taken. Denmark furnished to Russia its stipulated
quota of troops with so much alacrity, and was making such other warlike
preparations, that it was believed they meant to become principals
in the war against Sweden. Russia and England hereupon interposed
efficaciously. Their ministers appointed to meditate, gave notice to
the court of Copenhagen, that they would declare war against them in the
name of their two sovereigns, if they did not immediately withdraw their
troops from the Swedish territories. The court of London has since
said, that their minister (Elliott) went further in this than he
was authorized. However, the Danish troops are retiring. Poland
is augmenting its army from twenty to an hundred thousand men.
Nevertheless, it seems as if England and Prussia meant in earnest to
stop the war in that quarter, contented to leave the two empires in
the hands of the Turks. France, desired by Sweden to join the courts
of London and Berlin in their mediation between Sweden and Russia, has
declined it. We may be assured, she will meddle in nothing external
before the meeting of the States General. Her temporary annihilation
in the political scale of Europe, leaves to England and Prussia
the splendid roll, of giving the law without meeting the shadow of
opposition. The internal tranquillity of this country is perfect: their
stocks, however, continue low, and the difficulty of getting money to
face current expenses very great. In the contest between the King and
parliament, the latter, fearing the power of the former, passed the
convoking the States General. The government found itself obliged
by other difficulties, also, to recur to the same expedient. The
parliament, after its recall, showed that it was now become apprehensive
of the States General, and discovered a determination to cavil at their
form, so as to have a right to deny their legality, if that body should
undertake to abridge their powers. The court, hereupon, very adroitly
determined to call the same _Notables_, who had been approved by the
nation the last year, to decide on the form of convoking the _Etats
Generaux_: thus withdrawing itself from the disputes which the
parliament might excite, and committing them with the nation. The
_Notables_ are now in session. The government had manifestly discovered
a disposition that the _Tiers-Etat_, or Commons, should have as many
representatives in the States General, as the Nobility and Clergy
together: but five