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Dutch hospitality.

scarcely begun, when the gates of the town were thrown open, and the governor, who was generally considered as being highly bribed, surrendered on the 9th of October. Unfortunately, by this dastardly proceeding, upwards of 400 helpless emigrants fell into the hands of the remorseless Republicans. They had, indeed, endeavoured to escape in various disguises; but most of them were discovered, and others betrayed; and all who were taken were most inhumanly butchered, en masse, at the head of the Republican army.

When the vanguard of the British army had crossed the Waal, on the 6th of October, and were approaching the villages marked out for their cantonments, a drummer entered a Dutchman's house upon the side of the dyke, to purchase some apples, exposed, as he imagined, for sale. The fellow, supposing the lad's intention was to steal them, aimed a pistol at his breast; and, pulling the trigger, wounded him severely. The flank battalion of guards marching by at the moment, a serjeant darted towards the house in order to secure the offender; but, finding the doors closely barricaded, he found his way through a window, and was proceeding up the staircase, when the Dutchman sprung from a dark corner, and stabbed him to the heart. The house was instantly surrounded and set on fire by the enraged soldiers; one man escaped along the thatch enveloped in the smoke; but the rascal who had killed the serjeant was discovered, and immediately hung upon the nearest tree as an example to others. These occurrences were but trifles, however, to subsequent atrocities inflicted upon the sick and helpless of the British army.

While the British army was lying behind the Meuse, on the 19th of October in the morning, the enemy, to the amount of 30,000 men, as afterwards stated by the prisoners, attacked the whole of the advanced posts of the right wing, particularly that of Drutin, which was defended by the 37th regiment, and that

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Attack on the British lines.

of Apelthern, where the Prince of Robans's light battalion was posted. In this affair which happened immediately under the eye of the Commander-inChief, the gallantry of the whole British line was most conspicuous; the odds, however, were too great ; and at last the post on the left of the 37th, which was occupied by a detachment of Rohan's hussars, was forced. Major Hope, who commanded the 37th, and who on this occasion distinguished himself extremely, was obliged to retreat upon the dyke along the Waal, which he continued for some time without being much annoyed by the enemy. Unfortunately, however, a strong body of the enemy's hussars being mistaken for the corps of Roban, the regiment allowed them to come upon them unmolested, when the hussars imme diately attacked, and the narrowness of the dyke, which on every other occasion must have afforded a security to the infantry, in this instance acted against them, as they were driven off by the enemy's charge, and suffered severely.

In addition to this attacking force, the Commander. in-Chief having received intelligence that another considerable body had passed the Meuse, near Ruremond, and were advancing upon the left flank, having already taken possession of Cleves, he judged it im prudent to risk a general action in this position, which was kept only in order to preserve a communication with Grave, and therefore determined to pass the Waal, and to take up the different cantonments already appointed for the defence of that river.

Repeated invitations from the principal towns were sent to the French, in addition to the state negotiations; and an occurrence which took place strongly marks how much the love of gold, even in important affairs, is implanted in their disposition. A burgher, one of the principal disaffected patriots, was fortunately dis covered attempting to cross the Waal, with an address in his possession, signed by upwards of 3000 of the principal inhabitants of Amsterdam, engaged to do

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Gallant attack on Tuyl.

all in their power to put that place in Pichegru's hands. This daring adventurer, thus endeavouring to pass through the very centre of the allied army, was apprehended by an Hanoverian officer, whilst bargaining with a Skipper for a passage across the river who demanded forty ducats for the job; but the patriotic ambassador, whilst chaffering in order to save twenty, lost the opportunity of speedily embarking at the critical moment, and paid for his conomy with his life.

On the 2nd of December, His Royal Highness the Duke of York being recalled the command of the allied armies devolved upon the Hanoverian General Walmoden; and on the 30th of December 1794, the head-quarters being then at Arnheim, an attack was meditated on the enemy; for which purpose a corps was formed of ten battalions of British infantry, of which the 33rd was one, under Major-General Lord Cathcart, Major-General Gordon, and LieutenantColonel Mac Kensie; six squadrons of light cavalry, and one hundred and fifty hussars under Major-General Sir Robert Lawrie; the Loyal Emigrant corps, and four battalions and four squadrons of Hessians; under Major-General de Wurb: the whole being commanded by Major-General David Dundas.

This respectable force was divided into three columns. The left column to attack by the dyke: the centre to attack in such a manner as to keep the church of Wardenburg upon its left wing; and the right column, consisting of four British battalions, and the Rohan hussars, to keep their left wing appuyé to the Vliet, to turn Tuyl, and to attack it in the

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Lord Cathcart found the road by which his column was to march so impractible, that, being obliged to make a great detour, he could not come up in time: and General Dundas finding, at his arrival near Werdenberg, that the enemy had aban doned it during the night, he thought it advisable to

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Siege of Grave.

push on with the other two columns, and to begin the attack immediately upon Tuyl.

This attack was executed with such gallantry and spirit by the troops, that, notwithstanding the natural strength of this post, the abattis of fruit trees, that the enemy had constructed, the batteries of the town of Bommel, which flanked the approach, and the immense number of the defenders, yet it was soon carried, and the enemy driven across the river, (then every were passable on the ice,) with a considerable loss. Four pieces of cannon also were taken; and the whole detachments received the highest praise, not only for their spirited conduct in the execution of the enterprize, but also for the patience and perseverance with which they encountered the immense fatigues and hardships, considerably enhanced by the cold and severity of the season.

The success of the whole was so far complete as thus to oblige the invaders to recross the Waal.

Grave surrendered between the 1st and 4th of January; General Bons defended the post till his last shot was expended. During the siege it was said that 3070 shells were thrown into the place, rendering it nearly a heap of ashes. The fortifications were not, however, much damaged; but the garrison were constrained to capitulate, having neither ammunition nor provisions left.

During the long and close siege of this town, the most spirited defence was made by its garrison; the the Governor, General Bons, seemed determined to fulfil the noble answer he gave when summoned to surrender the place," I am an old soldier, and wish for nothing more than to die worthy the glorious appellation of having lived a brave one. I hope to be buried under the ruins of this fortress, or to conquer. -Be assured I shall defend it as long as I have powder sufficient to send a ball against the enemies of mankind; and in so doing I shall serve my God and my fellow creatures."

Notwith

Affair at Metteren.

Notwithstanding the advantages gained on the 31st of December, yet, as the frost was still increasing, it was judged expedient, that General Dundas's corps should fall back upon Lingen, leaving outposts upon the Waal; a movement which was executed on the night of the 3d of January.

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The severity of the weather still increasing, the enemy were induced, on the 4th, to recross the Waal near Bommel. The advanced posts of the allies were immediately driven in, and Tuyl fell into the hands of the assailants. General Dundas, notwithstanding, still thought that he should be able to defend Metteren, and thus to check the further progress of the enemy; but the advanced posts of the Hessians, nearest to his post, having been obliged also to fall back, the Commander-in-Chief, in concert with the other principal officers, thought it prudent to send others to him, and also to General Dalwick, to unite their detachments immediately, and at day break of the 5th, to make a vigorous attack upon the enemy, to drive them across the Waal.

But about two in the afternoon of the 4th, the French attacked the post at Metteren about a mile in front, where part of the 33d regiment, with a picquet of eighty cavalry, and two curricle gnus, were posted; their superior number, and their disposition to surround this brave little detachment, soon made it necessary to fall back on the other part of the regiment, which was supported with two howitzers. In this difficult movement, they were very hardly pressed by a large body of the enemy's hussars, that galloped along the road with great vivacity.

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The troops having beforehand been in an alert situation, the village of Geldermalsen was soon covered by the 42d and 78th; when the whole of the 33d took its place in the line of defence, and the other troops were in reserve on the opposite dyke of the Lingen, that river being completely frozen, and every where passable.

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