rra] 
General appeared, and shewed the 
impolicy and impr acticability of the 
enterprize at that time. He de- 
clined this command; and-was suc- 
cessful enough to persuade the mem- 
bers to relinquish the enterprize; or 
to suspend it till time should bring, 
things to maturity; and furans 
events shew what was the. proper, 
line to be pursued. both relative to 
Spain and her colonies. 
The force under the command of 
Kellerman had been, with infinite 
trouble and perseverance, organ- 
ized, and was now become a regu- 
lar, subordinate, and well appointed 
army, consisting of 40,000 effeetive 
men. The recent retreat, and the 
various defeats of the Austrian and 
Prussian troops, inspired the Gene- 
ral with confidence that the period 
was now arrived when the Belgians 
and Liegeois would eagerly espouse 
the French cause; and by a ready, 
co-operation, materially assist in 
the reduction of those fertile pre- 
vinces, from whence the numerous 
armies of France would be supplied 
with provisions and forage; while 
the fortified places, with which the 
Low Countries abeunded, would 
farnish ammunition and warlike 
stores of every kind. Advantages 
like these were not to be neglect- 
ed. It was determined on by the 
National Assembly, that Brabant 
should be invaded by Dumouriez; 
and on:the Ist of November, it was 
resolved by the Executive Council, 
that the armies should not cease to 
improve the advantages which they 
had already gained; nor enter into 
winter, quarters till they had driven 
the combined armies beyond the 
Rhine. 
When Dumouriez quitted his 
army, on his journey to Paris, this 
ANNUAL REGISTER, 1792. 
army divided into two corps, under 
the Generals Bournonville and Mi- 
randa, and marched, on the 11th. 
October, towards Valenciennes 5, 
which movement produced the rais- 
ing of the siege of Lisle by the 
Austrians. Dumouriez, at his re- 
turn from Paris, found the army, 
quartered near Valenciennes, in 
very high spirits, and every thing, 
by the exertions of those two Ge- 
nerals, ready for marching into. 
Belgium. 
On the 27th of October, we find 
General Dumouriez at Valenci- 
ennes, where the magistracy shew- 
ed him every attention, and pre- 
sented lim with the keys of the 
town; the acceptance of which was. 
of course refused. Troops were 
now. daily arriving to complete the 
force destined against the Nether- 
lands; and particular attention was 
paid by. Dumouriez in collecting a 
very formidable train of field and 
heavy artillery, and which was said 
to. extend. to the length of some 
leagues on the road, At this pe- 
riod the German troops, which 
had already evacuated Orchies,, St. 
Amand, and Marchiennes, were by 
degrees retiring from the French 
Netherlands towards Tournay and 
Mons, They had entrenched them- 
selves in the Lys;, and the advanc- 
ed posts of the French army were 
at Roubaix and Lannoy. 
By the 4th of November, Du- 
mouriez had entered the Austrian 
Netherlands in nine columns, ‘and 
advanced to Boussu (having quitted 
his -head-quarters at Konning on 
the 3d) where the Austrians had an 
excellent. position, He immedi- 
ately attacked them, and killed 
150, and took 200 prisoners, with 
the loss of no more than twenty 
men. 
