o into winter-quarters.
If he think of invading, across that eaten Country and those bad
Mountains,--well, our troops can all be got together in six hours' time.

At Trautenau, a week after Sohr, Friedrich had at last received the
English ratification of that Convention of Hanover, signed 26th August,
almost a month ago; not ratified till September 22d. About which there
had latterly been some anxiety, lest his Britannic Majesty himself might
have broken off from it. With Austria, with Saxony, Britannic Majesty
has been entirely unsuccessful:--"May not Sohr, perhaps, be a fresh
persuasive?" hopes Friedrich;--but as to Britannic Majesty's breaking
off, his thoughts are far from that, if we knew! Poor Majesty: not long
since, Supreme Jove of Germany; and now--is like to be swallowed
in ragamuffin street-riots; not a thunder-bolt within clutch of him
(thunder-bolts all sticking in the mud of the Netherlands, far off), and
not a constable's staff of the least efficacy! Consider these dates in
combination. Battle of Sohr was on THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 30th:--

"SUNDAY preceding, SEPTEMBER 26th, was such a Lord's-Day in the City of
Edinburgh, as had not been seen there,--not since Jenny Geddes's stool
went flying at the Bishop's head, above a hundred years before. Big
alarm-bell bursting out in the middle of divine service; emptying all
the Churches ('Highland rebels just at hand!')--into General Meeting of
the Inhabitants, into Chaos come again, for the next forty hours.
Till, in the gaunt midnight, Tuesday, 2 A.M., Lochiel with about 1,000
Camerons, waiting slight opportunity, crushed in through the Netherbow
Port; and"--And, about noon of that day, a poor friend of ours,
loitering expectant in the road that leads by St. Anthony's Well, saw
making entry into paternal Holyrood,--the Young Pretender, in person,
who is just being proclaimed Prince of Wales, up in the High-street
yonder! "A tall slender young man, about five feet ten inches high; of
a ruddy complexion, high-nosed, large rolling brown eyes; long-visaged,
red-haired, but at that time wore a pale periwig. He was in a Highland
habit [coat]; over the shoulder a blue sash wrought with gold; red
velvet breeches; a green velvet bonnet, with white cockade on it and
a gold lace. His speech seemed very like that of an Irishman; very sly
[how did you know, my poor friend?];--spoke often to O'Sullivan [thought
to be a person of some counsel; had been Tutor to Maillebois's Boys,