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country by looting. The Russian armies were indeedeven more tied to their magazines and winter quartersthan the other armies of their day. East Prussia seemsto have fared much better during its four years of Russianoccupation than Frederick's other provinces, bled by hislevies and requisitions.The Russian armies were untrained for the tacticaloffensive, even had their generals dared to attempt it inthe face of Frederick's genius; but their unbreakablesteadfastness, even with fifty per cent, losses, robbedFrederick of any fruits from Zorndorf (1758) and nextyear at Kunersdorf brought him to his knees. In 1760they captured Kolberg and crossed the Oder to raidBerlin, laying it under contribution (a suspiciously lightone) and doing considerable military damage. By theend of 1761 Frederick, all but deserted by the Britishnow that Pitt had been forced to resign, was reduced tohis long-conducted but fruitless negotiations with theTurks as " the sole barometer'' of Prussian policy. Hewas almost at his last gasp.So was the empress Elizabeth, and in January 1762 shedied. " Thanks be to Heaven," Frederick wrote to hisbrother, "our back is free." The undammable weightof Russian numbers was at last removed. Whereas onthe ocean flank of the far-flung struggle the death ofFerdinand VI of Spain had brought Charles III to thethrone and the entry of Spain into the war against England(1761), the death of Elizabeth brought Peter III to thethrone and, as all counted on, the immediate withdrawalof Russia from the war. The coup d'etat six monthslater, by which Catherine the Great deposed her husband,had little effect on foreign affairs. The policy of peacewith Prussia was in general popular and it remainedCatherine's fixed aim, though she withdrew the corpsthat Peter had proffered Frederick.Peace soon came between the other powers, in 1763.Prussia was the victor in Europe at the expense ofAustria and France; England overseas at the expense ofFrance and Spain.Whether Russia had any compensation for her losseshas been questioned. The war had been very costly in394