Maulde and St. Armand. Early the next morning, the two generals advanced at the head of their respective columns, and carried the batteries. The Prince de Cobourg then made preparations to attack the camp of Famars and the whole of the French line from Archies to Maubeuge. The Count Colloredo was stationed so as to keep Valenciennes in check, while General Otto covered Quesnoy; and the Prince of Wirtemburg, at the head of a body of Austrians, continued the blockade of Condé, and rendered a sally in that quarter ineffectual. Three bodies of troops, destined for the attack, were assembled early in the inorning of May 13. The first column, under the command of the Duke of York, consisting of sixteen battalions of English, Hanoverian, and Austrian infantry, with a detachment of cavalry and a train of heavy artillery, was to cross the Ronelle, near Orties, in order to turn the right flank of the enemy; while the second, under the command of General Ferraris, after carrying the works thrown up on the right bank of that river, was to co-operate with the forces under his royal highness. A sanguinary engagement now commenced. After a cannonade on both sides, two divisions of hussars passed the Ronelle, without opposition, at the village of Mershe; and, on a body of infantry being ordered to advance, on purpose to take the batteries in flank, the French retreated to the heights behind the village of Famars. When General Ferraris had taken the intrenchments by assault, the Duke of York surveyed the new position assumed by the enemy; but deeming it imprudent to commence an attack on their front, preparations were made to turn their flanks during night. In the interim, General Clairfayt, at the head of a strong column of imperialists, attacked the heights of Anzain. An obstinate resistance was made by the enemy; but the Austrians proved victorious, and obtained a post, which not only overlooked the citadel of Valenciennes, but enabled the Prince de Cobourg to complete the investment of that fortress, the English and Hanoverians being now in possession of the camp of Famars; for the French had evacuated it at night, and, after throwing a body of troops into Valenciennes, effected their retreat across the Scheldt. The Imperialists, Hanoverians, and English, behaved on this occasion with distinguished bravery: the killed and wounded on the part of the British did not exceed thirty-two, the loss of the allies altogether being no more than 700 men. They took nine pieces of cannon, eight baggage waggons, upwards of 300 prisoners, and a great number of horses: the amount of the killed on the part of the French (which was carefully concealed) was consider able. In consequence of this success, the combined sor. forces were able to undertake the siege of Valen- BOOK I. ciennes, and to invest Condé still closer. General Lamarche apprehensive, from his situation, of CHAP. IV. fresh defeats, made known his intention of resigning; and Custine, who was recalled from the 1793. army of the Moselle, was nominated his succesThis general, notwithstanding the military talents which he displayed in Germany, proved incapable of coping with the victorious foe; he therefore abandoned the neighbouring fortresses, which were immediately possessed by the enemy; and, after a blockade of three months by the imperial forces, the Prince of Wirtemburg became master of Condé, and the garrison made prisoners of war. His royal highness the Duke of York, to whom the conduct of the siege of Valenciennes had been intrusted, on the 10th of July summoned the governor to surrender. Different opinions arose respecting the mode of conducting this siege. Colonel Moncrieff, an English engineer, proposed, it is said, that the body of the place should be attacked all at once. The plan, however, suggested by Feld-Zeugmeister Ferraris was adopted; and the fortifications, erected according to the orders of the celebrated Vauban, were approached, as directed. Forty-one days had elapsed after opening the trenches before the attack proved successful. During the night, the covered way, the horn-work, and the advanced fléche, were carried and taken possession of. On this occasion, there were three separate attacks by 900 men each, commanded by Majorgeneral Abercromby, under the superintendance of Lieutenant-general Erbach; and, after a lodgment had been effected, the necessary measures for battering the counter-guard between the horn work and the body of the place were adopted. His royal highness summoned both the commandant and municipality the next day, declaring that the fate of the city rested entirely upon their answer, this being the last time that any capitulation would be granted. A truce of twenty-four hours was solicited and obtained; a negociation took place, and the result was, Valenciennes surrendered to the enemy, and the garrison were allowed the honors of war. Soon after, the French army was obliged to abandon the strong position behind the Scheldt, called Cæsar's camp, on which Cambray was summoned to surrender by the imperial General de Boros. About the same time Mentz was forced to capitulate. The King of Prussia, having possessed himself of Costheim, and frustrated the intentions of an army which had marched under General Houchard to the succour of the garrison, made such effectual sallies, that both this important city and Cassel were delivered up to him. The garrison was not only allowed to march out with all the honors of war, but to, BOOK I. carry away their arms and baggage. It was In consequence of the loss of Mentz, the French commander was disgraced, and a combination of other powers now threatened the destruction of France. CHAPTER V. Conduct of Russia, Naples, Spain, Portugal, &c.—A new League formed against France.—Opera- THE Empress Catherine of Russia, disgusted with a nation who had put their monarch to death, recalled her minister, and determined to suspend all correspondence with France, " until his most christian majesty should be re-established in those rights and prerogatives assigned to him by human and divine laws." This empress, having entered into a convention with Great Britain, transmitted a letter to the court of Sweden, expressing her wish that the navigation of France should be checked, and the coasts of the Baltic protected. The various changes which had taken place in the French government were likewise obnoxious to the court of Naples; and though a neutrality was affected, yet, when an opportunity offered, a convention was entered into between their Britannic and Sicilian majesties; and the former not only consented to protect the dominions of the latter by means of a respectable fleet in the Mediterranean, but also to grant a subsidy, in order to stimulate his new ally to vigorous exertions. allies to whom it might be deemed proper to extend this guarantee. The King of England also entered into a stipendiary treaty with the Landgrave of Hesse Cassel, who consequently agreed to keep a body of 8,000 infantry and cavalry, which, by an additional article, was afterwards augmented to 12,000, at the disposal of his Britannic majesty, during the space of three successive years. On this occasion his serene highness exacted a subsidy of two hundred and twenty-five thousand crowns a year; and demanded, with extreme precision, a remuneration for the loss of men, stores, artillery, &c. Similar engagements were afterwards made with the Margrave of Baden, the Landgrave of Hesse Darmstadt, the Duke of Brunswick, and the Elector of Hanover. A subsidiary treaty was also concluded with the court of Turin; by which it was agreed, on the part of his Sardinian majesty, that during the war he was to keep on foot an army of fifty thousand men, to be employed for the defence of his doSpain had hitherto adhered to a system of mo- minions, as well as to act against the common deration; but when the Duke d'Alcudia, a major enemy: and, on the other hand, the King of in the Walloon guards, became the successor of England agreed to furnish, during the same pethe president of Castile, the intentions of the riod, the sum of two hundred thousand pounds court of Madrid produced a declaration of hosti- sterling a-year, (three months to be always paid lities on the part of France. This contributed to in advance,) to keep up a formidable force in the render Portugal a party in the war; and D'Ar- Mediterranean; and not to conclude a peace with nault, the minister of France, was informed by the enemy without comprehending in it the enthe police, that the court of Lisbon had given tire restitution, to his Sardinian majesty, of all orders for his departure in the course of three the parts of his dominions which belonged to days. him at the commencement of the war, and of which the enemy had obtained possession, or might, during the course of hostilities. The first treaty which Britain entered into was with Prussia, when it was mutually agreed, that the high contracting powers should assist and succour each other during the war against France. It was also stipulated, that they should shut up their ports against the ships of that nation, and not lay down their arms but by common consent, without a restitution of all conquests made upon either of their said majesties, or such of their Spain had also agreed with Great Britain to shut up her ports against France; and, by means of subsidiary treaties and multiplied negociations, new enemies were daily rising against France. In the course of one summer, three different armaments were fitted out; and the West Indies, the Mediterranean, and the narrow seas, witnessed the triumph of the British flag. A squadron, under the command of Admiral Laforey, took possession of the island of Tobago on the 14th of April. Having effected a landing in Great Courland Bay, and having marched against the fort Monteil, the governor was summoned to surrender. This he refused; and, in the course of that very night, the English general carried the place by assault. The troops, who were ordered to trust entirely to the bayonet, accordingly advanced to attack the north-west side, and, notwithstanding one of the guides ran away, and the column was separated in mounting the hill, yet the flank companies entered the works, upon which the troops forming the garrison yielded, and were admitted prisoners of war. The islands of Miquelon and St. Pierre, in the Gulf of St. Lawrence, were surrendered at the first summons to Brigadier-general Ogilvie. An attack made by Major-general Bruce, on the island of Martinico, proved less successful. A detachment of British troops, to the amount of 11,000 men, was landed on the 16th of June; but an alarm having taken place, and their commanding officer being wounded, the expedition was relinquished, and the troops re-embarked. The governor of Jamaica, having received instructions to attempt an invasion, and the necessary preparations having been made, Commodore Ford sailed from Port Royal, with the 13th regiment, two flank companies of the 49th, and a small detachment of artillery, commanded by Lieutenant-colonel Whitelocke. These having landed at Jeremie, the two forts immediately hoisted English colours. After remaining a few hours there, and leaving some troops, the squadron sailed for the Mole. On being summoned to surrender, Major O'Ferral, who commanded the garrison, consisting of 183 men of the regiment of Dillon, and M. Deneux, the governor of the place, immediately agreed to the terms proposed. Thus an important position of the island of St. Domingo was delivered up to 560 British troops. An early intimation of the war having been transmitted to the East Indies, the British captured the settlements of Pondicherry, Mahé, and other French possessions on the coast of Coromandel and Malabar, experiencing little or no resistance. The troops which accomplished these objects properly belonged to the East India company, and were under the command of General Stewart. An armament, under the command of Lord Hood, had been fitted out for the protection of England's allies in the south of Europe; and the chief arsenal in the Mediterranean having been seized, as hereafter mentioned, the situation of France became exceedingly critical. The British ambassador at Genoa, Mr. Drake, having demanded an instant declaration of war against France, observed, "That neutrality BOOK 1. among nations cannot take place but with respect to such wars as are carried on between CHAP. V. lawful powers; that to talk of neutrality in the 1793. case of a contest between religion and atheism, laws and anarchy, loyalty and perjury, virtue and vice, humanity and murder, is to vilify its very name; and that of course, in the present war against the usurpers of the supreme power in France, no government can declare itself neuter without becoming their accomplice, and degrading itself in the eyes of all Europe." The government of Genoa having proved averse to hostilities, and arms having been made and distributed among the people, in consequence of an order from the senate, passports were demanded by the British and imperial ministers for their departure, and a British squadron blockaded the port of Genoa. Much about the same time, a memorial was presented by Lord Robert Fitzgerald to the Helvetic confederacy, framed on the model of those which Lord Auckland had addressed to the States-General, wherein it is said, that "the vile and ferocious men assembled at Paris under the name of a convention, had manifested their desire of strengthening their connections with Switzerland.-Objects of universal execration, they have had the audacity, magnificent and mighty lords, to make an injurious exception for you alone in Europe.-A lasting peace cannot exist between the wise council of the Helvetic States, and a banditti associated for the purposes of devastation.-In the present circumstances, even neutrality cannot authorize any correspondence with the factious, or their agents. When two legitimate powers are at war, the relations of any state with one or the other cannot be injurious to their respective rights. But the present war being directed against usurpers, all correspondence which a neutral state should carry on with them, would be an acknowledgment of their authority, and, consequently, an act prejudicial to the allied powers.' The reply of the Helvetic government was couched in the following expressions: "That a rigid and exact neutrality was the sacred and invariable maxim of their ancestors, and that they trust his Britannic majesty, following the example of his illustrious predecessors, will respect the independence of the Helvetic confederacy." Lord Hervey, who was then ambassador at Florence, did not hesitate to demand the dismission of M. de la Fotte, the French envoy, in twentyfour hours; and with this demand the Grand Duke was obliged to comply, from the connection subsisting between the King of Great Britain and his brother the emperor, as well as from his being threatened by Lord Hood, the British admiral; and of course he declared war against France on the 10th of October. |