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PART France; and on the 19th of August entered GiII. vet, in the territories of Liege; where they were

augmented by a body of Palatine troops, and 1741. another of those of the Elector of Cologn, who had both declared to affift the Duke of Bavaria to ascend the Imperial throne: but as the French minifter at Manheim had negociated a treaty, which finally determined all the differences between the King of Pruffia and the Elector Palatine, with respect to the fucceffion of Juliers and Berg, the destination of thefe troops remained a fecret, till they had entered fo far into Weftphalia, as to appear on the frontiers of Hanover. By this they effected three great ends; they diverted all the Hanoverian forces from the affiftance of the general caufe; they kept the Dutch in awe; and prevented the conjunction of the troops of England and of Auftria in the Low Countries, with thofe of Hanover; and thofe of both the former with the Dutch. The views of France were, to frighten the miniftry of Hanover into a neutrality: the whole of the electoral forces composed a body of no more than 26,000 men; these were too infufficient to oppose such a numerous army; and the King of Pruffia having another confiderable body of troops upon the other fide of the Hanoverian dominions, fo conventently pofted, that the greatest part of the electorate might have been destroyed by it in four and twenty hours: when it was too late, the miniftry found the fatal confequences of the King of Pruffia's alliance with France.

In these circumftances, the minifters of Hanover were obliged to think of neutral measures; and towards the end of Auguft, the Baron de Bardenberg was difpatched away to Paris to negociate a neutrality: but as the French were

then

then folliciting the Dutch to enter into a neutral CHAP. treaty; they kept this negociation a profound III. fecret from the Dutch, because if they had accepted of the neutrality offered them, it might 1741 have been difficult to have obtained any sort of neutrality for Hanover, without publickly inferting fuch articles as would have been very difagreeable to the British nation. However fome confufed accounts of this negotiation, carrying on at Paris and Hanover, were whispered about, perhaps artfully by the minifters of France; for the defeating of which, the Hanoverian minifter at Ratisbon, publickly declared about the 20th of Auguft, "That his mafter was taking fuch "measures as would foon enable him, not only "to defend himself, but to act offenfively; and "that he was refolved to defend, with all his "force, the liberty of the Germanic body." And the British minifter at the Hague, upon being afked the queftion by fome of the states deputies, even about the middle of September, declared "That he had received an exprefs, which "entirely contradicted thofe reports." These public declarations made most people believe that there was really no ground for any fuch reports; and therefore the world was very much furprized, when they were certified by the Hanover gazette, that a convention for the neutrality of that electorate, was figned there upon the 16th of September.

As foon as the news of this furprizing event had reached Vienna, a general confternation feized the whole court; for neither the perfidy of France, the arms of Pruffia, the pretenfions of Bavaria, the ambitious cruelty of the Queen of Spain, nor the dread of Saxony in conjunction, could have fo much alarmed or terrified the

queen.

PART queen. At a time when her confederate ene11. mies, like fo many blood-hounds, were hunting her down through her fair poffeffions; when the 1741. expected a powerful diverfion to be made in her favour; and that her troops would be enabled to meet her enemies on an equal footing; to fee herfelf abandoned at fuch a melancholly juncture, and to find all the hopes of her husband to the Imperial crown, who had facrificed his own hereditary dominions to a dream of greatness, complimented away, was a reverse of fortune fo fudden and unprepared, as required more than the patience of a woman to endure, and the courage of a hero to furmount.

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Military
operations between the
FRENCH, BAVARIANS, PRUSSI-
ANS, and SAXONS, against the
Queen of HUNGARY in AUSTRIA,
BOHEMIA, SILESIA, and MORA-
VIA; and alfo by the SPANIARDS
in ITALY.

CHAP. Dy happened between the Pruffian and URING this time, nothing extraordina

IV.

ry

Auftrian armies in Silefia. But his Pruffian majefty, to prevent the neceffity of entering into an

alliance

alliance with France, though plumed with fuc- CHAP. fuccefs, having offered to fheath the fword, and IV. determine all his difputes with the house of Auf tria by an amicable treaty, upon condition of 1741. obtaining only what he claimed and infifted on as his right, when he first commenced hoftilities; and finding his follicitations for fo falutary an end, wholly frustrated by the court of Vienna, who, to their former objections, alledged another reafon for not complying with the demands of the Pruffian king, which was, " That Silefia was one "of the richest and most fertile countries belong

ing to the house of Auftria, and from its prox"imity and other circumftances, contributed "more to its ftrength, than any other of the

more diftant provinces; and that it was im

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proper and impolitic to transfer a catholic "country to a proteftant prince." His majefty, fince his engagement with France and Bavaria, retaliated this ufage; and in his turn, though now ftrongly follicited by the British and Dutch minifters, rejected all offers of peace, and advanced with his army towards Neifs, a town of Silefia, forty-three miles fouth of Breflaw; whereupon Count Neuperg, thinking his majesty intended to befiege that place, threw a ftrong reinforcement into this fortrefs, and retired with his army towards the frontiers of Bohemia.

As the Elector of Bavaria had declared war against the Queen of Hungary, by the name of Grand Duchefs of Tuscany, it was now publickly known that he pretended to the Imperial dignity, and that the French court was abfolute, ly determined to fupport him in his pretenfions. The confederate army of French and Bavarians entered the Auftrian dominions without oppofition. On the 10th of September they took pof

feffion

PART feffion of Lintz, the capital of upper Auftria; II. and after marching to Ens, they became every

where masters, laid the country under contribu 1741. tion, imposed homage, exacted oaths of allegi ance and fidelity; fpreading all the terrors of war and desolation on every

fide.

VIENNA took the alarm, and the very dread of a fiege produced the most melancholly effects: the fuburbs were laid in afhes, the villas of the nobility in the neighbourhood became heaps of ruins; even the magnificent gardens, which had been the retirement and delight of that illuftrious General Prince Eugene, fhared in the general destruction. No beauty, either of art or nature efcaped; all was turned into one undistinguished wafte. Thus lamentable was the profpect from the walls of this afflicted capital; within, nothing but tumults, fear, and confufion, every where, except in the cabininet of the perfecuted queen; fhe there prefented the image of majesty in dif trefs, though fenfible of calamity, yet fuperior to it; and while involved in the midft of the collected ftorm, fhe patiently expected a ray of fun-fhine to diffipate the long incumbent gloom. On the approach of the confederate army, the had no better expedient than flight for the fecurity of her royal perfon; and accompanied with her husband the grand duke, Prince Charles his brother, and several of the nobility of both fexes, fhe fet out for Prefburg, the capital of Hungary; while the inhabitants of Vienna faw, with inexpreffible concern and terror, their fair fovereign quit the imperial refidence of her ancestors, in fearch of an afylum, almoft in the neighbourhood of the Turks, to avoid the fury of her more infatiate enemies.

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