Page:The Annual Register 1758.djvu/233

 STATE


 * endeavours were ufcd to turn the

' war, in order to gain the affiiance
 * war in Germany into a religious

' the concurrence of the king of < Pruffia was obtained by fiatter-
 * of the Proieltant princes: That

' of a new aggrandifement, at the ' expence ol the emprefs queen :
 * ing his ambition with the hopes

' in a public newt paptr, re-
 * AnJ thit the King of Pruiria,


 * proaches the King of Great Bri-


 * tain as being the ftrit mover of


 * this war.'

If the queft'on, which of the two poAcrs is to be confidered as the author of the "var in Germany, is to be decided by the advantages to be reaped from it by fuch party, the impartial publicwould be at no lofs to give its judgment. They mult be very ignorant, indeedj who imagine that the forces of England are not able to refill thofe of France, unlefs the latter be hinder- ed fjoiii turning all her efforts to the fea. In cafe of a war upon the continent, the two powers mull pay fubfidies ; only with this diffe- rence, that France can employ her own land forces and afpire at con- queils. Nothing can be more odious, or more groundlefs, than the reproach of the pretended de- fign to procure fubiidies to Hano- verian troops.

The king defrayed the expences of the campaign of 1757 at his Ovvn proper charge, and except the payment which the Hedian troops received from England, that crown contributed only aoOjOool. Ikrling to that campain : a fum which, it is eafy to fee, was fuffi- cient hut for a fmall part of the necefiary expences. Had it been in the power of the king to fhun this war, the Hanoverian troops would have had no need of fubfidies.

PAPERS. 219

Can it be imagined, that the king would have dellred to purchafe thefe fubiidies at the price of the danger to wii ci he expofed his German dominions, in cafe the French armies ihould penetraie to the heart of the empire? Every one may eafily fee what the Protef- tants had to expe6t from the court of Verfaille?. It was no:, there- fore without reafon that this ohjeft was recommended to the confidera- ticn of :he Prjteitarnt powers and dates of the empire; but the king was fo far irom ufing this motiva to excite a war on the continent, that he had nothing more at heart than to prevent it.

The King of Pruffia has pub- lilTied to the world the reafons that forced him to take arms. We leave the impartial to judge, whether thefe reafons were not lufficient of themfelves, without any view of aggrandifement, to kindle up a war between that prince and the emprefs queen; at leafl it can never be imputed to the king, who expofed his facred perfon, and alfa the blood and treafure of his fub- jedls, to fave the houle of Aullria, that he occafioned the prefent troubles, that lay wade the em- pire, with a vitw to dillrefs that houfe.

The French minillry are very fenfible cf all the weaknefs of thefe pretended conjeclures. Hence they have rcccurfe to a letter which his Pruflian majefty is faid to have written to the king. Can there be a more f^rinai acknowledgment that they Wan' foMJ proofs, than their having recourie to a writing which bears the molt evident marlcs of falfity and forg-ry, and which only have proceeded from the wicked hearts of thofe who are not alhamed to ule venal pen?, to forge

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