteresting manners. He is 
far advanced in years, and uncorrupted 
P by 
About the middle of the. 
17th century, Duke James considerably. 
