GENERAL HISTORY. 



[165 



occupied by the Atistrian troops, 

 and the siege of its castle was com- 

 menced, the guns for the purpose 

 being landed from the fleet with 

 a body of marines. Detachments 

 from various corps in British pay 

 were also landed from Lissa to as- 

 sist in the enterprize. The opera- 

 tions being pushed with great vi- 

 gour, the garrison capitulated about 

 the end of the month, and thus 

 possession was obtained of the Dal- 

 matian coast to the upper end of 

 the Adriatic. This success was an- 

 nounced by a public notification 

 from the Prince Regent on De- 

 cember 11th, that the blockade 

 between Trieste and the southern 

 end of Dalmatia was discontinued. 

 On <he same day the blockade was 

 taken off from all the ports of the 

 United Provinces, except such as 

 were still in the power of the 

 French. The strong fortresses of 

 Zara in Dalmatia capitulated to the 

 combined Austrian and British 

 forces on December the 6th, after 

 a cannonade of 13 days, the gar- 

 rison remaining prisoners of war. 



The Crown Prince did not him- 

 self march for Holland as he ap- 

 pears at first to have intended ; but 

 with the main body of his army, 

 about theend of November, crossed 

 the Elbe, with the view of forcing 

 Davoust from the line of the 

 Stecknitz. The relief of the suf- 

 fering city of Hamburg was another 

 object, which, however, was not 

 yet to be accomplished ; and the 

 separation of Denmark from its 

 alliance with France was a more 

 remote purpose, which the Swedish 

 prince could not fail to keep in 

 view. 



In Holland the cause of national 

 independence proceeded with all 

 the success that could be expected 



from the unanimity of the people, 

 and the zealous efibrts of the allies 

 for its support. Succours from 

 England were continually arriving, 

 and that able general, sir Thomas 

 Graham, was nominated to the 

 chief command of the British 

 forces. A proclamation of the 

 prince of Orange from the Hague, 

 on December the 6th, enters more 

 explicitly into the subject of the 

 change of constitution than had 

 hitherto been done. After men- 

 tioning the necessity of delaying 

 for some time his solemn instal- 

 lation in the sovereignty to which 

 he had been invited, his Highness 

 expresseshishope.thatin the course 

 of a few weeks he shall be able to 

 announce to the nation, and also 

 to submit to his fellow-country- 

 men, a constitution which, under 

 a monarchical form, which they 

 themselves have chosen, may se- 

 cure to them their morals, their 

 personal rights and privileges, in 

 one word, their ancient freedom. 

 In the meantime he declares, that 

 he has taken the reins of govern- 

 ment into his own hands, and 

 dissolves the subsisting government 

 of the United Netherlands. By 

 another proclamation, dated De- 

 cember 9th, the Prince earnestly 

 calls upon the Netherlanders to 

 promote by voluntary contfibutions 

 a general arming for the complete 

 liberation of their country from the 

 French. The town of Helvoetsluys 

 being evacuated by the French gar- 

 rison on the night of the 5th, af- 

 forded a desirable landing place 

 from England, which had before 

 been wanting. The flotilla stationed 

 there sailed to Williamstadt, which 

 fortress also was deserted by the 

 French on the 10th, the garrison 

 retiring towards Bergen-op-Zoom, 



