IN THE NAME OF HIS SERENE HIGHNESS THE PRINCE OF ORANGE AND NASSAU.

The general government of the United Netherlands to the magistrates and governments of the Low Countries.

The general government has with pleasure learnt, that peace and order have almost generally been restored in the Low Countries, notwithstanding that in some villages the authorities have absented them selves. It is therefore our pleasure, that there, and in all other places where such may be needful, the most considerable and best informed magistrates shall join hands, and constitute themselves as a provisional government, with a president, empowered, in case of need, to proceed immediately in affairs of pressing necessity.

Netherlanders! our cause is safe if we continue unanimous and preserve good order: and that no one shall bring upon himself the charge of cowardice, or coldly consider only his self-preservation, to stamp for ever the Netherlands with shame in the eyes of all the nations of Europe; let none of you forget, that if the event of this combat should be doubtful, every one would nevertheless have to expect the ef. fects of the most dreadful rage from him who envies Holland even the slightest remains of her former welfare!!!

Let none of us forget that, if we fail, our sons will by new designs be unmercifully torn from our breasts, and that the blood of our noble Netherland youth must flow to satisfy the ambition of a conqueror, because that you hesitate in rising for the liberty and independence of our dear country.

F. VAN DER D. VAN MAASDAM.
G. K. VAN HOGENDORP,

At the Hague, Nov. 17. As the want of government for our dear state might cause the most dreadful effects of plunder and bloodshed, should it continue so for a few days, we have therefore deemed it necessary to summon the principal persons and ministers of the old government, such as it consisted of in the year 1794 and 5, to assemble with the utmost speed; and in pursuance thereof, to write to some of them to make it further more known.

The meeting is to be held in the house of M. Gysbert Karel van Hogendorp, on the Kueulerdyk, on Thursday, the 18th November, at twelve o'clock.

F. VAN DER D. VAN MAASDAM.
G. K. VAN HOGENDORP.
O. REPELAER VAN DRIEL.
J. F. VAN HOGENDORP.
F. D. CHANGUION.
F. C. DE JONGE.

PROCLAMATION.

THE THE

IN THE NAME OF HIS HIGHNESS THE PRINCE OF ORANGE, GOVERNOR GENERAL OF UNITED NETHERLANDS:

Inhabitants of the Netherlands ! -The moment is arrived for recovering our existence as a nation; the triumph of the allies has laid low the pride of our oppressor, and has broken in pieces his colossal power.

At this important moment every Dutchman feels his courage inflamed to throw off the yoke by which we have been so disgracefully subjugated. "National freedom and independence" is the watch-word of every one; ORANGE! the general rallying cry of all who are proud of bearing the name of Dutchmen. We only fulfil the wishes of all our fellow-citizens, by this day, in expectation of the arrival of his high

pess

ness the prince of Orange, and in his name placing ourselves at the head of the government; we take upon us this task, confiding in the aid of Divine Providence, whose hand has been so conspicuously manifested in the present deliverance of our beloved country, but also confident of the support and assistance of every Dutchman, who, forgetting all that is past, and without distinction of rank, station, or religious persuasion, is with us determined once more to rescue that native country, which, ravished from the fury of the elements from Philip and Alva, was so gloriously defended by the valour of our forefathers, though it has long been covered with reproach and

dishonour.

From this moment our chains are thrown off; no foreigner shall any more tyrannise over you; every tie of compulsion and slavish submission to the common enemy of Europe, to the disturber of the peace, welfare, and independence of nations, we renounce irrevocably and for ever.

In the name of his highness the prince of Orange, and as invested for the present with the supreme government of the Netherlands, we release our fellow-citizens throughout the whole extent of the United Provinces from the oath of allegi. ance and fidelity taken to the emperor of the French; and we declare to be traitors to their country, rebels against the legitimate national government, and liable to all the consequent penalties, such as, under pretence of connection with the French government, or in compliance with its authority, shall obey any orders issued by it, or its agents, or maintain any correspondence with it.

All connections with our oppres

Let all of us think of the deeds of our brave forefathers, when, through the immortal William I. Dutch valour broke out into an inextinguishable flame; and let the noble example of the Spanish peo ple, who, by the most persevering exertions, accompanied with infi nite loss of property and blood, have broke to pieces the hated yoke, and upon whom the dawn of deliverance and victory now shines, let this example teach us that the issue cannot fail of success.

We have every where intrusted to men of tried military skill the task of a general arming: they will go before you in that danger which can only be of short duration, till the arrival of our allies for our deliverance.

Order and military discipline shall distinguish our troops; they are inseparable from true valour.

We shall take care that those who fight for us want for nothing; that our confidence never fail; that the God of Holland warreth for us!

But as, in order to carry on the operations for the arming and for the defence of the territory, the expenditure of the interior government must be very considerable, we trust that the Dutch will not be deficient in this part of their

duty;

duty; the revenues of the country shall be expended for the welfare of the country. It becomes the duty of every one, therefore, zealously to discharge his obligations to the treasury of the state; and he who would acta fraudulent part under the present circumstances, must be regarded as an enemy to his country, and shall not go unpunished.

We order all Dutch magistrates to remain at their posts, and in the discharge of their duties we place them under the protection of all patriotic Dutchmen.

We also confide in that spirit of order which has ever distinguished the Dutch people; that in all the offices of authority, and especially in those of the administration of jus ice, every one will continue in the faithful and uninterrupted performance of his duty, according to the laws still in force.

We command and order all authorities of departments, cities, and towns, to make known and affix the present proclamation, according to the usual forms.

Done at the Hague, this 21st of Nov. 1813.

VAN DER DUIN VAN MAASDAM.
G. K. VAN HOGENDORP.

For the declaration of the allied powers, see British and Foreign History, p. 376.

Amsterdam, Dec. 2.

PROCLAMATION.

We, William Frederick, by the grace of God, prince of Orange and Nassau, sovereign prince of the United Netherlands, &c. to all to whom these presents come, greet ing.

You invited me, fellow-countrymen, to bring to completion the 1813.

task so gloriously begun by yourselves. I have taken upon me the maintenance of that independence which your courage restored; and I now promise to deem no difficul. ty, no labour, no sacrifice, too great on my part, to convince you how much I love that people, of whose affection I have received and am daily receiving such signal proofs.

But what other is our first duty at the present moment, than the complete expulsion of the French from our country, which they have so long tormented by their oppression? A portion of that country is still the prey of the enemy, whose designs and intentions the horrible events at Woerden must make manifest to us all. To arms, then, Netherlanders! to arms! to avenge the defenceless victims who fell under the murderous sword of these robbers. To arms! to secure for ever your wives, your children, and your property, against all possible return of these plundering murderers. The old flag is again the point of union, and the old flag shall also again revive the ancient valour. Every moment of lethargy may prove destructive to one or Other of your towns, to hundreds of your countrymen; the time is cone which must prove for ever de. cisive of our fate-lost, irrecover. ably lost, is our country, should we slumber upon the success of our first efforts: the country is rescued for ever, when its sons, animated with one spirit, shall every where run to arms, to support the efforts of the allied deliverers of Europe:-the Netherlands united to France were involved in the infamy of France; the Netherlands united to the allies shall participate in the glory of having delivered Europe, Old men! the country and Orange call upon your sons able to bear arms,

(R)

not

not to be sacrificed in battle in foreign climes for a foreign yoke, but to protect you and your defenceless children from plundering and mur. der. Wives! your husbands are summoned to arms, not to fight for a foreign tyranny, which would leave you to perish here in beggary, but to secure you in that tranquillity for which the country will make ample provision.

And you who cannot personally engage in this contest, the noblest that Providence ever opened up to us, support those who fight for you; provide, by your ample contributions, for their arming, clothing, and subsistences--in short, for all the first necessaries of war.

Plundered treasuries, confusion and discord in the administrations, were all that your oppressors left behind them; but your patriotism shall teach the oppressors themselves, that no Netherlander reckons that a sacrifice which may place his country in freedom.

I conjure you in the name of the country, I conjure you by your past misfortunes,-inquire not what you ought to lay on the altar of your country; ask only what would be your sufferings, should the return of your tyrants, which God avert! be the effect of narrow calculations.

All the nations of Europe, whose magnanimous sacrifices have been crowned with the most glorious results, have their eyes upon you at this moment: our allies expect the putting forth of all our powers, and we must show them that we are not backward in the noble strife.

Again I conjure you not to delay your voluntary offers for the support of our efforts towards the deliverance of our beloved country.

Forced loans correspond not with a people who have freely taken upon

themselves the direction of their own affairs; and the increase of the debts of the state is one of those extreme measures the adoption of which we must avoid. We would not commence our reign with financial regulations which might tend to shake public credit: that good faith with which our ancestors fulfilled their engagements, and which we still reckon among the virtues of the Netherlands, shall be sacredly observed by us in all measures relating to the finance of the country.

We order our commissaries ge. neral of war, finance, and for foreign affairs, to make all the necessary dispositions for forwarding the object of our paternal summons, and to submit to us the necessary' regulations respecting the same.

We will and order, that the whole of the sums arising from voluntary contributions, being set apart from the general revenue of the country, shall be wholly appropriated for the purpose of the extraordinary arming; and we require this address to be read from the pulpits of the different churches, on the first ensing Sunday, and otherwise made known in the most solemn manner.

Done at the Hague, this 6th of December, 1813, and in the first year of our reign.

(Signed) WILLIAM: By order, VAN DER DUIN. VAN MAASDAM.

The following is an extract of a proclamation of the prince of Orange, dated the Hague, Dec. 6.

PROCLAMATION.

We, William Frederick, by the grace of God, prince of Orange and Nassau, sovereign prince of the United Netherlands, &c.

When on the 2d inst. We accepted

cepted at Amsterdam the sovereignty over the United Netherlands, in consequence of the universally expressed wish of the people, we greatly wished to confirm and crown, by a solemn installation, that event, which binds us, our children, and descendants, more strongly than ever to the fate of this nation. But the circumstances in which our country is placed, and the important occupations caused thereby, have made us deem it expedient to reserve for the present the fixing of the time when that ceremony shall take place, in the pleasing expectation that in the course of a few weeks we shall be able to announce to the nation, and also to submit to our beloved fellow-countrymen, a constitution which, under a monarchical form, which they themselves have chosen, maysecuretothem their morals,their personal rights and privileges,-in one word, their ancient freedom. In the mean time we cannot longer delay taking the reins of government into our own hands, and charging ourselves with the immediate direction of the affairs of the

state.

his foot on his natal soil, when from all sides the wish was expressed that William Frederic, prince of Orange and Nassau, should stand not only in the same dignity and relation to our country as his illustrious ancestors, but that he should be sovereign prince of the Netherlands.

We heartily wished, with you, to offer his highness this great dignity in the name of all the citizens, and, like the great city of Amsterdam, to salute him as such on the day when our city should be honoured with his high presence.

But though the joyful day is not far off, the inhabitants of Leyden are too impatient to wait for it to fulfil their wish.

Well, then, citizens and inhabitants of Leyden, from this day forvard we recognise the illustrious descendant of the house of Orange as sovereign prince, and respect him as such.

The unity of the sovereign power must now be the corner-stone of our political edifice-then shall our civil liberty revive, and be secured by wise laws. Then, under the government of a prince of the blood of Nassau born in our own coun

try, educated in the principles of honour and the religion of our forefathers, who knows our wants and respects our manners, shall the re-establishment of the Netherlands be begun, and under the blessing of God be happily accomplished.

Let every one, then, take his post about our beloved prince, and promote, with all his ability, the great work which he has to accomplish for our sakes. The preservation of the Netherlands, our happiness, and that of our posterity, are his sole object, and shall be secured under his government.

No sacrifices can be too great to save, to preserve our country. No foreign