ee reno 
ed. 
HISTORY OF EUROPE. 
The river Weser was now the last 
line of defence for the Hanoverian 
army; the banks of it were well 
planted with artillery, and it ap- 
peared as if the passage of it would 
be attended with some difficulty. 
The town of Nicubourg was the 
Hanoverian head quarters, against 
which general Mortier was in full 
march, when a deputation arrived 
from the civil and military autho- 
tities of the regency of Hanover, to 
-intreat him to suspend his marci ; 
which he positively refused, until 
they had signed a convention, a- 
greeing to put him in possession of 
the entire electorate, and all the 
strong places dependent upon it, 
together with all the artillery, arms, 
and ammunition. The Hanoverian 
army were, by the conditions of 
this convention, to retire behind the 
Elbe, and to engaze not to serve 
during the war, against France or 
her allies, until regularly exchang- 
The terms of the convention 
were, however, conditional, de- 
pending entirely on the ratifieation 
of it by the first consul and his 
Britannic majesty. It was evident, 
however, that his majesty could 
not ratify this convention, as king 
ef Great Britain; and as elector 
of Hanover it would have amount- 
ed almost to a renunciation of 
his sovereignty, were he to con- 
sent to such terms as those,— 
On the 5th of June the French 
ere in possession of the city of 
ae where they found a pro- 
digious quantity of artillery and 
ammunition. besides the absolute 
value of the electorate asa conquest, 
which enabled them to remount 
their cavalry and recruit their trea- 
sury, the French were now masters 
ef the navigation of the Elbe and 
285° 
Weser, and were determined to use 
their power there to the injury of 
the British commerce in Germany. 
Being now in the immediate neigh- 
bourhood of the rich commercial 
Hanse towns of Hamburgh and 
Bremen, they were also enabled, 
under the shape of loans, to levy 
considerable sums of money upon 
them; and were the continental 
powers patient, under this outrage- 
ous violation of the German ein- 
pire, there seemed but little pros- 
pect of the possibility of limiting 
their future encroachments. Under 
all those circumstances, there can 
be no doubt but that the conquest 
of Hanover was a most important 
and advantageous acquisition to 
France, which she had been al- 
lowed to make without the slightest 
opposition from the English govern= 
ment. The real value of Hanover 
was not generally known or undes- 
stood, until France had possessed 
herself of it. It had always been 
one of the vulgar prejudices 6f the 
English nation, (there were occa- 
sionally also ministers to be found, 
who, in order to court popularity, 
gave it their support,) that Hanover 
was rather to be considered as a clog 
and an incumbrance to Great Bri- 
tain than an advantageous posses- 
sion: but when it was seen how 
eager France was to ease his ma- 
jesty of that incumbrance, the tide 
of popular opinion ran the contrary 
way, and, whether with respect to 
the honor or interest of the nation, 
the great majority of the people 
began to think that it should have 
been defended and imaintained.— 
The conguest of Hanover was un- 
doubtedly of the atmost conse- 
quence to France, at the same time 
that it limited Ler conquests in the 
course 
