10th-25th Sept. 1761. Majesty?"—and the matter catches fire, totally explodes, and Spain too declares War; in what way is generally

known.

Details are not permitted us. The Catastrophe we shall give afterwards, and can here say only: First, That old Earl Marischal, Friedrich's Spanish Envoy, is a good deal in England, coming and going, at this time,-on that interesting business of the Kintore Inheritance, doubtless,—and has been beautifully treated. Been pardoned, disattainted, permitted to inherit,-by the King on the instant, by the Parliament so soon as possible;2 and is of a naturally grateful turn. Secondly, That in the profoundest secrecy, penetrable only to eyes near at hand and that see in the dark, a celebrated Bourbon Family Compact was signed (August 15th, 1761, ten days before the Digging at Bunzelwitz began), of which the first news to the Olympian man (conveyed by Marischal, as is thought) was like-like news of dead Pythons pretending to revive upon him. And thirdly, That, postponing the Catastrophe, and recommending the above two dates, 15th July, 15th August, to careful readers, we must hasten to Colberg for the present.

Third Siege of Colberg.

Readers had, some while ago, a flying Note, which we promised to take up again; about Tottleben's procedures, and a Third Siege of Colberg coming. Siege, we have chanced to see, there accordingly is, and a Platen gone to help against it. Siege, after infinite delays

6

20 King's Patent is of 30th April 1760' (dated 29th May 1759), 'Act ' of Parliament to follow shortly;' August 16th, 1760, Act having passed, 'is Marischal's public Presentation to his Majesty' (late Majesty): Old Gazettes in Gentleman's Magazine (for 1760), xxx. 201, 392.

10th-25th Sept. 1761. and haggles, has at length come,-uncommonly vivid during the final days of Bunzelwitz;-and is, and has been, and continues to be, much in the King's thoughts. Probably a matter of more concernment to him, before, during, and after Bunzelwitz (though the Pitt Catastrophe, going on simultaneously, is still more important, if he knew it), than anything else befalling in the distance. Let us now give a few farther indications on that matter.

Truce between Werner and Tottleben expired, May 12th; but for five weeks more nothing practical followed; except diligent reinforcing, revictualling, and extraordinary fortifying of Colberg and its environs, on the Prussian part,-Eugen of Würtemberg, direct from Rostock and his Anti-Swede business, Eugen 12,000 strong, with a Werner and other such among them, taking head charge outside the walls; old Heyde again as Commandant within: while on the Russian part, under General Romanzow, there is a most tortoise-like advance, except that the tortoise carries all his resources with him, and Romanzow's, multifarious and enormous, are scattered over seas and lands, and need endless waiting for, in the intervals of crawling.

This is the Romanzow who failed at Colberg once already (on the heel of Zorndorf in 1758, if readers. recollect); and is the more bound to be successful now. From sea and from land, for five weeks, there is rumour of a Romanzow in overwhelming force, and with intentions very furious upon Colberg,-upon the outposts, under Werner, as first point. Five weeks went, before anything of Romanzow was visible even to Werner (22d June, at Cöslin, forty miles to eastward); after which his advance (such waiting for the ships, for the artilleries, the this and the that) was slower than

10th-25th Sept. 1761.

ever; and for about eight weeks more, he haggles along through Cöslin, through Cörlin, Belgard again, flowing slowly forward upon Werner's outposts, like a summer glacier with its rubbishes; or like a slow lava-tide,—a great deal of smoke on each side of him (owing to the Cossacks), as usual. Romanzow's progress is of the slowest; and it is not till August 19th that he practically gets possession of Cörlin, Belgard and those outposts on the Persante River, and comes within sight of Colberg and his problem. By which time, he finds Eugen of Würtemberg encamped and entrenched still ahead of him, still nearer Colberg, and likely to give him what they call "de la tablature," or extremely difficult music to play.

'It was on August 19th' (very eve of Friedrich's going into Bunzelwitz), 'that Romanzow,-Werner, for the sake of those 'poor Towns he holds, generally retiring without bombardment 6 or utter conflagration,-had got hold of Cörlin and of the River Persante' (with 'Quetzin and Degow,' if anybody knew them, as his main posts there): 'and was actually now within sight ' of Colberg,-only 7 or 8 miles west of him, and a river more or less in his way :—when, singular to see, Eugen of Würtem'berg has rooted himself into the ground farther inward, en'vironing Colberg with a fortified Camp as with a second wall; ' and it will be a difficult problem indeed!

'But Sea Armaments, Swedish-Russian, with endless siege ́ material and red-hot balls, are finally at hand; and this pitiful 'Colberg must be done, were it only by falling flat on it, and 'smothering it by weight of numbers and of red-hot iron. The

day before yesterday, August 17th, after such rumouring and 'such manœuvering as there has been, six Russian ships-of-war 'showed themselves in Colberg Roads, and three of them tried some shooting on Heyde's workpeople, busy at a redoubt on 'the beach; but hit nothing, and went away till Romanzow 'himself should come. Romanzow come, there is utmost des'patch; and within the eight days following, the Russian ships,

10th-25th Sept. 1761.

21

and then the Swedish as well, have all got to their moorings,'12 sail of the line, with 42 more of the frigate and gunboat 'kind, 54 ships in all;-and from August 24th, especially from August 28th, bombardment to the very uttermost is going on.2 'Bombardment by every method, from sea and from land, con'tinues diligent for the next fortnight,—with little or no result; 'so diligent are Eugen and veteran Heyde.

September 4th. The Swedish-Russian gunboats have been 'much shot down by Heyde's batteries on the beach; no success 'had, owing to Heyde and Eugen: paltry little Colberg as 'impossible as Bunzelwitz, it seems? "Double our diligence, 'therefore!" That is Romanzow's and everybody's sentiment 'here. Romanzow comes closer in, September 4th; besieges in form, since not Colberg, Eugen's Camp, or brazen wall of 'Colberg; and there rises in and round this poor little Colberg ' (a 2,000 balls daily, red-hot and other) such a volcano as at'tracts the eyes of all the world thither.

'September 12th. News yesterday of reinforcement, men and ' provender, coming from Stettin; is to be at Treptow on the 13th. 'Werner, night of the 11th, stealthily sets out to meet it, it in 'the first place; then, joined with it, to take by rearward a 'certain inconvenient battery, which Romanzow is building to 'westward of us, out that way; to demolish said battery, and 'be generally distressful to the rear of Romanzow. At Treptow, 'after his difficult night's march, Werner is resting, secure now of the adventure;-too contemptuous of his slow Russians, as ap'peared! Who, for once, surprise him; and, at and round Trep'tow, next morning, Werner finds himself suddenly in a most ' awkward predicament. Werner, one of the rapidest and stormiest of skilful men, plunged valiantly into the affair; would still 'have managed it, they say, had not, in some sudden swoop,charge, or something of critical or vital nature,-rapid Werner's 'horse got shot, and fallen with him; whereby not only the 'charge failed, but Werner himself was taken prisoner. A loss 'of very great importance, and grievous to everybody: though, 'I believe, the reinforcement and supply, for this time, got

10th-25th Sept. 1761.

'mostly through, and the dangerous battery was got demolished by other means. 22 This is Romanzow's first item of success, 'this of getting such a Werner snatched out of the game' (and sent to Petersburg instead, as we shall hear); and other items 'fell to Romanzow thenceforth by the aid of time and hunger.

6

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'In the way of storming, battering, or otherwise capturing Eugen's Camp, not to speak of Heyde's town, Romanzow finds, on trial after trial, that he can do as good as nothing; and his 'unwieldy sea-comrades (equinoctial gales coming on them, too) are equally worthless. September 19th' (a week after this of Werner, tenth day after Bunzelwitz had ended), 'Romanzow 'made his fiercest attempt that way; fiercest and last: furious 'extremely, from 2 in the morning onwards; had for some time hold of the important "Green Redoubt;" but was still more furiously battered and bayonetted out again, with the loss of above 3,000 men; and tried that no farther. Impossible by that method. But he can stand between the Eugen-Heyde 'people and supplies; and by obstinacy hunger them out: this, 'added to the fruitless bombardment, is now his more or less 'fruitful industry.

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In the end of September, the effects of Bunzelwitz are felt: ‘Platen, after burning the Butturlin Magazine at Gostyn, has 'hastened hither; in what style we know. Platen arrives, 25th September; cuts his way through Romanzow into Eugen's Camp, raises Eugen to about 15,000;23 renders Eugen, not to speak of Heyde, more impossible than ever. Butturlin did truly 'send reinforcements, a 10,000, a 12,000, "As many as you like, my Romanzow!" And, in the beginning of October, came roll'ing thitherward bodily; hoping, they say, to make a Maxen of 'it upon those Eugens and Platens: but after a fortnight's sur vey of them, found there was not the least feasibility;—and that he himself must go home, on the score of hunger. Which he 'did, November 2d; leaving Romanzow reinforced at discretion' (40,000, but with him too provisions are fallen low), ‘and the advice, "Cut off their supplies: time and famine are our sole "chances here!" Butturlin's new Russians, endless thousands

22 Seyfarth, Beylagen, iii. 238; Tempelhof, v. 314.

23 Tempelhof, v. 350.