and his mind appeared reciprocally calculated for the fupport of each other. Both were inceffantly employed, the one in planning, the other in perfonally forwarding every defign that was conceived. Such were the indefatigable qualities with which nature had endowed him, that while his thoughts were uninterruptedly on the ftretch, he allowed himfelf no kind of repose; and, during the laft feven days and nights of this dreadful conteft, he was never known to have laid himself down to reft.

Notwithstanding this terrible defeat, the Auftrian general, though unable to keep the open field, ftill

occupied the firong line along the Mincio, and a fortified camp before Peschiera. But the French attacked them on the fixth, forced their camp and lines, and compelled them to withdraw to the other fide of the Mincio, with a great lofs of men and cannon. They purfued them to Verona, where the Auftrians, through the connivance of the Venetians, endeavoured to make a ftand: but they were driven from this city, and fled in diforder towards the Tyrol. This action completed their route, and the garrifon of Mantua excepted, no Auftrian troops remained in Italy on the fouthern fide of the Adige.

CHAP.

obtained fome fucceffes, and it began to be apprehended that Buonaparte's army was in great danger. This fpirit manifefted itfelf principally at Ferrara and Bologna, but more than any where at Milan. Here the majority of the inhabitants expreffed the moft avowed concern at the retreat of the French before the Imperial army, and at the raifing of the fiege of Mantua: on the report of the total rout of the French, and the approach of the Auftrians, the fireets and public places were filled by crowds, demanding arms, and offering to march inftantly to the alliftance of the French.

But of all thofe Italian ftates and princes that thewed unequivocal figns of fatisfaction at the temporary fucceffes of the Auftrians, none equalled the temerity with which the court of Rome acted upon this occafion. As foon as intelligence arrived that the French had retreated from Mantua, a vice legate was difpatched to retake poffcffion of Ferrara, notwithftanding the noted averfion of the citizens to the Roman government. This was evidently a breach of the armiftice between the French and the pope; but the vice legate remained in the city even in oppofition to the inclination of the inhabitants, nor quitted it, until news arrived of the entire defeat of the Auftrian army.

At Rome itfelf the deteftation of the French broke out in the moft outrageous treatment of the few that were in that city. Thofe who fhewed themfelves moft forward to abuse them, were the priests and monks. Incited by their example and difcourtes, the populace were, with difficulty, reftrained, by the government, from exercifing their ut

moft fury on the natives of France, known to be republicans.

The news of the victories ob

tained over the Auftrians, put a stop to thefe proceedings, by the confternation they fpead in Rome, where the general expectation was, that the French would fhortly be expelled from Italy: but the cooler part of the public highly cenfured the readiness with which the pope had been induced to violate the treaty concluded with the French general, and expreffed a full perfuafion that he would require fuch a fatisfaction as would produce a deep repentance for its infraction.

In the mean time, marfhal Wurmfer was occupied in fecuring his retreat towards the mountainous country on the north of the Venetian dominions; but he was followed to clofely by Buonaparte, that he was overtaken and defeated in two engagements, on the 11th and 12th, with a fevere lofs of men, artillery, and baggage. It was with difficulty that he purfued his march to the other fide of the city of Trent, where he reaffembled the remains of his forces.

The flight of the Auftrians enabled the French to refume the fiege of Mantua. The garrifon had, on its being raifed, totally deftroyed the works of the befiegers, carried all their cannon, amounting to one hundred and forty pieces, into the town, and fupplied it with large quantities of flores and provifions. From the thirtieth of July, when the fiege was raifed, to the nineteenth of Auguft, when the French recommenced their operations againft that city, it had been put into the completeft ftate of defence, and was now reputed more capable than ever to withstand all

the

the efforts of the French, till a more acfpicious opportunity of relieving it effectually.

rious army.

France, in the mean while, was refounding with the exploits and prailes of Buonaparte, and his victoThe ftandards taken from the Auftrians, and fent by him to the directory, were prefented to it with great pomp and ceremony on the twenty-feventh of Auguft. The officer commiffioned to deliver them, addrefled the directory in a foldierly and spirited fpeech, which was received with great fatisfaction 1 and applaule. It was entirely dekriptive of the bravery and determination of the French foldiers, in Italy, to fled their blood for the ervice of the republic. It specified their intrepidity on divers occations, and the great things it had done for the benefit of the state, and the gory of the nation.

La Revailliere Lepaux, then preEdent of the directory, returned him a fcitable anfwer. He loaded the French foldiery with all thofe praifes that affect them poffibly more than any other people of the fame proleifion eliewhere. He compared them to the most renowned warriors of antiquity, and exhorted them to proceed in that career of triumph and fame, which would raife France above all its enemies, and eternize their own name. Thefe encomiums were carefully tranfmitted to the army of Italy, where they produced their intended effect, in the fatisfaction they afforded to both officers and men, and the arBour it filled them with, to be Confidered and treated as the heroes of their country.

Thefe enthufiaftic fentiments were, at this period, particularly want

ed.

The victories gained in Ita ly had coft the French many of their best officers, and braveft foldiers; and their difiance from France, together with other impediments, obftructed the recruiting of their forces. Their enemies, on the contrary, had many facilities in this relpect: the country behind them was their own: it abounded with robuft and hardy men, inured to a laborious life, and inclined to the military profeffion. Hence continual reinforcements were drawn, by means of which marshal Wurmfer was enabled to repair his frequent loffes, by incorporating the new levies with his veterans.

His head quarters were now at Baflano, a town in the Venetian territories. Here he had affembled a confiderable force, which he dif tributed with great fkill in all the advantageous pofitions in his neighbourhood. One of his divifions was ftationed at Alla, on the Adige, in the road to the city of Trent, of which Buonaparte proposed to make himfelf master. This divifion occupied a ftrong poft at Serravalle, on the right of the Adige, and another at Marco, on its left. By a feries of fkilful movements Buonaparte compelled a number of intermediate bodies of Auftrians to fall back to thefe two pofts; and, cruffing the Adige, on the fourth of September, he attacked the one at Marco, while the remainder of his forces fell upon the other at Serravalle. The en gagement was obfiinate on both fides, but the French prevailed, and the Auftrians were defeated with great lols, and driven from both pofitions. They retreated to Roveredo, in order to recover themfelves, and make a ftand; but the French

came

came up with them, and again put them to the rout, and took poffeffion of that town.

The Auftrians, having retreated to Trent, were making preparations to maintain themselves, by fortifying the avenues to it but Buonaparte, who perceived their defign, gave orders to attack them directly in the poft they had taken. It was extremely ftrong, and it required vaft efforts to make them abandon it; but they were completely routed, and fled in confufion towards Trent, within three miles of which they were pursued. Thus terminated this famous fourth of September; in the courfe of which the Auftrians fuftained three defeats, and loft upwards of feven thoufand men, who were made prifoners, be fides a number of flain, together with thirty pieces of cannon, and a large quantity of baggage and

hories.

In the night that followed this memorable day, marfhal Wurmfer, Jofing all hope of making head at Trent, evacuated it, and, next morning, the French took poffelfion of this celebrated city. At a finall diftance from it a large body of Auftrians pofted themfelves at a bridge, commanding the entrance into the town of Lavis. But hither they were immediately followed by Buonaparte, who forced the entrenchments they had thrown up, after making his way over the bridge, and put them to flight.

Mafier of Trent, an independant principality of the empire, Buonaparte refolved to organize the government of this city on a republican plan. He totally eman cipated it from that Imperial jurifdiction, appointing an adminiftra

tive council, compofed entirely of natives of the district, to whom alone every place of power and emolument was affigned, in absolute exclufion of all strangers. The laws and ufages eftablifhed were left untouched; but the fovereignty was vefted in the French republic, to which an oath of obedience was required from all perfons in authority.

By thus invefting the natives of this place with the exclufive enjoyment of all thofe employments and profits formerly diverted from them to aliens, he held out the pro pect of a fimilar treatment to all that fubmitted to the French. He doubted not, by this exhibition of their juftice and impartiality, to procure a general willingness to prefer fubordination to France to the dominion exercifed over them by their present mafters.

After fettling the government of the city of Trent, Buonaparte loft no time in the profecution of his advantages over the Auftrians. Marfhal Wurmfer had fixed himself at Baflano, the way to which town was rendered exceffively difficult, by the river Brenta, and the defiles that bear its name. Here again the fuperior generalfhip of Buonaparte enabled him to effect a paflage over this river. He directed a chofen body of men to attempt it at a place where it was not expected, and, by a circuitous march, to fall upon the rear of the Auftrians. They fucceeded completely; and, while the fmall fort of Cavela, that flood in the defile, was carried by form, they gained the head of this narrow pals, through which the Auftrians, after evacuating that fort, not being able to make their

way