590 
from their rulers, and from the bur- 
thens which those rulers imposed. 
The Dutch, like the Italians, lent 
an ear to these artful and perfidious 
declarations, believing that their cot- 
tages would be spared, and ‘careless 
of the fate of the palace. But, alas! 
they soon found, that the French 
rapacity, like the hail and the thun- 
der, fell alike on the thatched roof, 
and the gilded dome. ‘The palaces 
once seized on, the cottages soon 
followed ; while all those who were 
found in the intermediate space, the 
merchant, the manufacturer, the 
farmer, and the tradesman, were 
sunk in one common ruin ; happy, 
if, by the loss of their property, 
they had the good fortune to pre- 
serve their lives, Bonaparte is, in- 
deed, now, not only the sovereign 
of the country, not only does he ex- 
ercise the powers of dominion, but 
he is, as to every practical effect, 
tie master and the owner of all the 
property, and of all the péople in 
Holland. These miserable beings 
possess nothing of their own; they 
can acquire nothing with the hopes 
of enjoying or bequeathing it; they 
can make no provision for the weak. 
ness of disease, the feebleness of old 
age, or the helplessness of infancy ; 
they are the mere political drudges 
of a hard-hearted tyrant, who suf- 
fers them to live, only while their 
labours administer to his projects of 
ambition, and who, when his pur- 
poses demands it, puts an end at 
once to their toils, and their exist- 
ence, 
In Switzerland, where high rank 
and great riches were unknown, 
where men were nearer upon an 
equality than in any other country 
in the world; in a country having 
no commerce, scarcely any manu- 
factures, and possessing few of the 
ANNUAL REGISTER, -1803. 
sources of wealth and distinction ;\— 
a country of shepherds and labour- 
ers; a country which might be truly 
said to contain a nation of poormen; 
in such a country, to cry ** war to 
palaces,” seemed useless and absurd. 
Yet did the French find a pretext for 
war with this poor and harmless 
race, and for invading and laying 
waste their territory. The Swiss, 
from their anxiety to preserve peace, 
consented to every sacrifice demand- 
ed of them by, France: they expos- 
ed themselves to the hostility of other 
nations, by sending away the ambas- 
sadors of those nations; they broke 
off their connexion with some of 
their most powerful allies ; they ba- 
nished the loyal subjects of their an- 
cient protector the king of France, 
men whom the ties of gratitude and 
the Jaws of hospitality bound them 
to cherish ; and when they had thus 
exhausted the source of concession, 
when they could grant no more, be- 
cause France could find nothing 
more to demand ; when they had 
hwnbled themselves in the dust, and 
degraded the character of their coun- 
try in the eyes of all Europe; when 
they had thus done and thus suffer- 
ed, rather than see their country the 
scene of war, then did the French 
invade their territory; then did 
these restless disturbers of the world 
march an army into the heart of 
Switzerland, in order to compel the 
people to change the nature and 
form of their government, and to 
commit it to the hands of traitors, 
who had been chosen by France, 
and by the assistance of whose trea- 
chery the French invasion had been, 
effected. 
After haying, by means of an 
armistice, joined to the most solemn 
promise of respect for persons and 
property, lulled the people into a 
state 
