HISTORY OF EUROPE. 



31 



continual alarm. The Duke of 

 VoVk, in conseqnence of these 

 losses, found it advisable to reliii- 

 <]uhh the position he had taken, 

 and to draw nearer to Antwerp ; 

 where it had been determined to 

 form a junction wiih the troops 

 Jately brought from England by 

 Lord Moira. 



This prudent and indefaTigaWe 

 commvider had, after a most tedi- 

 ous and difficult march, and en- 

 countering continual obstacles, 

 reached the town of Alost. Such 

 had been the sufferings of his 

 troops, that, from thei'r leaving 

 Ostend to their present position, 

 they were without baggage and 

 lents, and exposed all the wa;,- to 

 the inclemency of weather. Pre- 

 •uming on the fatigue they mr.st 

 have endured, and their conscq^uent 

 wearine s, the French attacked 

 them on the 6th of July, imme- 

 diately after their arrival,' and for- 

 ced an entrance into the town ; 

 bat t!iey were obliged to abandor. 

 it, after a sharp dispute, wherein 

 they sustained a much more consi- 

 derable loss than the British troops. 



.'.-o days after this action, Lord 



'lira t-fi'ected a junction with the 

 JDuke of York. They posted their 

 united forces along the canal be- 

 tween Brussels and Antwerp ; but 

 here they were not permitted to 

 remain. I'he French attacked 

 them in great strength on the !2th 

 of this nxjnth ; and they were com- 

 pelled to take shelter in Medilin, 

 closely pressed by the 'French ; 

 from hence however the lattci were 

 driven in their turn by a rein- 

 forccmentbreught forwa-dby Lord 

 Mojra, and obliged to fall hick on 

 their post* with" considerable ios^. 

 This check did not prevent the 

 French from renewing their at- 



■ '< three days after. They ai- 



sailed the posts in the front of 

 Mechlin, towards the canal, in its 

 vicinity. The allies, occupied a 

 dyke, from whence they were not 

 dislodged without an obstinate de- 

 fence. But the numbers and im- 

 petuosity of the French improved 

 this first success so completely, that 

 no longer resistance was made, and 

 the allies retired into Mechlin > 

 which appearing in their present 

 situatid^n untenable, was immedi- 

 ately evacuated. The French were 

 now in such force near Antwerp, 

 and this last defeat had so enabled 

 them to command its environs,and 

 straiten it on every side, that with 

 suc'.i inft-1 ior strengtli as the Duke's, 

 it ua.s not not possible long to retain 

 possession of it. The Duke re- 

 solved liowevcr to remain there, in 

 order to cover the operations of 

 the Dutch, and aiford them an op- 

 portunity of putting their strong 

 holds in the neiehbjurhood in » 

 condition to make a vigorous de^- 

 fence. 



Rut wliatever determination the- 

 Dulc'a miglu have coma to, to de- 

 fend their fortre-^ses with resolution, 

 lliey were totally averse to meet: 

 the French in the field. Prince. 

 Cobourg had resolved, notwith- 

 standing his late disasters, onc« 

 more to have hazarded a- battle 

 with the enemy : but the Dutch 

 troops refuse^', to se.:ond him. It 

 was alleged by those who excui- 

 pHtcd tlie Dutch, that their num- 

 bers were so reduced, that had the- 

 French been victorious, wiiich wa-! 

 HHicK to be apprehended, the Imi 

 of the Dutch, =b killerl or taken, 

 might be so great as to di'-abie them 

 from elft-ctually piotccting the r 

 fiontiers ; which iu tliat case wuuM 

 ii-.falUbly fall into the hands of the 

 French. This defection of the 

 Dutch entitely fruiiratcd the inten- 

 tions 



