History of Our Own Times - 2 Author:Thomas Carlyle Volume: 2 General Books publication date: 2009 Original publication date: 1845 Original Publisher: Henry Colburn Notes: This is a black and white OCR reprint of the original. It has no illustrations and there may be typos or missing text. When you buy the General Books edition of this book you get free trial access to Million-Books.com wher... more »e you can select from more than a million books for free. Excerpt: CHAPTER XXIV. PREPARATIONS FOR THE FIRST COALITION WAR. If, while Louis XVI. was yet living, the British government had most cautiously abstained from every demonstration that could be construed into an interference with the internal affairs of France, the more profound was the impression produced in England by the intelligence of the king's execution. On the evening of the 24th of January, when it arrived, all the theatres were closed ; not only the court, but the public in general, went into mourning for the ill-fated monarch ; and, in the Catholic chapels, solemn services were performed for the repose of his soul. On the actual declaration of hostilities by France -- as it was obvious from the state of things that England would have to carry on war both by sea and on land -- the minister lost no time in negociating treaties with various foreign powers, for procuring auxiliary troops. The Hanoverian army, about 17,000 strong, and a corps of 8,000 Hessians, were taken into British pay ; on the 22nd of February, 2,000 English troops were expe- ditiously embarked for Holland; others soon followed ; and the Duke of York was appointed to the command of the British forces on the continent, which were to act in conjunction with the prince of Coburg. Holland followed precisely in the steps of her more powerful ally: but, if the British minister was reluctant to engage in a war with France, still less disposition was there in the United Provinces to hostilities with so formidable a neighbour ; indeed, they were not prepared for war. Their fortresses and fleet we...« less