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general war, the limits of America, which by that strange chain of hoftile connections, which even unites the various independent quarrels and enmities of Europe, had been mixed with the German difputes, was again fet upon its proper and peculiar basis; and whilft the truly German interefts were handled at Augsburg, it was propofed to treat on this head feparately in London and in Paris. For this purpose ministers were mutually fent from thofe courts; Mr. Stanley on the part of England; and Mr. Buffy on that of France.

This propofition was also exceed ing prudent: for there is no doubt. that if thefe potentates could fettle, their claims to their mutual fatisfaction, and should carry to Augsburg the fame candour and good faith, and the fame fincere defire of peace, their influence muft neceffarily tend to infpire principles of moderation into the reft, and muft contribute largely to accelerate the great work of pacification.

Things were thus fet upon the beft footing poffible, and the negofiation feemed to be in the happieft train that could be wifhed. But unfortunately the plan and difpofition of the treaty was much more eafily adjusted, than the matter and the fubftance. It was very obvious that France, if fhe was willing even to pretend to a defire of peace, could fcarce avoid making conceffrons, which to her were fufficiently mortifying. The moment her proper quarrel came to be feparated from the general caufe, fhe had every difadvantage in the negotiation, because she had fuffered every difafter in the war. On the fide of Germany indeed fhe had acted with fuccefs; but even there the advantages he had acquired were fill

precarious, as the chance of war was ftill open: no propofition for a ceflation of arms having been admitted. As fhe knew therefore, that great facrifices might be expected from her, fhe did not fo finally reft her hopes upon the negotiation, as not to look for another refource; and this rendered on her part the whole proceeding lefs effective and lefs fincere.

The refource the fought was in Spain, who the hoped could not look with indifference on the humiliation of the principal branch of the house of Bourbon. Hitherto indeed the king of Spain had obferved a tolerable exact neutrality in his conduct, and in his declarations had fpared no expreffions of good will and friendship to our court. He feemed to be wholly intent on the internal economy of his dominions, on the improvement of their long neglected police, on the advancement of their commerce, and the regulation of the finances. But notwithstanding thefe domeftic attentions, the French miniftry did not defpair of drawing his regards abroad. They thought that the offers which France in her prefent circumftances would find herself obliged to make, muft extremely alarm all good Spaniards, who could not fee without the moft fe rious apprehenfions, the French power wholly annihilated in Ame rica. By this event, their colonies, though fo much fuperior to all others in opulence and extent, muft in a manner lie at the mercy of England: no power being in any fort able to afford them affiftance, or to hold the balance between them and the power of England. At this time indeed, the French court had not abfolutely fucceeded in her de [B] 3

figns

figns at Madrid; but he was in hopes, that every ftep fhe took in the treaty, and every conceffion fhe fhould make, would prove a fresh incentive to the jealoufies and apprehenfions of Spain. Thus in effect all the motions which France feemingly made towards peace were in reality fo many fteps towards a new war; and whilft at London fhe breathed nothing but moderation, and the most earneft defire of putting a period to the calamities of Europe, at Madrid fhe was taking the moft vigorous measures for fpreading them further, and ccntinuing them longer.

On the fide of England, though there was far more good faith in the public procedure, there were alfo, it must be admitted, many circumstances which co-operated to retard the peace. The great and almost unparalleled fuccefs which attended our arms in this war, had raised a proportionable expectation, and infpired very high thoughts into the minds of the people. They thought it unreafonable to make almost any conceffions to a nation whofe ambition and violence they had always found to correfpond with its power, and whom they now confidered as lying at their mercy. That this was the time for reducing France, which if we let pafs, we could never hope again to recover. In these fentiments it must have fared ill with that adminiftration, who fhould make a facrifice of any of thofe objects on which the people had fet their hearts.

On the other hand, it could not have efcaped them, that the fituation of affairs in Germany, however they might be artificially feparated in the difcuffion, muft neceffarily have an influence on the final

determination of the treaty. They faw, that after a fevere ftruggle of five years, the affairs of our nearest allies were only not ruined. To fay nothing of the condition of the king of Pruffia, the whole coun try of Heffe was in the actual poffeffion of France: they likewife held the country of Hanau; and by their occupation of Gottingen, the Hanoverian territory lay open to their arms. If this quarrel fhould be confidered as a cause not strictly English (though the French in their memorials contended it was), yet certainly the Heffians, and principally the Hanoverians, were allies of fo near a connection, and had done and fuffered fo much in the common caufe, that it must have appeared fhocking to all Europe, if, folely attentive to our own peculiar advantages, we should patch up a peace without any provifion in their favour; and it was very evident, that this provifion could not be made in the fituation in which the laft campaign had left them, unless our government purchased it at a price that would be very grudgingly paid by the English fubjects.

The ministry, perplexed between the natural expectations of their country, and the reasonable expectations of their allies, muft have found it not a little difficult to know what party they ought to take. In order to reconcile, as much as poflible, thefe contradictory defires, the only folution which could be found was to push the war with the utmost vigour; and in the mean time not to hurry, the negotiation, in hopes that during its progrefs things might take fuch a turn, as to enable them to purchafe peace for their allies, out of the acquifitions they fhould have made

after

after the commencement of the treaty, and without being obliged to have recourse to their conquefts, previous to that æra. On this foot. ing they propofed to fatisfy the demands of the public faith, and at the fame time to preferve the reputation which was fo neceffary to their affairs at home. Accordingly the Duke of Brunswick was to profacute with the utmost vigour, the operations which he had begun in the depth of winter; and an expedition, the object of which was then fecret, was prepared with equal diligence in England.

In thefe equivocal difpofitions,

and in this odd mixture of hostile and pacific measures, began the year 1761, a year more remarkable, perhaps, than any of thofe we have hitherto defcribed, for events which will be radically decifive of the future profperity or mifery of Europe, but lefs for thofe matters by which the imagination of the reader is commonly affected. Having in this chapter laid down, as far as we can conjecture, the political motives for the uncommon effort which was made in Germany, in our next chapter we fhall give an account of the military plan of this effort, the exe cution, and the fuccefs of it.

CHAP. II..

Prince Ferdinand's plan. Allies enter into Hesse and Thuringia. French retire. Hereditary Prince repulsed at Fritzlar. Fritzlar taken. Several magazines taken. Blockade of Marpurg and Ziegenhayn. Siege of Cassel. Battle of Langensaltze. Broglio reinforced from the Lower Rhine. Hereditary Prince defeated at Stangerode. Siege of Cassel, e raised Allies retire behind the Dymel,

T the clofe of the laft camApaign, AT paign, the French had the entire and undisturbed poffeffion of the whole territory of Heffe: a country tolerably provided, and which contains many tenable places. Some of thefe they had ftrengthened with additional works: and they had amaffed immenfe magazines in the most convenient fituations. This was their condition in the front of their winter cantonments. On their left they had driven the allies from the Lower Rhine, where they kept confiderable body of troops, which freightened our quarters, and checked our efforts on that fide. On their right they poffeffed the town of Gottingen, in which they had placed a very ftrong garrifon; and thus they thut us up on

this quarter alfo, whilft the king's German dominions lay entirely open to their enterprizes.

If we confider the fituation of the French armies, they will prefent us with the idea of an immenfe crefcent, the two advanced points of which were at Gottingen and Wefel and the body extended in Heffe: fo that being perfectly well provided with magazines, and mafters of all the proper communications neceffary for their current fubfiftence, with firong places in their rear, and in both their flanks, in the next. campaign they had only to advance their feveral pofts in a manner to enclofe the allied army, which without fome fignal fuccefs (from their numbers and fituation, hardly to be expected) would find itfelf B14

entirely

entirely incapable of making any ftand against them.

Frince Ferdinand was very fenfible of thefe inconveniences of his fituation, and of the advantages the enemy had over him. It was extremely difficult to fettle a plan for action; but no action could be attended with much worfe confequences, than inactivity in a bad condition. He knew from experience, that the French were ill qualified for winter operations in Germany, and that his own foldiers, befides their fuperior hardinefs, and their being inured to the rigour of the climate, could fuffer but little more from field fervice, efpecially if attended with fuccefs, than they muft endure from the badnefs of their winter quarters. It is true that there was fomething difcouraging in the attack of a very fuperior body of the enemy, poffeffed of every advantage against him: but it was clear that this fuperiority and thefe advantages would not leffen as the fummer approached. It was, clear, that every step the enemy gained on him, would render his defence weaker and his refources more fcanty; and that if the enemy found themselves in a condition to commence this campaign where they had concluded the laft, and that nothing should hinder their proceeding in the earliest season, he could never reasonably hope to protract the war to another year. For to speak the truth, this was the utmoft, which in his circumstances he could promife himself from the moft judicious fcheme of conduct.

Having therefore refolved to act, he loft no time to act with vigour. He appointed three places of rendezvous on the Dymel, the Rhume, and in Saverland. His army af

fembled on the 9th of February, without fuffering the enemy to have any previous notice of their intentions. The next day the troops halted, and the duke communicated to his generals the difpofition he had made for the motions of the whole.

The center was led by his ferene highnefs in perfon; it penetrated directly into Heffe, and marching. by Zierenberg and Durenberg, made its way towards Caffel. The right and left of the army were each at a very confiderable distance from this body; but they were fo dif pofed as fully to co-operate in the general plan of operation, which was very extenfive. The hereditary prince commanded on the right he marched by Stadbergen. for Mengeringhaufen; and leaving the country of Heffe to the eastward, as the alarm was to be as fudden, and as widely diffufed as poffible, he pushed forward with the utmoft expedition into_the heart of the French quarters. Gen. Sporken commanded a corps at a greater diftance to the left, and penetrated into Thuringia, by Duderftadt and Heligenftadt. The defign of this movement was to break the communication of the French with the army of the empire, to open one for ourselves with the Pruffians, and to cut off all intercourfe between the grand army of the enemy, and their garrison at Gottingen.

By this fudden, extenfive, and vigorous attack, the French were thrown into the utmost consternation: they retreated, or rather fled upon every fide. It could scarcely have been imagined, that this was the fame army which had but juft clofed the campaign with fo much

fuccefs.

fuccefs. Such has been the fport of fortune in this war, even beyond all former examples of her caprice, that the inftances are numerous of inferior and beaten armies, without any apparent change in their circumftances, driving the conquerors before them. So remarkable was the revolution of fortune at this time, that it is highly credible if the French had had their quarters in an open country, their army had been totally deftroyed: but happily for them, they had very fuflicient means of fecuring their retreat, For as the allies advanced, they were obliged to leave Caffel and Gottingen at their backs; into the former of which the enemy had thrown a garrifon equal to a moderate army; and in the latter they had feven or eight thousand men. Beyond thefe again were Fritzlar, Ziegenhayn, and Marpurg, places of a tolerable degree of firength and well garrifoned, befides fome other inferior pofts.

The hereditary prince, whofe party was the most advanced, ftruck the first blow, by an attempt to furprize Fritzlar. He had received advice that it was not prepared to receive him. He accordingly took only a few battalions and no cannon, in hopes of being able to carry that place at once. But un fortunately he was deceived in his intelligence. The garrifon was prepared and refolute, and though the hereditary prince attacked it with his ufual fpirit, he was obliged for that time to defift, and to draw off with no inconfiderable lofs.

About this time, Marpurg was attempted in the fame manner, and with no better fuccefs. General Breidenback, an Hanoverian off cer, of great-bravery, experience

and reputation, who commanded" there, loft his life in the attack. Thefe two fevere checks at the entrance into action, did not, however, difcourage either the parties that fuffered them, or the reft of the army. They advanced as expeditioufly, and with more caution. Cannon and mortars were brought before Fritzlar, which after a defence that was rather made for the credit of the com-> mander than from any 15 Feb. hope of faving the place, furrendered on honourable terms. A large magazine was found here. The marquis of Granby was employed with fuccefs in reducing the forts and cafiles in this neighbourhood. The allied army refolutely advan ced, and as they advanced, the French continually retired, abandoning poft after poft, and fell back almoft to the Maine. They fired their magazines as they retreated; but the allies purfued with so much rapidity, that they faved five capital ftores; one of which contained no less than eighty thoufand facks of meal, fifty thoufand facks of oats, and a million of rations of hay, a very fmall part of which had been deftroyed. Thefe were acquifitions of the utmost advantage, as they wonderfully facilitated the progrefs of the army; which as it advanced, ftill found its fubfiftence; provifion was also thereby made for the cavalry, which otherwife it could never have been fupplied with in fuch a feason, and at fuch a vast diftance from our original quar

ters.

Notwithstanding this fuccefs in front, it was not here the grand object of our operations lay. Caffel was to be reduced. The French had in that town a garrison of feventeen

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