traordinary fpectacle which the citizens prefented on all fides, holding out their arms to their conquerors as to their only deliverers. We faw the allied troops fack and plunder, and those who were called our enemies respect public and private properties. It was thus that the Netherlands were delivered from their moft dangerous enemies. The ftadtholder abandoned, in a daftardly way, his country and his friends, and fought at afylum at the court of the king of England. The ftandard of liberty was planted in all places, while the French republic declared the Batavian nation free, and re-established it in its primitive rights. The British minifters, enraged at feeing this republic ftill exift without being in their hands, attempted at least to defiroy it another way, by totally undermining its extenfive commerce. Upwards of one hundred hips, the greater part richly laden, which either through foul winds, or as a measure of precaution, had fought shelter in British ports, as well as feveral Dutch thips of war, were laid under embargo, as if to prevent them from falling into the hands of the French. Their high mightineffes, it is true, fent commiffioners to London to claim them, demonftrating by the moft folid proofs, that the Batavian republic was no longer under the dominion of France, fince the folemn declaration of its independence, and that England ought to conduct itfeif towards the Batavian nation, as towards a free people; they added, that the Dutch merchants would not rifque the entry of their veffels into the ports of the republic, if it VOL. XXXVIII. was for no other purpofe than to furrender them to the French. The British minifters had, however, already made up their minds to ap propriate this booty to themselves; and to augment it, they diffeminated on all fides falfe rumours touching the fituation of affairs in this country, to the end that they might, in the fame way, allure into their ports the merchant veffels belonging to the republic, which were ftill at fea. They have fince entirely violated the rights of nations; and all the Dutch veffels, to which his majefty the king of Great Britain had granted his high protection, were, in violation of the treaty of Breda, perfidiously declared lawful captures. But what puts the feal to the acts of hoftility and bad faith which the prefent British minifters have exercifed againft this republic, is the treacherous mode in which they have endeavoured to make themselves mafters of her colonies. For this purpose they fent letters, figned by the Prince of Orange, and dated at Kew, the 7th of Feb. 1795, to feveral of the colonies of the republic of the Netherlands in the Eaft Indies and to the Cape of Good Hope. In thefe letters, this perfidious and ci-devant minifter and commander in chief of thefe ftates, after having abandoned all his pofts, ordered, on his individual authority, the refpective governors to put the colonies of the States under the protection of the British arms; that is to fay, in the artful and cuftomary language of the English miniftry, to furrender them to England. Notwithstanding this felonious fratagem has failed in the greater part of the colonies, through, the fidelity of their their governors, it was impoffible to prevent the Cape of Good Hope, from falling into the hands of the English; and feveral important poffeffions of these States, in the Eaft Indies, have fhared the fame fate. While all this was taking place, the British miniftry conceived the plan of attacking alfo by land this free republic, and of employing for that purpose thofe foldiers, who being more attached to the prince of Orange than to their country, emigrated on the flattering promifes of England.-The fugitives were not only well received in the States of his Britannic Majefty in Germany, but were even kept in the pay of England; and if the defertion of the greater part of the army of the republic could have been brought about, there is no doubt but they would have been led against their country under English commanders, for the purpose of renewing here, if the fact were poffible, the fcenes of 1787 of kindling up, as in La Vendée, a difaftrous civil war, and of thus deftroying the Batavian republic by inteftine commotions. : minifter, will be put into a condi tion to employ for the future its forces against its aggreffors, and of paying them in their own coin, has also been cemented. His majesty, the king of Great Britain, after fo many hoftilities have been exercised, was at length pleafed to proclaim, on the 19th of September, 1795, by his council of ftate, a manifefto of war against the republic, but in which no ground of complaint was alledged. His majefty, it is true, fays in this manifefto," that for fome time divers acts of outrage, contrary to the honour of his majesty's crown, and of the legitimate rights of his fubjects, had been committed in the United Provinces, and that the fhips of war which failed from the ports of the United Provinces, had received orders to take and fink all British veffels." The acts contrary to the honour of his majesty's crown which have been committed in the Netherlands, are the acts of his majefty's own troops, and the English nation will, undoubtedly, fooner or later, punish their authors; and with refpect to the orders given to the fhips of war of the republic, to repel violence by violence, has not the independent republic, fo cru his majefly had forgotten that the Netherlands were no longer under the ftadtholderian yoke, and that his majefty's minifters had loft for ever, as we trutt, for the fafety of the country, all influence over the independent Batavian republic. Is it therefore furprifing that the Batavian nation, now free, feeks to reinforce itself against such un-elly treated, a right of refiftance? precedented and numerous outrages, by an intimate alliance with a republic which fnatched it from the gripes of its enemies? A treaty of peace and alliance was accordingly concluded at the Hague, on the 16th of May, 1795, between the two free republics of France and Holland. That treaty of mutual defence by which the inde pendent Batavian nation, fupported by a powerful neighbour, and unfhaken by the influence of a foreign It is therefore with a perfect confidence in that love of the country, in that energy, and in that courage with which liberty alone can infpite a nation, for a long time infulted and oppreffed, that that the independent Batavian nation folemnly declares in the face of Europe, through the organ of its legitimate reprefentatives, that, obliged to defend itself against the acts of perfidy and violence of the neighbouring kingdom of Great Britain, it will repel every act of aggreffion on its liberty, its independence, its rights, and its legitimate poffeffions; and that it will put in execution all poffible means to receive fatisfaction and indemnity for the incalculable loffes it has fuftained through a perfidious ally-in the firm hope that Divine Providence, who has fo miraculoufly preferved this country from a total ruin, will blefs its arms, and will not allow violence and oppreffion ever to fix their fatal abode on its free territory. Done at the Hague, May 2, 1796, fecond year of Batavian freedom. Madrid, October 11. HIS Majefty has tranfmitted to all his councils a decree of the following tenor: One of the principal motives that determined me to make peace with the French Republic, as foon as its government had begun to affume a regular and ftable form, was the manner in which England behaved to me during the whole of the war, and the juft miftruft which I ought to feel for the future from the experience of her bad faith, which began to be manifefted at the moft critical moment of the first campaign; in the manner with which Admiral Hood treated my fquadron at Toulon, where he was employed folely in ruining all that he could not carry away himself; and afterwards in the expedition which he undertook against the Ifland of Corfica-an expedition which he undertook without the knowledge, and which he concealed with the greatest care from Don Juan de Langara, while they were together at Toulon. This fame bad faith the English minifter has fuffered clearly to appear by his filence upon the fubject of all his negotiations with other powers, particularly in the treaty concluded on the 19th November, 1794, with the United States of America, without any regard to my rights, which were well known to him. I remarked it again in his repugnance to the adoption of my plans and ideas which might accelerate the termination of the war, and in the vague reply which Lord Grenville gave to my ambaffador, the Marquis del Campo, when he demanded fuccours of him to continue it. He completely confirmed me in the certainty of his bad faith, by the injuftice with which he appropriated the rich cargo of the Spanish fhip le St. Jago, or l'Achille, at first taken by the French, and afterwards retaken by the English fquadron, and which ought to have been restored to me according to the convention made between my Secretary of State and Lord St. Helens, ambaffador from his Britannic Majefty; afterwards by the detention of all the ammunition which arrived in the Dutch ships for the fupply of my fquadrons, by affecting always different difficulties to put off the reftitution of them. Finally, I could no longer entertain a doubt of the bad faith of England, when I learnt the frequent landing from her fhips upon the coafts of Chili, in order to carry on a contraband trade, and to reconnoitre the thore under the pretence of fishing for whales, a privilege which the pretended to have granted her by the convention of Nootka. Such were the proceedings of the British minifter to cement the ties of friendship and reciprocal confidence, which he had engaged to maintain according to our convention of the 25th May, 1793. Since I have made peace with the French Republic, not only have I had ftronger motives for fuppofing an intention on the part of England to attack my poffeffions in America, but I have also received direct infults which perfuade me that the English minifter wishes to oblige me to adopt a part contrary to the interefts of humanity, torn by the bloody war which ravages Europe, for the termination of which I have not ceased to offer my good offices, and to teftify my conftant folicitude. In fact, England has developed her intentions, has clearly evinced her project of getting poffeffion of my territories, by fending to the Antilles a confiderable force, and particularly deftined against St. Domingo, as the proclamations of her general in that ifland clearly demonftrate. She has alfo made known her intentions by the elta, blishments which her commercial companies have formed upon the banks of the Miffouri, in South America, with a defign of penetrating through those countries to the South Sea. Finally, by the conqueft which fhe has made of the colony of Demerary, belonging to the Dutch, and whofe advantageous pofition puts her in a condition to get poffeffion of pofts ftill more important. But there can no longer remain any doubt of the hoftile nature of these projects, when I confider the frequent infults to my flag, the acts of violence committed in the Mediterranean by her frigates, which have carried away foldiers coming from Genoa to Barcelona, on board Spanish fhips, to complete my armies; the piracies and vexations which the Corfican and Anglo-Corfican corfairs, protected by the English government of that ifland, exercife against the Spanish trade in the Mediterranean, and even upon the coafts of Catalonia, and the detention of different Spanifh fhips, laden with Spanish property, and carried to England, under the moft frivolous pretences, and especially the rich cargo of the Spanish fhip the Minerva, on which an embargo was laid in the most infulting manner to my flag, and the removal of which could not be obtained, though it was demonftrated before the competent tribunals that this rich cargo was Spanish property. The attack committed upon my ambaffador, Don Simon de las Calas, by a tribunal of London, which decreed his arreft, founded upon the demand of a very fmall fum, which was claimed by the. undertaker of an embarkation. Finally, the Spanish territory has been violated in an intolerable manner upon the coafts of Galicia and Alicant by the English ships the Cameleon and the Kanguroo. Moreover,Captain George Vaughan, commodore commodore of the Alarm, behaved in a manner equally infolent and fcandalous in the island of Trindad, where he landed with drums beating and flags flying, to attack the French, and to avenge the injuries which he pretended to have received, difturbing, by the viola tion of the rights of my fovereignty, the tranquillity of the inhabitants of the island. By all thefe infults, equally deep and unparalleled, that nation has proved to the universe, that the recognizes no other laws than the aggrandisement of her commerce; and by her defpotifm, which has exhaufted my patience and moderation fhe has forced me, as well to fupport the honour of my crown, as to protect my people against her attacks, to declare war against the King of England, his kingdom and vaffals, and to give orders to take the neceffary measures for the defence of my domains and my fubjects, and to repulfe the enemy. Signed by the King, and the Secretary of the Council of War. Done at the Palace of St. Lau renzo, Oct. 5, 1796. On Saturday, the 8th of October, war was proclaimed at Madrid in the ufual form. Letter of General Beaulieu, fent to the Genoefe Government on entering the Genoefe Territory. Head Quarters, March 30, 1796. Moft Serene Republic, THE circumftances of the war, and, above all, the infolence of an enemy whofe unjuft pretenfions know no bounds, compel me, at length, to enter your territory, with a part of that force which has been entrusted to my command by his Imperial Majefty. I am perfuaded, that after what has paffed at Genoa, your Republic will confider the Imperial troops as friends. Far be it that they should do you the leaft injury; their object is only to prevent the enemies of good order from invading your ftates, the defence of which is committed to me. The republic may be affured that I fhall confider its territories as a friendly country, and that the ftricteft difcipline fhall be maintained. All provifions, wood, and ftraw, fhall be paid for in ready money. I require only quarters and a free paffage for my troops; and I truft the moft Serene Republic will iffue proper orders that the troops of his Imperial Majesty may meet with no obftacle, and that every occafion of dispute may be avoided. (Signed) BARON BEAULIEU, General of Artillery. Addrefs of the French Minifter Faypoult, at Genoa. Moft Serene Doge, THE executive directory of the French Republic have made choice of me to refide at the Republic of Genoa in quality of minifter plenipotentiary. On their part I affure the most ferene government of Genoa, of the lively intereft the Republic of France takes in the profperity and fafety of the Genoefe nation. This fentiment is merely the confequence of the natural and reciprocal efteem of two people fig nalized by their courage and energy in the defence, and for the recovery of their liberty. Other powerful confiderations ought to contribute to cement for ever the good harmony that fubfifts between Q 3 Genoa |