procure a peace, upon equitable terms, between the emperor and the house of Austria." But his majefty also declared, "That, in cafe any new meafures fhould be taken to disturb the repose of the empire, he would immediately fend his contingent of 15,000 men to the fervice of the emperor; and that, if these should not be fufficient, he would follow them in perfon with 50,000 more." Thus the maritime powers were complimented with the mediation, which was alfo defired by the emperor. The French monarch wanted to withdraw his troops from Germany, the reputed grave of his foldiers, where the new levies could be fent only with compulfion: but the miniftry of Verfailles here politicly conferred on his Pruffian majesty the honor of obliging them to repa's the Rhine. The Dutch at laft owned the neceffity of fecuring the confines of their country, by poffeffing with their own troops thofe places which the Auftrians were obliged to forfake; and their deliberations were fo far influenced by the incitements of the British miniftry, and the viciaity of the army in Flanders, that, in February, the ftates of Holland and Weft Friezland came to a refolution of granting the queen of Hungary an effectual fuccor of 20,000 men; which was afterwards agreed to by the other provinces; and in May paffed the affembly of the states general; notwithstanding all the remonftrances and oppofition of the marquis de Fenelon. This corps confifted of 24 fquadrons of herfe, making 4,140 men; and 20 battalions of foot, making 15,910 men; in all, 20,050; commanded in chief by count Maurice of Naf fau: but, though they were fo early deftined for the fervice of the queen of Hungary, they were not in mo¬ tion until the beginning of July Though the French, at fome times, ufed every art of moderation, and all profeffions of cordiality, in their expoftulations, for the republic; at other times, they endeavored to intimidate the ftates by a menacing air of their potency, and the ill effects attending their indignation. They reminded the ftates, that a third power, though it did not directly commit any hoftility, declared itfelf however an enemy, by putting it in the power of one party to attack the other with greater ftrength; and by this means the republic, by fending it's troops into the Auftrian Netherlands, would give an opportunity to the queen of Hungary, and at the fame time to Great Britain, to employ all their forces in conquering the dominions of the house of Bavaria, and to make themselves mafters of the imperial crown, in favor of the grand duke, by a war that muft put all Germany in confufion; a fault that the republic would dearly pay for, by the lofs of her liberty; by declaring itself, though indirectly, yet in a manner equally effential, an enemy to the emperor, the empire, and France. CHAP. CHA P. III. The Campaigns in GERMANY in 1743. The T HE Auftrian troops in Bavaria compofed an army of 60,000 men; but the French and Bavarians united did not exceed 40,000; fo that the Auftrians, by their fuperiority, had the advantage of procuring the neceffary fuftenance both for men and horfes; while more than 5,000 of the French and Bavarians were deftroyed by diseases, resulting from bad diet and other inconveniencies. Marshal Khevenhuller attended prince Charles of Lorrain to Vienna, and held feveral conferences relative to the operations of the campaign: but though the AuKrian ftrian army was cantoned, in a line, from the Upper Palatinate to Paffau, and from thence to Saltzburgh, nothing was undertaken; because marfhal Broglio had pofted his army in fuch a defenfible fituation, that the Auftrians thought it improper to attack them, until they found what their auxiliaries were effecting in Flanders, from whence they expected to be joined by them in Germany. As his Britannic majefty had promifed the queen of Hungary to order his troops into Germany; in pursuance of that engagement, the British forces, about the middle of February 1743, marched out of their quarters in Flanders, and advanced towards the Rhine, with as much expedition as the feafon of the year would admit On the 26th, the train of artillery arrived at Maeftricht; while the dragoons and infantry went into cantonment about that city, Aix-la-chapelle, and the duchy of Juliers but the horse-guards and horfe took up their winter quarters at Bruffels, where they remained until the end of April. Philip Charles d'Eltz, archbishop and elector of Mentz, died on the 21st of March. As a voice in the electoral college, with the acceffion of a powerful prince*, would be of the greatest consequence to either of the parties then contending about the fate of Germany, marshal Stair thought proper to profecute his march farther into the empire, that the free voice of the chapter might not be influenceâ by the French army, then affembling at Landau in Lower Alface, under marshal Noailles: as alfo that he might effectually oppofe the other defigns of that general, and The archbishop is arch chancellor of the empire, keeper of the archives, and director of the general and particular affemblies. He has alfo a right to convoke the electoral college, fave 7 fave the queen of Hungary from the ruin threatened her by the junction of his army with the troops under marshal Broglio. With this view, marfhal Stair appointed the general rendezvous of the whole allied army, to be at Hoechst * upon the Maine, near Frankfort †: But the British marfhal, finding the weather very bad, and the roads im paffable, took up his quarters at Aix-la-chapelle ‡ during the cantonment, which continued longer than he expected, on account of the bad fnowy weather. The Auftrians and Hanoverians were afterwards in motion; but the Heffians made objections against marching into the empire, and were sent to garrifon the barriertowns, instead of the Auftrians. On the 20th of April, the British army quitted their cantonments; when they again marched in divifions, paffed through the territory of Juliers, and the electorate of Cologne. Lieutenant-general Ligonier, with the fift divifion, confifting of all the grenadiers, crofled the Rhine, on a bridge of boats at Newidt ||, where he halted until joined by the reft of the army; from whence they continued their march along the banks of the Rhine, until the beginning of May; when they began to affemble near Hoechft, where proper ground was laid out for their encampment. The Auftrians, under the command. of the marshal Neuperg and the duke d'Aremberg, ar A town feated in a plain, three miles from Francfort. A large, ancient, imperial, hanfiatic city, in Franconia. In this city the golden bull is preferved, which is the magna charta of Germany and here the emperor ought to be crowned. : A free imperial city, in the duchy of Juliers, and circle of Weftphalia. A city fubject to the count of the fame name, about 18 miles above Bonn. |