HISTORY 6V EUROPE. 



U 



Seasonable pride of rank and dig- 

 nity. His motives were of a supe- 

 rior kind. He had discovered such 

 a preference in the Austrians to 

 ever)- measure that accorded with 

 their particular views, and such an 

 indifference to the common interest 

 Vvfhere their own was not peculiarly 

 implicated, that he thought it i:)- 

 ■con<sistent with his iiononr and 

 duty to trust himself ai.d the troops 

 under his command to the manage- 

 ment of an ally who had given too 

 many proofs tliat he would on all 

 occasions consult his own ends ex- 

 clusively, to merit that implicit 

 confidence in his good faith and 

 fair dealing which, with so little 

 reason and very unseasonably, he 

 seemed in a manner to insist upon. 

 The altercations that arose on pro- 

 ducing this plan were so violent, 

 that, in order to restore harmony 

 among the contending parties, t!ie 

 courts of London and Vienna were 

 neccsskated to enter into a recipro- 

 cal compromise, by which it was 

 agreed, that provided the Eiupcror 

 assumed persotially the command ot 

 the armies, the Duke of York 

 v.'ould serve under him. Such v.as 

 the ostensible term.ination ot a Jii- 

 feience* which begat in the sefjUel 

 many unfortunate consequences. 

 Austrian pride never forgave the 

 refusal to ackriowledge its superio- 

 rity; jealousy anddixvust increased 

 on both sides ; and much evil re- 

 sulted from th-: defeat of tliat mu- 

 tual cordiality, witliout which no 

 connexion* can prusper. 



In order to afford a plausible mo- 

 tive for the Emperor's quitting his 

 imperial residence, iIk? propriety of 

 his personal inauguration as Duke 

 of Brabant was strongly pleaded. 

 His presence at Brussels,' the capi-, 

 ral of his herediiary dominions io 



the Netherlands, would, it was re- 

 presented, powerfully tend to con- 

 ciliate his Flemish subjects, and in- 

 duce them to second his endea- 

 vours to expel the French from 

 the low countries. Moved by re- 

 presentations of this nature, the 

 Emperor repaired to Brussels, 

 where he arrived on the £»th of 

 April. He was received with the 

 utmost magnificence, and went 

 through all the forms prescribed by 

 ttie constitutions of the different 

 provinces, of which he was acknow 

 [edged the sovi-reign. After the 

 solemnities of his .inauguration 

 v»cre over, it became necessary thai- 

 he should fulfil the agreement 

 which was the real motive of his 

 journey to the Netherlands. IL; 

 set out accordingly from Brussels, 

 and proceeded to assume the com- 

 mand of the allied army, which 

 V\'as reviewed by h.im on the 16tji 

 of April. It was now resolved to 

 signalii:e his presenoe by an enter- 

 pri/.e of some importance. To 

 this purpose the siege of Landrecy 

 was undertaken. It was invested 

 on the 17th, and th? v.-hole army 

 posted in such a manner as most 

 elFectuaily to oppose tbe endea- 

 vours which the French micrht 

 make to compel the allies to raise 

 the siege. 'Fhe combined army 

 was divided into eight columns, five 

 of wliieh attacked tlie French, who 

 were very advantageously posted, 

 with great vigour and success- 

 Two of these columns were com- 

 manded by the Dukt' of York and 

 .Sir William Erskine. That part 

 of the French army v.hich they en- 

 gaged, was strongly entrenched, 

 and surrounded by woods vety<iif- 

 ficult to be penetrated: the resistance 

 of the Fre::chwas,ticcording to ex- 

 pectation, very cbstiaute; and it re- 



quir&d 



