Ashtabula telegraph. (Ashtabula, Ohio) 1874-1880, 1875-04-30
THE s'HESSIANS.,
Interesting Facts Relative to the Mer
eenaries Of our Revolution.

uary, George Washington Greene
has a very interesting article on
"The Hessian Mercenaries of Our
Revolution. He sets out by show
ing how the old feudal armies were
superseded by bands of mercenaries,
and how these developed into regu-
lar standing armies; and then de
Seribes the process of recruiting"
by which these armies were filled
such process involving the vilest
frauds, the most outrageous exercise
of arbitrary power, and the most
heartless exhibitions of inhumamity.
The "recruit, :" once secured, was
systematically treated like a brute
his viii broken down by physical
tortures, his seIf-respect destroyed
by constant humiliations, and his
moral sense undermined by familiar
ity with scenes of violence and bar
barity-until he became almost ut
terly devoid of the better feelings
of man, had no motive but to avoid
punishment, and cared nothing as to
the parties and causes for and against
which he fought. "Such," says Mr..
Greene, "was the training of the
men who were hired to fight against
the Declaration of Independence"
Mr.. G. then brings his sketch to
bear upon American history, as fol-
lows:
1t soon became evident to the
English Government that it must
either give up the contest with
America or strengthen its armies.
The population of the colonies was
generally estimated at 100000. To
reduce these 100000 to obedience,
England had only $4,000 men in
arms between Nova Scotia and Flor
ida. Allowing all that could be
claimed for the difference between
well-armed and well-disciplined men
and an undisciplined and imperfect
ly armed militia, it was still easy t,
see that in protracted contest such
as this was sure to be, numbers must
prevail. Her own subjects England
could not fully count upon for filling
the ranks, for by many of them the
war was disliked from the beginning.
The City of London itself was noto-
riously opposed to it. 1t was neces-
sary, therefore, for the Ministry to
cast about them for
A NAN-MARKET
from whence to draw their supplies.
The first that presented itself to
their minds was Russia. The two
sovereigns were on friendly terms.
England had virtually consented to
the partition of Poland, in 1872,
The treaty of Kutschuk- -Kainarke,
in l774, had left Russia with a pow
erful army. What more profitable
use could she make of it than by
selling it to England for SO many
gulneas head? Cunning, the ED-
glish Minister at the Russian Court,
was instructed to begin negotiations
for 10000 men; for it was not mere
auxiliaries, but an army, that Eng
land sought to bring into the field,
thus crushing the insurrection by
welldirected blow. In all interview
with Count Panim, Catharine's
Prime Minister, the British Envoy
asked, as if in a casual conversation,
whether, if the present measures for
the suppression of the insurrec;ion
should fail, and his master should
find himself under the necessity Of
calling in foreign troops, he could
count upon body of Russian infan-
try? The trained diplomat made no
answer, but referred the question to
the Empress, who, replying in terms
of general politeness, professed to
feel herself under great obligations
to George, which she would gladly
repay in the manner Tost agreeable
to him. Without waiting to weigh
these words, which in diplomacy
might mean much or might mean
nothing, Cunning wrote to his Court
in all haste, that the Empress would
furnish the 10000 infantry. The i'm
portant tidings were received by the
British Court with great delight.
The commanders serving in America
were told on what powerful succor
they might rely, and the King in his
rapture wrote with his own hand
LETTER OF THANKS
to his royal sister. Cunning was or
dered to push on the negotiations,
and, as if he had never known be-
fore how little faith can be placed
in the language of diplomacy, was
overwhelmed with astonishment
when he was cody told that the
words of the Empress were but the
general expression of a friendly feel
ing, and that she had said nothing
of the Russian infantry. Great was
the indignation of the English King,
not that the negotiation had failed,
but that the Empress had answered
his royal autograph by the hand of
a private secretary.
Holland came next, and, in a su-
perfcial view, the relations between
the two countries seemed to justify
the application. But it was met by
an opposition which found an elo-
quent expositor in nobleman of
Oberyssel, the Baron Van der Ca
pellen, who, speaking boldly in the
name of freedom and national hon
or,and setting the question of sdccor
in its true light, succeeded in awak-
ening his countrymen-themselves
the descendants of rebels to sense
of what they owed to the memory
of their fathers and the cause of
freedom.
But there was a country where
the name of freedom was unknown,
whose nationality was lost in small
principalities and dukedoms, whose
vast resources were sacrificed to the
luxury and vanity of petty sover.
eigns. each ambitious of aping on his
little stage the splendid corruption of
the French Court, yet having strong
arms and hardy bodies to sell, and
caring only for the price that could
be extorted for them. To Germany,
then. England turned in her need,