176] 
expressing his regret at the precipi- 
tation with which his master had 
concluded the treaty of peace with 
France ; the terms of which, he 
said, would have been much less 
severe, had he waited for the more 
favourable opportunities that fol- 
lowedit. For having uttered words 
of that import, be was ordered to 
quit the territory of the republic. 
The Tuscan envoy was dismissed in 
the same manner, on account of the 
particular zeal he had testified in 
behalf of Lewis KXVI.’s daughter, 
when she was permitted to leave 
France, 
The court of Rome, when com- 
pelled by the viétories of Buona- 
parte to solicit asuspension of arms, 
had sent commissioners to Paris, to 
negociate a peace: but, in hope 
that the numerous reinforcements, 
which were coming from Germany 
to the Imperial army, would enable 
it to recover its losses, and expel the 
French from Italy, they studiausly 
protraéted the negociation, on pre- 
tence that they were not furnished 
with sufficient powers to conclude a 
definitive treaty. It was not tll 
the successes of the French had put 
an end to these hopes, that they 
appeared desirous, as well as em- 
powered, to come to a conclusion. 
But the direétory, for answer, signi- 
tied their immediate dismission. 
Notwithstanding the resolute and 
decisive conduct adopted by the di- 
rectory, they found it necessary to 
abate of their peremptoriness with 
the Dutch; who, though strongly 
determined to remain united in in- 
terest with France, were not the less 
resolved to retain their national in- 
dependence. The party that favour- 
ed and had called in the French, 
had done it solely with the view of 
securing their assistance for the sup- 
2 
ANNUAL REGISTER, 1796. 
pression of the stadtholdership, in 
which they had been formally pro-~ 
mised the concurrence of the French 
republic. They were, for this mo- 
tive, so zealous for the success of its 
arms, that, during the campaign of 
1794, they had projected an insurrec- 
tion in the principal towns of the 
Seven United Provinces, while the 
republican armies should advance, 
with all speed, to their support. 
Having communicated their designs 
to the French government, ‘they 
doubted not of its readiness to se- 
cond them, and prepared according- 
ly to execute the plans which they 
had formed in virtue of that ex- 
pectation, But the uninterrupted 
career of victory, that had given so 
decided a superiority to the French 
over all their enemies, had also 
elated them in such a manner, that, 
looking upon the co-operation of 
their party, in Holland, as no longer 
of that importance which it had 
hitherto appeared to be, they now 
received its applications with a 
coldness, which plainly indicated 
that they considered the Dutch as a 
people that must submit to their own 
terms, and whom they now pro- 
posed to treat rather as being sub- 
dued by the arms of the French, 
than as confederated in the same 
cause. 
Such were the dispositions of the 
French towards the Dutch, when 
they entered the United Provinces. 
The arbitrary manner, in which 
they imposed a multiplicity of heavy 
contributions upon the Dutch, was 
highly exasperating to the nation: 
but they were too prudent to.exas-- 
perate men, who were determined 
to act as conquerors, and whom it 
was impossible to resist. They sub- 
mitted, therefore, with that phleg- 
matic patience, which characterizes 
/ ~ them 
