Page:The Annual Register 1758.djvu/211

 STATE PAPERS.

197

' deC\Cied from them by virtue of


 * his full powers, and in that cafe


 * the Hanoverian general had no


 * pretence left for executing the

On the 17th of Oflober, 1757,
 * convention of Cloller-feven.'

Count Lynar wrote to his majelly's eledloral miniiler, that Marfhal Richelieu's courier was returned from Verfailles with inll:ru6tions, which exprefsly faid, the court would hear of no terms of peace ; that it was refolved to hold to the fcherae of explanation ; and laftly, that it would lefs than ever deiill from the condition of difarming the Heffians, and that it had re- jeded the offer of his Danifh ma- jeJly, to receive thefe troops into his territories.

It was therefore neceflary to come to a determination on this head, or to wait to fee the war kindled up afre(h. The battle of Rofbach happened on the 5th of November, foon after the arrival of that letter. The king could not forefee that France would then change her tone; he faw himfelf obliged to take meafures, in confe- quence of the declarations which he had been informed of, by the letter of Oftober 17, nor could he afterwards change them, when it at length pleafed the court of Ver- failles to come down, though very little, from her unjull: pretenfions. On one hand, he had already ad- drelTed himfclf to his Pruffian ma- jeily, and on the other, the pro- ceedings of France fhewed but too plainly, that he had reafon to be diffident of her fidelity. Befides, it is not true, that fhedefifted from the difarming cf all the auxiliary troops. In Marfhal Richelieu's letter of November 9, he makes only mention of the Heffians, and is fjlenc with regard to the fate of

the troops of Brunfwick ; laftly, (he never pronounced her pretcn- fions to keep the ftates of the king till a general peace.

It is plain, that during the con- tinuance of a negotiation, and be- fore every thing be regulated and. concluded, the two parties have a power to renounce their engage- ments. If all difficulties had been removed by the convention of Clofler-feven, what need was there of a new negotiation ? France per- filling to want further claufes and explications to be added to it, gave the king an inconteftible right to declare himfelf according to the nature of the fubjedl and circum- ftances.

Not content with having com- bated the motives, which engaged the king to take up arms, they criticife violently upon the manner in which that was executed, ' Had


 * there been, fay they, any honour-


 * able way of withdrawing from


 * the execution of that folemn aft,


 * it would have been to declare it


 * void, by putting themfelves in


 * the fame pofition they were be-


 * fore it was concluded; but in-


 * (lead of that the mofl odious


 * means were made ufe of to vio-


 * late that capitulation fuccefTively


 * and with impunity. The time


 * was fpun out for three months,


 * to find an opportunity to break


 * the convention. The French


 * army was fufFered to go to Hal-

' was feparated by the bad feafon,
 * berfladr, and they waited till it


 * They feized the opportunity of a


 * repulfe to come out of the limits


 * prefcribed them, under pretence


 * ofextending theirquarters.They

' poit?, under pretences equally
 * afterwards took advantageous

< made all. the difpoiitions for the
 * contrary to the convention. They

O 3 ' fiege