lation, and their fecrets were entrufted to the fidelity of the public poft. It was in the examination of the letters of fome of thofe perfonages that it was difcovered how idle was the attempt to win their affection to the republican government by kindness; and that among thofe even who formed the circle of vifitants at the confular paJace, thè contempt both of his perfon and authority was the moft unreftrained. This imprudence on the part of the newly-returned emigrants was carried fo far, not only in Paris, but in the departments, where the purchasers of national domains were fignalised, and fometimes punished as plunderers of private property, that the minifter of juftice was compelled at length to interfere. In two circular letters addreffed to the præfects, these adminiftrators were ordered to fignify to those who had entered the territory without leave, or who had not entered their protests against their infcription on the emigrant lift within the time allowed by the laws, to quit Paris in three days, and the republic in twenty, under pain of banishment.

The organization of the maritime department likewise engaged the attention of the government. No part of the public fervice had more feverely fuffered from the conduct of the adminiftrators than the French marine, and the valour of the English navy had scarcely been more hoftile to it than the corruption and incapacity of its adminiftrators. The government had begun the reform by removing the minister of marine, and putting into prifon the chief contractor; but finding the evil more general, and that while the prefent fyftem remained unaltered the abufes would only feek to conceal themfelves under other forms from de

The

tection, it refolved on a radical change. The concentration of power, like that obferved in the government of the departments, was the fyftem adopted. The maritime territory of the republic was divided into fix arrondiffements, of which Dunkirk, Havre, Breft, L'Orient, Rochefort, and Toulon, were to be the capitals. In each of thefe places refides a maritime præfect, who receives his orders immediately from the minifter of the marine, and remains in a continual correfpondence with him. fervice of the posts and arfenals of Breft, Rochefort, L'Orient, and Toulon, was organized in four divifions; the staff-officers, troops of artillery, and marine; naval conftructions, operations of the port; park of artillery; adminiftration, &c. which details were confided to chiefs under the authority of the maritime præfect. An infpector for each arrondiffement was likewife named by the first conful, who verified the various operations of the præfects. A council of adminiftration, compofed of the maritime præfect, and of the chiefs of the different details of the ports, was alfo formed, which council, aided by the inspector, took cogni zance of all contracts, fales, leafes, and pecuniary engagements whatever, which were fubmitted, previous to their execution, to the minifter of the marine. By these fimple regulations the government put an end to that anarchical and traitorous mode of administration which had hitherto prevailed; the various powers were placed in regular fubordination to each other, and the chain of refponfibility of each was rendered complete, of which the chief conful held the firft link. The department of foreign affairs likewise underwent a

revifion.

fallen into complete diffolution through difeafe and famine. Such was the refult of the fyftem of robbery and dilapidation which had been introduced by Scherer into the war department, and which had defcended to the lowest adminiftrators. Every part of the army fervice presented the fame deplorable afpect, the magazines and military chefts were all empty, and the fucceffive exertions of the different chiefs of this army had ferved only to prove their inability; every public and private refource was exhaufted; every hope of fuccour had given way to defpair; the army had received no pay for feven months; and the foldier at length faw no other means of efcaping from death but by flying thofe abodes of defolation. Whole batallions quitted their pofts without order, and generals even without waiting permiffion. The lofs which the French fuftained during the winter in the territory of Genoa alone by disease and famine, with out feeing a fingle enemy, amounted nearly to thirty thousand men.

Maffena had therefore in a great measure to re-create the army of which he went to take the command. For this purpose he received from the confuls extraordinary powers with respect to every department, military, political, adminiftrative, and financial. This kind of abfolute authority was neceffary to remedy an evil fo defperate as that of the almost total diforganization of the armies in the fouth; for it was not only in the territory of Genoa that this diforder prevailed; the troops ftationed in the fouth of France, in the countries bordering on the Rhine, were al moft in the fame ftate of diffolution; and fome idea may be formed of the fituation of the armies on

the frontier, when, in the heart of France, the foldier, for want of pay and clothing, was obliged to live on forced and arbitrary requifitions. At Lyons Maffena began to recruit his army. At Marfeilles, finding that the contractors, failing in their engagements, had filed at his approach, he difpatched whatever grain he found, and fecured the promife of a larger fupply. Before he reached Nice, Maffena, from the measures he adopted in his way, had organized a little army. The first operation of this corps was to bring back to their colours various ba tallions, and one whole divifion who had left thofe pofts in confequence of their extreme mifery, and had gone back into France to feek their pay, their food, and clothing. By a proper diftribution of reward and punishment, he fucceeded at length in perfuading them to rejoin their refpective standards.

But at Genoa, and its environs, these evils were accumulated in their fulleft force. The wretchednefs of the foldier was such, that he was become an object of pity to thofe in whom he had been accuftomed to infpire fear and refpect. The higher claffes of the Genoefe, who beheld in the French only the deftroyers of their commerce, their rank, and political confideration, lent their fecret aid to every measure that might drive them effectually from the country. The communications of the Auftrians in Genoa, by means of Italian refugees, by the peafants around Genoa, by the treafon of the Genoele general, Affiretto, and even by the French foldier himfelf, who fometimes fold his coufigne (foch was his diftrefs) for bread, were as frequent and extenfive as they could with. Under fuch circumftances, Malena found it impracticable with

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the means in his poffeffion to operate any great or fubftantial reform. Inftead of fixty thousand men which he was promifed, he found himself with only twenty-four thoufand to guard the whole line from Mount Cenis to the frontier of Tufcany. After informing the French government of the danger which awaited it in that quarter, and that the lofs in cafe of attack of the Ligurian republic was inevitable, he attempted to reorganize his army, wretched and diminutive as it was, compared with the forces it had to oppofe. He began by difmiffing the whole of the generals, who, whatever might have been the merit of their fervices, were affociated in the minds of the foldiers with the idea of past defeats. The troops, who were all formed into new divifions, received a small portion of their pay, and a little clothing, particularly fhoes, of which fcarce a pair was hitherto to be found in the army; a diftribution of bread more nourishing, and the re-organization of the hofpitals, were very fenfible ameliorations; and the foldier, on feeing the attention given to alleviate his moft preffing wants, became more difciplined and obedient.

But the Auftrian army was not the only enemy Maffena had to combat; a great part of the eastern territory of the Genoefe republic had been for fome months in full infurrection. The diforders of the foldiery had ferved as a pretence for thefe hoftilities, if any pretence was wanting to an Italian populace to lend its efforts to crush thofe who retreated before a fuperior force. This infurrection, which the French had not been able to quell on the eastern fide, threatened alfo the western territory, by which means Genoa would have been fur

rounded. Leaving the town, which required a ftrong garrifon, to the care of the national guard, which he re-organifed and put into active fervice, Maffena, after repeated proclamations, which were difregarded by the infurgents, difpatched the firft divifion of his army towards them, which after repeated and obftinate conflicts repreffed the progrefs of the revolt, where it did not bring the infurgents to obedience.

Notwithstanding these and other measures to ameliorate the lot of the army, few of the plans which Maffena had projected received their due execution. Part only of the corn purchased at Marseilles reached Genoa. The army was reduced again to fhort allowance, and the inhabitants of the town received only two ounces of bread each a day. The paffage by fea, which had been prevented by a continuance of contrary winds, was now obftructed by the British fleet. The winter had paffed without any important amelioration of the ftate of the army, notwithstanding the exertions and vigilance of the general, who faw the defiles of the mountains becoming practicable, the Auftrians preparing to enter the field, his own advanced posts obliged to fall back, and the army in no condition to meet fo formidable a force as the coalefced powers were collecting to bring against him.

Thus fituated, the French army had only the choice of evils, that of entering the field against a force greatly its fuperior, or of being blocked up in Genoa, which was not provifioned, and which, if not relieved, muft neceffarily be reduced by famine. The ports along the coafts were in the fame ftate. The Ligurian government declared itfelf utterly incapable of any

longer

longer supplying the wants of the troops, the neceffities of which were fo great, that it required lefs expence to create a new army, than place that of Genoa, as it was fituated, in a proper fituation either for attack or defence.

The Auftrian army, fecure on account of the diftreffed fituation of that of the French, had confined itself during the winter to a fimple ftate of obfervation, by drawing a cordon, and had been diffeminated throughout Piedmont, Lombardy, the state of Venice, and in various parts of the Roman territory. Thus divided, it seemed in no forward ftate to open the campaign, although it had an easy mode of receiving every thing neceffary to put it into fpeedy action. The recruits and reinforcements which it had procured during its long repofe, divided after the fame fyftem, had fcarcely been noticed. The accounts which were received made mention of fo few troops, that this army, which was generally confidered as far from having repaired the loffes of the last campaign, was fupposed also to have been much reduced by difeafe. In fhort, it was generally believed by the French that the Austrians could not take the field, but at an advanced feafon, at the moment when the different divifions that compofed their army were marching to open the campaign; and the aftonifhment of the French was univerfal, as well as their admiration, at the fecrecy of the preparations, and the precifion of the execution in the march of Melas, when they faw him affembling together in a few days 10,000 men before Bobbio, the fame number before Tortona, 30,000 before Acqui and Aleffandria, and attack them with forces fo refpectable, leaving behind him in Piedmont all

his cavalry, a numerous artillery, and 20,000 infantry. The French army, including the garrifon of Genoa, Gavi, and Novi, confifted of 17,620 men, extended along a line of fixty miles.

The appearance of the English fleet before Genoa, on the fifth of April, was the fignal for the commencement of hoftilities. The communication by fea was now cut off. A few days preceding, a certain quantity of wheat, and other provifions, had entered Genoa; fo that had the blockade taken place fooner, the town must have immediately furrendered. That day had paffed in fkirmishes at the out-pofts, but, on the day following, 20,000 of the Auftrian troops, which were ftationed at Acqui, marched upon Savona, where the French had only 3000 men, who made a vigorous but ineffectual refiftance at Torre, and were driven back to the pofition of Cadibona, of which the Austrians gained poffeffion, and threatened, by their march on Savona, to cut off all communication of the Genoefe army with France. This divifion of the French was rescued from deftruction by the intrepidity of general Soult, who commanded the centre. The Auftrians, continuing the attack, entered the suburbs of Savona with the French, the citadel of which the French general had meanwhile retaken and provifioned during the night, after which he evacuated the town, and made good his retreat to the heights of Albi.

While this divifion of the Auftrian army, to the west of Genoa, was occupied in cutting off the communication with France, which it had effected by the taking of Savona, the eastern divifion had taken poffeffion of Montefaccio, in

the