ed in their conduct with respect to the city of Hoorn. For the burghers at that place having adopted the new scheme of reform, and the magiflracy appealing to the ftates, the latter found means, under the forms either of the conftitution or of their own body, to procraftinate the affair in fuch a manner, that it never was brought to an abfolute decifion. In Dort, and fome other places, where the republican fpirit was very ftrong, and the animofity to the prince of Orange great, the fcheme of reform was completed among themselves, without any application to the ftates. But the defeat which the popular party met at Rotterdam was not to be compenfated by fmall fucceffes. One of the magiftrates there, deferting his own party and immediate interefts, placed himself at the head of the reformers, and actually commenced his fcheme of innovation. But the magiftracy were too firm, and the bulk of the people too much on their fide, to admit the project to fucceed. The refractory magiftrate was difplaced, his proceedings annulled, and the peace and quiet of that wealthy and powerful city reftored with little trouble.

The difficulty of comprehending the true ftate of things was continually increafed by the unaccountable changes which took place, not only in the great towns, but in the conduct of the ftates of the refpective provinces, and even of the ftates general themfelves. This was fo fignal and ftriking, that a writer, who evidently leans not a little to the republican fide, declares with regret," that it had been one of

"the misfortunes of this conteft, "that, through the feven independ"ent ftates of which the republic " is compofed, there is not one, that "has been firm and unanimous in "its attachment, either to the "ftadtholder or his enemies *." A circumftance that little accords with the cool determined firmness, and the inflexible obstinacy, afcribed to that people.

A remarkable inftance of this in conftancy took place in the province of Friefeland. The Frifons had ever valued themselves upon being, and had for many ages been confidered by others, among the foremost and the boldeft affertors of liberty. In the prefent contefts, they feemed ftudious to preserve or to renew their antient character, and the states of that province were among the earliest and the most ftrenuous of any in their oppofition to the ftadtholder. Yet, as if there had been fome invifible power, which irrefiftibly spread its influence over men's minds and difpofitions, they fuddenly flackened their pace in the midft of the courfe; fhewed ftrong fymptoms at firft of doubt and irrefolution, but in a little time appeared decidedly in favour of the ftadtholder.

The firft indubitable inftance of this change, was given by their abolishing the free corps in that province, which had been raised there, as every where elfe, for the fole purpose of appofing or controuling the Orange intereft They, however, feemed afterwards to accord with Holland in certain meafures; but fo peevifh a course of controverfy and altercation arofe

after

afterwards between them upon fome others, that the ftates of the latter put an end at once to the correfpondence by the incurable refolu. tion," that filent contempt was the only manner in which the arguments of the Frifons fhould be "treated." This paffionate and contemptuous measure fixed at least a majority of the ftates of Friefland in the interests of the ftadtholder, which was a material addition to his ftrength. The towns of that province, like thofe of all others, were divided in their sentiments; fome being violently in his intereft, and others more fo in their animofity; but perfect unanimity in any, would have been in vain fought for in the prefent times.

Similar, and ftill more unexpected converfions, took place in other provinces; nor was it uncommon for the converts to relapse again to their former fentiments. The city of Amfterdam had from the beginning been the bittereft and moft implacable of all the ftadtholder's enemies; fo that it seemed as if all the violent measures purfued against him had originated in the pride, malice, and power of that people. Mr. de Rendorp, lord of Marquette, had long been one of the principal leaders of the popular party, and was confidered as the inftigator of the moft violent and pre cipitate measures which the fenate of that city had adopted. This man, to the astonishment of all who were not initiated in the deepest myfteries of party manoeuvres and politics, fuddenly changed fides, and carried over along with him a majority of the fenate to that of the fladtholder.

The firft fruit of this revolution was a direct propofal from the de

puties of Amfterdam in the states of Holland, to restore the prince of Orange to the command of the garrifon of the Hague; which went at once to remove one of the principal points in contention, and would indeed have opened the way in a very great measure to an easy reconciliation. Being defeated in this attempt, through the oppofition of a majority of the provincial ftates, the fenate of Amfterdam wrote circular letters to all the towns of the province, ftrongly urging them, and ufing every poffible argument to enforce the defire, to revife the inftructions to their deputies in the affembly of the ftates, and to cooperate with themselves in promoting the falutary work of conciliation. Thus was Amfterdam labouring to overthrow, in a fingle inftant, all the effects of thofe meafures which fhe had fo long and fo ardently pursued!

This revolution of fentiment and conduct, if not of principle, took place about the middle of 1786, and we fhall foon have occafion to observe others fcarcely lefs furprizing.

The defection of Amfterdam could not but excite an univerfal alarm among the leaders of the republican party, and urge them to the adoption of every measure that could poffibly tend to counteract its effect. Although they had hitherto preferved a majority in the affembly of the ftates of Holland, yet that majority was by no means difpofed blindly and fervilely to follow their dictates in all cafes without difcrimination; on the contrary, that partyhad been obliged to withdraw fe veral of their most violent propofi tions, without venturing to bring the questions to a decifion, when they

augured,

augured, from the countenance of their ufual fupporters, the danger of a defeat. The great object now then was to procure fuch a decided majority in that affembly as were willing to go with them in all cafes whatever, and would thereby enable them to proceed to fuch extremities against the stadtholder as they wifhed and intended.

The first attempt, tending to this. purpofe, was to obtain addreffes from the towns of the province to the affembly, which they had them. felves dictated, in order to induce the prefent members to depart entirely from that fyftem of moderation which had hitherto proved fo troublesome a restraint to their proceedings, and to adopt all thofe measures of violence which they were ready to bring forward, as foon as the occafion fhould offer a profpect of fuccefs. The general fcope of thefe addreffes was returning thanks to the ftates for the efforts they had already made in oppofing the alarming progrefs of defpotifm, a ftrong recommendation to proceed with vigour in their exertions to its final extermination, and a promife to fupport them with their lives and fortunes in the purfuit of all fuch farther measures as they fhould judge neceffary for the accomplishment of that purpose.

Though thefe addreffes were triumphantly carried in Dort, Harlem, and fome other towns diftinguished for their republican fpirit and prefent oppofition, yet the attempt failed in fo many others, that the party had no caufe to boaft of their fuccefs. In Amfterdam they procured 16,722 fignatures to the addrefs, which they pretended not only to be a majority of the inha bitants, but to include the names of †

the principal citizens and burgh. ers; and would therefore have it confidered as the genuine and unequivocal fenfe of the capital. But the contrary to these affertions being then known to be the real state of things, and indeed foon after incontrovertibly established, this attempt at deception added no reputation to the caufe, and leffened the opinion of its strength.

Yet these addreffes feem to have encouraged the republican party to bring forward a bold and decifive measure, which, though a favourite in contemplation, had not yet been ventured upon. This was the sufpenfion of the prince of Orange from his offices of Atadtholder and admiral general, in the fame manner they had already fucceeded in fufpending him from that of captain general. This question was brought forward on the 10th of January 1787, and occafioned the warmest and most violent debates, for two fuc-· ceeding days, that had been known in that affembly The propofers, however, found the oppofition fo formidable, and the afpect of the independent members fo doubtful, that they did not choose to hazard the decifion of a vote on the queftion.

Thus defeated, the only refource, feemingly left for procuring a fure majority in the affembly of the ftates, was that of increafing the number of voters. For the better understanding of this bufinefs, we are to obferve, that feveral towns, which were only villages, or perhaps not in existence, at the time of the union, have fince rifen to wealth and confequence, as others which were then confiderable, have fince declined in perhaps a fimilar progrefion. The former confequently

have

have no representatives in the affembly of the provincial ftates, while the latter, like the decayed boroughs in England, ftill retain their reprefentation; and, however infignificant as to population or property, preferve their rank, tho' not entirely their confequence, as members of the original confederacy and union.

The republican party, in order, as we have feen, to increase the number of votes in the affembly of the ftates, procured or introduced petitions from Heufden, Woerden, and other new towns which were grown into confideration, requiring a fhare in the general reprefentation. This attempt was fo little likely to fucceed, that it feemed rather the offspring of paffion and a premature confidence and eagerness, than the result of a cool judgment and any well-founded hope. It was accordingly fo ill received by the ftates, that the towns foon withdrew their petitions, and the party found themselves again foil-. ed, without their being able to bring the question to an abfolute decifion.

We have heretofore ftated, that the two great parties for and against the houfe of Orange, into which the inhabitants of the United Provinces were divided, were fo nearly balanced in point of number, that, if tried by the teft of a poll or a general vote, it would be a matter of doubt on which fide the majority would appear. Our opinion was neceffarily founded on fuch information as we could then obtain. This, however, was fo defective as to lead us, in that respect, into an error. It now appears from the moft indubitable authority, that although the prince of Orange had, through

1

various caufes and much mifmanagement, loft, within a few years, a very confiderable and alarming fhare of his popularity and influence, yet, that he poffeffed ftill fo fast a hold of the affections or opinion of the great bulk of the people throughout the republic, that, were. any decifion by numbers to take place, the majority in his favour would be fo vaft, that the adverse party would appear only a mere handful in the comparison. The peafantry or yeomanry, including in that defcription all the inhabitants of the open country, were, almoft to a man, not only warm, but, it might be faid, violent in their attachments to him. The inhabitants of the inferior towns, and many of their magiftracies, were little lefs fo. And even in the great cities, where it was probably but little expected even by his friends, it appeared, as foon as the test was applied, that a majority of the inhabitants was on his fide.

This was fully fhewn in the city of Amfterdam, the great and original fource of all the oppofition he had encountered, and of all the mortification which he had endured. We have feen that the adverse party had procured near 17,000 fignatures to an addrefs inimical to the interefts of the ftadtholder, which they reprefented as being a majority of the inhabitants, and as conveying the unquestionable sense of that great city; but an affociation having been foon after entered into there for fupporting the rights of that prince, the fubfcribers in three days more than doubled the number of the addreffers, and amounted to above 35,000. In Rotterdam, it was well known that his friends would have been found, ftill

more