BOOK toman empire, surrendered on terms of honorable XXIII. 1789. Cla capitulation. The remainder of the campaign pre- During this campaign the war in the North was carried on little to the advantage of Sweden: for although the king of Sweden had entirely re-estab lished his authority, and taken a severe vengeance on the individuals who by their audacious and inflexible contumacy had arrested the progress of his arms, he could not so easily regain the advantages XXIII. 1789. he had lost by that unexpected and unseasonable BOOK opposition. The immense power of Russia was n now fully exerted. Sweden was reduced to act upon the defensive in Finland; and various naval encounters took place, in which the bravery and superior skill of the Swedes did by no means com. pensate for the Russian superiority of force. of the Rus Austrian In the ensuing campaign of 1790, the triumphs Triumphs of the Russian arms over the Ottomans continued sian and without any considerable interruption. The pro- arms. gress of these barbarous conquerors had been throughout marked with blood and desolation but the capture, under general Suwarrow, of the city of Ismail, taken by storm December the 22d, 1790, exceeded in horror every action of the present war, and may vie with that of any preceding one. The garrison, consisting of the flower of the Turkish army, was massacred in cold blood, and the inhabitants indiscriminately given up to the worse than brutal licentiousness of an enraged soldiery. The military successes of the Austrians, under the heroic Laudohn, served only to incite the faithless and perfidious Joseph to renew his attempts against his subjects of Flanders and Brabant. Count Murray, distinguished by his lenity of temper, was succeeded in the government by count Trautmansdorff; and the military placed under the command of general Dalton, an officer of approved skill, but of unrelenting and savage BOOK ferocity. The new system commenced with the XXIII. 1789. revival of the former attempt against the university of Louvain. This being resolutely resisted, the rector and professors were expelled by the point of the bayonet, August 1788, and many lives lost by the indiscriminate firing of the soldiery. Similar outrages and excesses taking place at Antwerp, Mechlin, &c. in consequence of the orders issued by the government; and military law, enforced by military execution, being in a manner proclaimed through the provinces; a prodigious emigration of the principal inhabitants immediately succeeded. The emigrants being favored and protected by the Dutch government, now under the influence of England and Prussia, assembled in numerous bodies on the frontier: at length, in the autumn of 1789, they entered Austrian Flanders in great force, and in a very short space of time over-ran the whole country, a few fortresses excepted, the Austrians flying before them with the most disgraceful precipitation. The emperor now once more offered, in the most flattering and conciliatory language, to restore to them their antient constitution, and even to endow them with additional privileges; but his overtures were rejected with scorn. The states of Brabant assembling at Brussels, December the 22d, 1789, in coneert with the deputies of the other provinces, formally disclaimed allegiance to the emperor, and XXIII. 1789. proceeded to the appointment of an administration. BOOK General Vandermersch, distinguished for his patriotism and bravery, was nominated to the command of the troops. M. Vandernoodt was declared prime-minister, and M. Van-Eupen secretary of state. In the month of January, 1790, the plan of a federal constitution was formed by the BELGIC States such was the appellation they now assumed, nearly similar to that of the United Provinces. Unfortunately, however, it soon appeared that the leaders of the revolt, either little understanding or little regarding the essential rights of the people, had merely changed the imperial despotism to an aristocratical tyranny. The Catholic religion was established in its most intolerant form, the power of arbitrary imprisonment was assumed, the liberty of the press disallowed, and the immunities of the privileged orders confirmed and even extended. In the midst of these transactions, and while Death of theemperor the insurgents were at the height of their successes, Joseph II. died, February 1790, the emperor Joseph. He was succeeded in his hereditary dominions by his brother Leopold, grand duke of Tuscany, and who now took upon him the style and title of king of Hungary. This prince, as the sovereign of a small state, had acquired the reputation of moderation, and even sagacity. But in proportion to the elevation of his situation his faults be XXIII. BOOK came more conspicuous, while his excellences either wholly disappeared, or were henceforth very dimly 1789. Alarming commotions in seen. Interesting as the transactions now related ap peared in the view of Europe, they nevertheless yielded both in importance and singularity to the events which were at the same time taking place in the kingdom of France. In the west, in the bosom of an antient monarchy, at the foot of a majestic throne, in the midst of an immense and corrupted city, was heard on a sudden the word LiBERTY; and at the cry every noble, and every base passion was enflamed. The appointment of the archbishop of Toulouse, as successor to M. de Calonne, proved the source of equal disappointment to the court and to the nation. On his elevation to the post of minister, his patriotism seemed to vanish; and, by losing the confidence of the people, he deprived himself of the power of being serviceable to the monarch. The project of the court to obtain the sanction of the Assembly of Notables to the measures in contemplation had proved wholly abortive; recourse must now again therefore be had to the Parliament of Paris; and on the 12th of June, 1787, an edict was sent to that body for enregistry, imposing a heavy duty on stamps. Instead of a loyal and dutiful compliance, the parliament demanded the communication of such documents as should enable them to judge of the necessity of introducing new taxes. |