deavours to ftifle them. The temporal and fpiritual power of the clergy have both received fuch a blow, that neither, in all likelihood, will ever recover its former import ance. The minds of a large proportion of the people are in fact fo completely revolutionized, that although they may be neceffitated, for their own fafety, to fubmit for a while to the coercive law of the fword, they will embrace every opportunity of fhaking off the yoke of foreign rulers, and will reiterate thofe attempts fo frequently, that it is probable they will fucceed at laft, especially if the French republic fhould remain unshaken: as in that cafe they will always depend on its intervention in their favour; they will, from that motive, be ready to act with the more fpirit and energy against those whom they will henceforth confider much more as their tyrants than their fovereigns.

Thefe appear to be the current ideas of the majority of politicians. In France, and in thofe countries that are not averfe to the intereft and principles of the republican party, no doubt is entertained that if it ftands its grounds, Italy will foon or late affume thofe forms of government which Buonaparte was To anxious to establish.

All these confiderations operated ftrongly at the period of the negociations, to which the court of Vienna was compelled to accede. The Imperial miniftry, difcouraged by the repeated inefficacy of the extraordinary exertions that had been made to refift the victorious armies of France, yielded to neceffity, and fubfcribed to the conditions dictated by the conqueror, in hopes, however, that fortune might, at a more aufpicious crifis, atone for the calamities now become unavoidable.

CHAP.

TH

HE armiftice, granted by Buonaparte, left the Auftrian minifters no longer time, than was abfolutely neceffary, to make a speedy option, whether to embrace his offers, or to renew hoftilities. He was fo completely prepared for thefe, that a renewal of them was too much dreaded by the court of Vienna, to decline, any longer, to accede to his propofals.

The preliminary articles of a peace, between France and Auftria, were accordingly agreed to, and figned, by both parties, on the eighteenth of April. By thefe preliminaries the French remained fovereign poffeffors of the Auftrian low countries, and the eftablifhment of the republic of Lombardy was confirmed. These were the oftenfible articles, but it was univerfally conjectured, that the court of Vienna would not fo readily have affented to conceffions fo advantageous to France, and detrimental to itfelf, without previoufly obtaining the promife of fome indemnifications.

During thefe tranfactions, on the borders of Auftria, and while Buonaparte was preparing to march into that province, the French armies, on the Rhine, had been put into motion, and obtained fome fignal fucceffes. The neceffity of procuring a new army, to enable the archduke to oppofe Buonaparte, had obliged the court of Vienna, to recall a large proportion of its forces from the defence of that river. Little lefs than thirty thoufand of its beft veterans being thus withdrawn, the French refolved to attempt a pallage. On the nineteenth of April, general Morcau effected it, after an obftinate difpute, and proceeded immediately to Kehl, of which he took poffeffion, notwithstanding the refolute defence of the Auftrian troops that occupied this advantageous post. The lofs, on both fides, was very great; five French generals were wounded, and numbers of their foldiers fell; but the flain and wounded among the Auftians were much more numerous. Between

three and four thousand were made prifoners, and all their camp equipage was taken, with the military cheft, and more than twenty fieldpieces.

General Hoche, who commanded on the Lower Rhine, croffed that river, on the eighteenth of April, at Neuwiad. General Kray, an officer of great reputation, was at the head of the Imperialifts, and had made skilful difpofitions to receive him. Conjecturing, however, that a fufpenfion of arms either had, or would, fhortly take place between the republic and the emperor, he propofed an armiftice to the French general, but this was refufed, unlefs fuch conceffions were made as the Auftrian general deemed unfeasonable. They both, in confequence, prepared for an engagement. It began by an impetuous attack from the French, who advanced, in great force, againft the Imperialists: thefe, who were ftrongly entrenched, made a vigorous refiftance, and deftroyed numbers with their cannon: but, after a long and bloody conflict, the French, by dint of perfeverance, feconded by a formidable artillery, fucceeded in their attack, and the Auftrians were thrown into dif order: they rallied, however, and difputed their ground with much obftinacy; but, being charged by large bodies of cavalry, and having but few to oppose them, they, at length, gave way, leaving all their cannon, and most of their baggage, together with four thoufand prifoners, befides the flain.

This action proved decifive. The Imperial army was purfued and diflodged from every poft where it attempted to make a ftand, and fuffered extremely in the whole

course of its retreat.. A French divifion croffed the Lahn, and pushed towards Francfort, and another followed the retiring enemy to the defiles of the Dilla, on their way to Watzlaer, killing and taking great numbers. A third divifion affailed their camp, near Mentz, and forced them to take shelter under its cannon. Nothing could withitand their impetuofity, and they were within a few hours march to Francfort, when intelligence arrived of the preliminaries of peace being figned. This, of course, ftopped their progrefs, and put an end to all farther hoftilities.

The opening of the campaign, upon the Rhine, in this brilliant manner, on the part of France, was an additional motive for Auftria to acquiefe, the more willingly, in the fufpenfion of arms, that freed it from the apprehenfions juftly entertained from Buonaparte. councils of Vienna were now taken up in the devifing of means to render the flue of the negociations, for the definitive fettlement of affairs, lefs hurtful to the interefts of Auftria than appearances feemed to threaten they muft finally prove.

The French had now compassed that object, which they long had in view, to treat with Auftria feparately from England. Thofe who conducted the negociations, on the part of Auftria, were conícious how folicitous they were to conclude a peace, without the acceffion of England to fuch a treaty. On this ground they well knew that France would relax in many points, in order to bring matters to a fpeedy decifion, left, by throwing fome unfeasonable difficulty in the way, the negociations might be retarded, and an opportunity

had totally disappeared, and they alone gave the law. This was a fituation peculiarly mortifying to a ftate that stood upon a footing of equality, at leaft, with any other in Italy; and of fuperiority to moft. The house of Auftria, though at all times formidable, had never been an object of much terror to Venice, not even when it united Spain and Germany in the fame family interefts, and was, at the fame time, in poffeffion of the major part of Italy. But the turbulent and reftlefs difpofition of the French, and their propenfity to introduce innovations every where, alarmed the fenate of of Venice to fuch a degree, that, knowing how much the form of their government was repugnant to the principles of the French, they doubted not the readiness of thefe to feize the first opportunity of overturning it. Full of this conviction, they waited with anxiety for a change of fortune in favour of the Auftrians, whofe neighbourhood they had long experienced to be much lefs dangerous than that of the French. In the mean time, they rendered many good offices to the former, and clearly manifefted a partiality to them, which did not efcape the notice of Buonaparte, who gave fufficient indications that he would remember it in due time. Hoping, however, that the extraordinary fuccefs, which had hitherto attended him, would not laft, they ftill continued to befriend them, by every clandeftine fervice in their power. The refentment of the French was at laft kindled, and their feizure of Bergamo, in which province an infurrection, already broken out against the French, was the firft fignal of their intentions towards Venice. Its complaints of

their violation of its territory were anfwered with reproaches of the partial conduct of the Venetian fenate towards the Imperialifts. Every day produced fresh occafions of difcontent on each fide; and it was eafy to forefee that their reciprocal enmity would finally terminate in acts of violence.

Thus matters ftood when the fifth army of Auftria was forced to leave the territories of Venice, and take refuge in the hereditary ftates. As foon as the French had penetrated into thefe, in pursuit of the Auftrians, and were engaged in the defiles and difficult pallages in those mountainous countries, the Venetians began to look upon them as intangled in ftraights, from which they would not eafily extricate themfelves, and where, from their local advantages, the Imperialifts would probably oppofe them with fuccefs. The French were now at a confiderable diftance from Italy, and the fmall number of their troops remaining there, many of them, fick and wounded in hofpitals, were incapable of refiftance, and might with facility be overpowered, News, at the fame time, had arrived of general Laudohn's progrefs in the Tyrol, which had been attended with fome flight advantages over the French, and alfo of general Alvinzi's march into Italy, by Carinola, in the rear of Buonaparte's army. A report was univerfally circulated, that the French were on the point of laying down their arms, and that nothing was wanting, to render victory over them complete, but a general movement and co-operation on the part of the loyal fubjects of the Venetian government. An opportunity now offered to intercept the communication between

Buo.