162] ANNUAL REGISTER, 1813. 



with considerable loss. At Woer- 

 den they succeeded so far as to 

 gain temporary possession of the 

 place, in which all the outrages 

 were committed that brutality and 

 revenge could inspire. The prince 

 of Orange landed on the 30th at 

 Scheveling, amidst the acclama- 

 tions of a great concourse of peo- 

 ple, and immediately proceeded to 

 the Hague, where he was received 

 by the constituted authorities of 

 that seat of government. It is a 

 remarkable circumstance, and 

 which may be productive of im- 

 portant future consequences, that 

 liis serene Highness was invited, 

 on the commencement of this re- 

 volution, to take the reins of go- 

 vernment, not under the ancient 

 title of Stadtholder, but the new 

 and indefinite one of Sovereign. 

 Whence this alteration originated 

 has not been made public ; but we 

 may learn from the past history of 

 Holland, that the zealous friends 

 of the House of Orange have al- 

 ways been vigilant to take occa- 

 sion of the dangers and necessities 

 of the state to enhance an autho- 

 rity perhaps too limited for the ex- 

 ertion of the powers requisite for 

 the executive head of the Common- 

 wealth. The post of the Brille on 

 the day of the Prince's arrival de- 

 clared in his favour ; and no in- 

 ternal resistance to the revolution- 

 ary movement was manifested ex- 

 cept from admiral Verheul, com- 

 mander of the Texel fleet. Not- 

 withstanding the (tesertion of great 

 part of the Dutch sailors, he took 

 possession with the French marines 

 of the strong fort of the Helder, 

 and declared his resolution of main- 

 taining the authority which had 

 placed him in his command. The 

 Prussian general Bulow, on No- 



vember 30th, took Arnheim by 

 storm, the garrison of which was 

 put to the sword. Amsterdam be- 

 ing now considered as in a state 

 of security, the prince of Orange 

 made his solemn entry on Decem- 

 ber 1st, amidst all the demonstra- 

 tions of public joy usual on the 

 reception of a sovereign ; now pro- 

 bably much more sincere than 

 when they were lavished on the 

 ruler of France. On this event, 

 the General Commissaries of the 

 National Government issued an ad- 

 dress to the inhabitants, in which 

 they announced the change in the 

 supreme authority in the following 

 terms : " It is not William the 

 sixth whom the people of the Ne- 

 therlands have recalled, without 

 knowing what they might have to 

 hope or expect from him. It is 

 William the first, who as Sovereign 

 Prince by the wish of the Nether- 

 landers, appears as sovereign among 

 that people, which once before has 

 been delivered by another Wil- 

 liam I. from the slavery of a fo- 

 reign despotism. Your civil liberty 

 shall be secured by laws, by a con- 

 stitution giving a basis to your 

 freedom, and be better founded 

 than ever." The Prince himself, 

 on the following day, put forth a 

 proclamation to the same purpose, 

 alluding to that higher relation to- 

 wards the Netherlanders in which 

 he is placed in consequence of 

 their desire, and in accepting which, 

 " he sacrifices his own opinion to 

 their wishes." He adverted to the 

 " still somewhat critical circum- 

 stances'' in which they were placed, 

 and trusted in their co-operation 

 to effect the complete deliverance 

 of their country from a foreign 

 yoke. The English guards non ar- 

 rived on the coast ; a Prussian and 



