fast, you established us your pro- 
visional representatives, at the in. 
stance of *the revolutionary com- 
ittee, and when you called us to 
Ri town-house to take on us the 
rovisional government of this city, 
we résolved that no difficulty what- 
ever should deter us from accepting 
that awful trust in a moment so im- 
portant, 
_ The apprchension of the terrible 
consequences which misht be 
drawn on by anarchy were of but 
Short duration: for of the lively 
gense we entertained of the dis- 
order, confusion, and despair, which 
would infallibly result from it, we 
drew ‘so strong and melancholy a 
picture, that all opposition, even the 
most well founded, vanished before 
it, The just fear of our faculties 
being perhaps unequal to a task 
so difficult; the sacrifice of our ce- 
pations, of our repose, and of 
uur domestic enjoyments; all these 
gave way to this single decisive 
sonsideration, that your interests, 
d your security, required an im- 
mediate administration: and that 
if we desired to withdraw from that 
with which ycu charged us provisi- 
mally, we really would render our- 
elves responsible for all the horrers 
“that anarchy might bring upon us, 
™\ Citizens, such have been our 
motives, such have been our vicws. 
t is in them we confide, in the 
writy of our intentions, in a cause 
he most sacred, the most just, 
€ most sublime of al! cau'es, that 
liberty ; it is in these we trust, 
id above all, in the assistance of 
e Almighty, whom we adore 
thout superstition, and in the 
spectful hope of his approbation, 
have courageously undertaken 
e arduous task which you have 
posed on us. 
“STATE PAPERS. 
211 
Our first work, citizens, has been 
to declare solemnly, and with a 
lively emotion, that the sacred 
principles of justice and of equity 
should be the sole guide of our 
ations: that no base motive of 
vengeance, that no consideration 
different from those _ principles 
should influence our conduét; and 
that the preservation of order in 
a city so populous, that the security 
of persons and of property against 
all atrack, under whatever pretext 
or colour, should be with us the 
order of the day during our provi. 
sional administration. 
How flattering and consolatory 
must it be to us, dear citizens! to 
have been able to accomplish this 
great obje@t of our appointment ! 
Tow happy is it for you, and all 
of us, that the sublime cause of 
liberty has not been sullied by any 
irregularity! How honourable for 
hamanity, that at the dawn of 
liberty this town has been the 
theatre of the most pure sentiments 
of joy and fraternity, and not of those 
of animosity, of hatred, and of 
vengeance! What sweet emotions 
does noi the true patriot and the 
friend of humanity feel in being 
able to say, that ina city so populous 
as Amsterdam, we have, in the 
moment of the restoration of li- 
berty, scen tears of joy How, but 
not one drop of the biood of our 
fellow citizens! What an admi- 
table example for our Batavian 
brethren in the other cities of the 
republic! ‘The Batavians shew 
themselves generous in the midst 
of their victories: they forger, 
they despise the injuries that have 
been done to them; they cordially 
hold out the hand of fraternity 
to all those who have erred; they 
seek not vengeance nor pillage, 
FP 2 buc 
