842 FRA 
thoufand; the republicans made about thirty thoufand 
prifoners, while their lofs under that head did not amount 
to twenty-five thoufand. 
Towards the clofe of the fpring of 1799, preparations 
were made in England for the invafion of Holland; arid 
thirty thoufand Biitifii, and feventeen thoufand Ruffian 
troops in the pay of Great Britain, were to be employed. 
In deliberating on the project, it was agreed that the pro¬ 
vince of Holland, which contains hall the population, and 
pays two-fifths of the imports of the whole republic, and 
Arnfterdam its capital, were t'iie moft defirable obje ;ts of 
attainment. The fouthern frontier was well defended 
with fortreffes ; but the country north of Arnfterdam was 
entirely negleCted, there being in Frieftand only two for¬ 
tified places, Lewarden and Harlingen, and not one i*n the 
whole peninfula of North Holland. The Englifh troops 
employed in this enterprife formed two di vi(ions; the 
firft, commanded by fir Ralph Abercrombie, was to effeCt 
a landing, and fpeedily lobe followed by a reinforcement, 
and afterwards by the remainder of the army, the chief 
command of which was to be aftumed by the duke of 
York. Admiral Mitchell was to efcort the firft divifion, 
and undertake the conqtieft of the Dutch fliips in the 
Texel. The feleCtion of.the firft point of attack, being 
left to fir Ralph Abercrombie, he fixed on the Helder; 
but the fquadron was detained at fea till the 20th of 
Auguft by adverfe winds and calms. During this interval 
the commanders had a conference with lord Duncan, 
from whom they obtained ten (hips of the line, which 
were placed under admiral Mitchell. Orders were given 
on the 21 ft for the difembarkation between Kickduynand 
Gallants Oog ; and a flag of truce, with a fummons, was 
difpatched to admiral Story and colonel Gilquin, who 
commanded at the Helder. The republicans had been 
fo completely deceived with refpedt to the point on which 
a landing would be attempted, that no means of defence 
were adopted ; and the Dutch fleet and the whole penin- 
fula would probably have fallen without conteft into the 
power of the Englifh, but for an alteration of the wind, 
which, when they were on the point of difembarking, 
forced them out to fea. 
At the time u hen the Britifh fleet approached the 
coaft, there were in the United Provinces twenty thoufand 
nitional and ten thoufand French troops, under the com¬ 
mand of general Brune : but, as the French directory had 
not expeCted an attack on North Holland, no preparations 
were made in that quarter, nor was it till after the fum- 
.mons had been delivered to admiral Story, that general 
Daendels received orders to aflemble his divifion. He 
then collected 10,334 men, with which he made difpofi- 
tions for defence, f he Britifh, however, fcon effected a 
landing; and the third brigade having reached the ftiore, 
under fir James Pulteney and general Coote, compelled 
the*republicans to retire in every direction. Daendels 
immediately evacuated the Helder ; and the Britifti, tak¬ 
ing polleflionof that place and Huyfduinen, gained a hun¬ 
dred pieces of cannon, thegreateft part of which, though 
fpikeil, were foon rendered fit for fervice. A reinforce¬ 
ment of five thoufand men arrived the fame day under 
general Don ; and the troops were actively employed in 
fecuring their pofition This was on the 28th of Auguft ; 
and the maritime objeCt of the expedition was achieved 
before the end of the month. Admiral Story had received 
orders to defend himfelf to the utmort : but his fubordi- 
nate officers and crews were anxious to (hew their attach¬ 
ment to the houfe of Orange ; and the admiral, finding he 
could not rely on his men, was obliged to fttrrender his 
whole fquadron, confiding of thirteen fliips of war, toge¬ 
ther with three Indiamen and fome tranfports. 
General Abercrombie, in the mean time, continued to 
advance and to fortify himfelf in the Ztype ; while Daen¬ 
dels, retreating before him, left open the whole country 
between the fea and Alkmaar. At this place the French 
troops under general Brune arrived ; who ordered new 
difpofitions of the line of defence, and concentrated his 
N C E. 
army in the front of the - town, with its right at Rurtetw 
burg, its centre occupying St. P.mcras, and its left ex. 
tending to the fand-hills- near Groet. The arrival of the 
Batavian general Dumonceau raifed the force in this quar¬ 
ter to twenty thoufand, of whom feven thoufand were 
Frenchmen. Other nreafures were taken for augmenting 
thefe troops, arming the national guards, and particu- 
larh for defending Arnfterdam. While fir Ralph Aber¬ 
crombie was employed in fortifying Ills pofition, and ex¬ 
pecting the reinforcements from Great Britain and Ruffia, 
general Brune, having a conftderuble fuperiority of num¬ 
bers, marched in three columns to attack him. The left, 
compofed of French troops, made a fpirited affault, and 
gained fome ground, though ultimately repnlfed, and 
obliged to fall back to Alkmaar. The Batavian divifion 
of the centre fliewed equal courage; but, after two def- 
perate afTaultson the intrenchments, they were obliged to 
retire. The reinforcement of the fecond divifion of Ruf¬ 
fians, and of the duke of York and three brigades of 
Britifh troops, arrived on the 181h of September, which 
raifed the numbers of the army to thirty-three thoufand 
effective men, of whom 1200 were light dragoons 
Although, at the time when the duke of York aftumed 
the command, he had a fuperiority in numbers, that was 
his only advantage. The republicans had put into full 
vigour their meafures for defence ; and the inhabitants of 
the country were prepared at every point. The Britifh 
prince, feufible of the fatal effeCts of delay, projected an 
immediate attack on his opponents. He divided his force 
into four columns ; one of which, compofed principally 
of Ruffians under general Hermann, advancing two hours 
before day-break on the 19th of September, made a vi¬ 
gorous attack; and, after puffiing forward with great im- 
petuolity by Camperduyn, forcing the intrenchments of 
Slaperdike, carrying the villages of Groet and Schorel, 
and proceeding fome fpace further, was obliged after ex¬ 
pending its ammunition, to retire in confufion towards 
Schorel. A fecond column, under general Dundas, 
moving at break of day, took the village of Warmen- 
huyfen, carried the intrenched port of Schorqldam, and, 
paffing the canal of Alkmaar, proceeded to Schorel, when 
their progrefs was difconcerted by the retreat of the Ruf¬ 
fians, the inevitable refult of their firft precipitate ad¬ 
vance. In thefe circumftances the duke of York, by a 
fpirited and fuccefsful charge on the purfuing forces, 
gained advantages fufficient to reftorethe day, had it been 
pofiible to rally the Ruffians, and form them on the right 
of the Englifh on the fand-hills. Every effort for this 
purpofe having failed, no refource was left but to with¬ 
draw the Britifh forces to their firft pofition. 
The failure in thefe two quarters was rendered the 
more mortifying, by the complete fuccefs of the third 
column under fir James Pulteney. Thefe troops foon 
expelled Daendels from an alvnoft impregnable pofition 
on the head of the Langedike, formed a junction with 
general Coote, and were proceeding to St. Pancras to co¬ 
operate in the attack of the Koedike; when, in confe- 
quence of the difafters attending the Ruffians, lie was di¬ 
rected to fecure a retreat, which he effected in good or¬ 
der, having killed and wounded feven hundred of his op¬ 
ponents, made nine hundred prifoners, and thrown into 
the canal the cannon which he had taken in the entrench¬ 
ments, which the badnefs of the roads did not permit 
him to carry off'. Sir Ralph Abercrombie with the fourth 
column had taken the town of Hoorn without refiftance, 
and was preparing to march towards Schermerhorn, when 
the event was announced to him, accompanied with or¬ 
ders alfo to retire, which he aid without oppofition. Be- 
fides their killed and wounded, the republicans loft 3000 
prifoners : the Britifh had 117 killed^ 409 wounded, and 
490 miffing ; the Ruffians 174; killed or taken, and 1225 
wounded. After the SCtion both parties refumed their 
former ftations. 
The preparations made by the duke of York for a re¬ 
newed attack, were delayed by ftormsand tempefts which 
laid 
