Joachim Frederick de Bose. "Dec. 4, 1758."

No. II. Certificate of the magis

trates of Dresden.

"In consequence of orders received from his excellency Count Schmettau, lieutenant-general and governor, we certify what we know concerning the burning of the suburbs, viz.

"That it was about the end of July when combustibles were put into the new-built houses on the counterscarp; that upon the representation made thereupon to his excellency, by the court and the magistrates, he answered, that our court itself had given its consent to it; and that if the enemy did not approach, he would not cause the houses to be burnt. Though we have since heard that those combustibles were taken away, no per. son ever told us, nor have we ever

heard that any one suffered the least' damage thereby.

"On the 2d of November, at noon, his excellency ordered the burgo-masters and magistrates to come to him, and told us, that he' was commanded by the King, his master, to defend the place to the last extremity; that though the new works were sufficiently provided with men, he should be obliged, if the enemy should force them, to set fire to the houses, and had already given orders accordingly. Though we made the most pressing entreaties that he would spare the town, representing that it did not belong to the magistrates, but to His Majesty the King of Poland, and that it was the residence of an elector his excellency answered, that he would not alter his measures, were it the residence of the Emperor himself; that it was not our fault; and that we might apply to our court, who had drawn thither the enemy. Upon which he sent us away, and would not hear our remonstrances.

66 Being returned to the townhouse, we apprized the judges of the fishmongers and ram quarters, of the danger with which the suburbs were threatened; we enjoined them to give notice to the judges of the other quarters to repair to the town-house; and we told those who attended there, that their suburbs were in the greatest danger of being set on fire; that they must warn their burghers to be on their guard; to provide themselves with instruments against the fire, and mutually to assist each other in case of any misfortune, since no assistance could be expected from the town. We have heard, since

the

the misfortune happened, that this order was executed.

"This fire burnt 252 houses of the jurisdiction of the magistrates, which have been entirely consumed, and two more were much damaged. Thirty-one houses of the jurisdiction of the bailiwick were likewise en tirely burnt down.

"Two persons were burnt to death, two killed, three hurt by the fire, and two wounded by the soldiers.

"We never heard, in any shape, of a waggon full of goods, which they were endeavouring to save, and which, it was pretended, was covered with combustibles, and set on fire; nor of ninety persons said to have perished at the Hart; nor of the Austrian troops, who, it is pretended, assisted in extinguishing the flames.

Dresden, Dec. 4, 1758.

(L. S.) "The Magistrates of Dresden."

No. III. Certificate of the judges of the suburb of Dresden. "We, the judges of the suburb of Dresden, certify and attest, that at the time of the calamity that hath just happened, things passed in this

I The excise-house; as also the excise-house and guard

house at Pirna-gate, and the excise and guard.

houses at Seethor.

266 houses in all.

Persons who lost their lives, or were hurt. In Ram quarter, two persons burnt.

In Pirna quarter, A burgher, named Kammerling, killed by a cannon-ball fired from the town, and buried at Pirna.

A girl of fourteen wounded, who was removed to Pirna.

A widow wounded, carried into the

town.

In Poppitz quarter,

One woman killed by the independent battalion.

There have been therefore in all, two persons burnt, a man and a woman greatly advanced in years, and whom it was impossible to save; two killed and two wound. ed.

What has been said of a waggon is false; and it is equally false that 90 persons perished at the Hart; only four persons in all having lost their lives, as we have just mentioned.

The 10th, in the morning, there were found before Wilsdorff gate, among some straw, which had been unloaded there, and laid before the houses, some parcels of gunpowder, which a burgher threw into the water. Two rooms in the house called Jungfer Palais, were set on fire but it was soon extinguished.

Lastly, it is false that the Austrian carpenters assisted us in extinguish ing the fire. We never saw one of

them.

We certify that all the above is strictly conformable to truth.

Simon Steltzner, judge; John Christopher Groll, Godefroi Schneider, C. Benjamin Stamin, John Daniel Karichs, John Michael Faber, John Christ. Grohmann, John George Seyffert, John Gottfried Peter, John Christ. Kretschmar. Dresden, Dec. 4, 1758.

The Saxon account of the damage done by the burning of the suburbs of Dresden, referred to in the several passages of the fore.

going memorial, is contained in the following

Translation of a memorial presented on the 24th Nov. to the dyet of the empire, by the Saxon minister.

"It was reserved for the history of the war which the King of Prussia hath kindled in Germany, to transmit to future ages an action of such a nature as is that which, according to the authentic advices that have been received by the undersigned minister of His Majesty the King of Poland, Elector of Saxony, lieutenant-general Schmettau, the Prussian governor of Dresden, hath just now ordered and executed in that royal residence, and in the suburbs. The proceeding is so atrocious, that he thought it his dutý, without waiting for his master's orders, most humbly to give notice of it to the laudable dyet of the empire. Those advices are dated the 14th ult. and are to the following effect:

The Austrian army having on the 9th instant forced the Prussian corps under general Itzenplitz to decamp from Gorlitz, and driven Meyer's independent battalion out of the great garden, general Schmettau, governor of Dresden, ordered the burghers to carry a vast quantity of straw into the suburbs, which was put into the houses in trusses. He made the inhabitants perfectly easy, by making the strongest protestations to them, that they had nothing to fear; and ordered them to remain quiet within doors; and that no person should be seen in the streets in the night, for fear of danger, in case the enemy should make an attack.

"At two in the morning a cannon was fired. On this signal the gunners and the soldiers of the independent

dependent battalion dispersed them selves in the streets of the Pirna and Wilschen suburbs, broke open the doors of the houses and shops, set fire to the straw, added fresh quantities of it, and increased the flames by torches of pitch, and afterwards shut the houses.

"By the violence of the flames, which was kept up by red-hot balls fired into the houses and along the streets, the whole was instantly on fire. Those who wanted to run out of their houses were in danger of being killed by the fire of cannon and small arms. There were even soldiers in the streets, who pushed down with their bayonets such as were endeavouring to save their persons or effects. By this means a multitude of people of all ages, who inhabited those populous suburbs, perished amidst the flames, and under the ruins of houses. The number of those who were killed in the single inn the sign of the Golden Hart, amounted to ninety; and upwards of two hun. dred of the principal houses have been reduced to ashes. Humanity is shocked at the thought of the cruelties committed this night and the two following days. A shoemaker, who was running away with his infant on a pillow, to save it from being burnt to death, was met by a volunteer, who snatched the pillow from him, and threw the babe into the flames. Many persons, and even some of distinction, after losing all their effects, were forced to make their escape in their shirts, through gardens, to the neighbouring villages. Others, who had saved a part of their beds and bedding in a garden, saw it set on fire before their eyes with torches. Some poor people saved their clothes and a few other things

in the church-yard; but even there did the red-hot balls follow them, and set on fire their little furniture, and even the coffins of the dead. One man had got his things into a waggon; the Prussians stopt it, covered it over with pitch, and set it on fire.

"On the following days, such as ventured to return to the suburbs to save a part of what they had lost, were fired at. Prussian soldiers sal. lied out of the city, from time to time, to set one house on fire after another; many of these men were seized by the Austrian hussars and Croats, who discovered so much humanity and tenderness on this occasion, that they were seen, with tears in their eyes, readily parting with their own allowance of bread to give to the starving sufferers; they even gave them money; and ventured through the flames with them, honestly to assist them in saving their effects.

"The Austrian army beheld these horrible acts, and was filled with indignation and rage. Its generals, melting with compassion, tried every method to remedy them. They sent 300 carpenters into the suburbs to endeavour to extinguish the flames. The Austrians brought away all the inhabitants that had taken refuge in the great garden, and very generously set open to them their magazines. The general officers even made a consider able collection for them. Field. marshal count Daun, with a view to stop the horrid ravages of the enemy, sent M. Sawoisky, a colonel in the Polish service, with a trumpet, to general Schmettau, the Prussian governor of that capital, to represent to him, that these proceedings were quite unheard of in civilized nations, among Christi

ans,

ans, and even among barbarians; and to declare to him, that he should be responsible for them in his person, as well as for all that might happen to the royal family, the rather as he had no reason given him for them; as he had not been summoned, nor had one inch of ground in the suburbs been taken, nor one musket fired into the town. To which the Prussian governor answered, that he was a soldier; that he acted according to the articles of war, without troubling himself about the royal family, or the fate of the town; and that what he did was by express order of his master.

"There remains to be added to these afflicting advices, that the enormities committed even in the royal residence were equal to those in the suburbs. We have been already informed that persons perfectly innocent have been exposed to the most rigorous treatment, and that several houses have been pilIaged.

What moderation soever shall be used in judging of these horrible excesses committed by the Prussian troops in a royal and electoral residence, still it must be acknowledged that this conduct is very strange, and altogether singular. For there was neither reason nor necessity for committing a devastation so horrible, and accompanied with the shedding so much innocent blood. It should seem that pains were taken to stifle the voice of humanity, to fill the numerous royal family, residing in that unfortunate city, with the greatest terror, and to put their lives in danger.

It is unnecessary for me to enlarge farther, by observing to the laudable dyet of the empire, that

besides the cruelties committed on this occasion, the regard due to the persons of sovereigns, their families, and residences, a regard which men have ever held sacred and inviolable, was trampled on.

"John George Ponickau." Translation of the memorial presented on the 27th of November, to the dyet of the empire, .by M. de Plotho, the Brandenbourg minister, in answer to that of the Saxon minister.

"There is not perhaps an instance of such a denunciation to the dyet of the empire, as that which was made in relation to what preceded the burning of the suburbs of Dresden, by the Saxon minister, in a memorial dated November 24, in which all the facts set forth are founded on advices pretended to be most authentic: yet it hath not been judged proper to venture to tell whence, or from whom, those advices were received, that the assembly of the empire, and the impartial world, might judge with certainty, what degree of credit they deserved.

"The Saxon electoral ministry ought not therefore to be surprized, if on this occasion, their ministerial credit should receive some check; and if blind zeal should not meet with as blind credulity.

"We are therefore obliged, on our part, to give, as the Saxon minister hath done, but strictly adhering to truth, the authentic preliminary advices received from our