Wilhemstadt and Steenburgen, for. tresses which still held out, to ca. pitulate, likewise to the troops who were in those provinces which had not yet submitted to the French, as also to the ships of the state, not to defend themselves against the French, the states of Zeeland were under the necessity of following the example of those of Holland and Utretcht, in capitulating for their province, or rather in submitting to the conqueror.

The prince of Orange being in formed of this resolution, and perceiving that his presence could no longer be of any service there, was obliged to give up his intention of going into Zeeland, and the ice having for a long while prevented all communication between the provinces of Friezland and Gro. ningen with England, during that time the prince could not receive my intelligence from those provinces, and the first he received was, that they had submitted in the same manner as the others had done, which frustrated his plan of going into either of those provinces. The prince of Orange waits with confidence the judgment which every impartial person will pass on his conduct, and cannot think it was expected he should remain in a country which had submitted to the French arms, whilst the French national convention had declared war against him personally, and deliver himself into the hands of his enemies, with. out being able thereby to surrender the least service to his country.

He leaves it to the impartial public to judge if it is with reason that the pretended States General could declare, on the proposal of

the self-named provisional repre. sentatives of the Dutch people, that the stadtholdership was abo. lished, because the stadtholder, captain and admiral general, had thought proper to quit his post whilst the said provisional repre. sentatives of the people of Holland judged it right, in the same assem bly where they have changed the form of government, and usurped the supreme power, to abolish those charges for the province of Holland, without assigning any other motive than that the nobility and hereditary offices were incom. patible with equality.

The prince of Orange consi. ders himself authorized to appeal to the whole universe from a re. solution so unjust, and declares that he will not acknowledge as lawful, any resolution taken by those who now cail themselves the States General, or States of the Provinces, as long as the republic shall be occupied by the French troops. He flatters himself, that if more fortunate circumstances should deliver his unhappy country from a foreign yoke, the nation, restored to itself, and enjoying, as it has done for these two cen. turies, a true liberty founded upon law, will do him justice by not delaying to call him to the exer cise of the hereditary charges which he possesses in that republic, and which have been granted to h's house, by the will of the nation, with the view of contributing to the maintenance of the religion, good order, independence and prosperity of the state, and of the true liberty and well being of its inhabitants.

W. PR. OF ORANGE.
Hampton Court Palace,
May 28 1795.

Decree

February 1795.

THE expences of the present war being so great, and being ever desirous of easing my beloved subjects from imposts, taxes, and con. tributions which are necessary for supporting the present war with vigour, which, in many respects, is of so much importance to the nation, amongst whom our holy religion occupies the first place, I have represented to his holiness the Pope, by my minister the plenipotentiary in Rome, the indispensable necessity of causing the estates of the military orders to contribute towards the said expences, as likewise the religious order of St. John, in my dominions, by taxing them at the rate of twelve per cent. in kind or produce, or -eight per cent. in money, per an

num, and that the pensions of the Spanish order of Charies the Third should be included in this regulation.

His holiness being convinced of the just and urgent motives which. render this impost necessary, had agreed, that it shall be levied, on condition that it is only to last two years after the expiration of the present war. This dispensation, dated the 5th of November last, has been sent to the council of the order, and in consequence, there fore, it shall commence from the beginning of this year, through the medium of the general office for the imposition and levying of the respective twelve or eight per cent. upon the estates of the four military orders, as the contribution shall be either in produce or money, taking special care, by all means and precautions, that the same

Respecting the religious order of St. John and the royal Spanish order of Charles III. I have given the necessary orders for the collection of this temporal impost; consequently, there only remains under the said council, the exaction of the military orders on which it is to have immediate jurisdiction, putting the produce annually in the disposition and power of my secretary of state and the office of finances, by which means all doubts or difficulties which may arise in the execution of this, upon which head I give particular charge, will be heard in the council, and after justly examining, order that the fulfilling shall be punctually complied with.

In Aranjuez, 4th Feb. 1795. (Signed) THE DUKE OF HEJAR.

Edia of the Grand Duke of Tuscany.

HIS royal highness having, since the very beginning of the present war, been of opinion, that it was neither just nor convenient for Tuscany to take any active part in the transactions which at this present time convuts? Europe; that the welfare and safety of this country should not be entrusted to the preponderance of any of the belligerent powers, but to the sacred right of nations, and to the invicl..ble faith of those treaties which guarantee the immunities, and of course the neutrality of the port of Leghorn; and lastly, that · the natural and political situation of his dominions demand the most impartial line of conduct, has re

solved, with the strictest imparti ality, to observe the edict of neutrality, published by his august father, under date the first of August, 1778, as a fundamental law of the duchy.

The beneficial consequences of this resolution rendered it highly agreeable to his beloved subjects, who, profiting by the trade and commerce of other nations, with. out hurting any of them, found themselves relieved from those alarms and troubles which are occasioned by the fear of war. Whilst his royal highness enjoyed the satisfaction of seeing that Tuscany, superior, as it were, to the occur rences of the times, rested peaceful and quiet on that neutrality which was constantly respected by the French republic, he found himself involved in those unpleasant transactions, which are already known to all Europe. Although his royal highness was unable to resist them, yet he consented to nothing but the removal of the French minister residing at his court, the only act which the imperious circumstances of that period could extort from him, and which can never be quoted as an act derogatory to the constitutional neutrality of Tuscany.

The sincere explanation of these facts, which admit neither discussion nor refutation, and the impar. tial line of acting observed after. ward towards the French republic, as well as towards individuals of that nation, have restored Tuscany to the enjoyment of all the bles. sings which had been taken from her. His royal highness having concluded with the national con. vention of France a treaty, calcu. lated to re-establish his former neutrality for the benefit of his

subjects, without encroaching upon the rights and interests of the bel ligerent powers, with respect to whom he had never taken upon himself any particular obligation, has thought proper to publish the terms of that treaty.

His royal highness therefore wills, that in all his dominions, the edict of neutrality of the first of August, 1778, confirmed by the ordinance of the 22d of March, 1790, and published at Leghorn, on the 28th of April, 1792, be scrupulously observed; for which purpose, a sufficient number of copics of this edict shall be sent to the consuls of foreign nations residing at Leghorn, and to the Tuscan consuls residing in foreign ports.

Given on the 1st of March, 1795.
FERDINAND,

V. A. SERRISTORI,
ERNEST DI GILKENS.

dufted,

ducted, with the blessings of peace. Whoever, also, shall duly consider the strenuous exertions made by his Imperial majesty, during the last three years, the armies he has brought into the field, the treasure he has expended, furnished principally by his hereditary dominions, cannot entertain a doubt of his paternal care and anxiety for the welfare of the empire, and that all his wishes tend to a conclusion of the miseries of war by a speedy reestablishment of peace. But when we proceed to consider by what means, and on what terms, this peace, in itself so desirable, is to be obtained, numerous and unexpected difficulties will be found to present themselves, which have been rather overlooked than examined suitably to their great importance. Nothing, at least, could have given greater pleasure to his Imperial majesty, than that the diet should have precisely stated the terms on which a just, honourable and durable peace, might be established; especially, since the electors, princes, and states of the empire, have thought it consistent with the present situation of affairs, with the present position of Ger. many, and with the general welfare, to discuss the subject in a public debate, and to declare their wish for peace.

His Imperial majesty, however, is far from intending to represent the wishes of the diet as unattain. able, or in any manner very diffi. cult: nor does he wish to prolong the execution of the subject in the conclusum, until the general opinion of the diet has pointed out the manner in which it is to be effected; but, on the contrary, his majesty is determined to take every

opportunity to second the views of the diet, and the states in general.

With respect to the cessation of arms, mentioned in the same de cree of the diet, his Imperial ma jesty, ever attentive with unremitting paternal care to the good and happiness of his subjects, certainly agrees with the diet that it would be for the general benefit of the German empire, were it to be of such a kind as to lead to a safe, honourable, and lasting peace; and whenever there may be reason to believe that it may have so desi. rable a consequence, he will un doubtedly employ every means in his power, as head of the empire, for its procurement.

But since, in consequence of the extraordinary success of our ene mies in the late campaign, it is not a little doubtful, whether they will be so willing as many may hope, and believe, to accept of such terms as shall not be dishonourable to us, how much soever a peace may be desirable for the sake of suffering humanity, and how much soever it may be the wish of his Imperial majesty, it will be incumbent on the empire to make the most ardent and ure, mitting preparations for the pro. secution of the next campaign, should an invincible fate, or the obstinacy or extravagant demands of France render abortive all our hopes and wishes. His Imperial majesty thinks this intimation the more necessary, since, according to resolutions taken by the diet of October 28, it was determined that the first of February should be the last term in which the increase of forces and armaments were to be furnished to the commander gene. ral of the united army of the em

pire for the opening of the next campaign; and particularly as the proceedings in the diet relative to peace appear to have cooled the zeal of several of the states of the empire, a consequence far from the intention of the elector of Mentz, at whose motion the subject was first discussed in that assembly.

His Imperial majesty, therefore, conjures all the states of the Ger. manic body, jointly and singly, by their love for their country, not to suffer themselves to be lulled into incautious security by hopes, as yet, much too uncertain; but faithfully and assiduously to discharge those duties which the constitution and laws of the empire, and the preservation of every thing that should be dear to them, ren-, der indispensable; and conformably to the Imperial ordinance of the 14th of June last respecting the arming the vassals in the different villages, and the forming of mi. litias in every district or town, to give such strength to their military force, as may render vigorous and successful a war, the continuance of which may, perhaps, be uns voidable. That the patriotic princes of the empire, whose dominions are situated within the circles most exposed to the enemy, should be supported and assisted by the princes whose territories lie farther in the interior parts of Germany, and be enabled, for the defence of the whole empire, and of each state, to raise fortifications; and that they should be furnished with artillery, ammunition, small arms, and other necessaries of war.

His Imperial majesty most carnestly conjures all the states in the empire never to lose sight of the undeniable principle, that extra

ordinary circumstances require ex. traordinary measures, and that by such measures alone, in cases of imminent danger, a state can pre. serve its security, and frequently even its existence: he entreats them to remember, that the re. sources of the empire are yet far from exhausted; that it is not by relaxing in our efforts, that the enemy can be arrested in his progress, and induced to accept just and honourable terms; and that, at all events, it is preferable to en. counter any adverse fortune, than to sign the shame of Germany, and the overthrow of the Germanic constitution, in a treaty of peace. (Signed) CHARLES, PRINCE OF

THURN AND TAXIS. Ratisbon, Feb. 10, 1795.

Proclamation addressed to the Bataviin Army by the States General.

Brave soldiers!

YOU who have given so many proofs of worth and courage, and who have revived the ancient glory of the Batavian heroes; you, like all your fellow-citizens, are equal and free. Your blood shall no longer flow to increase tyrannical power, or to give triumph to pride or ambition. No, brothers, you are discharged from the oath or promise that you have made to the late captain general. You will fight hereafter under the colours of liberty, for your country, for your homes, for your wives, for your children; for you shall be enabled freely to choose your wives, without being obliged to obtain permission from your commanders for that purpose. You shall be ena. bled to bear the respectable names

of