1806.] 



Conduct of (he French in Hanover. 



109 



The remoter parts of the country were, 

 however, nut without their ihare of the 

 diltrels. Contributions in kind were in- 

 troduced in lieu of thoi'e in money. — 

 Every peafant was obliged to furnilh the 

 niagixzines with corn and forage ; tiie pro- 

 ponion of his fupplies being regulated by 

 the extent of his land. The provifion 

 was then duly rated, and the peafant re- 

 ceived for the value bonds at five per cent. 

 And however good the interell might be, 

 the poor peafant was thus deprived of 

 corn, hay, and money, the want of wliich 

 ho could not replace e>:cept at a treble 

 coll. 



Bcfides, the peafants were obliged, in 

 their turn, to furnilh their quota of wag- 

 gons, horfes, and carters, in part for the 

 cndlefs conveyances bcf ire-meutioned. — 

 Without calculating the wear and tear in 

 this cafe, it is fufticient to conlider the 

 lofs of time and the interruption of his 

 famiing buiinefs as a real opprelfion, efpe- 

 ciaily when, in addition to extraordinary 

 calls, he was liable to be taken from his 

 work in any feaibn, and compelled to 

 drive a few French ofticcrs to a ball. 



Had the Ibldiery, who are generally 

 liberal with their money, been allowed to 

 fpend their pay in our country, the poor 

 inhabitants would have experienced in 

 thatfyltem one coniidcrable relief: but 

 the Government of France took the moll 

 effectual meafures to prevent this, by 

 keeping back their pay eight or ten 

 months, and, in fact, until they had palled 

 tlie Hanoverian frontiers. Bcfides, the 

 French commiffaries and generals, who 

 amalVed the greatcll funis, fent all they 

 could fpare to France, by which Hanover 

 was, in fact, drained of all its wealth. 



The effects of thefe meafures were too 

 quickly vifible throughout the country. 

 Men of property were obliged to con- 

 fume their capitals, and thoi'e in inferior 

 circumllances to borrow at extravagant 

 interell, as long as money was to be bor- 

 rowed at any rate ; but this refource at 

 length failing to numbers who could not 

 give ample fecurity, they had no alterna- 

 tive but beggary or emigration. 



Every one retrenched in his expences, 

 which was only an aggravation of the 

 univerfal mifery. Thole who had li\ed 

 by tin; luxuries of the great experienced 

 firll the hardlhips of poverty, from the 

 want of employment and increafe of ex- 



fiences. Of courfe, tliofe towns in whicii 

 uxury was moll prevalent were the firfl 

 viftims of the extortions of the enemy ; 

 but the evil at length reached every clafs, 

 from the loweft to the highell, Yet per- 



haps of this latter defcription, none wer« 

 more to be pitied than tlie civil otiiccrs of 

 the Hate; wlio, accuftoiucd, lioin their 

 rank and education, to a commodious 

 way of living, were expofed to greater 

 facritices than other people in lo\ver con- 

 ditions. A cruel retrenchment was made 

 in their falaries, and the remaining allow- 

 ances were irregularly paid, and fre- 

 quently altogether neglected. Kedicfs, 

 in fucli cafes, w as out oi the quellioii, for 

 lawfuits would only have increafed the 

 evil. Thofe, therefiire, who could not 

 emigrate to England, llullla, or fome 

 other place, were compelled to fubmit to 

 their misfortunes. 



Ill confequence of tlie glaring diflrefs, 

 frequent petitions were addrelfed to Bo- 

 naparte for a relief from part of the bur- 

 den at lealt ; to which he aiifwcrcd, in his 

 ufual affected llyle, " I do not u,ijh the 

 Hunoveriun people to be ruined ; and I 

 uijh t/ie French name to be honoured 

 among them." And on another occalian 

 he declared, " he \voiild do whatever he 

 could to fpare the land, die iituation of 

 which he lincerely lamented." But uot- 

 withllanding thefe affurances, it was not 

 until the end of 1803 that any diminution 

 took place in the number of troops fta- 

 tioneel in Hanover, when feven of the 

 30,0U0 were ordered to France, and an- 

 other removal took place in the fummer 

 of 1805, leaving 20,000 in the country, 

 which were finally reduced to oOOO whea 

 the late unfortunate conteft demanded 

 their fervices in another part of Ger- 

 imuiy. 



Barbou remained in Hanover with this 

 finall body of French, until the approach 

 of the Prufiians rendered it neccllary for 

 them to retire to llarael. Previous to 

 his departure, he tried to extort from the 

 Government another million of dollars, 

 by declaring, that in cafe of refufal he 

 would fet fire to the town : but while the 

 minilters were deliberating about their 

 anfwer, the Prufiians made fuch hafly 

 advances, as rendered it necelVary for the 

 French to march without delay. As foon 

 as tliey reached Harael they devaflated 

 the fuburbs, by deftroyini; the gardens 

 and pulling down tlie houl'es, the wood 

 of which they converted into firing. In 

 the fortrefs itfelf they took polieflion of 

 every thing they wanted for their own 

 ufe, turning the poor people out of their 

 beds or the cottages, as they found occa- 

 fion for either. Even the graves of the 

 dead were not exempt from plunder, 

 and they took up feveral colKns for the 

 fake of the wood and the Uiiils. From 



oue 



