pushed 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 Hulten; but when they viewed their combined ftrength, they found it confifted of no more than 15 or 16,000 men, a force far too weak to oppofe to thofe powerful armies that were marching against them. Wholly unable to protect a place of such 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 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 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 most opposite factions to concur in promoting the grandeur of his royal refidence. From thefe caufes Berlin is become one of the most confiderable cities in Europe; vaft in its extent; confider. able in its commerce; and magnificent 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

of ingenious men, in every fcience, 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, exafperated 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 reft; and they knew that they did not want pretences for colouring their feveritics, with the appearance of a juft retaliation.

In thefe difpofitions of the inhabitants the enemy approached. The garrifon immediately propofed to capitulate. With refpect to them, the terms were thort; 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 invioJable. 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 oa.

Thefe conditions being made, the army of the allied powers entered the town; totally deftroyed the magazines, arfenals, 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 ipoiled, the pictures defaced, without even fparing the antique ftatues collected by cardinal Polignac, which had been purchased by the houfe of Brandenburg. The caftle of Schonhaufen, belonging to the queen, and that of Fredericksfield belonging to the margrave 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 fmalleft violation. The prince on viewing the palace only aiked which picture of the king refembled him most, and being informed, defired that he might have leave to take it, together with two German flutes which the king ufed, to keep them, hẹ

faid, in memory of his majefty. This was a fort of taking very different from pillage.

They ftaid in the city four days, and hearing that the king, apprehenfive of this ftroke, was moving to the relief of his capital, they quitted it on the 13th of October; and having wafted the whole country round for a vast extent, and driven away all the cattle and horfes they could find, retreated by different routes out of Brandenburgh, leaving the people ftill trembling under the alarm, and hardly yet certain of their fafety.

We do by no means undertake to authenticate the ravages which the Pruffian accounts charged upon the Auftrians and their allies, in this incurtion; nor whether they may not have been in general much exaggerated, or in fome cafes abfolutely feigned. We have abundant rea

fon to fufpect the exact veracity of many picces of that nature, which have been published on all fides ; and which are but too frequently a fort of state-libels, where the powers at war, not content to deftroy each other in the field, purfue their adverfaries reputation, and endeavour mutually to paint each other as monfters equally devoid of juftice and compaffion. Indeed, if we were to give credit to all the writings of this kind that have appeared, it were hard to fay which of the parties have by their conduct brought the greateft difgrace upon human nature. It is, however, certain, that the country of Brandenburgh fuffered more feverely on this occafion than the city of Berlin. An ill-difciplined army is always moft furious in its retreat, and the country had made no conditions.

TH

HE king of Pruffia at laft faw his capital taken by his moft cruel enemies, and put to ranfom;' his native country was wafted; they took up their quarters in his palaces: but this was far from the whole of his misfortunes. When gen. Hulfen marched to cover Brandenburg, there remained no Prufian army in Saxony. So that the Imperial army on their return from Berlin, within a thort time, and with little oppofition, made themfelves mafters of Leipfick, Torgau, Meiffen, and at laft of Wirtemberg; in which city

they took the grand magazine of the Truflians immenfely ftored. The king was now to1508. tally driven out of Saxony, in which he had no longer a single place.

M. Stainville with a detachment of Broglio's army, as foon as Wangenheim had been obliged to repaís the Wefer (as we have related in the feventh chapter) pushed into the king of Pruilia's dominions on that fide, and laid the city and duchy of Halberstadt under contribution. In the eaftern Pomerania, the Ruffians had invefted Colberg both by land

and

and fea, and preffed that city with a clofe and unremitted fiege. The king could scarcely hope to relieve it. In the Western Pomerania, the Swedes urged forward with uncommon vigour, hoping to partake in the plunder of Berlin; and they advanced with fuccefs. In Silefia, the king had no fooner began his march to the northward, than baron Laudohn profited of his abfence to rufh again into that country, and to inveft the ftrong and important fortrefs of Cofel. Whilft the king's dominions were thus attacked in fo many parts, he was himself attended every step of his march by the fuperior army of count Daun, who moved along with him, and watched him with the most attentive vigilance. His condition feemed extremely to resemble that to which he had been reduced in the autumn immediately preceding the battle of Rofbach. In Silefia, his condition was at that time worfe; but he was then in the poffeffion of Saxony, of which in this campaign he was wholly deprived.

Saxony was, however, ftill his great object, and knowing that the enemy had evacuated Brandenburg on his approach, he left that country on his right, and continued his march to the Eibe, which he paffed on the 25th of October. M. Daun paffed it the fame day. The two champions were to engage once more for that fo often contended prize; but now every disadvantage was on the fide of the king of Pruffia, who had no longer any place of strength in that country, and all the magazines he had amaffed were in the hands of the enemy. But being joined by his generals Hulfen and P. Eugene of Wirtemberg, with the corps under their command, he

advanced up the Elbe, whilft M. Daun fell back to cover Leipfic and Torgau; but finding the Pruflians directed their march towards the Elbe, he encamped within reach of Torgau, one part of his army extending to the Elbe, by which he was covered on that fide, and whilft he was protected on every other quarter by ponds, hills, and woods, it was impoffible to choose a more advantageous fituation, in which above 80,000 men were pofted with every precaution that could be taken by a weak army in the most unlucky pofition.

The king of Pruffia was extremely fenfible of the strength, the advantageous pofture, and the precautions of M. Daun; he could have no hope of drawing that wary commander from his poft; and yet he faw a neceffity of fighting him even there. The winter was now far advanced. His troops were extremely haraffed by fuch long and rapid marches; and he had no place for their winter quarters but his own country, already wafted by the enemies incurfions; and here ftraitened for fubfiftence, cut off from all power of recruiting, he was to expect to be attacked, as it were, in a narrow corner, by the combined force of fo many powerful and exafperated enemies.

In thefe circumftances he was refolved to come to a battle. He caufed his army to be informed that he was to lead them to a most defperate attempt, that his affairs required it, and that he was determined to conquer or die in the expected engagement. They unanimoufly anfwered, that they would die along with him.

Animated by this deciaration he began his march; 3 Nov.

but

but having taken a refolution as daring as could be dictated by despair, be made all the difpofitions with as much tkill and care as could be fuggefted by the moft guarded prudence. He divided his army into three columns. Gen. Hulfen with one was to take poft in a wood that lay on the left of the Auftrian army, and had orders not to move until he found the rest of the Prufians engaged; general Ziethen was to charge on the right; the great attack in front was to be made by the king in perfon. The king had difpofed his forces in fuch a manner, that either his right or left muft take the enemy in rear and clofe them in, fo as to disable them from undertaking any thing against the part where he intended to effect his principal attack. This was the king's difpofition.

M. Daun, as foon as he perceived that the king of Pruffia was ferious in his refolution of fighting, to preyent confufion, fent all his baggage over the Elbe, acrofs which he threw three bridges, to be ready in cafe a retreat thould be found neceffary. At the fame time he caufed Torgau to be evacuated. And then extending his first line to a village called Zinne on the left, he stretched it to another called Grofwitz on the right; fupporting the right of his fecond line upon the Elbe.

In this difpofition he was found when, about two o'clock in the afternoon, the king begun his attack, and was received with the fire of two hundred pieces of cannon, which were difpofed along the Auftrian front. Three times the Pruffians were led on; they perfevered in their attacks with uncommon refolution, but were every time repulfed and broken with a

moft terrible flaughter. The king at length ordered a fresh body of his cavalry to advance, which at firft compelled the Auftrians to give way; but as fresh reinforcements were continually poured on that part, this cavalry was in its turn obliged to fall back, and the battle. ftill remained at least dubious, or rather inclined against the king of Pruia, whofe troops, as they had made aftonishing efforts, fo they fuffered beyond all defcription. But whilft the Pruffians fuftained themfelves in that quarter with such extreme difficulty, general Ziethen, with the right wing, took the enemy in the rear, repulfed them, and poffeffed himself of fome eminences which commanded the whole Auftrian army. Encouraged by this fuccefs the Pruffian infantry once more advanced, mastered several of the enemy's intrenchments, and made way for a new attack of their cavalry, which broke in with irrefiftible impetuofity upon the Auftrians, and threw feveral bodies of them into irreparable diforder. It was now about nine o'clock, the two armies were involved in a pitchy darkness; yet the fire continued without intermiffion, and the battalions with a blind rage difcharged at each other without diftinguishing friend or foe.

M. Daun did every thing in the difpofition and the action, that became his high character. But he was obliged to yield to the miraculous fortune of the king of Pruffia. He received a dangerous wound on the thigh, and was carried from the field, which probably disheartened the troops, and haftened the defeat. The command then fell on the count O'Donnel, who finding a great part of his

troops