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and made preparations as if hoftili-
ties had already been declared, and
as if the campaign was about to
open.
Moft of the princes who had
made peace with the French repub-
lic joined themselves to this new
confederation; and though the pru-
dence of the imperial cabinet pre-
vented it from immediately noticing
the affair, it appeared that peace
between these two courts was not
likely to be of long continuance.

With difpofitions fo evidently
hoftile to each other, and with
claims fo oppofite, it was morally
certain that no negotiation could at
The
that time have fucceeded.
grounds on which the English cabi-
net founded its pretenfions, the
conquefts inade on France and Hoi-
lana, inftead of operating on the
minds of the directory as reafons
for concluding a treaty of peace,
were provocations of no trifling
force to give fresh vigour to the
war. Although the conquefts made
by England of the colonies belong-
ing to thofe countries, were of fome
importance; the directory, who had
formed a fecret alliance with Pruf-
fia on the one hand, and concluded
a formal treaty with Spain on the
other, the profeffed object of which
was the humiliation of England,
flattered themselves that they fhould
regain them on eafier terms than by
making conceffions; the very de-
mand of which by the British cabi-
net, they confidered as contemptu-
ous and infulting.

Had it been poffible for the French republic to have come to any terms of reciprocal compenfa tion fo far as refpected its own concerns with the emperor and the British cabinet, the demands made by the latter in the memorial which refpected Holland, were fo utterly incompatible with the engagements and treaties by which France was

bound to that country, that the negotiation must have failed in this. point, had fuccefs attended it in every other. As, on the one hand, the independence of the Dutch repub lic was recognised not only by France, but fecretly by Pruffia and Spain, and the various powers with whom the French government had made peace, fo their establishments and colonies in the East and West Indies were fo far guaranteed to them by this latter power, that the reftitution of them to the Dutch was made an affured condition of pacification with England.

The

The interefts therefore of the Dutch republic were fo united with thofe of the French, that no propofition could be liftened to, which affected its independence. conftitution which was to ferve for the bafis of its future government, was prefented to the Dutch convention during the period of this negotiation; and the formation of fuch a government as fhould abfolutely exclude the return of the ftadtholder, and the removal of the influence of the English cabinet in Holland, was an indifpenfable requifite on the part of France. The directory had frequently urged its formation with as much delicacy as was compatible with the national independence. Although the Dutch convention was in perfect harmony with the French government with refpect to the abfolute rejection of the ftadtholder, many of its members felt a predilection for various parts of their former government, fuch as the divifion of the provin ces, and the mode of levying conOn this point a divi tributions. fion arofe in the affembly as foon as the commiffioners had prefented the plan which they had formed. This divifion had previously taken place in the commiffion: for, while one part

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part regarded the equal levy of taxes as unjuft, fince one province would thereby be chargeable with the debts and expences incurred by other provinces, by which thofe provinces alone were benefited, another party, overlooking this political inconvenience, declared, that if this mode of feparating the interefts of the provinces was eftablished, the unity of the republic would be endangered, and the return of the abules of the former government, and even of the government itself, would be facilitated. So anxious were certain members in enforcing this fentiment, that a deputation was privately fent to Paris to request the interference of the directory in fupport of what they called the unity of the republic. This appeal to another power for the regulation of their domeftic concerns, which was a virtual furrender of national independence, was received by the directory with cooinefs, and rejected without deliberation. The unity of the republic, which was formally recognized as the principle of the conftitution, put an end to this fchifm on the ift of December. The plan of the conftitution, which had formerly been protefted against, was admitted by the affembly for deliberation; and a commiffion of feven members was named, to make a report on the most eligible mode of confolidating the ancient debts of the provinces; which object had hitherto been the principal caufe of divifion, as it was the point which affected moft nearly the private intereft of the refpective parties.

Among other projects of hoftility which the French government had meditated against Great Britain, the invafion of Ireland was that which had engaged moft feriously their

attention. They had judged, from the fpirit of difcontent which difcovered itself in that country againft what was deemed the oppreffion of the English government, that an attempt on their part to deliver it from the yoke would be welcomed and feconded by the inhabitants themselves; and they were alfo inftrusted that the lofs of Ireland would be eminently iniurious to the navy of Great Britain, as it was in a confiderable degree manned, and altogether victualled, from the fertile foil of that country. The first attempts of the French to plant an intereft in Ireland have been the fubject of the courts of English judicature, and are therefore well known: whatever has fince been effected, will probably not yet make a part of history.

The expedition had been determined on early in the fummer; but various circumstances had delayed its execution, till a period when nothing but the certitude of fuccefs could have juftified the enterprize. When the fleet was on the point of departure, a mutiny, on account of the enlifting fome hundreds of foldiers to make part of the expedition, who had been condemned to the galleys for various military offences, caufed new delay, together with the tardiness of admiral Richery's fquadron in joining the fleet at Breft, which confifted of eighteen fhips of the line, thirteen frigates, twelve floops, with tranfports, and had on board twenty-five thousand men, under the command of general Hoche.

The departure of the fleet on the 10th of December was not attended with happy aufpices, as fome of the fhips of the line were loft in the paffage of the Raz, and others damaged. The deftination of this fleet was kept a profound fecret;

for

for the great publicity which the French government affected to give to an expedition to Ireland, made it generally dibelieved that this was really its deftination; and, from the length of time which elapfed before any tidings of the fleet arrived, it was concluded that an atack on Jamaica, or the Portuguese fettlements, was the object of the enterprize when, on the 31ft of December, the fquadron under vice-admiral Bouvet returned to Breft, from the bay of Bantry, on the coaft of Ireland. Having anchored in this bay, he had there remained for fome days, waiting the arrival of the frigate which conveyed the commanders in chief, and which had been feparated from the fleet in a strong gale of wind, the day after its departure from Breft. As the general was the only perfon entrusted with the orders of government, and as it was impoffible, from the tempeftuous weather, to remain any longer in the bay, Bouvet, notwithstanding the remonstrances of the commander of the forces on board, who infifted on landing the army, fet fail for Breft with the veffels under his command; where he arrived in fafety, and was followed at different periods by the reft of the fleet, except two fhips of the line and three frigates, of which one fhip of the line and two frigates foundered at fea; another frigate was taken by the English, and another fhip of the line, after having fought a confiderable time against two Englifh fhips, threw herfelf on the coaft, in order to avoid being captured. As the first news of the deftination of this fleet was the hiftory of its failure, the project became the fubject of general animadverfion. The fafe return of the fleet, which, it was feared,

would have been captured by the English, calmed the public effervefcence; and the government, throwing the whole caufe of the failure on the winds, confoled itfelf alfo by having experienced that the boafted fuperiority of the Britifh navy was no certain obftacle to the fuccefs of a future invasion.

The court of Rome, having rejected the propofitions offered by the French commiffioners as the conditions of peace, refolved to try the force or fortune of its arms against thofe of the French republic. Although abandoned by the court of Spain, and the powers of Italy, who had concluded their refpective treaties of peace with France, his holinefs flattered himfelf that the deliverance of Italy by the imperial armies, which were. once more affembling to attempt the relief of Mantua, would fave him from the humiliation of laying his religion and his fovereignty at the feet of apoftates and infidels. Full of this affurance, he had rejected, almost without the trouble of examination, the renewed offers of negotiation which the directory made after the rejection of the conditions already propofed by the commiffioners. Buonaparte, in the mean time, had previously addreffed a letter (26th October) to the cardinal Mattei, archbishop of Ferrara, on the breaking up of the former negotiation, and the ceffation of the armiftice, which he termis a laft effort to bring the pope to conditions more moderate and more conformable to his true' interefts. Reminding the cardinal of the force and courage of the republican armies, he entreated him to repair to Rome, to advife with the pope concerning his real fituation; obferving to him, that peace was the wish of the republic, and

his own defire alfo, fince by that eans he hoped to end a conteft, which, as it was to himfelf without danger, was alfo without glory. The cardinal, after waiting the events of fix weeks, answered Buonaparte's letter by a memorial, in which he inftructed the French general, that his holiness, as fovereign pontiff, and depofitary on earth of thefe precepts of which the faviour of mankind had given the example to his faithful difciples and the whole world, had been always diligent to preferve harmony and peace in the great family of Chriftians; for which he was inclined to make every reasonable facrifice. He defcribed the extreme forrow which he had felt, as the common father of the faithful, for feveral years paft, in feeing France delivered over to fuch wild exceffes, and the children of the church plunging themselves into fuch horrible diforders; trufting, by means of the gentleness with which he treated the wanderers, that God would cure them of their blindness, and bring them back to the fold. But fo far was this fpirit of meeknefs, which had led him to renounce every worldly confideration, and make the most confiderable facrifices to keep peace between the ecclefiaftical ftates and France, from having its due effect, that, blinded by the fuccefs of their arms, the French government, after fhearing the sheep to the quick, were now waiting to devour him; having exacted from the pope the facrifice of his foul, of the fouls of those committed to bis care, and the overthrow and total deftruction of religion, the gofpel, and the church. Alarmed at fuch daring attempts, his holinefs had devoutly afked advice of God what conduct he should hold

in fo dreadful a conjuncture. The holy ghoft, the cardinal obferved, had no doubt inspired him in bring ing to his recollection the example, of the martyrs; for, after having folicited the French directory in vain to listen to more reasonable terms, he was decided to try the chance of war. He reminded the general, that while death, with which he threatened them, was only the entrance of good men into eternal happiness, it was the end of profperity to the wicked, and the beginning of their punishment and remorfe. Hinting to him, that his army, though formidable, had not always been invincible, he obferved, that, whatever ridicule fcep tics might caft upon fpiritual arms, yet,

if it pleafed divine Providence, the French legions might become a fatal example of their efficacy. As to the glory of conquer ing the pope, he admitted that it was not great; but as to the dauger, the confidence his holiness placed in heaven would not suffer him to believe that there was any danger but for the French general and his followers.

Having thus defcribed the pope's pious refignation, and his warlike refolutions, the cardinal returned to the principal point of Buonaparte's letter, which he acknowledged to be the defire of peace; and which the pope, he obferved, would accept, if the conditions were reasonable, and fuch as were agreeable to his allies.

The fuccefs of the application made by his holiness to the court of Vienna for affiflance (to which the minifter of that court had at length reluctantly acceded, after difcovering strong symptoms of averfion to an alliance by which little benefit was to refult to the emperor, and the difficulty of mak

ing peace increased) had ftrengthened the pope in the determination he had taken of trying the fortune of war. To give efficacy to his decifion, he ordered extraordinary levies to be made in the ecclefiaftical state. His army was to be reinforced by a confiderable corps of German troops, and count Colli was appointed to take the command. The views of the court of Spain were no longer concealed from the holy fee. If the total deftruction of the papal power was not a facri fice made to France, which was ftrongly fufpected, the hope of aggrandizement to the duke of Parma was believed to have influenced that court in confenting to a difmemberment of the ecclefiaftical state. Azzara, the Spanish minifter, had withdrawn from Rome in difguft, and had ceded his place, as mediator between the pope and the French republic, to the Neapolitan ambaf-, fador at the papal court. In vain did the commiffary of the French republic at Rome, aided by M. Del Vafto, renew his applications, and urge his holinefs to fentiments of peace with the French republic; in vain did the marquis of Manfredini affure the minifter of the holy fee, that the converfations he had held with general Buonaparte afforded the most certain grounds for coming to speedy and more reafonable terms of accommodation than had been offered by the French commiffioners, or than had even been propofed at the armiftice. The pope, believing that the French were unwilling to carry the matter to extremes, yet, fufpecting that intereft alone had infpired these fentiments of moderation, tempo. rized as long as his treaty with the emperor was doubtful; but, as foon as it was concluded, he broke off all negotiation with the French,

and refolved, with the affiftance of
his ally, to reft his caufe on the
valour of his army.

The warlike ardour of the pope
was but ill feconded by his fub-
jects, many of whom were more
anxious to welcome the French to
Rome than prevent their arrival.
The government had long fince
fallen into contempt; and the ftrug-
gle of the papal army with the
victorious legions of France feemed
rather an object of ridicule than
apprehenfion. The vigilance of
the inquifition or the police could
no longer prevent the walls of the
public places from being the he
ralds of what were esteemed by the
government impious or feditious
libels; and the" fenate and people
of Rome," and the triumphs of the
Capitol, were themes of dread and
exultation, according to the hopes
and fears of the reigning or revo-
lutionary party. With exultation
no longer concealed, the enthusi
aftic Italian detailed his vifions of
glory, and triumphed in the ap
proaching reftoration of his country,
if not to her ancient dignity and
fplendour, at least to that liberty,
which, on the revival of letters,
rendered every city of Italy the
nursery of genius, and raised up
thofe illuftrious poets, painters, and
hiftorians, who rivalled the most
celebrated names of antiquity, and.
who threw as much luftre around
their country by their proficiency
in letters, the fciences, and the arts,
as their remoter ancestry had done
by the progrefs of their arms.

Whilft the pope was making preparations to defend his ftates, the four confederated cities of Bologna, Ferrara, Modena, and Reggio, had formed their refpective conftitutions, and named deputies for a general congrefs, to determine. by what bonds of union they fhould

hence

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