History of Europe. 



4^- 



^Ichegru marched,in the beginning 

 «f September, towards the Duke 

 of York's army, that lay encamped 

 between Bois le Due and Breda, in 

 •rder to be at hand for the assist- 

 ance of boib. After employing 

 some days in securing advantageous 

 ground', and making necessary ar- 

 rangements for an action w hich the 

 French General was particularly 

 solicitous to render successful, on 

 the 1 4th of September he attacked 

 the several posts which the Duke 

 had taken along the river Donamel, 

 and after a well-contested dispute, 

 so overpowered them, that tliey 

 were unable to malte head against 

 the multiplied asHaults with which 

 tliey had to contend. Finding hi.-, 

 position untenable against so su- 

 perior a force, the Duke retreated 

 ontha iSth across the Mcusc, and 

 took a station near t!v« town of 

 Grave. Tl>c loss of the British 

 troops, and those in their pay, in 

 the actisn of the Dommel.was very 

 considerable; and thatofihs French 

 may be reputed not less. But fiie 

 latter carried a point of material 

 consefjuence, by clearing that ex- 

 tent of country lying between Boii 

 le Due and Br.-da, and obtaining 

 thereby an opening across the Meuse 

 into the Seven Ignited Provinces, 

 by the pass of Donune! ; which, 

 though a place of strength, they 

 were confident of being able to 

 force, ai they liad done so many 

 otlicrs of equal, if not lupcrior 

 »treft?t!ii.. 



The proximity of so daring and 

 Bimicrous an enemy as the French, 

 and so able a commander as Fi- 

 chfgru, occasioned a deep alarm 

 tbroiighoul the Seven Provinces. 

 Those who were inimical to the 

 French, began seriously to appre- 

 hend thif^ aided by their numrroui 



partisans in Holland, who now be- 

 gan to shew themselves less upon 

 their gnard than ever, they would 

 not fail to succeed in the design 

 v/hicli it was known they had fra- 

 med, of revolutionizing the Seven 

 Provinces on the same plan as 

 those in- tlie Austrian Netherlands. 

 The approach of the French ar- 

 mies bSd already occasioned addi- 

 tional proclamations on the part of 

 the Stadthoidcr and the states ge- 

 neral, exhorting the Dutch in the 

 warmest ternVs to make their ut- 

 most exertions for the commori de- 

 fence of their country. Various 

 sclicmes were proposed for levying 

 money, railing meiv aud for jira- 

 vitirng every re(ju*iiie to encounter 

 an enemy so much to be dreaded 

 as the French were at present, 

 from the determination they 

 seemed to have taken to sacrifice 

 every other consideration to that 

 of bringing utter destruction upon 

 every government and pt-ople that 

 did luil coincide with ili^.ir views 

 and yield to their demands. But 

 though these admonitions were 

 well accepted by those who dreaded 

 an entrance into Holland by th-e 

 French, tlieir adversaries cun- 

 stimteda majority tliat lestilied n'> 

 dispositioa to net suitably to their 

 requests, Thfse proclnmations 

 were dated so early as the 6th of 

 August, when the allies were, re- 

 treating everywiiere, and the ra- 

 pid successes of ihe i'rench, iud 

 filled all wlio wished well to the- 

 slate vrlih the strongest apprehen- 

 sions^. 



It was about the s.-wne time that 

 Prince Cobosrg himself, alarnat-d 

 at the progress of an enemy ^vho 

 had triumphed over so rftany Ger- 

 man ;trini(^s, addressed himself to 

 his countryfren, in order to ajii-- 



