their own officers or fervants, they could on no account derogate from their character of independent ftates, by admitting of any interference; and that he was himfelf too good a judge, and too ftrict a maintainer of the rights of fovereignty, to expect or to approve of fuch a derogation.

In other answers upon the fame occafion, and about the fame time, they disclaimed, in very loofe and general terms, all oppreflive and illegal acts or defigns, either againft the stadtholder, or any other of their fervants; with the evidently implied refervation, of being themfelves the fo'e judges of what conftituted oppreflion or illegality. They attributed the king's applications to milinformation and mifrepresentation, hoping (with an apparent fneer) that the ftadtholder could not poflibly have been fo forgetful of the relation in which he food with the republic, as to be the means of conveying them; and adding, that it would be placing all the parties in a ftrange relative fituation indeed, if he were to make complaints of them to the king; a meature which in its confequences, . if admitted, would tend to leave them nothing more than an empty name and very thadow of fovereignty. They spoke in the fame general manner of civil commotions, of measures expedient for their own fecurity, and of the neceffity of putting an effectual stop to feveral abufes and encroachments which tended to the detriment of the country.

Dec. 19, As a proof of the fmall regard which they paid 1785. to the king of Pruflia's remonftrance, they iffued an order, that the military honours ufually

paid to the ftadtholder, in all his different capacities of captain general, governor of the Hague, and commander of the garrifon, should in future be paid only to the prefident of their committee, as the reprefentative of the ftates, and to the grand penfionary of Holland. This was in fome time followed by an order to discharge all the troops in general of the province from their oath of fidelity to the ftadtholder, and to preferibe a new oath, by which they were bound to the ftates only. All these innovations were fubmitted to by the troops in general, both officers and foldiers, with the greatest reluctance, and in numerous inftances with apparent indignation. As the differences increafed, the ftadtholder's power of difpofing of the regimental commiffious was fufpended for an unlimited time, and this effential branch of his prerogative ufurped. The caufe affigned, in answer to his remonftrances, for this measure, was not fo much a juftification of a right to affume, as a reason for the use of power, "that the influence which

he derived from that authority "in the army was not, in the pre"fent fituation of affairs, deemed "confonant with the fecurity of the "ftate."

The domineering party no longer contained themselves within any fort of bounds; they laid the heaviest hand of power over all those who gave marks of attachment to the fadtholder's interest. The virulence and malice of the contention was fo great, that tumults were almoft continual; and while the rioters on one fide were feverely punished, even for petty exceffes, thofe on the other were protected in the groffeft violence and outrage. They pro

ceeded

ceeded without reftraint, and without regard to general law, or particular conftitutions, to weed the magiftracies of all those who were even fufpected of any attachment to the Orange intereft, filling up their places with the moft turbulent of their own party; and even fubmitted to the democratic enroachments of the armed burghers, and thereby totally changed the nature of the old constitution, in order to carry that favourite point. They had taken the prefs entirely into their hands: while the moft fcurrilous invectives were every day published, not only with impunity, but apparent encouragement against the ftadtholder, the most temperate writings in defence of his rights, or bare statement of their nature, fubjected the publishers and the writers to fevere and certain punishment.

Not that the Orange party was even then entirely devoid of a difpofition to excefs and outrage, nor perhaps in their hour are they more refpectful of individual or conftitutional rights. Certain it is, however unfortunately, that the firft operation of civil diffenfions is to fufpend those very laws of which each party affumes to be the affertor. To judge truly of the merits of political queftions, we muft refort to the original caufe of quarrel, and not look too minutely to the occafional infringements of right which intervene, and are in a manner inevitable in violent contefts. The difputed territory is trampled by thofe who defend as well as thofe who invade it. We must not therefore, as many are apt to do, form too hafty a conclufion to the difadvantage of mankind, and fuppofe, from the exceffes that arife on all fides, nor even because a departure

from the principles fet out upon is obferved in many controverfies, that all pretences are falfe, and all motives unjuft. Without prefuming to direct the judgment of our readers, we only point out the criterion, and we apprehend it is to be fought in thofe grand objects, and that general line of policy, which characterizes each contending party; and we are perfuaded that all Englith readers entertain a favourable difpofition towards that which cements the natural union between the maritime powers and free conftitutions of England and the united ftates, and which tends to fecure in a chief magiftrate an effective authority, but limited by law.

Although the republican party carried their conftitutional innovations, and the violation of corporate and private rights, with little comparative refiftance, the courfe of their affairs was not entirely fmooth. Man is fo indefinable a being, that he frequently engages, in contempt of all dangers and hazards, in the defence of trifles, at the fame time that he gives up objects of the greatest moment to his fecurity and happiness, and fubmits to oppreffions that embitter his existence, with fcarcely a murmur. In the prefent inftance, the wearing and prohibiting of orange coloured cockades and ribbons feemed for a time to be the great object of conteft and animofity between the rival factions. Even the military, both officers and private men, notwithftanding their habits of implicit fubmiflion, became eager parties in this conteft; and, in defiance of proclamations and punishments, were continually flying in the face of their employers and paynafters, by wearing of this interdicted colour;

fo

fo that it seemed for a time doubt ful, whether the very harth exercife of very strong powers of government could have fuppreffed the difplay of this enfign of party zeal, without ftriking directly at the exiftence of the manufacture.

The prince ftadtholder and his family, after fojourning for fome confiderable time at Middleburgh in Zealand, when he found that the faction in Holland were proceeding to the utmost extremities against him, and that it became every day more apparent, that nothing lefs than an appeal to the laft refort of princes could preferve those remains of his authority which were ftill left, had he even submitted to the lofs already fuftained, removed at length to the province of Guelderland. This was the most judicious measure that he could poffibly have taken; for, befides that the states of that province, as well as of its neighbour Utrecht, were entirely on his fide, and the little country of OverYffel, from its fituation, entirely within his power whenever he found exertion abfolutely neceffary, he was likewife within fuch a diftance of the turbulent city of Utrecht, as at least to protect the states of that province, whom they had already obliged to retire to Amersfort, from any obftruction or difturbance in their proceedings at that place.Thefe were, however, but fecondary objects, when compared with the great advantages which that fituation would afford, if matters were brought to a certain degree of extremity, through the nearness of the Prullian territories, which inclofed Gueldres on two fides, with limits fo mixed and open, that the intercourfe could not be interrupted.

Obvious as these advantages were,

they feemed to escape the observation of the adverfe faction in Holland, until they began to be perceived in their confequences. The prince ftill retained the command of the forces of five provinces, which were about equal in ftrength to thofe of Holland'; fo that from his retreat to Guelderland he lay no longer at the mercy of his enemies. From the attachment of the troops to him, it was doubtful how far they might obey even the orders of their refpective states, in withdrawing from his command, if fuch a scene of diforder was once opened as might afford a colour for difcretionary conduct, or hold out a fanction to disobedience.

We are now, however, to look to feveral matters that preceded and led to this laft refource which the prince adopted, of retiring with a military force to his ftrong hold in Guelderland. Great expectations had been formed on both fides, from the affemblage of the ftates of Holland and Weft Friezeland, which was to take place at the Hague in the middle of March. Although the ftadtholder had no vote in that affembly, it would have been his duty to have attended, in order to give his advice, and to lay fuch propofals and matters relative to public affairs as he thought fitting, before them for regular difcuffion, had not the late affronts which he received put it out of his power to return to that place, until he was restored to his former dignities and authority. The ftates themselves feemed to entertain no small apprehenfion of the tumults which might take place upon that occafion, from the great and general attachment of the inhabitants to the prince, and the strong fenfations of grief

and

and indignation, which the novelty and caufe of his abfence, with the public difplay of his degradation, were likely to produce.

To obviate thefe difagreeable effects, after a day of public prayer and fafting had been fuppofed to diffufe a ferious difpofition among the people, they iffued a proclamation a few days previous to the meeting, ftrictly forbidding, under the fevereft penalties, all the ufual popular marks of rejoicing, upon any public days or occafions whatever, particularly prohibiting the hoifting of flags upon fteeples or other places, and the felling or wearing of any badges of diftinction, especially of orange-coloured cockades, and ribbands; which being a colour, they obferve, not fanctioned by authority, could only be worn from the fpirit of party; the delinquents, whether fellers or wearers, being fubjected to the heavy arbitrary penalties of imprifonment, corporal punishment, and even death, to be difcretionally inflicted: encouragement was held out to the most odious of men, informers; and in a degrading, arbitrary, and probably injudicious exertion of power, it was declared that those who did not inform fhould be found equally guilty for the mifprifion, and punished as principals.

1786.

The ftates at their

ple fhewed fuch ftrong marks of diffatisfaction, and difpofition to tumult, that the fixed bayonets, and firm conduct and countenance of the foldiers, were abfolutely neceffary to keep them in order. But a new and very peculiar fource of difcord remained ftill to be opened. A gate, which derived its name from the ftadtholder's office, and the particular ufe it was affigned to, poffeffed the fingular privilege (at least in modern times) of never being opened, excepting when that first magiftrate of the ftate was to pass through it upon public occafions, fuch as the prefent. The prefident of the affembly, to fhew the fullnefs of power, and to prepare the people for fubmiffion and acquiefcence in all other novelties, ordered this interdicted gate to be opened, and a detachment of grenadiers were affigned to the important fervice.

This invidious measure was beheld with the higheft indignation by the people; but the terror of the foldiers weapons, together with the fatisfaction of seeing that no attempt was made to pass through the gate, (the prevention of which was now made the point of honour, when the firft was given up) ferved to prevent their proceeding to any actual violence.

but

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 chaitifement 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 difcharge their fury upon the adventurous penfionary; the riot was violent, and thofe who were not engaged thuddered 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 utmoft violence upon the crowd, flourishing their fwords with terrible threats, and the moft 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 to fuddenly quelled, and with fo little mifchief. 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 of the victors. This unfortunate culprit was a fober tradefman, the mafter of a houfe 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.

The conduct of the troops upon this occafion can never be too much praifed or admired, and fhould be received and adopted as a moft 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 clofenefs of the crowd, and the nature of their weapons, would have been immense; and when broken and intermixed with the populace (which would have been unavoidable) the conflic muft have been attended with lofs to themselves. Nor would the defruction have been fmall to the people, if the cavalry had made that cruel use of their fwords which was fo entirely in their power, and of which they made fo effective and happy a difplay. Whatever share may be afcribed 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 sentence 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 if fued the fingularly arbitrary decree, that not more than two perfons fhould, under any pretence, and under fevere penalties, fiop to confer in the freets. They were not only in a ftate of hoftility with their fellow-citizens, and the ftates of

the