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fion to which, on the part of France, would induce his majefty to perfevere in a fyftem of neutrality.

Fourthly, That it does not appear that the tranquillity of Europe, and the rights of independent nations, which have been stated as grounds of war against France, have been attended to by his majefty's minifters in the cafe of Poland, in the invasion of which unhappy country, both in the last year and more recently, the most open contempt of the law of nations, and the most unjustifiable spirit of aggrandifement, have been manifefted, without having produced, fo far as appears to this house, any remonstrance from his majesty's ministers.

Fifthly, That it is the duty of his majesty's ministers, in the prefent crisis, to advise his majesty against entering into engagements which may prevent Great Britain from making a feparate peace whenever the interefts of his majefty and his people may render fuch a measure advisable, or which may countenance an opinion in Europe that his majesty is acting in concert with other powers, for the unjustifiable purpose of compelling the people of France to fubmit to a form of government not approved by that nation.

A debate not lefs vehement than the former took place; and, upon a divifion, the members appeared to be 270 who voted for the previous question, against 44 who supported the motion.

On the 21ft of February, Mr. Grey moved an address to the throne, containing a masterly and comprehensive view of the whole subject-matter of difpute. It concluded with ftating the striking truth, That the calamities of fuch a war as was now commenced-a war of vengeance, and not of neceflity-must be aggravated, in the estimation of every rational mind, by reflecting on the peculiar advantages of that fortunate fituation we had fo unwifely abandoned.

Mr. Pitt, in a few words, declaring that this fubject required no further difcuffion, the motion of Mr. Grey was immediately negatived without a divifion.

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Unbounded obloquy having been thrown on the views and characters of those who had opposed the measures of administration, Mr. Sheridan, on the 4th of March, moved, That the Houfe fhould refolve itself into a committee to confider of the feditious practices, &c. referred to in his majesty's fpeech; declaring, at the fame time, openly and freely, that his intention was to institute a rigorous inquiry into the truth of the reports fo infidiously circulated. The motion of Mr. Sheridan was negatived without a division; but it had the first fenfible effect on the public mind, in exonerating the oppofition from the calumnies to which they had been fo Jong expofed, and in weakening the belief of many refpectable perfons in the reality of thofe pretended fecret machinations against the government which minifters, as Mr. Sheridan declared himself confident, had denounced for no other purpose than to divert the attention of the public from the actual state of things, and to betray them blindly and with greater facility into a war.

On the 15th of the fame month, the attorney-general, fir John Scott, introduced his famous Traitorous Correfpondence Bill," by which it was not only, according to the precedent of former bills paffed at the commencement of former wars, declared to be high-treason to supply the exifting government of France with military ftores, &c. but alfo to purchase lands of inheritance in France, to invest money in any of the French funds, and many other novel and arbitrary regulations. This bill met with much oppofition, and several of the claufes of it were modified and mitigated in its paffage through the two houses.

At this period of the feffion, alfo, Mr. Pitt brought forward his annual ftatement of finance; and fcarcely had the war commenced, when a debt of fix millions was incurred and funded,—the temporary taxes impofed for defraying the expenfe of the Spanish armament being now made permanent. Soon after which, the two houses adjourned for the Eafter recefs.

During this interval, it may be proper to transfer our attention to the ftate of affairs on the Continent.

In the course of the winter, general Dumouriez had. propofed to the Executive Council to take poffeffion of Maeftricht, without which he alleged neither the paffage of the Meufe nor the territory of Liege could be defended; engaging, by manifefto, to reftore it to the Dutch at the end of the war. That important city being then wholly unprepared for defence, the attempt was no doubt extremely feasible; but the government of France, with a firmness which showed their reluctance to break with the maritime powers, refifted this great temptation, and exprefsly commanded the general to preferve the strictest neutrality towards the United Provinces. No fooner was war decided upon than general Dumouriez haftened to put into execution. the plan he had formed, to advance with a body of troops posted at the Moerdyke, and, masking Breda and Gertruydenburg on the right, and Bergen-op-zoom, Klundert, and Williamstadt, on the left, to effect a paffage over an arm of the fea to Dordt, and thus penetrate at once into the heart of Holland. In the mean time general Miranda had orders, leaving general Valence before Maeftricht, to march with all expedition to Nimeguen, in order to oppofe the expected invafion of the Pruffians on that fide.

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General Dumouriez, affembling his army in the neighbourhood of Antwerp, entered the Dutch territory on the 17th of February. On the 24th Breda furrendered, through the cowardice or treachery of its governor, count Byland, almoft on the firft fummons. The fort of Klundert was taken, after a brave defence, on the 26th. Within nine days afterwards, Gertruydenburg followed the example of Breda; but Williamstadt made an obftinate refiftance; and while the French troops were still engaged in the fiege of this small, but strong, fortrefs, intelligence arrived from the eastern frontier of the Netherlands which materially changed the face of the war. On the ift of March, general Clairfait,

Clairfait, having fuddenly paffed the Roer in the night, attacked the French pofts on that fide, and compelled them to retreat as far as Alderhaven, with the lofs of 2000 men. The following day the archduke, brother to the reigning emperor, carried several batteries, and took nine pieces of cannon. On the 3d, the prince of Saxe Cobourg, who had highly distinguished himself in the war with the Turks, obtained a fignal advantage over general Valence and his army, driving them from Aix-la-Chapelle to the vicinity of Liege, with the lofs of more than 5000 men and twenty pieces of cannon. The fiege of Maeftricht was immediately raised; and at midnight, on the 4th, general Miranda gave orders for a general retreat to Tongres, whence the French armies were again compelled to fall back to St. Tron, where Miranda was joined by general Valence, who had by this time evacuated Liege and its territory; and on the 8th they moved towards Tirlemont.

General Dumouriez himself now arrived to take the command in perfon, leaving the conduct of affairs on the northern frontier to the care of general de Flers. But the army was wholly difpirited by the departure of their general. The Pruffians advanced by way of Bois-le-duc. A corps of 12,000 Hanoverians, reinforced by feveral thousand British troops, with the duke of York at their head, arrived nearly at the fame time in Holland; and the fiege of Williamstadt was raised. Instead of proceeding to Dordt, De Flers was compelled to throw himself into Breda, the main body of the army retiring precipitately to Antwerp.

The troops under Miranda and Valence felt all their confidence revive on seeing their former victorious commander at their head; but the caprice of fortune disappointed their hopes. On the 18th of March a general engagement took place on the plains of Neerwinden, which continued with unremitted obftinacy from morning till evening, when the French were totally routed, with very confiderable loss. Miranda was, upon this occafion, charged by Dumouriez with caufing,

caufing, by his misconduct, the lofs of the battle; but that officer retorted with great spirit on his commander in chief, windicating himself with great ability, and plainly intimating his fufpicions of treachery on the part of Dumouriez. He declared that Dumouriez, who had never before failed to confult him upon every occafion, did not even mention the arrangements for the battle of Neerwinden to him; and that the position of the enemy had not been previously reconnoitred.

The French continued retreating; and, on the 21ft, general Dumouriez took poft near Louvain. Here a fort of tacit fufpenfion of hoftilities took place, and the French army was allowed to march back to their own frontier without any serious moleftation, on condition of evacuating Brussels, and all the other towns of Brabant, &c. ftill in their poffeffion. On the 27th, general Dumouriez held z conference with an Auftrian officer of high distinction, colonel Mack, from whom he did not, as he tells us, conceal his defign of marching against Paris, with a view of reeftablishing the conftitutional monarchy of 1791; and it was agreed that the Imperialists fhould act as auxiliaries merely in the accomplishment of this plan; not advancing, except in case of peceffity, beyond the frontier of France : and that the troops to be eventually furnished by the prince of Cobourg should act entirely under the direction of ge neral Dumouriez.

The defigns of Dumouriez did not, however, pafs unfufpected at Paris. Three commiffioners from the executive power had therefore been dispatched to Flanders, under the pretence of conferring with the general concerning the af fairs of Belgium. In this interview Dumouriez expreffed himself with great violence against the jacobins. "They would ruin France," faid he; " but I will fave it, though they should call me a Cæfar, a Cromwell, or a Monk." He styled the Convention," an horde of ruffians ;" and declared," that this affembly would not exist three weeks

longer;

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