^GTr ,7^5 TATE PAPERS. 



23^ 



dare, with dutiful submission, ■ that 

 -having hitheitol.axj thegroatestcon*- 

 4idenceinthe wisdom a.ntd candour 

 of iheir gr'-sat mightiiiessasj the 

 •noble burgt-'.i.asters and couucil of 

 .that city, t^ftt tbey should talte ail 

 .necessary measures for the protec- 

 tion and vvv-H'are of the inhabitante 

 •of tiiL- to.vr. ; and as hitherto the 

 undersigned have not yet undei^ 

 taken any active step to shew any 

 distrust 'Or discontent agajnst the 

 conduct of your great mightinesses, 

 thev hope never to have any occv:- 

 sion to iiS5urae such a step. 



The undersigned, however, think 

 themselves well informed, that the 

 liberty of your deliberations has 

 Jately been considerably encroached, 

 by the sudden and imexpectcd ap- 

 pearance, in this town, of his serene 

 highness the hereditary prince of 

 •Orange, and his royal highness the 

 duke of York, the arrival of whom 

 had no other object than .to induce 

 your great mightinessesto give your 

 consent to resolutijons, the execu- 

 tion of which cannot fail being 

 highly detrimental and injurious to 

 the interest of the inhabitants of 

 this town, and of those oi the 

 whole province. 



Without farther venturing upon 

 conjectures, relative to the objects 

 of the arrival of the above two high 

 personages, we think it necessary to 

 state that we have been informed 

 of your great mightinesses, en dieir 

 arrival, having taken into consider- 

 ation the propositions made ; that 

 on the approach of the French 

 troops to the town, that the latter 

 should be put in the most complete 

 footing of defence, and that your 

 great mightinesses had come to a 

 resolution to submit the town to all 

 the inconveniences ot a siege: that 

 you likewise have cgnsentcd to form 



the grandirtundatinn all aroundthis 

 ■city,byopeningallthe surrounding 

 sluices, and by breaking ditfererit 

 sea dykes. 



And that farther yoiu' great migh- 

 tinesses had also resolved to adniit.a 

 great number of English troops into 

 the heart of this city. 



Undersigned think it their duty 

 to declare that they shall in no man- 

 ner consent to the above-mentioned 

 measures; and that in case the above 

 great personages, by their presence, 

 should force your great miglitines- 

 ses to such resolutions, we must 

 assert that all 'the iniiabitarits of 

 this town are averse to such mea- 

 saresas being injurious to thegene'^- 

 ral interest of this town and the 

 whole countiy. 



Undersigned expect a categori- 

 cal answer from your great mighti- 

 nesses upon the following-questions: 



i. What was th-e object of the 

 arrival of the above high personage* 

 in this town ? 



2. Whether your mightinesses 

 have •consented to expose the town 

 to a formal seige, to garrison it with 

 foreign troops, and to transform its 

 interior civic government into a mi- 

 litary government ? 



Undersigned farther declare pub- 

 licly, that they are discontented 

 with such resolutions, and they are 

 determined to resist and oppose 

 themselves against all militarv de- 

 fence of whatever name, and under 

 v/hatever form it migitt be adopted. 



That the undersigned, particular- 

 ly are determined to resist and op- 

 pose themselves agaiiisi thcquarter- 

 ing, in the town, of the English 

 troops, whose bad conduct has not 

 been improved by repeated orders 

 and severities ironi their chief com- 

 mander. The undersigned will 

 look iipon the approach of those 



itt *■ 



