Great Britain now began to see her former allies converted into enemies; and Holland, having become united to France in the early part of the previous year, was styled the Batavian Republic. In April 1796, a secret service having been ordered by Lieut.-General Sir Ralph Abercromby, then Commander-in-chief in the West Indies, the THIRTY-NINTH, and the late Ninety-third and Ninety-ninth regiments, with a detachment of the Royal Artillery, were embarked at Barbadoes on this expedition, which proved to be against the Dutch colonies of _Demerara_, _Essequibo_, and _Berbice_. The troops were under the orders of Major-General John Whyte, and the THIRTY-NINTH regiment was commanded by Lieut.-Colonel Thomas Hislop. The force sailed for its destination on the 15th of April, and arrived on the coast of Demerara on the 21st of that month: on the following day the Governor and Council were summoned to surrender the colony to His Britannic Majesty, and the capitulation was signed on the 23rd of April. The British troops accordingly occupied the fort and colony, and Lieut.-Colonel Hislop was left as Commandant of Demerara and Essequibo; but Major-General Whyte proceeded to take possession of the neighbouring colony of _Berbice_, which accepted the terms offered to Demerara.[22] The THIRTY-NINTH remained at Demerara, upon the capitulation of that colony, and, in September, it received six hundred and ninety-one men, from the Ninety-third and Ninety-ninth having been directed to be drafted into the regiment. This raised the regiment to fifty-two serjeants, twenty-two drummers, and one thousand and ninety-three rank and file. [Sidenote: 1797 to 1799.] During the years 1797, 1798, and 1799, the THIRTY-NINTH regiment continued to be stationed at Demerara. On the 1st of November 1799, the regiment had been reduced by deaths to twenty-five serjeants, ten drummers, and four hundred and sixty-eight rank and file. [Sidenote: 1800.] In October 1800 the regiment proceeded from Demerara to Surinam. [Sidenote: 1801.] The regiment remained at Surinam during the year 1801. [Sidenote: 1802.] On the 27th of March 1802, a definitive treaty of peace was signed at Amiens between the French Republic, Spain, and the Batavian Republic, on the one part, and Great Britain on the other. The principal features of the treaty were, that Great Britain restored all her conquests during the war, excepting Trinidad and Ceylon, which were ceded to her, the former by Spain, and the latter by the Batavian Republic. Portugal was maintained in its integrity, excepting that some of its possessions in Guiana were ceded to France. The territories of the Ottoman Porte were likewise maintained in their integrity. The Ionian Republic was recognised, and Malta was to be restored to the Knights of St. John of Jerusalem. The French agreed to evacuate the Neapolitan and Roman States, and Great Britain all the ports that she held in the Adriatic and the Mediterranean.