THE

FRANCE.

HE victories achieved by the French arms in Switzerland, were too remote to afford protection to their forces in Rome and Civita Vecchia, and they have confequently both fallen into the hands of the Neapolitans and English.

In our laft, we left General Maffena in poffeffion of Zurich, from whence he wrote to the Directory, on the 9th of October, recapitulating his late fucceffes. He states, that, finding it impossible to act to advantage in the vallies about Glarus, he determined to leave Suwarrow at liberty to enter Switzerland by Einsiedlen, hoping, that oppreffed by the bloody combats which he had forced him to in the Valley of Mutten, and fatigued with the refiftance he had oppofed to him in the defile of Glarus, he would efcape from the mouse-trap he had got into upon the point of Einsiedlen, upon which he had only a battalion of obfervation ; and that he fhould have been able to have fought him at his eafe in an open country but willing to avoid a decifive action, the Ruffian General threw himfelf into the Grifons country, by the valley of Flems (upon the Upper Rhine) continually haraffed in flank and in rear, by the body destined to have attacked him, had he remained, and retired by the most difficult roads, leaving in the power of the French 2000 wounded, part of his artillery, and almost all his baggage.

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General Korfakoff, informed of the danger of Suwarrow, had joined in hafte with a body compofed of the remains of his army, that of Hotze, the Bavarian contingent, the corps de Conde, and all the Auftrian corp, who defended the Valley of the Grifons, near Coire, and he endea voured to proceed towards the Thur, eaft of the Lake of Zurich; but Maffena marched against him, while General Soult proceeded against Reineck. He found him between the Thur and the Rhine, on an ifland formed by the Rhine, the Thur, and the Lake of Conftance. He beat and drove him beyond that river, forcing him to cut away the bridges of Conftance and Dieffenhofen, of which he took poffeffion. Maffena ftates the refult of the different battles he had lately won, at about 18,000 prifoners, 8,000 of whom were wounded, and could not be taken away by the Auftrians and Ruffians; more than 100 pieces of cannon, 13 ftandards, 4 generals prifoners, 5 generals killed, including General Hetze; the retaking of Gothard, Glarus,

"In

and all the vallies which defile it. fhort," fays he, "the total lofs of the enemy in thefe different actions amounts to more than 30,009 men."

The next fuccefs of the republican arms was the defeat of the army of the Prince of Condé, and the Ruffians at Conftance, the details of which are given by the British agent, in a letter from Stockach, dated October 15th. He ftates, that the Ruffian army, after its retreat from Zurich, took up à pofition near Conftance. On the morning of the 9th of October, General Korfakoff refolved to pass the Rhine for the purpose of driving the enemy from their pofition. The army advanced for about a league, without difcovering the enemy; but, at length, they found him near the village of Schlatten, when the Ruffians began the attack with great intrepidity, and obliged the French to retreat into the woods. They were upon the point of furrendering, when General Maffena, in perfon, came with reinforcements, and obliged the Ruffians to retreat with great lofs, by the fame way in which they had advanced.

It appears, by an official dispatch from Colonel Clinton, dated Coire, October 9th, that the French, having received reinforcement from Zug, renewed their at tack, near the village of Mutten.. On the firft of October, a strong column of them advanced by the road in the centre of the valley, while two others, fkirting the foot of the mountains, endeavoured to get into the rear of the Ruffians: General Rofenberg, difcovering their intentions, proceeded with three battalions, fupported by two regiments of Coffacks, and attacked the centre of the enemy; their heavy guns, for a moment, gave an advantage: but nothing could withstand the steadiness of the Ruffian attack; the French retreated, and three pieces of cannon fell into the hands of the conquerors. General Rofenberg profited of the confufion of the enemy, and purfued them beyond Schwitz. killed and wounded they lost above 500 men and 13 officers, and above 1,000 were taken prifoners. The Ruffians had about 300 killed and wounded. On the 5th, the allied army marched by the Valley of Semft and Elm; the French followed the rear guard, and gained fome advantages during the first 3 or 4 miles of the march; upon a well-timed attack, however, of the Ruffians, they defifted, according to this authority, from any further attempt. On

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the 6th, the allied army paffed the Danis Mountain, which the fnow, that had fallen during the preceding week, had rendered dangerous; and fome baggage and horfes were loft on the march. This army foon after affembled at Coire, and after two days' repole, it was the intention of the Marthal to retreat out of the Grifons, and form a junction with the army of General Korfakoff.

Upon the Rhine, the French have alfo gained feveral advantages, and have advanced to Stutgard.

From the field of war, we are next to direct our attention to the civic contests of the French legiflators. On the 10th of October, the meffage of the Directory, announcing the different victories obtained by the armies being read, Gaudin extolled the valour of the republican troops; and expreffed his ardent wishes that their triumphs would be crowned with speedy peace. Boulay de la Meurthe, on the fame occafion obferved, that "The councils muft fuffer no petty paffions to difunite them; every thing muft yield to the national grandeur, and to the importance and facredness of their functions.That they mut, by using nobly the victories they had obtained, and repelling the impudent and the perfidious counfels of an unbridled ambition, and of a fanaticifim falfely revolutionary, elevate themselves to the great and just ideas of a diplomacy truly republican, and confequently founded on the rights of men, on the reciprocal independence of nations, on the real force, the character, the true glory, and the happintfs of the French people.-That, they must then, by the nature and condition of a treaty of peace, and by their vigilant fidelity in obferving it, become to all other people a model of wildom, as they had been of courage and felf-devotion." Echafferieux, the elder, joined in the celebration of the gallant exploits of the arnies, and coincided in the pacific fentiments expreffed by the preceding speakers. Lut us (he exclaimed) be juft and magnanimous towards all; mark out the end of our war and our victories, and ftop there; leaving to the force of opinion to roll round the earth the revolutionary car. Found a durable peace upon alliances which are eternally faithful;-thofe of mutual interefts and truth. We fhall then confole the world; and the coalition will leave nothing behind it but the most painful reflections."

It was decreed, that the armies of Helvetia and Batavia, and the Eaft, had not ceafed to deferve well of their country;

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that a feaft should be held throughout the republic in commemoration of the great actions which marked the end of the campaign; and that the Directory fould make known to the council the different traits of heroifm, that the national rewards appointed by law might be carefully dif tributed.

The Executive Directory fent a message to the Council of Five Hundred, on the 13th of October, on the finances, which ftated the amount of the receipts of the 7th year of the Republic, at 475,000,000 livres.-The expences of the year had been taken at 726,000,000; and the Directory were of opinion, that they would not fall fhort of the estimate. The deficit however, they flated to be 240 instead of 250,000,000, and deducting from thence 110,000,000, as the arrear of receipts, the actual deficit was 130,000,000 (about 5,400,000l. fterling). The Directory molt earneftly prayed the Councils to take mea, fures for filling up this void without delay, as they would wish to prevent the annihilation of public credit. This meffage was referred to a commiffion of feven members, with inftructions to make a speedy report.

The Executive Directory, in the month of October, iffued an arrête, in confequence of the government of Hamburg having, contrary to the laws of nations, delivered up NAPPER TANDY and his unfortunate affociates to the English. The preamble to the arrête ftates, that the imprisonment in the dungeons of Hamburg of Citizens Napper Tandy and Blackwell, naturalized Frenchmen, and attached to the fervice of the republic, as likewife the imprisonment of Citizens Morris and Corbell, and their deliverance into the hands of the agents of England, is an attack upon the rights of nations, and a crime against humanity, a flagrant offence against the French Republic.-' Therefore the Directory, among other articles, ordered that the confular and diplomatic agents who refided at the govern ment of Hamburg, fhould forthwith leave that city and territory.-That a general embargo fhould be laid upon all fhips and veffels carrying Hamburg colours, and that were then in the ports of the republic.

We now proceed to give an outline of a change, which took place in the rulers of the French government, on the 9th of November, which day will form another interefting epoch on the annals of the republic.

The Director Sieyes and General Buonaparte have been the oftenfible movers on this occafion.

A felect number of the Council of Ancients,

cients, on the 9th of October, paffed several decrees to the following effect: "That the legislative body should be transferred to the commune of St. Cloud, about four miles from Paris, on the following day, where the two councils fhould hold their fitting. That General Buonaparte fhould be charged with the execution of this decree, and fhould take every meafure neceffary for the fafety of the national reprefentation. That the guard of the legislative body, the ftationary national guards, the troops of the line, who may be without the commune of Paris, and the whole extent of the station of the 27th divifion, fhould be put directly under his orders, and commanded to acknowledge him in that capacity. All the citizens fhall affift him with their ability, when called upon to do fo.-That he fhall confult with the committee of infpection of the two councils.-That the prefent decree fhould be communicated by meffage to the Council of Five Hundred, and to the Executive Directory; and tranfmitted to all the communes of the republic by extraordinary couriers.

After thefe decrees had been paifed, the Council of Ancients proceeded to publish an address to the French nation, juftificatory of their own conduct, and afferting, "That the common fafety and the common profperity were the objects of this conftitutional measure; the inhabitants of Paris were defied to remain tranquil; that the prefence of the legislative body would foon be reftored to them; that the refults of the day would foon fhew whether the legislative body was worthy and ca. pable of preparing the means of their happiness."

General Buonaparte appeared at the bar, accompanied by feveral generals of his ftaff, and addreffed the council in a hort fpeech, in which he reprefented, that the republic was perishing, and they knew it; but that the decree they had juft paffed had faved it. That, aided by his companions in arms, he would arreft thofe who had disturbed it. We will," fays he, "have a republic founded on true liberty and national representation; I swear it in my name, and that of my companions in

arms."

Most of the members prefent received thefe exclamations with applaufes. The affembly then broke up, amidit cries of Vive la république !

On the fame day, about eleven o'clock, thofe members of the Council of Five Hundred, who had been fummoned by the committee of infpectors affembled. A meffenger of state from the Council of Ancients was introduced, when the decree above

mentioned was read, and likewife the proclamation to the people. The Prefident then adjourned the fitting till the next day' at noon, ftating, that it would then be held at St. Cloud.

Agreeably to the above decree the Council of Five Hundred met on the 10th at St. Cloud. The minutes of the preceding fitting being read, Gaudin moved, 1. That a committee of feven members be appointed to make a report on the fituation of the Republic, and the measures of public fafety which it would be proper to adopt. 2. That the committee make its report in one fitting. 3. That all propofitions be referred to it. 4. That every determination and deliberation be fufpended until the report of the committee be made. A ftormy debate enfued, in which feveral members called out, "No Di&tator!—No Dictatorship!"

Delbrel then afcended the Tribune, and faid-" First of all let us take an oath of fidelity to the Constitution." Yes! yes! exclaimed all the members at once; and the cry of Vive la Conflitution! refounded from every part of the hall.

Grandmaifon then fpoke, and contended, that the Council, before they appointed a committee to confider what they were to do, ought to appoint a committee to inquire what had been done.--He proposed, therefore, to demand of the Council of Elders to be informed of the motives which dictated their removal to St. Cloud. This motion was feconded by the exclamation of a great number. The fenfe of the affembly being taken, a confiderable number of members ftood up in fupport of this. motion. Many voices called out for the oath. The Prefident ftated, that a propofal had been made to inform the Council of Elders that the Council of Five Hun¬ dred was constituted.

Several members propofed likewise to inform the Directory. One of the members obferved upon this occafion, "Before we fend the meffage, we must first know where the Directory are;" which excited a loud laugh. At length the following declaration was adopted-" The Council of Five Hundred declare to the Republic that they are conftituted to the number of a majority at St. Cloud, and that they are fitting in that Commune.”

Bertrand (of Calvados) moved, that the declaration should ftate the firm refolution of the Council to die rather than pernit the Conftitution to be violated. This propofition was dropped.

In this ftage of the proceedings the Secretary read a letter from Barras, ftating,

that

that the glory which accompanied the return of the illuftrious warrior to whom he had had the happiness to open the career of renown, the diftinguished marks of confidence given to him by the legislative body, and the decree of the national reprefentation, had convinced him that the perils of liberty were then furmounted, and the intereft of the armies fecured and that he returned with joy to the rank of a fimple citizen, happy to transfer, complete and more refpectable than ever, the deftinies of the Republic, of which he had been one of the depofitaries.

While fome of the members were urging the propriety of chuling another Director in the room of Barras, General Buonaparte entered in the hall, and walked up towards the Prefident.

A vehement agitation immediately arofe among part of the members, fome of whom darted precipitately from their feats towards Buonaparte, furrounded him, and feized him by the collar. The cry of Outlaw him! was diftinctly heard. A member attempted to ftab him with a dagger, but the blow was warded off by a grenadier. The tumult increased to a moft violent degree. All the members quitted their feats, and walked through the hall in diforder, converting as they moved. Grandmaifon moved, that "the appointment of Buonaparte fhould be declared unconftitutional." "Yes! yes!" refounded from feveral parts of the hall.

The Prefident, Lucien Buonaparte, fpoke to the ill treatment which the General had juft received; and then he laid down his badge of office on the table, and refigned: upon this the doors of the hall were opened, and twenty grenadiers entered, and conducted Lucien Buonaparte out of the hall. An officer then came forward, followed by a numerous guard, exclaiming, "General Buonaparte orders the hall to be cleared!" Upon which the troops advanced into the hall, which was completely cleared in a few minutes.

The fittings were resumed in the evening, and Lucien Buonaparte took the Prefident's chair. A decree was paffed, abolifhing the Directory, appointing a Confular Government of three, namely, SIEYES, BUONAPARTE, and ROGER DUcos, who all appeared, and took the oath to be faith ful to the Republic; after which the Council adjourned its fittings till the 20th of February.

On the fame day the Council of Elders met alfo at St. Cloud: the proceedings on this occafion were almost a copy of thofe of the Council of Five Hundred. After

much tumult, and fitting a long time in a fecret committee, they paffed a decree of urgence in fixteen articles, abolishing the Directoral authority; appointing a Confular Executive of three perfons; ex. pelling fixty-one members of the legislative body; appointing from each Council a legiflative committee of fuperintendence, confifting of twenty-one members each: and giving a power to the Confular Executive to order an extraordinary convocation of the Councils for the ratification of peace, or in cafe of public danger. This extraordinary affembly then adjourned till the 20th of February.

HOLLAND.

The capitulation by which the English and Ruffian armies agreed to quit the Batavian Republic appears to have already produced fome effects; the Dutch funds have rifen, and the price of provisions fallen.

The troops will now go into winter quarters; the French will shortly proceed to another quarter of the theatre of war, and the armed citizens return to their homes. The legislative body has decreed, that the anniversary of the 21st of October, the day on which the capitulation was published, be obferved as a public feftival.

DENMARK.

It appears, that on the 27th of September the long expected order for reftraining the Liberty of the Prefs was figned by the King, and publifhed. All anonymous writings were ftrictly forbidden. All incitements to infurrections were to be punifhed with death. Any perfon who fhould abuse the conftitution or monarchical form of government, or should propagate fcandalous reports concerning the King or his family, was to be banished the country.

RUSSIA.

The Emperor of Ruffia, in the month of September, iffued a declaration to the Members of the German Empire, ftating, in exprefs terms, that his determination and object in the prefent war was, "to reftore royalty to France, without, however, admitting any partition of that country; to maintain the integrity of the German Empire, and to look for his reward in the happiness and tranquillity of Europe." He alfo declares, that, fhould he perceive that the Members of the German Empire fupport his views, and rally round him, he will redouble his exertions to overthrow the prefent monftrous Government in France; but should he be left to himself, he will be forced to recal his forces, and