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Turin, had taken advantageous pofitions at the confluence of the rivers Cunaglia and Tanaro, on the banks of which they had placed batteries, fo as to render their flank unafailable; and, affembling the weight of their forces on the right, had forced the left of the French army to retreat; when, general Maffena having croffed the Tanaro near Ceva during the night of the 20th of April, and marched along its banks to the village of Lozengo, and Buonaparte having made difpofitions to march forwards to Mondovi, the Piedmontefe general, count Colli, apprehending the iffue of a conteft where he might eafily be furrounded, and his retreat cut off, withdrew during the night to that place. At break of day, the French attacked him at the entrance of the village of Vico; the redoubt which covered the centre of the Piedmontefe army was taken, and Mondovi itself on the fame day, upon the further retreat of the Piedmontefe, fell into the hands of the French. The Sardinian troops paffed the Stura, between Coni and Cherafco, extending their line to each of those towns; while the Piedmontefe general established his head-quarters at Foffano, a fmall town lying between both. The attack was general along the river. Cherafco, ftrong by its pofition, and rendered ftill more fo by its works, was evacuated. Foffano furrendered, and general Angereau took poffeffion of the town of Alba.

The Piedmontefe finding it now impoffible to withstand the force of the republicans, retreated further towards Turin, from whence the French were now diftant but twenty-four miles; general Angereau was alfo about to pafs the Tanaro on the right flank of the

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with no profpect of effective defence for the capital, count Colli, on the 23d of April, propofed a fufpenfion of arms, while his Sardinian majefty fhould fend his minifter to Genoa to treat for peace with the ambaffador of the republic. The conditions of the fufpenfion of arms were dictated by Buonaparte; and the march of the French troops to the walls of Turin was prevented only by this timely fubmiffion.

Having put the French into poffeffion of the fortreffes ftipulated by the armiftice*, his Sardinian majefty fent his minifters to Paris, who concluded a treaty of peace with the republic on the 17th of May. As Piedmont lay altogether at the mercy of the conquerors, the king was compelled to fubmit to whatever conditions were propofed. By this treaty, he agreed to withdraw himfelf in the most unequivocal manner from every alliance, offenfive or defenfive, formed with any of the powers in the coalition againft the French republic; to renounce, both for himfelf and his fucceffors for ever, all title to Savoy, Nice, and the country now forming the department of the maritime Alps; to determine the limits of the refpective countries by new demarcations advantageous to the republic; and to grant a full and entire amnefty to all those of his fubjects who had been or were profecuted for their political opinions. In addition to the places ftipulated in the armiftice, which were to be put into the poffeffion of the French, his Sardinian majesty confirmed to them by this treaty the poffeffion of other fortreffes both on the frontiers of France and Lombardy; the fortifications of two of which on the frontiers of France, Sufa and Brú.

* Coni, Aleffandria, and Tortona,

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netta, were to be demolished at his own expence, under the direction of commiffaries appointed by the directory; binding himself neither to establish nor repair any fortihcation on this part of the frontier. By this article the French enfured what they claimed by another article of the treaty, the free paffage of their troops at all times into Italy. To fill up the measure of his humiliation, the king engaged to apologize by his minifter, for the conduct obferved towards the late ambaffador of France, and to difavow the infult which was thus offered to the republic.

This melancholy reverse of fortune, in fo fhort a fpace of time, excited the fympathy even of his enemies and it required the confideration that he had been the most pertinacious enemy of the revolution, the most obftinate in refufing terms of accommodation,-had opposed the strongest barrier to the

entrance of the French into Italy during three campaigns, and though in reality a feeble adversary, had enjoyed by his pofition the advantages of an enemy the most formidable, and had fued for peace only when the enemy was under the walls of his capital, and his whole country at their difpofal,-in order to reconcile thefe hard conditions with that boasted, generofity which is faid to be the characteristic of republics.

The paffage of the Alps, by fuch apparently inadequate means, in the face of fo formidable an enemy, has justly been a fubject of aftonifhment and admiration. The plan which Buonaparte had conceived with all that temerity of genius which belongs to the new mode of French military tactics, of dividing the Auftrian and Piedmontefe armies in the very centre

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of the enemy's country, and in po-
fitions which were judged impreg
nable, was executed with equal in-
telligence and intrepidity. In this
arduous enterprize, Buonaparte was
ably feconded by the zeal of his
generals, each of whom led on his
refpective divifion with that addrefs
and precifion which could alone
have enfured fuccefs in a war among
the Alps. The battles of Monte-
Notte, and Millefimo, the previ-
ous movements and skirmishes,
the detail of the various manœuvres
of the army, the junction of
diftant columns, and the good
pofitions chofen among this chaos
of mountains by these young and
comparatively inexperienced com-
manders, are worthy of fixing the
attention of the best instructed mi-
litary men. But what will not fail
to claim the gratitude of their fel-
low-citizens and the admiration of
pofterity, was the generous manner
in which thefe generals devoted
their lives, by marching at the
head of their columns to almost
certain deftruction, and thus in-
fpiring their foldiers with that con-
tempt of danger and of death, which
raifed them into heroes, and carried
them even beyond the bounds
which these generals, whilft living,
had marked out for their courage.

The cities ceded to the French were Coni, Alessandria, and Tortona, to which marfhal Beaulieu, after his defeat at Dego, and his feparation from the Piedmontefe army, had retreated in order to cover the Milanefe from the further incurfions of the French. Con

trained to evacuate thefe fortreffes, he paffed the Po at Valenza, and laboured with great diligence to defend the paffages of that river, as well

thofe of the Gogna and the Teffino, as he judged from the convention made by the French gene

ral

ral with the king of Sardinia for the delivery of Valenza, that the paffage of the French would be effected by that route. Buonaparte favoured this mistake, by making a variety of feigned preparations and military evolutions, and while the Auftrian general was waiting his attack on the left of the Po, paffed on to Caftel St. Gioamei, on the right fide of the river, with a detachment of his army; and had advanced twenty leagues into Lombardy before his march was difcovered. Marshal Beaulieu, on perceiving his error, advanced with pid marches along the Po, in the hope of arriv. ing in fufficient time to prevent the paffage, whenever Buonaparte should attempt to effect it. But he arrived too late. The French general had reached Placentia early in the morning of the 7th of May, the day after his departure from before Valenza; and having feized on the boats, barges, and rafts, in the vicinity of the place, the whole of the army effected the paffage in the courfe of the day. Apprifed that a confiderable divifion of Auftrians were approaching in order to oppofe the paffage, Buonaparte marched with the forces that had already paffed the river, and met them at the village of Fombio, where they had intrenched themselves with twenty pieces of cannon. After a vigorous refiftance, the Auftrians retreated with lofs.

In the mean while another body of Auftrians were advancing to fupport the divifion which had been posted at Fombio, and had reached the head-quarters of general Laharpe at Codogno. A flight action took place, in which the Auftrians were repulfed; but the French army experienced a very fevere lofs in the death of their general, who had diftinguished himfelf with fo much

bravery at Monte-Notte, and Mille. fimo, and who had in 1791 been. condemned to death as an inhabitant of the Pays de Vaud, by the magiftracy of Berne, for his attachment to the French revolution. General Berthier arrived in the interval, and purfued the enemy to Cafal, of which he took poffeffion.

The dukes of Parma and Modena, on whofe territory the French had entered, and who did not expect fo fpeedy an attack, were compelled to demand a fufpenfion of arms, which was granted on condition of the payment of ten millions of livres to replenish the exhaufted magazines of the army; and of contributing to the national mu feum of Paris a certain number of the most celebrated paintings, at the choice of the general, or commiffioners named for that purpofe; and finally, fending ambaffadors to Paris to treat for peace with the directory.

The Auftrians, defeated at Fombio, had made good their retreat to Lodi, on the river Addi, where marfhal Beaulieu had concentrated his forces. On the approach ofthe French, they had abandoned the town with fo much precipitation that they had not time to deftroy the bridge, which was, however, defended by a confiderable artillery; and the imperial troops were drawn up in line of battle to prevent the paffage. (10th May) A fevere cannonade took place for fome hours: but the few of refiftance made by the Auftrions appeared fo formidable, that the French generais were for fome time undecided with refpect to the manner of the attack. To pafs the bridge in the face of the Auftrian army pofted fo advantageoufly, was incurring certain deftruction to numbers; and therefore in the deliberation which took place between the French generals, the majority were of opinion that

the

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the paffage fhould be attempted at places at fome distance, both above and below the town, where the refiftance would be confiderably weakened, if not rendered ineffective. Buonaparte, however, full of confidence in his foldiers, and feeling that delay was more injurious to his plan of operations than the lofs to be incurred by marching up to the batteries of the Auftrians, gave peremptory orders that the attack hould be made by the bridge. Accordingly, before day-break, the army prepared for the enterprise, and a column of carabineers, followed by the battalion of grenadiers, paffed half-way the bridge before they were perceived by the Auftrians. A general difcharge deftroyed about feven hundred; the advanced body of the column was ftruck with terror, and stopped fhort; but animated by the cries of "Vive la republi que!" from the generals, who faw the danger, and who threw themfelves at their head, they rufhed forwards with impetuofity, feized the Austrian artillery, broke through the lines, and throwing the whole, into diforder, ended the conteft by difperfing the imperial troops. While one part of the republican forces purfued Beaulieu towards Mantua, the reft entered Milan on the 18th May, without further refiftance; and the French armies gained poffeffion of the whole of Lombardy.

was struggling for her political exiftence, to throw itself into the arms of her most potent enemy. It was therefore with equal furprife and indignation that the French government heard of the conclufion of the treaty which was formed by Mr. Jay, between that country and England, the tenor of which was fo evidently in oppofition to treaties already exifting between America and France, that it was concluded that an open breach between the two nations must have been the immediate confequence.

For fome time paft, the condu& of the American administration towards the republic had been diftant and ceremonious; nor did the recall and difgrace of M. Genet, the French ambaffador, whofe perfonal altercations with the prefident had led the French government to make this act of folemn reparation, effect any change in its favour. There is no doubt that the conduct of M. Genet was contrary to that spirit of moderation which a perfon in his official station ought to have obferved; but the peculiar fituation of the French republic should have led the American government to make great allowances, especially when the fyftem of the propagande, which, it is faid, was attempted to be introduced, by order of the committees of the revolutionary regime, into America, had been formally dif claimed by thofe who afterwards While France by the fuccefs of held the reins of power. her arms was leffening the number. A momentary gleam of reconcili of her enemies in Europe, the foundation had been thrown across this her influence decreafing in the United States of America. Though little was to have been expected from national gratitude, it was fuppofed that national honour would have prevented the American government from feizing the opportunity when the French republic

fhade of difcontent by the arrival of a new ambaffador, Mr. Monroe, from America; whofe political principles were known to be directly oppofite to thofe of his predeceffor, Mr. Morris: and the language of American fraternity and congratulation was once more heard at the

bar

bar of the national convention. But the negotiation for a treaty of commerce with England foon taught the French what value they had to affix to thefe new profeffions of national amity, and what confidence was to be repofed in the benevolence of a government, the standard of whofe attachment, it was faid, was to be known only by that of its avarice. The treaty itfelf was lefs heeded in France than the difpofitions which led to its formation. It was obferved, that certain articles in this treaty not only infringed on the treaty concluded between the United States and the French nation in 1778, but were direct violations of it. In that treaty, for instance, the United States formally guaranteed to the French their cofonies in the West Indies, in cafe of attack; in the prefent, even fupplies of provifions fent to thofe colonies are ftated to be illegal com

merce.

It was expected that a treaty fo hoftile to the intereft of France, and To contrary even to that fpirit of neutrality which it was the obvious intereft of the American govern ment to obferve, would not have been fanctioned by the American legiflature. Notwithstanding the predominancy of British influence in the fenate, and the disfavour of the prefident towards French principles, were well understood to exift, yet it was fuppofed that the change which had taken place in the fituation of France and that of Europe fince the negotiation had been opened, would have led the American legiflature to refufe its ratification. But although it was evident from the decifion of the congrefs, what was the general fentiment in America refpecting this treaty, the French government heard with indignation

1790

of this legalized preference fhewn to the Englith intereft.

An intercepted letter from the prefident of the United States, addreffed to Mr. Morris, who was lately the American ambassador in France, and who then officiated as fecret agent of the American government in London, had already difcovered to the directory the hoftile views of the government of the United States. This letter, dated from Philadelphia, the 22d December, 1795, was a detailed answer to various letters of Mr. Morris refpecting the pending negotiation. The prefident complained highly of the haughty conduct of the English adminiftration, and of the arbitrary measures which they had pursued, and which they were continuing to purfue, with refpect to American navigation. He requested Mr. Morris to reprefent to the minister not only the injuftice, but the impolicy of this conduct, particularly at a moment when it was fo much the intereft of England to conciliate the minds of the inhabitants of the United States to the acceptance of the treaty. He detailed the efforts he had made, and the difficulties he had undergone, to overcome the wayward difpofition of his countrymen towards French politics, the abettors of which were the chief opponents of the treaty in queftion, which, however, he faid, had the approbation and fanétion of the greater and more refpectable part of the community. His main object, he obferved, the only object which ought to be continually kept in view, was peace, which he was moft anxious to preferve: and if America was happy enough to keep herfelf out of European quarrels, fhe might, from the increafe of her trade, from fecuring the monopoly N

of

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