plain the motives that could induce the British government to pay fuch a compliment to the good faith of a power, with which it had but a doubtful intereft to from intimate connexions; and which at this particular period was viewed with the extremeft jealoufy by every member of the confederacy. This period was not only remarkable for the fufpicions enter tained of Pruffia: its rival Auftria itself was involved in that miftruft of political candour and fincerity which now began by the fcrutinizing part of the world to be affixed, without diftinction or exception, to the conduct of every European court. The fource of this duplicity was the deficiency of procuring refources, of which neither Pruffia nor Auftria poffeffed a fufficiency for the great objects they both had in view. The only quarter from whence they could derive the fupplies of which they ftood fo much in need, was Great Britain. But the intereft of this latter not requiring more than the reafonable aid it was willing to afford for the common cause, which was no other than the balance of Europe, it became the ftudy of its allies to render it fubfervient to their own particular defigns; which extended much further than they were willing to avow, and included fchemes which, instead of promoting, tended materially to injure that balance. The treaty between Great Britain and Pruffia not only occafioned its particular application to the parties directly concerned in this treaty, but gave rife to a fufpicion that the court of Vienna itfelf was privy and confenting to the demands of that of Berlin on the British miniftry. Doubtless, it was furmifed thefe intriguing courts, well accustomed to plans of partitioning policy, had agreed to hare in the fpoils of an ally whom they both contributed to make the dupe of their rapacity. How far a fuggeftion of fo bafe and odious a nature fhould be admitted, no unqueftionable authority can decide. What may have given it currency, was a circunftance much infifted on at the time of that remarkable treaty, which was, that it did not take place till it had gone through the hards of Col. Mack, the well known agent of Auftria. Through his direct and perfonal intervention, this treaty was finally concluded and figned at the Hague on the 19th of April by the minifters of Great Britain and Holland; which latter was to fupply 400,000l. of the expence. The facility with which the treafures of Great Britain had for a long fucceffion of years been obtained by its allies, had established a fort of profcription, from which it was not eafy to recede. Both Auftria and Pruffia had, in the days of their respective diftrefs, experienced largely the utility of an alliance with Britain. Europe can witnefs that each in their turn. owed their prefervation to the generous as well as wife policy of, this country, in heading at immente, expence an oppofition to the common enemy. It was not furprizing therefore that, relying on that jealoufy of the defigns, and that apprehenfion of the aggrandizement of France which is na tural to a British adminiftration, they fhould avail themselves of it; readiness to favour thofe measures which appear calculated to fecure that equilibrium of power among European ftates, on which the independence of this part of the world fo manifeftly depends. While While the above negotiations were on foot, the prodigious preparations of France for the enfuing campaign had excited the profoundelt alarm among all the members of the confederacy. The army which the French administration intended for the operations in the Netherlands, amounted to more than 200,000 men. As it was there principally the decifive blow would be ftruck, nothing was omitted to render this ariny no lefs formidable by its organization than by its numbers. It confifted of the felecteft men, and the most expert and valiant officers. They were abundantly provided with all the implements and appurtenances of war; and no article, either of neceffity or of encouragement, was wanting that forefight or ingenuity could fupply. The principal aim of the French commanders was, to make themselves mafters of the maritime parts of the low countries, in order to cut off that quick and cafy communication with England, which gave the allies fo many advantages. For this purpose a ftrong body of troops, towards the clofe of March, marched into Flanders. Here. they began to eftablish pofts and ftations preparatory for the defigns they were projecting. They alfo made incurfions into other districts; where they met alternately with fuccefs and defeat. The loffes on both fides were nearly balanced; and as no material object was yet propofed on either, the war con fifted of fkirmishes of little or no confequence. The court of Vienna, thoroughly fenfible of the importance of the Netherlands, and deeply anxious for the prefervation of the richest por. tion of all her dominions, had made the utmoft exertions for its de fence. The Auftrian forces in the Fiemifh provinces amounted, in the commencement of the campaign to 140,000 men. The excellent order and difcipline of the imperial armies had not however preferved them from the difeafes that proved fo deftructive at this period to both the allied and republican armies: the number of fick and wounded among the Auftrians, amounted to upwards of 20,000. This was an alarming diminution of ftrength, where fo much more was needed than the whole complement of their troops, had they been in perfect health. Nor is it probable that the lift of fick and difabled in the other corps of the combined army was lefs proportionably confiderable. Previously to the commencement of military operations, a great council of war was held at Aeth, about the end of March, in order to form the preliminary arrangements:-but this meeting proved a fource of difcord among the commanders of the allies. Genera! Haddick was commiffioned on this occafion, by the court of Vienna, to produce the plan it had for the concerted campaign: but it was fo manifeftly calculated to throw the whole direction of military affairs into the hands of the Auftrians, and to render all the confederate forces fubfervient to the fchemes of the Imperial councils that the Duke of York explicitly refufed to act upon that plan before he had confulted the British court.. The Duke it feems, however it may have been intimated by the Auftrian party, did not object to that fubordination to General Clairfait which was aligned him by the Auftrian plan, from any unfeasonable feafonable pride of rank and dig In order to afford a plausible mo. tive for the Emperor's quitting his imperial refidence, the propriety of his perfonal inauguration as Duke of Brabant was ftrongly pleaded. His prefence at Bruffels, the capital of his hereditary dominions in the Netherlands, would, it was re prefented, powerfully tend to conciliate his Flemish fubjects, and induce them to fecond his endea... vours to expel the French from the low countries. Moved by reprefentations of this nature, the Emperor repaired to Bruffels,.. where he arrived on the 9th of April. He was received with the utmost magnificence, and went through all the forms prefcribed by the conftitutions of the different provinces, of which he was acknow. ledged the fovereign. After the folemnities of his inauguration were over, it became neceffary that he should fulfil the agreement. which was the real motive of his journey to the Netherlands. He fet out accordingly from Brussels,. and proceeded to affume the command of the allied army, which was reviewed by him on the 16th. of April. It was now refolved to fignalize his prefence by an enterprize of fome importance. To, this purpofe the fiege of Landrecy. was undertaken. It was invefted on the 17th, and the whole army, posted in fuch a manner as molt effectually to oppofe the endea-,. vours which the French might make to compel the allies to raise the fiege. The combined army, was divided into eight columns, five, of which attacked the French, who were very advantageoufly pofted, with great vigour and fuccefs. Two of thefe columns were commanded by the Duke of York and Sir William Erikine. That part of the French army which they engaged, was ftrongly entrenched, and furrounded by woods very difficult to be penetrated: the refiftance of the French was, according to ex pectation, very obftinate; and it re quired the most refolate exertions to diflodge them from their pofts. This however was effected after a long and fevere conteft, wherein the British troops acquitted themfelves with remarkable courage and kill. The other divifions of the allied army fucceeded in like manner in their feparate attacks on the enemy. One of these divi fions was headed by the Emperor himfelf, affifted by Prince Cobourg; and he had the fatisfaction of feeing the French oppofed to him entirely defeated, and obliged to retreat with confiderable lofs, though not without having maintained their ground as long as it was tenable, with the greateft bravery. These advantages did not prevent the French from attacking the next day, which was the 18th, the divifion under the hereditary Prince of Orange. They fell upon him with their ufual impetuofity. But the Dutch, of whom that divifion confifted, ftood their ground fo firmly, that the French wholly failed in their attempt, and were compelled to retreat. Three days after, they attacked Prince Cobourg's advanced pofts; and, after a warm difpute, they forced general Alvinzy, who commanded them, to fall back on the main army. Flushed with this fuccets, they advanced on a large body of Auftrians; but thefe, fupported by Sir Robert Lawrie's brigade of British cavalry, refifted them fuccefsfully, and forced them to withdraw in great diforder. Exafperated at these failures, the French affembled a large force at a place near Cambray, known by the name of Cæfar's Camp; intending as foon as they had received further reinforcements, to risk a gerierat engagement. But the allies determined to engage them before their ftrength was increafed. The Duke of York's divifion attacked them vigoroufly on the 24th, and after a well difputed day, put them completely to the rout, and obliged them to retire again to Cambray. Undifcouraged by this defeat, the French returned to the charge on the day following, and affailed the Duke with the utmost fury. The combat was long and bloody on both fides; but fortune declared again for the allies. The lofs of the French in these two actions, was computed at more than 3000 in killed, befides thirty pieces of cannon. Among the flain was Chapuy, their General, and a great number of officers. The lofs of the confederates was alfo very confider. able. The divifion headed by the Emperor was alfo affailed at the fame time, but with no better fuccefs. The French fought with their accustomed refolution; but the difpofitions made by Prince Cobourg were fo fkilful, that the enemy were repulfed with great flaughter. Eager to repair these loffes, the French Commander in Chief, Pichegru, collected a largeforce, together with a formidable train of artillery, and advanced towards Mone on, where General Clairfait was encamped, and waiting for the reinforcements promised him before he entered upon action; but Pichegru gave him no time to be reinforced: on the 29th of April he attacked the Auftrians on every fide of their pofition; and after a fight wherein much blood was reciprocally fhed, he completely fucceeded in carrying it. This defeat was immediately followed by the lofs of Courtray and Menin. In this latter town was ftationed a number of French emigrants, a body of Hanoverians, of which the garrifon chiefly confifted, zealoufly affifted in preferving them from the revenge of their furious countrymen. With uncommon intrepidity, they jointly fought their way through fuperior numbers of the enemy. The lofs of thefe two places, was in fome meafure balanced by the taking of Landrecy. This finall but well fortified town, had in the space of ten days, experienced the horrors of many a longer fiege. The bombardment had been fo inceffant and deftructive, that only three houfes remained entire. Of the garrifon, which confifted of near 6000 men, at the commencement of the lege, little more than 4000 were left; and the inhabitants themfelves cooperated fo warmly in the defence of the place, that fome hundreds were flain. While thefe tranfactions hap pened in the weft of the Netherlands, General Jourdain was no lefs fuccefsfully occupied in the duchy of Luxemburg. Purfuant to the plan of the French adminiftration, he had in the beginning of March entered that province, with the view of intercepting its communication with thofe of Liege and Namur. He was oppofed by General Beaulieu, at the head of a numerous force of Auftrians. He had long been efteemed a brave and expert officer, and his conduct on this occafion did not fall fhort of the reputation he had acquired: but the enemy he was now to encounter, feemed deftined by the uncommon daringness of their enVOL. XXXVI, terprizes, to break through all the ordinary obftacles that skill and valour could throw in their way. General Jourdain, prompted by that emulation which he felt from the appointment of Pichegru to the command of the northern army, exerted all his talents against his Auftrian antagonists. On the 17th of April he made a general attack on the lines occupied by Beaulieu. The courage and obftinacy with which both parties engaged, was fuch, that the battle lafted two days. It terminated at laft in favour of the French, who fuffered feverely as well as their enemies. In the province of Flanders, the fortune of war feemed as yet more equally balanced. Aware of the active qualities of Pichegru, the commanders of the allied army were perfeveringly on the watch to meet his continual motions; and he was no less impatient to justify the choice that had been made of him for the important station to which he had been preferred. After making the previous difpofitions for the attempt he was meditating on the 10th of May, the French, to the number of 30,000 of their choicest troops, made a furious attack on the force commanded by the Duke of York, near Tournay: their intention wa, by turning his wings, to furround and place him between their collateral fires. They began firft by turning his right wing; but it was fortunately flanked by a wood, where the Autrian regiment of Kaunitz had been pofted to guard against any fuch attempt. This regiment maintained its poft so ef. fectually, that the French were completely difappointed. They next endeavoured to break in upon the centre. Protected by their nu C merous |