charged my governors - general, have invariably tended, and without even the fhadow of any perfonal intereft, to the advantage of my faithful fubjects in the Low Countries; at the fame time that I would not deprive the body of the nation of any of their ancient rights, privileges, and liberties enjoyed by them. Every step I have taken ought to convince you of the truth of this altertion, if you yet remain willing to render them the justice which is their due,

I occupied myself on fome reforms in the administration of juftice, only at the instance of numerous and repeated requests that were made me, praying to obtain à fhorter or lefs difficult mode of proceedings in law; and the fuperintendants appointed in confequence had no other aim than to fee that the laws were put in force, and that those who were amenable to them fhould pay them proper regard...

In regard to many ancient privileges, I only wish to reform, at the defire of thofe concerned, the abufes that were become hurtful, and which had crept in by the laple of time, contrary to the intent of their original purposes...

Far, then, from forefeeing any oppofition, and efpecially one fo criminal and bold, I expected that the ftates of my provinces in Flanders would have entered on the new regulations with as much alacrity as gratitude and I ftill am willing, as a kind guardian, and as a man who knows how to commiferate the ill-advised, and who wishes to forgive, to attribute what has yet been done, and what you have dared to do, to a mifinterpretation of my intentions, made and spread abroad by perfons more attached to their private intereft than to the

general good, and who have no eftate to lofe.

Be it as it may, it is my pleasure that the execution of the new or dinances in question fhould remain, for the prefent, fufpended; and when their royal highneffes, my lieutenants and governors-general, agreeably to the intentions which I have lately communicated to them, fhall be affembled at Vienna with the deputies of the different states, to reprefent before me their griev ances aloud, and to learn my in tentions, which they will always find calculated on the principles of the strictest juftice, and tending folely to the benefit of my subjets, we will then agree on fome regulations to be made for the ge neral good, according to the eltablifhed law of the land.

But it, contrary to every intent, this laft token of my goodness towards you fhould be difregarded, inafmuch that you should refufe to come and lay before me your complaints, your fears, your doubts, and to liften to me with confidence, and that you continue your fhamefulexceffes and unpardonable proceedings, then you will draw on yourfel es all the unhappy confequences which muft refult from them, and which I pray God may never come to (Signed) JOSEPH.

pats.

(Counter-figned

A. G. DE LEDEROR.

The Emperor's Answer to the Depu ties from the States of the Belgic Provinces, Aug. 15, 1787.

My juft difpleasure at what has paffed in my Belgic provinces, is not to be appealed by a flow of words only; it must be fuch that follow to prove to me the reality of thofe fentiments of fidelity and attachment, of which you have

given me an affurance on the part of your conftituents.

I have given orders to the prince de Kaunitz, to communicate to you in writing, and for the notice of your ftates, the orders which I have fent to my government; and the execution of which I expect to be effected before entering into any deliberation whatever.

The welfare of my fubjects is the fole object of all my proceedings, of which you ought to be perfuaded by my calling you together in the moment when you have been bold enough to merit my indignation; and with all the means in my power to punith, I have, nevertheless, repeated the affurance of preferving you.

The Emperor's Orders alluded to in the preceding Anfwer, and tranfmitted to the Compte de Murray.

The Emperor and King, Trufty and well beloved Comte de Murray, my counsellor of late, lieutenant-general of my armies, general-commandant, and my fieutenant-general, and captain general, ad interim, of the Low Countries.

You will find by the narrative annexed, in what terms I explained myfelf to the deputation from the ftates of my Belgic provinces in the audience which I gave them; and I fend you this that you may know more particularly my intentions and pleasure on the fubject of the indifpenfable preliminaries of which the narrative makes mention.

All the proceedings, more or tefs, of which the ftates, and a part of the people have heen guilty, are notorious. Confequently

it is impoffible for me to yield to the fentiments of clemency which I am inclined to cherish, nor to the favourable difpofitions which I manifefted to the deputation of the states, until there shall not remain the smallest vettige of any part of what they have dared to commit in contempt of the fovereign authori ty fince the first of April of this year.

To this effect it is neceffary.

1. That in all the provinces of the Low Countries every thing fhould be restored to the footing on which it flood before the firit of April of this year.

2. The univerfity and general feminary, of Louvaine, with all the perfons employed and belonging to each, must be re-established in the condition in which they stood, or ought to have flood, on the faid first of April; and it must be the fame with the feminary of Luxembourg.

3. The ftates of all the provinces must fubmit implicitly to the thofe that are in arrear, and those payment of the fubfidies, both which are current.

their military exercifes, uniforms, 4. The companies of burgeffes, cockades, and all other marks of party fpirit, as well as all other illegal affociations and meetings, fhall be forthwith abolished; and in defect of troops, each magistrate fhall take the most effectual meafures for the fupport of the police and of good order.

5. The convents fuppreffed previous to the first of April last, shall remain fuppreffed for ever, and the nominations that may have been made fince that period to the vacant abbey fhall be null, and produce no effect in favour of the religious perfons fo appointed.

6. All the perfons in office, whom

7. It is alfo indifpenfable, that all which regards the chapters of Chanonopes, the religious fraternities, and all which refpects the clergy as citizens and fubjects of the itates; and generally, that all things fhall be restored to the condition, and be made inftantly conformable to the ordinances existing at the above period.

In a word, there must not remain the finalleft veftige of any thing committed contrary to my orders and intentions, and fince the first of April of this year.

My dignity renders all thefe preliminary re-establishments, abfolutely indifpenfable. The affemblies of the flates will perceive, I hope, the neceffity, and I confequently flatter myself that every one of them will immediately and peace ably take place if poflible.

But if it fhall happen, against all expectation, that any one fhall dare to oppofe this reftitution, which must be complete and preliminary, I authorize you by thefe prefents, to employ for this purpofe, all the means of authority which I have confided in you, and which, but with much regret, though I find it to be neceffary, I am obliged to augment as far as the occafion fhall require.

As foon as you fhall inform me that all the above preliminaries are fulfilled, and that every thing is restored to order, I fhall be ready to concert with the affemblies of the ftates, or their deputies duly authorized, what will be the best in

And in fo far, my trufty and wellbeloved, may God have you in his holy keeping.

Vienna, 16th Auguft.

JOSEPH.

Memorial of the Deputies of the Belgic Provinces to Prince Kaunits, occafioned by his communicating the foregoing Orders to them.

The deputies of the states of the Auftrian Belgic provinces, who are proftrate at the foot of the throne of their auguft fovereign, have seen with the moft fenfible grief, their endeavours and hopes fruftrated in not being able to obtain the proofs of his paternal tenderness, and that fort of declaration, which, by terminating the evils and misfortunes of this nation, would have raised its gratitude to its highest pitch; iuftead of which, my lord, our concern is augmented, and our a larms are redoubled, at the know. ledge of the orders which his mą. jefty has refolved to fend to the government general of our provinces, and which you have deigned

to communicate to us.

The faithful inhabitants of those

provinces, full of confidence in his majesty's paternal bounty, did not doubt but he would put the feal of approbation to the declarations

which we were charged to folicit, and thereby renew the public confidence, without which commerce and industry must languifh, if not become extinct, which will bring an a certain inactivity, the bane of wealth. They hoped that a fimple and precife declaration, tending to preferve all our rights, ufages, and privileges which wẹ had reafon to expect from his majelly, would recover in the minds of foreigners that confidence they have a right to expect from an upright hongit people, living peace, ably' under the protection of its wife and ancient conftitution, which would have caufed the national credit (greatly hurt by the fear of a new fyftem) to refume its former vigour. They alfo hoped, that the inhabitants of thofe countries, who were ready to forfake their nafive foil by reafon of internal divifions, would feek and find an afylum with them, which they certainly will not do now, until the new tribunals of justice are irrevocably fupprefled, and the fatal in tendencies abolished by an exprefs declaration.

In the orders fent to the government every one will fee his majefty relaxes in nothing relating to the ecclefiaftical affairs, which are fo frongly linked with the rights and privileges of the other claffes of citizens, that it feems as if it was all one intereft. They will fee that his majefty, previous to enter Ing into any deliberation whatfo, ever, requires the fubfidies to be granted and paid, whilft it has always been an invariable rule that the consenting to the fubfidies was dependent upon the exact obfervance of the privileges and liberties of the country.

The penetration of your high Aufs cannot fail to obferve the cruel

fenfations which these orders will have on the minds of the Belgic people, as well as on thofe of foreigners, as they must appear to be only given to strengthen the new difpofitions iffued in the facred name of his majesty, and which are the fubject of our just complaints.

We are not ignorant, my lord, that his majefty can employ that force which the divine providence has but into his hands; but will the goodrefs of his heart permit him to ufe means to contrary to the welfare of his fubjects? Will he deliver his children to the deftructive effects of military execu tions, and that only because they remain attached to a conftitution, which, in fupporting the lawful power of the fovereign, affects at the fame time the happiness of the people? Will the paternal tendernefs of his majesty fuffer him to detroy his faithful fubjects, instead of ruling them by their indigenous laws, which have caufed their happinefs and profperity for fo many ages? Can fuch deftructive means be reconciled with the paternal dif pofitions which he has deigned to profefs for them, and which their inviolable fidelity has rendered them fo worthy of? Will what his mas jefty thinks due to his offended dignity be completed, if, to revenge it, he gives up his faithful fubjects to fo many horrors, thofe fubjects who are always ready to spend their wealth and blood in his defence, and for the glory of the country?

We are, therefore, bold enough to implore your highnefs to deign to employ your good offices and great intereft in our favour, and to inform his majefty of our juft fears, that thereby we may obtain a re peal of thofe orders, or some abate

ment