plying it with the objects of fubfiftence, fupplies of provifion and cloathing, of which it has occafion in the countries where it is eftablifhed; wishing to avoid the means of particular requifitions, and the intervention of fubaltern agents, they think it most agreeable to addrefs themselves to the ftates general, and formally invite them to fupply them in the space of one month with the following quantities, viz. 200,000 quintals of wheat avoir dupoife weight. 5 millions of rations of hay. 200,000 rations of straw. flatter themselves that all the citi- N. HAUSSMAN, Proclamation, figned at the Hague, 27th. Jan. 1795. THE States General of the Unit 5 millions bushels of corn. ed Provinces, to all who shall fee or 150,000 pair of shoes. 20,000 pair of boots. 20,000 coats and waistcoats. 40,000 pair of breeches. 150,000 pair of pantaloons. 50,000 hats. 200,000 fhirts. hear thefe prefents greeting-give to know, that the reprefentatives of the French nation now in this country have intimated to us, that it is neceffary that speedy provifion should be made of several articles appertaining to the fubfiftence and To be delivered further, within two cloathing of the French troops, months, 12,000 oxen. Thefe different objects are to be delivered at Thiel, Nimeguen, and Bois le Duc, at three different times. The reprefentatives of the people anxioufly expect, that the States General will comply with the above requeft, and do every thing in their power to prevent their fellow-citizens from being troubled with the forms of a requifition, always perplexing to the inhabitants; and that they will use every exertion to complete their contingent. They hope that t he flow form of ordinary adminiftration, and the doubts of the competence of their authority, which may put fome ftoppage to this operation, will be carefully fet afide. They have a right to 3 namely the following, 200,000 quintals of corn. 5 million of rations of hay, at 15lb. each. 5 millions measures of oats, at 10lb. each, heavy weight. 200,000 rations of ftraw, at 10lb. each.. 150,000 pairs of thoes. 20,000 pairs of boots. 40,000 pairs of ftocking bree- 150,000 pairs of trousers, of coarse linen, 200,000 fhirts. 50,000 hats. All which are to be delivered at Nimeguen, Thiel, and Bois le Duc, within the space of a month, in three inftalments-and befides, 12,000 oxen within two months. The above-mentioned reprefentatives have also added, that instead of following the practice introduced in other countries which their troops have entered, namely, that the requifitions of fimilar articles have been made, published, and carried into execution by themselves, they have chosen to treat this republic in another manner, and thereby prove the inclination of the French nation, to confider it in the light of an approaching ally; and, of confequence, have begged of us to effectuate the delivery of the abovementioned neceffaries in the fpecified quantities, and at the appointed times and places, adding, at the fame time, that the payment thall be regulated according to arrange ments which fhall afterwards be made with the government. Convinced of the neceflity of taking the most effectual measures for complying with the faid requifitions, we have judged that the beft and leaft burthenfome method of accomplishing this object, will be for the government to contract for the articles in queftion, and for the respective provinces to furnish the neceffary funds. We doubt not that the inhabitants will be convinced of the abfolute neceffity of enabling their provincial fovereigns to furnish thefe neceffary funds without the fmalleft delay; but we think it nevertheless neceffary to hold up to all, conjunctly and severally, the diftrefs to which they must expose thenfelves, if they manifeft the leaft unwillingness or even procraftination; for we are intimately perfuaded of the ferious intention VOL. XXXVII. of the above-mentioned reprefentatives of the French nation that thefe requifitions fhall be complied with, at the appointed time, and must therefore warn all, in the most impreffive manner; that they will have themfelves to blame if meafures of force and violence must be employed to obtain what we with to fee accomplished with the greateft poffible order and regularity. With this view it will be neceffary that thofe perfons who have any provifion of the required articles, fhould not refufe to allow the fame to be judicially valued at a reafonable price, to fell and deliver them to the perfons entrusted with the execution of this work, and manifeft every poffible readinefs to co-operate for the proper conveyance of the goods to the appointed places: and that in order not only to prevent the confequences with which non-compliance with the requifition of the abovementioned reprefentatives will neceffarily be attended, but alfo on pain of being rigorously punished for difobedience or unwillingness, according to the exigency of the cafe. And that no person may pretend ignorance, we call upon and defire the lords, the states, their deputies in the refpective provinces, and all jufticiaries and officers of the same, to publish immediately, affix, and make known this our proclamation in all places where it may be neceffary, and is usual to poft up such publications. Refolved and concluded in the affembly of their high mightineffes the States General of the United Provinces, at the Hague, the 27th of January, Proclamation at the Hague, 11th Pluiofe, 30 January, 1795, the third Year of the French Republic, one and indivifible. THE reprefentatives of the French people, with the armies of the North, the Sambre, and the Meufe, decree as follows: Art. 1. All goods, both moveable and immoveable, fhips, merchandife, claims, and property of any kind whatever, belonging to governments at war with the French republic, or of French emigrants; likewife thofe of priests, monks, members of churches, or fpiritual corporations, having emigrated from the conquered provinces between the Rhine and the fea; alfo all goods whatever given in trust by members of churches and corporations, are feized and confifcated for the benefit of the French repub lic. 2. All fuch perfons as are debtors, concealers, or detainers of what is mentioned in the above article, are to give inventories of the fame to the magiftrates of their circuits, within eight days after the publication of thefe prefents. All fuch as neglect to conform themselves to it are to pay a fine of double the value of the article of which they have not given in any account as above ftated. The fourth part of the fine, and likewife one fourth of the value of the goods not declared, fhall belong to the difcoverers and informers. 3. An agent-general shall be ap 4. It is forbidden to accept of any notes or bills of exchange, or to make any negociations or loans for or on account of governments at war with the French republic, whole value of fuch objects. upon pain of confifcation of the confidered and dealt with as eneThe tranfgreffors of this thall be mies of the French republic. military agents of the French re5. It is forbidden to all civil and public, to feize upon any treasure belonging to towns, communés, or to the government of the United Netherlands, upon pain of arrest. 6. What has been decreed by these presents fhall be addreffed to the States General, defiring them to fend it to the refpective States of the United Provinces, in order to be printed in both languages, and to be fent to, and posted up, without delay, in all the towns, communes, and ports of the United Provinces.. Signed upon the original. NS. HAUSSMANN, JOUBERT, and ROBERJOT. Conformable to the original, (Signed) NS. HAUSSMANN. Proclamation of the Provifional Repr LIBERTY, EQUALITY, FRATERNITY. WHEN, on the 19th of January laft, you established us your provifional reprefentatives, at the inftance of the revolutionary committee, and when you called us to the town-house to take on us the provifional government of this city, we refolved that no difficulty whatever fhould deter us from accepting that awful truft in a moment fo import ant. 1 Our first work, citizens, has been to declare folemnly, and with a lively emotion, that the facred principles of juftice and of equity thould be the fole guide of our actions: that no bafe motive of vengeance, that no confideration different from thofe principles fhould influence our conduct; and that the prefervation of order in a city fo populous, that the fecurity of perfons and of property against all attack, under whatever pretext or colour, fhould be with us the order of the day during our provifional adminiftration. How flattering and confolatory muft it be to us, dear citizens! to have been able to accomplith this great object of our appointment! How happy is it for you, and all of us, that the fublime caufe of liberty has not been fullied by any irregularity! How honourable for humanity, that at the dawn of liberty this town has been the theatre of the most pure fentiments of joy and fraternity, and not of thofe of animofity, of hatred, and of vengeance! What (weet emotions does not the true patriot and the friend of humanity feel in being able to fay, that in a city fo populous as Amfterdam, we have, in the moment of the restoration of li The apprehenfion of the terrible confequences which might be drawn on by anarchy were of but fhort duration; for of the lively fense we entertained of the diforder, confufion, and defpair, which would infallibly refult from it, we drew fo ftrong and melancholy a picture, that all oppofition, even the moft well-founded, vanished before it. The juft fear of our faculties being perhaps unequal to a talk fo difficult; the facrifice of our occupations, of our repofe, and of our domeftic enjoyments; all thefe gave way to this fingle decifive confideration, that your interefts, and your fecurity, required an immediate administration: and that if we defired to withdraw from that with which you charged us provifionally, we really would render our felves refponfible for all the horrors that anarchy might bring upon us. Citizens, fuch have been our motives, fuch have been our views.berty, feen tears of joy flow, but It is in them we confide, in the purity of our intentions, in a caufe the most facred, the most juft, the moft fublime of all caufes, that of liberty; it is in these we truft, and above all, in the affiftance of the Almighty, whom we adore without fuperftition, and in the refpectful hope of his approbation, we have courageously undertaken the arduous talk which you have impofed on us. not one drop of the blood of our fellow-citizens! What an admirable example for our Batavian brethren in the other cities of the republic! The Batavians thew themfelves generous in the midst of their victories: they forget, they defpife the injuries that have been done to them; they cordially hold out the hand of fraternity to all those who have erred: they feek not vengeance nor pillage, but liberty: they are generous in refpect to the paft, but they will punish the more feverely the future offences against the cause of freedom. Such, citizens, are our principles you have thewn by your fteady and tranquil conduct that they are alfo your's: it is to them that you owe the quiet of this city; and the great end of our provifional administration is fulfilled. It is time then, citizens, as we think, to terminate our adminiftration; and cordially thanking you all for the confidence you have teftified in us, we return into the clafs of our fellow-citizens, and remit into their hands the powers you have given us: let ambitious tyrants, let cowards in pofts, into which they have intruded themselves, endeavour to fupport their ufurped authority by a thoufand fecret plots; the true patriot knows no poft more noble, nor no place more elevated, than the ftate of a citizen, and he remits with fatisfaction his powers into the bofom of those from whom he received them. But though every thing goes on with order at prefent, previous to refigning our adminiftration there must be made, in a regular manner, and in a proper place for that object, an appeal to all the citizens and inhabitants of this city, on purpose that they may choose for their fupreme adminiftration a proper number of reprefentatives who may be able to replace us, under the name of a municipality, or under any other name whatever; and who chofen by your voice, freely given, to be the reprefentatives of the people of Amfterdam, may take care of your interefts, and conftitute all the fubdivifions of the adminiftrations of this city, and its different branches, in fuch manner as the nature of things fhall require. In the mean time, the different committees fhall remain in their functions till the affembly which will replace us fhall have made in that refpect the proper arrangements. For these reasons, and to the end that the appeal to the citizens, and the manner of voting for the election of new reprefentatives may be conducted in a manner, the leaft fubject to corruption, to confufion, or to illicit influence, we have thought it our duty, as your provifional reprefentatives, and for accomplishing this defirable end, to make ufe of the underftanding of all the patriots, and to fummon them by the love they have for their country to fend us, in the space of fifteen days after this publication, detailed plans on the manner of calling the citizens together, and of taking their tuffrages; fubjoining to them that which relates to the age and the other qualifications required for exercifing the right of voting; the number of members, of which the affembly of the reprefentatives of this city ought to be composed; and the name moft becoming for it to bear, on purpofe that the provifional reprefentatives, after mature deliberation, and after taking the advice of the different committees on the plan beft calculated for attaining the end we have propofed to you, and after having agreed on one, may put it in exccution. Proclaimed and published at |