MiSTORY of EUROlgE. l1 



. "This defeat wns immediately fol- 

 lowed by the loss of Cdurtray and 

 Menin. In tbia, latter town was 

 stationed a number of French emi- 

 grants : d body of Handverians, of 

 which the garrison chiefly consisted, 

 zealously assistedin preservingthem 

 from the revenge of their furious 

 countrymen. With uncommon 

 intrepidity, they jointly fought 

 their way through superior num- 

 bers of the enemy. The loss of 

 these two places, was in some mea- 

 sure balanced by the taking of Lan- 

 drecy. This small but well forti- 

 fied town had, in the space often 

 days, experienced tlie horrors of 

 many a longer siege. The bom- 

 bardment had been so incessant and 

 destructive, that only three houses 

 remained entire. Of the garrison, 

 which consisted of near 6000 men 

 at the commencement of the siege, 

 little more than 4000 were left; and 

 the inliabitants themselres co- 

 operated so warmly in the defence 

 of the place, that some hundreds 

 were slain. 



While these transactions hap- 

 pened in tlie west of the Nether- 

 lands, General Jourdain waS no 

 less successfully occupied in the 

 duchy of Luxemburg. Pursuant 

 to the plan of the French adminis- 

 tration, he had in thir beginning of 

 March entered that province; with 

 the view of intercepting its com- 

 munication with those of Liege and 

 Namur. He was opposed by Ge- 

 neral Bcaulieu, at the head of a 

 numerous force of Austrians. He 

 had long been esteemed a brave 

 and expert officer, and his conduct 

 on this occasion did jiot fall short 

 of the reputation he had acquired : 

 but the enemy he was now to en- 

 counter, seemed destined, by the 

 uncommon daringness of their en- 

 VoL. XXXVI. 



terprizes, to break through all the 

 ordinary obstacles that skill and va- 

 lour could throw in their way. 

 General Jourdain, prompted by 

 that emulation which he felt from 

 the appointment of Picbegru to the 

 command of the northern armyi 

 exerted all his talents against his 

 Austrian antagonists. On the 17tH 

 of April he niade a general attack 

 on the lines occupied by Beaulieu. 

 The courage and obstinacy with 

 which both parties engaged, was 

 such, that the battle lasted two 

 days. Jt terminated at last in fa- 

 vour of the French, who suffered 

 severely as well as their enemies. 

 In the province of Flanders, the 

 fortune of war seemed as yet more 

 equally balanced. Aware of the 

 active qualities of Pic'negru, the 

 commanders of the allied army 

 were perseveringly on the watch to 

 meet his continual motions ; and he 

 was no less impatient to justify the 

 clioice that had been made of him 

 for the important station to which 

 he had been preferred. After ma- 

 king the previous dispositions for 

 the attempt he was meditating on 

 the 1 0th of May, the French, to the 

 number of 30,000 of their choicest 

 troops, made a furious atta;ck on the 

 force commanded by the Duke of 

 Yofk, near Tournay : their inten-? 

 tion was, by turning his wings, to 

 surround and place him between 

 their collateral fires. They began 

 first by turning his right wing; but 

 it was forunately flanked by a wood 

 where the Austrian regiment of 

 KaunitX had been posted to guard 

 against any such attempt. This 

 regiment maintained its post so ef- 

 frctually, tliat the French were 

 completely disappointed. They 

 next endeavoured to break in upon 

 the centre. Protected by their nu- 

 C inerotv5 



