t begin with
her. The officer returning to acquaint the king with what had passed,
her majesty conjured the ministers of Prussia and England to remind
his majesty of his promise; but her representations had no effect:
the officer returned with fresh orders to use force, in spite of the
opposition she might make against it in person. The queen, finding
herself in danger of her life, at length withdrew: the doors were
forced, the chests broke open, and all the papers seized.]

[Footnote 388: Note 3 D, p. 388. The letter was to the following
effect:--"Veldt-Mareschal Count Rutowski, It is not without extreme
sorrow I understand the deplorable situation, which a chain of
misfortunes has reserved for you, the rest of my generals, and my whole
army; but we must acquiesce in the dispensations of Providence, and
console ourselves with the rectitude of our sentiments and intentions.
They would force me, it seems, as you gave me to understand by
major-general the baron de Dyherrn, to submit to conditions the more
severe, in proportion as the circumstances become more necessitous. I
cannot hear them mentioned. I am a free monarch: such I will live; such
I will die; and I will both live and die with honour. The fate of
my army I leave wholly to your discretion. Let your council of war
determine whether you must surrender prisoners of war, fall by the
sword, or die by famine. May your resolutions, if possible, be conducted
by humanity: whatever they may be, I have no longer any share in them;
and I declare you shall not be answerable for aught but one thing,
namely, not to carry arms against me or my allies. I pray God may have
you, Mr. Mareschal, in his holy keeping.--Given at Koningstein, the 14th
of October, 1756.
"AUGUSTUS, Kex."
"To the Veldt-Mareschal the Count Rutowski."

[Footnote 392: Note 3 E, p. 392. Rear-admiral Knowles being, in the
month of December, one thousand seven hundred and forty-nine, tried at
Deptford, before a court-martial, for his behaviour in and relating to
an action which happened on the first day of October in the preceding
year, between a British squadron under his command, and a squadron of
Spain, the court was unanimously of opinion, that the said Knowles,
while he was standing for the enemy, might, by a different disposition
of his squadron, have begun the attack with six ships as early in the
day as four of them were engaged; and that, therefore, by his neglecting
so to do, he gave the enemy