468 



Account of Frances Scanagattu 



[Dec. i. 



from whofe fpirit he had alfo to expe6l 

 fonie imprudent reroliitioii if countera6t- 

 cd by violent means. He now reHcttcd 

 fci iouily on the moll efficient means to be 

 employed to calm the uneafinefs of his 

 wife, and, if polhbk', to witlidraw his 

 dftugliter without initating her feeUngs. 

 He renewed the attempt to eugage her 

 ■voluntary compliance, ihlilling Itrongly, 

 among many other dangers to which Ihe 

 ■was expofed, on the dilcovery m.ide by 

 her mother, and offering to accommo- 

 date her in liis houfe with every thing 

 that could give her latisfaction. 



This attemjjt v.as however fruitlefs. 

 She anfwered refpecifuUy, that ihe would 

 not fail to pay attention to what her mo- 

 ther had remarked refpeciing her ; nor 

 would Ihe hefitatc a moment to fly to the 

 bol'om of her family (always dear to hei-,) 

 as foon as peace Ihoiild take place, and 

 ■which could not be a areut (Jiliancc ; but 

 flie begged him to retieci, that Ihc would 

 lofe the little merit ihe had acfi'iired in 

 her career if ihe ihould quit it a^^ that cri- 

 fis. Lailly, that he niiiiht perfectly tran- 

 quillize himfelf on her account, feeing 

 that, in the courfe of three years and an 

 half, flie had been able h;ii)pily to fupport 

 lier character in the inidll of an anny, 

 and in a variety of critical tituations. In 

 this manner flie took leave of her parents, 

 and proceeded to execute the remainder 

 of her commiffiens. 



Meanwhile her father relolved to go 

 to Milan, and in this dilemma to be 

 guided entirely by Count Cocalteli, a no- 

 bleman who had much regard for him, 

 and who, being CommilVary General of 

 his Imperial Majetty in Lombardy, and 

 near the Army of Italy, could he of fer- 

 Tice to him in an affair of I'ucli delicacy. 



In confoquence of this advi'^e, and 

 through the medium of the Count, he 

 addreiied a memorial to his Excellency 

 J3aron Melas, difcloling the llory ot' his 

 daughter, and folieitiirg for her an ho- 

 nourable dil'chai^e. 



The lady in tlic mean time having ex- 

 ecuted her commilVions, while her lather 

 was, unknown to her, engaged in tliis 

 i'cL'cmc, returned to her regiment, ■^\ Inch 

 flic found at the outpofts of the blockade 

 of Genoa, encamped on Monte-Eecco, 

 and I'.ear jVIniitc-l'accio. tin the lame 

 diiv tlsat this latter place capitulated, ihc 

 received notice that the Commander-in 

 Ckief had lent an order to the battalion 



to permit Lieutenant Scanagatti to pro-* 

 ceed to join his family at Alilan. This 

 permiflion, uniolicited by her, was equal- 

 ly difagreeable and unexpected.- She 

 immediately perceived that it muft have 

 come through her parents ; but, though 

 cruelly difappointed, ihe confoled herfelf 

 that ihe was not difcovcred to be a girl, 

 but was treated as an officer in the very 

 order of the Commander-in-Chief; and 

 what eontirmed her in this flattering idea 

 was, that next day being at dinner with 

 General Bai-on de Gottlhcim, command- 

 ing the divilion of the Imperial army in 

 this neighbourhood, flie was always ad- 

 drelfed by the title of lieutenant, and no- 

 thing occurred that gave hei' the fmallclt 

 fufpicion that her fex was known. 



Amidft tliel'c reflections flie refolved, 

 oirthc 3d of June, 1800, to proceed on 

 her journey towards her paternal man- 

 fion, but on the 8th of the fame month 

 having learnt at Bologna that the enemy 

 had jnil entcicd the Milancfc, ihe 

 rh'.^jglit it advifeable to direct her route 

 to Verona, to wliirh the ftaff of the Anf- 

 triun ai'iny was then transferred. She 

 there applied tor and obtained a new 

 route for Venice, where her father then 

 was, and where flie remained, tired of aw 

 inactive life, till th.e peace of I.uueville 

 permitted her to return with fafuty to 

 her country. And it was with no imall 

 regret that flio left off a uniform obtained 

 through the nioft lignal merit, and fup- 

 ported in the inoit honourable and ex- 

 emplary maimer. 



To atteil the truth of which, and tlie 

 ^vell-morited opinion of her zealous and 

 faithful fervices, the Commander-in- 

 Chief, General Baron Melas, in a rt- 

 fcriptoftlic 23d of I\Iay, ISOi-, announ- 

 ced to the Supreme Council of War, that 

 on the lull of July, 1800, he had con- 

 ferred her lieutenancy on her brother, 

 ■v\ho was then a cadet in the reghncnt of" 

 BelgiDjofo. 



It is only neceflary to add, that this 

 ad\ eiuurous young lady having relumed 

 her ibx, in the bofom of her family is 

 no Icfs a pattern now of female merit, 

 than ihe had formerly been -of military 

 conduct, fuUilling, with unexampled 

 Aveetnefs aild ccjuanimity of temper, th» 

 office of governefs to her younger lliiers, 

 and otherwife aflifting licr -, encrable mo- 

 ther in the details of family manage- 

 ment. 



ORIGDJAL 



