obtained fome fucceffes, and it began to be apprehended that Buonaparte's army was in great danger. This fpirit manifefied itfelf principally at Ferrara and Bologna, but more than any where at Milan. Here the majority of the inhabitants expreffed the moft avowed concern at the retreat of the French before the Imperial army, and at the raifing of the fiege of Mantua: on the report of the total rout of the French, and the approach of the Auftrians, the fireets and public places were filled by crowds, de manding arms, and offering to march inftantly to the affiftance of the French.

But of all thofe Italian ftates and princes that thewed unequivocal figns of fatisfaction at the temporary fucceffes of the Auftrians, none equalled the temerity with which the court of Rome acted upon this occafion. As foon as intelligence arrived that the French had retreated from Mantua, a vice legate was dispatched to retake poffeflion of Ferrara, notwithltanding the noted averfion of the citizens to the Roman government. This was evidently a breach of the armiftice. between the French and the pope, but the vice legate remained in the city even in oppofition to the inclination of the inhabitants, nor quitted it, until news arrived of the entire defeat of the Auftrian army.

At Rome itself the deteftation of the French broke out in the most outrageous treatment of the few that were in that city. Thole who thewed themfelves most forward to abufe them, were the priests and monks. Incited by their example and difcourfes, the populace were, with difficulty, reftrained, by the government, from exercifing their ut

moft fury on the natives of France known to be republicans.

The news of the victories obtained over the Auftrians, put a stop to thefe proceedings, by the confternation they fpead in Rome, where the general expectation was, that the French would fhortly be expelled from Italy: but the cooler part of the public highly cenfured the readiness with which the pope had been induced to violate the treaty concluded with the French general, and exprelled a full perfuafion that he would require fuch a fatisfaction as would produce a deep repentance for its infraction.

In the mean time, marshal Wurmfer was occupied in fecuring his retreat towards the mountainous country on the north of the Venetian dominions; but he was followed foclofely by Buonaparte, that he was overtaken and defeated in two engagements, on the 11th and 12th, with a fevere lofs of men, artillery, and baggage. It was with difficulty that he pursued his march to the other fide of the city of Trent, where he reaffembled the remains of his forces.

The flight of the Auftrians enabled the French to refume the fiege of Mantua. The garrifon

had, on its being failed, totally deftroyed the works of the beticgers, carried all their cannon, amounting to one hundred and forty pieces, into the town, and supplied it with large quantities of ftores and provifions. From the thirtieth of July, when the fiege was raifed, to the nineteenth of Auguft, when the French recommenced their operations against that city, it had been put into the completeft ftate of defence, and was now reputed more capable than ever to withstand all

the

the efforts of the French, till a more aufpicious opportunity of relieving it effectually.

France, in the mean while, was refounding with the exploits and praifes of Buonaparte, and his victorious army. The standards taken from the Auftrians, and fent by him to the directory, were prefented to it with great pomp and cereinony on the twenty-feventh of Auguft. The officer commiffioned to deliver them, addreffed the directory in a foldierly and fpirited fpeech, which was received with great fatisfaction and applaufe. It was entirely defcriptive of the bravery and determination of the French foldiers, in Italy, to fhed their blood for the fervice of the republic. It specified their intrepidity on divers occafions, and the great things it had done for the benefit of the ftate, and the glory of the nation.

La Revailliere Lepaux, then prefident of the directory, returned him a fuitable answer. He loaded the French foldiery with all thofe praifes that affect them poffibly more than any other people of the fame profeffion elsewhere. He compared them to the most renowned warriors of antiquity, and exhorted them to proceed in that career of triumph and fame, which would raise France above all its enemies, and eter, nize their own name. Thefe en comiums were carefully tranfmitted to the army of Italy, where they produced their intended effect, in the fatisfaction they afforded to both officers and men, and the ardour it filled them with, to be confidered and treated as the heroes of their country.

Thefe enthufiaftic fentiments were, at this period, particularly want

ed. The victories gained in Italy had coft the French many of their best officers, and bravest foldiers; and their distance from France, together with other impediments, obftructed the recruiting of their forces. Their enemies, on the contrary, had many facilities in this refpect: the country behind them was their own: it abounded with robuft and hardy men, inured to a laborious life, and inclined to the military profeffion. Hence continual reinforcements were drawn, by means of which marthal Wurmfer was enabled to repair his frequent loffes, by incorporating the new levies with his veterans.

His head quarters were now at Bailano, a town in the Venetian territories. Here he had affembled a confiderable force, which he diftributed with great kill in all the advantageous pofitions in his neigh bourhood. One of his divifions was ftationed at Alla, on the Adige, in the road to the city of Trent, of which Buonaparte propofed to make himself mafter. This divifion occupied a ftrong poft at Serravalle, on the right of the Adige, and another at Marco, on its left. By a feries of kilful movements Buonaparte com❤ pelled a number of intermediate bodies of Austrians to fall back to thefe two pofts; and, croffing the Adige, on the fourth of September, he attacked the one at Marco, while the remainder of his forces fell upon the other at Serravalle. The en gagement was obftinate on both fides, but the French prevailed, and the Auftrians were defeated with great lofs, and driven from both pofitions. They retreated to Roveredo, in order to recover themicives, and make a ftand; but the French

Camo

came up with them, and again put them to the rout, and took possession of that town.

The Auftrians, having retreated to Trent, were making preparations to maintain themselves, by fortifying the avenues to it: but Buonaparte, who perceived their defign, gave orders to attack them directly in the poft they had taken. It was extremely ftrong, and it required vaft efforts to make them abandon it; but they were completely routed, and fled in confufion towards Trent, within three miles of which they were purfued. Thus terminated this famous fourth of Septembcr; in the courfe of which the Auftrians fuftained three defeats, and loft upwards of feven thoufand men, who were made prifoners, befides a number of flain, together with thirty pieces of cannon, and a large quantity of baggage and

horfes.

In the night that followed this memorable day, marthal Wurmfer, lofing all hope of making head at Trent, evacuated it, and, next morning, the French took poffeffion of this celebrated city. At a fmall diftance from it a large body of Aufirians pofted themfelves at a bridge, commanding the entrance into the town of Lavis. But hither they were immediately followed by Buonaparte, who forced the entrenchments they had thrown up, after making his way over the bridge, and put them to fight.

Mafter of Trent, an independant principality of the empire, Buonaparte refolved to organize the government of this city on a republican plan. He totally eman cipated it from that Imperial jurifdiction, appointing an adminiftra

tive council, compofed entirely of natives of the district, to whom alone every place of power and emolument was affigned, in ablolute exclufion of all ftrangers. The laws and ufages eftablished were left untouched; but the fovereignty was vefted in the French republic, to which an oath of obedience was required from all perfons in authority.

By thus invefting the natives of this place with the exclufiye enjoyment of all thofe employments and profits formerly diverted from them to aliens, he held out the prospect of a fimilar treatment to all that fubmitted to the French. He doubted not, by this exhibition of their juf tice and impartiality, to procure a general willingness to prefer fubordination to France to the dominion exercised over them by their present mafters.

After fettling the government of the city of Trent, Buonaparte loft no time in the profecution of his advantages over the Auftrians. Marfhal Wurmfer had fixed himself at Bassano, the way to which town was rendered exceffively difficult, by the river Brenta, and the defiles that bear its name. Here again the fuperior generalfhip of Buonaparte enabled him to effect a pal fage over this river. He directed a chofen body of men to attempt it at a place where it was not expected, and, by a circuitous march, to fall upon the rear of the Auftrians. They fucceeded completely; and, while the fmall fort of Cavela, that stood in the defile, was carried by form, they gained the head of this narrow pals, through which the Auftrians, after evacuating that fort, not being able to make their

maintained a long and defperate fight.

Various were the fallies and fkirmishes that took place in the course of this famous fiege, between the garrifon and the befiegers. Every fpecies of art and ftratagem was employed by each party, and numbers fell in the encounters that continually happened. But the fuccefs was ufually on the fide of the French, who gradually diminished the ftrength of the garrifon, by the frequent captures of thofe who fallied out, and who, notwithstanding the fkill and valour they difplayed on thefe occafions, feldom could make good their retreat into the

town..

While the French army lay be fore Mantua, the ftandards taken from the Auftrians in the feveral actions on the borders of Italy, towards the Tyrol, and lately before Mantua, were fent to the directory, and presented, on the first of October, with great form and folemnity, by Buonaparte's aid-de-camp, Marmont, who, in a fet fpeech, detailed the recent triumphs of the French in Italy. They had, he obferved, in the courfe of this campaign, deftroyed three hoftile armies, taken fortyfeven thousand men, two hundred and eighty pieces of cannon, and forty-nine ftand of colours. Two of thefe indeed, the French, he said, held in little value, as they were taken from the troops of his holinefs, who had changed his late tone, as will presently appear; an enemy unworthy of their notice; but ftill they fhewed the number of their enemies, and the extent of their own fucceffes.

Shortly after the feftivals and rejoicings, occafioned by the prefentations of thefe trophies, the directory had another opportunity of exulting

in the good fortune that seemed fo invariably connected with the proceedings of the French in Italy. Since their occupation of Leghorn, it had been the refort of all those Corficans who had fled from, or been expelled their country, when it became annexed to the British dominions. They received every encouragement from the French there, and came to the determination of forming a plan for the expulfion of the English from Corfica.

A circumftance that operated powerfully for the French in that inland was, that Buonaparte was a native of it. The great actions he had performed, had rendered him an object of univerfal respect among his countrymen, who glo ried in him, as a man who reflected the higheft honour on his country. The report of his continual victories emboldened the French party, in Corfica, to renew their endea vours to undermine the intereft of the English, whofe government they reprefented as domineering and oppreflive, and contrary to those principles that were congenial to the natives of this ifland. They gradually fucceeded in propagating difcontent among a people noted for their fickleness and the incon ftancy of their attachments. A communication was established between the exiles at Leghorn and elfewhere, and their partifans in Corfica. In a fhort time, the adherents to France became fo numerous and active, that the English in the inland clearly perceived that an infurrection was preparing against them, which, from the inconfiderableness of their force, they would not be able to withstand. The Corficans held meetings and alfembled numbers of men in arms,

whofe