History of Friedrich II of Prussia, vol 18 | Page 5

orders to bring off the artillery and stores, blow up
what of the works are suitable for blowing up; and join the "Britannic
Army of Observation" which is getting itself together in those regions.
Considerable Army, Britannic wholly in the money part: new
Hanoverians so many, Brunswickers, Buckeburgers, Sachsen- Gothaers
so many; add those precious Hanoverian-Hessian 20,000, whom we
have had in England guarding our liberties so long,--who are now
shipped over in a lot; fair wind and full sea to them. Army of 60,000 on
paper; of effective more than 50,000; Head-quarters now at Bielefeld
on the Weser;--where, "April 16th," or a few days later, Royal
Highness of Cumberland comes to take command; likely to make a fine
figure against Marechal d'Estrees and his 100,000 French! But there
was no helping it. Friedrich, through Winter, has had Schmettau
earnestly flagitating the Hanoverian Officialities: "The Weser is
wadable in many places, you cannot defend the Weser!" and
counselling and pleading to all lengths,--without the least effect.
"Wants to save his own Halberstadt lands, at our expense!" Which was
the idea in London, too: "Don't we, by Apocalyptic Newswriters and
eyesight of our own, understand the man?" Pitt is by this time in Office,
who perhaps might have judged a little otherwise. But Pitt's seat is

altogether temporary, insecure; the ruling deities Newcastle and Royal
Highness, who withal are in standing quarrel. So that Friedrich,
Schmettau, Mitchell pleaded to the deaf. Nothing but "Defend the
Weser," and ignorant Fatuity ready for the Impossible, is to be made
out there. "Cannot help it, then," thinks Friedrich, often enough, in bad
moments; "Army of Observation will have its fate. Happily there are
only 5,000 Prussians in it, Wesel and the other garrisons given up!"
Only 5,000 Prussians: by original Engagement, there should have been
25,000; and Friedrich's intention is even 45,000 if he prosper otherwise.
For in January, 1757 (Anniversary, or nearly so, of that NEUTRALITY
CONVENTION last year), there had been--encouraged by Pitt, as I
could surmise, who always likes Friedrich--a definite, much closer
TREATY OF ALLIANCE, with "Subsidy of a million sterling,"
Anti-Russian "Squadron of Observation in the Baltic," "25,000
Prussians," and other items, which I forget. Forget the more readily, as,
owing to the strange state of England (near suffocating in its
Constitutional bedclothes), the Treaty could not be kept at all, or serve
as rule to poor England's exertions for Friedrich this Year; exertions
which were of the willing-minded but futile kind, going forward
pell-mell, not by plan, and could reach Friedrich only in the lump,--had
there been any "lump" of them to sum together. But Pitt had gone
out;--we shall see what, in Pitt's absence, there was! So that this Treaty
1757 fell quite into the waste-basket (not to say, far deeper, by way of
"pavement" we know where!),--and is not mentioned in any English
Book; nor was known to exist, till some Collector of such things
printed it, in comparatively recent times. ["M. Koch in 1802," not very
perfectly (Scholl, iii. 30 n.; who copies what Koch has given).] A
Treaty 1757, which, except as emblem of the then quasi-enchanted
condition of England, and as Foreshadow of Pitt's new Treaty in
January, 1758, and of three others that followed and were kept to the
letter, is not of moment farther.
REICH'S THUNDER, SLIGHT SURVEY OF IT; WITH QUESTION,
WHITHERWARD, IF ANY-WHITHER.
The thunderous fulminations in the Reich's-Diet--an injured Saxony
complaining, an insulted Kaiser, after vain DEHORTATORIUMS,
reporting and denouncing "Horrors such as these: What say you, O
Reich?"--have been going on since September last; and amount to

boundless masses of the liveliest Parliamentary Eloquence, now fallen
extinct to all creatures. [Given, to great lengths, in
Helden-Geschichte, iii. iv. (and other easily avoidable
Books).] The Kaiser, otherwise a solid pacific gentleman, intent on
commercial operations (furnishes a good deal of our meal, says
Friedrich), is Officially extremely violent in behalf of injured
Saxony,--that is to say, in fact, of injured Austria, which is one's own.
Kur-Mainz, Chairman of the Diet (we remember how he was got, and a
Battle of Dettingen fought in consequence, long since); Kur-Mainz is
admitted to have the most decided Austrian leanings: Britannic George,
Austria being now in the opposite scale, finds him an unhandy
Kur-Mainz, and what profit it was to introduce false weights into the
Reich's balance that time! Not for long generations before, had the poor
old semi-imaginary Reich's- Diet risen into such paroxysms; nor did it
ever again after. Never again, in its terrestrial History, was there such
agonistic parliamentary struggle, and terrific noise of parliamentary
palaver, witnessed in the poor Reich's-Diet. Noise and struggle rising
ever higher, peal after peal, from September, 1756, when it started, till
August, 1757, when it had reached its acme (as perhaps we