The Virginia Gazette

From the DAILY COURANTEER, May 9, 1745.

Extract of a private Letter from Cologn, dated May 4, 1745.

'Tis with the utmost Joy I can acquaint you, that the Measures rais'd by French Councils and Money, Princes of the Empire now begin to disperse. Our Elector, for a long Time saw through the Designs of the French; yet, tho' his Penetration was serviceable to himself, he was not able to convince the rest of the Princes of Germany; for if his Advice had prevailed, he would have saved this unhappy Country from the Devastations which it has for some Years suffered.

The Miseries the Empire hath felt, have at last convinced its Princes; and they are all at the Bottom united, to retaliate upon the French their Perfidy. To deceive the Deceiver is no Deceit; and the Elector of Bavaria is greatly to be praised for destroying the French Troops who ravaged his Country, and, in some Measure, enslaved his Province: Nothing but his prudent Caution being made Prisoner by the French. He, with the greatest Address, avoided of his Treating with the House of Austria, Could have secured him from there was the smallest Probability of a Reconciliation, 'til the Austrian that Blow; nor did the French suspect the Catastrophe of his Designs, or believe unions from his pretended French Allies, and their infatuated Ger- Troops were in such Forwardness, as to secure both his Person and Do- man Confederates. Now every Body in Publick tells his Sentiments, and the common Subject of Conversation here, is unravelling the Mystery of the French Politicks: by which, since the Death of the Emperor Body, which has been the Bulwark of Europe against the Turks; the Charles VI, they have been destroying the Great Germanick Body; that Defenders of Freedom against the Arts of Tyrants, and the Force of France.

Lewis the XIVth was disappointed in his Design of universal Monarchy, by Germans on the Bloody Day of Hocketdt, destroy'd that Veteran Army of the great Efforts of the Germanick Body. The English Army joining the the French which threatened Europe with Slavery. He had already Peef- But-Germany being united by the Victory of Hocketdt, and supported by the fion of the Spanish Monarchy, and Italy and Flanders were subject to him. ing to pursue their favourite Scheme of Universal Monarchy, took the Opportu- was rescued by the unfortunate Treaty of Utrecht. The French still resolv- Maritime Powers, brought France to the last Extremities one of which she tunity of the Election of Poland, to set up King Stanilaus, to draw thereby bition of the Court of Spain, and the Queen's Desire to advance the Princes the Austrian Troops toward that Frontier; whilst practising upon the Am- to come into this Scheme. To move this discerning Prince, they availed natural Interest of Spain. They also prevailed over the King of Sardinia her own Children to Crowns, they gained that Power to act contrary to the themselves of his ancient Hatred and Fear of the House of Austria, who in Lombardy. This, together with Hopes of great Acquisitions, and the had not complied with the Promises made for granting him some Possessions Imaginings that another Monarchy in Italy, and an Independent Prince of Austria, had too fatal an Effect. Thus the Kings of Sardinia and Spain, upon the Throne of Naples, might make a new Ballance against the House Interest of their States, joined in driving the House of Austria out of Italy, mised by their particular Interests, against the great, general, and immutable France seizes Lorrain, makes a Peace, and sacrifices to that Acquisition the King's own Father-in-Law, and all his Friends in Poland. At the same gainst Germany, and pretending all of a sudden, to a pacifick Disposition, Time they abandon'd the King of Sardinia, they stirr'd up the Turks a- Lorrain. When that was done, and they were ready for a second Enter- Julled Europe asleep, whilst they were settling their new Acquisition of prize, the Emperor Charles the VIth died, just at the Time the Councils of France could have wish'd his Demise. It was then their greatest Point to destroy Germany, but Things were not yet ripe for their openly declaring themselves; Europe was not weaken'd enough to submit to their Yoke, there- the Germanick Body, and raise up one Prince against another; that the fore they wisely resolved to destroy Germany by German Arms; to divide Maritime Powers, and the rest of Europe, might not apprehend that the in which they seemed to be but remotely concerned. The French upon therefore be engaged not to interest themselves in an expensive Land War, War was any other than a Difference amongst German Princes, and might this Occasion, exerted the most artful Engine of the old Roman Politicks; the System by which Rome became Mistress of Italy, and Empress of the and Favourites of the Courts of Europe, against each State's real Interest, World. They played off the private Passions of the Kings, the Ministers, and the general Interest of all. They hoped to destroy the greatest Power ingly, whilst the rest should be amused, and drawn to it still, and not help; and then it would be easy to swallow them up One by One. Towards vent giving the World universal Umbrage; and tho' Principals in the War, destroying that Power, they took the Pretence of assisting their Allies, to pre- they assumed the fictitious Name of Auxiliaries.

Charles the VIth. laid down an universal System for Destroying the House The French thus resolved to take Advantage of the Death of the Emperor of Austria (their great Antagonist) and dissolving the Germanick Body. They extended their Designs thro' all the Courts of Europe, and, I may say, Asia and America was not forgot in their Consideration, The Scheme was so vast, it was not suspected nor comprehended, 'til the Execution of Part made it evidently felt in Germany. It is to be hoped this great System will fail by its own Immensity; as Engines of too mighty a Size are destroyed by their own Bulk: Doubtless it will be amusing to you to hear what is generally said upon this important Subject here. They say that France first gained Spain, by accommodating themselves to the Queen's Interest; the ruling Passion of that Court being to acquire Dominions for the younger Branches in Italy; therefore they were to secure the Help of Spain again She Interest of Spain. They attempted to gain the King of Sardinia, but he being grown older and wiser, was not to be deluded by an Offer of the Milanese; however they occupied his Forces by the Spaniards, nor did they neglect the Assistance, even of the Italian Duke of Modena and the State of Genoa. They attempted to lull the English, as they had done, for Twenty Years past; but the Alteration of the Pacifick Ministry, by an inward Con vulsion unforeseen by them, prevented the Effect of that Part of their System. Holland was too considerable to be omitted in their Plan; they therefore address'd themselves to the Ruler; attempted to stir up their Jealousy of the Prince of Orange, and the Power of a Stadtholder, which must be the Consequence of a Land War. The whole Drift of their Politicks there, was to gain the People in Power, and prevail with them to follow Pa- cifick Measures, and to lull them into a soft State of Indolence. They stirr'd up their ancient Friends the Swedes to raise up Jealousies in Denmark, which would keep the Danes at least at Home; but they found the Face of the North much changed, they could not bring down the Swedes into the Empire, as Cardinal Richelieu had done Gustavus Adolphus. Sweden took its Measures from Russia; for having, at the French Instigation, attempted an unfortunate War against her, they were, by that Loss sustained therein, fallen entirely under the Influence of Muscovy, France then thought to gain the Russians; but the Czarina being too wise to aid in the Destruction of her own Empire, by giving France the Dominion over the rest of Europe, they resolved to remove the Person of the Empress; and the Marquis de la Chetardie is said to have been discovered tampering in a most Black Design against that Wise and Generous Empress. The French strove also to provoke the Turks to invade Hungary; and, perhaps, they might have complied, but that they were luckily engaged in another War, against a Power too mighty for them.

Having formed their System with respect to all the surrounding Powers, they made their greatest Efforts in Germany, and gained the House of Ba- varia with the plausible Hope of an Imperial Diadem and Part of the Suc- cession of the House of Austria. The Saxons, with another Part of that Succession. The Prussians, by stirring up ancient Claims upon Silesia. The lesser Princes of Germany, with the Hopes of retrieving those Dominions, which the House of Austria had gathered in a Succession of Ages from them. They availed themselves of the Hatred the Protestants justly bore to that Family. They engaged Marshal Seckendorff, in the Name of the Duke of Bavaria, whom they set up for Emperor. They thought the Marshal's pri- vate Wrongs would blind his Eyes, by the Hatred of the House of Austria, So as not to see the Designs of the House of Bourbon, His Character, and the Affections of the Protestants to him, gave a Plausibility to their Un- dertakings, and a Facility towards engaging the Hessians, Palatines, and other Troops, for Pay. After they had by their Artifices wrought on these Allies to come to a Rupture with the House of Austria, they were called in as Auxiliaries by those whom they had thus instigated. They set on German against German; preserving their own Troops, in Hopes, that when both Parties were weaken'd by continual War, they might swallow up the Whole.----There can be no stronger Evidence of this, than the Beha- viour of the French to the King of Prussia. This Monarch the French re- solved to engage in lessening the House of Austria; not only for the Destruction of that House, but also to weaken Him; for they well knew, that if the House of Austria was destroyed, and that the House of Brandenburg, the Saxons, and Northern Germans, were preserved in full Strength and Power, they might impede their favourite View of Universal Monarchy. Every one remembers the Treatment given him by the French Army in Silesia; whilst they saved themselves, he was left to stand the Brunt; and his Troops sacri- ficed to the Fury of the Austrians, to give Safety to the French. In every Action it was the Bavarians, the Hessians, the Palatines, and the German Mercenaries, that were posted to blunt the Edges of the Hungarian Swords, whilst the French Troops were preserved as mild and safe Spectators of the Combat. The Saxons were by these Means also to have been drawn into the Schemes of the French; but that Court soon saw the Designs of France, and separated from them; and we all hope, that so great and judicious a Prince as his Prussian Majesty, doth not neglect taking proper Measures for saving himself and indemnifying his Subjects, for the Blood they have lost by the Perfidy of that treacherous Court.

The polite Conversation here now turns upon this Subject; the very Ladies declaim against the Politicks of France, and wonder how the World could be so absurd as to be deceived by them. Every Company repeats. How the French have abandon'd and destroy'd every Prince whom they could pre- vail on to accept of their Support. King Stanilaus, the James II, of Eng- land, are not only mentioned, but the Story of James the Vth of Scotland, the Dukes of Burgundy and Brittany, are often recited; who were first stirred up, and then abandoned by France. Nor is the famous Treatment of the De Witts forgotten; who so faithfully served Lewis XIVth, that they disarmed their Country to that Degree, relying upon his Promises, that he almost over-run it in one Campaign, in the Year 1672; and by that precipitate Conquest, sacrificed them to their enraged Countrymen. But nothing is so much excla- giated upon, as this barbarous Usage the Court of France gave to his last Em- bassador. Det.s
Dreadful Mortality, the Late Elector of Bavaria; Humanity is shocked at the Thought of the Ingratitude and Cruelty with which this Prince was treated, considering how faithful his Father had been to France; who delivered Flanders to them, bore a voluntary Exile in their Behalf; who having lost his fertile Country, and his charming Town and Palace of Munich, did the Service of a Soldier, as well as a General, in their Wars; kept up an Army of the Friends who followed his Adversity, and was the great Support of France under their Misfortunes in the late War; when their own Generals behaved like Madmen, and their Troops like Cowards. France, under Pretence of Gratitude for this Behaviour of his Father, assured the Son that they would give him an Imperial Crown; but it proved a Crown of Thorns. The French Auxiliary Armies forced the Electors of Germany to choose an Emperor; and from a free and powerful Prince, made the Bavarian a weak and pensionary Emperor to France. The General of the French Auxiliaries was indeed a Jailor to the German Emperor; they left his Hereditary Dominions a Prey to his Enemies, and his Person to the Mercy of the King of England; whose Generosity gave that Protection to him, and his Family, which French Allies would not. When his generous Enemy, the Queen of Hungary, was possessed of his Hereditary Dominions, and spared and protected them as her own, the Victor using and intreating the Vanquished to be good to himself, and his Country, the French forced him to irritate that generous Enemy, and his French Friends contributed towards destroying his Dominions, which his Enemies spared. Nor was the Treatment of the Son less inhuman than that of his Father; when his Imperial Majesty died of a broken Heart, and the utmost Torments of an afflicted Mind and worn out Body, occasioned by the cruel Usage of his pretended Friends, the French General pulled off the Mask, and dictated to the present Elector as if he had been his Prisoner; but his Serene Highness, with great Temper and Moderation bore all their Insults, 'til he rescued himself, and Country, by a refined Stroke of honest Politicks, as the French had subjected it by dishonest Artifices.