the 10th current, no longer exifted, fo the fuccours which they then requefted from his majefty, would now be unneceffary. They like wife iffued an edit, forbidding all attempts to inundate the country; and another, ftrictly commanding the governors of all towns and fortreffes, to give free admiffion to the Pruffian forces.

All this bufinefs was transacted, by the ftates of Holland, between the 18th, the day on which the revolution took place at the Hague, and the 22d of September. In confequence of the last of these edicts, the baron Matha opened the gates of the city of Naarden, on the fame principle of duty which had before kept them closed; and the strong fortrefs of Wefep was given up in the fame manner. In the mean time, the republican affembly at Franeker in Friesland, which had been very violent during the troubles, was fuddenly diffolved, and the republicans, who were very numerous, quitted that town in much the fame order that Utrecht had been abandoned. The provinces of Groningen and Overyffel, now gave up all oppofition to the ftadtholder; fo that the greatest unanimity prevailed in the affembly of the ftates general, that of the ftates of Holland, in the council of state, and in all the other great departments of government. All oppofition was now centered in the city of Amfterdam, and its environs, whither the most active or the most obftinate of the republican party had fled from all quarters; but the republic was otherwise in a state of perfect tranquillity.

On the first days after the irruption of the Pruffian army, the hopes of immediate affiftance from

France were fo ftrong, that, with an anxious folicitude, all travellers on the roads were eagerly queftioned, whether they had feen or heard of the approach of a French army? but thefe hopes began now not only to fade away, but affairs feemed fo defperate, and the revolution fo complete, that it became a doubt with all confiderate people, whether they could be retrieved by any affiftance which France was capable of speedily adminiftering. On the contrary, it was evident that a long and doubtful war, in which England, with the stadtholder's party (which was now the state) would fupport Pruffia, must be the inevitable confequence; in the course of which, whatever the final event might be, the republic could fcarcely hope not to be irrecovera bly ruined."

Yet, notwithstanding this apparent ftate of things, and these obvious confequences, the republican party at Amfterdam, (having now recovered in a confiderable degree from that overwhelming panic, into which the unequalled celerity of the Pruffian forces, and the admirable difpofitions made by the duke of Brunswick had thrown them) made every preparation for the moft defperate refiftance. The furrounding country was laid under water; ftrong batteries every where erected; all thofe pofts capable of commanding the roads leading into the town entrenched and fortified; and the citizens declared they would hold out to the last extremity.

We have already feen that the duke of Brunswick was carrying on his approaches for the attack of Amftelveen, as general Kalkreuth was against Ouderkerk, two fortified villages and important pofts lying [D] 2

within

within four or five miles of Amfterdam. In this crifis of danger, a deputation arrived from the regency of Amfterdam, requirSept.25th. ing a ceflation of hofti

lities from the duke, until the terms of accommodation, which they were impowered by their conftituents to offer, fhould be confidered. A short truce was accordingly granted, and the business of negociation transferred to the Hague.

The Amfterdam commiffioners were inftructed to demand, what reasons induced the duke to threaten their city, feeing they had given no offence to his Pruffian majefty? that if it was on account of obftructing the journey of the princess of Orange, there were weighty reafons for that measure, of which the venérable council would be ready to give his highness a fuitable explanation-That the city therefore expects he will forbear to make any attack on its territory, which has already fuffered too much by the inundation, although hitherto only partial-That if he fhould perfevere in this intended hoftility, not only much blood would be fpilt, but that city being exposed to pillage and flaughter, the commercial interefts of Europe would thereby be fo deeply affected, that not only the fubjects of the republic, but thofe of his Pruffian majefty, and of all the neighbouring ftates, would be involved in the general ruin-And lastly, that the regency have delegated this folemn commiffion to the duke of Brunfwick, that his ferene highness might lay thofe fincere overtures before his Pruffian majefty, that his difpleasure might be done away, and that he might receive in good part

thofe teftimonies of high esteem which the regency were ever defirous of preferving for his majefty.

The purport of the prince's anfwer was, That the fatisfaction which the king demanded, and infifted on as his right, had been fully announced, and the terms specified, in the last memorial presented by the baron Thulemeyer-That the ftates, and all the other members of the province, were ready to give this fatisfaction, and expected their concurrence That the moment they have confented, by their deputies, to those terms, he should confider his commiffion as terminated; and that the king's troops fhould immediately quit the neighbourhood of their town-That they knew too well the sentiments of the Princefs of Orange, to entertain any doubt that he would not pafs over many things, rather than their town fhould be exposed to inconvenience or danger.

After the return of the commiffioners, the town council of Amsterdam fent two of their number to make proposals of a particular fatisfaction, which they were willing to make to the princess in perfon; but thefe not being deemed fatisfactory, fhe returned them a note, in which the offered, fhe faid, with pleasure, to engage the king her brother to defift from every point of fatisfaction, and to withdraw his troops, as foon as the fincerity of their profeffions was confirmed by the town of Amfterdam, in acting in concert with the other members of the affembly of the ftates, and in acceding to all thofe refolutions which had already been paffed for the re-eftablishment of public affairs; that she would have been very unwilling to

accept

accept the invitation of the states of Holland in coming to the Hague, had it not been joined with the affurance that the prince her husband should be restored to all his rights; and that for the fecurity of this purpofe it was abfolutely neceffary, that those persons who had been the authors and inftigators of the disorders which had reduced the city of Amfterdam to its prefent deplorable fituation, fhould be difmiffed from their respective stations, and there by rendered incapable of exciting new troubles.

The city of Amfterdam, through its peculiarly inacceffible fituation, its artificial ftrength, with the courage and number of its inhabitants, had, in the fevere wars of the 16th century, rifen fuperior to the defigns and genius of Don John of Auftria, and the duke of Parma, the greateft generals, and at the head of the beft officers and troops then in the world. With equal fortune, in the 17th century, it fuccefsfully refifted the mighty power of Lewis the fourteenth, then at its meridian height, and baffled all the attempts of a Luxemburgh and a Conde, fimilar generals, at the head of fimilar troops, but with greater armies. All attempts on it have accordingly been long confidered as impracticable and visionary; and it has been held, that nothing less than fuch a froft as would congeal both the falt and the fresh waters of the country, could render it liable to the approaches of an enemy; who muft likewise have a prefcience of the event, his preparations made, and his forces on the fpot, to profit of the occafion; while a fudden thaw would not only overthrow the defign, but poffibly be the means of overwhelming the invading army,

Befides the difficulties oppofed by a very narrow country, every where interfected with dykes, and.commanded by fluices capable of laying it fuddenly under water, it is covered on the east and north, and shut in from the ocean, by that admirable natural defence the Zuyder fea, whofe fands, fhallows, and narrow inlets render it impracticable to the defigns of an enemy, and badly admit the navigation even of their own flat veffels conftructed for the purpose. A long, irregular, crooked branch of the Zuyder fea paffes from east to the westward, until it approaches within a few miles of the German or North fea, when fuddenly making an angle to the right, it paffes northward, and terminates in the open country. Amfterdam lies on the fouth of this inlet, which is called the Ye, and is not only effectually covered by it for several miles in the oppofite direction, but it nearly, as we shall fee, clofes up the approaches to it from the west. For the Haarlem Meer, a lake about 16 miles long, and half as broad, lying to the fouth and fouth-west of that city, the land which feperates that end of it from the Ye, is in no part above three or four miles over ; but in one place, called, from its fituation on the road to Haarlem, Half Wegen, these two great bodies of water actually communicate ; and here, by the erection of floodgates of an enormous fize, the waters of the Ye are prevented from being discharged into the Haarlem Meer; an event which would occafion a great part of the province of Holland, to the distance of near 30 miles, to be overflowed, as the level of the fea at high water is evidently above that of the lake, and of the adjoining country,

[D] 3

The

within four or five miles of Amfterdam. In this crifis of danger, a deputation arrived from the regency of Amfterdam, requirSept. 25th. ing a ceffation of hoftilities from the duke, until the terms of accommodation, which they were impowered by their conftituents to offer, fhould be confidered. A short truce was accordingly granted, and the business of negociation transferred to the Hague.

The Amfterdam commiffioners were inftructed to demand, what reasons induced the duke to threaten their city, feeing they had given no offence to his Pruffian majefty? that if it was on account of obftructing the journey of the princefs of Orange, there were weighty reafons for that measure, of which the venerable council would be ready to give his highness a fuitable explanation-That the city therefore expects he will forbear to make any attack on its territory, which has already fuffered too much by the inundation, although hitherto only partial-That if he fhould perfevere in this intended hoftility, not only much blood would be fpilt, but that city being expofed to pillage and flaughter, the commercial interefts of Europe would thereby be fo deeply affected, that not only the fubjects of the republic, but thofe of his Pruffian majefty, and of all the neighbouring ftates, would be involved in the general ruin-And lastly, that the regency have delegated this folemn commiffion to the duke of Brunfwick, that his ferene highness might lay thofe fincere overtures before his Pruffian majefty, that his difpleasure might be done away, and that he might receive in good part

thofe teftimonies of high esteem which the regency were ever defirous of preferving for his majefty.

The purport of the prince's anfwer was, That the fatisfaction which the king demanded, and infifted on as his right, had been fully announced, and the terms specified, in the last memorial presented by the baron Thulemeyer-That the ftates, and all the other members of the province, were ready to give this fatisfaction, and expected their concurrence That the moment they have confented, by their deputies, to thofe terms, he fhould confider his commiffion as terminated; and that the king's troops fhould immediately quit the neighbourhood of their town-That they knew too well the fentiments of the Princess of Orange, to entertain any doubt that she would not pafs over many things, rather than their town fhould be expofed to inconvenience or danger.

After the return of the commiffioners, the town council of Amfterdam fent two of their number to make proposals of a particular fatiffaction, which they were willing to make to the princefs in perfon; but thefe not being deemed fatisfactory, fhe returned them a note, in which the offered, fhe faid, with pleasure, to engage the king her brother to defift from every point of fatisfaction, and to withdraw his troops, as foon as the fincerity of their profeffions was confirmed by the town of Amfterdam, in acting in concert with the other members of the afsembly of the ftates, and in acceding to all thofe refolutions which had already been paffed for the re-eftablishment of public affairs; that she would have been very unwilling to

accept

accept the invitation of the states of Holland in coming to the Hague, had it not been joined with the affurance that the prince her husband should be restored to all his rights; and that for the fecurity of this purpose it was abfolutely neceffary, that those persons who had been the authors and inftigators of the diforders which had reduced the city of Amfterdam to its prefent deplorable fituation, fhould be difmiffed from their respective stations, and thereby rendered incapable of exciting new troubles.

The city of Amfterdam, through its peculiarly inacceffible fituation, its artificial ftrength, with the courage and number of its inhabitants, had, in the fevere wars of the 16th century, rifen fuperior to the defigns and genius of Don John of Auftria, and the duke of Parma, the greateft generals, and at the head of the best officers and troops then in the world. With equal fortune, in the 17th century, it fuccessfully refifted the mighty power of Lewis the fourteenth, then at its meridian height, and baffled all the attempts of a Luxemburgh and a Conde, fimilar generals, at the head of fimilar troops, but with greater armies. All attempts on it have accordingly been long confidered as impracticable and vifionary; and it has been held, that nothing less than such a froft as would congeal both the falt and the fresh waters of the country, could render it liable to the approaches of an enemy; who muft likewise have a prefcience of the event, his preparations made, and his forces on the fpot, to profit of the occafion; while a fudden thaw would not only overthrow the defign, but poffibly be the means of overwhelming the invading army,

Befides the difficulties oppofed by a very narrow country, every where interfected with dykes, and.commanded by fluices capable of laying it fuddenly under water, it is covered on the east and north, and shut in from the ocean, by that admirable natural defence the Zuyder fea, whofe fands, fhallows, and narrow inlets render it impracticable to the defigns of an enemy, and badly admit the navigation even of their own flat veffels conftructed for the purpofe. A long, irregular, crooked branch of the Zuyder fea paffes from eaft to the weftward, until it approaches within a few miles of the German or North fea, when fuddenly making an angle to the right, it paffes northward, and terminates in the open country. Amfterdam lies on the fouth of this inlet, which is called the Ye, and is not only effectually covered by it for several miles in the oppofite direction, but it nearly, as we thall fee, clofes up the approaches to it from the west. For the Haarlem Meer, a lake about 16 miles long, and half as broad, lying to the fouth and fouth-west of that city, the land which feperates that end of it from the Ye, is in no part above three or four miles over ; but in one place, called, from its fituation on the road to Haarlem, Half Wegen, these two great bodies of water actually communicate; and here, by the erection of floodgates of an enormous fize, the waters of the Ye are prevented from being difcharged into the Haarlem Meer; an event which would occafion a great part of the province of Holland, to the distance of near 30 miles, to be overflowed, as the level of the fea at high water is evidently above that of the lake, and of the adjoining country,

[D] 3

The