HISTORY OF EUROPE. 



73 



and other states, however incon- 

 tiderable these might be, and inca- 

 pable of resenting ill treatment. 

 The strictest promises therefore 

 were made, to observe the respect 

 due to the sovereignty of Genoa on 

 its own territory j and they were 

 kept accordingly on this occasion 

 to the particular satisfaction of that 

 republic ; which was exceedingly 

 solicitous to preserve its neutrality 

 in the midst of those hostilities 

 which it had not the power to 

 remove from its neighbour* 

 hood. 



A passage being thus opened to 

 Oneglia, it was besieged a;id taken 

 in the beginning of April. Hereby 

 the direct communication of the 

 court of Turin with the Er.tish 

 fleets in the Mediterranean, was en* 

 tirely cut off ; w hich was a main 

 object with the French. The cap- 

 ture of this important place was 

 soon after followed by the defeat 

 of a considerable body of Sardinians 

 and Austrians; and the French pe- 

 netxated into Piedmont, some dis- 

 tricts of which were compelled to 

 submit to them. Large quantities 

 of provisions and warlike stores 

 fell at tiie same time into their 

 hands, and proved an irreparable 

 loss to the troops that were ad» 

 vancing against then). The prin- 

 cipal officer among the French was 

 DumerHon, a very resolute and 

 active commander. He had four 

 strong holds to reduce before he 

 could execute the design he had 

 formed of attacking the Sardinians 

 in a fortified camp, which they oc- 

 cupied. He attempted tliem, how- 

 ever, successfully, the beginning of 

 May, and immediately marched to 

 the Sardinian encampment ; the 

 forcing of which did him the more 

 honour, it it had been fruitlessly 



attempted in th6 foregoing cam* 

 paign. 



The French on this occasion 

 made two thousand prisonei-s, and 

 killed a considerable number of the 

 enemy. A numerous train of ar- 

 tillery fell into their hands, besides 

 vast stores of provisions and am- 

 munition. This success was di- 

 rectly followed by another of still 

 more importance. Eight thousand 

 of the enemy were entrenched in 

 one of the narrow passes into Pied- 

 mont, known by the name of Colda 

 Tanda. This had in former wars 

 often resisted numerous forces, and 

 effectually guarded the country be- 

 hind it J but it could not resist the 

 impetuosity with which the French 

 assailid it. The Sardinians were 

 completely defeated, and lost a 

 grcfet number of men in their re- 

 treat. These advantages, obtained 

 by the activity and bravery of Du- 

 merhon, in the districts between 

 Turin and the sea^coast, fully de- 

 cided the superiority of the French 

 in those parts, and spread dismay 

 through all Piedmont. The ICing 

 of Sardinia's ministry began to be 

 veryseriouslyalarmed at theapprox- 

 nnation of so resolute and suc- 

 cessful an enemy ; and were highly 

 perplexed in what manner most ef- 

 fectually to put a stop to his pro- 

 gress. 



After many consultations on the 

 dangerous posture of affairs, it was 

 proposed to make an appeal to the 

 juliabitauts of Piedmont, repre- 

 senting to them the danger threat- 

 ened to their religion, and the duty 

 incumbent on them to protect it 

 from the violence and profanation 

 of an impious enemy. The attach- 

 ment of the Itahans to the Romish 

 religion is notorious. Long be- 

 fore the revolution in France, they 



considcud 



