HISTORY OF EUROPE. 



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formed at th? earne-t des'ne of the 

 Veiuitfans, imd as a .'gnal of re- 

 ui'.on to ;ill the friends of royalty. 

 It op rated with prom.t efficac -. 

 A resolute subaltern in that body 

 of brsve soldi- r, fcirmer'y knovrn 

 by the. name of Swiss Gu:'.rds, lol- 

 lowtd the ex.imJe of Ch;?rftie. 

 Tliii was the weJl-'Known StoP.et. 

 Annthcp individual, less known, 

 but not less intre[)id. imitated theui. 

 Uis name was CatiueJU, and his 

 rank in life no higher lliaa that of 

 sexto ; to a parish church : but the 

 vigour of hii mind, and the ntre- 

 p:dily of hi< dispo iiion, e'evated 

 him ibove his station, and he de- 

 lived from, them a cr dit ami autho- 

 rity t • which birtli alone could not 

 have enntled him ii such criiical 

 time-j. These were the three men 

 undar whom origu'ially aro e that 

 formidable oppisuion to the r pub- 

 lican governm-'nt, which crea'cd 

 oaoreaniiicty in its ablcb-taLid bold- 

 est heads an.l aisertur^, and c st a 

 greater expence of blood to France 

 than all the ctrength 9 .d exertions 

 of the coalition itiell". What chiefly 

 intimidated tuc supporters of the 

 republic, was the dread lest the un- 

 yielding perctverance of llie Ven- 

 diins should rai e up init itors in 

 the many places throu^houtFrance, 

 wheie their wel .vi htrs abounded. 

 This drcraJ was fou d-^d on llie 

 consciousness of I'le haired borne 

 to the rulers o tne nation, not only 

 by the royalists, but by the naofe 

 moderate of their o.^n party; who 

 dcfply abhorred the saiiguinary 

 maxi v.s they hid adopted imd con- 

 tiaually practiicd without remorse 

 or shame; and who, n ,tw th stand- 

 ing th^ir partialilv lu a lepubican 

 form of ^overntiicnt, cju^d not re- 

 concile tiicmsclvcs to the meaos by 

 •fhicii it waj EU^)porleJ. 



Not withstanding their first suc- 

 ce ses, and the tiaVy increase of 

 th ir numbers, the i.isurgents soon 

 found that thay we e surrounded 

 on ev. ry side with ditiiculti.s of 

 such inagnitude, that, un e s tliey 

 were aid..'d from other quarters, 

 their own exertions could only 

 serve lo protract the date of their 

 destruction. A.l the country round 

 them wa.s in the hands of their 

 enfmies, and the geu'^ality of the 

 innaoitauts in their intcrcl. Nu- 

 merous forcis were advancing 

 again a them from every one of the 

 adjacent provinces. In this pedl- 

 ous situation, after consulting on 

 the means of faci .g the immense 

 multitudes that were preparing to 

 assail ihem, they divided their 

 strength into three parts.-— The 

 first wai stationed opposite the dis- 

 trict of Nantes, and was put under 

 the command of Charette, who, 

 being born in the proxiniity of that 

 city, was wel ac jU^inted with the 

 people and the country, where he 

 had num')ersof we]lwisher<. The 

 second divi.ion was posted in the 

 neighbourliood of tho.e ditricts 

 tiiat lie towards KochelL, and was 

 intended as a prolec.ion to the sou- 

 thern onfiics of I/i Vendee. The 

 third took its position in the coun,- 

 try bordering on S uinur, a city of 

 great importance, aod which it was 

 foreseen the enemy would make 

 his head-quarters, and tiie centre 

 of his. operat on ;. The.e dioposir 

 tions were allowed by the best 

 judges to h.w.^ been extremely ju- 

 dicious. 'Ihey were the i-esult of 

 tiiat zeal for the common cause in 

 wh ich th. y had embarked, and which 

 had prompteil th.; fir^t leaders and 

 promoters of ilie insurrection to 

 devolve their authority upon those 

 military gentlemen who either had 

 G 'J b«cn 



