1719. Power ftill more remote from our Dominions. Having thus made out to your Majesty, that thofe Reports spread againft us are groundless and deceitful Contrivances, we proceed to defire your Majefty, as a Brother and Friend, to have Regard not only to the many Marks we have given you of a ready Friendship and conftant Affection, but also to the Engagements your Majefty is under, both by the Treaty of a perpetual Peace concluded with one of your Majefty's Predeceffors, of glorious Memory, in the Year 1606, and by the Treaties of Alliance concluded with your Majefty and the Republick against the King of Sweden, to defift from fuch Undertakings, and to put a stop to the Negotiations that are carried on against us,' both at the Imperial Court and the Ottoman Porte, forafinuch as fuch Enterprizes are contrary to the twenty-fourth Article of the faid Treaty of perpetual Peace, and to the several Treaties of Alliance we have enter'd into with your Majefty and the Republick; namely, the thirteenth Article of the Treaty concluded the 14th of August 1704, the thirteenth Article of that of the 10th of October 1709, and the late Conventions made at Dantzick the 26th and 27th of April, and 7th of May, by which it is ftipulated, that nothing fhall be altered in or added to the Tenor of thofe Treaties, either by advising or concurring in fuch Negotiations as are prejudicial to any of the contracting Parties, or by entering into fuch Engagements as interfere with thofe Alliances, but that every Thing fhall be communicated and done by common Confent; all which is more more at large fet forth in the faid Treaties. And as we, on our Part, have faithfully exécuted and obferved both our Engagements, and the late Convention made at Dantzick between our Ministers and thofe of your Majefty, who were there at that Time, and afterwards fign'd at Grodno on your Majefty's Part, by which the faid General Flemming, having communicated to your Majefty all the Particulars, both of the Treaty we were negotiating with France, and of the Negotiations in the Island of Aland, even before they were begun; and the faid Negotiations being begun and carried on, not only with your Majefty's Confent, but with your Advice and Concurrence, by the Barons Manteuffel and Lofe, your Majefty's Ministers both here and at Berlin: Therefore we defire your Majesty to be pleafed confidently to communicate to us what is negotiating at Vienna, and to let us know whether any Thing has been proposed or concluded there to our Prejudice, to the End we may, in Time, take our Measures accordingly. But in cafe your Majefty fhould refufe to give us the Satisfaction of acquainting us with that Negotiation, according to the Tenor of the abovefaid Treaties, and fhould fecretly go on with it, or bring it to a Conclufion, we must look upon fuch a Proceeding as an open Rupture and Infringement of the Treaties fubfifting between us, and oppofe it by competent Meafures. We have ordered Prince Dolgoruki, our Ambaffador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary refiding at your Majesty's Court, to explain this more at large by word of Mouth, and We expect his Report 1719. 1719. The King of " Report to us, with a fpeedy and acceptable. Petersburgh, Jan. Peter Count Gollowin The King of Poland's Anfwer to the Czar's Letter. TH HE whole Kingdom has been filled late Letter, difperfed and made publick in a Manner contrary to Custom and the Nature of true Friendship, before the Original was delivered to us by Prince Dolgoruki: This fhould justly have given us Reason to suspect it was done defignedly and maliciously, in order to disturb the Publick Peace, to create Jealoufy, and to break the ftrict Union that is between us and the States of the Republick; though we are confident our juft Actions and fincere Intentions towards the Republick, (whose Liberty we always have endeavour'd to preferve untouch'd, and accordingly have rejected all Advices that have been given us to the contrary) will render ineffectual thofe Artifices and Attempts tending to diffolve that Union between us and the Republick. We were of Opinion, that after fo many fincere Explanations which we have given to your Czarish Majefty's Ambaffador, both by Word of Mouth and by Writing, and of which we have given real Proofs, and after the Detection of the Falfehood of what has been contrived in former Times, your Majefty ought not to give Ear ΠΟΥ nor Credit to the like Reports, the Falfhood of which is fo evident, that it discovers itself without any Proof. For, as to our Minifter, Count Flemming, and his Negotiations at the Court of Vienna, all that has been done was with our Knowledge, and by our Direction, as appears by his Reports to us, and to the Senators and Minifters of the Republick now here affembled, of which a Copy has been given to your Majefty's Ambaffador. This may be fufficient to clear us from all finifter Interpretations, and to direct and dispose your Czarish Majefty to fhew us more Refpect for the future, that we may not have Reafon to look upon fuch indecent Behaviour as hoftile, and be forced to obviate it with the Affiftance of our Friends in due Manner. For neither your Czarish Majefty, nor any body elfe, can blame us for endeavouring to maintain a good Friendship and mutual Benevolence, not only with the Emperor and the King of Great-Britain, but with all the Powers of the World befides, for our and our Kingdom's Prefervation, and the maintaining of its Laws and Liberties; that with their Help and Affiftance, we may be in a Condition to refift all Attempts tending to the Introduction of Abfolute Power and Hereditary Succeffion, or the Subversion of the Conftitution of Poland in whatfover Manner. The Perfon we have sent to Conftantinople, does not negotiate any Thing relating to our publick Affairs, but is there to affift, with his Advice, the Merchants of our Dominions, and to buy feveral Goods of our Houfhold; nor does he pretend to excite the Ottoman Porte against your Czarish Majefty, nor to fpread any preju 1719. ; dicial Reports against you, unless, perhaps, he is afked, Whether your Czarish Majefty's Troops continue ftill in Poland? Then certainly it cannot be taken amifs, if he fhould relate how grievous this is to all the Orders of the Kingdom. Neither have the Senators and Minifters of State, in their late Conference held at Warsaw with the Tartarian Envoy, made any Propofals to him relating to an Invafion of your Czarish Majesty's Dominion but when he, of his own Motion, and without being afked, offered in the Name of the Cham of Crim Tartary, to affift the Republick with ten thousand Men, against all who fhould threaten to invade it in a hoftile Manner, he was anfwer'd, that we did not defire thofe Auxiliaries fhould enter our Territories; but that in cafe of inevitable Neceffity, it would be more acceptable to us they should be employed to make a Diverfion in the Enemy's Country: Yet nothing pofitive was concluded, nor was he charged with any Commiffion relating to that Affair when he return'd Home, except only in the faid Cafe of Neceffity, as your Czarish Majefty will find more at large explain'd in the Account given to Prince Dolgoruki, from our Chancery, relating to that Conference, and the Anfwer we return'd, by which your Czarish Majefty will be convinc'd, that we, on our Part, fince the Beginning of our Reign, never did, nor will do for the future, either we ourselves, or by our Minifters, any Thing prejudicial to your Czarish Majefty, or contrary to our Friendship, founded upon Neighbourhood, and strengthen'd by Alliances, provided your Czarish Majefty will, on your Part, |