dised besides; the Landgrave of
Hesse-Cassel, who furnished 13,000 men, being guaranteed L10,281 per
annum, and the Hereditary Prince of Hesse, who furnished 688 men, L6000
annually. Moreover, it was objected that the King of England had ensured
the dominions of these princes against foreign attacks, while their
troops were employed in America. Finally, the opposition argued that it
was injudicious and dangerous to hire men who had nothing to do with the
quarrel in question. Lord Irnham, in opposing ministers, made a good use
of the weapons of ridicule. He remarked:--"I shall say little as to the
feelings of those princes who can sell their subjects for such purposes.
We have read of the humourist Sancho's wish,--'that, if he were a
prince, all his subjects should be blackamoors, as he could, by the sale
of them, easily turn them into ready money;' but that wish, however it
may appear ridiculous and unbecoming a sovereign, is much more innocent
than a prince's availing himself of his vassals for the purpose of
sacrificing them in such destructive war, where he has the additional
crime of making them destroy much better and nobler beings than
themselves." Other members maintained that these German soldiers,
on arriving in America, would be induced to accept lands from the
colonists, join the banner of independence, and fight against the
monarch who purchased their services. But argument was of no avail: the
question for referring the treaties to a committee was carried by two
hundred and forty-two to eighty-eight, and subsequently for agreeing to
the report by one hundred and twenty to forty-eight. One amendment was
carried on the motion of Colonel Barre, namely, for an address to his
majesty to equip the German troops with British manufactures.

In the house of lords the whole strength of the opposition was arrayed
against the treaties. The Duke of Richmond moved an address not only
to countermand all foreign troops, but to forego hostilities. His grace
observed, in his speech, that ever since the year 1702, the German
princes had been rising in their demands; that the present bargain was
harder than any former one; and that the cost of the mercenaries
engaged would not be less than one million and a half annually. He then
animadverted on the large proportion of officers employed, and pointed
out the danger of keeping so many foreigners under their own generals.
He took occasion, also, to speak again of the unseen, overr