in fome factious perfon to fpread false rumors among the vulgar, and so ftir up a division in the illuftrious family now upon the throne: but when the people find it followed by fuch a motion as this, which is, in effect, a motion to remove from the command of our army, a royal prince who has in that station done his country fuch eminent fervices, they may give fore credit to the groundlefs fuggeftions in that libel.

Mr. Potter, member for St. Germains in Cornwall, answered, "That a captain-general of any continuance, must be the chief favorite and prime minister of his fovereign; in which station he would draw lines of circumvallation round the throne." He also observed, that when the duke of Marlborough was captain-general, the article of the staff amounted to seven thousand pounds a year; but how it was advanced to fixteen thousand pounds was really a mystery."

However, the question for recommitting was carried in the negative by two hundred and five to eighty-eight; fo far was the majority in favor of the DUKE, the anniversary of whose birth was celebrated on the fifteenth of April 1752, when his Royal Highness entered into the thirty-fecond year of his age; and from that time a reunion was happily established in the royal family.

CHAP

CHAP. XI.

The DUKE of CUMBERLAND farther characterized. The commencement of hoftilities in NorthAmerica in 1754. War declared between Great Britain and France in 1756 and the rife of the war in Germany. The DUKE of CUMBERLAND commands the army of obfervation in Weftphalia: the battle of Haftenbeck : the retreat of his Royal Highness to Stade: the treaty of Clofter-Severn in September 1757; and it's confequences: other military and naval tranfactions. The death of his Britannic majefty in October, 1760.

N the fifth of December 1752, the earl of Harcourt refigned his employment as governor to his royal highness the prince of Wales and prince Edward; and the bishop of Norwich refigned his place of preceptorfhip to their royal highneffes, in which he was fucceeded by doctor John Thomas bishop of Peterborough.

The DUKE of CUMBERLAND had gained immortal honor by his heroic intrepidity; and as the reward of válor, he had not only a large revenue fettled on him for life, but was continued generaliffimo of the forces. By this means he acquired great influence, and he restored ftrict military difcipline, which he enforced by example. Nor was the warrior deficient in civil virtues; he had all the magnificence of a prince, and delighted to employ the hand of labor: but his attention was invariably fixed upon the conduct of the French court, the general fyftem of Europe, and particularly upon the views of thofe princes who compose the Germannic body, which required all the observations of á foldier and a flatesman.

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The unwarrantable proceedings of the French in the Weft Indies and North America, fince the conclufion of the treaty of Aix-la-chapelle, and the ufurpations and en◄ croachments made by them upon the territories of his Britannic majefty, and the settlements of his fubjects in those parts, particularly in the province of Nova Scotia, had been so notorious and fo frequent, that they could not but be looked upon as an evidence of a formed design and refolution in that court, to purfue invariably fuch meafures as fhould moft effectually promote their ambiticus views, without any regard to the most folemn treaties and engagements. These unjustifiable measures were still carried on until the month of April 1745, when they broke out in open acts of hoftility.

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Mr. Pelham died about this time, and general Braddock was fent to oppose the French in North America. This officer was appointed to that command by the DUKE of CUMBERLAND, who honored him with particular instructions for that fervice: but the general mifcarried, was defeated and flain. The war was continued there until 1755, when the British court ordered reprisals to b made upon the French at fea, while hoftilities were committed on both fides in the East Indies both by land and fea. Mr. Fox was then minifter; the French threatened England with an invasion; and German allies were brought over, to the difgrace of the kingdom, to afford it that protection which it could not want from fuch subfidiary and mercenary troops.

The French temporized until 1756, when they took Minorca a naval engagement happened off that island between the British and French; and admiral Byng was fhot for mif-conduct. Auftria joined with France, and

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Pruffia became the ally of Great Britain. The fyftem of Europe was totally altered; and, on the eighteenth of May, 1756, his Britannic majefty declared war against the French king, who soon after anfwered it by a formal declaration of war, wherein he afferted, that the king of England was the aggreffor in the contefts concerning the fettlements in North America.

The Auftrians, Imperialists, Saxons, French, Swedes, and Ruffians confederated against the king of Pruffia. Great Britain was then in a very unhappy fituation; but affairs wore a better afpect when Mr. Pitt undertook the minifterial charge from Mr. Fox, who had ingratiated himself into the favor of the DUKE of CUMBERLAND.

His Pruffian majesty dispossessed the king of Poland of his electoral dominions in Saxony, and invaded Bohemia, where he defeated marshal Brown.

Another revolution happened in the British ministry, when his grace William duke of Devonshire was appointed first lord of the treasury in the room of the duke of Newcastle; Mr. Legge was made chancellor of the exchequer; and the right honorable Richard earl Temple was made first lord of the admiralty, in the place of lord Anfon: which formed a ftrong coalition, as Mr. Pitt was secretary of ftate, and due attention was paid to the motion of France, in Germany, where the prepared to invade Hanover in 1757.

The expediency of fupporting Hanover, and affifting the king of Pruffia, was thought neceffary. The lofs of Minorca drove Mr. Fox from the ftate; and the neceffity of affairs brought in Mr. Pitt, who ftill opposed this fyftem of German connexions. That Hanover must be defended was reasonable; because the French attacked

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it for no other reafon but the animofity they bore to his Britannic majefty.

The Hanoverian and Heffian troops were fent back from their infular protectorfhip to Germany, where they were ftyled an Army of observation;" that is, they wer to obferve the motions of a French army twice their number, which were to invade Hanover. The DUKE of CUMBERLAND was appointed commander in chief of this army of observation. Not a man in England objected to his Royal Highness as an able and brave commander but almost every one lamented, that he was to be fent on fo weak and unserviceable a fyftem: Mr. Pitt utterly condemned it as fuch; and all honeft men concurred in that opinion. However, Mr. Pitt and his friends were difmiffed, and the DUKE of CUMBERLAND fet out for Germany, on the ninth of April, 1757.

His Britannic majesty, as elector of Hanover, published his motives for taking up arms in the empire; but the French monarch actually fent an army of eighty thousand men to pass the Rhine under the command of the marshal d'Eftrees. The DUKE of CUMBERLAND affembled his head-quarters at Bielfield, where he was at the head of forty thousand men, compofed of Hanoverians, Heffians, and fome other troops *: but his Royal Highness had not ftrength fufficient to act offensively against the advancing enemy; befides, he found himfelf obliged to conform to

His army confifted of three Pruffian regiments that retired from Wefel; fix battalions and fix fquadrons pofted at Bielfied, under the command of lieutenant-general baron de Sporcken; fix battalions at Hervorden, under lieutenant-general de Block; fix battalions and four fquadrons between Hervorden

and Minden, under major-genera! Ledebour; feven battalions and ten fquadrons near Hamelen, under lieutenant general d'Oberg; and five battalions and four fquad:ons near Niemburg, under major-general Haufs in all thirty feven battalions and thirty four fquadrons.

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