his vivacity by M. Daun. The fummer was almoft wholly fpent, and the king of Pruffia had fcarcely been mentioned,

It was not fufpected that the propofed negotiation at Augfburg could have had much if any influence upon his method of proceeding. No particular propofals had been made concerning his affairs, nor indeed any other marks of a pacific difpofition towards him fhewn, except what were contained in thofe general declarations, which a regard to common decency had exacted. It must have added to the anxiety of his fituation, that Great Britain and France were at that time e gaged in a feparate treaty, in which the latter power was in a condition to make fo many flattering offers in relation to Germany, that he might well have dreaded the withdrawing of that affiftance which had hitherto been his great fupport against all attacks, and his final refource in all his diftreffes. Perhaps he was well aflured, that the faith of Great Britain was proof against every offer how ever alluring; in fact it proved to be fo; for in rejecting the German neutrality, which the French propofed in the late negotiation, our country afforded as convincing a proof of an unshakable public faith, as any people had ever given to their allies.

However, whilft this point remained in any degree of fufpence, it would have appeared natural, that the king of Pruffia fhould make fome uncommon exertions to confirm the faith of his allies, as well as to put himself upon a more refpectable footing at the enfuing congrefs. It is notwithflanding certain, that he contented himself with acting wholly upon the defen

five; a conduct, which perhaps his circumflances had rendered abfolutely unavoidable. Prince Henry commanded an army in Saxony, which entrenched itfelf ftrongly under Leipfic. M. Daun continued near Dreiden; and these two armies did no more than watch each other during the campaign. The king was alfo entrenched in a very ftrong pofition in Upper Silefia, not far from Schweidnitz, whilft the fortreffes in the lower part of that country were filled with such garrifons, as put them out of the reach of any fudden infult.

This pofition was pointed out by the motions and apparent defigns of his enemies. The Ruffian army

The re

was this year, as well as in the former, divided into two ftrong bodies; one of which, led by Tottleben, directed its march towards Pomerania: and the other under M. Butterlin, entered into the Upper Silefia, advancing towards Breflau. Baron Laudohn entered that province in the part oppofite to them, and they propofed to unite their armies, in order to attack the king, or to take Breflau or Schweidnitz in his presence. markable drought in the beginning of the feafon, which had greatly lowered the Oder, facilitated their junction. The Ruffians fpread themfelves over all the open country of Silefia, and exacted heavy contributions. A body of them appeared before Bre. Aug. 1. flau, and began to cannonade the town from even batteries. Laudohn exerted the whole of his fkill to draw the king from his post, and to engage him in a difadvantageous action. Sometimes he advanced, as it he meant to join the Ruffians: fometimes his motions indicated

indicated a defign on Schweidnitz; thefe attempts failing, he turned off and made a feint as if he propofed to fall upon the Lower Silefia, in hopes that he might at least oblige the king of Pruffia to detach and divide his forces; but the king continued immoveable in his post.

Whilft thefe various movements were making with little effect, on the fide of Silefia, the other grand divifion of the Ruffians advanced without oppofition into Pomerania; and it was expected that their proceedings would be attended with greater effect fince the removal of Tottleben, and the appointment of general Romanzow to that command. Tottleben had been long fufpected, and, it is faid, at length convicted, of a fecret correfpondence with the king of Pruffia. The fituation of this monarch obliged him to fight with every fort of weapon; and Tottleben, a foldier of fortune, without any national attachment or particular allegiance, was a fit object for the king of Pruffia's pecuniary ftratagems. He did not fucceed fo well in the attempts of the fame kind which he is faid to have made upon Laudohn. Every circumftance concurred to render the method of corruption lefs fuccessful in that quarter.

Colberg, regularly befieged, or closely ftreightened every campaign, fince the Moscovites made themfelves masters of the kingdom of Pruffia, was now affaulted with greater and more determined force than ever. A ftrong fleet, confifting of forty fail of all kinds, blockaded it by fea, whilft the army of general Romanzow formed the fiege by land. On the other hand, the place threatened a defence worthy of its former efforts. This city was VOL. IV.

from the beginning of the war of greater strength than it had commonly been reprefented; every attempt of the Ruffians, by demonftrating where any weakness lay, taught the Pruffians, who were fully fenfible of its importance, in what part and in what manner it was ne ceffary to add to its works; and they had omitted no opportunity, In addition to this defence, the prince of Wurtenburg was ftrongly entrenched under the cannon of the town, with a body of fix or seven thousand men.

The king of Pruffia was extremely alarmed at the danger of this momentous poft, the key of his dominions to the north, from the relief of which he was removed, and, as it were, chained down, at fuch an immenfe distance. Though Laudohn and Butterlin found abun dant employment for all his forces, he refolved to fend a confiderable detachment under general Platen to the affiftance of Colberg. The fertility of his genious propofed two ends from this fingle expedient. He ordered Platen to direct his march through Poland,and to deftroy the Ruffian magazines, which had been amaffed on the frontiers of that kingdom, and from which their army in Silefia drew its whole fubfiftence. This fervice might, he hoped, be performed without any confiderable interruption to the progrefs of the detachment towards Colberg. The event was entirely anfwerable to his wishes. General Platen ruined three principal magazines of the enemy. He attacked a great convoy of their waggons; deftroyed 500, and burned or dif perfed the provifions they carried. Four thousand men who protected this convoy were, for the greater

[D]

part,

part, killed or made prifoners. General Platen, after this useful and brilliant exploit, pursued his march with the utmost diligence to Pomerania.

Intelligence of this blow was no fooner received by the Ruffians in Silefia, than they were ftruck with the utmost confternation. They had lately effected one of their purpofes by their junction Aug.25th.with the Auftrians; but this stroke compelled them at once to fever this union, fo lately and with fuch difficulty compaffed to drop all their defigns upon Breslau, to repafs the Oder and to retire without delay into Poland, left their remaining magazines fhould fhare the fame fate with the three abovementioned, and their future fubfiftence be thereby rendered wholly precárious.

So unfortunately circumftanced were the affairs of the king of Pruffia, that his wifeft fchemes and happiest fucceffes could hardly anfwer any other end than to vary the fcene of his diftrefs. The torm which had been diverted from Silefia by general Platen's expedition, was only removed from thence to be discharged with irresistible fury on Colberg. The Ruffians, when they faw that the measures the king had taken rendered the completion of both their defigns impracticable, refolved at all adventures to fecure one of them. Colberg was the object of their choice, not only as the place furtheft from fuccour, but as the poffeffion of it would be an advantage fittest for anfwering thofe ends which were more nearly and properly Ruffian. M. Butterlin, therefore, as foon as he had efta blished his convoys, directed his Course towards Pomerania, and be

ing mafter of Lanfperg, he fent de tachments from thence, that cruelly wafted all the adjoining Marche of Brandenburg, without at the fame time diverting himself by these ravages from his main intention.

A force of Ruffians was by this time affembled in Pomerania, to which it was impoffible for the king of Pruffia to oppofe any thing that was in any degree able to contend with them in the field; of courfe he could not promise himself that the immediate raifing the fiege could be the effect of thefe fuccours. All he could do was to fend another detachment to that part, under general Knoblock; and hoped that by the union of these several small corps, and by their intercepting or at leaft diftrefling the Ruffian convoys of provifion, the place might be enabled to hold out, until the fevere fetting in of winter fhould render the operations of a fiege impracticable.

He was providing in this manner, and ftudying new methods for the relief of Colberg, to the danger of which place his whole attention was drawn, when an event happened juft by him, and, as it were, under his eye, almoft as diftreffing as the taking of Colberg would have proved, and fo much the more distreffing, as it was entirely unexpected.

On the retreat of the Ruffians under Butterlin, the king of Pruffia imagined himself at liberty. He found a want of provisions in his ftrong camp near Schweidnitz, and to be the more easily supplied, he approached nearer to the Oder. He was fo little in fear of the enemy, that on making this movement, he drafted 4000 men from the gar rifon of Schweidnitz: he thought that the preparations neceffary to a

flege would give him fufficient notice, and fufficient leifure to provide for the fafety of that important place, from which after all, he had removed but to a very fmall diftance. Laudohn, who through the whole campaign had watched the king with a moft diligent and penetrating affiduity, and hitherto had found no part open and unguarded, thought in this inftant he perceived an advantage. It was indeed an advantage which would never have appeared as fuch but to a general as refolute as fagacious. He refolved to attempt this ftrong place, by a coup de main. On the ft of October at three in the morning, the affault began. An attack was made at the fame time on all the four outworks, which the troops, ordered on this important enterprize, approached with fo much precaution, that they were not perceived by the garrifon. They fcaled all the four at the fame time; and the troops which defended them had fcarce time to fire a few cannon fhot. On the fide of the affailants, not a gun was difcharged: but in one of thofe out-works the fire of the small arms fet fire to a powder magazine, which blew up, and on this occafion about 300 of the Auf trians, and about the fame number of the Pruffians were killed. As foon as the outworks were carried, they prepared to affault the body of the place, which they entered by bursting open the gates, and at daybreak they found themselves mafters of the town, after firing a few fhot. Five battalions, making about 3000 men, and lieutanant general Zaf trow, governor of the fortrefs, were made prifoners. The conquerors found here a great number of cannon, and a large magazine of meal.

The king of Pruffia felt this grievous blow to the quick. By their poffeffion of Schweidnitz he faw the Auftrians enabled to winter in Silefia; he faw that, whilft they held this place, he could poffibly make no motion for the relief of any other part of his dominions without expofing Breflau, and along with it the whole of Upper Silefia, to a certain and irrecoverable conqueft. In the firft agitations produced by fo extraordinary and affecting a difafter, he was disposed to attribute this misfortune to the treachery of the governor, but he was too generous to harbour fuch a fufpicion, for any time, against an officer who had hi therto ferved him with fidility, and who might have been furprized with an attack of fo uncommon a na. ture, and which the king himself had as little fufpected as the governor, He immediately recovered his temper, and faid with a fmile," It is

"loft all except our honour. As I "cannot comprehend what hath happened to you, I fhall fufpend "my judgement; the thing is ve"ry extraordinary."

Schweidnitz was loft fuddenly; but Colberg made a moft obftinate and noble defence. At length, however, the garrifon began to be forely diftreffed for provifions. General Platen quitted the entrenchments, which he had maintained in conjunction with the prince of Wurtenburg, in order to cover the reinforcements, which the numerous and strong detachments of the Ruffians, who overspread the whole country, had hitherto kept at a diftance. But he had the misfortune to meet an infinitely fuperior body of the enemy, to be beaten, and to lofe part of his convoy; and it was with difficulty he escaped with the remainder to Stetin.

The other (general Knoblock) had established himself at Treptow, which was to serve as a refting place for the convoys; but as general Platen had been repulfed, in the manner we have juft feen, Romanzow advanced with a large force to Treptow. Knoblock, hopeless of affiftance in a town which had fcarcely any walls, and invefted by a body fo vaftly fuperior, yet made a vigorous and gallant defence for five days; he was at length compelled to furrender himself and his body of about 2000 men prifoners of

war.

Thefe fucceffive difafters were occafioned by the neceffity there was for revictualling Colberg, coft what it would, and, for that end, of difperfing the Pruffiian troops in the face of a Ruffian army of 50,000 men. This revictualling in these circumftances could not be effected without a fingular piece of good

fortune; and, in order to get into the way of this good fortune, every rifque was to be run.

These advantages over Platen and Knoblock raifed the fpirits of the Ruffians, and enabled them to contend with the extreme rigour of the feafon in that northern latitude; they pushed the fiege with redoubled efforts. All hope of a supply from the land was abfolutely at an end; and though the Ruffian fleet had been by a violent ftorm driven off the coaft, the fuccour from he fea was too. precarious to be depended on. In this defperate fituation the prince of Wurtenburg became apprehenfive, left his army, which had been unable to relieve the town, by delaying any longer under its walls would only fhare its fate, and that famine might alfo oblige him to a furrender. He therefore refolved, whilst his men retained their vigour, to break through a part of the Ruffian army, and to leave Colberg to make the beft terms its circumftances would admit. This defign he accomplished happily, and with little or no lofs.

And now Colberg, Dec. 16th. hopeless of all relief, the garrifon exhaufted, provifion low the fortifications in many places battered to pieces, after a fiege of near fix months, furrendered to the Ruffans. The governor and the garrifon were made prifoners of war. This place was defended by the gallant Heyde, who to this time had maintained it fuccefsfully against all the efforts of the Ruffians during the war; and as he was diftinguished by the king his master for his merit in the fuccessful defence of it, he had likewife as full affurances of his favours after having on the late occafion conducted himself with his former bravery, though it was

not