STATE PAPERS. 



513 



Her majesty, the queen, beingof 

 right, and according to the consti- 

 tution, regent of the Icingdom, the 

 regency shall, till her arrival, be 

 vested in the council of ministers. 

 Hollanders. — Never shall I for- 

 get so good and virtuous a people, 

 as you are : my last thought, as 

 well as my last sigh, shall be for 

 your happiness. On leaving you, 

 I cannot sufficiently recommend 

 to j'ou to receive well the military 

 and civil officers of France. This 

 is the only means to gratify his 

 majesty the emperor, on whom 

 your fate, that of your children, 

 and that of your whole country, 

 depends. And now, as ill-will 

 and calumny can no longer reach 

 me, at least so far as relates to 

 you, I have a well-founded hope 

 that you will at length find the 

 reward for your sacrifices, and 

 for all your magnanimous firmness. 

 Louis Napoleon. 

 Done at Haarlem, July 1, 1810. 



2. Address of the Deputies of Hol- 

 land to Buonafarte. 



Paris, August !?■ 

 His imperial majesty being 

 seated on the throne, surrounded 

 by the princes and great officers 

 of state, the deputies of Holland 

 were presented to his majesty, 

 and their president, his excellency 

 admiral Verhueil, delivered the 

 following speech : — 



" Sire, — Your very faithful sub- 

 jects of Holland, the members of 

 the council of state, the deputies 

 of the legislative body, of the land 

 and sea forces, and the deputies 

 of the city of Amsterdam, have 

 the honour of presenting tliem- 

 VOL. LH. 



selves at the feet of your majesty's 

 throne, respectfully to declare 

 the sentiments of admiration, 

 confidence, and obedience with 

 which they are animated. 



" The Dutch people, sire, 

 known in the annals of history by 

 the exploits of their heroes, by 

 the spotless character of their 

 statesmen, and the exertions made 

 by them to obtain and maintain 

 their independence, are si ill pos- 

 sessed of a strong recollection of 

 the virtues of their forefathers. 



" The great events which Eu- 

 rope has witnessed in the course of 

 the present century, have com- 

 pletely changed the political sup- 

 ports and relations of states; and 

 the independence, for the attain- 

 ment of whicli our ancestors sa- 

 crificed their property.their blood, 

 and all that is most dear to men, 

 from the pressure of circumstances 

 could not but undergo certain re- 

 strictions. At length united with 

 the first nation in the world, called 

 by the greatest prince in the uni- 

 verse to share in the favour which 

 his exalted genius and paternal 

 solicitude liberally bestow on his 

 happy subjects, and of which Hol- 

 land has already obtained so many 

 proofs, the Dutch continue to flat- 

 terthemselves, thatbytheirloyalty, 

 their obedience, and their inviola- 

 ble attachment to their prince and 

 father, they shall deserve the pro- 

 tection of a mighty, generous, up- 

 right, andbenevolentgovernment." 



His imperial majesty returned 

 the following answer: — 



" Gentlemen, deputies of the le- 

 gislative body, of the land and sea 

 forces of Holland, and gentlemen 

 deputies of my good city of Am- 

 sterdam, — For these thirty years 



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