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roughness, than all the universities and voluminous libraries in Europe. Twelve months residence, in a polite foreign court, will refine a young man's manners, and bring him nearer to that most desireable and enviable of all characters, a perfect, easy, and fine gentleman, than an age of attendance on the pompous, pedantic, periwigged pride of all the learned doctors of the age, vomiting forth, with volcanic force, streams of Hebrew, Greek, and Latin lava. I would rather sit in company with two or three sensible and well-bred women, than all the Doctor Johnsons that centuries have produced; for a well-bred woman can be guilty of an indelicacy with more grace, than Johnson could put on to present himself before the minister who pensioned him.

There is another defect in Gottingen. There are generally too many English there, who herd together, and, by always talking their own tongue, never acquire a fluency in that of the country, which can only be obtained by associating with the natives.

After applying myself to mathematics, fortification, and the language, for about twelve months, I quitted Gottingen for Hanover and Hesse Cassel; at which places I spent the rest of the time I remained in Germany, which was three years. At Hanover I had the distinguished honour of being patronized, in every sense most flattering to my feelings, by Prince Charles, our queen's eldest brother, a soldier and high-finished gentleman, to whom I

owe a thousand obligations and friendships; and also by that gallant veteran Field-marshal Sperhen, whose distinguished conduct in the seven years war, under Duke Ferdinand of Brunswick, who commanded the allied army, gained him immortal honour, and the love and respect of all Englishmen. The abilities of this brave and able veteran shone with peculiar splendour on that memorable day when the French army suffered a total defeat on the Plains of Minden, where so many thousands of them bit the dust. In various other successful conflicts with the French he shared the laurels which so justly adorned the brow of that great General, whose military fame Bellona gladly welcomed and approved, while she justly rated him the contemporary rival of the immortal Frederick.

But the officer with whom I contracted the greatest intimacy, and from whom I received the greatest favour and friendship, was General Freytag. It is not without some degree of vanity that I reflect on a friendship which was formed at so early a period of my life, and lasted to the very hour of his death, which happened about four years ago. This gallant soldier had distinguished himself in the command of a large partizan corps of yagers, hussars, &c. in the seven years war, and is the same Field-marshal Freytag who acted with our troops in Brabant this war, under the command of his royal highness the Duke of York. By the above distinguished character I was introduced to the first nobility in Hanover, and constantly passed my time in the most polite circles.

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With the officers I also formed friendships, which have lasted to the present

moment.

I was at this time an ensign in the first regiment of British foot-guards; nor could any youth be more attached to his profession than I was. The officers of the Hanoverian guards kindly permitted me to stand in the regiment with them on field days; as did those of the two regiments of light horse. The officers who compos ed these regiments, had many of them served the whole seven years war in that distinguished corps of hussars commanded by the greatest partizan of the

age, General Luckner, who shewed me the same favour,

and instructed me also in the discipline of the light cavalry.

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