36 



ANNUAL REGISTER, ir&4. 



more than five hundred thousand 

 pounds sterling. 



The capture of eo large and im- 

 portant a place as I.oiivain, had 

 in a manner decided the fate of all 

 the caetein parts of Brabant. The 

 French had no position of much 

 strength to encounter between 

 that place and the city of Litge, 

 which was the next obicct of con- 

 sequence they had in view. Here 

 however they were secure of the 

 "warmest attachment of the inha- 

 bitants of all that country, who 

 waited impatiently for the retreat 

 of the allied forces to manifest 

 ihf'.T disposition. General Jour- 

 dain was noiv r.dvancing towards 

 thi« city with the victorious armies 

 of the Sambre and Meu?e; the way 

 ■*'as clear before him, and the suc- 

 cess of the other annies had re- 

 moved every obstacle that might 

 have been apprehended on the side 

 of Brabant. He posted his troops 

 on the groimd before Liege on the 

 . ^th day of July, and attack- 

 «i the Austrians in front of the 

 city with so much fury, that after 

 standing a heavy cannonade, find- 

 ing the numbers of the enemy in- 

 creasing, and preparing to surround 

 them OQ every side, they withdrew 

 in good order to the high grounds 

 adjacent to Liege ; from whence 

 they did great execution on the 

 French with their artillery. The 

 reception of the conquerors by the 

 inhabitarts of Liege, was conform- 

 able to that which they had inva- 

 riably experienced in every place 

 in the low conniries that fell into 

 their hands. The people of this 

 c!ty and its •dependencies, were 

 however peculiarly distinguished 

 by the zeal they had long shewn 

 for a connexion with France of the 

 ^rictest kind. The FrcjicU go- 



vernment wais conscious of this i ' 

 and it was with particular satisfac- 

 tion they recovered possession of a 

 territory so considerable in wealth 

 and extent, and of which the na- 

 tives were so firmly devoted to 

 France. 



^Vi.i!e this part of the Nether- 

 lands was thus returning to the 

 obedience of the rcpubhc, its arms 

 were equally triumphant in others. 

 The Dutch, justly apprehending 

 that the French, after seizing all 

 the Atistrian Netherlands, would 

 not fail to attempt their own coun- 

 try, endeavoured to put their fron- 

 tiers in a situation of resistance. 

 But the fa'e of their allies followed 

 them. I.illo, a fort formerly con- 

 structed to guard the inland en- 

 trance into the Scheldt, was found 

 wntcnabie against the strength- 

 which the French were expected to 

 bring against it, and was therefore 

 evacuated. 



On the coast of Flanders, oppo- 

 site Zealand, the Dutch were mas» 

 ters of some towns and fortresses 

 reputed of great strength. Oae of 

 these lay in the Isle of Cadsand, 

 renowned for having been tha 

 scene of many actions between the 

 Spaniards and Dutch, when these 

 first threw off the Spanish yolce. 

 But General Moreau now took it 

 without difficulty, on the 29th of 

 July, together with a number of 

 cannon and of warlike stores. The 

 town of Sluys, that lay contiguous 

 to that island, had not been taken 

 however till after a gallant defence. 

 The governor and his garrison 

 were, it seems, determined to resist 

 to the last, that torrent of success 

 to which others had in their opi- 

 nion yielded too readily. The an- 

 swer returned by the governor to 

 the French General whQ summoned 



hup 



