Page:The Annual Register 1758.djvu/190

 17^ ANNUAL REGISTER, 1758. "

ans, and even among Barbarians ; and to declare to him, that he fhould be refponrible for them in his perfon, as well as for all that niight happen to the royal family, the rather as he had no reafon given him for them ; as he had not been fummoned, nor had one inch of ground in the fuburbs been taken, nor one mufket fired Into the town. To which the Prufiian governor anfvvered. That he was a foldicr; that he aded according to (the articles of war, v.ithout trou- bling himfelf about the royal fa- mily, or the fate of the town ; and that what he did was by exprefs order of his mailer.

There remains to be added to thefe sfflifting advices, that the enormities committed even in the royal refidence were equal to thofe in the fuburbs. We have been already informed that perfcns per- feftly innocent have been expofed to the moil rigorous treatment, and that feveral houfes have been pillaged.

What moderation foever (hall be ufed in-judging of thefe horrible .excefles committed by the Pruilian troops in a royal and eledloral re- jidence, ftill it muft be acknow- ledged that this conduft is very llrange, and altogether fmgular. For there was neither reafon nor neceffity for committirg a devaiia- lion fo horrible, and accompanied v.'Ith the (bedding fo much inno- cent blood. It fiiould feera that pains were taken to liifle the voice of humanity, to fill the numerous royal family, refidir.g in chat un- fortunate city, wi'.n the grcateft terror, and to put their lives in danger.

It is unncceflary for me to en- iarce fanher by oblerving to the laudable dyet of the empire, thai

bcfides the cruelties committed oii this occafion, the regard due to the perfons of fovereigns, their fami- lies, and rcfidences, a regard which men have ever held facred and in- vioiablej was trampled on.

John George Ponlckau. Tranflaiion of the memorial pre-

fented on the zych of November,

to the dyet of the empire, by

M. de Plotho, the Brandenbourg

minlrter, in an fwer to that of the

Saxon minlHer.

There is not perhaps an Inftance of fuch a denunciation to the dyet of the empire, as that which was inade in relation to what preceded the burning of the fuburbs of Dref- den, by the Saxon minilter, in a memorial dated November 24, in which all the facts fet forth are founded on advices pretended to be mod authentic: yet it hath not been judged proper to venture to tell whence, or from whom, thofe advices were received, that the af- fcmbly of the empire, and the im- partial world, might judge with certainty, what degree of credit they deferved.

The Saxon eleftoral miniflry ought not therefore to be furprifcd, if on this occafion their minifterial credit rtiould receive fome check; r.nd if blind zeal (hould not mee: with as blind credulity.

We are therefore obliged, on our part, to give, as the Saxon miniller hath done, but itridly ad- hering to truth, the authentic pre- liminary advices received from our court.

[Here Baron Plotho inferts, word for word, the relation of what paiT- ed at Drefden, and before that city, from the 8 th of November, till the fending of M. Sawoifky, See page 16S, &;c.]

M. Plotho proccedj thus:

From