proach, it had received every additional ftrength the moft able engineers could poffibly fuggeft to render it impregnable. In addition to all this, the French had furnished it with every neceflary means for defence, and had added fome new works. This was now the only ftrong place remaining in Italy, in which the French republicans had a garrifon. The French having evacuated the citadal of Mondovi by night, retreated to Vico and Ormica, pur fued by general Bellegarde. On the eleventh of November, the city of Ancona capitulated. It was befieged not only by Auftrians and Ruffians, but alfo by English and Turks. The ftraits to which the garrison and inhabitants, the latter, to the number of twenty-four thoufard, were driven, by the fiege of this place, which was begun to be bombarded on the third of September, are scarcely to be conceived, and do not admit of defcription. Its obftinate defence muft be confidered as the natural confequence of its having been the place of refuge reforted to by a number of traitors to their country, The gar rifon, confifting of Jews and the jacobins of Lombardy, were made pri, foners of war. The republican commander, Garnier, who, it seems, muft have been exchanged as a prifoner of war, obtained the condition of furren dering to the Auftrians only; a circumftance of great moment to him, as the befieging army confifted of troops of different nations. In the garrifon was found a confiderable quantity of artillery and warlike ftores. The important pofts of Foffano and Savigliano, after having been taken by the French republicans, were at length re-taken by the Auftrians, under general Melas. 1 The ftrong fortress of Coni, one of the ftrongeft in Europe, and the only one which remained in poffeffion of the French, in Italy, furrendered to the Auftrian arms, on the third of December. The garrifon, to the number of three thoufand, were made prifoners of war, and conducted to the imperial ftates. The trenches before Coni were opened, on the twenty-fixth of November, from which time to its furrender the fiege was conducted by prince Lichtenstein. The fituation of the Austrians had, before that event, been daily improving in other parts of Italy. They had, among other advantages, obtained poffeffion of the important pofts in the valley of Stura. Mondovi, Ceva, and Serravalle, had been furrendered to the Auftrians and there remained, in all Italy, only Genoa and its finall territory, in the poffeffion of the French, at the close of the year 1799. A ftatement may be expected of the lofs fuftained, on both fides, in this eventful and bloody campaign. It is not pretended, on this fubject, to prefent an arithmetical certainty. which no perfon could obtain; not even thofe at the head of armies. The lofs of the allies, in killed and wounded, has been stated, by the moft competent judges, at thirty thousand killed and wounded, and ten thousand in prifoners: that' of the French, in the first respect, at forty-five thoufand, and at thirtyfive thoufand in the second. In this campaign, the road to victory was opened by general Kray, at the battles of Legnago and Magnan: and it was pursued with decifion, energy, and advantage, by field-marshal Suwarrow. He ftamped upon it the double influence of of his own energetic character, and the fincere views of his fovereign, which pointed directly to their object. It is, at leaft, doubtful whether a general, more dependent on the Aulic council of Vienna, would have dared to undertake, or would even had permiffion to accomplish fo much. It is not probable that Auftrian prudence would have allowed him to march to Turin, before Mantua had been reduced; and to befiege or blockade thofe two places, at the fame time, with thofe of Alexandria and Tortona. As he had, fortunately, a glorious and fuccefsful predeceffor in general Kray, fo had no inglorious or unfuccefsful fucceffor in general Melas. And the merit of all three was proved and illuftrated by the talents of fuch antagonist commanders as general Moreau and general Macdonald. On a general review of the campaign, it is evident, that the advantage, on the whole, was pretty equally balanced. The Auftrians, at the clofe of the year, and alfo of the campaign, occupied all the paffes in the mountains, which feparate France from Italy. The expulfion of the French from this laft country was a great atchievement; the importance of which is not to be measured by its diminishing the fources, and contracting the boundaries of the French domination, but by the opening of the ports of Italy to navigation, commerce, and the water-carriage of troops and military ftores, and the elafticity that it muft give to the minds of the Italians, and other nations. On the other hand, the French kept poffeffion of the whole left bank of the Rhine, from its fource to where it falls through different channels into the ocean; and, at either extremity of this natural line of defence, a fortrefs of equal ftrength, though of oppofite natures, the moraffes, lakes, and canals of Holland, and the mountains of Switzerland. Thefe two countries formed two great baftions for the defence of the eastern frontier of France: the Rhine was extended between them as a curtain. Of Switzerland, it is very probable that the allies might have obtained poffeffion, if the archduke had remained with his great force to cooperate with Suwarrow, who counted on his co-operation. And although a French army might have over-run a part of the empire and hereditary dominions, for a time, they could not have kept permanent or long poffeffion, under the debility of dilatation, and the general hoftility of the countries invaded onthe one hand; and a mighty combined army in poffeffion of fuch a garrifon as the Alps, fupported by fuch a granary as Italy, and the country of the Grifons on the other. While thefe operations were going on at land, a Ruffian fquadron, of four fhips of the line and fome frigates, under the command of admiral Mackaroff, leaving Sheernefs, about the middle of May, failed for the Mediterranean, where he cooperated, in the efforts above related, with the allies. The ports, on the fhores of Holland, France, and Spain, were blocked up by the ficets of the English. Yet the French fleet, infulting, as it were, their vaft naval fuperiority, and all their combinations, after having efcaped from Breft, where it had been long confined, paffed the ftraits of Gibraltar, touched at Toulon, threw fome reinforcements and CHAP. XVI. - Expedition, under the Command of the Duke of York, to Holland.-Objekt of this.-Plan of Co-operation between Great Britain and Ruffia.-An Armament fets fail from Deal, on the thirteenth of Auguft.- Plan of Operations.-Stormy Weather.The British Troops land at Helder.— Force oppofed to them.-Engagement.The British Army gains Poffeffion of Helder-Surrender of the Dutch Fleet.Pofition and Force of the Enemy. An Action, in which they are defeated, and forced to retire to Alkmaer. -Engagement on the nineteenth of September.-Motives which induced the Duke of York to renew the Attack on the Enemy.—Several Places on the Zuyder-Seu, fubmit to the British Flag, and the Authority of the Prince of Orange. -The British Army, on the fecond of October, attacks the French.--Who are defeated.—Progress of the British Army ta Alkmaer.-The French take Poft on the Ifthmus between Beverwick and the Zuyder-Sea.-The British moved forward to a new Pofition.—The French advance from Beverwick to meet them.Engagement. Night coming on, undecided. The British Troops withdraw from their advanced Pofition to their former Station at Schagenbrug.-Attacks on the British at Schagenbrug.-Repulfed.-Farther Succeffes of the Marine Force of the British in the Zuyder-Sea-Sufpenfion of Arms.-Capitulation.-The British and Ruffian Forces return to. England.-Meeting of the British Parliament in September.-Its Proceedings. N the whole courfe and extent of be more natural than for the court of London, and the British nation, to make a great effort for the deliverance of the United Provinces from the ftate of fervitude and degradation into which they had fallen, and to reftore them to their rank among the independent nations of Europe, a rich, flourishing, and happy country. The provinces had long been connected with England, by various ties, between the houfes of Orange and Brunfwick, as well as the other claffes in fociety, by religion, habits, mutual good offices, common interefts, and a reciproca though commercial rivality and jealoufy, inflamed by the intrigues of France, had fometimes fet England and Holland by the ears, their mu tual hoftilities were not inveterate. Their moft effential interefts were confidered to be at bottom the fame. His late majefty king George II. was wont to fay of England and Holland, "that they were like man and wife, who might have their bickerings, but ought never to part." By the united influence of the families of Brandenbourg, including that of Hanover, the ftadtholder had, } had, at different times, recovered his power, and extended his prerogative. By the fpirited and united exertions of Pruffia and Great Britain, the defigns of France, in the Seven United Provinces, in 1787, were defeated, and a tripple alliance, offenfive and defenfive, formed among the ftates-general, Pruffia, and England. The revolution in Holland, in confequence of which that alliance was formed, was one of the most rapid, as well as leaft fanguinary and deftructive recorded in hiftory. The remembrance of this atchievement naturally fuggefted the idea of accomplishing fuch another, by the fame or fimilar means. Though the French had penetrated into Holland, in 1794, through the unforeseen defection of the king of Pruffia, from the coalition against the French republic, and the early and fudden freezing of the rivers, ftill lefs foreseen, this conqueft did not feem to poffefs the permanency that arifes from long meditated defigns, matured by a general concert of wills, among the invaders and invaded. The public voice of the provinces, though fuppréffed by an overbearing force, was till in favour of the stadtholder, and a connection with England. No pains were wanting, in order to induce the court of Berlin to return to the fuccefs, the advantages, and the glory of its conduct, respecting the United Provinces in 1787, but all in vain. The recovery of thofe countries from the influence, and, in fact, the dominion of France was an object of the first importance, not only to Great Britain, but the confederacy. By the re-establishment of the ftadtholder, a way would be prepared for opening again the cam paign in the low countries with an allied army, of fomenting infurrections among the inhabitants, a great part of whom were ftill ready for revolt; and, on the whole, for reftoring that political barrier, between France and Holland, which feemed fo indifputably neceflary, not only to the fecurity of British commerce and naval power, but to the independence of the greater part of Europe. Even if an attempt, for the deliverance of the provinces, fhould not be finally fuccefsful, ftill a great diverfion would be effected in favour of the allies, compelling the French to fend to the United Provinces a great part of the force deftined for the army of the Rhine. For an expedition therefore to Holland, a plan of co-operation was concerted between Great Britain and Ruffia, in the confidence that numbers of the Dutch, opening their eyes to their real interefts, would combine with thofe, whom they might juftly confider as their deliverers, as foon as they faw they could, with fafety, act according to their fentiments and withes. To enable them to exert themfelves for their emancipation from their prefent flavery, the most effectual means was to fend a powerful force to their affiftance. The preparations for the armament were rapid, energetic, and effectual. When the force was levied, all private convenience was willingly, and joyfully, facrificed to haften the troops to the place of deftination. Early in Auguft, above twelve thoufand men were affembled on the coaft of Kent, and above twelve thoufand more were preparing, to reach the fame, rendezvous. On the thirteenth of Auguft, fir Ralph Abercrombie and adiniral Mitchel, fet |