52] 
hood. Exclusively of liberty of 
conscience, and of religious wor- 
ship, which the French introduced 
every where, it was stipulated that 
io place in Zealand should be gar- 
nrsoned by the French, nor their 
assignats be forced into circulation. 
The fortresses on the frontiers of 
Brabant, Bergen-op-Zoom, par- 
ticularly, were in an excellent state 
of defence; but the Hague, the 
residence of the States-General, 
having submitted to the French, 
those states, which were now at 
their mercy, issued proclamations, 
enjoining to all the garrison towns, 
im consequence of the Stadtholder’s 
withdrawing himself, to give ad- 
mittance to the French troops. In 
compliance with these proclama- 
tions, the strong and almost impreg- 
nable town of Bergen-op-Zoom 
opened its gates to the French. It 
had sustained several sieges, a fa- 
mous one particularly in the be- 
ginning of the last century, by the 
Spaniards, under the celebrated Spi- 
nola, one of the greatest generals of 
the age, and was never taken till 
the year 1747, by the French, 
commanded by Marshal Lowen- 
dahl. Williamstadt, Breda, and 
other strong places, were yield. 
ed to the French in the same man- 
ner. 
The provinces of Guelderland, 
Utrecht, Holland, and Zealand, 
were now completely in the pos- 
session of the French. These four 
were unquestionably the most im- 
portant of any, by th ir situation. 
and opulence. The French: were 
fully sensible of the valu: of these 
new acquisitions, and their wants 
prompted them to apply to their 
new allies for. immediate assistance, 
The constitution intended to super- 
sede the present, not being yet 
ANNUAL REGISTER, 1795. 
formed, the States-General were 
dire&ted to publish a proclamation,, 
in their own name, demanding a 
supply of clothes and provisions for 
the French army. The last of the 
articles demanded was calculated 
at one million four hundred thou- 
sand pounds. In order to soften 
this requisition, it was declared to 
be made, not as from a conqueror, 
but an ally, fighting under the com- 
mon banner of liberty. 
On the twenty-seventh of Fe. 
bruary, when this proclamation was 
issued, an assembly was held of the 
provisional representatives of the 
people of Holland, of which Peter 
Paulus, a man of abilities and mo. 
deration, was unanimously eletted 
president. They began by deposing 
the Stadtholder from all his offices, 
and abolishing the offices them- 
selves. They next proceeded to 
an abrogation of all the other forms 
of the preceding constitution, and 
to an organization of others in their 
stead. They instituted an inquiry 
into the circumstances of the bank 
of Amsterdam ; by which it appear- 
ed to be perfectly solvent, though 
not in specie, yet in bonds and se- 
curities of that nature which proved, 
on examination, wholly unexcep- 
tionable. In consequence of the 
farther deliberations of this assem- 
bly, a solemn declaration of the 
rights of men and citizens was pub- 
lished, at the Hague, on the third of 
February, together with a procla- 
mation, anulling the sentences. pass- 
ed against the patriotic party in 
1787, and recalling home to their 
country ail those who had been 
banished for their opposition to the 
Stadtholder. 
The submission, or indeed the 
conquest of so.rich and powerful a 
state as Holland, was a subjett of 
great 
