When Bonaparte had determined to make war upon Great Britain, be marched his army into Osnaburg and Hanover. On the 9th of June 1803, the French, under the command of General Drouet, took possession of the country and city of Osnaburg ; and after a slight engagement, the conven tion of Suhlingen was entered ;moon the 3d of June 1803, between General Mortier and Marshal Walmoden, the commander of the Hanoverian army. The first consul im mediately sent this convention to England, declaring that he would ratify it as soon as it had been sanctioned by his Britannic Majesty. The English government, however, re fused to give any sanction to this convention. They aver red, that the character of George III. as elector of Hano ver, was distinct from his character as king of Great Britain, and that in the year 1795, the French government had acknowledged his neutrality as elector of Hanover during the existence of a war with Great Britain. The king there fore resolved to abstain from every act which might be considered as contravening the stipulations of the conven tion concluded on the 3d of June, between the deputies ap pointed by the regency of Hanover and the French govern ment, until he should make an appeal to the empire ar'J to the powers of Europe, who had guaranteed the Ger manic constitution, and consequently his rights and rosses sions as a prince of the empire. On the SOih of June, General Mortier communicated the resolution of the Brit ish government to Marshal Walmoden, and summ.med him to surrender his army in 24 hours, to be sent prisoners of Avar into France. The l Ianoverian general declared that his army should perish in the field rather than consent to such humiliating terms. General Mortier was thus induced to
offer milder terms, and a capitulation was signed on the 4th of July, by which the Hanoverian army laid down its arms, with all the artillery, was to be delivered up to the French, along with the cavalry and artillery horses, to the amount of 4000. The soldiers were to return to thcir re spective homes, and engaged not to serve against the French till regularly exchanged.
Hanover continued in the possession of the French till the year 1806, when it was occupied by the Prussians. It was afterwards annexed to the new kingdom of Westphalia, Avhich was formed for Jerome Bonaparte.
In consequence of the great events in 1813, (see FRANCE,) which have led to the liberation of Germany, Hanover was restored to its ancient rights, by the army of the Crown Prince of Sweden. It of course reverted to its legitimate sovereign at the treaty of Paris in 1814, and has since continued in a state of tranquillity and happiness. At the second treaty of Paris, in 1815, the electorate of Hanover was converted into a kingdom.
The population of Hanover is about 800 000 souls, which gives about 1500 to every square German mile. The po pulation of the principality of Osnaburg is about 133,000; so that we have, according to Mangourit, See particularly Mangourit's Travels in Hanover, during the time of its occupation by the French ; Catteau de Cal leville's Voyage en Alleinagne ; Peuchet's Dictionnaire de la Geogr. Commerc.; and the article HARTZ.