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The generals and other officers of the firft rank who fell, were killed at the head of their regiments, bravely fighting for their country; a circumftance which ought to render their memory glorious and immortal. In a comparison of this battle with that of Lowofitz [8.1, it may be faid, that the latter was atchie ved by the foldiers, the former by the officers. It would be unjust to deprive the enemy's cavalry of their due praife; and it must be owned, to the honour of their infantry, that they ftood firm. Their huffars only deferved blame; and they indeed always difappeared as foon as ours came in fight. I have juft learned that three of the enemy's generals fell in the engagement, of whom Lt- Field - Marshal Prince Lowenftein Wertheim is the most regretted. No more than 40,cco of the enemy could throw themselves into Prague; thofe who could not reach that city, fled towards Bennefchau: but our people were close at their heels, and cut off a body of 20,000, commanded by Gen. Serbelloni, from the main army, fo as effectually to prevent their junction. He got thefe fugitives together foon after the battle, and incamped with them near Boehmischbrod, under the command of Count Leopold Daun, who was juft come from Vienna. The Prince of Bevern was detached with about 20,000 men to observe this body, and prevent it from advancing towards Prague. As foon as the Prince approached, this corps, which was then increafed to 40,000 men, retired haftily towards Collin, and left behind them a great number of tents, which our people found in the neighbouring villages. This ac. count was received on the 12th of May; and the enemy is fince retired towards Moravia, whither they have tranfported their only magazine; and our troops have at the fame time advanced as far as Cuttemberg and Czaflau. The fituation of the Prince of Bevern's army puts us in perfect fecurity, and covers the fiege of Prague from the fhattered remains of the Auftrian army, which was fo numerous a few days ago. Nothing now remains but to give you fome

account how the fiege goes on; and, in order to this, I must first acquaint you with our prefent pofition.

Our troops under the command of Field-Marshal Keith, the Prince of Pruffia, Prince Ferdinand, Prince Maurice, and the hereditary Prince of Darmftadt, have fhut up what is called the Little Town on this fide of the Moldau. Our right wing extends to Mount St Laurence, which commands in fome measure Mount Blanche. Our left wing is ranged along the river, fronting a wide plain towards Ratfchin. On this plain there are many ftrong ramparts, against Belvidere and the Park, which are in poffeffion of the enemy; and upon the most confiderable of thefe ramparts, fome regiments of their foot are incamped under tents. The army which is commanded by the King in perfon is beyond the Moldau, and blocks up the reft of Prague fo closely, that no creature but deferters have come out of it fince it was first invested: and indeed of these the number has been very great.

As the place is defended by a complete army, it cannot be taken by affault without the lofs of many lives, which are scarce lefs valued by the King than the poffeffors; and a regular fiege, or a blockade that would reduce it by famine, would take up much time; fo that no expedient remains but a bombardment; for which prepara tion is now making; and which, if any judgment can be formed from these preparations, will be the most terrible that has been ever known. Our part of the army has prepared four bomb-batteries, each of which will discharge 72 bombs in twenty-four hours, and the troops on the oppofite fide will at the fame ply the city with red-hot bullets. The mountain of Zifka was taken in a very short time, and with very little lofs, on the 9th of this month, and it is thought this circumftance will greatly facilitate the reduction of the city. We have certain intelligence from deferters, that the garrison is in want, not only of provifions and forage, but of artillery and ammunition. They have not one twenty-four pounder, and but few twelve

pounders,

pounders, their heavy artillery having bout half an hour after one a regiment been lately tranfported to the fortreffes of horfe-grenadiers fell upon our rein Moravia. Their ramparts fwarm with foldiers; 12,000 horfes are ranged in the streets and fquares, but the forage is almoft exhaufted. We have fet fire to Strokhof, and to all the gardens and houses in the neighbourhood, where the pandours, who guarded the advanced pofts, held their bacchanals.

Since the 19th, the reft of our heavy artillery is arrived, and our men work inceffantly on the batteries, which are all covered with ramparts and redoubts. The furious fally which the enemy made in the night between the 23d and 24th, is a ftriking proof that this precaution was of the utmost importance. This fally deferves particular mention in the hiftory of the fiege of Prague, and I fhall therefore finifh my letter with an account of it.

On the 23d, about eleven o'clock at night, a deferter came over from the city, and acquainted the Prince of Pruffia, that the Auftrians were about to attack him with 12,000 men, of which number he was one, and found means to defert after they had come out of the city, and while they were waiting for orders to march. Upon receipt of this intelligence, proper measures were taken, and the troops were put into a posture of defence. At the fame time the enemy came on with the greatest part of their cavalry, all their grenadiers, pandours, and Hungarian infantry, to which were added fixteen voluntiers from each company of the reft of the garrison. The remainder of the army was drawn up upon the ramparts, ready to follow if the fally fhould fucceed. This expedition was conducted with fuch filence, that, although we were advertised of it, we could difcover nothing till the enemy charged our advanced pofts. The attack was begun on the fide of the Little Town, againft the camp of M. Keith, and the left wing of our army, which was incamped on the Moldau; and their view feems to have been, either to pafs, or to deftroy our bridge. The enemy defiled from the city about ten o'clock; at a

doubt, which had been thrown up before the village near the Park, where fome days before we had begun to work on the trenches. This regiment of grenadiers, fupported by the Hungarian infantry, returned three times to the affault, and were three times beaten back by our people, whom they found it impoffible to dislodge, though the battalion of Ferdinand de Bronfvic, which guarded this poft, has fuffered very much. While this attack was making, the enemy kept an inceffant fire, with their mufketry, upon our whole front, quite from the convent of St Margaret to the river. At three in the morn

ing we quitted our camp to engage the enemy. The battalion of Pannewitz attacked the Red houfe, which is fituated at the bottom of a declivity before Welleflawitz. The pandours, who had taken poffeffion of this houfe, fired upon us inceffantly from all the doors and windows, till they were diflodged; and our battalions were obliged to fuftain the fire, both of cannon and musketry, till half an hour after five; when the enemy retired to the city, except the pandours, who again took poffeffion of the Red houfe, which our troops were obliged to abandon, because the artillery of Prague kept a continual fire upon it, as foon as it was known to be in our hands. The enemy left behind them many dead and wounded, befides deferters, and we have taken fome prisoners. But we have loft many officers and private men. Pr. Ferdinand had a horfe killed under him, and a ball flightly grazed his chin. This action was very brifk on both fides; and it must be owned, that if we had not exerted our utmoft efforts, the enemy would not have been repulfed. Prince Xavier de Saxe was one of the commanders of the attack, and the deferters boasted much of his bravery. At fifteen paces behind our ftandard, a domeftic of Gen. Pannewitz was ftruck from his horse, by a fhot from a falconet. Maj.-Gen. Gieft, who was appointed to cover our works during the whole night, escaped unY y 2

hurt,

hurt, and fo did the Prince of Pruffia, though both were expofed to the mott imminent danger. Some deferters fay, the number of the enemy was 12,000, others 19.000; but all we know certainly of the number which came out is, that it confiderably exceeded that which went back. The greatest alarm began about two o'clock, when the enemy hoped to have come filently and unexpectedly upon our miners; but it fortu nately happened that they had left work about a quarter of an hour before. At the report of the first piece which the enemy fired, the piquet of the third battalion of guards, to the number of 100 men, went out of the camp to fuftain the body which covered our works, and which was thrown into some confufion, as the darkness of the night prevented our diftinguishing the Auftrian troops from our own. Lieut. Jork was detached with two platoons to reconnoitre the enemy, which he attempted by kindling a fire. Capt. Rodig, who by the light of this fire perceived the ene my's fituation, immediately conceived the defign of falling upon them in flank, and cried out, March! The brave fellows of his piquet immediately began to fire in platoons, mutually repeating the fignal which their chief had given them; and the enemy fled with the greater precipitation, as they were ignorant of the weakness of the piquet, and as the fhouting of our foldiers made them mistake it for a numerous body. Many of them deferted, many took fhelter in Prague, and many more are reported to be dead or drowned. Capt. Rodig has acquired great honour. Pr. Ferdinand and M. Keith have complimented him upon his behaviour, and the Prince has alfo diftributed rich prefents among the piquet; of whom fix only were killed, and twenty two wounded. The piquet of two battalions, equal in number to that of Capt. Rodig, which threw themfelves into the new redoubt, under the command of Capt. Lohmann, has but one dead and fix wounded. This officer has alfo acquired great honour. So has Lieut. Racul, adjutant of the third battalion of guards, who received a wound in his ear.

According to advices of a later date than this letter, a most furious bombardment, and cannonading with red-hot balls, began on the 29th of May, at midnight, (for fome hours before which there had been a dreadful florm of rain and thunder), from one battery on this fide the Moldau, and three on the other, Soon after, the city was perceived to be on fire in two different places. The befieged at first returned a very brifk fire from their artillery, which lafted about an hour, and then ceased; whereas that of the befiegers continued. Early on the ift of June, about 5000 horse, fupported by as many foot, made another fally on the left of the Moldau, and advanced towards the redoubt on the left of his Pruffian Majefty's camp, where Prince Henry commanded; but received fo warm a fire from the redoubt, that they foon returned into the town. From this fally made by the horse, it was conjectured, that forage began to be fcarce in Prague. The two bridges of communication which the Pruffians had, the one about a quarter of a mile above the city, and the other about as far below it, having been damaged by the fwelling of the Moldau, on the ift of June, they were repaired next day. Till the 6th the Pruffian batteries play. ed inceffantly, and kept the town on fire night and day in feveral places. All that time the befieged fired very few guns, the largest of them only twelvepounders. According to a letter from M. Keith's camp before Prague, dated June 6. M. Brown had made fome overtures for a capitulation, but demanded leave for all his army to march out unmolefted: to which the King of Pruffia anfwered, That all he could comply with, out of compaffion to the inhabi tants, and to fpare the city, was to give leave for fuch of the garrifon as would not voluntarily enter into the Pruffian fervice, to go out, upon condition not to ferve against him for fix years; all deferters from his army being in the mean time to be at his Majefty's difpofal. For fome days after that time the fire of the Pruffian batteries abated; but they fill continued playing, especially

in

in the night. An account from the Pruffian camp, dated June 12. and published in the London Gazette, bore, that the town had been again fet on fire on the night of the 8th, and burnt vio. lently all night; that the deferters who came in, faid they had begun ten days before to kill their horfes; that forty were given daily to the troops; that horfe-flesh was fold at two grafth, about four pence, per pound; that they ftill continued to brew, but the price of beer was confiderably raised; that there was no want of flour; and that reports were conftantly spread of the approach of C. Daun's army, and of the French. It is also faid, that the garrifon, wanting to get rid of useless mouths, turned out about 12,000 of the inhabitants; but the Pruffians drove them back into the city. Ever from about the middle of May till that time, the Prince of Bevern, with a body of Proffians, had been obferving the motions of the Auftrian general lalt mentioned, and had obliged him to retreat from one advantageous camp to another, fometimes haraffing him in his marches, killing and taking fome of his troops. In the mean time M. Daun received feveral reinforcements. Very late advices from Vienna bore, that on the 13th of June he advanced to give battle to the Prince of Bevern; and that the Prince declined it, and made a precipitate retreat. We have fince received accounts of a bloody battle, which fhall be inferted in our next.

According to a letter from RATISBON, dated May 14. the French minifter prefented to the diet there, on the 20th of April, the following declaration, upon occafion of fending an armed force into the empire.

THE fame zeal that induced the King, in 1748, to concur in reftoring the public tranquillity, made him with that this tranquillity might be folid and laiting; and it is notorious that his Majefty hath done every thing in his power to prevent the calamities of a new war: but feeing himself forced at length to take up arms to repel the unjuft ag. greffion of the King of England, he hath fed his utmoft endeavours to hinder the

flames of war from spreading to Europe, and especially to the empire.

It is therefore with the most fenfible regret, that he has feen hoftilities begun in Germany, in violation of the Germanic laws and conftitutions, and to the great prejudice of very confiderable ftates of the empire. The prevention of this war did not depend upon his Majefty. The King of Pruffia paid no regard to his friendly representations, nor to the notice he gave him of the defenfive engagements he had just entered into with the Empress, Queen of Hungary and Bohemia. The war was kindled in Germany by his Pruffian Majefty's invafion of Saxony in order to attack the kingdom of Bohemia.

In thefe circumftances, those states who were either oppreffed, or attacked, or threatened by that prince, demanded the fuccours which the King was bound to furnish, both as an ally of the empire, and a guarantee of the treaties of Weftphalia, and by virtue of his private and purely defenfive alliances. The neceffity of fupporting the war, in which his Majefty is perfonally concerned, hath weakened in his breaft, neither his fidelity, or his other engagements, nor his zeal for the fafety and quiet of the Germanic body. Accordingly the King. after previous requifitions were made, both in his name, and in thofe of the Emperor and the Emprefs-Queen, hath marched his troops into Germany; there to concur with all the states who are ani mated with the fame zeal, and in particular with the King of Sweden, as a coguarantee of the peace of Weftphalia, in maintaining the obfervance of the public peace, and the treaties of Weftphalia, and especially the liberty of the three religions eftablished in the empire; in procuring to thofe allies of his Majefty who are unjustly oppreffed or attacked, a proper fatisfaction; and, in fine, in re-eftablishing order and tranquillity in Germany upon equitable and

folid foundations.

Such pure intentions will doubtless lead the deficient members of the Ger manic body to place in them that confidence which they deferve; and will dif

fpate the illufion of thofe chimerical fears that are employed to feduce fome Proteftant ftates of the empire. The treaty of Versailles, of the ift of May laft year, inftead of alarming any of thofe powers, ought, on the contrary, to be a new ground of fecurity to them, confidering the attention of the contract ing parties therein to renew, and exprefsly confirm the treaties of WeftphaÎia, which are the ftrongest rampart of

the German liberties.

The King hath hitherto been wholly employed, in preventing the war in the empire before it was lighted up, and in retarding its progrefs fince, and thereby procuring, in the fpeedieft manner, the restoration of peace. It is with this defign that his Majefty hath made conventions and declarations of neutrality, both with the Emprefs-Queen, and the StatesGeneral of the United Provinces; and moreover, being more affected with the calamities of the empire, than with the defire of a juft revenge, he has confented that the Emprefs-Queen fhould make an offer of a like convention, in his name, for the dominions which the King of England poffeffes in Germany, his Majefty being defirous that this prince fhould enter into the fame views with him for the welfare of the empire.

In the mean time, the King repeats to all the princes of the Germanic body, the affurances he has already given them, That the alliance which happily fubfifts between him and the Emprefs-Queen, contains no direct or indirect ftipulation against the rights of the empire, and efpecially against the Proteftant religion: That the fole object of the treaty of Verfailles, of May 1. 1756, is the fupport of the tranquillity of Europe in general, and of Germany in particular: That the King will always keep in mind the concern he ought to take in the glory and profperity of the Germanic body, both as an actual friend and ally of the empire, and as a guarantee of its laws and conftitutions, by virtue of the treaties of Weftphalia: That it is with this view that his Majefly, agreeable to the defires of the principal ftates which compofe it, marches an army into Germa

ny, to concur with those eftates in maintaining their laws and liberties, in procuring an adequate fatisfaction to thofe to whom it is due, and putting a speedy end to the calamities of an inteftine war.

His Majefty declares at the fame time, in the moft exprefs and folemn manner, that he doth not pretend to make any conqueft on the territory of the empire; that his troops will obferve the most exact difcipline in it; and that as foon as peace is reftored, they fhall be immediately recalled.

The King hopes that the Germanic body will do juftice to the purity of the motives by which his Majefty's refolutions are determined; and that the electors, princes, and ftates, will in concert fecond his upright intentions, which are fo agreeable to the general welfare of the empire. DE MACKAU.

By way of fupplement to this declaration, the Emprefs-Queen has communicated to feveral courts with whom the is in friendship, the conditions that were propofed for bringing about a neutrality in favour of the electorate of Hanover. According to the overtures made on this head, the King of G. Britain, in his electoral capacity, would have been confidered as having no concern in the prefent war. His troops, and those of the princes allied to him, were not to act againft the troops of the Empress and her allies. He was likewife to engage, not to fuccour the King of Pruffia, neither with men or money. The paffage through that part of his electorate fituated on the left of the river Aller, was to be granted to the troops of her Imperial Majefly and her allies, paying for what provifions, forage, and waggons they fhould want in the country; befides which, they were to be allowed to eftablifh magazines and hofpitals in certain parts of the electorate. The town of Hamelen was to be put into the hands of the Emprefs, or one of her allies, as a depofit, or in the hands of the Empress of Ruffia, or the King of Denmark, who were propofed as guarantees of the convention. Moreover, they were to make a repartition of quarters for the Hanoverian

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