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20 acquitted him. The expedition served only in England to increase and imbitter our dissensions, and to turn our attention to vain disputes. It did nothing towards relieving the King of Prussia.

The Russians, who had made for a long time a dilatory march, and seemed uncertain of their own resolutions, all at once hastened their motions. They entered the Ducal Prussia under M. Apraxin and General Fermer, and marked their progress by a thousand inhuman cruelties. A large body of Austrians entered Silesia, and penetrated as far as Breslau. Then they made a turn backwards, and laid siege to the important fortress of Schweidnitz, justly considered as the key of that dutchy, which was the cause of the war. Another body entered Lusatia, and made themselves masters of Zittau. Twenty-two thousand Swedes pierced into the Prussian Pomerania, took the towns of Anclam and Demmein, and laid the whole country under contribution. Richelieu, freed from all opposition on the side of Hanover, made his way into Halberstad, and the old Marche of Brandenburg, first exacting contributions, and then plundering the towns. The army of the Empire, reinforced by that of Prince de Soubise, after many delays, was at last on full march to enter Saxony; this left the Austrians at liberty to turn the greatest part of their forces to the reduction of Silesia. General Haddick pierced through Lusatia, passed by the Prussian armies, and suddenly presenting himself before the gates of Berlin, laid the King of Prussia's capital under contribution; and though he retired on the approach of a body of Prussians, yet he still kept possession of his former post, in order to interrupt the communication of the King with Silesia. The fate which seemed to have threatened the Empress some months ago, was now looked upon as the certain lot of her antagonist. All his endeavours to retrieve his affairs had hitherto been equally brave and unsuccessful. General Lehwald had orders at any hazard to engage the Russians:

with thirty thousand he attacked double that number strongly entrenched, at a place called Norkitten; but after several of those wonderful efforts which the Prussians alone know how to make, he was compelled to retire; but he retired in excellent order, without being pursued, having killed five times more of the enemy, than he had lost of his own men, and more formidable after his defeat, than the Russians after their victory. The King of Prussia exerted himself upon every side; his enemies almost always fled before him; but whilst he pursued one body, another gained in some other part upon him, and the winter came on fast, as his strength decayed, and his adversaries multiplied from every quarter. The following letter, which appeared in the public papers about this time, paints the condition of that distressed monarch, in so full a manner, that I shall attempt no other description of it.

"Many persons, who saw the King of Prussia, when he passed lately through Leipsic, cannot express how much he is altered. They say he is so much worn away, that they scarce knew him. This, indeed, is not to be wondered at; he hath not a body of iron, like Charles XII. and he endures as great fatigues as he did. He is as much on horseback as Charles was, and