policy, fubdued at lengl. molt effort of their force : on that menacing occi perienced in the fulleft no affection of his people completion of this great his family, he owed fulch pacity and bravery of

He lived with his q kind of harmony and that is feen between th couples in private li a numerous ilue, in great caufe of fatisfaci little of difquiet, but almoft neceifary c life protracted to a: furvived feveral of 1had the fatisfaction cellor, what is yo affectionate obe. dutitul acquiete and what is no l the fortune of never pallided love of his f

years of his 1.

ven point of t. s, the

orward a powerful detachder count Czernichew toMarch of Brandenburgh. of 15,000 Auftrians under erals Lacy and Brentano De army of count Daun, and le united corps of Auftrians perialifts which acted in began their march in conth the Ruffians, and propofed ite at the gates of Berlin. - armies amounted to forty

ind men.

neral Hulfen, who was altoge00 weak to oppofe the Imperiin Mifnia, fell back upon 1. General Werner, who had been fent into Pomerania, red with incredible speed and d the troops under Hulten; when they viewed their comd ftrength, they found it cond of no more than 15 or 16,000 1, a force far too weak to ope to thofe powerful armies that re marching againft them. Wholable to protect a place of fuch enfe extent, and fuch imperut fortification, they faw that to tempt a defence, would be only involve the troops in the inevitDe fate that waited the city, withut being able to add any thing efdual to its fecurity; therefore afer having defended it against the advanced guard of the Ruffians under Tottleben, who attacked the gates and bombarded the town, when they found the grand armies advancing; they made their retread, leaving only three weak battalions in the place to enable it to make fome fort of capitulation with

the enemy.

Berlin is compofed of five towns, which have ftretched to each other, and grown into one vaft city upon

the banks of the river Spree. It has been augmented to this grandeur, by having long been the refidence of the electors of Brandenburg and kings of Pruffia, who, as they have enlarged their dominions by inheritance, force, or policy, have all contributed fomething to the grandeur and magnificence of this their capital. The fituation of the town on fo noble and navigable a river as the Spree, communicating on one fide with the Oder, by a canal (the moft princely work of her fovereigns) and on the other falling into the Elbe, has added not a little to its extent and opulence; but that which has contributed most of all, has been the reception of the French refugees, to which this city has always been a moft affured and favourable asylum, as it has also been to thofe Proteftants who have been perfecuted in any part of Germany; and the prefent king, by enlarging his plan, and imparting an extent of toleration unknown to his predeceffors, has alfo introduced Roman Catholics, whom he has encouraged by fuffering them to build a most magnificent church in the heart of Berlin. By this means he has brought the moft oppofite factions to concur in promoting the grandeur of his royal refidence. From thefe caufes Berlin is become one of the moft confiderable cities in Europe; vaft in its extent; confiderable in its commerce; and magni ficent beyond moft others in its public and private buildings, and the regular diftribution of the streets in the new town. It has long been the feat of the greatest military arrangements in the world, as it was made by the prefent king the feat of arts and fciences, and the place of refort

of

was proved by two of the greateft trials to which the nature of man is liable; the truft of abfolute and unbounded power; and the most exalted station limited by the stricteft laws. For thefe two fo very different fituations, very different and almoft oppofite tempers and talents have been always thought ne ceffary. But that king had a mind perfectly adapted to both; for whilft in England he kept the liberties of his people inviolate, and, like a wife magiftrate, was fatisfied to make his authority co-operate with law, and his will freely fubfervient to the wisdom of ages; in Hanover, like an indulgent father, acting only from the fentiments of a paternal heart, his affection and his equity fupplied the want of law and conftitution. He has indeed left to his illuftrious fucceffor an admirable example; which he not only promifes to follow, but in many respects to exceed; and his fubjects take the greater interest in his virtues as they look upon them as more peculiarly their own; and they

now boaft of a prince, who neither has, nor can have, any partiality but the beft, and who is in birth, as well as inclination, British.

As foon as his prefent majefty came to the throne, and 18 Nov. had met his parliament, he, in the most public and folemn manner, confirmed the hopes of his allies, and gave the most undoubted affurances of his refolution to continue the war on the former plan, and with the former vigour; and he found his parliament no ways changed in their refolution of fupporting it with the fame liberality and fpirit. Infomuch, that as there was no apparent change either in the fyftem of the alliance, in the difpofition of the king, or in that of the nation, or in the general plan of the war, we have only to país again to the tranfactions of the continent, thinking it unneceffary to apologize to our readers for having been diverted from the courfe of the narrative for a short time, by an event of fuch melancholy importance to Great Britain and to all Europe.

T

HE king of Pruffia's letter, with which we clofed the 6th chapter, exhibited a true picture of that monarch's apprehenfions; the events which immediately folJowed proved that thefe apprehenfions were but too well grounded. The victory near Lignitz, indeed, gave fome relief to Silefia; but whilft the enemy had fo many and fo numerous armies in the field, even flame, independent of their

intereft, exacted from them fome ftroke of confequence.

The late manoeuvres had neceffarily drawn the king of Pruffia into the fouthern parts of Silefia, and confequently to a great distance from Brandenburg, with which country his communication was much interrupted, or rather wholly cut off. The Ruffian army, which, after it had repaffed the Oder at Auras, began to move out of Silefia,

puthed

pifhed forward a powerful detachment under count Czernichew towards the March of Brandenburgh. A body of 15,000 Auftrians under the generals Lacy and Brentano from the army of count Daun, and the whole united corps of Auftrians and Imperialifts which acted in Saxony, began their march in concert with the Ruffians, and propofed to unite at the gates of Berlin. Thefe armies amounted to forty thousand men.

General Hulfen, who was altogether too weak to oppofe the Imperialifts in Mifnia, fell back upon Berlin. General Werner, who had lately been fent into Pomerania, returned with incredible speed and joined the troops under Hulfen; but when they viewed their combined ftrength, they found it confified of no more than 15 or 16,000 men, a force far too weak to oppofe to thofe powerful armies that were marching againft them. Wholly unable to protect a place of fuch immenfe extent, and fuch imperfect fortification, they faw that to attempt a defence, would be only to involve the troops in the inevitable fate that waited the city, without being able to add any thing effectual to its fecurity; therefore after having defended it against the advanced guard of the Ruffians under Tottleben, who attacked the gates and bombarded the town, when they found the grand armies advancing; they made their retread, leaving only three weak battalions in the place to enable it to make fome fort of capitulation with

the enemy.

Berlin is compofed of five towns, which have stretched to each other, and grown into one vaft city upon

the banks of the river Spree. It has been augmented to this grandeur, by having long been the refidence of the electors of Brandenburg and kings of Pruffia, who, as they have enlarged their dominions by inheritance, force, or policy, have all contributed fomething to the grandeur and magnificence of this their capital. The fituation of the town on fo noble and navigable a river as the Spree, communicating on one fide with the Oder, by a canal (the moft princely work of her fovereigns) and on the other falling into the Elbe, has added not a little to its extent and opulence; but that which has contributed moft of all, has been the reception of the French refugees, to which this city has always been a moft affured and favourable afylum, as it has also been to thofe Proteftants who have been perfecuted in any part of Germany; and the prefent king, by enlarging his plan, and imparting an extent of toleration unknown to his predeceffors, has alfo introduced Roman Catholics, whom he has encouraged by fuffering them to build a most magnificent church in the heart of Berlin. By this means he has brought the moft oppofite factions to concur in promoting the gran deur of his royal refidence. From thefe caufes Berlin is become one of the moft confiderable cities in Europe; vaft in its extent; confiderable in its commerce; and magni ficent beyond moft others in its public and private buildings, and the regular diftribution of the streets in the new town. It has long been the feat of the greateft military arrangements in the world, as it was made by the prefent king the feat of arts and sciences, and the place of refort

of

of ingenious men, in every science, in every art, and from every quarter. Such is Berlin, which at this time being deferted by the greateft part of its garrifon, was abandoned to the mercy of a mighty army of Auftrians, Ruffians, Saxons, and Imperialifts, animated by revenge, exasperated by injuries, and inftigated by avarice. Nothing could exceed the terror and confternation of the inhabitants on this occafion. They were acquainted with the favage character of one part of the enemy, and with the violent animofity of the rest; and they knew that they did not want pretences for colouring their feverities, with the appearance of a juft retaliation.

In thefe difpofitions of the inha-. bitants the enemy approached. The garrifon immediately propofed to capitulate. With refpect to them, the terms were fhort; they were made prifoners of war. But with regard to the inhabitants, where the great danger lay, the conditions were more tolerable than they expected; they were promifed the free exercife of their religion; and an immunity from violence to their goods and perfons. It was alfo agreed that the Ruffian irregulars fhould not enter the town; and that the king's palace fhould be inviolable. Thefe, on the whole, were favourable terms; and they were granted principally on the mediation of the foreign minifters refiding in Berlin, who interpofed their good offices with great zeal and humanity. The difficulty was how to fecure the obfervance of them. 9 Oct.

Thefe conditions being made, the army of the allied powers entered the town; totally deftroyed the magazines, arienals, and

founderies; feized an immenfe quantity of military ftores, and a number of cannon and arms; called firft for the immediate payment of 800,000 guilders, and then laid on a contribution of 1,900,000 German crowns; not fatisfied with this, many irregularities were committed by the foldiery; but on the whole, though fome thocking actions were committed, a far more exact difcipline was observed than from fuch troops could have been expected upon fuch an occafion, where there was every incentive which could work upon the licence of a conquering army. Their officers no doubt with great difficulty preferved even that degree of order.

But though their behaviour was tolerable with regard to the private inhabitants, there was fomething fhocking and ungenerous in their treatment of the king's palaces. The apartments of the royal caftle of Charlottenburgh were entirely plundered, the precious furniture fpoiled, the pictures defaced, without even fparing the antique ftatues collected by cardinal Polignac, which had been purchafed by the houfe of Brandenburg. The caftle of Schonhaufen, belonging to the queen, and that of Fredericksfield belonging to the mar grave Charles, were alfo plundered.

The palace of Potfdam, the famous Sans-fouci, had a better fate; prince Efterhafi commanded there: it was preferved from the smallest violation. The prince on viewing the palace only afked which picture of the king refembled him most, and being informed, defired that he might have leave to take it, toge ther with two German flutes which the king ufed, to keep them, he