Bonaparte, leaving a fufficient number of forces to keep up the blockade of Mantua, marched along the Adige to attack the Auftrian army which was frongly entrenched at Mori, and which occupied the paffes of St. Marco. After a fevere conteft, thefe paffes were taken by the French, and the Auttrians were compelled to evacuate the city of Roveredo, which had long been their chief depot, and take refuge in Trent. In order to cover this important city, the Auftrians had rallied at the pass of Calliano, and had taken pofitions which appeared impregnable. The addrefs and courage of the divifion under General Maffena, furmounted this obftacle; and after a long and obftinate conflict, in which the French made 6,000 prifoners, and took twenty pieces of cannon, Maffena victorioufly entered the city of Trent, while General Wurmfer, drawing on the remainder of his forces to the right, towards Baffano, affembled the greater part of them in the valley of Brenta.

By this manœuvre, the Auftrian commander hoped to have engaged Bonaparte to have continued his march into the Tyrol, which appeared to be his object, and to which there was no longer any oppofition; while, by rapid marches, he was enabled, from the pofition he had taken, to fall into the rear of the French army, and by cutting it off from the divifion left to form the blockade of Mantua, had hoped, with the affiftance of the garrifon, to defeat this divifion, and fo prevent the retreat of the French general. Bonaparte, however, instead of continuing his march from Trent in the Tyrol, aware of the defign of Wurmifer, turned fhort to the right, and followed him clofely to the valley of Brenta. Purfuing his march along the river of this name, he defeated the Auftrians (September 8th fucceffively, at Primonalo, at Covolo, at Cefmone, and laft at B ffano, where Wurmfer had established his head-quarters. Perceiving himself then vigorously purfued, Wurmfer had no alternative but to retreat towards Triefte, by which he must have abandoned Mantua

Mantua to its fate, or make good his march to that place, and reinforce the garrifon with the wrecks of his army. The latter plan feemed to him the most practicable; he accordingly prefented himself before Verona, where he attempted to pass the Adige; but General Kilmaine, whom Bonaparte had left in that city, oppofed his progrefs; and he was on that account compelled to feek a paffage at Porto Legano, which be fortunately effected. It was Bonaparte's intention to have prevented him from penetrating to Mantua, and he had taken measures to furround him, and compel him to furrender; but Wurmfer's marches were fo rapid, that this plan could not be put into execution. He met with refiftance in his march at Cerea, Caftellano, and Duc Caftelli; but as he had to contend with inferior forces, he fucceeded in making his way to Mantua, where the French attacking, and obtaining, after great flaughter, the poits of Favorito and St. George, in the fuburbs of the city, and not having artillery to form a fiege, turned the whole into a biockade. In this attack it was computed that the imperialists loft 20,000 men; and this was the third army that had been destroyed, in the courfe of the campaign, in attempting to reduce Lombardy once more under the Auftrian yoke.

Fresh scenes of political difcord and disorder, which threatened the fubverfion of government and the renewal of the reign of terror, on the 19th of July, prefented themfelves at Marfeilles.

For this deftructive purpofe, the Jacobins fixed on the period when the citizens affembled for the annual choice of their magiftrates. Marseilles at once refembled a city taken by ftorm, and delivered over to the pillage of a ferocious foldiery. Bands of affaffins ran through the streets, with their necks and arms bare, armed with fabres, ftillettos, and clubs, exclaiming, Long live the mountain !"-" Long live the conititution of 1793" and having divided themselves into different bands, they took poffefion of the halls where

the

the fections affembled, overthrew the urns which contained the ballots of the citizens, drove the prefidents and fecretaries of the affemblies from their places, and murdered thofe who made refiftance. The commiffary of the directory of Marfeilles excufed thofe outrages to the government as private quarrels between the royalifts and republicans: but the council of five hundred initituted an enquiry into the facts, and expofed the perfidy of the agent of government, and having annulled the elections, ordered the directory to fill up the vacancies provifionally, until proper measures fhould be taken for the fecurity and tranquillity of the

city.

But although the Jacobins were molt frequently guilty of thefe exceffes; yet the public tranquillity was often disturbed by the partizans of royalty, and by fanatics, who under the title of Societies of the Sun and of Jefus, retaliated with great feverity, and often with cruelty, on the agents of terrorifm, by whom, in the days of revolutionary government, they had been feverely perfecuted.

The

Infurrections, however, had been moftly confined to the louth of France, where the paffions, perhaps, acquire energy from the influence of the climate: yet thefe were generally quelled by military force. Jacobins at this period being defeated at Marfeilles, foon after another attempt for the fubverfion of the government at Paris itself, more violent and extravagant than even that of Babeuf, was luckily detected.

Drouet, who had a principal fhare in the confpiracy, bad been arrefted; but it was thought, that by the connivance of the Jacobin party in the government, had efcaped from the Abbey prifon where he had been confined. And, although the evafion of Drouet rendered the affembly of a national court unneceflary, it was, however, determined that the trial of his accompices fhould be carried on in the fame forms as if he was prefent. This confpiracy, which, for its extent

and

and its views, may rank with any recorded in hiftory, became justly an object of national attention. The examination of the papers of the confpirators, which formed a collection, as curious as it was terrible, prefented fuch details and ramifications of treafon, as deterred the government from making them immediately public; and it was fome time before the depth of this confpiracy was difcovered.

Upon the publication of thefe papers, the nation called aloud for the trial of the confpitators. When Babeuf with the other confpirators was transferred to the city of Vendome, where the high national court was appointed to affemble, the fubaltern agents of the confpiracy attempted a fresh infurrection in order to favour the efcape of their leaders. It was foon difcovered, the agents having been detected in the very fact. The Jacobins having failed in this plan, were not difcouraged from undertaking another of a fill bolder and more defperate nature. A number of defperadoes confifting of fix hundred perfons, affembled at the village of Vaugirard, and they entered the camp which contained troops ftationed there to preferve the public tranquillity at midnight, crying "Long live the conftitution of 1793!-Down with the councils; Down with the five tyrants! (the directory) Having entered the camp they invited the foldiers to fraternity, to get rid of their chiefs, and march under their banners to glory and empire. As this was an undifguifed a&t of rebellion, the foldiers did not defer the punishment. The most forward of the infurgents were immediately put to the fword, or fhot: and the remainder fled in all directions. The greater part made their efcape: one hundred and thirty two were taken prifoners, and were afterwards tried by a military commiflion; of these the greater part were releafed; the reft having been formerly members of revolutionary committees were condemned to banishment or death.

The project of thefe defperate and infatuated men, was to put to death the majority of the directory, and

the

the greater part of the two councils, the ftaff of Paris, and all the minifters, except Merlin, the minifler of justice, whom, from his lenity, they fuppofed to be their friend.

At the head of this confpiracy, were three ex-reprefentatives of the people, and three ex-generals, who were all executed. This defperate attempt had the falutary effect of awakening the executive power to greater vigilance against the remains of Jacobinifin in France.

This infurrection took place at the moment when the legiflature was employed in forming a law of general amnefty for revolutionary crimes committed from the oth of July 1789 to the 4th of February 1798. The reftlefs fpirit of the Jacobins, however, prevented this humane law from being enacted.

At this time, the republic of Geneva, relying on the friendship of the French republic, to the fortunes of which it had fhewn the moft conftant attachment, enjoined M. Reybaz, its minifter, to requeft from the directory, that the fame protection which it gave to the Dutch republic, in making the acknowledgement of its independence a part of the conditions with thofe powers with whom it concluded treaties of peace, might be extended to that of Geneva; fince fuch acknowledgement was neceffary, particularly with refpect to their neighbour, the King of Sardinia, and might prove ferviceable' to them with the Princes of the German empire.

This was a requeft which might have been granted by France without any inconvenience to them.felves, and would have been admitted by the refpective powers without difficulty. The French government, however, (always politic amidst all their internal convulfions) had other views; and the minifter of foreign affairs hinted to M. Reybaz, that it was probable the republic of Geneva might find it more advisable, and more accordant to its future tranquillity and intereft, to renounce its independency, and become an integral part of the French republic, M. Reybaz, who had no inftructions