HISTORY OF EUROPE. 
emigrants, who were warmly attach- 
ed to him, made so resolute a defence 
that, to spare the effusion of blood, 
Hoche agreed to receive their sub- 
mission as prisoners of war, if the 
convention assented to that condi- 
tion, 
This was truly a disastrous event. 
The forces in the camp and the 
fort, amounted to about ten thou- 
sand men, mest of whom were ei- 
ther kijled or taken. Among the 
latter was the count Sembreuil, a 
young gentleman highly belovedand 
esteemed in England, and whose 
fate was deeply lamented. He was 
tried, with many other emigrant 
officers, who were sentenced to 
death, as traitors to their country, 
and shot at Vannes, on the fifth of 
August. The number of sufferers 
was one hundred and eighty-seven. 
The bishop of Dol, who accompa- 
nied the expedition with his clergy, 
suffered, together with them, in the 
like manner. 
The booty that fell into the hands 
of the victors was prodigious. 
Clothing, accoutrements, and war- 
like necessaries of all kinds, for an 
army of forty thousand men, had 
been unfortunately landed, in hope 
of their being conveyed to the 
mumerous royalists that wanted 
them, Complaints of the gross. 
est mismanagement -were made 
‘in England against those French 
emigrants who -had been entrusted 
with the conduét of the expedi- 
tion. 
Notwithstanding the heavy dis. 
appointment, the hopes of being 
able, through perseverance, to make 
an impression upon the enemy, in- 
duced the British government ta 
continue the squadron on the coast 
of France. It made a fruitless at- 
tempt on the island of Noirmoutier, 
. 
~ 
(7 
lying on the coast of Poitou, and 
defended by near twenty thousand 
men, who, by an easy communica- 
tion with the land, could receive 
hourly supplies. It was more suc, 
cessful in theattack of the island, Isle 
Dieu, which, after being reduced, 
was put in a posture of defence. 
Small as this acquisition might ap- 
pear, it contributed to keep the 
contiguous coast in a state of sus- 
pense, respecting the intentions of 
the British ministry, and occasioned 
the republican government to -sta- 
tion very considerable forces in all 
the adjoining parts. This was the 
more requisite, as, had a commu- 
nication been opened between the 
British squadronand the royalists on 
shore, the support of money and mi- 
litary stores, which were the obje¢ts 
they had most in view, would alone 
have enabled them to maintdin an 
obstinate resistance, by the encouz 
ragement it would have held out 
to those numbers who readily would 
have joined them, had they been 
sure of a comfortable subsistence. 
During these transactions, the 
French were occupied in confirming 
their authority in Holland, and in 
making a variety of arrangements, 
beneficial to their interests, The 
Dutch military was settled on a 
plan more conformable to the re. 
publican system, A body of twenty- 
five thousand French were added to 
the army of the. seven provinces, 
and maintained at their expences 
An organization of their navy was 
diligently formed ; and, in short, 
all civil, military, and naval depart« 
ments placed on the most advantas 
geous footing, for the designs of the 
French, These arrangements per. . 
fe&tly corresponded with the views 
of the republican party in Holland 5 
but the proceedings of France, in 
[F4] relation 
