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RIESBECK’s TRAVELS THROUGH GERMANY. 113
made, it is certain that the prefent nobility of Hungary could not bring into the field,
and maintain fuch armies as were raifed in 1740.
The Efterhazy, whofe eftate amounts to above 600,000 guilders a year: The Pale-
fy, Schaki, Erdoby, Sichy, Forgatfh, Kohari, Karoly, &c. and many others, who have
from 100,000 to 200,c00 guilders a year, are unable, notwithftanding thefe large eftates,
to live within their incomes. The expences they have been put to by the political al-
teration of manners of the laft forty years, have reduced them to neceflitous dependance.
The court, however, does not look upon even this weaknefs as a fufficient fecurity. The
Hungarian regiments of infantry, amongft which there are likewife many Germans, and
feveral regiments of Huffars, are conftantly quartered in Bohemia, Moravia, and the
German cities; on the contrary, feveral of the German regiments, particularly the hea-
vy horfe and the dragoons, are quartered in Hungary. ‘There is no province in the he-
reditary dominions of Auftria which has fo many troops in it as Hungary has, in pro-
portion to its population and exports. This may in fome degree be owing to the cheap-
nefs of provifion for man and horfe. If it be fo, in cafe of a war breaking out on the
confines of Germany, the court lofes in a few weeks what it has been faving by this po-
licy for many years; for the forced marches which the cavalry are obliged to make to
their places of deftination, generally kill half the horfes before they have got there. For
my own part I have little doubt but that the true motives of this allotment of troops are
to make the Hungarians acquainted with the other members of the empire; to extin-
euifh their natural fpirit by the fight of numerous armies in every part of their country ;
to accuftom them to fubordination ; arid in fome degree, perhaps, to increafe the cone.
fumption of the country, and fo promote the circulation of coin.
The Englifh proceed upon a quite different plan; their principle is to keep up as
much as poffible the national fpirit of the troops, from an idea that the interefts of the
government are the fame as thofe of the people, and that they have nothing to fear from
a mutiny. Upon this ground it is, that their patriots have taken up a notion, which
no doubt will foon be realized, of making every regiment provincial, by quartering it
conftantly in the county whofe name it bears, and by fuffering no man to be enlifted in
it but thofe of that county ; whence they think a ftill greater degree of attachment to
the native place will be produced. The Imperial council of war would not be pleafed
with a projec of this kind. It confiders it asa ftated maxim of policy, to fend the fol-
dier as far as may be from the place of his birth, and to compofe the regiments of
men taken from various countries. Thus different caufes have different effe€ts, and
John Bull and Squire South ftill a& upon different grounds.
None of the Auftrian hereditary dominions have a national militia, excepting only the
Bannat troops, or Illyrians ; but thefe are only half foldiers, and their officers are at
leaft for the moft part Germans or Hungarians. In time of war, every Hungarian no-
bleman, in proportion to his eftate, either raifes a number of men, or fends the money
for them to the war department. Thefe recruits feldom form feparate bodies, but are
incorporated with the reft of the army. Above all, care is taken that the faldiers fhould
be free from all other ties, and only animated by the foul of the army, the wonder-
working ftick.
You muft not however conceive this Pal/adium of the Auftrian army, ‘this wonder-
working flick, as the abfolute /ine quo non. A few years fince, indeed, it ruled the great
machine altogether; but now that has been brought into regular movements, it is only
looked up to with reverential awé and fubmiflion. According toa proclamation of the
humane Emperor, the officers are to make as little phy/ical ule of it as potlible. But as
to moral purpofes, it is in all its glory, and its idea takes place in the common foldier,
WOL. Vi. Q of
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