Turks, excited by a fenfe of their loffes and difgraces to the madness of defpair, fought with incredible fury; and after a defperate conflict, in which they broke through the Auftrian lines, carried every thing before them, and in defiance of discipline as well as of valour, natural and acquired, abfolutely put the Auftrians to flight. The head of Count Thorn, while he made every poffible exertion of perfonal courage as well as military fkill to refift the impetuofity of his fierce and enraged foe, was carried off by the blow of a janizary's fabre, and afterwards exhibited in tri umph on a pike through the ranks of the Turkish army. The lofs of the Auftrians in this unfortunate action, was 700 men killed, and upwards of 2,000 defperately wounded. The befieging army now abandoned their entrenchments and works, along with eighteen pieces of artillery, and fed with the utmost precipation. And thus the war between the Auftrians and Turks was terminated.

To the motives above mentioned that naturally inclined the mind of Leopold to peace, another of no light importance was about this time added, by the death of the first General not only in the Auftrian armies, but at that particular period in Europe. This was the celebrated and truly great commander, the

venerable Field-Marfhal Laudhon, who, after having encountered as many dangers in the field as was ever perhaps braved by any man, died on a fick-bed, full of years and of glory. He departed this life, at his head quarters in Moravia, early in July (1790) in the seventy-fifth year of his age; and his death was univerfally and exceedingly lamen ted, not only on account of his great military talents and public fervices, but alfo for his amiable virtues, which flione forth equally in his military conduct, his intercourfes with fociety, and his domeftic retirement. It was commonly faid in Germany, that although the progrefs of the Austrian as well as Ruflian armies, was too often marked by many unnecessary, unprofitable, and barbarous cruelties, as well as by devastation, "Field-Marshal Laudhon made war like a gentleman and a Chriftian

Laudhon was born in Livonia; but his father, a Lieutenant in the Ruffian army, was a Scotchman, defcended from the family of Loudon, although the orthography of the name has undergone fome alteration in the lapfe of time or the change of country. He embraced the profeflion of arms at a very early period of life, not more from inclination than from neceffity: and he actually fought in the ranks as a private foldier, under the imperial generals, during the war of

1733, between the Emperor Charles the Sixth and France. At the conclufion of peace between these powers, finding himself without provifion of any kind, he walked from Heidelberg in the Palatinate, to the Banks of the Black Sea, with his knapsack on his fhoulder, and entered into the fervice of the Emprefs Ann, at war with the Turks, and therein remained under the command of Count Munich and General Lacy, during the whole progrefs of the war, till its termination in 1739. Returning once more into Germany he endeavoured to enter, as a fubaltern officer, into the Pruffian fervice, but without fuccefs. The King of Pruffia could not then forefee how dear the rejection of fuch an officer would coft him. Laudhon in 1741 found means to procure an Enfign's commiffion in the Auftrian fervice, unaided by friends or connexions of any kind. His rife in the army was at firft only flow-he wrought his way to preferment gradually. The eminent fervices which he rendered to Maria Therefa, in the war between 1757 and 1763, were rewarded by her Imperial Majefty, after the peace, with an eftate in Moravia: by means of which, and his military appointments, he was in a state of confiderable affluence. The quality by which he was peculiarly characterized as a General, was, the rapidity and decifion of his movements. A long train of reflection, as he himfelf declared, only rendered him irrefolute. After viewing the ground and reconnoitering the pofition of the enemy, he took his refolution in a moment, and executed it with the velocity of lightning. The great King of Prutha faid, that he fometimes admired the pofition of other VOL. XXXIII.

Generals, but always dreaded the battles of Laudhon.

In confequence of the pacific dif- . pofitions, on the part of Austria and Pruffia, as well as the Porte, conferences were opened on the 4th of June, 1790, at Reichenbach in Silefia, for the purpose of accelerating a pacification between Austria and Turkey, and for adjusting at the fame time the differences between Leopold and his fubjects in the Netherlands. The minifters who met on this occafion, were the Prince de Reufs and Baron Spielman, Plenipotentiaries on the part of his Hungarian Majefty; the Count Hertfberg, on the part of his Pruffian Majefty; Jofeph Ewart, Efq. on that of his Britannic Majefty; and the Baron de Reede, Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary, from the States General of the United Provinces. His Hungarian Majefty agreed to open a negotiation for peace with the Ottoman Porte, on the basis of the flatus quo (fuch as exifted before the war) under the mediation of the three allied courts, and to confent to an immediate armistice with that power; declaring his refolution of ftanding neuter, and abftaining from taking any part, directly or indirectly, in the war, fhould the Emprefs of Ruffia refute to accede to this negotiation. His Hungarian Majefty was to keep Chockzim en depur; that fortrefs having been conquered by the united arms of Auftria and Ruffia. But he agreed to restore it to Turkey on a peace, under the guarantee of the King of Pruilia; who accepted the propofitions of the King of Hungary, under the reftriction, that if, in the arrangement of limits between Auftria and the Porte, the former fhould obtain any acquifition on the fide of Aluta, C

Pruffia

Pruffia fhould have an equivalent on the fide of Upper Silefia. The King of Pruffia declared that no hoftile engagement fubfifted between him and the Belgic provinces; and that he would co-operate with the maritime powers for the purpose of appeafing the troubles in those countries, and reftoring them to the Auftrian dominions, on conditions of the re-establishment of their ancient privileges and conftitution: and the English and Dutch ministers engaged, in behalf of their refpective courts, to guarantee thefe conditions. The conferences (the parties concerned being all defirous of tranquillity) were foon brought to a conclufion. A convention was executed on the 27th of July, 1790*, by which, befides the conditions juft mentioned, it was agreed that the King of Hungary fhould retain the provinces of Gallicia and Lodomeria, which he already poffeffed in Poland; that, fhould Ruffia perfift in carrying on the war against the Porte and Sweden, his Pruflian Majefty fhould be at free liberty to fulfil thefe engagements, without the court of Vienna taking any part, directly or indirectly, in the conteft. On the other hand, the King of Pruffia engaged to give

Leopold his vote on the approaching election, for the imperial throne; but under the express and indifpenfable condition that the Emperor of the Romans fhould never enter into any alliance with Ruffia: as in cafe of fuch a connexion, he would be difabled from difcharging his duty as head of the German empire, and refifting any future attack of that power on Germany. It is unneceffary to mention that the negotiations at Reichenbach by no means interrupted, but rather, as is ufual in fuch cafes, accelerated the military preparations on both fides. It is in fact the furd eloquence of thofe preparations, as it is well known, that gives the greatest weight to that of political negotiations. The conferences at Reichenbach, though on the whole carried on with uncommon harmony and expeditious effect, were at one period fo nearly broken off, that the King of Pruffia had, in expectation of immediate hoftilities, prohibited all farther intercourfe between `Silefia and the Auftrian territories; and had at the fame time fignified to the court of Drefden, that he would not admit of its neutrality; but, in cafe of war, expected that it fhould explicitly declare in favour of one of the parties. Nor

was

was the court of Vienna, in conjunction with its Ruffian allies, lefs intent on the most active measures. Large bodies of troops were continually approaching the Auftrian acquifitions in Poland, which, in cafe of the conferences proving ineffectual, were expected to become the scene of action. By the treaty of Reichenbach, the allies made a very confiderable advancement towards the great object of their interference, the prevention of the ruin or difmemberment of the Turkish empire; and an eafy way was opened to Leopold for quieting the difcontents and difturbances in different parts of his extenfive dominions, and the attainment of other defirable and dear objects.

During the conferences at Reichenbach, deputies from Hungary arriving at Vienna, prefented a long lift of twenty-four articles to the King, which they preffed him to fign previously to his coronation for that kingdom. The principal de mands of the Hungarians were, that they should have tribunals of juftice and other departments, entirely independent of the imperial courts of the fame nature at Vienna: and especially a council of war, for the government of their army; the officers of which should thenceforth depend on it alone for their promotion; and that no German troops fhould enter Hungary without the formal confent and requifition of the states. Leopold, foreseeing that the iffue of the negotiations would foon put him in poffeffion of the ufual ways and means of governing the Hungarians, refused to comply with their request; confidering their demands as too importunate and peremptory; and under the conviction that compliance with requests fo made,

would tend only to the exaction of farther and farther conceffions. It was the firft maxim of this humane and wife prince, in the administration of government, to abftain from all acts of injuftice and oppreffion: and the fecond, to improve the condition of his fubjects, by voluntarily anticipating their juft complaints; but never yielding to the appearance of combination and importunate folicitation. A remarkable inftance of his prudence and address, in maintaining the authority of the crown by avoiding a conteft, in which perhaps he must have been conftrained to yield to the popular current, we are about to relate.

The Hungarian malcontents were fo numerous, and the spirit of dif content, difcord, and divifion, had rifen to fuch a height, that a motion had been made in a full diet or affembly of the Hungarian ftates, after the conclufion of the treaty of Reichenbach, and ftrongly fupported, from fending minifters directly from the nation to Conftantinople, without any notice or regard to the King; who were to negotiate in the name of the diet, and entirely on its own account, a treaty with the Ottoman Porte. bold and dangerous propofition, which had been for fome time expected by the court of Vienna, was eluded by another made by the King's minifters, and fupported by all the weight and influence of the crown, for an address to the King for permiffion to fend deputies to the congrefs that was to meet, for fettling a peace with the Ottomans.

This

the fundamental laws of the kingdom, the prefent war had been commenced without their knowledge; and that they would be penetrated with ftill greater grief, if now that they were aflembled in diet and bent on the establishment of their rights, any treaty of peace fhould be concluded without their concurrence. Effential laws (which they quoted) did not permit a King of Hungary to begin a war in the kingdom, nor in the provinces united with it, without the knowledge and confent of the nation; and a peace with the Turks could not be concluded, either within or without the kingdom, but with the advice and confent of a Hungarian council. Trufting that his Majefty would readily acknowledge the juftnefs of thefe reprefentations, and the reasonablenefs of their demands, they propofed deputies, men of approved integrity, knowledge, and ability in public affairs, to attend the conferences for peace and other negotiations for the public good, in conformity to the fpirit of the Hungarian laws and conftitution; which they would confider as a particular proof of his Majefty's juftice, and as a tie which would attach ftill more ftrongly, that free, faithful, and leyal nation, to his Majetty's perfon and government."

Leopold received the deputation and application of the ftates (which he had himself been fecretly inftrumental in procuring) very gracioufly; and empowered the diet to nominate whomfoever they fhould think proper, to act as reprefentatives of the Hungarian nation, and to attend to their interests at the congreis.

This conceffion of Leopold, how ever, though made with grace and as an homage due to juftice, might

perhaps have encreased the importunity of the Hungarians on other points to a dangerous height, if a coalition had not been made between Austria and Pruffia. The Hungarian malcontents had become to numerous, and appeared fo formidable, that Leopold at one time entertained ferious apprehenfions with regard to the fecurity and even the prefervation of the kingdom: and it was intended on the conclufion of peace with the Porte, to fend the Hungarian army to the low countries, and to replace them in Hungary, entirely by German regiments. But the various interefts that divided the higher ranks of the nobility from the inferior; the jealoufy entertained by the popular claffes of both thefe, and the difference of religion among them all, prevented that unanimity which would have been neceffary to an effectual refiftance of a long establifhed power, and enabled the court of Vienna to play off the different parties against one another, and to balance and manage the whole. The Proteftants hated the Roman Catholics, and the Catholics the Proteftants. The peasants abhorred the nobles, and the nobles (though divided among themselves) concurred in defpifing and oppreffing a the peasants and as thefe parties were at enmity among themfelves, fo alfo they were differently affected towards the fovereign. The Magnats and Comitats, with the exception of thofe who had held great offices of the crown, were bent on a revolution, and defirous of cementing the clofeft alliance that could be formed with the Porte and with Pruflia. Many of the Nobleffe, envious and jealous of the Magnats and great Palatines, were favourably difpofed towards the

crown;