NDGRAVE OF HESSE-CASSEL.

No alteration in the terms of this alliance was produced by the death
of William, landgrave of Hesse-Cassel, who breathed his last, in an
advanced age, on the twenty-eighth day of January, at Rintelen upon the
Weser. He was succeeded in the landgraviate by his son Frederick, whose
consort, the princess Mary, daughter to the king of Great Britain,
now, in quality of governess of her children, assumed the regency and
administration of the county of Hanau-Muntzenberg, by virtue of the
settlement made in the lifetime of her father-in-law, and confirmed by
her husband. She had for some years been separated from him, and resided
with his father, at whose decease she retired with her children to
the city of Zell. The present landgrave, who lived at Magdebourg as
vice-governor under the kin g of Prussia, no sooner learned the news of
his father's death, than he sent an intimation of it to that prince and
the king of Great Britain; declaring, at the same time, that he would
scrupulously adhere to the engagements of his predecessor.

{GEORGE II. 1727-1760}

OFFERS MADE BY THE NEUTRAL POWERS, &c.

The advances towards a peace, which had been made in the preceding year
by the kings of England and Prussia, in their declaration published at
the Hague by prince Louis of Brunswick, seemed to infuse in the neutral
powers a good opinion of their moderation. We have already seen that the
king of Spain offered his best offices in quality of mediator. When a
congress was proposed, the states-general made an offer of Breda, as
a place proper for the negotiation. The king of Great Britain, by the
mouth of his ambassador, thanked their high mightinesses for the sincere
desire they expressed to put an end to the ravages of war, which had
extended desolation over the face of Europe: he readily closed with
their gracious offer; and in consequence of his high regard and
invariable friendship for their high mightinesses, wished earnestly
that it might be acceptable to the other powers at war. The French king
expressed his sentiments nearly to the same purpose. His ambassador
declared, that his most christian majesty was highly sensible of the
offer they had made of Breda for holding the congress; that, in order
to give a fresh proof of his sincere desire to increase the good harmony
that subsisted between him and the states-general, he accepted their
offer with pleasure; butas he could take no step without the con