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 diftance 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 refo: lute 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 molt 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 history furnishes no inftance of fo obftinate a dispute. The allies loft fix hundred men in killed and wounded; towards the close of the day, the dead bodies ferved to raise 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 garrifon 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, confiderable as it was, they were able to do nothing decifive: they were able neither to raife, nor materially to disturb the fiege of Caffel, which went on without interruption; nor were they able to throw the least relief into this place, where their garrifon already began to fuffer for want of provifions.

This capital of an unfortunate principality, which has fo often been taken and retaken during the course of this war, despairing 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 himself 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 ope

victory, was not the lefs honourable to the commander of the troops. A connected series of judicious and fpirited operations produced all the effects, which could be proposed 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 thousand 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 almoft 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 exploits have purchased for himself and his country, the best of rewards, the consciousness of public fervice. Pofterity will confider him as the Deliverer of Germany.

The English troops, after fo many fatigues and dangers, at length enjoyed the prospect 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 distinguished for an enterprifing and generous courage; and none half fo much for an unlimited benevolence. The fick and wounded foldier, the officer whose income was unequal to his rank or is neceffities, in him found a neverfailing and never burthenfome refource. Whatever could be done to animate the foldiery, to make them chearful in the fervice, to alleviate the hardfhips 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 greatest 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 juftice 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. Fature history will pay them a reward more adequate to their merits.

O&. 29.

dom proved long conftant to their arms, intirely forfook them. The united army of Imperialifts and Auftrians was attacked by prince Henry, (who took advantage of the abfence of general Haddick,) in the neighbourhood of Freyberg, and totally routed. Great numbers were flain. The Pruffians took near fix thoufand prisoners, among whom were about two hundred and forty of ficers of all ranks, thirty pieces of cannon, and several ftandards. 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 soon after taken into custody. But whilft they were inquiring into the caule of their disaster, and preparing to punish 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 greatest effect, by means of a partial ceflation of hoftilities, which the Auftrians were fo imprudent as to conclude with the king of Pruffia for Silefia and the electoral Saxony only, without forefeeing the danger, or providing for the fafety, either of their own immediate dominions, or of those members of the empire, which were the most attached to their interefts, and which were now expofed to the attempts of a boid, rapacious, and exafperated enemy.

One body of the Pruffian army broke into Bohemia, pushed on almost to the gates of Prague, and deftroyed a capital magazine. Ano: ther 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 red-hot bullets. Some extended themselves all over Saxony; others penetrated into the furthest parts of Franconia, and even as far as Suabia, ravaging the country, exacting the most exorbitant contributions, and spreading 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 induftry, and pacific difpofition of its 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 fubfidy, 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 further 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, intirely dif abled 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 Auftria 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

thefe powers would alfo 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 respective 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 thefe 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 negotiation 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 cut upon any new or peculiar principle of its own, but feemed to affume as a bafis thofe points, which were nearest to an adjuftment in the preceding treaty; and to commence where that tranf. action 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 scarcely any other difference, than that Great Britain, in confequence of her fucceffes fince that time, acquired more than the then demanded; but ftill 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;

Def. trea. art. xv.

and we imagine that the change was fufficiently juftified by the alteration, which happened in the affairs of Germany, during the interval between the two treaties, Those 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 less attention to the interefts, 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 refufed 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 themselves 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 progrefs 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.

Circumftanced 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 Proffia were at

the