came, that the enemy had retreated from Ribbelow in the night: in which village the head-quarters were taken this day, the 12th. The advanced corps incamped in the front of the village, and the centre of the army was behind it. The Prince detached forward Major Lukener with fome irregulars, three companies of grenadiers with two three-pounders, and four fquadrons, to Garfen; where he overtook the enemy, cannonaded them, and took his poft for the night, at a pro. per diftance, as they were much fuperior to him. Lt-Gen. Spoercke, with the corps he was detached with the 10th, marched into camp at nine at night; a quartermaster and fome huffars of the enemy taken prisoners. The 13th, the army marched at day-break in four columns, the advanced guard as yefterday, excepting the detachment with Major Lukener. As foon as the advanced guard arrived at their post, they then advanced in line. The enemy retreated towards Zell; and as the columns advanced, the whole moved forward in order. On arriving within a league of Zell, it appear ed plain the enemy had no intentions of giving battle: fo the advanced guard moving on brifkly, with two or three fhots only from the three-pounders, the whole that were on this fide of the Aller retreated into the town, and fired their battery that they had formed for the defence of the bridge, which they continued firing almoft the remainder of the day. They fet fire to a part of their magazines, and in the evening to the fauxbourg of the town: on which the Prince fent a trumpet to tell them what the confequences would be. The fire of the cannon did but little hurt. A fer vant holding Count Kilmanfegge's horfe while he was getting off, and a poor countryman behind the Prince's back, killed; a gunner loft his leg, and three men of the first battalion of guards wounded. Intelligence that M. Richlieu came into Zell yesterday evening the 12th. The 14th the army halted; the enemy at work at batteries; intelligence that the Marshal went back to Hanover yesterday afternoon. Two more trumpets fent; none come back. At night the fire appeared very great again in the fauxbourg. Lt-Gen. Spoercke ordered with eight battalions and eight fquadrons, and all the pontoons, to march immediately, and the army to be ready to march to-morrow. 15th. Lt. Gen. Spoercke's march was deferred till this morning, that he is marched to our front, and to our right, to the Aller. Laft night at eleven two of the trumpets came back. Marshal Richlieu is in Zell, and more troops marched into the town as last night. The pontoons were that morning left till further orders, and at night orders were given for the pontoons to be marched to Bey, and two bridges to be laid over there. Lt-Gen. Spoercke was ordered to pafs over his irregulars, his gre nadiers, his workmen, to make directly à tete du pont, to march over his detachment, and the fecond line was under arms at five in the morning on the 16th, ready to march as foon as he sent for it. At the fame time Lt. Gen. Oberg, with two battalions and eight fquadrons, was to march to the right of Zell at Helen; where he was to make all the fhew he could of paffing, to fire away, and to make it appear ferious. Maj.-Gen. Ifenburg with three battalions and two fquadrons was to do the fame at Laethausen, on the left of Zell; and Maj.-Gen. Count Kilmanfegge was to try to force into Zell with the two battalions under his command, and to get poffeffion of the town on the firft appearance of the enemy's abandoning it; and Prince Ferdinand's intentions were to have marched the army over the bridges at the fame time, and to have attacked the enemy on their left flank. But this well-regu lated scheme, by the orders that were given, failed by a mistake in the pontoons not arriving at the appointed place. The troops under Lt-Gen. Spoercke's command returned to their camp, as no bridge was ready. Lt-Gen. Oberg's corps, and Prince Ifenburg's, the laft of which was just going to begin as the counter-order came, incamped near their pofts. The enemy has acted with great cruelty in the fuburbs, and burnt the orphanhofpital hofpital with the children in it; and fet fire to another in which were five people, who escaped, by some charitable affift ance, out of a window. 17th. The army under orders being ready to march. The enemy hard at work at their batteries for the defence of the river, and, I believe from their preparations, and the knowledge they muft have had of our intentions, as they faw the troops, the Prince thought proper to decline attempting the paffage this day. 18th. A great deal of fnow fell, and lies on the ground; the men fuffer, but go through with it chearfully, and no complaints; the enemy did our patroles the honour to cannonade them from their batteries, which had no effect. 19th. The army was ready at five in the morning to change our pofition, but no farther alteration has happened than bringing Lt-Gen. Spoercke's corps into the line, two battalions and two fquadrons of Prince Ifenburg's into the line likewife, one battalion remaining at Laethaufen, and Lt-Gen. Oberg's returned to its firft camp, as part of the advanced guard of the army." The following extract of a letter from an officer in Prince Ferdinand's army, dated, Altenhagen, Dec. 16. likewife appeared in the fame gazette. "M. Richlieu makes war as an incendiary. At the approach of our army, he caufed the fuburbs of Zell to be burnt down without neceffity, after having first plundered the houses. He likewife adds cruelty to devastation; witness the hofpital for orphans at Zell, in which the greatest part of the children were burnt; and thofe who attempted to escape the flames, by leaping out at the windows, perished by the fall; and all this though we made no motion towards the city either yesterday or the day before, and confequently the enemy could not have the least pretence for fuch barbarous ex ceffes. They also burnt down yester. day all the farm-houfes and buildings belonging to the King's fheep-walks, after having firft entirely plundered them, without paying the leaft regard to Prince Ferdinand's reprefentations to M. Richlieu." "The ac M. Richlieu has been at great pains to get a fufficient army affembled. The troops under the Prince de Soubise, who had retired into Weteravia, and others from the north parts of Weftphalia, have been put in motion to join him. It is given out by the French, that when the whole are collected, they will a mount to 75,000 men; but fome imagine they will not appear above 55,000 in the field.- A letter from Hanover, dated Dec. 20. runs thus. counts from Zell appear fo far from having been exaggerated, that the scene. when properly related, will appear infinitely more horrid than it has been reprefented. The French feem to be here at their wit's end, being alike incapable of taking winter-quarters, or of keeping the field. Our hofpitals and our villages are full of fick and wounded, who die like rotten sheep. The day before yesterday they refolved to lay the country under water; Providence has put that out of their power, by a sudden and a strong froft." M. Richlieu caufed a declaration be made to the Heffians, that as they had broken the convention, he looked upon himself as authorised to lay waste their country by fire and fword, for which he would immediately give orders. Upon this the Landgrave their fovereign wrote the Marthal a very fpirited letter. His Serene Highness has alfo communica ted to the powers with whom he is in friendship, an expofition of his con duct fince the convention, and the reafons which determine him to perfevere to the end in the principles he has adopted. The can According to advices from Hamburg, of Dec. 30. the caftle of Harburg capitulated on the 29th. The garrison iş not to ferve against the King during the war, but has been permitted to go out with all the honours of war. non, ammunition, &c. were to be delivered to his Majefty's commiffaries, It is added, that Pr. Ferdinand had cantoned the King's army under his command, in the several villages near Zell, the head quarters to be at Ultzen. The public papers tell us, that orders have been given for raifing 80,000 men in the electorate of Brandenburg. How far fuch orders can be carried into execution, may in fome measure be judged of from the following letter, published in the Utretcht gazette of Nov. 22. and warranted by it to come from very good hands. SIR, TH Berlin, Nov. 12. 1757. HE court of Berlin would undertake a task equally infignificant and immense, in endeavouring to refute all the falfities which envy is ever charging to her account; and she may excufe herself, in confidering, that time never fails to become the avenger of truth, and the confounder of artifice. There is, however, one falfity, which has been so often repeated that it may make fome impreffion on those who ftand in need of better information, if they be not advised to beware of the impofture. It has been frequently afferted in feveral gazettes, that the court of London has lately made confiderable remit. tances to that of Berlin. Now, this pre. tended fact is abfolutely a chimera. The King of Pruffia has hitherto neither afked nor received any fubfidy from England, no more than he ever did from France; which latter, if she had ever advanced any, would not have failed to have made it a matter of reproach in the prefent circumftances of things. And as for England, all the world knows, that that crown can grant no fubfidy without the affent of parliament, and confequently without divulging it to all Europe. * Equally chimerical is the malicious imputation which the partifans of the King's enemies are inceffantly giving out, that his Pruffian Majefty was obliged to begin the war, because he could * It has been objected, That among the grants for 1757, there is the following: "For affifting his Majefty in forming and maintaining an army for the defence of his electoral dominions, and thofe of his allies, and to enable his Majefty to fulfil his engagements with the King of Pruffia, 200,000 1." [445.]. But it is manifeft, that no part of this 200,000l. could be a fubfidy, but that it was to enable his Majefty to fulfil his engagements with Pruffia by fupporting the army mentioned in the begining of the grant. G. M. Those who not much longer fupport an army too numerous for his revenues. reafon thus, muft have a very flight knowledge of the country of Pruffia. E very body at Berlin is well fatisfied what the ordinary funds are which are appointed for the fubfiftence of 160,000 men, which the King maintains in time of peace, and has conftantly paid during the eleven years of peace, from 1745 to 1756, without any foreign affiftance. It is a proof of the fufficiency of the ordinary funds, that the King, befides the expences of a magnificent court, has been able to expend fome millions yearly in fumptuous and useful buildings, as likewife for fettling the colonies formed in his dominions. His fubjects are unacquainted with any new impoft fince the beginning of his reign. In the prefent war, ruinous as it is, no man has paid a penny of extraordinary taxes, and the country-inhabitants have been paid the market-price for every thing. Moderate fums have been borrowed of the nobility; who may be faid to be thereby gainers, as they are on that account discharged of the Canon feodal. The ftates of the kingdom, in order to give the King an earnest of their loyalty, have voluntarily offered to maintain a militia; fo that foreigners fhould feem very wrongly informed as to his Majefty's abilities for recruiting his forces. Perhaps they may fome of them have been impofed upon by the miferable calculations of the Dutch Obfervator, as he ftyles himfelf, who allows the King but two millions of fubjects, when it is certain he has five at the leaft. Marshal Lehwald's army is complete The cities of Magdeburg, to a man. Stettin, and Cuftrin, alone, contain 20,000 foldiers, all young fellows exercifed for these four months, full of fpirits, and fit to be incorporated in the regiments. In the villages recruits may be found in fufficient numbers among the peasants fervants; for the masters are not dragged from their labour, and forced to inroll, as in other countries. From what has been faid, it will be eafy to judge, that the King's army, purged purged of foreign deferters, and recruited by natives, all born foldiers, muft be thereby the more perfect and powerful. At the fame time it is manifeft, that his Majesty's martial genius, joined to the loyalty of his fubjects, not to be fhaken by any bans of the empire, together with the conftitution of his government, are refources which the mifinformed vulgar may perhaps be unacquainted with; having been kept in ignorance through ancient prejudices. If the King's fubjects feel the miferies of war, it is from the manner of their enemies making war; fome of them taking measures unheard of, and contrary to all regular rules; others, according to the barbarcus custom of the eaft, putting all to the fword, and fetting fire to every place; and others, again, forcing the inhabitants to purchase their fafety, and plundering them at the fame time. The French boaft, with a very ill grace, that they have laid the marquifate of Brandenburg under contribution. It is true, they over-ran the Old Marché, whilst the King, imbarraffed with the number of his enemies, had carried his arms elsewhere; but they abandoned it upon the approach of a battalion of Pruffian militia: and as foon as that bat. talion was got into the garrifon of Magdeburg, they returned again; but quit ted it afresh immediately after the battle of Rofbach. However, they never fet foot on the Middle Marché, nor in the New, nor the Uckran Marché. You will render truth a piece of juftice, Sir, by publishing the contents of this letter; as to which you have no reafon to fear contradiction, the facts being here notorious to every one. The following memorial was not long ago delivered to the diet of the empire at Ratisbon, by the electoral minister of Hanover. THE differences arifen between the crowns of England and France had scarce been followed by fome hoftilities, when the latter loudly threatened to be revenged for the fame on the electoral dominions of his Britannic Majefty; and VOL. XIX. the preparations then made on the Rhine and the Mofelle, together with the various motions of the French, were more than fufficient to prove the reality of that potentate's defigns. While matters ftood thus, (i. e. towards the autumn of the year 1755), the King of G. Britain had no electoral minifter at the court of Vienna: however, his Majefty amicably expreffed his fentiments to that court by the mouth of Mr Keith the British minifter; reprefented to her the danger to which his German dominions and the whole empire were expofed, and demanded the fuccours ftipulated by the treaties of alliance and guaranty that fubfifted betwixt the two courts. They could not mistake at Vienna the greatnefs and reality of the danger, nor difown that it would be unjust, and of high concernment to the whole Germanic body, to involve in the war the states of this body that had no interest in the differences above mentioned, and to moleft or trouble several other confiderable provinces of Germany by the march of armies. But these representations were fruitless. Far from feeing the performance of the promises of a real fuccour, and the guaranty of his Britannic Majefty's electoral dominions, one could not even obtain from the empire dehortatory refcripts to the adjacent circles, in order to prevent their favouring the defigns of France, and lending her any affistance. In the mean while the danger daily increased. France fent to Berlin an envoyextraordinary, charged, no doubt, to induce, if poffible, the King of Pruffia to difturb on his part the electorate of Hanover. At the fame time she went on with her preparations, and continued her menaces; and it was but too plainly perceived, that the approaching winter was the only caufe that prevented her carrying them into execution. This is a true account of the fituation of affairs at that of Europe; to fecure in particular the repofe of Germany, notwithstanding the differences fubfifting between the courts of London and Versailles; to use the utmost endeavours on both fides towards hindering their refpective allies from undertaking any thing against the dominions of either of the contracting powers; in short, to join their forces in order to preferve the tranquillity of the empire, and to oppofe the paffage of foreign troops, in cafe any power, under any pretext whatsoever, fhould march an army into Germany, to difturb its repofe. This treaty, fuch as it is here reprefented, moreover provided for the fafety of all the dominions which her Imperial and Royal Majefty poffeffes in the empire, and thofe which belong thereto; nay, the Auftrian Netherlands had even been expressly named therein, had not his Pruffian Majefty grounded the exception of thofe provinces upon an unanswerable argument, viz. That in all the treaties which he himself had concluded with the Emprefs-Queen, he never guarantied the Netherlands; fo that in treating with a third power he could not further extend his engagements in favour of the Emprefs-Queen. The more the King flattered himself that the Emperor, as head of the empire, would applaud this treaty, which aimed at nothing but to fecure the em pire committed to his care, from a danger whofe confequences might be eafily forefeen, the more did he hope that the Emprefs-Queen would acknowledge the fervice he rendered to the territories which that princefs poffeffes in Germany: at leaft his Britannic Majefty might reckon that the Germanic body would think themselves under fome obligations to him, for the care he took to hinder Germany from becoming again the theatre of war, and to fecure its tranquillity as that of his own dominions. Nevertheless, this treaty was fcarcely published, with that franknefs and candour which always accompany upright, innocent, and falutary acts, than fome people began to put finifter constructions upon it, and to give out that it teemed with fecret defigns refpecting religion and other matters. His Majefty's patriotic fentiments ought to have been well enough known. They could not but know, that those sentiments never fuffered him to indulge any partial views, either in political or religious affairs; that on all occafions he has had an eye to the maintenance of the Germanic fyftem and conftitutions, and that he has given reiterated and incontestable proofs thereof. They could not therefore, without injuftice, fufpect his Majefty of having defigns, or being inclined to take steps that might create troubles in the heart of the empire, of which he is himfelf one of the principal members, and whofe interefts have ever been fo dear to him, that fome years ago he fpared neither his treasures nor his troops, nor even his facred person, to deliver it from the invasion of its ene. mies. His Britannic Majesty neverthelefs did not hesitate to inform the head and the members of the empire of the full contents of the treaty he had recently concluded, adding to this information fuch declarations as were fit to remove every the leaft idea of fufpicion and diftruft. All the world knows, that in a fhort time after, . e. May 1. 1756, the Emprefs-Queen did notwithstanding conclude, not only a neutrality-convention, but also a treaty of union and friendship, pretendedly defenfive, with the very crown with which his Majefty, as King of G. Britain, was in open war, and which threatened to carry fire and fword into his electoral dominions. According to appearances, this treaty had been long before meditated, and had already been a confiderable time on the anvil. It is likewife well known, that as foon as this treaty was concluded, jealousies began to break out between the Emprefs-Queen and the King of Prussia, and that they at laft ended in an open war, which occafioned his Pruffian Majefty to enter the electorate of Saxony and Bohemia. It is moreover publicly known, that the King was abfolutely ignorant of the King of Pruffia's entering Saxony; that his Britannic Majefty did not hear of it till after the event; that he detefted the hoftilities |