Page images
PDF
EPUB

the French to incorporate themfelves with the Helvetic republic but the fcenes which had paffed in the cantons had fuch an effect upon their minds, that they resolved to throw themselves into the arms of Auftria, rather than accept the bleffings of Gallic fraternity. The diet took measures for the expulfion of the partifans of France from the offices into which they had intruded themfelves; and intimation was given to the emperor of the danger to which the Grifon ftate was expofed from the proximity of a French army. Troops were levied for the defence of the country; the leaders of oppofition were feifed; the menaces of the French refident were treated with contempt; and, on the 17th of October, a convention was figned with the court of Vienna, the latter engaging to defend the territories and maintain the privileges of the Grifons. The next day, an Auftrian army entered the country; and the chief pofts were occupied by the strangers, in concert with a fmall force of the natives. The French, unwilling at that time to come to a rupture with the emperor, diffembled their refentment; and Schauenburg declared, that the good understanding between the directory and that prince would not be impaired by thefe proceedings.

SPAIN AND PORTUGAL.

The Spaniards are not fo decidedly hoftile to Great-Britain as their allies would wish them to be; nor are they dif pofed to gratify the enmity of the French against Portugal. At their defire, the directory confented to receive a plenipotentiary from the court of Lisbon, that a negotiation might be recommenced; but the terms which the French wilhed to impofe were not calculated to produce an accommodation.

ITALY.

In treating of the important affairs of Italy, we will begin from the north. In the Cif-alpine ftate, a violent conteft arose in the fummer between the adherents of the Parifian directory and thofe politicians who wished to fe cure to that republic the dignity of independence. Incensed at the spirit of the latter, the French defpots refolved to new-model that conftitution which had been given as an extraordinary favour to the Cif-alpines, and to punish, by

imprisonment, or in other modes, the oppofers of their will, It was peremptorily required by the French envoy, in September, that the two councils should be reduced to one half of their former number, that their power and privileges fhould be diminished, and a decifive fway over them be affigned to the five directors, whom it was easy for those of Paris to influence. To this arbitrary mandate the deputies were obliged to fubmit; and the new conftitution was fanc tioned.

The Ligurian republic is in a fimilar state of dependence. Thofe members of the legiflature, who were inclined to follow their own fentiments in preference to the dictates of France, have been deprived of their feats; and tyranny and rapacity harass the unfortunate Genoese.

A revolution has been recently effected in Piedmont. The French afcribed, to their extraordinary moderation, the long delay of fuch a change; but the perfidy and the anti-republican spirit of the court of Turin, they said, rendered it neceflary to put an end to his authority. It was not a difficult tafk to execute this determination. Early in December, feveral fortified towns were feised by French detachments; and the enemy gained complete poffeffion of Turin. On the 9th, the king was constrained by his powerful adverfaries to relinquifh the fovereignty of Piedmont; and an agreement was figned, by which he ordered his fubjects to obey the French, who engaged to introduce no change that fhould affect the catholic religion, or the fecurity and property of individuals. He was permitted to retire to the ifland of Sardinia; and Piedmont was fubjected to a republican form of government.

The Roman commonwealth having excited the apprehenfion and jealoufy of the king of Naples, and the French perfifting in the fupport of an establishment which endangered the ftability of his power, he was induced to liften to the reiterated perfuafions of the court of London. He took the field in November, and made an irruption into the Roman territory, alleging that the erection of a republic in that country was repugnant to the treaty of Campo-Formio, and declaring his intention of compelling the French to renounce their ufurpation. They were obliged to retire from various pofts; but they foon returned with augmented force, defeated the Neapolitans, invaded the province of Abruzzo with fuccefs, and threatened the city of Naples with a vifit. There is reafon to believe, that the event of the war will be highly unfavourable to the king.

Though Malta is not ufually confidered as a part of Italy, it is at fo inconfiderable a distance from Sicily, that we may,

without impropriety, introduce in this place fome account of the late occurrences in that ifland. The government of the French foon became unpopular; and the Maltese did not conceal their discontent. To secure themselves more effectually from the violence which there was reason to apprehend, the former retired into the forts of the capital, whence they occafionally fired over the houses, fo as to intimidate the inhabitants into the grant of supplies of provifion. A fleet of British and Portuguese ships appearing near the island, the French were fummoned to an immediate furrender; and, on their refufal, the marquis Nizza formed a blockade with his veffels, while fir James Saumarez, who had borne an honourable share in the engagement at Aboukir, proceeded to Gibraltar, though not before he had fupplied the Maltese with arms and ammunition. On the 28th of October, the neighbouring isle of Goza, or Gozzo, was reduced by commodore Ball; but no certain account has been received of the re-capture of the forts of Malta.

TURKEY.

The invafion of Egypt fo fully evinced the encroaching fpirit and dangerous ambition of the French, that the Ottoman cabinet exhibited ftrong symptoms of alarm, and seemed to feel the neceffity of oppofing the reftlefs republicans. The naval victory of Nelfon encouraged the fultan in his hostile views; and he at length announced to the foreign minifters at Conftantinople his refolution of declaring war. The refident and other fubjects of France were imprisoned; and a general animosity against the republic was eagerly promoted by the court.

The manifefto of the Sublime Porte,' promulgated on this occafion, feems not to be the fole fruit of Turkish deliberation and labour: it is probable that the British minifter at Conftantinople, or his fecretary, had a great share in the compofition of it. It traces the proceedings of the French from the era of the revolution to the present time, contrafts the opennefs and moderation of the Porte with the duplicity and injuftice of the rulers of the republic, and represents the views of the latter, however masked with a zeal for the diffufion of liberty, as being directed to the banifhment of every orderly inftitution from the face of the globe, to the fubverfion of human fociety, and to the overthrow of the conftitution of every eftablished independent ftate, by means of the alternate exercife of fecret intrigue and open hoftility.

A fleet was now equipped with great expedition; and it was joined by a Ruffian fquadron from the Euxine. The combined armament, which is represented as confifting of 11 fhips of the line and 16 frigates, foon met with fome fuccefs. The commanders gained poffeffion of the ifle of Cerigo; and to this conqueft they added that of Zante, as well as that of Cephalonia. In November, a defcent was made in Corfu; but, as the fortifications of this ifland, which had been kept in good order by the Venetian engineers, have been improved by the French, the report of its early. reduction may be confidered as premature.

If we reflect on the conjunction of the Turks with the adverfaries of France, we may juftly deem it an act of imprudence in the grand fignor to take part in the war; for, though fome politicians have recommended foreign war as an antidote to domeftic commotions, it feems very improbable that fuch a measure will operate as a remedy in the prefent cafe. The new enemies of the Porte are known to have fome fkill in the propagation of revolutionary doctrines; and the yet unquelled revolt of the pacha of Widin is not one of those infurrections which a leader would be inclined to relinquifh for the general defence of the eftablished government of his country.

RUSSIA.

The fovereign of this great empird has at length commenced warlike operations against the French. The progrefs of his fleet we have already mentioned; but the ex-ploits of a confiderable army which he has fent into the Auftrian dominions, will be the fubjects of confideration, when the men who compofe it fhall have entered upon the talk of delivering Europe-the profeffed object of their march.

The advance of the Ruffian army produced a remonstrance from the Gallic minifters at Raftadt, intimating, that, if the diet of Ratisbon fhould not effectually oppofe the march of the northern intruders, the republic would break off the negotiation. What effect this declaration has had upon the progrefs of the Mofcovites, we have not learned.

The alliance between the courts of Peterfburg and Conftantinople will not, we think, be of great fervice to the Anti-Gallican caufe. Such confederates cannot be expected to unite with cordiality; and the league will perhaps ter minate in a rupture.

NORTH-AMERICA.

Military and naval préparations are still continued, with zeal and vigour, throughout the United States. Many fhips of war, but chiefly of a small fize, have been equipped; and fome predatory French veffels have been captured. The regiments of militia have been organifed and difciplined on an improved plan: the regular force of the republic has been augmented; and the fortifications of the towns most exposed to an attack have been repaired and improved.

. For several months, alarming accounts were received of the revival and fatal progrefs of the yellow fever in many of the American towns: but, as the winter approached, it's rage declined. At the meeting of the congrefs, on the 8th of December, the prefident propofed an inquiry into the laws of the different ftates refpecting the prefervation of health, that new regulations might be devifed for obviating the malignancy of a difeafe which had fo confider ably diminished the population of the country.

The other parts of the fpeech of the prefident, related to the difputes with the French, and to various political topics. He mentioned the ultimate failure' of the mea fures which had been taken for an amicable adjustment of all differences with France. The rulers of that country, he faid, appeared folicitous to imprefs the opinion, that they were averfe to a rupture; and they had declared that they were willing to receive a minifter for the purpose of reftoring a good understanding? but they had expreffed themselves in terms which feemed to imply a right of prefcribing the qualifications requifite for fuch a minifter; a pretenfion which he confidered as inadmiffible. He added, that the decree of the directory, alleged to be intended to reltrain depredations, had not given and could not give any relief, as it enjoined a conformity to thofe laws which were themfelves the fources of the depredations." He could difcover nothing in the conduct of France which ought to change or relax the measures of public defence: on the contrary, it was true policy to extend and invigorate theni. In proportion (faid he) as we enlarge our view of the portentous and incalculable fituation of Europe, we fhall difcover new and cogent motives for the full developement of our energies and refources.' While he held this fpirited language, he did not wish it to be inferred, that he had abandoned the defire of peace; for he was of opinion, that

2

« PreviousContinue »