[PDF]Considerations on the present German war

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A Memorial to the Founder
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CONSIDERATIONS


ON THE PRESE N^


GERMAN WAR.


^'^.efc^M


LONDON:

Printed for John Wilkie, at the Bible, in St, Paul'j
Church-Yard, 176®.'


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ADVERTISEMENT.

AS the Author of thefe Confideratlons has
ventured to differ from the commonly re-
ceived opinion, it may be of ufe to confirm his fen-
timents with the highefl: and mod unexceptionable
authority ; that of his FrufTian Majefty, who, in
a writing, faid to have been drawn up by himfelf,
fpeaks in the following manner :

"AS no German prince has a right to meddle
with the internal policy of Great Britain, nor with the
conftitution of its government ; I have fome reafons
to hope, that the Englifn nation will not meddle
with the domeftic affairs of the Empire. And I
entertain thofe hopes the more; becaufe England
has no reafon to medc^Je with this quarrel from any
confideration of its ccn-,merce, or otherwife. And
although it had a greater inclination for one Ger-
man court than for another, yet I think it too un-
reafonable to pretend, tliat luch powerful and ref-
peftable princes, as thofe of the Empire are, lliould
be obliged to rule their conduct upon the inclina-
tions of thofe amongft the Englifh, who i^rive to

make


n ADVERTISEMENT.

make their countrymen enter into foreign quarrels,
that are of no manner of concern to England.'*

Refcript to a manifcflo of his Prufllan Majefty,
delivered and printed at tiie fame time, by his
jVliniller at London, in the year 1754.


C O N S I-


CONSIDERATIONS


ON THE PRESENT


GEPvMAN WAR.


^^^^^ H E author of the following Confide*
^?"rfi?N rations does not pretend to more know-
i fs ledge or better intelligence than other

&^^^3 perfons : he propofes only to offer to
the publick the calm difpaflionate reflec-
tions of a private man, upon the prefcnt (late of
our affairs, and the method we have lately chofen
of carrying on the war : Refledions, which appear
to him to be jufl, and which therefore he fuppofes
may approve thtrnfclvcs to the underftandings of
others his fellow fubjects, who fliali read them as
he intends to write, without any view to particular
men ; but to contribute that httle he is capable of
to the publick fervice. If his obfervations are falfe,
they will then be negkded : if they are true and
well founded, he is fure they are of importance
cno-'gh to defcrve our regard.


B


The


[ i 1

The only war, which England is at this time en-
gaged in, is a War with France. How much foever
our attention may be diverted, or our affedions
*i warped towards this or the other power of Europe;

yet that is the only State, which England is pro-
fefiedly at war with. France is its natural rival
in time of peace, and its only formidable enemy in
time of war. So far are we from having declared
war with any other State, that Britain has fcarce a
conteft fubfifting with any other power in Europe.
Ruflia, Sweden, Denmark, Holland, the Empire
of Germany, and the feveral particular States of it,
may each of them, at different times, wifh us well or
ill •, but Britain has now no oppofition of interell
with any of them, and in a general national rcfpeft
has very little to hope or fear from them.

If we take a comparative view of the ftrength of
the two nations, whatever may be faid at prefent of
our naval force, it mufl be allowed that France is
fuperior to us in its land force. Could we indeed
revive die old Gallic conftitution, which prevailed
under the pofterity of Hugh Capet ; when France
was divided, as Germany is now, among a number
of independent princes, who after paying homage
to the fovercign, made war with him, or one an-
other, as they pleafed : or had we the maritime
provinces in our own poflcffion, and the Dukes of
Burgundy and Bretat^ne for our allies ; we might
then carry on a war ot equally with the crown of
J'rance at land, and hope for fuch vidories as rhofe


[ 3 1

of CrefTy, Poi6tiers, and Agincourt. But from
the time when the whole of France was united to
the crown, and the liberties of the States and no-
bility abfolutely fubjeded to its power, the

kingdom of France has been, in the extent of ^^

its coiintry, the number of its inhabitants, and the ^ /

greatnefTof its revenue, fuperior to Britain. The '''^^^^'^

maps will teach us the firft of thefe ; all the wri- ^^hdl-hxJ^

ters on political arithmetic agree in the fecond ; and cv-Z^r^

the third we have learned the lafl: winter from a ^ ^ Um

gentleman, who, by being the mafter of our own ^"'^^^^ ^

finances, may be allowed to have the beft know- l^*^7^^^

lege of thofe of other countries : and whofe argument y /^//^

did not at all difpofe him to magnify the French ^f^^CVy*

N Revenue. "Ji^fU^J/-^^^

France is ftronger at land, not only than Orto^o^'
England, but than any other power in Europe.-^^iJ,^^^^
The Empire of Germany in the extent of its coun- ^^^
try, and the number of its inhabitants may be equal, ^V/ /
if not fuperior, to France ; but the divifion of it A''^^^^^
into a great number of feparate independent States, W^a2a Jrh
while France has its whole force united under one^ <<}tdJ'yk^-
abfolute monarch, renders Germany greatly infe-
rior to France. Hence it is, that France has for a
century pad been formidable to the reft of Europe j
and has twice been able to fupport a lono- war
againft the united alliance of the whole.

"Whenever any power in Europe (liall have grown
up to a degree of ftrength, much greater than that


[ 4 ]

of any other power -, it from thenceforward be-
comes the intereft of the other States, to be watch-
ful over it, to guard againft the growth of it, and
mutually to affift each other^ when they are at-
tacked by it. This is the univerfal maxim of poli-
tics, which has held good in all ages, from the
Brit eftablifhing of governments. Dum ftngidi
pugnaut, univerji vincuuiur, is related by ,the hif-
torian as a caufe of the extending the Roman
monarchy ; and mud be a principal, oi; at leaft
a concomitant caufe, in the growth of every other.

It was from this principle, that France and the

reft of Europe were jealous of Charles the Vth,

when Germany, Spain, and thp Netherlands, with

the Indies, were united under one head. ' " And

" all true Englifimen, f.nce the decay cj she Sparii/h

" monarchy y have. ever taken it for granted, that the

*' fecurity of their religion^ liberty and prcprty ; that

*' their hoKcur, their ivealth, and their trade depend

" chiefly upon thep'oper meafures to be taken from time

** to timeagainfl the growing pozver cf France.'' I'his

was the language of parliament in their addr^fs to

King William juft before his death-, and of that

Koufe of Commons, which has been thought his

wifeft, and to have beft confultcd the nation's

intereft.

The three powers of Europe, ,which are moft
indangcrcd by France, and which by their union
alone can carry on an cfiefiual land war againft

France


.


[ 5 ]

Fi-ance, are Germany, Holland, and England :
Spain, and Savoy, Ruffia, Denmark, and Sweden,
may any of them accede to fuch an alliance, but
Germany, Holland, and England, muft be the.
b,aris of every confederacy, which can be of any avail
againft the land power of France.

I never read the hiftory of the two grand alliarir
ces which were formed by King Wiliam againft
the growing povyer of France, without feeling the
warmeft fentiments of gratitude to that great deli-
verer of Europe. Never did' King of England ap-
pear with greater dignity, than he did in that great
Congrefs, held at the Hague in the year 1691,
when the Emperor and Em_pi^e, the Kings of Spain,
Sweden, and Denmark, by their feveral ambaifa-
dors, the Eleftors of Germany by their parti-
cular minifters, and (eve;ral of them in their own
pexfons, v/ith a,E leafl? fifty of the greateft Princes of
Germany, all attended to hear, him plead the caufa
of Europe ; and all joined in one common league
and declaration againil France. This was an augufl:
alliance worthy of a King of England to fight at the
head of. An alliance which brought down 200,000
men upon the French frontiers, befide thofe in Bri-
tilh pay *. And though King William was not

•: the

* Lewis XI\'th had generally five armies in the courfe of
this war ; fometimcs fix. End never lefs than four. Thofe ia
Germany and Flanders often amounted to joojcco foldiers ;
befide garrifons kept in the froiuier towns. The French mo-

, narch


I 6 ]

the moft fuccefsful warrior, yet the weight of this
alliance broke the power of the French, and made
them fue for thejjeaceofjRyfwick. And the oood
faith which was oblerved in the conducing that
treaty, and the equal regard, which was paid to
all the Princes concerned, gave fo general a fatif-
fadlion, as to lay a firm foundation of confidence
in the honour of the Englilh government ; and en-
abled King William to form a fecond like alli-
ance, when the death of the King of Spain, and the
fcizure of that whole monarchy for the grandfon of
France, made it neceflary.

France, in confequence of that firfl: alliance, be-
held five armies of 50,000 men each upon its fron-
tiers, three of them commanded by the Electors of
Bavaria, Saxony, and Brandenburgh, not fighting
with one another for the French diverfion, but in-
vading of France upon the Rhine, befide the grand
army of the Empire under the Duke of Lorrain,
and the united force of England and Holland in
Flanders. An J, though the ftrength of France
■was at length exhauflcd by contending with the
troops of all Europe -, yet the long oppofition,
which it made to the united efforts of Denmark,
Sweden, Germany, Savoy, Spain, Holland, and
England, proves the immenfe height of power,

jiarch had at one time, including his lard and naval forces,
450,000 men in pay. Neither the TurkiHi Empire, nor the
Roman, had cv«r fo many wars at once to lupport.
/* ^ 4 ^ 'k i *vf • y^^'^AiRE JeSiiic. cap. XV,

,^/a^ /m<^^^^^^;nr.^^^ ^^hich A


[ 7 ]

which that kingdom may arrive at, and the abfo-
hite necefTity there was of forming fuch an union.

We have fince heard fo much of the attempts of
France towards an univerfal monarchy, and the bal-
lance of power, neceflary to be preferved in op-
pofition to it ; and have feen it made a pretence for
fo many meaner purpofes ; that we now naufeate
the fubjed, and do not Hke to hear any more of it.
Yet a meafure, which was once right, muft con-
tinue to be right to eternity. And though
France may not have a Prince, equally able and
encerprizing with Lewis the XlVth yet the king-
dom is the fame, and its land forces are ftill for-
midable to Europe : at leaft, it is the only State
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