urn,
and look after Soubise. Crossed, accordingly (August 8th), by his old
Bridge at Rees,--which he found safe, in spite of attempts there had
been; ["Fight of Meer" (Chevert, with 10,000, beaten off, and the Bridge
saved, by Imhof, with 3,000;--both clever soldiers; Imhof in better
luck, and favored by the ground: "5th August, 1758"): MAUVILLON, i.
315.]--and never recrossed during this War. Judges even say his first
crossing had never much solidity of outlook in it; and though so
delightful to the public, was his questionablest step.

"On the 12,000 English, Soubise had attempted nothing. Ferdinand joined
his English at Soest (August 20th); to their great joy and his; [Duke
of Marlborough's heavy-laden LETTER to Pitt, "Koesfeld, August 15th:"
"Nothing but rains and uncertainties;" "marching, latterly, up to our
middles in water;" have come from Embden, straight south towards Wesel
Country, almost 150 miles (Soest still a good sixty miles to southeast
of us). CHATHAM CORRESPONDENCE (London, 1838), i. 334, 337. The poor
Duke died in two months hence; and the command devolved on Lord
George Sackville, as is too well known.] 10 to 12,000 as a first
instalment:--Grand-looking fellows, said the Germans. And did you ever
see such horses, such splendor of equipment, regardless of expense? Not
to mention those BERGSCHOTTEN (Scotch Highlanders), with their bagpipes,
sporrans, kilts, and exotic costumes and ways; astonishing to the German
mind. [Romantic view of the BERGSCHOTTEN (2,000 of them, led by the
Junior of the Robert Keiths above mentioned, who is a soldier as yet),
in ARCHENHOLTZ, i. 351-353: IB. and in PREUSS, ii. 136, of the "uniforms
with gold and silver lace," of the superb horses, "one regiment all
roan horses, another all black, another all" &c.] Out of all whom
(BERGSCHOTTEN included), Ferdinand, by management,--and management
was needed,--got a great deal of first-rate fighting, in the next Four
Years.

"Nor, in regard to Hanover, could Soubise make anything of it; though
he did (owing to a couple of stupid fellows, General Prince von Ysenburg
and General Oberg, detached by Ferdinand on that service) escape the
lively treatment Ferdinand had prepared for him; and even gave a kind
of Beating to each of those stupid fellows, [1. "Fight of Sandershausen"
(Broglio, as Soubise's vanguard, 12,000; VERSUS Ysenburg, 7,000, who
stupidly would not withdraw TILL beaten: "23d July, 1758," BEFORE
Ferdinand had come acros