od and inclination, as well as interest,
supposed warmly attached to his Britannic majesty. The truth is, the
king of Prussia recommended him to this command, because he knew he
could depend upon his concurring with all his measures, in conducting
the operations of the British army. The duke de Richelieu was no
sooner informed of these particulars, than he sent a letter to prince
Ferdinand, specifying, "That although for some days he had perceived
the Hanoverian troops in motion, in order to form themselves into a
body, he could not imagine the object of these movements was to infringe
the convention of neutrality which had been established between the
duke of Cumberland and himself, as French general; that he was blinded
so far by his confidence in the good faith of the elector of Hanover,
who had signed that convention, as to believe the troops were assembled
for no other purpose than to be distributed into winter-quarters, which
had been assigned them by the agreement; but his eyes were at last
opened by repeated advices which he had received from all quarters,
importing, that the Hanoverians intended to infringe those articles
which ought to be sacred and inviolable; he affirmed, the king his
master was still willing to give fresh proofs of his moderation, and his
desire to spare the effusion of human blood: with that view he declared
to his serene highness, in the name of his most christian majesty, that
he persisted in his resolution of fulfilling exactly all the points of
the convention, provided that they should be equally observed by the
Hanoverian army; but he could not help apprising his serene highness,
that if this army should take any equivocal step, and, still more,
should it commit any act of hostility, he would then push matters to the
last extremity, looking upon himself as authorized so to do by the rules
of war: that he would set fire to all palaces, houses, and gardens;
sack all the towns and villages, without sparing the most inconsiderable
cottage, and subject the country to all the horrors of war and
devastation. He conjured his serene highness to reflect on these
particulars, and begged he would not lay him under the necessity of
taking steps so contrary to his own personal character, as well as to
the natural humanity of the French nation." To this letter, which was
seconded by the count de Lynar, the Danish ambassador, who had mediated
the convention, prince Ferdinand returned a very laconic ans