the various exploits they had performed in the two foregoing years, the patience with which they had borne not only the hardships of the field, but the pressures of want, and the privation of every convenience and comfort, and the invincible fortitude with which they had perfifted, amidst all these difficulties, to difcharge the duties of brave foldiers. It exhorted them to persevere as they had done: fresh toils and victories were expected from them by their country, before its enemies would confent to reasonable terms of peace. It held out the most flattering hopes of success; and that they were at the eve of terminating their patriotic labours, the issue of which would procure safety to their country, and glory to themselves; who then would return to its bosom, to enjoy the love and gratitude so justly due to them from their fellowcitizens, and so nobly earned by

their fervices.

This address was fent to all the military bodies of the republic, and read to them with great folemnity. It was received with much respect and fatisfaction. The officers and foldiers formally renewed their af furances of fidelity to the republic, and their readiness to lay down their lives in its defence.

The object which the directory had now chiefly in contemplation was to carry the war into Italy. The Austrians were prepared to pass the Rhine in great force: the attachment of the Belgians to their French conquerors might waver; the fate of another campaign was uncertain; much was to be loft, nothing gained, in the Netherlands, by an appeal to arms, on a question, which, if the authority of the republic should be confirmed by the

lapse of even a few years, they might confider as already decided. In this fituation of affairs they determined to divert the energy and attention of the emperor from his Belgian territories, where his authority had been so often disputed, to his Italian dominions, where his will was a law, and from whence he drew still greater supplies. While they cut off the emperors resources in Italy, they would add to their own. They did not doubt of reaping immenfe benefit from the possession of that country, the inhabitants of which were known generally to have little affection for their present sovereigns. The people of the duchies of Milan, Parma, and Modena, were peculiarly disaffected, and, the nobility and clergy excepted, seemed rather to defire, than to dread, a change of masters. The commonalty, in the republics of Venice and Genoa, professed no attachment to their rulers. In Tuscany, and the papal dominions, there were numbers of discontented; and in the kingdom of Naples the number was still greater.

Among these multitudes there were some individuals resolute enough to declare their dissatisfac tion at their respective governments, notwithstanding the perfonal dangers to which they exposed themselves by so daring a conduct. But what was more, fome had the courage to entertain a private correspondence with France, and explicitly to folicit fome of the principal persons in the republic to invade Italy, where, they aflured them, they would find more friends than foes among the natives, and meet with no oppofition but from the Austrians, and their few adherents, among the poffeffors of places

little more than fifty thousand men: but he possessed their entire confidence, and was reputed equal to the arduous tafk he had ventured to undertake.

The Auftrians were under general Beaulieu, an officer of great experience and talents, though he had been unfortunate in several actions with the French in the Netherlands. On the ninth of April heattacked a French poft and forced it: on the the tenth he advanced upon them, and carried all their entrenchments but one. Here he was arrested by the obftinate bravery of the officer who commanded it. Rampon, chief of brigade, who conceived that the fate of the day depended on the preservation of this poft, made his officers and foldiers fwear never to abandon it. They defended it accordingly during the whole night with such invincible firmness, that the Austrians were conftantly repulfed. In the morning of the eleventh, Buonaparte, by a circuitous movement, fell upon the rear and flank of the enemy, who were completely routed, with the loss of fifteen hundred killed, and more than two thousand taken. This battle was fought at a place called Montenotta.

Eager to improve this victory, Buonaparte pursued the Austrians, who had retreated to a strong pofition at a place called Millafimo: but general Angereau forcing the passages leading to it, the Austrians retired to the ruins of an old castle, which general Provara, who commanded them, haftened to furround with an intrenchment, where he stood several attacks, and defended himself refolutely for five days. This afforded time to the Austrians to

they had been thrown. They advanced in confiderable force, and charged the French with great vigour. The dispute was long and bloody: the Austrians and Piedmontese made repeated efforts to liberate the troops in the caftle, and directed their attacks on the centre of the French: but these ftood their ground immoveably, while their two wings turned the right and left of the adverse army, the rear of which was affailed at the same time by another divifion. Surrounded in this unexpected manner, they fuftained a dreadful defeat; two thousand were flain in the action, and upwards of eight thousand made prisoners, including the corps under general Provara, which had fo much diftinguished itself by the defence of the castle. This great victory was obtained on the fourteenth of April. Among the killed were fome officers of high diftinction; and of the taken one was a general, and near thirty colonels, beside inferior officers. Between twenty and thirty cannon fell into the hands of the French, with fifteen standards, and an immenfe quantity of stores and field-equipage. Two French generals, Banal and Quanin, fell in this battle, which coft the victors a number of their bravest men.

Though twice defeated in so decisive a manner, general Beaulieu was by no means difpirited: collecting as many of his fcattered troops, as formed a body of feven thoufand men he again attacked the French with great impetuofity, the next morning, and drove them from their incampment at a village called Dego, where they had expected to repose themselves after the fatigues of the preceeding day. This unexpected attack, so far discomposed them, that they were thrown into disorder, and compelled to abandon their post, after having thrice endeavoured to retake it.

More than half of the day had been spent in these fruitless attempts, when Buonaparte, anxious to recover a post, without which, the advantages gained by his two victories, would have been fruftrated, immediately gave orders for a large body to form in front of the enemy, and occupy their attention, while another charged them on their left, posted at Dego. The intrepidity with which the French generals and officers headed their men, decided the fate of the day. After a vigorous defence, the Austrians were in their turn obliged to give ground, and leave the field to the French, with the loss of near two thousand men, of whom, about fifteen hundred were made prisoners: on the side of the French, numbers also fell, and among these general Caussa, one of their best officers.

Thus, in the space of five days, no less than three battles were fought, in every one of which the French were victorious. The Austrian and Piedmontefe armies had, in the course of these engagements, been feparated from each other: which enabled Buonaparte to effect a junction with a confiderable body of his army, before which the Piedmontese divifion had retired, not daring to oppose it in combination with the corps under general Augereau who had joined it. After dislodging the Piedmontese from their redoubts, at Montezimo, this officer followed them to their camp before the town of Cava. It was strongly fortified, but Augereau attacked it with fuch vigour, that, after defending it the whole day

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with great courage, the Piedmontese withdrew in the night of the fixteenth, abandoning Cava, which furrendered to the French. After fome retrograde motions, wherein they were closely pressed by the French, who met however with some checks, ageneral engagement took place near Mondovi on the twenty-fecond. General Colli, who commanded the Piedmontese, had drawn up his army to great advantage; his centre being covered by a strong redoubt, which was refolutely defended for a long time against all the efforts of the French, who lost numbers in its attack. It was carried at length after repeated affaults: upon which general Colli thought it prudent to retreat. His loss amounted to about twelve hundred men, of whom a thousand were taken. Of these, three were generals, and four colonels. One general was slain, and eleven standards fell into the hands of the French, who lost also one of their generals, and a confiderable number of men.

The Piedmontese army, after its defeat, crossed the river Stura, and took a strong position between Coni and Cherafco. Here it was attacked, on the 25th, by the French, who compelled general Colli to retire from the poft he occupied at Foffano. They made themselves masters of Cherafco, where they took a quantity of cannon and large magazines, and the Piedmontese withdrew to Carignano, in order to be nearer to Turin, for its protection against the French army, which was now advanced to within nine leagues of that city.

The defeat of his army, at Mondovi, had already determined the king of Sardinia to make overtures of peace to Buonaparte. General

Colli