ai4 ANNUAL REGISTER, 1758.
truft his uncle, an uncle, who hath done fo much honour to his houfe 1 Could he believe that this uncle would deprive him of liberty 1 a liberty never refufed to the lowell oflicer. I ordered him to make a tour to Holland : could not the loweft officer have done as much ? Let us fuppofe for a moment, that my troop5, among whom he ferved, were to have ftaid uiih the Ha- noverians, would it not ftill have been in my power to give an officer leave of abfence, or even leave to refign his commiffion ? And would you, my dear brother, hinder your brother, the head of your family, and of fuch a family as OUTS, to exercife this right with regard to a fon who is the heredita- ry prince, ofwhoT' rights and pre- rogatives you cannot be ignorant ? It is iinpoirible that you could have conceiv d fnch deiigns without the fuggeftion pf others. Thofe wlio did fuggell ihem have trampled on the rights of nature, of nations, and of the princes of Germany: they have induced you to add, to the infraflion of all thefe, the moll cruel jnfuk on a brother whom you love, and who loves you. Would you have your brozher lay his jull complaints againft you before the whole empire, and all Europe? Is not your proceeding without exam-
ple ? What is Germany become ! What are its princes, and what is our lioufe, in particular, become '. Is it the interelt of the two kings, the caufe of your country, and my caufe, that you pretend to fupport ? — I repeat it, brother, that this de- fjgn could never have been framed by you. I again comman ^ my Ton to purfue his journey, and I cannot conceive that you will give any ob- flrudion. If you (hould (which I pray God avert !) I Ademnly de- clare to you, that I (hall not be con drained by fuch means, and that I (hi.][ never forget what 1 owe to niyfelf.
As to my troops, you may fee what I have written on that head to the Hanoverian minillry. The Di ke of Cumberland, by the con- vention of Cloiter- feven, difmifi'ed them and fent them home : the faid minillry gave me notice of this convention as what bound me : the march of the troops was fr-ttled : aa incident happening, they halted ; the obilacle being removed, they were to have continued theirmarch. The court of Hanover will no longer be bound by the conven- tion ; whilit I not only accepted it on their word ; but have alfo, in conformity to their inllruftions, ne- gociated at Ver failles and Vienna*.
After
- It fhould feem that the Flanoverian miniftry, forefeeing what would
happen, advifed the Duke of Brunfwick, even before the convention of Cloller-feven was concluded, to make his peace with France ; for that convention was figned Sept. lo, and the duke's minilter figned at Vien- na the following treaty with France, ten days after; a fpace too fhort to fend from Brunfwick to Paris, and from Paris to Vienna.
1, The king (hall keep pofieffion of the cities of Brunfwick and WoI» fenbuttle, while the war ialls ; and the general of his majefly's forces ihall make ufe of the artillery, arms, and military ftcre?, in the arfe-. nals of thofe two town?.
2. The Duke of Brunfwick (hall, when his troops return from the Puke of Cumberland's camp, difband them in his own country. Their
arms
I t
