Jenks's Portland gazette. [volume] (Portland [Me.]) 1799-1802, 1799-12-23

4 attack WITH the LUKE vi IL
A made on Anaerdam in the year 1887,
was faceef.fal and it DID infinite credit 10 bis
smilitary genius, and the promPtitude with
which he feized on and improved an overnight
IN the defence of the republican party. The
account which mott accurate and able hitto.
Ran gave of the poaure of the country and its
natural as well as acquired fources of defence,
will be inteie0ing at this moment when
ieeond attempt is to be made upon it by
pfince If the iarne luxurious ho-Jfc. The Duke
of Brunfack made his approach to it on the
isuth fide. The duke of York proceeds in an
oppofite direction but tie nature of the coun--
try is he fame on both iides. The writer OF
the rhetorical part Of the Ausaai Regjqsr gives
> the following aatement
sThe city of a miterdsm, through its peculi-
arly inaceefble fiuation, its artificial ltrength,
with the courage and number of its inhabitants,
had, in the fevere wars of the 9th century,
rifen hyperion to the deiigns and genius, OF Don
Tohn Of Auliria, and the duke of Parma, the
b greatca generals, and at the head of the belt
officers and troops then in the world. With
equal fortune in the 18th century, IL fncceis'
fully reiaed the mighty power OF Lewis the
fourteenth. then at its meridian height, and
baflled all the attempts of Luxemburgh and
:, Condo, lmllar generals, at the head of iim-
! lar troops, but with greater armies. All at
tcmpts on it have accordingly been long conf
dered as imprat1icabie and vifonary ; and it
has been long held, that nothing leis than fuch
Il froH as would conjesl both the ialt and frefh
waters of the country, could render it liable to
the approaches of an enemy who NUT like
wife have prefcience of the event, his prepar
:ltions made, and his forces on the fpot to pro-
fit of the location while fudden, thaw would
NOT only overthrow the deGgn, but politely be
the means of overwhelming tbs invading army.
Beides tie difficulties oppofed by very mar
row country, every where interieefed with
dykes, and commanded by iluices capable Of
/ layirg it fuldenly under water, it is covered
on the ear ard north, and ihut in from the
! ocean, by that admirable natural defence the
Zuyder fea, whole fands, hallows, and narrow
inlers, render it impraaicable to the deGgns of
an enemy, and barely admit the navigation
even Of their own fiat veI.ls contributed for
that purpofe. A long, irregular braoch of the
Zuyder fea paAes from eat to the wefward,
until it approaches within few miles of the
German or North Sea, when fuddenly making
an angle to the right, it paaes northward. and
terminates in the open country. Amiterdan
lies on the iouth of this inlet which is called
the Ye, and is not only effettually covered by
it for feveral miles in the oppoGte direction,
but nearly, as we fhall fee, clofes up the ap-
proaches of it to the wcn-For the Haerlem
Meet, lake about rs miles long, and half as
broad, lying to the fouth and iouth-wef of that
city, the land which feparates that end of it
from the Ye, is in no part above three or four
miles over but in one place called, from its
iituaton on the road to Haerlem, Half Wegen,
thefe two great bodies of wafer actually com
municate and here, by the erection of food
gates, of an enormous Iize, the waters of the
Yc, are prevented from being diftharged into
/ the Eaclem Meet an event which would
.,ccafion great part of the province of Holland,
TO the diltance o. near thirty miles, to be over
flowed, as.thc level of the iea at high water is
evidently above that Of the lake, and of the adj
joining country.
The only road by land to Hserlcm, and the
country TO til. Westward, is carried over theie
food gates and it will be eaiiy fc.n that
Half Wegen, from its iituatiou, IS capable OF
b.iag rendered pot Of great ltrength, and
NUT be OF the gieatelt importance with reipeet
TO the fecnrty of Amferdan,. No pains were
accordingly fpared by the republican party, in
-orJer to It's being fortified in the bea manner.
For this purpofc they committed the place into
xhe h,ndi of a French officer of fome dainstion,
who had the charge of confirm Ting the works
and batteries which he was finally to defend.
They bedles rendered the approaches on the
HaerleIn Gde as difficult as poifble, by dsaroy-
ing the bridges, cutting down trees. making
deep bitches acrois ,hc road, aud laying the
|, sonntry under water 10 that all accels to
AmGerdam on that iile was held to be utterly
| impraaieable howeysr bold or formidable the
/ enemy.
/, The country, tc-the fIuth wen, foulh, and
4 fouth eat Of AmRsrJan was generally COM
SAnpf.d If low rich meadows, lnrfonnded and
]. .tetlea-d by nnmbarllfs wet tshes and lhde
I eueaIows being lower than he fuifaee OF the
Adjoining waters, we e'ilY overlooked by
}..asing the ykes d h. Amle', tbs Vecht,