The marriage took place on the 9th of March, 1796, and he only remained in Paris twelve days after the ceremony. It was a union in which, with the exception of a few light clouds, there was much affection. Bonaparte never, to my knowledge, gave cause of real sorrow to his wife. In addition to her beauty Madame Bonaparte possessed many excellent qualities, and I am convinced that most of those who were intimate with her, had reason to speak in her favour; to few indeed did she ever give cause of complaint. Benevolence was in her a natural impulse, and she was kind and attached to those with whom she was acquainted; but she was not sufficiently careful in the selection of those whom she confided in. It sometimes happened that her bounty and protection were bestowed on persons who did not deserve it. She nourished to excess a taste for splendour and expense; and this seemed to become so much a habit, that she indulged in it without any motive. This often led to unpleasant differences between her and her husband; when the day of payment arrived, she never reported more than half the amount of the bills, and when the truth came out she was exposed to just remonstrances. How many tears did she shed which might have been easily spared!

Tranquillity was now restored in Paris; and the Directory had leisure to turn their attention to the affairs of the Army of Italy, which were in a most confused and unsatisfactory condition. They determined to give it a new general, and Bonaparte was appointed to the splendid command.

Bonaparte left Paris on the 21st of March, 1796, and, after paying a short visit to his mother at Marseilles, arrived, after a rapid journey, at the head-quarters at Nice. At the age of twenty-six, he assumed the command of the Army of Italy; exulting in the knowledge that, if he should conquer, the honour would be all his own. He had worked for others at Toulon, at the Col di Tende, and even in the affair of the Sections, as the first command had been nominally in the hands of Barras. Now he was burning with enthusiasm, and resolved to distinguish himself. You are too young,' said one of the Directors, hesitating about his appointment as general. In a year,' answered Napoleon, I shall be either old or dead.' The Directory, who had still

some fears as to the youth of Napoleon, proposed, early in May, to appoint General Kellerman, who commanded the Army of the Alps, second in command of the Army of Italy. This was far from being agreeable to Bonaparte; he wrote to Carnot, on the 24th of May-Whether I shall be employed here or any where else is indifferent to me: to serve my country, and to merit from posterity a page in our history, is all my ambition. If you join Kellerman and me in the command in Italy, you will undo every thing. He has more experience than I, and knows how to make war better than I do, but both together we shall make it badly. I will not willingly serve with a man who considers himself the first general in Europe.' 'He found the army in numbers about 50,000; but wretchedly deficient in cavalry, in stores of every kind, in clothing, and even in food and watched by an enemy greatly more numerous. It was under such circumstances that he at once avowed the daring scheme of forcing a passage to Italy, and converting the richest territory of the enemy himself into the theatre of war. "Soldiers," said he, "you are hungry and naked: the Republic owes you much, but she has not the means to pay her debts. I am come to lead you into the most fertile plains that the sun beholds. Rich provinces, opulent towns, all shall be at your disposal. Soldiers! with such a prospect before you, can you fail in courage and constancy?" This was his first address to his army. The sinking hearts of the men beat high with hope and confidence when they heard the voice of the young and fearless leader; and Augereau, Massena, Serrurier, Joubert, Lannes-distinguished officers, who might them. selves have aspired to the chief command-felt, from the moment they began to understand his character and system, that the true road to glory would be to follow the star of Napoleon.

'The objects of the approaching expedition were three: first, to compel the king of Sardinia, who had already lost Savoy and Nice, but still maintained a powerful army on the frontiers of Piedmont, to abandon the alliance of Austria: secondly, to compel the Emperor, by a bold invasion of Lombardy, to make such exertions in that quarter as might weaken those armies which had so long hovered on the Rhine; and, if possible, to stir up the Italian subjects of that crown to adopt the revo

lutionary system, and emancipate themselves for ever from its yoke. The third object, though more distant, was not less important. The influence of the Romish Church was considered by the Directory as the chief, though secret support of the cause of royalism within their own territory; and to reduce the Vatican into insignificance, or at least force it to submission and quiescence, appeared indispensable to the internal tranquillity of France. The Revolutionary Government, besides this general cause of hatred and suspicion, had a distinct injury to avenge. Their agent, Basseville, had three years before been assassinated in a popular tumult at Rome: the Papal troops had not interfered to protect him, nor the Pope to punish his murderers.

'Napoleon's plan for gaining access to the fair regions of Italy differed from that of all former conquerors: they had uniformly penetrated the Alps at some point or other of that mighty range of mountains: he judged that the same end might be accomplished more easily by advancing along the narrow stripe of comparatively level country which intervenes between those enormous barriers and the Mediterranean sea, and forcing a passage at the point where the last of the Alps melt, as it were, into the first and lowest of the Appenine range. No sooner did he begin to concentrate his troops towards this region, than the Austrian general, Beaulieu, took measures for protecting Genoa, and the entrance of Italy. He himself took post with one column of his army at Voltri, a town within ten miles of Genoa: he placed D'Argenteau with another Austrian column at Monte Notte, a strong height farther to the westward; and the Sardinians, under Colli, occupied Ceva-which thus formed the extreme right of the whole line of the allied army. The French could not advance towards Genoa but by confronting some one of the three armies thus strongly posted, and sufficiently, as Beaulieu supposed, in communication with each other.

'It was now that Bonaparte made his first effort to baffle the science of those who fancied there was nothing new to be done in warfare. On the 10th of April, D'Argenteau came down upon Monte Notte, and attacked some French redoubts, in front of that mountain and the villages which bear its name, at Montelegino. At the same time General Cervoni and the French van

were attacked by Beaulieu near Voltri, and compelled to retreat. The determined valour of Colonel Rampon, who commanded at Montelegino, held D'Argenteau at bay during the 10th and 11th: and Bonaparte, contenting himself with watching Beaulieu, determined to strike his effectual blow at the centre of the enemy's line. During the night of the 11th various columns were marched upon Montelegino, that of Cervoni and that of Laharpe from the van of the French line, those of Augereau and Massena from its rear. On the morning of the 12th, D'Argenteau, preparing to renew his attack on the redoubts of Montelegino, found he had no longer Rampon only and his brave band to deal with; that French columns were in his rear, on his flank, and drawn up also behind the works at Montelegino; in a word, that he was surrounded. He was compelled to retreat among the mountains: he left his colours and cannon behind him, 1000 killed, and 2000 prisoners. The centre of the allied army had been utterly routed, before either the Commander-in-chief at the left, or General Colli at the right of the line, had any notion that a battle was going on.-Such was the battle of Monte Notte, the first of Napoleon's fields.

'The very next day after this victory he commanded a general assault on the Austrian line. Augereau, with a fresh division, marched at the left upon Millesimo; Massena led the centre towards Dego; and Laharpe, with the French right wing, manoeuvred to turn the left flank of Beaulieu.

'Augereau rushed upon the outposts of Millesimo, seized and retained the gorge which defends that place, and cut off Provera with 2000 Austrians, who occupied an eminence called Cossaria, from the main body of Colli's army. Next morning Bonaparte himself arrived at that scene of the operations. He forced Colli to accept battle, utterly broke and scattered him, and Provera, thus abandoned, was obliged to yield at discretion.

'Bonaparte rapidly followed up the advantages which he had gained, and succeeded in separating the Austrian and Sardinian armies. Both were again defeated, and the Sardinian army may be said to have been annihilated in their disastrous retreat; they lost the whole of their cannon, their baggage, and the best part of their troops.

The conqueror took possession of Cherasco, within ten miles of Turin, and there dictated the terms on which the King of Sardinia was to be permitted to retain any shadow of sovereign power.

'Thus, in less than a month, did Napoleon lay the gates of Italy open before him. He had defeated in three battles forces much superior to his own; inflicted on them, in killed, wounded and prisoners, a loss of 25,000 men; taken eighty guns and twenty-one standards; reduced the Austrians to inaction; utterly destroyed the Sardinian king's army; and lastly, wrested from his hands Coni and Tortona, the two great fortresses called "the keys of the Alps," and indeed, except Turin itself, every place of any consequence in his dominions. This unfortunate prince did not long survive such humiliation. He was father-in-law to both of the brothers of Louis XVI., and, considering their cause and his own dignity as equally at an end, died of a broken heart, within a few days after he had signed the treaty of Cherasco.

'The consummate genius of this brief campaign could not be disputed; and the modest language of the young General's despatches to the Directory, lent additional grace to his fame. At this time the name of Bonaparte was spotless; and the eyes of all Europe were fixed in admiration on his career.'

CHAP. III.

The French cross the Po-the Bridge of Lodi-Milan occupied-Mantua besieged-Battles of Lonato, Castiglione, Roveredo, Primolano, Bassano, St. George, Arcola, Rivoli, La Favorita-Surrender of Mantua-Treaty of Tollentino.

BONAPARTE, having become master of Piedmont, stopped for a short time to reorganise his army, previous to his descent into Lombardy. He pointed out to his victorious soldiers the rich and extensive plains which spread out before them; and, in an address which he circulated, he reminded them, that Hannibal had forced the Alps, and that we have turned them. You were utterly destitute, and you have supplied all your wants. You have gained battles without cannon, passed rivers without bridges,