fhips upon the preffed men, and fometimes with irregularities in the prefs-masters; but both the hardships and irregularities are, I know, generally exaggerated, for I am fure that the officers take as much care as poffible to prevent both. I indeed most heartily with, that the prefling of men just upon their return from a long voyage, or after they are engaged in the merchant or privateer fervice, could by any means be prevented; but as for thofe feamen that lurk and loiter at home, and live, perhaps at a most extravagant rate, upon the credit allowed them by their landlords, when their country ftands in need of their fervice, I must fay, that I think they deferve as much to be preffed into his majesty's fea fervice, as vagabonds deferve to be preffed into his majefty's land fervice.

For both thefe fervices, Sir, there must always be prefling when the honour and fafety of our country render it neceflary to have foldiers or failors, and our government cannot find a fufficient number that will enter voluntarily. The only reason why preffing for failors has been more frequent and more complained of than preifing for foldiers, is, because from the fituation of this country, the former becomes much oftner neceffary, and thofe that are liable to be preffed into the fea fervice, have generally a much better character than thofe that are liable to be preffed into the land fervice; becaufe we have not for many years been obliged to make any man liable to be preffed into the latter, but fuch as have fomething of the vagabor in their character. But if an invafion, or other fuch danger, fhould oblige us to raise a numerous army, we should be un

that it is impoffible to prevent the neceflity of preiling, according to the prefent method, for the fea fervice, any other way than by enabling the government to have always not only a lift of all the men in the British dominions fit for that fervice, but also knowledge where to call for them, and a power to compel all of them to ferve in their turn; and it has been hitherto thought, that this would be attended with greater inconveniences than the method we now have of providing for the fea fervice. Whilft we pursue this method, there is no way for leffening the inconveniences attending it, but by good ufuage, and other advantages, to induce as many as poffible to qualify themfelves for the fea fervice, and to enter voluntarily when the government has occafion for their fervice; and no law can be, I think, more effectual for this purpofe, than that which was paffed in the year 1739.

Therefore, Sir, if any amendments can be made to that law, I fhall most readily agree to them, when it becomes convenient for us to take that fubject into our confideration; but to enter upon it at prefent, would look fo much like a menace, that the French would think themselves bound in honour to break off all negotiations with us, and all the courts of Europe would confider us as the fole occafion of the war which would neceffarily enfue; for which reafon, I hope, the noble lord will withdraw his motion, and thereby prevent any gentleman's being obliged, contrary to his inclination, to give it a negative.

[This JOURNAL to be continued in our next.]

ter character into the land fervice or to oblige all the men fit for the fervice to draw lots, and even in that cafe, thofe upon whom the lot fell, must be preffed, if they refufed to ferve volunsarily. From hence I am convinced,

from P. 515, of December Magazine, 1756, and con cluded.

TT is eafy to perceive that if the

cient; ambition or animofity can never

want

entered the country he published a proclamation promiting. That his army fhould obferve the ftricteft difcipline, and that thofe who made no refiftance fhould be fuffered to remain

It is true that every prince of the empire is obliged to fupport the imperial dignity, and affift the emperor when his rights are violated. And every fubfequent contract must be understood in a fenfe confiftent with former obligations, nor had the king power to make a peace on terms contrary to that conftitution by which he held a place among the Germanic electors. But he could have easily difcovered, that not the emperor but the duke of Bavaria was the queen's enemy, not the adminiftrator of the imperial power, but the claimant of the Auftrian dominions. Nor did his allegiance to the emperor, fuppofing the emperor injured, oblige him to more than a fuccour of ten thoufand men. But 10,000 men could not conquer Bohemia, he could receive no reward for the zeal and fidelity, which he fo loudly profeiled.

The fuccefs of this enterprize he had taken all poffible precaution to fecure. He was to invade a country guarded only by the faith of treaties, and therefore left unarmed, and unprovided of all defence. He had engaged the French to attack Prince Charles before he fhould re-pafs the Rhine, by which the Auftrians would at least have been hindered from a Speedy march into Bohemia, they were likewife to yield him fuch other aflifiance as he might want.

Relying therefore upon the promifes of the French, he refoved to attempt the ruin of the houfe of Auftria and in Auguft 1744, broke into Bohemia at the head of an hundred and four thousand men. When he

quired that all arms, in the custody of whomfoever they might be placed, fhould be given up, and put into the hands of public officers. He ftill de-clared himself to act only as an auxiliary to the emperor, and with no cther defign than to establish peace and tranquility throughout Germany, bis dear country,

In this proclamation there is one paragraph of which I do not remember any precedent. He threatens that if any peafant fhall be found with arms, he fhall be hanged without further enquiry, and that if any lord fhall connive at his vaffals keeping arms in their cuftody, his village fhall be reduced to afhes.

It is hard to find upon what pretence the king of Pruflia could treat the Bohemians as criminal, for preparing to defend their native country, or maintain their allegiance to their lawful fovereign against an invader, whether he appears principal or auxiliary, whether he profeffes to intend tranquillity or confufion.

His progrefs was fuch as gave great hopes to the enemies of Auftria; like CESAR he conquered as he advanced, and met with no oppofition till he reached the walls of Prague. The indignation and refentment of the queen of Hungary may be easily conceived; the alliance of Franckfort was now laid open to all Europe, and the partition of the Austrian dominions was again publickly projected. They were to be shared among the emperor, the king of Pruffia, the elector palatine, and the landgrave of Heffe. All the powers of Europe who had dreamed of controuling France, were awakened to their former terrors; all that had been done was now to be done again, and every court from the ftraits of Gibraltar to the Frozen

Sea,

Sea, was filled with exultation or terror, with fchemes of conqueft or precautions for defence.

The king delighted with his progrefs, and expecting like other morals, elated with fuccefs, that his profperity could not be interrupted, coninued his march, and began in the latter end of September the fiege of Prague. He had gained feveral of the outer pofts when he was informed that the convoy which attended his artillery was attacked by an unexpected party of the Auftrians. The king immediately went to their affiftance Iwith the third part of his army, and found his troops put to flight, and the Auftrians hafting away with his cannons; fuch a lofs would have dif-abled him at once. He fell upon the Auftrians whofe number would not enable them to withstand him, recowered his artillery, and having alfo defeated Bathiani, raifed his batteries, and there being no artillery to be played against him, he destroyed a great part of the city. He

then ordered four attacks to be made at once, and reduced the befieged to fech extremities that in fourteen days, the governor was obliged to yield the place.

At the attack commanded by Schverin, a grenadier is reported to have mounted the baftion alone, and to have defended himself for fome time with his fword, till his followers mounted after him; for this act of bravery the king made him a lientemant, and gave him a patent of nobiEty.

Nothing now remained but that the Auftrians should lay afide all thought of invading France, and apply their whole power to their own defence. Prince Charles at the first news of the Fruffian invafion prepared to re-pafs the Rhine. This the French, according to their contract with the king of Pruffia, fhould have attempted to hinder, but they knew by experience that the Austrians would not be beaten without refiftance, that the refift

ance always incommodes an affailant. As the king of Pruffia rejoiced in the distance of the Auftrians whom he confidered as entangled in the French territories; the French rejoiced in the neceflity of their return, and pleafed themfelves with the profpect of eafy conquefts, while powers whom they confidered with equal malevolences, should be employed in maffacring each other.

Prince Charles took the opportunity of bright moonfhine to re-pafs the Rhine, and Noailles, who had early intelligence of his motions, gave him very little disturbance, but contented himself with attacking the rear-guard, and when they retired to the main body ceafed his purfuit.

The king upon the reduction of Prague ftruck a medal, which had on one ide a plan of the town, with this infcription;

Prague taken by the king of Prufha
September 16, 1744 ;

For the third time in three years.

On the other fide were two verses in which he prayed, That his conquests might produce peace. He then marched forward with the rapidity which conftitutes his military character, took poffeffion of almost all Bohemia, and began to talk of entering Auftria and belieging Vienna.

The queen was not yet wholly without refource. The elector of Saxony, whether invited or not, was not comprifed in the union of Frankfort, and as every fovereign is growing lefs as his next neighbour is growing greater, he could not heartily with fuccels to a confederacy which was to agrandize the other powers of Germany. The Pruffians gave him likewife a particular and immediate provocation to oppofe them; for when they departed to the conqueft of Bohemia, with all the elation of imaginary fuccefs, they paffed through his dominions with unlicenfed and contemptuous difdain of his authority. As the approach of

Prince Charles gave a new profpect of events, he was easily perfuaded to enter into an alliance with the queen, whom he furnished with a very large body of troops.

The king of Pruffia having left a garrion in Prague, which he commanded to put the burghers to death, if they left their houfes in the night, went forward to take the other towns and fortreffes, expecting perhaps that Prince Charles would be interrupted in his march; but the French, though they appeared to follow him, either could not, or would not overtake him.

In a fhort time by marches preffed on with the utmoft eagerness, Charles reached Bohemia, leaving the Bavarians to regain the poffeffion of the wafted plains of their country, which their enemies, who still kept the ftrong placès, might again seize at will. At the approach of the Austrian army the courage of the king of Pruffia feemed to have failed him. He retired from poft to poft, and evacuated town after town, and fortrefs after fortress, without refiftance, or appearance of refiftance, as if he was refigning them to the rightful owners.

It might have been expected that he fhould have made fome effort to fecure Prague, but after a faint attempt to difpute the paffage of the Elbe, he ordered his garrifon of eleven thousand men to quit the place. They left behind them their magazines, and heavy artillery, among which were feven pieces of remarkable excellence, called the Seven Electors. But they took with them their field cannon and a great number of carriages laden with ftores and plunder, which they were forced to leave in their way to the Saxons and Auftrians, that haraffed their march. They at laft entered Silefia with the loss of about a third part.

The king of Pruffia fuffered much in his retreat, for befides the military ftores, which he left every where behind him, even to the

cloaths of his troops, there was want of provifions in his army and confequently frequent defertions and many difcafes, and a foldier fick and killed was equally loft to a flying ar

my.

At laft he re-entered his own territories, and having stationed his troops in places of fecurity, returned for a time to Berlin, where he forbad all to fpeak either ill or well of the campaign.

To what end fuch a prohibition could conduce, it is difficult to difcover: there is no country in which men can be forbidden to know what they know, and what is univerfally known may as well be spoken. It is true that in popular governments feditious difcourfes may inflame the vulgar, but in fuch governments they cannot be reftrained, and in abfolute monarchies they are of little effect.

When the Pruffians invaded Bohemia, and this whole nation was fired with refentment, the king of England gave orders in his palace that none fhould mention his nephew with difrefpect; by this command he maintained the decency neceffary between princes, without enforcing and probably without expecting obedience but in his own prefence.

The king of Pruffia's edict regarded only himself, and therefore it is difficult to tell what was his motive, unless he intended to fpare himself the mortification of abfurd and illiberal flattery, which to a mind ftung with difgrace, muft have been in the highest degree painful and difgufting.

Moderation in profperity, is a virtue very difficult to all mortals ; forbearance of revenge, when revenge is within reach, is fcarcely ever to be found amonge princes. Now was the time when the queen of Hungary might perhaps have made peace on her own terms, but keennefs of refent ment, and arrogance of fuccefs withheld her from the due ufe of the prefent opportunity. It is faid that the

king