his confent. It is very certain, from the exer- CHAP. cife of this office in the United Provinces, that II. the power of the republic was never at a stand, till the office of ftadtholder was laid afide; and, 1747. in the opinion of judicious and impartial people, the commonwealth has been declining ever fince: of this the republic was alfo thoroughly fenfible, and in fuch a manner that, foon afterwards, the dignity of ftadtholder was made perpetual in the Prince of Orange, and his iffae, whether male or female; by which he acquired more fubftantial honours than were conferred upon any of his illuftrious progenitors.

THIS alteration in the government was productive of the most beneficial confequences to the republic, its allies, and all Europe: the States General prohibited the exportation of provifions and warlike ftores, except for the fervice of the confederate armies, and their colonies; they ordered the inhabitants of Breda, Boifleduc, and the other towns of the generality, with every tenth man of the peasantry, to bear arms; and they also prohibited all treaties with the French about contributions, with strict orders to refuse pioneers, waggons, horfes, or any affiftance that might be required of them: a refolution was made for augmenting the army with: 30,000 men; the city of Amsterdam began to raise eighteen companies of militia of 100 men each, and several other cities followed their example: a council of war was established for examining into the conduct of the governors of the barrier towns: and the ftates of Zealand ordered their governors and commanders, both at land and fea, to attack, feize, and bring in all fhips, as well in harbour as out of the fame, coming from the French harbours or coafts.

СНАР.

PART

IX.

1747.

CHAPTER III.

4

The continuation of the campaign in the NETHERLANDS; and the battle of VAL, of MAESTRICHT: the fiege of BERGEN-OP-ZOOM; the reduction of LILLO, and other places, in DUTCH BRABANT; and the termination of the campaign.

A

S. foon as the revolution in Holland had

begun to take effect, it feemed agreeable to prudence to put nothing to the hazard till that was rendered complete; which occafioned it to be the earneft entreaty and advice of the Prince of Orange, communicated by M. de Groveftein, his master of the horse, to the Duke of Cumberland, to confine his measures to the fingle view of covering Maeftricht and Bergenop-Zoom, till he had eftablished his intereft in the provinces, and to rifque nothing, while an event of fo much importance to the common caufe was still depending. While Count Lowendahl, and the Marquis de Contades, were extending the French conquefts in Dutch Brabant, the confederate army, on the 20th of April, began

a

XXX

beftir themselves, after lying inactive above CHAP. fourteen weeks, with an intention of retaking III. Antwerp; but this city was under cover of the whole French army, and being fo well fortified 1747. and protected, the confederates found the impoffibility of executing their defign; which occafioned them to retire between the two Nethes, for the fecurity of Bergen-op-Zoom and Maeftricht: though the French continued quiet in their cantonments till the 22d of May, when their monarch made his arrival at Bruffels, upon which the neceffary difpofitions were made to diflodge the confederates; but not till after the French had employed 20,000 men in digging a canal from Mechlin to Louvain, to be filled with the waters of the river Dyle, a work which would not only promote the commerce, but the fecurity of thofe defenceless towns, while Marshal Saxe was pursuing his fcheme of reducing Maestricht. The Duke of Cumberland very vigilantly attended the motions of the French, who quitted their cantonments, and marched into the territory adjacent to Louvain; from whence they extended themfelves as far as the fources of the Demer, within the neighbourhood of Bilfen, in the country of Liege, fix miles weft of Maeftricht; where the Duke of Marlborough marched to attack the French, when he obtained the battle of Ramillies. confederates apprehending, from the motions of the French, that they intended to inveft Maeftricht, judged it neceffary to remove from behind the Demer, for the prefervation of fo important a place, which had been in the poffeffion of the Dutch almost a century: the confederates, therefore, refolved to march with all expedition, and place themselves between the French and Maeftricht,

The

PART Maeftricht, which brought on a battle between IX. the two armies. The French were drawing so near to Maeftricht, that Count Clermont, with 14,000 1747. men, had taken poft at Tongres, three miles north of Bilfen, and about fix to the S. W. of Maeftricht: the confederates proposed marching to take poffeffion of the camp between Tongres and Bilfen; on the 16th of June, they decamped from behind the Demer, marched all night, and next day encamped at Zonork; on the 19th they arrived at Haffelt, and marched by the left, in three columns, towards Lonaken, two miles N. E. of Maeftricht, encamping the fame night, between that place and Ghenck, about half a league fouth of Lonaken; at the fame time the different detachments under Count Daun, and the Prince of Wolfembuttle, with the huffars under General Baronai, paffed Bilfen, and encamped at the Grand Commandery; where it was observed that the corps of Count Clermont had not retired behind Tongres, but were ftill occupying the high ground from thence to Tongreberg, notwithstanding the approach of the confederates, which made it evident that Marshal Saxe intended to fuftain that corps with his whole force, and, if poffible, to gain the camp of Bilfen. This pofition of the French army made it impracticable to intercept the corps commanded by Count Clermont: it was therefore refolved, by the Duke of Cumberland, Marshal Bathiani, and Prince Waldeck, to take poffeffion of the camp of Bilfen, extending the left to Millen, about three miles and a half fouth of Lonaken, and about the fame diftance west of Maeftricht; for which purpose the confederate army had orders to march by break of day. On the 20th of June, the confederates were put

III.

in motion, the English, Hanoverians, and Hef- CHAP. fians being on the left, inclining to Maestricht; the Dutch in the centre; and the Imperialifts on the right, extending to Bilfen: about four in 1747. the morning the French cavalry were observed. to be in motion, ftretching towards the right of the confederates, who immediately concluded this was a defign to gain the heights of Millen, and Herdereen, about three quarters of a mile to the N. W. of Millen, and to fall on the head of the confederate columns, which were then in march from their camp inclining that way: about fix, the French irregulars, who flanked the march of the confederate columns, were fkirmishing with the Austrian huffars and Lycanians; in the mean time the Prince of Wolfembuttle was ordered to occupy the villages of Grote and Kleine Spawe, lying between Bilfen and Herdereen, with the Heffian infantry, and to form his cavalry in the plain between those villages and the Grand Commandery; which effectually secured the poft at Bilfen. However the French found time to occupy the heights of Herdereen, where they prefented three lines of cavalry on the hill, with their irregulars, both horfe and foot, before them: this made it immediately neceffary for the confederates to alter the intended pofition of their left, fince they could not obtain poffeffion of thofe heights; accordingly it was unanimoufly agreed to extend the left to Wirle, within a mile to the weft of Maeftricht, and about three miles from Herdereen, the right ftill occupying Bilfen as in the former pofition. As foon as the left wing of the confederate cavalry came up, it was formed in the plain below Herdereen, to check the French from advancing, and give the British and HanoVOL. IV. Ee

verian