17<3 



ANNUAL REGISTER, 1794. 



die ai my posl .rihh veryanswei- then 

 I maicc toyoii. A'oii laygreat stress 

 on your inforninlion that the un- 

 happy -.state of France renders it 

 impracticable for her to scndus suc- 

 cours ; we will wait for them, and 

 use thelast ariiisof despair, andyour 

 nation shall learn what a republican 

 is able to perform. 



I ask my whole army to cut off 

 my head if I prove a traitor. Per- 

 mit me now to complain to yourself 

 of the indignity you have offered 

 me in thinking me so vile, so flagi- 

 tious, so base, as not to resent an 

 offer of 50,000 crowns Tournois. 

 In this you have wronged yourself. 

 lam a general :. hitherto I have 

 been worlhy to command the army. 

 You have endeavoured to dishonour 

 me in the e)'es of my comrades ; 

 this is an offence between you and 

 me for which you owe me satisfac- 

 tion ; 1 demand, it in the name of 

 honour, wiuchnnist exist among all 

 nations; tlierefore, previous to any 

 general aciion, I offer you a single 

 combat till either of us falls., lea\ing 

 to you the choice of arms either on 

 foot or horseback: then, if victori- 

 ous, 1 shall have proved myself wor- 

 thy to comm.and republicans ; if I 

 fail gloriously, the republican army 

 will have another leader still more 

 formidable, and every individnal in 

 the army will imitate my exam- 

 ple. 



Your quality of enemy in toe 

 name of your nation did not gi\c 

 you a right to oiler me a persona! 

 insult; as a private person, I ask sa- 

 tisfaction for an injury done nti by 

 an individual. 



I must tell you that the English 

 papers you send me are not con- 

 formable to the news we receive 

 irom Francs. Our two nations have 

 often made war wiih each other ; 



but always with equal weapon.s, 

 cease then to attack, us by tenders 

 of money. Let us be equally ge- 

 nerous, let us contend in honoura- 

 ble hostility, and letus scorn the arts 

 of seduction. 



Th'e enemy made prisoner of war 

 with arms in his hands commands 

 respect, as he merits esteem. The 

 universe has its eyes upon us ; the 

 universe will say, there still exist 

 rnf^n who preferred death to disho- 

 nour ; we shall serve as examples 

 to all military men, andyour coun- 

 try itself will testify its approbation. 

 We have always before our eyes the 

 proverb which says, the treason 

 pleases uswell, but the traitor is de- 

 tested. 



The commander of the road, im- 

 pressed v.'ith the same sentiments 

 will surrender the ships only to be 

 swallowed up by the deep. A se- 

 cond flag of truce ; would be very 

 needless, tlierefore, do not give 

 \ ourself the trouble to send one. I 

 invite you to read my letter public- 

 ly, as it is written in public. 



1 greet you in the name of the 

 whole army. 



(Signed) Ex. Lavau.\;. 



Mfiiiorial from lord St. Helen, hh 

 Britannic majesty's minister, (t> 

 th:ir high 7nightini-sses the stales 

 general of the United Provinces. 



TKE undersigned ambassador 

 extraordinary and plenipoten- 

 tiary of his Britannic majesty, has 

 tl)e honour to inform your high 

 mightinesses, that he hn,s learned by 

 letters from the liukeofYork, com- 

 mander-in-chief of his majesty's 

 army in the Belgian provinces, that 

 cir{;i;mstances having obliged the 

 allied troops to abandon Bruges, it 



is 



