Van Reyffel, in all fuch meafures as tended to the public defence, and particularly in retaining, if poffible, the remainder of their troops from defertion. The city of Amfterdam, in the mean time, fent a detachment of armed burghers to fecure the fluices at Muyden; and fimilar means were ufed at Harlem.

The ftates of Holland, notwithftanding these misfortunes, found it fo difficult to recede, in any degree, from their ufual haughtinefs, and were fo much irritated against the ftates general, that it was propofed, and eagerly debated in their affembly, that the deputies of the four provinces of Zealand, Fricfland, Utrecht, and Guelderland, fhould be commanded to depart from their refidence at the Hague. The more moderate part, however, confidered that this would be fo glaring and unexampled a violation of the union, and in all refpects fo defperate a measure, that they prevented its being adopted; though it seemed that the queftion was rather laid by for the prefent, than

that the propofal was abfolutely rejected.

An expedient was, however, reforted to as a substitute (and in fome meafure a lefs violent one) than the expulfion of a majority of the ftates general from the Hague. This was to engage their dependent allies, the government of Utrecht, who had long refufed any obedience to the provincial states at Amersfort, and treated them upon every occafion with the utmost contempt, to proceed to the laft extremity of depofing, fo far as they could, that affembly, by declaring it illegal, and incapable of its functions, and electing a new fet of ftates from among themfelves, who were to be confidered as the reprefentative of the whole province.

But an extraordinary and unforefeen event was now to take place, which was totally to change the nature of these contefts, to introduce new actors upon the stage, and nearly to abforb in its magnitude even the remembrance of these petty violences and hoftilities.

CHAP.

OTHING could afford a more

the iffue of the greatest and most fyftematically conducted affairs of ftate depend on unforeseen events, often collateral to the caufe in queftion, than was exhibited by the arreft of the princefs of Orange at Schoonhaven. After the whole train is regularly laid, and political defigns are ripening. by mature degrees, it frequently happens, that refolutions are to be taken on the fpur of the occafion, which are decifive of failure or fuccefs, but which admit of little or no deliberation. Thus it was in the affairs of Holland.

It must have been evident to every cool obferver, however limited in his political views, that nothing could be more dangerous to the republic than the affording an opening to any foreign power for an hoftile interference in their domeftic feuds, under the colour of a perfonal or family infult. And of all the princes in Europe it was equally evident, that the king of Pruffia, from his near neighbour hood, clote affinity with the ftadtholder, and, perhaps above all, from the promptnefs in the execution of the greateft meafures which has fo long diflinguifhed that court, hould have been looked to with the moft guarded caution, in order to prevent the poffibility of any pretence, diftinct from the fubject, for fuch interference.

For the king of Pruffia would have otherwife found it very diffi

cult, in the prefent pofture of af

five and dangerous measures were purfued against the ftadtholder and his family, to colour a violent invafion of the territories of the republic with those plaufible pretexts, which the prefent fyftem of policy and conduct adopted by the states of Europe has rendered, at least in a confiderable degree, neceflary. But all this difficulty was removed by themfelves, through the infult offered to the princefs his fifter; and thereby, a foreign quarrel being involved in their domeftic diffenfions, the fwords that were drawn under pretence of obtaining fatiffaction for the affront, were foon directed to model the state and government.

On the other hand, it is not to be denied, that if the intentions of the princefs had not been as pure as her known character affures us they were, the admiffion of such a perfon into the very center of their operations, could not but be fatal to the defigns of the republican party. The activity and energy of her difpofition, her acknowledged ability, the affection the provinces bore to her perfon, and more especially the difficulties her fex would have oppofed on the reftraint which prudence might require, made her an object of fome apprehenfion. The very refpe&t which is attached to the character of mediator is capable of being perverted to finifter purposes. And the peculiar circumftance of a prin

cefs, allied to one of the greateft royal houfes, after being reduced to fly from her country, nobly ruthing back again into the fcenes of war and tumult, and committing herfelf to the mercy of hoftile factions, that the might plead the caufe of her husband and her children; this was a spectacle not rafhly to be indulged to a people yet in the ferment of a recent revolution, and before the fpirit was properly affimilated to a new government. Men embarked in civil contentions are naturally fufpicious; and the great and critical intereft, in which all is at ftake, cannot liften to thofe perfonal refpects, and bow to the confiderations which regulate the concerns of ordinary times. It may be added too, with fome appearance of probability, that the king of Pruffia would not have engaged in the Dutch affairs at all, if his interference had not coincided with his condition and the plan of his politics; and that, if circumftances had made it neceflary for him to acquiefce in fuch open attacks on the rights of a perfon fo nearly allied to him as the ftadtholder, he would not be moved by a meature which fome people would call a perfonal unprovoked indignity, but others might conftrue an act of juftifiable rigour, and of political neceffity: fo that, in cafting up the account, we may find rather the occafion than the caule of the king of Pruffia's irruption into Holland, in the event, the particulars of which we are going to relate.

The princefs of Orange, whether from a confidence founded in a fenfe of her abilities, or on the influence which the expected might be derived from her fex, dignity, and family, adopted the refolution of pro

ceeding, unaccompanied by the prince her husband, from Nimeguen to the Hague; intending, undoubtedly, to have entered into a perfonal negociation with the leaders of the adverfe party, and at the fame time to manage the interefts of the ftadtholder with the states general, the council of ftate, and other great bodies of the government.

Whatever the fecret motives might be, thofe avowed by the princefs were, that he was on her way to the Houfe in the Wood, (a palace belonging to the house of Orange, known by that name, and adjoining to the Hague) in order to communicate to Mr. Van Bleifwick, the grand penfionary, to their noble mightinefies the ftates of Holland, and to their high mightineffes the ftates general, fuch conciliatory propofitions, in the name of the prince her husband, (who could not in the prefent fituation of affairs attend in perfon) as would, if it were yet poffible, prevent the evils and horrors of a civil war, which at prefent hung fo heavily over the republic.

On the other hand, the adverse party reprefented this mysterious journey as a measure fraught with the greateft dangers. They faid, that in order to facilitate the ftadtholder's open operation against them in the field, the princefs had come into Holland with a view of exciting infurrection and rebellion among the people, and of throwing every thing into confufion at home. That the debauching the troops of the ftate, and procuring a farther defertion of them from their matters, was probably another object of the journey. And, as it was neceifary to inflame as much as pollible the minds of the more vulgar and ig

norant

norant members of their party, and that a common travelling poft coach or two, with a couple of hired chaifes, could not well bear the imputation of being the conveyance of any dangerous quantity of artillery, it was induftrioufly given out, that the princess's baggage was full fraught with ammunition of the moft dangerous nature, for that above 3000 orange cockades were packed up in it, which the intended to diftribute among her adherents. And, as the baggage was not fearched, either from motives of refpect, or from a political affumption of them, it became impoffible after to prove the negative. The princefs, accompanied only by the baronefs Waffanaar, count Bentinck, a field officer or two, and attended by a few domeftics, arrived, in the common mode of travelling, with hired carriages, at the borders of Holland, near Schoonhoven. They were ftopped by the firi guard of armed burghers they met; but upon a declaration of the princefs's quality, and where the was going, the officer, after much hefitation, and apparent embarraffment, fuffered them to proceed.

We have before obferved, that the place of the deferted troops had been fupplied by the armed burghers, who, with thofe that remained, ftill kept up the line on the frontiers of Utrecht. It appears that the commanding officers of the line had received fome previous intelligence of the approach of the princefs, and it is probable had time to receive private inftructions from the fecret commiffion of defence at Woerden, which was furnithed in fome respects with dictatorial powers, in what manner to act upon this new occafion. The princefs feems

1787.

rather to have paffed by than thro' Schoonhoven, and pro- June 28th. ceeded above a league farther without interruption; but the carriages were then fuddenly furrounded by a party of burghers, who were foon joined by a detachment of the horfe of Heffe Philipftal, whofe commander had gone over to the prince, but was either deferted by his regiment, or they had refused to proceed with him.

This detachment, though officered, fubmitted to act like machines, under the orders of a rough, vulgar, ignorant captain of the free corps. Their behaviour was fuch as might have been expected from fuch a leader; who was equally ignorant of military duties, and of the manners established among gentlemen, After much altercation and delay, he, with difficulty, complied with a propofal of the princefs, to fend an exprefs to general Van Ryffell, who was at three leagues diftance, in order that he might remove this obftruction to her route; but absolutely refufed to let M. Bentinck accompany the exprefs, and was hardly perfuaded to fuffer him to write a few lines to Van Ryffell.

Upon a reprefentation of the very difagreeable fituation of the princefs, ftopped upon a narrow road between two canals, it was agreed to remove her to fome more convenient place until the arrival of the meffenger from Van Ryffell. The miferable guard who had her in cuftody, and who exhibited the exultation and diforder of a banditti who had feized a rich prey, rather than the conduct and character of foldiers, by their noise and sudden unmilitary motions fo ftartled the horfes in the princefs's carriage,

that