the nobles, many of whom “were 
not averse to it, the public ima- 
gined that the only change in the 
_. State of Venice, would be from an 
aristocratic to a democratical re- 
public. ‘This alteration had also 
Bees introduced as a punishment 
‘en the nobles, who alone were 
represented as inimical to the 
_ French, the commonalty being re- 
_ puted warmly devoted to them. By 
the terms of the treaty between 
_ Venice and the French, and which 
& these agreed punctually to fulfil, 
' though all its possessions were ceded 
tothe French, yet part of them 
were to be restored on the final set 
_ tlement of affairs in Italy. . A large 
sum of money, no lesss than eighty 
millions of livres, had at the same 
lime been paid to them, by way 
_@f atonement and compensation. 
"These various circumstances | in- 
duced the public to expect,that con- 
tent with the transforming of Ve+ 
nice from a lordship, as it was 
' styled, to apopular state the French 
- would have left it in that condition, 
_ which would have placed it on the 
_ same footing as the Cisalpine and 
Ligurian republics. ‘This too was 
| considered, by some very shrewd 
} politicians, asthe surest method of 
} preserving Italy from the yoke of 
Austria, as those three republics 
} would in all likelihood unite for their 
_ common defence. against the _ ate 
| tempts of that dangerous neigh- 
| bour to recover his former domains. 
But all these. expectations were at 
ace frustrated, by the cession uot 
| only of-several of the provinces of 
Venice, but of the very capital of 
hat ancient state, to the house of 
ustria. This, in fact, was to 
mnihilate all hopes that Venice 
uld ever again resume its station 
the political system ef Euvope : 
Vor. XSXIX, 
HISTORY OF “EUR OPE, 
r49 
experience having long proved, that 
every country, that fell into the pos- 
session of that family, had never 
recovered its primitive situation, 
but through the most violent strug- 
gles, and the most extraordinary 
and unexpected events. 
The friends to liberty had be- 
held, with marked satisfaction, the 
abolition of the Venetian senate, 
and especially of the council of ten, 
and of the inquisition of state. The 
election of fifty individuals, by the 
suftrages of the community, with 
six commissaries nominated by 
Buonaparte, had been greatly ap- 
proved of, as a very fair and equit- 
able government. As it had con- 
tinued several months, and been 
exercised with moderation, an idea 
had naturally prevailed, that it 
would have remained unaltered, 
and the inhabitants enjoyed their 
new acquired freedom. It was 
therefore, with ‘deep regret and in- 
dignation, that these found, that 
they were to be stripped of what 
they began toconsider as their con- 
stitutional rights, and delivered over 
te the dominionof Austria : a power 
of which they well knew the des- 
potic maxims, and dreaded to be- 
come the subjects more than ever ; 
since the introduction among them 
of French principles and regula- 
tions. “Vhecommonalty, which felt 
a particular partiality to these, bit- 
terly complained, that they should 
have experienced them to no other 
purpose, than to grieve for their Joss 
when subjected to the severity of 
the Austrian government, 
Thus ended, for the present, the 
contest between France and Austria, 
to the great satisfaction of the peo- 
ple of both countries. In France, 
the exultation was boundless. . In 
imitation of the precedents of fore 
[E} mer 
