directory of the French republic. But this hesitation and reserve, this temporizing policy, was obferved only fo long as the iffue of the expedition to Egypt remained doubtful: it was not till the battle of Aboukir had given confidence to the Sublime Porte, that they changed, with fortune, abandoned, like fortune, the French caufe, and kunched forth their manifesto:—a manifefto that muft remain as a moniment of the underhand and perfidious dealings of the Ottoman Porte with their ancient friends; and who, in breaking with their natural and neceffary allies, had rendered themselves the flaves of the English and abandoned themfelves to their mercy. It is a long time, the manifefto, in the Monifeur, proceeded to reprefent, fince the Czars caft a wifhful eye on Confantinople. It was one of the vaft projects of Peter the Great to make this the capital of his immenfe dominions and to exterminate the Turks from Europe. This, too, was one of the defigns, moft ardently purthed by the ambitious Catharine. Has the hour, defined by fate for its accomplishment, at length come? Already has Paul fet his troops in motion towards Moldavia and Wallachia; already is his fleet under the walls of the feraglio. He has come out, fp to speak, to reconnoitre the ground: he will foon fize his prey, and reign on the Bofphorus: he will annihilate a government fo weak and fenfelefs as to have called to its aid its natural enemy. The fultan, ftripped of his crown, will pals from the throne to the fcaffold: the ancient empire of the crefcent will become no more than a province of Ruffia. Such will be the inevitable refult

of the treachery of the Porte to France; and thus, with its own hands, it will have dug the grave of it own greatness.

A complete refutation of the falfe allegations of the French directory, contained in this and their other papers, as well as in their converfation with the Turkish ambaffador, and their meflages to the Porte, had any been neceffary, would have been afforded even to the moft credulous and ftupid, by the intercepted letters of Buonaparte, which were published, under the authority of the British government, early in December; by which letters, the real defigns of the directory, in Egypt, and the determi nation of Buonaparte to hold it, in the name of the French republic, if poffible, in defpite of both the Porte and its allies, were clear and incontrovertible. It may be noticed, as a proof, how completely the councils were at the beck of the directory, and how indifferent to the confervation of the conftitution, or irrefolute and daftardly in its defence, that not an individual in either ever mentioned a word of the violation of their fundamental laws, on the part of the directory, in making war againft a fovereign and independent power, and that an ancient and conftant ally, who had given no caufe, nor even pretext, for taking offence, without the approbation and confent of the two other branches of the legiflature. This apathy, or timid fubmillion of the whole of the councils to the executive government, was a flagrant proof, that laws and forms are nothing without that living energy and virtue which is neceflary to give them effect, and that the French nation was utterly

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сара

ble,

ble, not to fay unworthy, of republican government.

The fame requifition, for the new levy of men that was made in France, was enforced in the conquered ftates. Liegeois, Swifs, Savoyards, and Belgians, if they did not readily obey the fummons, were dragged, by force, into the French battalions. It was but ten years fince the Belgians had revolted against their own fovereign, the emperor, Jofeph II. on account of fome innovations, and chiefly thofe refpecting monafteries and certain religious obfervances, by no micans effential to the principles and forms of the Catholic religion. They now faw their churches pillaged, their priests banished, imprifoned, and, fometimes, put to death; and this at a time when their temporal fufferings certainly required all the confolations of religion. Confifcations, contributions, and taxes, had yet left the honeft and refpectable Flemish peafants, however much difcouraged by repeated and continued attacks on their industry, to confule one another by mutual fympathy and affection in the bofom of their families. But this comfort was now ravifhed from them by the military confcription and requifitions. Hufbands were torn from wives, children from parents, and lovers from the objects of a virtuous attachment. There is a time when tyranny cannot any longer add to its oppreffions, and the cup of mifery overflows. The Flemish nation, driven to despair, did not witnefs the young men dragged from their own fire fides, to fwell the armies of their oppreffors, without refiftance. The parties of French, fent to prefs the youth into their regi

ments, were, in fome places, ICfifted by parents, brothers, neigh bours, and even by the weaker fex. The first movements of this kind, fo natural and affecting, diffufed their influence over the Low Countries with the fpeed of lightning. A difpofition, to throw off the detested yoke of France, had lately appeared in the Netherlands, which fubjected the inhabitants, as ufual in fuch cafes, ftill more to the vigilant feverity of the French go vernment. The English, four thoufand firong, had made a defcent, in May, 1798, at Oftend, in order to defroy the fluices, but had been repulfed by a very infe rior number: fifteen hundred of them were taken prifoners, among whom were five hundred and five officers. The English, at their landing, were welcomed by cries of invitation. The news of their landing was quickly spread over the whole country, where a very general difpofition to give them intelligence and encourage them ap peared among the inhabitants. A law was paffed, for fending fuch as fould, in future, be guilty of any fpeech or action, tending to the encouragement of the enemy, to courts martial, to be tried and punifhed, according to the military code, as fpies and recruiters for hoftile powers. Thus, the French were as ready to extinguish, as the Belgians to catch the first sparks of infurrection.

The place, where the explosion burst forth, was the beautiful diftrict of Waës, fituated between the Scheldt and the canal between Bruffels ad Antwerp. From thence, in the end of October, it quickly fpread to the tordip of Maline.. the territory of Louvain, as far as

Trilement,

Trilemont, and the environs of Antwerp and Bruffels too, both full of perfons indignant at the yoke of France, and the whole of the department in which they were fituated, were declared to be in a ftate of fiege. In a few days, the flame of revolt was communicated from north to fouth Brabant, as far as the frontiers of Namur, part of Flanders, the Ardennes, and the borders of Liege: and, in another direction, to Dieft, the Flemish Campine, and Bois-leDuc, as far as Eyndhoven. Their principal places of rendezvous were Bornheim, on the Scheldt, Turnhout, Herenthall, and, above all, Dieft. The infurgents, who took poffeffion of this laft place, a very well chofen pofition, amounted to fix thousand men, divided into three columns of two thousand each. The first of thefe was commanded by an Auftrian corporal, of the name of Corbiels; the fecond by the fon of an opulent brazier, of Dieft, called Woots; the third by a French emigrant, formerly a lieutenant-colonel.

On the first appearance of this infurrection, general Beguinot, commandant of Brufiels, haftened, with what troops he could collect in the neighbourhood, to Malines, engaged, and, for a moment, difperfed, the infurgents; who collected again in great numbers, a fecond time, made themselves mafters of Malines, and, a fecond time, loft it: but, fill the infurrection prevailed more and more, and extended itfelf even to the banks of the Mofelle. The French troops, cantoned in the Netherlands, were reinforced by the garrifons of Breda, Bergen-op-Zoom, and Luxemburg: French troops were allo fent,

afterwards, from the Lower Rhine and brigades of light artillery, and whatever troops could be fent from French Hainault and Flanders. Proclamations were published by the French general, Bonnard, of fering pardon to all the infurgents, in the five infected departments, but threatening the last severities to all who fhould persist in rebellion. A great number of perfons were arrefted and imprifoned; thoufands taken in action and put to death.

But the advantages gained, from day to day, by the French, were dearly purchased. Though the Belgians were united by no other fyftem than a common fympathy, and had no concerted plan of operations, they were recruited and fortified by the daily acceffion of numbers of their countrymen, and animated with the refolution of defpair. The motto on their ftandards was "It is better to die here than elsewhere." After innumerable engagements, in which courage fapplied the place of difcipline and experience, and many defeats, or rather difperfions, they fell again on the French, when they did not expect them.

In the mean time, during thefe conflicts with the French troops, they did not fpare either the civil officers of the French government nor fuch magiftrates of towns, though their own countrymen, as had been moft confpicuous for their attachment to the French caufe. Commiffioners and civil adminiftrators were killed, wounded, or forced to feek fafety by flight. The fmall military parties, difperfed in 'different places, for the purpofe of enforcing requifitions of money and men, were fubjected to a like fate. The trees [14]

of liberty were every where cut down, and the tri-coloured flags torn in pieces and committed to the flames.

The generals of the French army and the directorial agents, who fled to the army for protection, did not fail to make the fevereft retaliation. A number of villages were given up to fire and fword. The infurgents, overpowered in the caftle of Duffel, near Malines, around which they had caft a trench, were massacred, after they had furrendered, without

mercy. A number of executioners followed in the train of the French columns; fcaffolds were erected; and the blood of the unhappy Belgians flowed profufely.

The brave and honeft Belgians, equally obedient to juftice and indignant at injuftice and oppref fion, wearied and worn out, without magazines, artillery, and places of retreat, enclofed between Hol land and France, and left to their fate by Europe, were, in Janua ry, 1799, obliged to yield to their mighty conquerors,

CHAP.