The fecrecy, and the rapidity of the march, together with the vigour of the fubfequent operations, were fuch as might be expected from the character of the hereditary prince; but on what defign this rapid march was made, and thefe vigorous steps taken at that particular time, gave room for a great deal of reafoning. During a good part of the fummer, very great preparations had been made in England for a conjunct expedition; a powerful fleet was in readiness; and they had embarked a large train of field and battering artillery, a confiderable body of foot, and a regiment of light horie. As this armament was fuppofed in readiness to fail about the time of the hereditary prince's march to the Rhine, conjecture united thefe two defigns together, and fuppofed the fleet at Portfimouth and the army in Weftphalia were to act on the fame plan. On this fuppofition it was judged that the form would probably fall on the Auftrian Netherlands; and that Oftend, which the emprefs fo unpolitically for herself, and fo ungratefully to her former friends, had given into the hands of France, would be the first object of thofe forces which were to unite from fuch a difiance. This defign of the expedition from Portfmouth has, we underftand, been formally difavowed. Whether in ftriétnefs, not being a principal in the war with her Imperial majefty, England ought to have made fuch an attempt, though Oftend was defended by a French garrifon, we fhall not take upon us to determine; but without the aid of fuch confiderations it is evident there were fufficient objections to it from the fide of merc prudence. Almost infuperable difficulties oc curred in fuch a scheme; and it would fcarcely appear to moft men advifeable to add a Flemish to our German war. But we think it poffible to give fome reasonable account of the expedition of the hereditary prince, independent of any connection with the British armament. For a confiderable time the French had feemed refolved to refume their former plan of an army on the Lower Rhine; fuch motions were made as ftrongly indicated that this defign would fhortly be put in execution; and the allied army had every thing to fear from it. For as the French were checked from proceeding to the complete conqueft of the clectorate by the allied army on the Dymel, if this army fhould itfelf be fo checked, by one of the enemy advancing from the Lower Rhine, there would be then nothing to hinder M. Broglio from fending forward fo ftrong a referve as might finally reduce Hanover. In thefe circumftances nothing but a very decifive victory could poffibly fave the allied army, thus furrounded and deprived of its fubfiftence, from perithing in the mott miferable, or furrendering in the most shameful manner. There was one ftep only which might with certainty prevent this defign, and even in fome measure turn it upon the enemy; the taking Cleves and Wefel into the hands of the allies. This would not only defeat the fcheme of the French for acting upon the Lower Rhine, but greatly embarrals their operations in every other quarter. Even the attempt, though it fhould not be attended with fuccefs, would neceffarily draw the attention of the French that way, and thus fave Hanover at least for one campaigu. This This alone had been a fufficient after a ftrenuous refiftance drove out We do not pretend to penetrate into all the motives. But it is evident that in the German enterprife every thing depended on the celerity of the operations. The fiege of Wefel was carried on with great vigour, by that part of the prince's army which was on the right of the Rhine, whilft the prince covered it on the left. But before the enemy could disturb him, nature declared againft his fuccefs by the fall of immenfe rains, which fwelled the Rhine and Lippe to fuch a degree as greatly interrupted the progrefs of the fiege, having rendered the roads of Weftphalia impaffable, and therefore prevented the arrival of the reinforcements which were intended to push the fiege with the greater effect. Thefe rains alfo made it very difficult for the prince to preferve his communication with the befiegers, which, however, he made thift to keep open by one bridge above, and another below, the town. In the mean time, the French, with all the expedition they could ufe, had collected an army under M. de Caftries, of thirty battalions and thirty-eight fquadrons, partly from the great army in Hefle, partly from the Low Countries. This body advanced as far as Rheinberg, and To reach the enemies camp, it was ammunition spent, and all hopes vain of diflodging a fuperior enemy from an advantageous poft, the hereditary prince having had an horfe killed under him, and being himself wounded, was with regret compelled to retire. Eleven hundred and feventy of the allies were killed and wounded in this bloody action; about 500 were made prifoners. The lofs of the French was far greater; but they had the field. On this occafion the English nation regretted the lofs of one of its moft shining ornaments in the death of lord Downe, who, whilt his grateful fovereign was deftining, him to higher honours, received a mortal wound in this battle. He was a perfon of free and pleafureable life; but of an excellent understanding, amiable manners, and the most intrepid courage. In the beginning of this war he had a confiderable thare in roufing a martial fpirit amongst the young people of rank in England, and having long fhewed them by a gallant example how to fight, he at laft, by a meJancholy one, fhewed them how to die for their country. As the British troops had been the greatest fufferers in this as well as in moft other actions of the campaign, great murmurs were raised against the commander of the allied army, as if upon all occafions, even the most trivial, he had wantonly expofed the lives of the British, in order to preferve thofe of the German foldiery. Some carried this complaint to a ridiculous length. But could it with reafon have been expected, that where 25,000 English had ferved for a whole campaign, were engaged in five fharp encounters (me of them a fort of pitched battles) in all which they acquired the whole glory, that they thould lofe a finaller number than 265 kil ed, and 870 wounded, which is the whole of their lofs in all the encounters of this campaign? It is true, the life of a man is a facred thing, and of value to his country. But in fome circumftances it is ridiculous for a nation to think of sparing even a greater effufion of blood to acquire reputation to their arms, and experience to the troops and the officers. The English defired the poft of honour with equal fpirit and wifdom; they were entitled to it, they had it, and they purchafed it more cheaply, than on the whole might have been expected. Neither was their blood lavished on every trivial occafion, as had been falfely fuggefted. The only affairs in which they fuffered any thing worth notice, were thofe of Warbourg and Campen; both actions of the higheft confequence. After the difappointment and lofs the hereditary prince had fuffered in the late engagement, he was fenfible that a fiege could no longer be carried on with any profpect of fuccefs, in fight of an army fo much fuperior; the Rhine every day fwelled more and more, and his communication with the troops before Wefel became every hour more difficult. Befides, as the whole country was by this time overflowed, his men must have been expofed to the greateft hardships and the most fatal diftempers. Thefe confiderations determined him to repafs the Khine without delay. Notwithflanding the extreme nearness of the French army, the late repulfe the prince had met, and the great fwell of the waters, fuch was the impref fion he had left on the enemy, and the excellence of his difpofitions, that they did not even attempt to diftrefs his rear; and he paged affed the Rhine without the leaft moleftation, not only under the eye, but as it were within the grasp of a fuperior French army. From this the operations of the armies became gradually more languid; for as nothing decifive happened on either fide during the whole campaign, it was impoffible to think at this advanced season of undertaking any very fignal enterprife; as if by common confent they began to move towards winter-quarters. So that whatever happened after this was not connected with the general plan of the campaign; and were the fudden acts of detached parties who attempted fome advantages of farprife. Of these we fhall take fome notice before we conclude, but we pass them by at prefent; the attention of all men being at this time more engaged by an event of the greatest importance, and which many were of opinion, would make no fmall change in the nature of the war, and above all in the general fyftem of pacification. This was the death of George II. king of Great Britain. He died fuddenly in his palace at Kenfington, in the 77th year of his age and 33 of his reign. The immediate caufe of his death was the rupture of the fubftance of the right ventricle of his heart, by which the circulation was ftopped in an inftant. This was preceded by no fort of apparent illness, His majefty enjoyed an uncommon degree of health and strength for that age; but it was believed that he had fuffered by expofing himself too much to the cold in reviewing fome troops that were to be eme barked for the expedition. He had been extremely folicitous about the fortune of this expedition. He had been no lefs anxious for the fate of the enterprise under the hereditary prince, an account of the ill fuccefs of which he had received, though is was not at that time made public. This was believed to have touched him deeply, and to have been one of the caufes of a death fo afflicting to all his people. When future hiftorians come to fpeak of his late majefty, they will find both in his fortune and his virtue, abundant matter for just and unfufpected panegyric. None of his predeceffors in the throne of England lived to fo great an age; few of them enjoyed fo long a reign. And this long course was diftinguifhed by circumftances of peculiar felicity, whether we confider him in the public or the private character. His fubjects, allowing for one short and as it were momentary cloud, enjoyed perpetual peace at home, and abroad on many occafions acquired great glory. There was to the laft a confiderable increase in their agriculture, their commerce, and their manufactures, which were daily improving under the internal tranquility they enjoyed, and the wife regulations that were made in every fellion of his parliaments. By a wonderful happiness, he left thefe improvements no way checked, but rather forwarded, in one of the most general and wasteful wars that has raged in the world for many centuries. He lived entirely to extinguish party, and the fpirit of party, in his kingdoms; it was not till the clofe of his reign, that his family might have been confidered as firmly and immoveably feated on the throne; but he, having baffled all the private machinations of his enemies d 4 policy, ammunition spent, and all hopes vain of diflodging a fuperior enemy from an advantageous poft, the hereditary prince having had an horfe killed under him, and being himfelf wounded, was with regret compelled to retire. Eleven hundred and feventy of the allies were killed and wounded in this bloody action; about 500 were made prifoners. The lofs of the French was far -greater; but they had the field. On this occafion the English nation regretted the lofs of one of its moft shining ornaments in the death of lord Downe, who, whilft his grateful fovereign was deftining, him to higher honours, received a mortal wound in this battle. He was a perfon of free and pleasureable life; but of an excellent understanding, amiable manners, and the most intrepid courage. In the beginning of this war he had a confiderable thare in roufing a martial fpirit amongst the young people of rank in England, and having long fhewed them by a gallant example how to fight, he at laft,, by a melancholy one, fhewed them how to die for their country. As the British troops had been the greatest sufferers in this as well as in moft other actions of the campaign, great murmurs were raifed against the commander of the allied army, as if upon all occafions, even the most trivial, he had wantonly expofed the lives of the Britith, in order to preferve thofe of the German foldiery. Some carried this complaint to a ridiculous length. But could it with reafon have been expected, that where 25,000 English had ferved for a whole campaign, were engaged in five fharp encounters (fome of them a fort of pitched battles) in all which they acquired the whole glory, that they thould lofe a finaller number than 265 kil ed, and 870 wounded, which is the whole of their lofs in all the encounters of this campaign? It is true, the life of a man is a facred thing, and of value to his country. But in fome circumftances it is ridiculous for a nation to think of sparing even a greater effufion of blood to acquire reputation to their arms, and experience to the troops and the officers. The English defired the poft of honour with equal spirit and wifdom; they were entitled to it, they had it, and they purchased it more cheaply, than on the whole might have been expected. Neither was their blood lavished on every trivial occafion, as had been falfely fuggefted. The only affairs in which they fuffered any thing worth notice, were thofe of Warbourg and Campen; both actions of the higheft confequence. After the difappointment and lofs the hereditary prince had fuffered in the late engagement, he was senfible that a fiege could no longer be carried on with any profpect of fuccefs, in fight of an army fo much fuperior; the Rhine every day fwelled more and more, and his communication with the troops before Wefel became every hour more difficult. Befides, as the whole country was by this time overflowed, his men must have been expofed to the greatest hardships and the most fatal distempers. Thefe confiderations determined him to repafs the Khine without delay. Notwithflanding the extreme nearness of the French army, the late repulfe the prince had met, and the great fwell of the waters, fuch was the impreffion he had left on the enemy, and the excellence of his difpofitions, that they did not even at tempt to diftrefs his rear; and he pasted |