but upon the breaking up of the ftates in the evening, the penfionary of Dort, whether through vanity, to fhew his contempt of the ftadtholder, or to try the temper of the people, while the means of their chastisement were at hand, ordered his coach to be driven through the gate. This was the fignal of alarm, the people immediately interfered, both in preventing the defign, and in endeavouring to discharge their fury upon the adventurous penfionary; the riot was violent, and those who were not engaged fhuddered for the confequences, nothing lefs than a general maffacre of the unarmed populace being expected. In this inftant of terror and danger, the horse guards rufhed in with the utmost violence upon the crowd, flourishing their fwords with terrible threats, and the most dreadful parade of execution. In little more than a moment the tumultuous crowd were either overthrown by the horses, and lying in heaps upon each other, or difperfed and flying on every fide. Never was fo violent a tumult fo fuddenly quelled, and with fo little mischief. Not a fingle man was killed, nor a fingle wound given with the fword; the horses were the only combatants, and left many fore remembrances of their weight, and of the iron armour on their hoofs. It was no lefs remarkable that only a fingle prifoner was made, where all lay at the mercy the victors. This unfortunate culprit was a fober tradefman, the mafter of a house and family: he had been fo active in the commencement of the riot as to be particularly confpicuous, which occafioned his being early fecured; and every body was in expectation of his being hanged, as an example, the following morning.

of

The conduct of the troops upon this occafion can never be too much praised or admired, and should be received and adopted as a most excellent model in all cafes of fuppreffing civil commotions. Had the infantry, who were quiet lookerson, undertaken to quell this riot, the flaughter, from the narrowness of the place, the clofeness of the crowd, and the nature of their weapons, would have been immenfe ; and when broken and intermixed with the populace (which would have been unavoidable) the conflict must have been attended with lofs to themselves. Nor would the deftruction have been fmall to the people, if the cavalry had made that cruel ufe of their fwords which was fo entirely in their power, and of which they made fo effective and happy a display. Whatever fhare

may be ascribed to difcipline in this excellent conduct, no doubt can be entertained but that a much greater was due to the private fentiments and difpofition of the troops.

This riot, together with the general ill temper of the people, put a ftop for fome time to the deliberations of the ftates of Holland. So many interceffions were made for the life of the unfortunate perukemaker who had been taken up in the late tumult, that the fentence of death on him was changed to an order of imprisonment for 20 years.

In the mean time, the diffenfions in the city of Utrecht became fo violent, that the ruling faction iffued the fingularly arbitrary decree, that not more than two perfons fhould, under any pretence, and under fevere penalties, ftop to confer in the ftreets. They were not only in a ftate of hoftility with their fellow-citizens, and the ftates of

the

the province, but they flew in the face of their own immediate delegates, who declared, that in confideration of their oaths, and a full knowledge that the dignities conferred on the ftadtholder in 1749 had been granted by the unanimous voice of all the regents of that time, as the only means of preferving the nation, they could not in any manner concur in depriving him of them; although, if any new regulation fhould, with his own confent, and with the fame unanimity be adopted, they should by no means oppofe fuch a reform, but act in concert with the states in general. This moderation in their delegates could produce no correfponding effect in the constituents, who, determined to fupport their violence by arms, hired foldiers, and procured officers from all parts, and at any expence, making every poffible preparation at the fame time to withstand a fiege vigorously if attacked, as they continually expect.

ed.

If the fubfcriptions to the patriotic funds (which were to fupport the numberless petty armaments of this time) were really as large as represented, it would indeed be aftonishing, confidering the heavy loffes which individuals as well as the republic had fuftained by the war with England, and the fubfequent prodigious expences and damage occafioned by the conteft with the emperor, first in the preparations for war and the overflowing of the country, and laftly in the purchase of peace, and the reparation which they were compelled to make to his fubjects for their damages. It was faid, that fubfcriptions from individuals of eight or ten thousand florins were common upon this occa

fion; and that fo large a fum as 100,000 (amounting to fomething between feven and eight thousand pounds) had been fent without a name; but this laft was probably no more than a lure, to excite a fi milar liberality from fuch an example.

In the mean time the republic was torn to pieces and convulfed in all its parts and members. Nothing could be more deplorable than the face of tumult, riot, and confufion which every where prevailed. Many of the towns prefented little less than a fcene of continual civil war. The multitude of ill-connected petty fovereignties, of which the republic is compofed, afforded room for a general, as well as for particular degrees of anarchy, which could not perhaps have been equalled under any other form of government. Nor has it poffibly been known in any civil contention, in which religion was not the object of the conteft, that the animofity and malice of the contending factions was carried to fo extreme an excess as in the prefent. Their riots were accordingly, and perhaps it may be faid, according to the peculiar genius and temper of the people, fierce, cruel, and bloody. Multitudes of people were faid to have been facrificed, without count or enquiry, in these tumults, while the canals ferved commodiously for the inftant in hiding the effects of their mutual enormity.

The debates in the affembly of the ftates of Holland, upon the fubject of restoring the ftadtholder to his dignity, or at leaft to the go. vernment of the Hague, were conducted with a degree of heat and vehemence faid to be unequalled in the Dutch councils. Every method [F] 2

was

was accordingly used, that the nature of fuch proceedings will admit, in order to conceal the particulars of what paffed in that affembly from the knowledge of the people. The count de Maillebois, who was fuppofed to be the fecret mover of most, if not all, of the harth measures adopted against the ftadtholder, was now become fo extremely odious, at leaft with one party, that he was very generally burnt in effigy in thofe places where they were prevalent.

After various debates upon the fubject, the grand queftion, with refpect to the command at the Hague, was carried against the prince of Orange in the affembly of the states of Holland by a fingle vote, the numbers being ten to July 27th. nine. A proteft was immediately entered by the equeftrian order, as well as by the deputies or reprefentatives of fome towns,against this refolution, as being premature and violent, as well as unconftitutional and illegal.

This refolution was not filently acquiefced in by the ftadtholder. He tranfmitted a ftrong letter to the ftates of Holland, in which, after taking notice that he could confider this refolution as nothing less than a violent outrage upon his dignity and authority, and an ufurpation upon a right which did not admit of being doubted; after obferving the defect of unanimity among themfelves, and the clofenefs of the divifion upon which a quef tion of fuch importance was carried; he denies the legality of any one member of the confederacy depriving him of rights which had been unanimously conferred upon him by the whole union; and, though he by no means acknowledges the right

even of the whole union to difpoffefs him of dignities and powers which were in the fulleft manner rendered hereditary in his family, yet, waving that queftion for the prefent, he obferves, that it would at leaft be neceffary, in order to give any colour of fanction to fuch a proceeding, that the retraction fhould be attended with the fame unanimity which prevailed in the donation.

Though this letter was confidered as amounting to a defiance by the most violent of the adverse faction, yet it induced the ftates of Holland to a re-confideration (perhaps merely for form) of the late refolution; the refult of which was only a farther confirmation of the measure, by a declaration that it was strictly legal, and in all refpects confonant to the conftitution, and to the spirit of the general union.

The death of the late king of Pruffia, and the acceffion of the prefent monarch, to whofe fifter the ftadtholder is married, could not be fuppofed to weaken his intereft at the court of Berlin. The new king indeed did not leave it long in doubt what part he was determined to take in favour of his brother-inSept. 2d. time to feel himself well in the throne, before he dispatched a long letter, fully declaratory of his fentiments, to the states general; and, to give the greater weight to them, it was conveyed by no lefs a perfon than the count de Goertz, his minifter of flate, in the character of envoy extraordinary and plenipotentiary.

law. For he fcarcely had

In this nervous and spirited letter he refrains from entering into any particular detail of the injuries offered to the fladtholder, referring

them

them for that, as well as for his own fentiments upon the fubject, to certain specified letters or memorials tranfmitted by his uncle and predeceffor, both to their high mightineffes, and to the ftates of Holland and Weft Friezeland; every part of which he now, for himself, renews and confirms. He takes care to remove every objection to his interference, as being unwarranted, intrufive, or dictatorial to a fovereign ftate, by fhewing that the long and tried friendship which had for two centuries fubfifted between his predeceffors and the republic, would even have demanded his friendly and mediatorial interpofition in the prefent unhappy and dangerous state of their civil diffenfions: that, exclufive of friendship, his fituation as their nearest neighbour, and the vicinity of a part of his dominions to their territories, muft neceffarily prevent his being indifferent to any violent or effential change that was attempted to be made in the conftitution of the republic: but that, independent of thefe caufes, the near relation in which he stood with the prince ftadtholder, and the affection which he bore for the princefs his fifter, rendered it impoffible that he could be unconcerned in feeing them degraded from their high rank and dignities, and the ftadtholder arbitrarily deprived of his rights and prerogatives.

He therefore ftrongly but amicably preffed the fates general to ufe their powerful mediation in the moft ferious manner with the flates of Holland and Wet Friezeland, for fettling the prefent differences; and to take fuch other measures as might appear neceffary for healing the dangerous diffenfions fo glaringly prevalent, for reftoring the prince

to his rights, and enabling him to return with honour and propriety to the refumption of his high offices at the Hague offering his own counfel and mediation, if it were neces fary, in conjunction with other friends and neighbours of the republic, to bring all remaining differences and matters of debate to an equitable, final, and happy termination, and in a manner that would be equally confonant to the honour and true interefts of all the parties. He farther. informed the ftates, that they were to receive and confider all communications from the count de Goertz as coming directly from himself.

This early display of the new king's character feemed to afford no fmall indication, that though the great Frederic was no more, the fpirit and vigour of his councils were by no means departed.

The states of five of the provinces referred the confideration of the king of Pruffia's letter to the committee for foreign affairs; but those of Holland and Weft Friezeland, perfevering in their fyftem, and bating nothing of their ufual obftinacy, declaring their adherence to the refolution of the preceding December, against the admiffion of any foreign interference in the regulation of their domeftic affairs, would pay no attention whatever to the letter.

The court of Verfailles, confcious of having the game fo effectually in her own hands as to render all public intervention in the affairs of Holland, on her fide, totally unne ceffary, could have no difpofition to admit the interference of other powers, whofe views and principles the knew to be diametrically oppofite to her own. She had accordingly prefented to the ftates, fome confiderable time before, as a [F] 3

guarded

guarded precaution against what was like to happen, a memorial couched in very equivocal terms, in which, after much parade of the French king's friendship and regards, and of his attachment to the fubfifting alliance between them, he declares his wishes to fee thofe abuses reformed, which had occafioned internal diffenfions in the republic, and that he should be happy to fee tranquillity reftored upon the true principles of its conftitution; but that, without pretending to meddle in the internal government of the feven provinces, he would on the contrary use his utmost endeavours to prevent their high mightineffes being troubled from without as well as from within.

The republican party was now become fo infolent, and their violence fo extreme, that they seemed not only to caft off all obedience to their own laws, but all regard to thofe of nations, and all refpect to foreign fovereigns. A courier from the court of Berlin to that of Lon

don, upon his return was stopped, and narrowly escaped being rummaged, and his difpatches examined, by the populace in the town of Woerden. This outrage obliged the count de Goertz formally to demand a passport from the ftates general for a courier he was fending with dispatches to the king his

mafter.

The ftates of Guelderland, after various ftrong remonftrances, couch ed in terms of great indignation to thofe of Holland, for the encouragement which they had given, and the fupport they promised, to the refractory or rebellious burghers in their towns of Hattem and Elbourg, declaring that fuch an undue interference in their government,

and outrage offered to their fovereignty, muft, if perfevered in or repeated, lead to an immediate diffolution of the union, determined at length to remove this bone of internal and external contention, by applying force as the last remedy for the eradication of the evil.

They accordingly paffed a written refolution, tantamount in effect to a commiffion, charging the prince ftadtholder, as captain general, immediately to fend a fufficient number of troops, under the conduct of an experienced officer, to these towns, with injunctions to continue there until further orders; but that if the inhabitants were to make any refiflance to the performance of this fervice, fuch officer was authorized, in fpite of all obftacles, to fupport the fovereign authority of their nobie mightineffes, by proceeding to force and violence in the establishe ment of thofe garrisons.

The ftates likewife wrote to the magiftracies of both towns (who were equally difobeyed and flighted with themtelves by the turbulent burghers) inclofing a copy of their refolution, and requiring them to give every affiftance in their power to the troops; and particularly to exhort the inhabitants to the most docile fubmiffion to all injunctions that might come from their affembly.

General Spengler, with four re giments, and proper artillery, was appointed by the stadtholder to this fervice, with ftrict injunctions, if poffible, to avoid the fhedding of blood. The armed burghers of Hattem, being reinforced by as many volunteers as money or party zeal could procure from different quarters, exhibited a great parade of making a moft obftinate refif

tance.