neither the parliaments, nor any other authority, faving only that proceeding from the united fenfe of the nation in the three ettates of the kingdom collectively aflembled, could warrant the laying of any permanent tax upon the people. Such are a few of the leading features of this able performance. The ftop put to public bufinefs, and the diforders occafioned by the banishment of the parliament, were fo fenfibly felt, and the diffatisfaction of the people upon that event was fo great, that the crown could not long perfevere in maintaining that hoftile mark of its refentment. The court was also in itself so apparently weak and divided, and fuch continual changes taking place in the different departments of ftate, that it evidently wanted every thing which could confer dignity on its conduct, or afford ftability to its meafures. Some appearance of vigour, however, was allumed by publithing an edit, by which the late refolutions of the parliament were declared to be illegal and null; but no meafures being purfued to give effect to this edict, nor no attempt made to enforce the taxes, it paffed as nothing. But the turbulence of the Parifians was effectually curbed by placing 12,000 troops as a guard upon them; and befides the continual patroles by night and day, fubaltern officers, with fmall detachments of foldiers, were pofted at the corners of all the ftreets. The king in the mean while, under the hope of thereby mollifying the people, being employed in making continual retrenchments in his houthold and other departments.

The chamber of accounts, and the court of aids, two bodies next in rank to the parliament, having

likewife protefted against the new taxes, and petitioned the king to hold an affembly of the states general, as the only means of restoring the public confidence and tranquillity, the monarch in fome parts of his anfwer feemed fomewhat to defcend from the haughtiness of his late predeceffors, by entering into what appeared like fome juftification of his conduct, without a formal affumption of that name or character. He however fet out on. high ground, by telling them, that it was not the bufinefs of his courts of juftice to demand a convocation of the ftates general; it belonged to him alone to determine whether it was proper; and as he faw it was not neceffary, they should not have renewed their demand: that he had already done more for his people than they now required: that he had granted them provincial affemblies, which were the moft competent to make known the wants and withes of the whole kingdom; and that he should never oppofe whatever the wants of the people might require: that he had transferred his parliament from Paris to Troyes, because that affembly had excited a ferment among the people, which their prefence would only ferve to foment and increafe: that he fhould judge of the proper time for its reftoration: that his principal object had ever been the difcovery of the truth: that it was his duty to infift upon his full power in having his edicts registered; if there were any inconveniencies in the execution of them, his parliament was wrong in not making him acquainted with them that he fhould receive with pleasure their (the two petitioning courts) remarks and fupplications; they might expect every thing from

his

his juftice and his regard for his people; but that they ought to confider the combination of circumftances, and to obferve, that he was under a neceflity of pursuing fuch measures as would beft enable him to fulfil his engagements faithfully.

While things were in this fituation, the unexpected Sept. 13th. arrival, without licence or notice, of the first prefident of the parliament from Troyes at Verfailles, while it furprized every body, afforded a gleam of fatisfaction and hope to the public. The prefident was difpatched by that body to the king, to reprefent in ftrong colours the ruinous fituation to which his country would be in evitably reduced by a perfeverance in thofe measures which he had been advised to purfue; that all public bufinefs was at a ftand; and that, though the confequences of fuch a ftate of things could not be exactly known, yet it was evident that diforder, confufion, and perhaps danger to the public tranquil lity, were the probable refults. As the court wifhed for the occafion, a negociation immediately commenced, and an accommodation foon took place. The king agreed to give up the ftamp-duty, and the territorial impoft, as well as to give fatisfaction to the parliament in fome other refpects; while all that we find obtained from that body, was their agreeing to regifter the patent by which the archbishop of Thouloufe was conftituted first minitier of state. Probably there might have been fome other arrangements.

In the mean time the flame of liberty was burfting forth in different parts of the kingdom, with a

degree of violence fuited to its long fuppreflion; and the provinces feemed to emulate each other in their demonftrations of its operation, by the boldness and energy of their proceedings. Among various inftances of this nature, the parlia ment of Grenoble ftruck directly at the unconftitutional authority fo long exercised by the crown in iffuing lettres de cachet, that moft odious and terrible engine of arbitrary power; for this affembly paifed a decree, by which it was rendered a capital crime for any perfon, under any authority, to at tempt executing thofe letters within their jurifdiction.

It was in this courfe of things that the meatures pursued and preparations made by the kings of Great Britain and Pruffia, clearly indi cated their defign of taking fuch a direct and active part in the affairs of Holland, as could not fail, with out an oppofition equally powerful, to be the means of refloring the ftadtholder to his rights; and even of extending, if the combined powers fhould be fo inclined, the authority of that prince to any pitch they night think proper in the government of the republic, fo as perhaps to new-model or totally overthrow its conftitution. Nothing could have been more enibarraffing or more alarming to the court of Versailles than this conduct of the new allies; which was rendered still more fo by the untoward fituation of affairs at home.

But if France had not even been clogged with any incumbrance at home to reftrain her activity, the was not able fingly to withstand the effects of this powerful union, which was already rendered more formidable by the measure adopted by

Great

Great Britain, of retaining 12,000 Heffian troops in her fervice, and her being befides capable of increafing her auxiliary force to an unknown amount, by the influence which money was fure to procure with other ftates of the empire. Nor would the intervention even of Spain in the conteft (fuppofing that could be obtained, which is very doubtful) be fufficient to render the balance equal, confidering the diftance, and other circumftances, which must have rendered the aid of that power in a great degree inefficient, while it could not but be productive of much lofs and danger to herself. The emperor alone might have turned the fcale; but befides that we have no certainty of the real cordiality fubfifting between the two courts, he was fo deeply involved in his own ambitious schemes, and fo far engaged in the overwhelming projects of Ruffia, that it would not be more difficult to detach than to extricate him from them.

Such was the combination of circumftances which compelled France at this time to abandon that uncontrolled influence in the affairs of Holland, which a ftill more fingular concurrence of circumftances had thrown into her hands, and which a long feries of political art, intrigue, and addrefs, and no fmall wafte of treafure, had fo firmly established, that it did not feem capable of being fhaken, at leaft, in our days. It was befides a grievous mortification to her pride, and a ferious wound to her public faith, thus to facrifice a people whom he had led step by step into misfortune and ruin; or if her faith was vindicated on the plea of neceflity, that would be an acknowledgment of a weakVOL. XXIX.

nefs fo deplorable, as rendered her incapable of fulfilling her engagements, and fupporting her allies. France did not, however, fubmit to make this facrifice without a ftruggle; and it is probable that under the firft impulfes of her indignation, the intended to push matters to the laft extremity.

Upon the first appearance or fufpicion of the meafures which Great Britain and Pruffia were on the point of adopting, France difpatched a private memorial to each of thefe courts, calculated to prevent their direct interference in the affairs of Holland, by declaring, that the was abfolutely determined herfelf not to take any part in the commotions of Holland, any farther than by the exertion of her good offices as a mediator, provided that other powers obferved the fame moderation; but that if any other power fhould take up arms either for or against the republic, France could no longer hold herself bound to this determination, but fhould then think herself obliged to act as the exigency of affairs might require.

Upon advice fome time after that England was equipping a strong fquadron of men of war at Portfmouth, the court of Versailles fent orders to equip 16 fail of the line at Breft for immediate fervice; and recalled at the fame time a fqua dron of evolution, which was then exercifing naval manœuvres on the coaft of Portugal. This was followed by the aflembling of a body of troops at Givet. on the borders of Liege, by the Maes.

The courts of London and Berin purfued their fyftem fteadily, without paying any other regard to the warlike preparations in France,

[*]

than

in which they obferved, that as the affairs of the United Provinces no longer left any fubject of difcuffion, and ftill lefs of contest between the two courts, they were authorized to afk, whether it was the intention of the king to carry into effect the notification made by his minifter on the 16th of September, which, by announcing that fuccour would be given in Holland, had occafioned the naval armaments made by his Britanuic majefty, and which had fince become reciprocal?-That if the court of Verfailles was difpofed to explain itself on this fubject, and upon the conduct to be obferved towards the republic, in a manner Conformable to the defire which had been expreffed on both fides, of preferving the good underftanding between both crowns; and it being likewife understood that there is no view of hottility towards any quarter in confequence of what has paffed, their matter, ever anxious to concur in the friendly fentiments of his moft chriftian majefty, would agree with him that the armaments, and all warlike preparations in general, fhould be difcontinued on both fides, and that the navies of both nations should be again placed upon the footing of the peace eftablishment, as it flood on the firft day of the prefent year.

This piece produced a counterdeclaration on the fame day, figned by M. de Montmorin, the minifter for foreign affairs, in which the French king declared, that he never had any intention of interfering by force in the affairs of the republic; the notification was palliated, and it was acknowledged that the motives to it no longer exifted; he deglares, that he readily agrees to

give no effect to it; concurs in the fentiments of his Britannic majefty for the prefervation of the harmony between the two courts; and agrees with pleafure to the propofal that the armaments, and in general all warlike preparations, fhould be difcontinued on both fides, and the navies placed upon the peace eftablifhment propofed.-A fhort inftrument, being in fome fort a fummary and confirmation of the foregoing documents. was then figned by all the parties, in the names of their respective fovereigns; and thus all occafions of difference for the prefent between the two nations were happily removed,

A few days previous to this event, the prefident of the parliament of Paris, in a fpeech to the king, conveyed the moft ample acknowledgments from that body of their grateful fenfe of his equity and justice, and of his affection for his people, in withdrawing the edicts for the ftamp-duty and the land-tax, accompanied with affurances of their zealous concurrence in all his majelly's beneficent views for relieving the people, and rendering them happy. The king's anfwer was exceedingly gracious, containing profeflions of the moft perfect confidence in the fidelity and loyalty of the parliament, and of the greateft affection for his fubjects. Thus room was afforded to hope, that at the fame time that the public tranquillity was fecured from without, a fimilar conciliatory difpofition would have prevailed at home.

Bat things were deftined to take a turn widely different from these tond hopes. In an extraordinary full meeting of the parliament, at tended by all the princes of the

blood,