HISTORY OF EUROPE. 
ly represented the loss which the 
army would suffer by the secession 
of the old Marischal from his bre- 
thren in arms; and that, if all sub- 
- ordination was not entirely at an 
end, it would be better to prevail 
on him to retain his command; and 
offered himself as a mediator in the 
business. The Marischal set off for 
Valenciennes, where he found the 
discipline of the troops in a much 
worse state than he had supposed. 
Rochambeau continued for a little 
while to act in concert with Luck- 
ner; but in fact resigned the com- 
mand into his hands, and returned 
to Paris. The command of the 
army of the Rhine, in the mean 
time devolved on Biron. 
The Legislature of France was 
about this time taken up with en- 
quiring into the state of the armies,- 
and of devising a proper and ex- 
emplary mode of punishing the 
troops who had conducted them- 
selves so ill in the recent affairs of 
Mons, Tournay, and Lisle; when 
cesolutions were entered into, high- 
ly necessary to curb the licentious 
and dangerous proceedings of the 
soldiery. 
Previously to Rochambeau’s 
quitting Valenciennes, on the 17th 
of May, an action took place at 
Bavay, an advanced post towards 
Haynau, half-way to Maubeuge: in 
whieh the French garrison of cighty 
men were taken prisoners. But the 
trians were, in their turn, ob- 
iged on the approach of Rocham- 
beau and Luckner, to evacuate the 
place with some loss; taking with 
them a quantity of forage. 
_ It would now seem that the ex- 
ecutive government of France, ei- 
ther improving on past misconduct, 
or otherwise apprehensive of the 
growing violence of the Assembly, 
. 
[99 
and that their measures would be 
minutely and carefully investigat- 
ed, and for which their lives would 
be responsible, came toa resolution 
no longer to dictate the measures 
necessary for the armies, or to di- 
rect in future the plans of military 
operations ; whether in regard to 
the co-operation of one army with 
another, or the necessary move- 
ments in the attack, or the requi- 
site assistance in the defence of 
fortified places. They now deter- 
mined to confine themselves mere- 
ly to forwarding the supplies and 
raising in the internal provinces of 
the country, recruits for the diffe- 
rent divisions of the land-forces, 
This system being arranged, a meet- 
ing was held at Valenciennes, on 
the 19th of May, between Roch- 
ambeau, Luckner, and Fayette; 
when every thing was settled for 
the progress of the campaign, un- 
der the most strict and inviolable 
secrecy. 
So far we have seen the measures 
of France ill-timed, abortive, dis- 
graceful; and we have in some de- 
gree shewn the immediate causes of 
their disgraces and misfortunes. 
The reduction of the low countries 
was the object of the campaign; and 
the disaffection of these provinces 
to the house of Austria, afforded a 
well-grounded probability as to the 
success of the expedition. There 
cannot be a doubt that the plan 
was a good one; nor that, had the 
armies been well appointed, and 
had discipline been duly preserved, 
it would have been attended with 
success. The position of the ar- 
mies, and the relative situation of 
the strongest fortified towns, which 
are in fact the keys to the different 
countries, are in this place to be 
adverted to and gonsidered, The 
(H] 2 army 
