fia's door. It is indeed a queftion of little confequence; each fide took every measure in its power to be prepared for every poffible event, whilft it watched with the most jealous attention all the motions of the other; nor will it be eafily fuppofed, that if any negligence afforded a prompt opportunity of advantage, the occafion would have been overlooked by either. Upon the whole, it does not seem, from his conduct, that the King was by any means defirous of entering into a war, if it could be avoided without giving up the points in conteft; nor does it feem very probable that the House of Auftria, in the prefent fituation of affairs, carried her immediate views any farther, than to fome undefined extenfion of her dominion on the fide of Bavaria, the limits of which were only to be determined by future circumstances and events. If the Pruffian Monarch was determined to thwart her views in this purfuit, fhe was willing to abide the confequences, and was exceedingly well prepared for a war; but if his ambition fhould coincide with her own, fhe feemed much more difpofed to enter into fuch an amicable arrangement and partition of territory with him, as fhould, at the expence of fome of the weaker Princes, afford him fome equivalent in one quarter for what the obtained in another.

It was generally fuppofed, that fome of the neighbouring great powers would have taken a part in this conteft, and from thence apprehended that the war might by degrees become general. The court of Ruffia is faid to have engiged with the King of Pruff by

treaty, to affift him with a strong body of auxiliary forces; and it is certain that her Minifter at Vienna expreffed the strongest disapprobation of the conduct and pretenfions of that court. It is probable, that the expected Ruffian auxiliaries were in part retarded by the expectation of a Turkish war, and in part by the uncertainty of the event in Germany, from the negociations which we have feen had been opened, under the immediate aufpices, and through the direct correfpondence, of the great contending powers.

On the other fide, the court of Vienna is faid to have opened a negociation with that of Verfailles, for the march of a French army into Weftphalia. Whatever motives might have otherwife operated upon the conduct of the latter, it could fcarcely avoid being affected, in the prefent inftance, by that extraordinary alliance which France entered into in the beginning of the year, with the, once English, American colonies. It may, however, be a matter of doubt, what part France, in any state of her affairs, would have taken in this business; a formal declaration, which her Minifter has fince prefented to the Diet of the empire, being by no means favourable to the opinion, that he was any ways difpofed to fupport the pretenfions, or even approved of the conduct, of the court of Vienna; but, on the contrary, held out the firm refolution of his Moft Chriftian Majefty, to adhere religiously to his treaties with the Germanic body, and punctually to fulfil his guarantee of the treaty of Weftphalia; giving at the fame time an affurance, that his alliance with that

court

was founded merely upon

those principles.

Upon the whole, it does not appear that the pretenfions and conduct of the court of Vienna have been much more approved of without, than within the empire.

The King of Pruffia, after a review of that part of his army which lay in the neighbourhood of Berlin, and which was April 5th, then, as well as him1778. felf, on the point of fetting out for Silefia, made a fpeech to his general officers, including his brothers, which, as it was strongly marked with the proper character of the veteran hero by whom it was delivered, was not lefs adapted to that of the veteran chiefs to whom it was addressed.

He obferved, that most of them, and himself, had ferved together from their earliest days, and were grown grey in the fervice of their country; that they confequently knew each other perfectly well; they had been partakers of the fame dangers, toils, and glories. He made no doubt that they were all equally averfe with himfelf to the fhedding of blood; but the dangers which now threatened their country, not only rendered it a duty, but placed them under a neceffity of ufing the moft fpeedy and efficacious meafures, for the timely difperfion of that ftorm which threatened to burft fo heavily upon them. He relied on their zeal, and would, with heartfelt fatisfaction, for ever acknowledge their fervices. He urged, in the moft preffing terms, humanity, in every fituation, to the enemy; and with the fame energy, and unremitting attention to the ftricteft difcipline among their own troops. He con

cluded by obferving, that he did. not wish to travel like a king; rich and gawdy equipages had no charms for him; but his infirmities rendered him incapable of travelling as he had done in the vigour of youth, and obliged him to ufe a poft-chaife; but they fhould fee him on horseback in the day of battle.

The whole speech bore an air of folemnity and ferioufnefs, which feemed even to give it a caft of melancholy; but which ferved, however, fufficiently to fhew, that the ideas of war and glory did not now excite thofe raptures, which have fo irrefiftible an impulfe on the mind, in the fpring of hope, and during the fummer of the paffions.

The king at the fame time or. dered a prefent of money to all the officers, rifing in due proportions from the enfigns to the generals, as an affiftance towards their camp equipage, and other charges incident to taking the field. The foldiers were alfo gratified by an augmentation of one fourth both to their pay and provifions, from the commencement of actual fervice. The artillery ordered for the fervice of the campaign, if the public accounts may be relied on, probably exceeds any thing before known in the hiftory of military tranfactions, and has been rated from 800 to 1000 pieces of cannon. Prodi gious as this appears, and unma. nageable as it would prove in many fituations of warfare, it was, if we credit fimilar authorities, exceeded by more than one half on the fide of the Auftrians. In a word, the preparations on both fides were fo mighty, that had the fate of the whole empire, or even that of Eu. rope, depended on the iffue of the conteft,

[B] 3

contest, neither the force employed, nor the means applied to, would have appeared inadequate to the importance of the fubject.

Though the electorate of Saxony had fhewn fome early figns of warlike, or at least of defenfive prepa. ration, and that its troops had been affembled and encamped in the month of April towards the confines of Bohemia, yet the Elector, endeavouring to preferve his country from a repetition of that ruin, by which it had been laid defolate in the two late wars, propofed to the court of Vienna the obfervation of a ftrict neutrality during the continuance of the prefent.

This was, however, a measure of fecurity which could fcarcely be expected in the prefent ftate of things. That court could not poffibly avoid confidering the Elector as a principal party in the prefent conteft; and muft therefore be fenfible, that from the particular fituation of Saxony, along with the predilection in his favour which a common caufe neceffarily infpired, the King of Pruffia would nearly derive every advantage from that electorate, under the name of a neutrality, which it was capable of affording as a principal; whilft under that cover, it was fheltered from many of the confequences, and Auftria cut out from many of the advantages which might refult from a ftate of abfolute war. Nor is it to be fuppofed that the court of Vienna was not much irritated at the defection of that favourite houfe from its party and interefts; which now, departing from that intimate union between the two families, fo long cemented, and fo often renewed, by all the various ties of affinity, alliance,

common views, interests, and loffes, had all at once thrown itfelf into the arms of the ancient enemy of both, and the ftill hated and dreaded rival of one. The court of Vienna accordingly infifted upon fuch hard conditions as the bafis of a convention, that the confequences of declared enmity could fcarcely be worse than the effects of a neutrality under fuch terms. It was demanded, that the important fortrefs of Koningstein fhould be refigned into the hands, and continue for two years in the poffeffion, of the Auftrians; that they should be allowed a free paffage and navigation through every part of the electoral dominions, and that the Saxon forces fhould be reduced to 4000 men. The rejection of thefe terms could fcarcely excite any furprize, and the Elector, from thence, confidering himfelf as an inevitable party in the war, took his measures accordingly.

During the negociations at Berlin and Vienna, the countries of Bohemia, Silefia, Saxony, and Moravia, were gradually covered with armed men, or overspread with the various apparatus and provision of war. And as all hope of accommodation grew to an end towards the latter end of June, the Pruffian forces were every where in motion, their Auftrian antagonists having long occupied those strong fituations in their own countries, wherein they were determined to fuftain the first rush and fury of the

war.

The grand Pruffian army on the fide of Silefia was commanded by the King in perfon, where he was accompanied by his nephew, the Prince fucceffor, who had now an opportunity, not much expected,

of acquiring the rudiments of war, and the means of defending his future dominions, under the eye and tuition of that great mafter, whofe ability had increased and exalted them to their prefent high pitch of power and fplendor. As it fcarce ly feems more neceffary to temper the rafhness of youth by the wifdom of age, than it does in matters of war, to add an edge and fervour to the caution of years and experience, by the fpirit, activity, and love of enterprize, which characterize the former ftage of life, the King was feconded in this campaign by that accomplished warrior, the hereditary Prince of Brunswick, whofe early military atchievements, and fuperior eminence in thofe qualities, had attracted the admiration of all Europe in fe great a degree during the late war. His brother, the Prince Frederick of Brunfwick, and the hereditary Prince of Heffe Caffel, alfo held commands in the royal army.

The combined army of Pruffians and Saxons, which was affembled in the neighbourhood of Drefden, and had for its immediate object the protection of that capital and electorate, could fcarcely be deemed lefs ably conducted, under the orders of the King's brother, Prince Henry, than the former. This army, fupported by a prodigious artillery, amounting to no lefs than 400 pieces of cannon, was eftimated at about 90,000 men; a force which, under fuch a leader, could hardly acknowledge a fuperiority in any oppofite combination of numbers. A third Pruffian army, under the Generals Werner and Stutterheim, was formed on the fide of the Austrian Silefia.

3

On the other fide, nearly the whole force of the Houfe of Auftria had been drawn from every part of its extenfive dominions, and was now concentered in the kingdom of Bohemia. This force, which was principally thrown into two grand armies, has been rated, upon a loose and undoubtedly large calculation, at 250,000 men. The Emperor, in perfon, commanded the army on the fide of Silefia, which was deftined to oppofe the enterprizes of the King of Prussia. The other grand army was under the orders of the celebrated Marfhal Count Laudohn, who, fpreading his front along the confines of Saxony and Lufatia, poffeffed thofe impracticable pofts and faftneffes, of which the mountains, that feparate thofe two countries from Bohemia, afford fo great a variety. A third army, under the Marquis de Botta, and fome other Gene rals, was appointed to counteract the defigns of the Pruffians in the Upper Silefia, and on the fide of Moravia. Whatever the exact state of these armies might have been in point of numbers, it is faid, that the troops they exhibited, whether confidered with refpect to military appearance, or to bodily endowments, were probably never exceeded by any affemblage of mankind.

Such were the combatants that were now to be thrown into action, and fuch the mighty force on both fides to be exhaufted in the contention for a dutchy, the fee fimple of which, if fold at the market rate of other eftates, would not difcharge one year's expences of the war; nor its immediate produce, probably, afford fubfiftence to the contending armies only for fo many [B] 4

hours

hours as they contained thousands of fighting men.

The King of Pruffia, in purfuance of his long established maxim in war, determined to render the enemy's country the scene of hoftility; a measure which, if it even afforded no greater advantage, would at least keep fpoil and devaftation at a diftance from his own fubjects, and throw much of the preffure of fubfifting his army on the oppofite fide. He accordingly, taking the way of Lewin in the county of Glatz, penetrated the mountains of Bohemia, July 4th. and having feized the and having feized the city, caftle, and magazines of Nachod, in the confines of that kingdom, without oppofition, he there fixed his head quarters, whilft he waited for the arrival, and made roads across the mountains to facilitate the paffage, of his heavy artillery and ftores. Thus Nachod,

otherwife of no name or confequence, became a poft of great importance during the enfuing campaign, for keeping the communication open between the army and the King's dominions.

The King foon perceived, that without fome unexpected change of circumstances, or the extraordinary effect of fome happy manœuvre, his plan of operation would be much narrowed in the execution. This proceeded in part from the very judicious pofitions taken by the enemy, and in part from the very difficult nature of the country, which being encumbered greatly with mountains and woods, abounded on all fides with ftrong pofts and dangerous defiles.

For the Emperor had previously taken poffeffion of the very important and celebrated post of

Koningsgratz, which lay within a few miles of the front, but tending to the left, of the Pruffian army, where his camp was in a fituation, which, if not totally unaffailable, at leaft rendered every approach to it exceedingly dangerous. He had alfo fecured with fuch care, the ftrong pofts on the Upper Elbe, from Koningfgratz to Jaromitz, and for feveral miles farther towards its head, as, along with the nature of the country through which it paffed, nearly rendered that river an infuperable barrier to the progrefs of an enemy. Thus the Emperor had it much in his power to refrain from action as he liked, and to wait in fecurity to grafp at fome favourable opportunity (which it did not feem that any fkill or fagacity could conftantly guard againft in fuch relative fituations) of bringing it on with great advantage.

In the mean time, the intermediate country between the Elbe, and the mountains that feparate it from Silefia and the county of Glatz, lay expofed on the right and left to the ravages of the Pruffan light troops, who immediately fpread with their ufual activity to collect forage and raise contributions. This ftate of things brought on a number of fmall engagements, in which, although the Pruffian parties were ufually fuccefsful, it will not be fuppofed, by thofe who have any knowledge of the Auftrian forces, that any ground or advantage was relinquished by them without an obftinate difpute, It is faid, that the two great contending monarchs have been prefent in fome of these skirmishes, and that the younger, who may be confidered as the rival in glory, as

well