which the French teftified for the religious practices of the natives, enabled those who hated them, on this account, to inftil their hatred into others, and to inflame their indignation against men who prefumed to more fenfe in thofe matters than other nations.

The two claffes, whose inveteracy to the French was moft notorious, were the nobility and the clergy; as the French did not fcruple to avow their enmity and contempt for both, it was natural that these fhould hold them in abhorrence. In their fpeeches and converfations, public and private, the former feldom failed to reprefent the nobles as tyrants, and the priests as impoftors. The depreffion which both thefe orders of men had fufferred in France, fhewed what was intended for them in other parts of Europe, were the French to fucceed in the vast defign imputed to them, of intirely fubverting the political and religious fyftem of this quarter of the globe. Actuated by thefe apprehenfions, feveral of the most refolute of the nobility, and moft zealous of the clergy, refolved, it was faid, to incite the commonality to rise against the French, on the first opportunity that should seem favourable to fuch a defign. The day fixed upon for its execution, was the twenty-fourth of May. Early in the morning, Buonaparte fet out for Lodi, at the head of a strong detachment. He had hardly reached that place, when he was informed, by an exprefs, that an almost general infurrection was fpreading through Lombardy. The alarm bells were ringing every where, and the peafantry and lower claffes throughout the country, instigated by the nobles and the clergy, were up in arms, and intent on the VOL. XXXVIII.

maffacre of all the French they could meet with. Rumours were circulated, that Beaulieu, ftrongly reinforced, was on his march to Milan, and that a number of French detachments had been furprised and put to the fword. Incensed at the ideas of equality upheld by the French, the nobles had difmiffed their domeftics, telling them, that being their equals, they could no longer employ them as fervants. The partifans of Auftria were, in fhort, exerting all their activity to raife commotions, and no place was free from them.

On the receipt of this intelligence, Buonaparte hafted back to Milan with a large body of horse and foot. He arrested a number of fufpected perfons, and ordered thofe to be fhot who had been taken in arms. He intimated to the archbishop, and to the clergy and nobles of the city, that they fhould be refponfible for its tranquillity. A fine was impofed for every fervant difcharged, and every precaution taken to prevent the confpiracy from gaining ground.

It was principally at Pavia, that the confpirators were the moft numerous. They had seized on the citadel, guarded by a small party of French, whom they made prifoners. Being joined by fome thousands of peafants, they refolved to defend the town, and refufed admittance to Buonaparte, on his fummoning them to furrender. But a body of French granadiers burst open the gates, on which thofe who had the cuftody of the French, who had been compelled to furrender in the citadel, fet them at liberty. None of them were miffing: had violent hands been laid upon them, the determination was taken to deftroy Pavia, [H]

and

and to erect on its fite a pillar with this infcription, "Here ftood the city of Pavia."

In order to deter the inhabitants of this, and the other towns inclined to ftir up infurrections, the promoters of that at Pavia were fentenced to be shot, and two hundred hoftages, for their peaceable behaviour, were delivered to Buonaparte, who fent them to France. He next iffued a proclamation, declaring, that those who did not lay down their arms within twenty-four hours, and take an oath of obedience to the French republic, fhould be treated as rebels, and their houfes committed to the flames.

The nobles and priests in the infurgent diftricts were to be arrested and fent to France. The places within the precincts of which a Frenchman was affaffinated, were condemned to pay triple taxes till the aflaffin was given up. The fame fine was laid on places where concealed arms and ammunition were found. Perfons of rank and fortune who excited the people to revolt, either by difmiffing their fervants, or by holding inimical difcourfes against the French, were to, be fent to France, and to forfeit part of their eftates.

Injunctions and declarations of this nature were pofted up in every place of note throughout the Milanefe. Particular precautions were taken for the fecurity of the city of Milan, the caftle of which still remained in poffeffion of the Austrians, who might, in cafe of any formidable infurrection, have given it effectual affiftance.

Freed from the perplexity occafioned by these difturbances, Buonaparte prepared to profecute the plans he had been forming. The

broken forces of the Auftrians had in their retreat taken refuge on the Venetian territory. Hither they were clofely pursued by the French. But previously to the commencement of operations in the Venetian state, Buonaparte was careful to give forthal notice of his intentions to the senate.

The difpofition of the Venetian government, towards France, was Juftly fufpected to be inimical. Had it been friendly before the entrance of the French into Italy, their fucceffes, and the powerful footing they had now obtained, would have rendered them too dangerous to be viewed with a favourable eye. Situated between two fuch powers as France and Auftria, Venice had no inclination to befriend the one more than the other, and would gladly have been delivered from the proximity of both. Unwilling to offend a state, between which, and the French republic, an amicable intercourse fubfifted, the French general publifhed an address to that government and people, wherein he affured them, that in following the enemies of France into the Venetian territories, he would observe the strictest difcipline, and treat the inhabitants with all the amity and confideration due to the ancient friendship exifting between the two nations.

In the mean time, the Auftrians had taken poffeffion of Peschiera, by the connivance of the Venetians, to whom that town belonged. Here Beaulieu hoped to be able to make a ftand, till fuccours arrived to him from Germany. Buonaparte, defirous to expel him from Italy, or to compel him to furrender, advanced to that town, intending to cut off his retreat to the Tyrol, by the eaftern fide of the lake of Garda. Early

in the morning of the thirteenth of May, feveral divifions of the French approached the bridge of Borghetto, by which Buonaparte propofed to effect a paffage over the Mincio, and furround Beaulieu's army. The Auftrians made the utmoft efforts to defend the bridge;. but the French croffed it after a warm action: the Auftrian general perceiving their intent, withdrew in hafte from his pofition at Pefchiera, and retired with the utmoft expedition to the river Adige, which, having paffed, he broke down all the bridges, to prevent the French from perfuing bim. By thefe means he fecured his retreat to the Tyrol, the only place of fafety now remaining to him.

Buonaparte might now confider himfelf as the undisputed mafter of Italy. He was fo much viewed in that light by the fenate of Venice, even previoutly to his paffage of the Mincio, and the defeat of Beaulieu, that, foreseeing the danger of appearing too well inclined to the houfe of Bourbon, they had warned out of their territories the unfortunate brother of the late king of France, who had, on the death of his nephew, fon to that monarch, affumed the name of Lewis the eighteen, together with the royal title.

The circumftances of his difmiffion did the Venetians no credit: on that prince's demanding the fword, formerly prefented to the fenate by his anceffor, the celebrated Henry the fourth of France,as a token of his regard, they refused to restore it, on pretext that a large fum of money, due from him to the ftate, had never been discharged.

Buonaparte took poffeffion, on the third of June, of the city of Verona,

the late refidence of the French prince. He now determined to lay fiege to Mantua, the only place of ftrength and importance left to the emperor in Italy. The reduction of this fortrefs would effectually put an end to the influence of the court of Vienna, and transfer to France, the power and credit exercised by the emperor in all the affairs of Italy.

This was a deprivation to which the head of the house of Auftria could not bear the idea of fubmitting, and every effort was refolved upon to prevent it. The ill fuccefs of Beaulieu had been fuch, that it was determined, at Vienna, to subftitute another commander in his room. Marshal Wurmfer, a veteran general in high efteem, was appointed to fucceed him, though he had himfelf experienced feveral defeats by the French.

In hope of reducing Mantua before fuccours could arrive, Buonaparte determined to lay immediate fiege to it. On the fourth of June, it was invested by the French, who drove the out-pofts into the town, which was now clofely furrounded on every fide.

But the want of artillery prevented him from doing any more than blockading it. He had formed hopes of reducing that city by other means than a formal fiege; which were to cut of all fuccours from Germany, and all provifions from its neighbourhood.

In order to effect the firft of these purpofes, he refolved to carry the war into the Imperial dominions in Germany, and to invade the Tyrol itself. This was doubtlefs a very bold and hazardous attempt: the natives of that difficult and mountainous country being not only a [H2] refolate

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