sment, on
the first emergence of it.

For her Imperial Majesty began straightway to draw troops into those
neighborhoods: "WE will take delivery, our Allies playing into our
hand!" And Friedrich, who had no disposable troops, had to devise some
rapid expedient; and did. Set his Free-Corps agents and recruiters in
motion: "Enlist me those Light people of Duke Ferdinand's, who are all
getting discharged; especially that BRITANNIC LEGION so called. All to
be discharged; re-enlist them, you; Ferdinand will keep them till you do
it. Be swift!" And it is done;--a small bit of actual enlistment among
the many prospective that were going on, as we noticed above. Precise
date of it not given; must have been soon after November 3d. There were
from 5 to 6,000 of them; and it was promptly done. Divided into various
regiments; chief command of them given to a Colonel Bauer, under whom
a Colonel Beckwith whose name we have heard: these, to the surprise of
Imperial Majesty, and alarm of a pacific Versailles, suddenly appeared
in the Cleve Countries, handy for Wesel, for Geldern; in such posts, and
in such force and condition as intimated, "It shall be we, under favor,
that take delivery!" Snatch Wesel from them, some night, sword in
hand: that had been Bauer's notion; but nothing of that kind was found
necessary; mere demonstration proved sufficient. To the French Garrisons
the one thing needful was to get away in peace; Bauer with his brows
gloomy is a dangerous neighbor. Perhaps the French Officers themselves
rather favored Friedrich than his enemies. Enough, a private agreement,
or mutual understanding on word of honor, was come to: and, very
publicly, at length, on the 11th and 12th days of March, 1763 (Peace now
settled everywhere), Wesel, in great gala, full of field-music, military
salutations and mutual dining, saw the French all filing out, and Bauer
and people filing in, to the joy of that poor Town. [Preuss, ii. 342.]

Soon after which, painful to relate, such the inexorable pressure
of finance, Bauer and people were all paid off, flung loose again:
ruthlessly paid off by a necessitous King! There were about 6,000
of those poor fellows,--specimens of the bastard heroic, under
difficulties, from every country in the world; Beckwith and I know
not what other English specimens of the lawless heroic; who were all
cashiered, officer and man, on getting to Berlin. As were the earlier
Free-Corps, and indeed the subsequent, all an