HISTORY OF EUROPE. 



55 



General Moreau, a 3'oiing man 

 who possessed abilities far beyond 

 liis years, and liad raised himself in 

 the mihtary line by his sole merit, 

 was entrusted with the command of 

 a division for the eiteci'.tion of this 

 design. Having previously put to 

 the rout a strong party of the Aus- 

 trians, who had endeavoured to ob- 

 struct his march, he arrived the 23d 

 of October before Coblentz. The 

 celerity with which the works 

 erected at so much expence were 

 carried, was truly astonishing. 

 Hardly any opposition was made; 

 and after a mere show of defence, 

 tlie Austrians hastily retired to llie 

 other side of the Rhine. The 

 country to the south of Coblentz 

 was now undergoing the same des- 

 tiny. Worms, the seat of a bishop- 

 ric, and several other towns of 

 less note, surrendered about this 

 tirrte to the French armies sta- 

 tioned upon the borders of the 

 Rhine- 



The great project now in agita- 

 tion among the French, v/as the 

 reduction of Holland. Winter was 

 approaching ; and it was not 

 doubted among them, that should 

 the season prove severe, and the ri, 

 vers tliat surround the United Pro- 

 vinces be frozen, but they woild 

 serve as bridges for the Freixh, to 

 penetrate into the very heart of the 

 country. The talents displayed by 

 CJeneral Pichegru, in the course of 

 this arduous campaign, pointed liim 

 out as the fitt'ht man to be cm- 

 plo)ed in a task of this nature, 

 wherein tiie versatility of his genius 

 would find a variety of objects to 

 woik. upon. 



lint antecedently to so great an 

 .indertaking, it was necessary to 

 i/vcr^-pme several obstacles which, 



if not surmounted in due time, 

 might probably increase to a de- 

 gree that would render them very 

 difficult to be encountered. The 

 Duke of York'sarmy, though com- 

 pelled to ix'treat before a superior 

 force, still continued to maintain 

 its ground, and only waited the re- 

 inforcements promised by the late 

 treaty, to reconimence offensive ope- 

 rations. Until this army was over- 

 come, as others had been, Pichegru's 

 entrance into Holland would cer- 

 tainly meet with powerful obstruct 

 tions. 



But the total rout of Clairfait's 

 forces was a gloomy prc'^age of 

 what would probably betal those 

 under the Duke. It was now be- 

 come impossible for reinforcements 

 to arrive from Germany, unless by 

 a circuitous march, that would con- 

 sume more time than could be ta- 

 ken to await them. Finding his 

 strength incompetent for those ac- 

 tive operations that had been plan- 

 ned, on the presumption that he 

 would be seconded by the Austri- 

 ans, and thee now being unable to 

 co-operate with him, it became ne- 

 cesrary that he should adopt only 

 defensive measures, in conjunction 

 with the Dutch, whose situation was 

 daily bc'cou'r.ng more critical, and 

 who h,;d only the British forces to 

 relv on tor any effectual aid. 



Tiie French in the mean time 

 had been preparing for the siege 

 of Boi? le Due, by seizing some 

 places in the neigbb()tn"liood that 

 might facilitate its progress. Tlie 

 chief defence of this town con- 

 sisting in its power to inundate the 

 country round, tlie chief object of 

 the French was to obviate a me£i' 

 sure which would so effectually renr 

 der the place iiiaccessible. For 

 £ i this 



