Directory will inform you of all its ideas and firm refolution upon this fubject.

Citizen minifter, it is the intention of the Directory, that from this moment all the territory of the Republic, comprifing in it the countries united to it, be put upon the footing of the moft profound peace; that the number of troops in the Republic be reduced to the fimple garrifons of the fortreffes, that the fervice of the interior be difcharged folely by the national gendarmerie, and the fedentary national guards; that the whole furplus of force be fent beyond the frontiers, or united to the triumphant armies; they will complete the defeat of our enemy, deaf to the voice of humanity and their own interefts. All the troops of France fhall live at their expence; all the calamities of war fhall be transferred to their territories, until they please, at laft, to accept the juft and moderate conditions which we have not ceafed, and which we will not ceafe, to offer them. With refpect to the interior, it is the intention of the Directory, that even the flightest veftige of military regime fhould be no longer feen; it is their intention that the conftitutional order fhould be uniform throughout the whole extent of the Republic; that the citizens fhould approximate, by the cares of agriculture, the relations of commerce, and the love of the arts; it belongs to them to prepare repofe and fongs of victory for our immortal defenders on their return.

The minister of general police will powerfully concur in obtaining this object, by the complete organization of the Stationary national guards, in which he bufies himself with ardour, and the citizens will eafily feel the neceffity, in a free ftate, of defending themfelves, and confequently that every one will perform the fervice of a national guard punctually, zealously, and joyfully.

: Hatten, citizen minifter, as much as you are able fo defirable an object, fupprefs these numerous eftablishments, these partial adminiftrations, which were made neceffary, which a war, begun with enthufiafm, created without method, without uniformity, and multiplied beyond meafure,

Finally, place rapidly, and yet without violence, all the branches of your adminiftration in that regular ftate which they are to preferve during the long peace, which, without doubt, will foon fucceed that terrible yet glorious conteft fuftained by a free people against the fanguinary multitude of their enemies, REVEILLIERE LEPEAUX, prefident. LAGARDE, fecretary general.

(Signed)

23 Fructidor, (9 September.)

Proclamation

Proclamation of the National Affembly of the Batavian People against the Importation of British Manufactures.

The National Affembly, representing the Batavian People, to the Batavians, Health and Fraternity

THE

'HE British minifter iffued on the 3d of this month a royal proclamation, by which the free navigation of Great Britain to the United Provinces is granted, as well as the exportation of all kinds of merchandize, except military and naval ammunition, provided they be exported under a neutral flag." France, however is excepted. This is an artifice which the Batavian people fee and properly appreciate-a lure which they difdain. Have we not fketched to the eyes of all Europe, in our manifefto of the 2d of May of the prefent year, the perfidious traits of the conduct of this fame minifter? Did we not evince in the most evident manner how this minifter completed his want of faith, when on the flight of the laft Stadtholder he feized more than a hundred fhips richly laden, and feveral fhips of war; when, deaf to every reprefentation, he dared to appropriate this booty; when, by falfe advices, he enticed into the English ports feveral fhips which were then at fea; when, violating the rights of nations, and confidering as nothing the most folemn treaties, he changed the protection which he had promifed, into a declara, tion of good and legal capture of the Dutch fhips; when he endeavoured to get poffeffion of our colonies in the most traitorous manner; when he effectively eftablished himself in several of our most important poffeffions; when he furnished money to the unnatural einigrants, who were more influenced by love for the Orange party than for their country, and whom he continually excited to come and tear down the standard of liberty in their own country, and to wafte it with fire and fword? In a word, is not the British minifter the fworn enemy to the well-being of the United Provinces, and is not he furious that the Republic ftill exifts? Let him delude himself with the artificial calculation of the confequences of the prefent measure! Let him imagine that his lure of the love of gain may either open a fource of finance, or in cafe the Batavian Republic difdain it, may fow difcord, inflame the fpirit of party, and alienate the hearts of the people from the legitimate government! But your reprefentatives, Oh, Batavian people! are and will remain, notwithstanding, faithful to their deftination; they will not engage in a measure which would render the moft effential fervice to the enemy of the nation, check the wife and great project of their grand ally, and retard that peace which is the objects of our wishes.

P 2

The

The English people are on the eve of awaking, and of forcing the minifter to accept an equitable and speedy peace. To avoid carefully every thing that may prolong the most terrible war of which hiftory makes mention, is our most facred duty: and to fpare no means that may haften the moment of a peace fuitable to the interests of the Batavian people, of their faithful ally, of the British nation itself, and of humanity-fuch is our most Lerious object.

The momentary advantage of the few muft not be balanced against the well-being of the public, the well-being and profperity of the public which you wish, fellow citi citizens, is our principal object. We know that the British minifter at this moment wants fpecie and circulating capital. He has wafted millions of money and rivers of blood; the prefent measure evinces his embarraffiment. The glorious victories of the French have fhut up feveral ports against the English, and will hut up fill more. England, on the other hand, is full of her manufactures, of pillaged merchandize, particularly of thofe articles with which our rich fhips returned from the Eaft Indies have furnished him. The Britifh minifter muft befides make at this period his ufual contracts in the Baltic for the maintenance of his marine, and for the fupplying of his other wants: and without drawing upon the Dutch merchants, it appears, that he could not fucced in this.-Good faith, Batavian glory, feel all your dignity!

What Batavian heart is not filled with indignation, on confidering, that the enemy of our country would offer us for fale thofe very effects which he has robbed us of fo fhamefully? And is it permitted to us to hefitate a single moment, in confoling ourfelves for this lofs of gain, and in fruftrating the grand objec of this enemy? Citizens, his object is no other than to exchange for money innumerable British merchandize; the faculty of being able to difpofe of the price of thefe purchafes to his own advantage to put an end to the juft murmurs of the English people; to prolong the war, and, above all, to excite the indignation of the French Republic, which the proclamation excludes from the free navigation. It is, therefore, in virtue of all thefe motives, that we have thought proper to determine upon what follows, as we do determine by thefe prefents.

Article 1. It fhall not be permitted to import into the United Provinces any British manufactures whatever, any British merchandize in general, and particularly any effects, of whatever nature they are, which proceed from the effects laden on board the hips of the Faft India Company, feized or carried to Great Britain, in any manner, or under any pretext, whether the faid eflects come directly from Great Britain, or by any other channel.

2. Upon the importation of all effects of this kind, they fhall be firt confifcated to the profit of the Batavian people, and

depofited

depofited in proper magazines, in order to remain there in depot, and not to be fold until it fhall be ulteriorly demanded on the part of the Batavian people.

3. All perfons who may have participated directly or indirectly in fuch importation, or who may have favoured it, or to whose confignment fuch effects may have been addreffed and expedited with their knowledge, thall be not only refponfible, independently, and befides confiication of the effects, but fhall be proceeded against before the judge of their domicile, as having entered into a connection with the enemy to the ruin of the country, in cafe it appears, that after the promulgation of the prefent proclamation they have had any knowledge of it, and have not informed the office of convoys and licences within twenty-four hours, or have not informed the administration of the place where they dwell, 4. It is alfo forbidden, under the fame penalties, to the inhabitants of this Republic to accept or pay any bills of exchange drawn from Great Britain.

5. The exact execution of our prefent ferious refolution is confided to our committee for the affairs of the marine, with the particular injunction to neglect no means to watch over fuch an importation, with the authority to establish in the neceffary places, either in the towns or in the flat countries, fuch extraordinary furveyors, receivers, or clerks, as they fhall judge neceffary, in order to fulfil our intentions,

6. The Committee for the affairs of the marine is qualified, in cafe of the feizure of the effects prohibited in Art. 1. to order de plano (without form of procefs) upon its refponfibility, the confifcation, and to effect the depofit in the neceffary magazines, mentioned in Art. 2. In confequence, in this refpect, the ordinary form of proceeding is fufpended in cafes of frauds committed with regard to the marine rights, and to every contravention of the placards iffued on that subject, which fhall remain fufpended with refpect to those who fhall present themselves as defenders in the affairs above-mentioned.

7. The prefent proclamation fhall be published and fuck up, We direct and entreat the fupreme authorities to make the neceffary difpofitions, in order that our prefent object may be duly effected; and more efpecially to direct all the municipalities in each province, to lend every affiftance to the committee for the affairs of the marine, and to fupport it, against all oppofition to the accomplishment of the duties impofed on our committee, by our prefent proclamation.

8. This proclamation fhall be fent to the committees for the affairs of the marine, and for the Eaft India trade, in order to serve as information and advice to them.

Done in the National Affembly at the Hague, Sept. 16, 1796, fecond year of Batavian Liberty,

(Signed)

J. J. CAMBIER,

D. VAN LAER,

1

Copy of a Difpatch from Count Ofterman, Chantellor to the Empress of Ruffia, to M. Bulzow, Ruffian Chargé d'Affaires at Madrid, dated Petersburgh, December 25, 1795.

SIR,

THE Emprefs was already informed, through the public prints, of the treaty of peace concluded between Spain and the French, and the unpleasant fenfations which this unexpected and disagreeable tranfaction had produced in her Imperial Majesty's mind, were greatly increafed when this intelligence was confirmed by the minifter of his Catholic Majefty. The Emprefs, however, has during the new connection which so happily fubfifted between her and his Catholic Majesty, met with too many opportunities of learning the true fentiments of that prince, not to be thoroughly convinced that the concurrence of the most imperious circumstances can alone have determined him to act in direct opposition to his principles. No doubt it has been for him a task infinitely hard, to enter into negociations with thofe, who with their own hands murdered the chief of his illuftrious family, and to conclude a peace with thofe disturbers of the tranquillity and safety of all Europe. No one knows better than her Imperial Majesty to value and appreciate all the difficulties and obftacles, which his Catholic Majefty must have had to furmount, before he could prevail upon himself to adopt a measure, which to all appearance has been brought about through the most urgent neceffity, and the moft threatening danger.

Her Imperial Majefty being at a loss to account for the motives which can have determined his Catholic Majefty thus to infulate his interest from that of the coalition, cannot but persevere in the opinion, that notwithstanding this fudden change, his Catholic Majesty will continue fincerely to intereft himself in the fuccefs of the operations of the evangelic powers; and fo far from throwing any obitacle in the way of the new measures which thofe powers may find it neceffary to purfue, rather support them by every means, which the fyftem of neutrality he may, perhaps, think proper to adopt, does not preclude.

His Catholic Majefty cannot yet have forgotten the high importance of the caufe for which the coalefced powers are contending to reftore order and tranquillity, to lead the nations back to a sense of their duty, and to thield all Europe from the moit dangerous infection.Thefe are the important motives which have induced the coalefced powers to unite their counfels, and exert their joint efforts to render them triumphant.

It is for this purpofe, that the three courts have juft now, by means of a folemn treaty of alliance, ftrengthened the ties by which they were united. Their reciprocal intereft is therefore fo intimately connected and interwoven, and their determination fo