On the decease of Queen Anne on the 1st of August, 1714, the Royal Dragoons left Yorkshire, and marched into quarters in the villages near London; but after the arrival of King George I. from Hanover they returned to Yorkshire, and a reduction of fifty men was made in the establishment.[42]

In January, 1715, two troops of the Royal Dragoons, with three troops of the Scots greys, and a newly-raised troop of dragoons, were incorporated into a regiment—the present seventh hussars.[43] The establishment was thus reduced to six troops; and on the 13th of June in the same year the colonelcy was conferred on Richard Lord Cobham, who was advanced to the dignity of Viscount three years afterwards.

At this period Jacobite principles were very prevalent in the United Kingdom; and in September, 1715, the Earl of Mar raised the standard of rebellion in Scotland, and excited the clans to take arms in favour of the Pretender. The Royal Dragoons were immediately ordered to the North; and in the early part of October they arrived at Edinburgh, from whence they marched immediately afterwards, and, being placed under the command of Lieutenant-General Carpenter, went in pursuit of a body of rebels.

After several marches and countermarches Lieutenant-General Carpenter arrived at Jedburgh on the 30th of October: three days afterwards he ascertained that a division of the rebel army had marched in the direction of Carlisle, and he instantly went in pursuit of them. The rebels, however, eluded his vigilance, and arrived without opposition at Preston, in Lancashire. Major-General Wills, who commanded in Cheshire, assembled several regiments, and marched towards Preston. In the mean time Lieutenant-General Carpenter, with the Royal, Molesworth's, and Churchill's dragoons,[44] were marching with all possible expedition from Scotland; and they arrived before Preston about mid-day on Sunday, the 13th of November, when they found the town surrounded by the troops under Major-General Wills: some sharp fighting had previously taken place, but on the arrival of the forces from Scotland, the rebels surrendered at discretion. On the same day another division of the rebel army was defeated at Sheriff-moor, near Dumblain; and in the early part of 1716 the Pretender and insurgent chiefs made their escape to France, and the common people retired to their homes.

After the suppression of this rebellion, the Royal Dragoons were stationed in Leicestershire and Nottinghamshire, from whence they marched, in February, 1717, to Newcastle upon Tyne, and were placed under the command of Major-General Wills. This march was occasioned by the preparations made by Charles XII., King of Sweden, for an expedition to England to place the Pretender on the throne; but the measures taken by the British government defeated the project. The journals of this period speak highly of the condition of the British army, particularly the cavalry, which they represent as the best in the world.[45]

In the spring of 1718 the Royal Dragoons marched into quarters in Yorkshire and Lancashire; and, the King of Sweden having been compelled to relinquish his projected expedition, the establishment was reduced to two hundred and seven officers and men.

The peace of Europe was disturbed in 1719 by Philip V. of Spain, who was desirous of recovering the places ceded by him in the treaty of Utrecht; and among the measures contemplated by the Spaniards was placing the Pretender on the throne of Great Britain, that the interest of this country might be insured in favour of the projected innovations. An expedition, commanded by the Duke of Ormond, was prepared in Spain for a descent on the British coast; but the fleet was dispersed and disabled by a storm: two ships, however, reached the coast of Scotland, and between three and four hundred Spaniards landed, and were joined by a number of Highlanders. When information of this event reached London, orders were issued for the Royal Dragoons to proceed with all possible expedition to Scotland, where they arrived in May. Major-General Wightman advanced with a body of foot and three troops of the Scots greys, and attacked the Spaniards and Highlanders on the 10th of June at the pass of Glenshill, and forced them to retire with considerable loss. On the following day the Highlanders dispersed, and the Spaniards surrendered themselves prisoners of war. The Royal Dragoons returned to England in July, and were quartered in Yorkshire; and a detachment was ordered to embark at Portsmouth and accompany the expedition commanded by their colonel, Viscount Cobham, intended to make an attack on Corunna. The design on that place was, however, abandoned; but the troops effected a landing on the coast of Spain, and took Vigo, where they obtained possession of several pieces of brass ordnance, with a magazine of muskets and other arms. Rondendella and Pont-a-Vedra were also taken, and additional captures of military stores effected. The Spanish court made overtures for a treaty of peace; and in November the expedition returned to England.

In February, 1720, His Majesty issued a regulation, fixing the amount of purchase-money to be paid for regimental commissions, and the following prices were established for the

Royal Regiment of Dragoons.

The Royal Dragoons left Yorkshire in April, 1721, and were stationed at Nottingham and Derby; and on the 10th of that month the colonelcy was conferred on Sir Charles Hotham, Baronet, Viscount Cobham having been removed to the second horse, now first dragoon guards.

During the summer of 1722 the Royal Dragoons were encamped near Durham; and on the 12th of January, 1723, the colonelcy, having become vacant by the decease of Sir Charles Hotham, was conferred on Brigadier-General Humphrey Gore, from the tenth dragoons.

The regiment occupied extensive quarters in Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire in 1724; in the following year it furnished detachments to assist the revenue officers in their duties on the coast; and in October, 1726, it was stationed in Sussex and Essex.

England having agreed to furnish ten thousand men to assist the States-General in their war with the Emperor of Germany, the Royal Dragoons were augmented to nine troops, of five hundred and fifty-two officers and men, and selected to form part of this force. No embarkation was, however, required.

The decease of King George I. took place on the 11th of June, 1727; and a few days previous to the coronation of his successor, George II., the Royal Dragoons marched into quarters near London, and were reviewed in brigade with Honeywood's (now eleventh) dragoons by his Majesty on Hounslow Heath, on the 17th of October. They subsequently proceeded into Leicestershire and Derbyshire; and in the beginning of the succeeding year the establishment was again reduced to six troops.

In the spring of 1730 the regiment marched into cantonments in Worcestershire and Gloucestershire; in 1731 it was stationed in Kent, with detachments on coast duty; and in the month of March in the following year proceeded into Somersetshire, from whence it detached, in the spring of 1733, several parties to the maritime towns and villages on the Suffolk coast, where frequent rencounters took place between the military and smugglers.

The several detachments were collected in May, 1734, and the six troops assembled at Taunton, where they were reviewed by their colonel, Major-General Gore. One troop was afterwards detached into Sussex; and in August another troop proceeded to Bath, and furnished a daily guard for the Princess Amelia during her Royal Highness's residence at that city. In August, 1735, the five troops in Somersetshire marched to the north, and were placed under the orders of Lieut.-General Wade, commander-in-chief in Scotland. They, however, returned to England in April, 1737, and were quartered in Lancashire; and during the summer of the following year the six troops were stationed in Essex and Kent, with detachments on coast duty.

In July, 1739, the Royal Dragoons were ordered to call in their detachments and march into quarters at Hounslow and its vicinity; and on the 28th of that month they were reviewed on Hounslow Heath by his Majesty. In the beginning of August they marched into quarters in Worcestershire; and their colonel, Major-General Gore, died on the 18th of that month. On the 1st of September his Majesty conferred the colonelcy on Charles, second Duke of Marlborough, from the 38th regiment of foot.

The Spaniards having repeatedly violated the existing treaties in regard to the commerce of England with America, his Majesty declared war against Spain; and the establishment of the Royal Dragoons was augmented to four hundred and thirty-five officers and men.

In May, 1740, the colonelcy, vacant by the removal of the Duke of Marlborough to the second troop (now second regiment) of life guards, was conferred on Major-General Hawley, from the thirteenth dragoons.

During the summer of 1740 the Royal Dragoons were encamped (with three other regiments of cavalry and six of infantry) near Newbury, and afterwards near Devizes, under the orders of General Wade. In October they marched from camp into quarters in Leicestershire; and in November, 1741, removed into Somersetshire.

In the mean time hostilities had commenced on the continent, and France, Bavaria, and Prussia were endeavouring to deprive the house of Austria of its hereditary dominions. King George II. resolved to support the Austrians; and in the summer of 1742 his Majesty sent Field Marshal the Earl of Stair with sixteen thousand men to Flanders. The Royal Dragoons were selected for this service, and, having been reviewed by his Majesty on Hounslow Heath, they embarked in August, and after their arrival in Flanders were stationed in the cavalry barracks at Ghent.

Leaving Ghent in February, 1743, the Royal Dragoons marched for Germany; and in June they were encamped, with the other forces, near Aschaffenburg, on the river Maine, where they were joined by King George II. and the Duke of Cumberland. On the 26th of June the army marched for Hanau, a town of Hesse-Cassel, and the Royal Dragoons formed part of the advance-column. When on the march the French were discovered in position near Dettingen: his Majesty commanded the army to form opposite the enemy, and the Royal Dragoons were posted near the right of the line.

The French advanced from their position and attacked the left of the allied army; the contest soon became general, and the English cavalry engaged the French cuirassiers with varied success. The Mousquetaires Noirs, a choice corps of French cavalry, separated themselves from their line, and, passing between two columns of infantry, rushed headlong towards the British cavalry. The Royal Dragoons, undaunted by this audacity, met the French horsemen with a cool, determined bearing, and, encountering them in mid-onset, overthrew the presumptuous squadrons, cut them down with a dreadful slaughter, and captured a STANDARD. The Royal Dragoons were afterwards engaged with the enemy's household troops; they were again victorious, and, though without armour, fought and triumphed over their steel-clad opponents, and received the thanks of his Majesty for their gallant conduct. Eventually the French army was overthrown, and driven from the field with great loss.

In this action the Royal Dragoons had six men and thirty-four horses killed and wounded. The Standard of the Mousquetaires Noirs was taken by a serjeant of the right squadron. It was of white satin, embroidered with gold and silver: in the middle a bunch of nine arrows tied with a wreath, with the motto Alterius Jovis altera tela. The lance was broken, the standard was stained with blood; the cornet who carried it was killed without falling, being buckled to his horse, and his standard buckled to him.[47]

The Royal Dragoons passed the night near the field of battle, exposed to a heavy storm of rain, and on the following day marched with the army to Hanau, and encamped on the banks of the river Kinzig, where they remained until the early part of August, when they advanced, and, having crossed the Rhine above Mentz, were employed in operations in West Germany. Nothing of importance, however, transpired; and in October they commenced their march for Mentz, where they repassed the Rhine, and, proceeding through the duchy of Nassau, the principality of Liege, and province of Brabant, entered Flanders, and, arriving at Ghent on the 18th of November, again occupied part of the cavalry barrack at that place.

The campaign of 1744 passed without any general engagement. The army penetrated the French territory; but the services of the Royal Dragoons were limited to piquets, out-guards, and protecting foraging parties from the attacks of the French garrisons; and in October they returned to their former station at Ghent.

In April, 1745, the Royal Dragoons marched from their winter quarters, and encamped near Brussels. The enemy assembled a numerous army, and invested Tournay, the chief town of a district in the province of Hainault; and the Duke of Cumberland, though inferior to the French in numbers by above thirty thousand men, resolved to attack them. His Royal Highness accordingly advanced; and on the 10th of May (N.S.) a squadron of the Royal Dragoons was engaged, with other forces, in driving in the enemy's out-guards and piquets. The French army was discovered in order of battle on a gentle ascent protected by batteries, and rising gradually from the plain near Fontenoy. At daybreak on the morning of the 11th of May the allies moved forward, but, having many defiles to pass, the attack did not commence until near ten o'clock. The British infantry advanced against the enemy, and throughout the day they displayed the greatest valour and intrepidity; but the Dutch did not evince equal resolution, and their failure occasioned the most unfortunate results. It was near the conclusion of the action before the Royal Dragoons were called upon to charge, when they advanced through a hollow way abounding with difficulties, and were exposed to the destructive fire of two batteries: they charged by alternate squadrons with all the spirit and resolution which characterizes the attack of British cavalry. But the Duke of Cumberland, perceiving that, from the failure of the Dutch and other causes, it was impossible to retrieve the fortune of the day, ordered a retreat, and the army marched from the field of battle, and encamped near Aeth.

The loss of the regiment in this engagement was fifteen men and sixty-nine horses killed; with Lieutenant-Colonel Naizon, Cornets Hartwell, Desmeret, and Creighton, thirty-one men, and forty-seven horses wounded.

The allied army afterwards encamped on the plain of the Dender, near Lessines; and subsequently near Brussels.

In the mean time Charles Edward, eldest son of the Pretender, arrived in Scotland with a ship laden with arms, and, being joined by several of the Highland clans, took the opportunity of the King's army being abroad to make a desperate effort to gain the throne. Several regiments were immediately ordered to England; and in November the Royal Dragoons marched to Williamstadt, in North Brabant, and embarked; but the shipping was delayed for some time by contrary winds, and several horses were lost from the transports being stranded.

After their arrival in England the Royal Dragoons formed part of the army assembled near the metropolis to repel the threatened descent of a French force on the southern coast of the kingdom.

The rebellion having been suppressed by the victory at Culloden, the Royal Dragoons continued in the south of England: they were stationed at Windsor, Reading, and Colnbrook, and had the honour of furnishing travelling escorts for the royal family: in July, 1746, one troop attended the Princess Caroline at Bath. On the 26th of December, 1747, they were reviewed by His Majesty on Hounslow Heath: in the following summer they were employed on coast duty in Lincolnshire, and in suppressing riots among the weavers in Lancashire.

After the peace of Aix-la-Chapelle the establishment was reduced to two hundred and eighty-five officers and men; and in 1750 the regiment marched to Scotland.

A regulation was issued in 1751 relative to the clothing and standards of the several regiments; from which the following particulars have been extracted relative to the Royal Dragoons:—

Coats—scarlet; double breasted; without lappels; lined with blue; slit sleeves turned up with blue; the button-holes worked with narrow yellow lace; the buttons of yellow metal, set on two and two; a long slash pocket in each skirt; and a yellow worsted aiguillette on the right shoulder.

Waistcoats and Breeches—blue.

Hats—bound with gold lace, and ornamented with a yellow metal loop, and a black cockade.

Boots—of jacked leather.

Cloaks—of scarlet cloth, with a blue collar, and lined with blue shalloon; the buttons set on two and two upon yellow frogs or loops, with a blue stripe down the centre.

Horse Furniture—of scarlet cloth; the holster-caps and housings having a border of royal lace, with a blue stripe down the centre; the crest of England within the garter, embroidered on each corner of the housing; and on the holster-caps, the King's cipher and crown, with I.D underneath.

Officers—distinguished by gold lace; their coats and waistcoats bound with gold embroidery; the button-holes worked with gold; and a crimson silk sash worn across the left shoulder.

Quarter-Masters—to wear a crimson sash round the waist.

Serjeants—to have narrow gold lace on the cuffs, pockets, and shoulder-straps; gold shoulder-knots or aiguillettes, and yellow and blue worsted sashes tied round the waist.

Drummers and Hautboys—clothed in scarlet coats lined with blue, and ornamented with royal lace with a blue stripe down the centre; their waistcoats and breeches of blue cloth.

Guidons.—The first or King's guidon to be of crimson silk, embroidered and fringed with gold and silver; in the centre the rose and thistle conjoined and crown over them, with the motto Dieu et mon Droit underneath: the white horse in a compartment in the first and fourth corners, and I.D in gold characters on a blue ground in a compartment in the second and third corners. The second and third guidons to be of blue silk, in the centre the crest of England within the garter on a crimson ground: the white horse on a scarlet ground in the first and fourth compartments, and I.D within a wreath of roses and thistles upon a scarlet ground in the second and third compartments.

In 1752 the Royal Dragoons returned to England, and were stationed at York, from whence they marched, in October, 1753, into quarters in Norfolk and Essex, and in September of the following year they proceeded into extensive cantonments in Kent.

Disputes having occurred between England and France relating to the boundaries of the British possessions in North America, hostilities commenced in 1755, when an augmentation of one hundred men was made to the establishment: a light troop, consisting of three officers, one quarter-master, two serjeants, three corporals, two drummers, and sixty private soldiers,[48] was raised and added to the regiment on the same principle as the light companies to regiments of infantry.

War was declared against France in 1756, when the French monarch made preparations for a descent on the British coast, and the Royal Dragoons were stationed in the maritime towns in the southern counties: during the summer of 1757 they were encamped near Salisbury.

The British military establishment having been considerably augmented, His Majesty was prepared to act offensively against France; and in 1758 the light troop of the Royal Dragoons formed part of an expedition commanded by Charles, Duke of Marlborough, which landed on the coast of Brittany and destroyed the French shipping and magazines at St. Maloes. This troop was afterwards engaged in a second expedition to the coast of France, commanded by General Bligh, when a landing was effected in the Bay des Marées, and Cherbourg was taken: it was also engaged in the second descent on the coast of Brittany.

On the 5th of April, 1759, the colonelcy, having become vacant by the decease of General Hawley, was conferred on Henry Seymour Conway, from the fourth Irish horse, now seventh dragoon guards. In the same year the establishment of each of the six heavy troops was augmented to sixty private men, and the light troop to eighty-nine; making a total of five hundred and forty-four officers and men; and in the following year the light troop was further augmented to four officers, one quarter-master, four serjeants, four corporals, two drummers, and one hundred and eighteen private men.

In the mean time a British army had proceeded to Germany, and was serving in conjunction with the Hanoverian, Hessian, and Brunswick troops, commanded by Prince Ferdinand, Duke of Brunswick; and in the spring of 1760 the Royal Dragoons, commanded by Lieutenant-Colonel James Johnston,[49] embarked for foreign service, and, having landed at Bremen, in Lower Saxony, on the 16th and 17th of April, joined the army encamped near Fritzlar, in the principality of Lower Hesse, on the 21st of that month. On the 22nd they were reviewed by the Duke of Brunswick, who was pleased to express his approbation of their appearance.

After much manœuvring and skirmishing, thirty thousand French troops, commanded by the Chevalier de Muy, crossed the Dymel to cut off the communication of the allied army with Westphalia. The Royal Dragoons, with several other corps, were immediately sent forward to Liebenau, under the command of the Hereditary Prince of Brunswick, to secure the bridge across the Dymel; and being followed by the main body, the Prince advanced to the vicinity of Warbourg, and reconnoitred the French forces in position near that place, whom he resolved to attack on the following day.

At daybreak on the morning of the 31st of July the Royal Dragoons, commanded by Lieutenant-Colonel James Johnston, left their camp on the heights of Corbeke, and making a detour through several villages gained the left flank of the French army. Several other corps having arrived at the same point, the attack was immediately commenced, and after a sharp dispute the enemy gave way and retired upon Warbourg, where he was again attacked and driven across the Dymel with great loss. The Royal Dragoons encountered the French cavalry corps of royal Piedmont, and acquitted themselves with their accustomed gallantry. They afterwards charged a corps of Swiss infantry (the regiment of Planta) with distinguished bravery, broke its ranks, and after sabring many of the men took twenty-one officers and two hundred soldiers prisoners: many of the Swiss attempting to escape were drowned in the Dymel. Three troops of the Royal Dragoons formed part of the force under the Marquis of Granby, which pursued the enemy across the Dymel and halted that night on the heights of Wilda: the other three, having suffered severely in the attack on the Swiss infantry, remained at Warbourg.[50] In a general order issued on the occasion, Prince Ferdinand declared that "all the British Cavalry performed prodigies of valour."

The Royal Dragoons lost in this action eight men and twenty-one horses killed; and twelve men and thirteen horses wounded.

The regiment was subsequently encamped on the banks of the Dymel, and on the 1st of October was despatched towards the Lower Rhine, forming part of a separate corps under the Hereditary Prince, which invested Wesel, a town in the duchy of Cleves.

The enemy advanced in force to relieve the besieged, and encamped, on the 14th of October, behind the convent of Campen. Immediately after dark on the evening of the same day, the Royal Dragoons and other corps advanced towards the enemy, the Hereditary Prince designing to surprise him in the night; but it was found necessary to dislodge a corps which occupied the convent of Campen, and this occasioned some firing, which alarmed the French camp, and the troops were immediately formed in order of battle.

The action commenced before daybreak, and a succession of attacks, repulses, and charges were kept up until nine at night, in which the Royal Dragoons took an active part, and they are reported to have "behaved extremely well." Two pieces of cannon and a pair of colours were captured; but at length the Prince perceived that it was impossible to drive the enemy out of a wood of which he had possessed himself, and, the allied infantry having expended all their ammunition, his Highness ordered a retreat.

The Royal Dragoons had eight men and ten horses killed; Lieut.-Colonel Johnston, two men, and four horses, wounded; Captain Wilson, Lieutenant Goldsworthy, Cornet Duffe, and twenty-five men, taken prisoners. The regiment repassed the Rhine on the 18th of October, and was cantoned in the principality of Hesse, where the officers received orders to wear mourning for his late Majesty King George II.

In February, 1761, the regiment was engaged in an incursion into the French cantonments, and took part in several skirmishes with the enemy. In the spring a remount joined from England.

After much manœuvring, the allied army took post in Prussian Westphalia, on the rivers Asse and Lippe, and the Royal Dragoons were encamped on the heights between Illingen and Hohenover.[51] On the 15th of July the enemy attacked the troops under the Marquis of Granby at Kirch Denkern, when the Royal Dragoons marched across the Asse by the bridge at Hans Hohenover, and advanced to support the corps attacked. After a sharp action the enemy was repulsed with loss. The fire of the skirmishers was, however, kept up throughout the night, and on the following morning the enemy renewed the engagement with great fury. During this day the Royal Dragoons were posted near Vellinghausen, and, when the enemy's columns of attack were repulsed, advanced to charge, but were prevented by the hedges and marshy hollows which intersected the country. They were subsequently employed in military operations on the Dymel, and afterwards marched into the electorate of Hanover, and were engaged in a skirmish near Eimbeck in the early part of November. On the same night they marched through a heavy snow to Foorwohle, where they encountered and drove back some French cavalry. On the 9th of November they had another skirmish at Foorwohle, and subsequently marched into quarters in East Friesland.

The Royal Dragoons left their winter quarters in May, 1762, and on the 18th of June joined the army encamped at Brackel, in the bishopric of Paderborn, from whence they marched to the heights of Tissel. The French army, commanded by Marshals d'Estrées and Soubise, took post at Groebenstien, where Prince Ferdinand resolved to attack them on the 24th of June, and the army was ordered to move forward in several columns for that purpose.

Moving from their camp-ground at daybreak, the Royal Dragoons passed the Dymel at Liebenau about four in the morning, and advanced against the enemy's camp. The manœuvre was conducted with such address, that the army was in presence of the French before they had the least apprehension of an attack, and, being instantly assaulted in front, flank, and rear, they retired in confusion, leaving all their equipage behind them. The Royal Dragoons had advanced against the enemy's front, and they were subsequently employed in surrounding a division of the French army commanded by General Stainville in the woods of Wilhelmsthal, where several corps were made prisoners. The pursuit was continued, and the French took refuge under the cannon of Cassel; the Royal Dragoons then retired a few miles, and encamped near Holtzhausen.

During the remainder of the campaign the Royal Dragoons were employed in operations on the Fulde, the Eder, and the Lahn, which were attended with such signal success, that a considerable portion of territory was wrested from the power of the enemy, and the allies took Cassel.

These successes were followed by a treaty of peace, and the Royal Dragoons proceeded into quarters in the bishopric of Munster.

At the close of the military operations of the year, when the army marched into winter quarters, Colonel James Johnston, of the Royal Dragoons, who had commanded the regiment since the 7th of April, 1759, and during the campaign of 1762 had commanded the brigade composed of the Royals and second dragoon guards, received a most flattering mark of the approbation of the Hereditary Prince of Brunswick (afterwards reigning Duke, who married Princess Augusta, sister to George III.; he died of the wounds he received at the battle of Jena in 1808), namely, a valuable gold snuff-box, embellished with highly-chased military trophies, accompanied by an autograph letter, of which the following is a copy:—

During the winter shipping arrived from England to convey the troops home. The Royal Dragoons commenced their march for Williamstadt in February, 1763, and embarked at that port for England. According to the official returns, the strength of the regiment was fourteen officers, three hundred and twenty-nine men, and four hundred and twenty-three horses, with twenty-four servants and thirty-five women.

After their return from Germany the Royal Dragoons were ordered to proceed to Scotland; at the same time the light troop was disbanded, and the establishment was reduced to two hundred and thirty-one officers and soldiers. Eight men per troop were equipped as light dragoons, and mounted on small horses for skirmishing and other light services; the remainder of the regiment was mounted on large horses of superior weight and power.

In 1764 the regiment marched to South Britain; and an order was received to remount with long-tailed horses. On the 9th of May in the same year the colonelcy was conferred on Henry Earl of Pembroke, who had recently distinguished himself in the campaigns in Germany.

The six drummers borne on the establishment were, in 1766, ordered to be replaced by trumpeters; and on the 4th of May in the following year King George III. reviewed the regiment in Hyde Park, and expressed his approbation of its appearance and high state of discipline.[52] After the review it marched to the north of England; and in 1769 was stationed in Scotland; but returned to England in the following year, and, after occupying various quarters in the southern and western counties, was again reviewed by his Majesty on the 17th of May, 1773, on Finchley Common; and, according to the journals of that period, its excellent condition and correct manœuvring procured the approbation of the King, and excited the admiration of the princes, noblemen, general officers, and other spectators.

During the summer the Royal Dragoons again proceeded to the north, and, after occupying quarters for a short period in Yorkshire, marched to Scotland, where they were stationed during the summer of 1774; but returned to England in the succeeding year; and on the 24th of May, 1777, were reviewed in brigade with the second dragoon guards, on Wimbledon Common, by the King, accompanied by several of the young princes, and attended by a retinue of noblemen and general officers.

Hostilities having commenced between Great Britain and the colonies in North America, an augmentation was made in the strength of the regular army; and in 1778 six serjeants, six corporals, and one hundred and twenty-six private men were added to the Royal Dragoons. During the summer they were encamped, with several other corps, on Coxheath, near Maidstone, where they were reviewed by the King.

In 1779 the men of the Royal Dragoons, equipped as light dragoons, with the light troops of the third dragoon guards, and sixth and eleventh dragoons, were incorporated into a regiment which was numbered the twentieth light dragoons.[53] During the summer the third dragoon guards, Royals, fifteenth, twentieth, and twenty-first dragoons were encamped on Lexden Heath, near Colchester.

During the great riots in London in 1780 the Royal Dragoons were ordered to march thither. In the following year they proceeded to Scotland; and at the termination of the American war, in 1783, the establishment was reduced to two hundred and thirty-one officers and soldiers.

The regiment left Scotland in 1784, and occupied various quarters in the western and northern counties of England six years. On the breaking out of the revolutionary proceedings in France, the establishment was augmented nine men per troop, and in the spring of 1790 the six troops proceeded to Scotland; they, however, returned to England in the following year, and were employed in suppressing riots at Birmingham.

A further augmentation was made to the establishment in 1792, and again in the spring of 1793, when four troops were ordered to be held in constant readiness for foreign service.

The enormities committed by the French republicans occasioned another war; Holland was attacked; a body of British troops was sent to assist the Dutch; and on the 10th of June, 1793, four troops of the Royal Dragoons embarked for the Netherlands to join the army commanded by his Royal Highness the Duke of York. After landing at Ostend the four troops marched up the country, and formed part of the force which drove a body of French from the Camp de Cæsar, behind the Scheldt, on the 8th of August. The Royal Dragoons were also with the covering army during the siege of Dunkirk, and after the attempt on that place was abandoned, they were employed in operations near the frontiers of Flanders, where they had a sharp encounter with a corps of French cavalry on the 27th of October.

On the 28th of January, 1794, the colonelcy of the regiment, being vacant by the decease of the Earl of Pembroke, was conferred on Major-General Philip Goldsworthy.

In April the four troops on foreign service were assembled with the army near Cateau, and were engaged in the general attack made on the enemy's positions at Prémont, &c. on the 17th of April, when Captain-Lieutenant the Honourable Thomas Carlton, of the regiment, was killed. The siege of Landrécies was immediately undertaken: the Royal Dragoons formed part of the covering army, and on the 24th of April were engaged in an affair with the enemy at Villers en Couché, when the French lost twelve hundred men and three pieces of cannon: the Royals had one man and two horses killed, and two men and three horses wounded.

The Royal Dragoons had another opportunity of distinguishing themselves on the 26th of April at Cateau. The enemy had marched out of Cambray, and at daybreak attacked the British army. The Duke of York detached the Royals and seven other cavalry regiments to turn the left flank of the French army: this movement was attended with the most brilliant success; the enemy was overthrown with immense slaughter; the rout became general—cavalry and infantry, mingled in promiscuous crowds, were scattered over the plains, and the fugitives fell beneath the sabres of the British dragoons, who captured the French commander, Lieut.-General Chapuy, and thirty-five pieces of cannon. The Duke of York, in his account of this action, observes, "The behaviour of the British cavalry has been beyond all praise." The Royal Dragoons were among the corps which were declared in general orders to have "ACQUIRED IMMORTAL HONOUR." Their loss on this occasion was six men and twelve horses killed; with Lieutenant Froom, two serjeants, eleven men, and fourteen horses wounded.

After the capture of Landrécies the Royal Dragoons marched to the vicinity of Tournay, where they were again engaged with the enemy on the 10th of May; and the Duke of York observed in his public despatch, that the troops had "well supported the reputation acquired on the 26th of last month." The loss of the Royals was only two horses killed, and one man and three horses wounded.

The Royals were in reserve when the attack was made on the French positions on the 17th of May. The army afterwards resumed its post before Tournay, where it was attacked on the 22d of May by General Pichegru with an immense force. The British heavy cavalry had, it appears, become a terror to the enemy, for Brown, in his Journal, observes (22d May), "A column of five or six thousand men made its appearance towards our left, on which account the brigade of guards and the British heavy cavalry remained ready for action on their camp ground; but the French, observing our advantageous situation, and dreading the thought of meeting the British cavalry a second time on an open plain, thought proper not to approach." Finally the French were repulsed at every point of attack, and retreated in the evening.

At length the enemy defeated the Austrians, and brought forward such immense numbers that the English army had no chance of success: the Duke of York retreated, and the final evacuation of Flanders followed.

In the mean time another squadron of the Royals embarked for foreign service; but having been driven back by severe weather, the officers and men were ordered to disembark and remain in England. In July that part of the regiment which was in England marched from Salisbury to Weymouth, in consequence of his Majesty visiting that place; and in October, when the King returned to London, they marched to Dorchester barracks.

During the winter the four troops on foreign service were exposed to privations and inclement weather, which occasioned the death of many men and horses. The winter was particularly severe, the Dutch people were favourable to the French, and the British troops, in their retreat through Holland during a hard frost and storms of snow and sleet, were treated as enemies by the inhabitants; at length the troops arrived in the duchy of Bremen, where they had repose and kind treatment.