ed, the artillery was gradually augmented, until it amounted to about five and twenty heavy cannon on a fide. The allies had originally but one hundred men in this poft: but before the bufinefs ended, seventeen complete battalions were engaged, who fucceffively relieved each other, after each detachment had made fifty difcharges. The artillery fired at a distance of three hundred paces, and the mufquetry at thirty. Befides, the allied troops, as they paffed to and from the redoubt, were, for a length of four hundred paces, expofed to all the enemy's cannon loaded with grape fhot.

The fituation of the French was nearly the fame. A dreadful fire was fupported between thefe refolute bodies, without a moment's intermiffion, or the leaft flackening on one fide or the other, for near fifteen hours, from the dawn of day to dark night. Neither fide gave way; and this moft bloody conteft for a moft trifling object in the end left the allies in the poffeffion of their redoubt, and the French of their mill." The whole compafs of military hiftory furnishes no inftance of so obftinate a difpute. The allics loft fix hundred men in killed and wounded; towards the clofe of the day, the dead bodies ferved to raife a parapet for the redoubt, in the place of that which had been beat to pieces by the cannonade.

The French are thought to have fuffered more in this action than the allies. However, though they did not fucceed in their attack upon the bridge, they battered at the fame time the caftle of Amonebourg, with fo much fury, that in a short time they effected a breach,

and obliged the garrison to furrender. By this advantage they gained a good deal of ground, and even got on the rear of the allied army. But with this advantage, confider. able as it was, they were able to do nothing decifive: they were able neither to raife, nor materially to difturb the fiege of Caffel, which went on without interruption; nor were they able to throw the leaft relief into this place, where their garrifen already began to fuffer for want of provifions.

This capital of an unfortunate principality, which has so often been taken and retaken during the course of this war, de pairing of relief, at length furrendered to the Nov. 1. victorious arms of the allies, after a fiege of fifteen days open trenches. The garrifon made an honourable capitulation. And now prince Ferdinand might confider himfelf as mafter of Heffe, no place of ftrength in that country remaining in the enemy's hands, except Ziegenhayn. Advanced as the feafon was, the prince prepared to lay fiege to that fortrefs; and as he was now able to draw down his whole army into that quarter, there was no queftion but he would have made himself master of the place without any difficulty. But the figning of the preliminaries Nov. 15. of peace, at this time, notified in the two armies, put an happy conclufion to all military operations.

Thefe preliminaries had very little to do towards completing the relief of our allies; except that they fet the feal on their good fortune, and prevented their being exposed any longer to the chances of war. This campaign, though it was not diftinguifhed by any great decifive

victory,

victory, was not the lefs honourable to the commander of the troops. A connected series of judicious and Spirited operations produced all the effects, which could be propofed from a fingle and brilliant ftroke. At this period, the French, after having for fix years exerted almoft the whole undivided ftrength of their monarchy upon this fingle object, were, in the end, very little more advanced than they were the day they first fet their foot in Germany. The poffeffion of three or four poor unimportant places was all they had purchased by many millions of treasure expended, and poffibly near two hundred thoufand lives thrown away.

The whole body of the allies acquired great and juft glory in this war; but the English had all along the poft of honour, and obtained the highest reputation. As to their commander, the Duke of Brunf wick, having begun his operations almost without any army, having continued the war with an army always inferior in numbers, having experienced every variety of fortune, his capacity and his firmnefs carried him with credit through all; and enabled him to conclude the war with a triumphant fuperiority. He may now enjoy, in the honourable repofe which his ex-. ploits have purchased for himself and his country, the bett of rewards, the confcioufnefs of public fervice. Pofterity will confider him as the Deliverer of Germany.

The English troops, after so many fatigues and dangers, at length enjoyed the profpect of a speedy return to their country; but a general

damp was caft fuddenly on their joy by the illness of lord Granby; who was attacked by a very dangerous and long-continued fever. It is impoffible to exprefs the concern of the whole army during this anxious interval, or the joy which enlivened every breast on his recovery. No commander had ever been more diftinguished for an enterprifing and generous courage; and none half fo much for an unlimited benevolence. The fick and wounded foldier, the officer whofe income was unequal to his rank or his neceffities, in him found a neverfailing and never-burthenfome refource. Whatever could be done to animate the foldiery, to make them cheerful in the fervice, to alleviate the hardships of war, was exerted beyond what could be thought poffible in the limits of a private fortune; and the fatiffaction of the receiver went always beyond the actual benefit, becaufe, in his greateft liberality, it was evident that he wished to do a thoufand times more. By his whole conduct he infpired foreigners with a favourable idea of the English nobility. His character is, indeed, fuch as we are apt in romantic ideas fondly to conceive of our old Englifh barons. It is with pleasure we attempt, however feebly, to do justice to the merit of thofe men, living or dead, who, in this memorable war, have contributed to raife this country to a pitch of glory, in which it has not been exceeded by any other in ancient or modern times. Future hiftory will pay them a reward more adequate to their merits.

WHILST

HILST the courts of London and Verfailles were making fo confiderable a progrefs towards peace, thofe of Vienna and Berlin feemed to remit nothing of their ancient animofity. The king of Pruffia, deprived of the affiftance, but at the fame time freed from the hoftility of the Ruffians, directed his whole force and attention towards the fingle object of driving the Auftrians out of Silefia.

Prince Henry, who commanded in Saxony, contented himself with acting upon the defenfive. The king in perfon carried on the fiege of Schweidnitz, almoft in the prefence of marfhal Daun, who scarce made any attempt to relieve it. But whatever deficiency there might have been in the spirit of the grand army of the Auftrians, it was amply compenfated by the obftinate bravery of the garrifon, which refifted all the attacks of the Pruffians for near two months from the opening of the trenches. It is faid that the attack was conducted, and the defence made, by two engineers, who had written on the fubject of the Attack and Defence of Places; and they were now practically engaged to prove the fuperiority of their feveral fyftems.

However this may be, Schweidnitz coft the king of Pruffia a great deal of time, many laborious efforts, and a number of men. The brave garrifon, to the number of eight thousand men, were O&. 9. at length obliged to furrender prifoners of war. fortune pursued them every where. A great part of this body of gallant prisoners were drowned at the mouth of the Oder, on their paffage to their intended confinement at Konigfberg, only nine men of the whole number escaping.

Their ill

The king of Pruffia, now mafter of Schweidnitz, and confequently of Silefia, turned his attention to Saxony, where he confiderably reinforced his brother's army, and made preparations which indicated a defign of laying fiege to Drefden.

In Saxony alfo the Auftrians began to exert themselves with great fpirit; and made fome progrefs under the generals Stolberg and Haddick. They obtained confiderable advantages, in feveral encounters, over the army of prince Henry; and even pushed them back to Freyberg; the poffeffion of which place they prepared to difpute with the Pruffians.

But here fortune, which has fel

ed.

dom proved long conftant to their arms, entirely forfook them. The united army of Imperialifts and Auftrians was attacked by Oct. 29. prince Henry, (who took advantage of the abfence of general Haddick), in the neighbourhood of Freyberg, and totally routGreat numbers were flain. The Pruffians took near two thoufand prifoners, among whom were about two hundred and forty officers of all ranks, thirty pieces of cannon, and several standards. The victory was complete, and, as far as regarded the event of the campaign, decifive.

The Auftrians attributed this defeat to the treachery of one of their fuperior officers, who was foon after taken into cuftody. But whilft they were inquiring into the caufe of their difafter, and preparing to punifh the author of it, the Pruffians were pushing the advantages which their victory afforded them with all imaginable alacrity. And this they were enabled to do with the greateft effect, by means of a partial ceffation of hoftilities, which the Auftrians were fo imprudent as to conclude with the king of Pruffia for Silefia and the electoral Saxony only, without foreseeing the danger, or providing for the fafety, either of their own immediate dominions, or of thofe members of the empire, which were the most attached to their interefts, and which were now expofed to the attempts of a bold, rapacious, and exasperated enemy.

One body of the Pruffian army broke into Bohemia, pushed on almolt to the gates of Prague, and deftroyed a capital magazine. Another fell upon the fame country on another quarter, and laid the town of Egra almost in afhes, by a bom

bardment and a cannonade of redhot bullets. Some extended themfelves all over Saxony; others penetrated into the fartheft parts of Franconia, and even as far as Suabia, ravaging the country, exacting the moft exorbitant contributions, and fpreading difmay and confufion upon every fide. The diet of the empire fitting at Ratisbon did not think themselves in fafety; but were beginning to fly, and preparing to remove their records.

The free city of Nuremberg, fo famous for the ingenious industry, and pacific difpofition of it's inhabitants, fuffered the most by this invafion; having been obliged to pay contribution to the amount of two hundred thousand pounds of our money. It has been fuppofed, that in this expedition the Pruffians raifed a fum equal to the annual subfidy, which had formerly been paid by Great Britain to their fovereign. Many of the ftates found themselves obliged to fign a neutrality, in order to fave their territories from farther ravages.

And now, a great part of the empire being already included in the peace between Great Britain and France, and the reft, tied down by this neutrality, entirely difabled by the late defeat, or exhaufted by the fubfequent incurfions, were no longer in a condition to furnifh an army under the imperial name and authority. After the whole alliance had been thus gradually diffolved, the affair was, at length, left to be decided, as it was begun, by the fingle arms of Austria and Pruffia; fo that there was great reafon to hope, as the war in Germany had fucceeded immediately to the rupture between Great Britain and France, the peace between

[E] 3

thefe

these powers would also lead to the fpeedy pacification of the empire.

The preliminaries had been figned by the British and French minifters at Fontainbleau, on the third of November; and it is neceffary, for the completion of our defign, that we should here give fome account of the definitive treaty which was built upon them.

The reader will recollect that, in the negotiation of 1761, it was laid down as a principle by the two courts, that their refpective propofitions, in cafe the treaty fhould by any accident be broken off, were to be confidered as retracted or never made. At that time we remarked, that these propofitions would probably have their influence, notwithftanding this provifion; becaufe, as we then obferved, things once fettled and agreed to, unavoidably ftamp their own impreffion upon any future negotiations relative to the fame fubject. It happened very nearly, as was then forefeen: for, as far as we can judge, the negotiation did not fet out upon any new or peculiar principle of its own, but feemed to affumic as a bafis thofe points which were nearest to an adjustment in the preceding treaty; and to commence where that tranfaction concluded.

The fpirit of the two negotiations, fo far as regarded the peculiar intereft of Great Britain, feems to have been perfectly fimilar. There was fcarcely any other difference, than that Great Britain, in confequence of her fucceffes fince that time, acquired more than he then demanded; but fill the general idea, on which the acquired, was nearly or altogether the fame. But with regard to fome of our allies, the principle was greatly varied;

and we imagine that this change was fufficiently juftified by the alteration, which happened in the affairs of Germany, during the interval between the two treaties. Thofe who conducted the negotiation in 1761, were fteady in rejecting every propofition, in which they were not left at liberty to aid the king of Pruffia, with the whole force of Great Britain; thofe who concluded the peace in 1762, paid lefs attention to the interests, though they did not wholly neglect the fafety of that monarch. At the beginning of the year, and before they had entered into this negotiation, they refused to renew that article of the annual treaty, by which our court had engaged to conclude no peace without the king of Pruffia; though at the fame time they declared themfelves willing to affift him with the ufual fubfidy. He on his part refufed the fubfidy unconnected with that article. Some coldness grew between the two courts from this time forward.

The adjustment of affairs in the empire, feemed to form no material impediment to the progress of the treaty. Both parties readily agreed to withdraw themfelves totally from the German war †. They thought, and rightly, that nothing could tend fo much to give peace to their respective allies, as mutually to withdraw their affiftance from them; and to ftop that current of English and French money, which, as long as it ran into Germany, would be fure to feed a perpetual war in that country.

Circumflanced as affairs then were, this conduct on our fide was as defenfible as the conduct which we held in 1761. At that time the affairs of the king of Pruffia were at

+ Def. treat. art. xv.

the