HISTORY OF EUROPE. 



6f 



and the inhabitants. The French 

 having completed their approaches, 

 and effected sufFicient breaches, 

 were preparing to give a general 

 assault, when the magistracy of the 

 piUce waited on the Governor, to 

 request he would not deliver them 

 to certain death, by continuing a 

 resistance wlilch could only termi- 

 nate in a massacre of the garrison 

 and people. These remonstrances 

 induced him to consent to a capi- 

 tulation ; by which the garrison 

 were to be considered as prisoners 

 of war till e>:chai)p;ed. On these 

 terms Maestricht surrendered to Ge- 

 neral Kleber on the 4th of No- 

 yember, after having; stood a siege 

 of forty days, and suffered a loss of 

 more than 2()00 houses and public 

 buildings, eitUer totally demolished 

 cr materially damaged. 



Tire capture of two cities of such 

 higli consideration as Nimeguen and 

 Maestricht, filled the ruling party 

 ia Holland with the most evident 

 consternation ; they now began 

 tkoroughly to despair of being able 

 to make head against France, espe- 

 cially as their domestic eisemies 

 were well known to have formed 

 the resolution of taking an active 

 part in favour of the French, the 

 moment they could do it with any 

 prospect of personal safety. 



The invasion of Holland was an 

 object of universal expectation in 

 Europe. The force under the 

 command of General Pithegru, 

 who was placed at the head of this 

 great expedition, amounted to no 

 less than 200,000 men. Plis abili- 

 ties, and those of the oflictrs who 

 Wvie to serve uaJer him, anuex.d 



a security to the entcrprize, which 

 equally elated the French and de- 

 pressed their enemies. In less than 

 two years from the accession of the 

 governing powers in tiie United 

 Provinces to the confederacy which 

 was to have reduced France, they 

 found themselves on the point of 

 beaoraing the subjects of that irri- 

 tated power, by the mott humiha- 

 ting and disgraceful of ail means^ 

 thoje of subjugation and con- 

 quest. 



The strength which was to op- 

 pose this vast and victorious army, 

 consisted in the remains of the 

 British troops and those in their " 

 pay, and of the Dutch troops. But 

 their numbers were beneath con- 

 sideration, when compared to the 

 multitude of their enemies ; and 

 though far from deficient in mili- 

 tary knovv'ledge any more than in 

 spirit, they did not appear adequate 

 to the arduous task of preserving 

 Holland from the designs in agita- 

 tion against it. ' 



A neutral party subsisted in Hol- 

 land, which, without inclining to 

 the Stadthoider or to his enemies, 

 were decidedly averse to the en- 

 trance of the French ; which they 

 foresav/ must put an end to the 

 independence of the Dutch as a 

 nation. But their remonstrance* 

 on the necessity of a reunion of 

 all parties against a foreign inva- 

 sion, were lost in the fixed deter- 

 mination of those in authority to 

 trust none but their adherents, and 

 in the no less obstinate resolution 

 of their antagonists to destroy their 

 authority through the assistance of 

 the French. 



CHAP. 



