the measures purfued on this occafion were neceffary for preferving the peace of the province, by preventing those popular tumults and violences, of which they had fuch frequent and deplorable inftances; and finally imputed the king's interference to partial and unfounded reprefentations. The Pruffian minifter had likewife prefented another memorial from the king, on the same subject, to the ftates general; but their anfwer was fo fatisfactory, as to produce a return of acknowledgment, and thanks from the king. Their high mightineffes declared, that they had made repeated applications, without fuccefs, to the ftates of Holland upon this unfortunate occafion; that they must therefore leave it entirely to thento abide the confequences, as they would not themselves be in any degree anfwerable for them. The king of Pruffia loft no time in ordering a representation of the outrage offered to his fifter to be laid before the court of Verfailles. In order to counteract the effect of this representation, the ftates of Holland were no lefs alert in laying before that court their answer to the Pruffian memorial, together with their juftificatory detail of the tranfactions, included in refolutions which they paffed upon the occafion. It could not then but be to their unfpeakable mortification, that they found the French king, their boafted ally, and the great fupporter and friend of the party, had in strong terms condemned the treatment experienced by the princefs. He declaring, that he conceived it to be a grofs infult; that it was carrying matters to too great a length; that the king of Pruffia was therefore certainly justified in demanding ample fatisfaction for the affront; and that it ought undoubtedly to be given. The answer of the ftates of Holland drew Auguft 6th. a memorial from Baron Thulemeyer, expreffing in ftrong terms the mixed furprize and indignation which that anfwer excited in the Pruffian monarch That it was with the utmost aftonishment he found, that, instead of an offer of juft fatisfaction, proportioned to the infult, they had returned an anfwer fupported only by evasive and infufficient arguments. That his majetty would not admit, that the pretended ignorance of the motives which carried her royal highness to the Hague. and the apprehenfion of a popular commotion, thould afford any excufe or colour to the conduct of the commiffion at Woerden. That fuch a fufpicion, oftentatiously published, was a new infult. That the word of the princefs, and her folemn declaration of the falutary motives by which he was excited, fhould have afforded the most perfect conviction to these deputies of the ftates; while the prudence with which the concealed her journey, in order to prevent the people from fhewing thofe demonftrations of zeal and joy on her arrival, which their affectionswould otherwifehave rendered. inevitable, should have been confidered as a fresh cause for the gratitude of government. That the king will not trouble himself with enquiring into the legality of the right of refufal which the commiflion at Woerden attributes to itfelf upon this occafion; but he will confider the more attentively the manner in which it was given and executed. That proceedings fo outrageous and offenfive have made a [C] 2 deep deep impreffion on the mind of the king, who looks on the injury as offered to himself. "It is by the "exprefs orders of that monarch, "that the underwritten again de"mands from your noble and great "mightineffes, an immediate and fuitable fatisfaction for the in"fult; and his majefty further enjoins me not to fuffer you to re"main ignorant, that he will perfift invariably upon this fatisfaction, and that he will not content himself with a difcuffion of de"tached circumftances, vague excufes. or further fhifts and eva"fions." This was followed by a note from Mr. Thulemeyer, containing the forms of the fatisfaction with which the king was willing to be contented-That the ftates fhould write a letter to her royal highnefs (to be firft approved of by the Pruffian minifter)difavowing the fuppofition that fhe had any views contrary to the welfare of the republic-That they fhould apologize for the oppofition made to her journey, and for the treatment of which the complained That they thould punifh, at the requifition of the rincefs, thofe perfons who were culpable of the offences offered to her auguft perfon-That they fhould revoke the erroneous and injurious refolutions which they had paffed with refpect to this journey-And that this revocation fhould be accompanied with an invitation in thefe terms, "That her royal highness will come to the Hague, "to enter into a negociation, in "the name of the prince ftadt"holder, for conciliating, by a "fuitable arrangement, the dif"ferences which fubfift at pre"fent." That if thefe moderate conditions are without difficulty complied with by the ftates, her royal highness will interfere with the king, her brother, to forbear any further requifition for fatisfaction on this subject. But that in the interim, until the negociation takes place, his majefty expects, in the moft express manner, that the ftates of Holland will, at least, let things remain in their prefent ftate; and that they will not proceed to any fufpenfion, deprivation, or other measures, offenfive or prejudicial to the person of the prince ftadtholder, captain and admiral general, as by so doing they will render all conciliation illufory, impoffible, and will add to the offences. It will not be fuppofed that conceffions fo mortifying to the pride, and fo inimical to the defigns of the republican leaders, could have been fubmitted to. Indeed the domineering language, and the haughty arrogance, which they had fo long been in the habit of using towards the ftadtholder and his family, feemed to render them incapable of any conceffion however moderate. Their reliance upon France, in the last refort, was likewise still unimpaired. The ftates of Hol land, in their deliberation upon Thulemeyer's memorial, refolved not to enter into any verbal or written difcuffion of the fubject there, but to depute two of their number to Berlin, to explain matters upon the fpot to the king. But when the exprefs arrived in four days from that city, with the precife terms of the fatisfaction, not onlydemanded but infifted on,they thought it neceffary to prepare for the worst, and immediately iffued an order to have every thing in readiness for laying the country under water, the moment any foreign troops fhould enter the territories of the republic. In the mean time every thing carried the face of immediate war at Berlin. Troops affembling, field equipage preparing, magazines forming, and councils of war frequently held, at which the reigning duke of Brunswick conttantly prefided. In the interim, gooo Pruffian troops lined the frontiers of the duchy of Cleves, bordering on the territories of the republic; the governor of Wefel received orders to prepare accommodations for the reception of an army of 60 or 70,000 men; and all these preparations were avowedly defigned for obtaining fatisfaction from the ftates of Holland, for the infult offered to the princefs of Orange. During thefe tranfactions the ftadtholder had taken, by a coup de main, the fortified town of Wick, otherwife called Duerstede, in the province of Utrecht; a place eminently noted, in the course of these troubles, for its early rejection of the authority of the provincial ftates, the adoption of violent republican principles, and for the animofity which it bore to the ftadtholder; being in all thefe refpects fcarcely inferior to the capital itfelf, under whofe protection it was foftered and fupported. This town was, particularly from its fituation, an acquifition of great importance to the ftadtholder; it is fituated on the borders of Holland, within 24 miles of Amfterdam; commands the courfe of that part of the Rhine, here called the Lech, on which it ftands; poffeffes the command of feveral fluices; and may be confidered as the key of that province on the fide of Utrecht. This was fo well understood by the ftadtholder, that, notwithstanding the fmallness of his army, he placed a garrison of 1000 men it. The confternation and alarm which the furprize occafioned at Amfterdam, fufficiently thewed the juftnefs of his eftimate. This firft fuccefs was foon followed by the taking of Harderwycke, a town of Guelderland, important likewife from its fituation, which is on the Zuyder Sea. At the fame period, whether thefe fucceffes were inftrumental to it or not, the city of Middleburg, and the whole province of Zealand, declared without referve in his favour. The prince then advanced with his army towards the city of Utrecht, where he encamped at a league's distance, and, fpreading his posts to a confiderable extent, began greatly to ftreighten the intercourfe of that turbulent people with the adjacent country. In this ftate of things the Rhingrave of Salm, who was confidered as the hero of the party, and was befides governor of the city, and commander in chief of all the forces, whether foreign or domeftic, employed in its defence, thought it neceffary to make fome attempt for the fupport of that high reputa tion which, without danger or fervice, he had fo fortuitoufly obtained. For this purpote he adopted the fcheme of making a strong 1ortie from the city at night, with a view, if not of beating up the prince's quarters, at least of furprizing and. carrying fome of his detached pofts; which, from their extent, feemed a very feasible defign. The force which he led out upon this occafion, nearly included all orders and defcriptions of military [C] 3 men. men. Cuiraffiers, huffars, fufileers, and marksmen, of his own legion; volunteer chaffeurs; regular infantry of Holland, and volunteers; infantry of a corps called Palardi's; befides the burghers of the town, under whatever denominations. This force was divided in two columns without the city, where each took its allotted courfe, on the night of the 26th of July; one being led by the Rhingrave in perfon, and the other by a lieutenant-colonel, called Klernenburg. The firft, through fome mifchance, paffed the night without finding the enemy; and when at length they difcovered him at break of day, they found him in fuch a state of ftrength and preparation, that the Rhingrave, perceiving at once the danger, fhewed fuch judgment and prudence in the timely manner of making his retreat, that his troops returned fafe to Utrecht, without the expence of a fingle fhot. Not fuch was the fortune of the other column. They found their way directly to their object, at the poft of Soeftdyck, which they attacked with vigour and intrepidity long before day. This was an old feat, under the name of a castle, with a village adjoining, belonging to the houfe of Orange. The troops of Heffe Darmstadt have been long renowned for their excellence; and it happened, unluckily for the affailants, that the village was occupied by part of a regiment of that prince in the Dutch fervice. Thefe, notwithstanding the darknefs and furprise, were instantly in arms, and were acknowledged, even by their enemy, to have well fuftained their ancient reputation. They lined the hedges of the gardens, the windows of fome parts of the caftle, and, feizing every tenable fpot, defended all with the moft determined valour. The conflict lafted fiercely till the approach of day; when other troops being attracted, by the noise of the firing, to the relief of the poft, the affailants were forced to retire with the lofs of more than a hundred and fifty men; but their retreat to Utrecht had nearly proved fatal, for their guide being killed, they were led by another (they fay through treachery) almoft into the jaws of the enemy; fo that they with difficulty efcaped being involved in the centre of the stadtholder's camp at Zeift. A French officer of fome diftinction ferved as a volunteer in the corps of Salm upon this occafion. Indeed the officers of that nation were generally either parties in or witneffes to most of the tranfactions of this time; and one of rank and quality had even been prefent at the feizure of the princess or Orange. All the effect which fo many untoward circumftances, and ftrong indications of fignal approaching danger, feemed to produce upon the ruling party in Holland, was to render them more harsh in their government, obftinate and violent in all their proceedings, and more unrelenting and cruel in their perfecution of the Orange party. Among other capricious inftances of perfecution, violence, and tyranny, the difplay of Orange colours, in any form or manner, was conftituted a crime of the firft magnitude. It was faid that two men were openly hanged in the street at noon-day, for tranfgreffing this order. The diftorting ribbands or emblems of any colour into the form of the letter (W) was rendered highly, highly, if not equally, penal. The expofing of orange-coloured flowers to view, whether in the windows or elsewhere, had been prohibited long before. Such a fyftem of violence, if voluntary, cruel, and if neceffary, unfortunate, under whatever name or form of government, could fcarcely be permanent. In the mean time, a bitter and unmanaged invective against the ftadtholder, called The Declaration of the Inhabitants of Holland against William the Vth, was figned by about 6000 names, and published. In this piece, the prince was declared to have betrayed his country to England in the midft of a war; he was charged with perjury and violation of his oath; accufed of disobedience to his fovereign lords and mafters; and ftigmatized as behaving like another duke of Alva. As a traitor to his country, they required that he fhould be ftripped of all his dignities, deprived of all his authority, his goods confifcated, his perfon profcribed, and delivered up to the fovereign, to receive the recompence of his crimes.-Such was the laft ebullition of popular fury, which was foon to fubfide under the ftrong compulfion of a difciplined and victorious army. The states of Holland ufed every poffible endeavour, that the new deputies, elected by the city of Utrecht, fhould be received as the legal and real reprefentatives of the province by the ftates general, and that the old legitimate ftates, who had fo long fat at Amersfort, fhould be excluded from their feats, and confequently their vote, in that affembly. But their high mightineffes, as well as the council of fate, refifted this innovation with fuch firmness, that, to the great difappointment of the party, all their efforts proved fruitlefs. Through the courfe of thefe tranfactions, nothing could appear more deplorable than the afpect which almost every part of the republic prefented. The rabble no longer hefitated at any act of the most daring licentioufnels; fo that the foreign minifters at the Hague thought themselves in circumstances of fuch danger, that the Ruffian minifter applied, in the name of the whole diplomatic body, to the ftates general, to provide fome effectual fecurity for their perfons and houses. It is worthy of obfervation, that this memorial was not presented to the ftates of Holland, in whofe department the bufinefs feemed peculiarly to lie.-In fuch a state, it was not much to be wondered at, that the moft melancholy objects shouldevery where ftrike the eye. Numbers of ruined and plundered houfes fhewed, in the towns unerring marks of the highest defolation; and many families, reduced at once to beggary, where every where to be met in the most piteous fituation. The neighbouring countries were filled with the opulent or the industrious Hollanders, who thought themfelves happy in efcaping from the dangers and miferies to which they were expofed at home. Oftend, in particular, began again to raise its head, and to thake off the languor and defpondency which the late peace occafioned, through the number of Dutch families, who, totally abandoning their country, fettled there for a permanency, and had no fooner procured houfes, than, taking advantage of the port and fituation, they refumed their usual habits, introducing new branches of trade, [C] 4 and |