Imatges de pàgina
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folution of the emperor, to put himfelf at the had of his army, was taken, no doubt, with a view to ronze the ancient courage of the Germans; and to give efficacy to proclamations, which he issued at the fame time, for calling forth the force of the country in volunteer associations. But the emperor had no fooner joined the army, which was under the immediate and fole command of the archduke John, than he made application to the French government for a prolongation of the armiftice. The first conful, on conditions presently to be mentioned, agreed to this, declaring at the fame time that the renewal of hoftilities, or the improvement of a fufpenfion of arms into a permanent peace, would wholly depend on the rejection, or the ratification of the preliminaries concluded with Mr. de St. Julian. The conful, at the fame time, declared that he thought it his duty, not to waste the remainder of the autumn in idle conferences, or to expofe himself to endlefs diplomatic difcuffions, without fecurities for the fincerity of the enemy's intentions. The fecurities he demanded were Philipfburg, Ulm, and Ingolstadt, with their dependent forts. This condition, though it exposed the hereditary dominions of Auftria, in a great measure, at the mercy of the enemy, being agreed to at Hohenlinden, a fufpenfion of arms was concluded for forty-five days, commencing from the twentyfirft of September.

There was not, during this interval, any remiffion of military preparation on either fide. Recuits were fent from the camp at Dijon to the French armies; and the Auftrians were reinforced by battalions raised in all parts of the hereditary ftates. The

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French army of the Rhine, feconded on its left by the army of Augereau, and on its right by that of the Grifons, formed, on the Mayne, as far as the entry into the Tyrol, a line ready to advance on the first fignal. It was compofed of twelve divifions, comprizing at least a hundred thousand men, and was divided into four corps; of which, that under general Lecombe, confifting of three divifions, occupied Upper Suabia, Upper Bavaria, and the entry to the Tyrol. That under the immediate orders of the commander-in-chief in perfon, confifting of three other divifions, occupied the two banks of the Iller, as faras Landshut. That of general Grenier confifting of three more divifions, held all the left banks of the Danube, nearly to Paffau, and the right bank of that river as far as the mouth of it at Altmuck: and, laftly, that of general St. Sufanne, compofed of three other divisions, occupied the country between the Mayne and the Danube, from Bamberg as far as Aix-la-Chapelle. While the French were thus formidable in front, there was nothing to be apprehended on either of their flanks. Italy was re-conquered. Switzerland was in their poffeffion, and moulding its government juft as the French pleafed and a Pruffian army maintained the neutrality of the north of Germany.

The Auftrian armies advanced to the frontiers, and occupied a chain of pofts in front of the hoftile army, bending their main force to ftrengthen their line, from the frontier of Auftria to the gulph of Venice. An army of thirty thousand men was stationed in Bohemia, under the command of the archduke Charles. The right banks of the

Mayne

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Mayne were occupied by the Auf-
trians in great force. And an army,
under the command of general Kle-
nau, in the Upper Palatinate, was
opposed to the French divifion
der general St Sufanhe, whofe head-
quarters were at Mayence.

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The pofitions and firft movements of the invading army feemed to indicate an intention of carrying the great weight of the war into Bohemia. But the grand plan of Moreau's operations was not fully or certainly developed; this winter campaign being peedily cut fhort, by decifive advantages obtained over the Auftrians The French troops, under Augereau, drove thofe of Mayence from Afchafion berg, on the twenty-fourth of November, and marched through Franconia towards Bohemia, to communicate with the left of the divifion, under general Moreau.

December, affaulted the French poft at Hohenlinden, memorable for the laft convention, and rendered ftill more memorable by the battle of this day. The archduke had no fooner begun his march than there fell a heavy fhower of fnow and fleet, by which his march was fo much retarded, that only the central column had arrived at the place of deftination, at a time when all the divifions ought to have been ready for action. A divifion of the French, conducted by Richenpanfe, pierced between the left wing of the Auftrians and the centre, reached the great road behind the centre, and affaulted the left flank and rear of that column, at a moment when it had formed in front, and commenced an attack. The Auftrians, with their ufual courage and bravery, fuftained the conflict for feve ral hours: but their centre being Mo-repelled by the impetuofity of the French, great diforder enfued. Their left wing was alfo defeated : and the battle feemed to be completely decided in favour of the French, when a vigorous attempt was made, by the right wing, to turn the tide of victory.

On the twenty-ninth, genéral reau_recommenced hoftilities, near the Inn, and carried the Aufirian works at Wassenberg. He was lefs fuccessful in a battle, on the first of December, near Haag, where he was vigorously attacked by the archduke John, at the head of three columns. The Auftrians were repeatedly driven back, but at laft prevailed. The French were forced to retreat, with great flaughter. On the fame day, an attack was made by the French on an Auftrian poft at Rofenheim, but were repulfed, after a hot engagement. In this action, the prince of Condé's corps acquired great reputation, by their firmnefs and cool courage. On this occafion, the prince of Condé's fon, and the duke of Angouleme, were particularly diftinguifhed.

The archduke John, encouraged by these fucceffes, on the third of

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General Grenier fuftained this unexpected charge with firmnefs; and, being well fupported, threw his advérfaries into the atmost confufion. The Auftrians were forced to retire to the heights of Ramfan, with very great lofs: and general Kinwayer, being attacked on his march, by a corps from Arding, likewife fuffered feverely in that retreat, to which he was driven by intelligence of the difafter that had befallen the main army.

According to the account of the battle of Hohenlinden, given by general Moreau, the French took eighty pieces of cannon, two

hundred

hundred caiffons, ten thousand prifoners, and a great number of officers, among whom were three generals. The general does not state the lofs of the French to be more than one thoufand in killed, wounded, and miffing. But, according to the Auftrian accounts, and on which all the world placed more dependence, the report of Moreau exceeded the truth by at least one half. The victorious republicans, after a long and unremitted purfuit of the flying Auftrians, took poffeffion of the city of Saltzburgh.

In the mean time, the three other French armies, the Gallo-Batavian, and that-of Italy, were not idle. On the day diftinguifhed by the battle of Hohenlinden, general Augereau gained an important advan tage near Banberg. General Macdonald, defying the obftacles of an Alpine winter, paffed from the country of the Grifons into the Valtelline, drove the enemy before him, and opened a communication with the army of Italy.-A divifion of his army, after a series of actions with the Auftrians, croffed the Mincio, on the twenty-fixth of December.-Vienna was ftruck with terror. The archduke repaired to the camp, to animate the troops to fresh exertions. But this prince, on a comparative view of his own with the enemy's ftrength, propofed an armiftice, which was readily agreed to, and concluded, at Steyer, on the twenty-fifth of December, though the French, breaking their faith, had difmantled the three towns which had been delivered to them merely as pledges. The emperor now confented to the furrender of many other pofts, relying on the promife of reftitution. He was now conftrained, by a fucceffion of Vol. XLII.

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heavy loffes, to declare his readiness to detach himself from his allies, and recede from his former determination to agree to no other than a general peace. And the British court, duly fenfible of the alarming fituation in which they themselves had fo much contributed to involve him, released him from his engage

ments.

On a general retrospect of this combined campaign, in Italy and Germany, it is impoffible not to perceive and acknowledge that the courage, the genius, and the magnanimity too, of the leaders of the French armies, particularly the renowned Buonaparte, fhone forth with moft refplendent luftre. It was, on the whole, a war, as it were, of wit on the minds of the brave and fimple Germans. The French were not inferior to the Auftrians in bravery, but it was art, contrivance, and ftratagem, that decided the conteft in their favour. The happy choice of a pofition for the army of referve, at Dijon, from whence troops might be fent, as occafion fhould demand, either to Germany or Italy, the fecrecy and celerity with which Buonaparte darted crofs the Alps into Lombardy, and affembled fo great an army fo many points, the feints by which he amufed general Melas, the concert formed with Moreau, the feints too by which Moreau deceived and overcame his opponents on the Danube-all thefe circumftances form indeed a very ftriking contrast with that fupinenels and want of intelligence which difgraced the conduct of general Melas: who was yet an excellent officer, and might have been fuccesful, if he had been oppofed to a lefs inventive and towering genius than Buonaparte.

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It is not certain, however, whether the difcomfiture of general Melas is not in fome meature to be afcribed to a defign, which appears to have been entertained by the English miniftry, of raifing the white flag in the fouth of France under the fons of the count d'Artois and of the late duke of Orleans. His movements on the fide of Niece have been fuppofed by fome to have had a reference to that intended expedition. We have not, however, received any certain information on this fubject.

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In eftimating the merits of the oppofite commanders, it is proper, in juftice to general Melas, to take notice of the fingular advantage which the French generals poffeffed in the concert of their operations. The Auftrian generals were to be guided, in all their principal movements, by a council of war at Vienna: while Buonaparte could take his meafures on the fpot, and accommodate the tactics of both Moreau and Berthier to rifing events.

It would be unpardonable in an annalift to pafs over, without due notice and applaufe, the wife and magnanimous conduct of the chief conful, in being ever ready, and even defirous, in the hour of the greateft victories, to fufpend the career of war, and come to terms of peace.

While his imperial majefty was in danger of lofing his territories, his tremendous adversary, Buonaparte, was in danger of lofing his life. On the twenty-fourth of De'cember, when he was on his way to the theatre, a fudden explosion broke the windows of his carriage, killed feveral perfons, and wounded others. This mifchief was occafioned by a barrel, in which were combustibles and a kind of rifle-gun, placed on a fmall carriage, fo difpofed as to obftruct the paffage through the ftreets. This infernal confpiracy was clearly traced to the jacobins. Some of the confpirators were con victed, and fuffered the punishment due to their crimes,

CHAP.

CHA P. XIV.

Return from the Affairs of the Continent to thofe of Great Britain.-Disturb ances in the Prison of Cold-Bath-Fields.—Mobs and Riots on Account of the exhorbitant Price of Bread.-Naval Exploits.—And Expeditions to the Coafts of France, Spain, and Africa.-Negociation for Peace with France renewed. Reduction of the Island of Malta, under the Power of Great Britain. And of the Dutch Island of Curaçao.—An English Fleet, with Troops on board, menaces Cadiz.Affairs of Egypt.-Weft Indies.— Eaft Indies. -A Storm brewing in the North of Europe.-Summary Review of the Eighteenth Century

AVING taking a fummary re

of war, on the continent, we return to thofe of Great Britain.

Soon after the parliament had been prorogued, apprehenfions of tumult and riot alarmed the affluent and eafy inhabitants of London. On the fourteenth of Auguft, the prifoners in the houfe of correction, in Cold-Bath-Fields, rendered impatient, perhaps,* by the friendly vifits of certain members of parliament, whofe philanthropy, it was obferved, was directed chiefly to men obnoxious to government, and to objects, from which there was the greateft reafon to hope for the reputation of benevolence, exhibited ipecimens of turbulence, and a defire of escaping from their confinement. They refufed to fubmit, in the evening, to the ufual fhutting in of their cells; and when they were compelled to

Spes addita fufciat iras. Virg.

give way, on miferies to which they were fubjected. A multitude of people was drawn to the walls of the prifon; and it was apprehended that the mob would attempt to release the prifoners. At this crifis, the keeper, Aris, a rigorous and hard-hearted man, fallied out, and procured the aid of fome peace-officers, for the defence of his poft. The volun teers of Clerkenwell, St. Sepulchre, and other adjoining districts, repaired, from their fhops, to affist in quelling the disturbance; and peace and order were at length reftored. The contagion of this example was the more to be dreaded, that the price of bread, from a bad feafon, from the war, but, probably, above all, from an overflow of money, fuch as it was, had rifen to an exorbitant height. This evil was perhaps occafioned allo, in fome

complaints of the

The experiment, whether the high price of provifions is not, in part, to be attri buted to the influx of wealth and artificial currency, is, from the abundance of the har◄ veft of 1801, now on foot, September 21, 1801.

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