1* 
084 
to defend their country to the last 
drop of their blood! It was not to 
be expected that such proclama- 
tions, at such a time, could have 
produced any good effect; if in- 
deed the inhabitants of the electo- 
rate had been previously armed and 
organized, they would doubtless 
have been able to repulse a much 
greater force than general Mortier 
commanded ; but to suppose that 
citizens and peasants were to form 
efiective armies, at a moment’s no- 
tice, and when the enemy were Just 
entering their country, was altoge- 
ther as absurd as it was unreason- 
able. The duke of Cambridge, it 
is true, pledged himself to share all 
their dangers, but his situation dif- 
fered very materially from that of 
the Hanoverian people. In case of 
defeat, a frigate was always ready 
to carry his royal highness back to 
England ; but for the: army orinha- 
bitants of thatstate, there was no re- 
treat, after having irritated the pow- 
erot France by anopposition, which 
must have been fruitless, while they 
were unsupported by any auxilary 
means whatever, It was therefore not 
very surprizing that they paid more 
attention to the proclamations of the 
French general, than to that of the 
English prince. General Mortier 
told them, in his address, that ‘‘ he 
had heard of proclamations dictat- 
ed by the blindest fury, for the 
purpose of drawing them into a 
contest, to which they ought to be 
strangers, and desired them to pre- 
serve ‘themselves from an aggression 
equally absurd and useless, of which 
they alone would be the victims.” 
To this advice the Hanoverians 
distened, and positively refused to 
‘aise in mass, for the purpose of 
ANNUAL REGISTER, 
“inhabitants capable of bearing arms, 
1895. 
opposme the French. The opposition — 
therefore which that power experi- 
enced from the regulararmy of Han- 
over, is hardly worth detailing. On 
the 26th of May, the invading army 
entered the town of Bentheim, — 
where the JTanoverian garrison, con- 
sisting of an officer and thirty-six 
men, surrendered themselves pri- 
soners of war. On the 28th, the 
French force passed the river Ems, 
at Mippen, and the next day a 
body of 10,000 entered the princi- 
pality of Osnaburgh, which had 
been evacuated by the Hanoverians, 
The main body of the latter, com- 
manded by general Walmoden, and 
amounting to near 18,000 regulars, 
appeared determined to make a 
stand in their positions, on the 
Hunte; and general Hammerstein 
occupied the town of Dicphoitz, 
with a considerable force of infan- 
try, cavalry, and artillery. The 
French immediately prepared to dis- 
Jodee them: a division of their in- 
fantry, under the command of 
general Schiner, and another of 
cavalry, under the orders of gene- 
ral Nansouty, forced the passage of 
the Hunte, and directed their 
march to publinges with a view of 
cutting of whatever force might be 
stationed between that town and 
Diepholtz. General Hammerstein, 
finding his right turned by this 
manure, was obliged to retreat 
in the night, to Borstoen. On the 
Ist there was asmart skirmish, be- 
tween a Hanoverian rear guard and 
the French advanced pickets. On 
the 2d, notwithstandinga severe can- 
nonade from the Hanoverian army, 
general Drouet, who commanded 
the French Saeed army, attack- 
ed them, and after a charge of 
cavalry, obliged them to retire 
The 
