LON 
On the 19th, Bonaparte repaired in ftate to the legifla- 
tive body ; where he made the following fpeech : “ Se¬ 
nators, Counfellors of State, Deputies from the Depart¬ 
ments of the Legiflative Body; Splendid victories have 
raifed the glory of the French arms during this campaign ; 
defections without parallel have rendered thefe victories 
ufelefs ; all has turned againft us. France itfelf would be 
in danger, but for the union and energy of the French. 
In thefe weighty circumftances, it was my firft thought 
to call you around me. My heart has need of the pre¬ 
fence and of the affeCtion of my fubjeCts. I have never 
been feduced by profperity; adverfity would always find 
me fuperior to its attacks. I have feveral times given 
peace to nations, when they had loft every thing. From 
a part of my conquefts, I have raifed thrones for kings 
who have forfaken me. I had conceived and executed 
great defigns for the profperity and the happinefs of the 
world ! A monarch and a father, I feel that peace adds 
to the fecurity of thrones and to that of families. 
Negotiations have been entered into with the allied powers : l 
have adhered to the preliminary ba/is which they have prefented ; 
I had then the hope that, before the opening of this fef- 
fion, the congrefs of Manheim would be afl'embled ; but 
new delays, which are not to be afcribed to France, have 
deferred this moment which the wifhes of the world ea¬ 
gerly call for. On my fide, there is no obftacle to the re- 
eftablifhment of peace. I know and partake all the fen- 
timents of the French ; I fay of the French, becaufe there 
is not one of them who would defire peace at the price of 
honour. It is with regret that I alk of this generous peo¬ 
ple new facrifices; but they are commanded by its no- 
bleft and deareft interefts. It was neceflary to recruit my 
armies by numerous levies ; nations cannot treat with fe¬ 
curity, except by difplaying their whole ftrength ; and an 
increafe of taxes becomes indifpenfable. What my mi- 
nifter of the finances will propofe to you, is conformable 
to the fyftem of finance which I have eftablifhed. We 
Ihall meet every demand without a loan, which confumes 
the future ; and without paper-money, which is the greateft 
enemy of focial order. You are the natural organs of 
this throne ; it is for you to give an example of energy 
which may recommend our generation to the generations 
to come. Let them not fay of us, * They have facrificed 
the belt interefts of their country ; they have acknow¬ 
ledged the laws which England has in vain fought, dur¬ 
ing four centuries, to impofe on France !’ My p‘eople 
cannot fear that the policy of their emperor will ever be¬ 
tray the national glory. On my fide I feel the confidence 
that the French will be conftantly worthy of themfelves 
and of me.” 
We muft leave the allies for the prefent at Frankfort; 
and proceed to notice, as one of the firft effefls of the 
battle of Leipfic, that Reinhard, the landamman of Swif- 
ferland, in a proclamation, dated Zurich, Nov. 20, de¬ 
clared the neutrality of the cantons. He announced his 
intention to tranfmit to the belligerent powers a notifica¬ 
tion of this event—of his intention to maintain the pre¬ 
fent conftitution—to guard the territory againft violation, 
and to caufe this neutrality to be refpe&ed, if neceflary, 
by force of arms. The diet of Swifferland voted the lan¬ 
damman 40,000 men, to enforce the decree of neutrality. 
Another and molt important effeft of this ftate of af r 
fairs was the liberation of Holland.—The firft riling of 
the Dutch was on the 15th of November. They had un- 
derftood that the allies were advancing upon Utrecht; 
and rofe accordingly, on the inftant, with the old cry of 
Orange Boven, or “Up with Orange.” A provifional go¬ 
vernment was immediately eftablilhed at the Hague by 
the armed citizens; and the French, with little or no re- 
fentment on the part of the people, began to evacuate 
mod of the principal places on the 17th; and, on the 19th, 
two deputies were difpatched to this country in order to 
call over the prince of Orange, and requeft our afliftance 
for completely driving out their opprelfors. His ferene 
highnefs accordingly, after tranfafting a variety of bufi- 
D O N. 351 
nefs, in the afternoon of the 26th fet off to his coun¬ 
trymen. Accompanied by lord Clancarty, the Britifti 
minifter, he embarked at Deal on-board the Warrior, cap¬ 
tain lord Torrington ; and landed at Scheveling on the 
30th. His ferene highnefs was received on his landing 
by an immenfe concourfe of people, wdth acclamations of 
the greateft joy, and every poflible mark of affection and 
refpedft ; and proceeded immediately for the Hague, hav¬ 
ing, upon his landing, iffued the following proclamation. 
“ Dear Countrymen ! After nineteen years of abfence and 
fuffering, I have received with heartfelt joy your unani¬ 
mous invitation to come among you. I am now arrived; 
and, I truft, under Divine Providence, that I fhall be the 
means of reltoring you to your ancient independence and 
profperity. This is my foie objeft, and I have the latisfac- 
tion to allure you, that it is equally the object of the al¬ 
lied powers. It is in particular the wilh of the prince- 
regent of the united kingdom of Great Britain and Ire¬ 
land, and of his government. Of this you will be con¬ 
vinced, by the unanimous afliftance which that powerful 
country is immediately going to give you ; and which, I 
truft, will lay the foundation of thofe old and intimate ties 
of friendlhip and alliance which fo long made the happi¬ 
nefs of both ftates. I am come, difpofed and determined 
to forgive and forget every thing that has paffed. We 
have all but one common object; which is, to heal the 
wounds of our native country, and to reftore it to its rank 
and fplendour among nations. The revival of trade and 
commerce will, I truft, be the immediate confequence of 
my return. All party-fpirit muft be for ever banifhed 
from amongft us. No effort fhall be wanting on my part, 
and on that of my family, to aflert and fecure your inde¬ 
pendence, and to promote your happinefs and welfare. 
My eldeft fon, who, under the immortal Wellington, has 
proved himfelf not unworthy of the fame of his anceftors, 
is on his way to join me. Unite, therefore, dear country¬ 
men, with heart and foul, with me; and our common 
country will flourifli again, as in the days of old; and we 
fhall tranfmit unimpaired to our pofterity the bleflings 
which we have received from our anceftors. Given un¬ 
der my feal and fignature, Dec. 1, 1813. 
William Frederic, Pr. of Orange.” 
We have next to ftate, that a fupplementary revolution 
has been effected in Holland, abfolutely changing the cha- 
rafler of the old government, from a republic to a mo¬ 
narchy, and conferring fovereign power on the Prince of 
Orange, by the ftyle and title of “ William the First, 
Sovereign Prince of the Netherlands.” On the 
1 ft of December, his ferene highnefs made his folemn en¬ 
try into Amfterdam, amidft the general and enthuliaftic 
joy of the inhabitants, who every-where faluted him by 
his new appellation ; and the fame day a proclamation 
was iffued by the general commiffaries of the national go¬ 
vernment in that city, declaring the political arrangement 
which had been adopted in conformity to the general wifli 
of the Netherlanders. Next day, a fenfible and affec¬ 
tionate addrefs was iffued by the prince of Orange; in 
which his ferene highnefs difavows all inclination on his 
own part to have affumed any other title than that of 
Stadtholder, fo long and fo honourably borne by his an¬ 
ceftors; but declaring, that in this refpeft he fubmits his 
will to that of his countrymen. 
The fovereign prince has iffued a decree, annulling all 
the duties on cuftoms, and reftriftions on trade, in the 
Dutch ports, impofed by the French, and recurring to 
the former laws of Holland, with reference particularly 
to the renewed amicable relations with this country.. 
The commandant of the Brill was taken prifoner, and 
conveyed in irons to the Hague, with three tons of gold,, 
about 300,000 gilders, of which he had robbed the inha¬ 
bitants. Gogel, the French minifter of finance in Hol¬ 
land, was alfo taken, and conveyed to the Hague; and a 
confiderable fum of money, exceeding that found on the 
commandant of the Brill, was taken from him. 
The town of Woerden was taken from the French on 
the. 
