338 
furious hatred to the French name, 
and efpecially the fifteen confpira- 
tors of Verona, whom the Prove- 
ditori Prioli had arrefted three 
months ago, as having premedi- 
tated the maffacre of the French. 
—4, In the fquares, coffee-houfes, 
and other public places of Venice, 
all Frenchmen were infulted, treat- 
ed badly, and called by the names 
of Jacobins, Regicides, Atheifts. 
The French were to leave Venice, 
and a fhort time afterwards it was 
prohibited to them even to enter 
it.—5. The people of Padua, Vi- 
cenza, and Verona, were ordered 
totake up arms, to fecond the 
different corps of the army, and 
to begin at length thofe new Sici- 
lian vefpers. It belongs, faid the 
Venetian officers, to the Lion of 
St. Marc to verify the proverb,— 
that Italy is the tomb of the French. 
—6. The priefts in the pulpit 
preached the crufade; and _ the 
priefts in the ftate of Venice never 
{peak any thing but the will of the 
government. Pamphlets, perfidious 
proclamations, anonymous letters, 
were printed in the different towns, 
and began to agitate the minds of 
all; in a ftate where the liberty of 
the prefs is not permitted, in a go- 
vernment as much feared as it is 
fecretly detefted, printers print, 
-and authors write, nothing but what 
the fenate pleafe.—7. All {miled at 
firft at the perfidious projeét of the 
government. The French blood 
flowed on all fides. On all the 
roads, our convoys, our couriers, 
and every thing refpecting the ar- 
my, were intercepted.—8. At Pa- 
dua a chief of a battalion and two 
other Frenchmen were arrefted. 
At Caftiglione de Mori our foldiers 
were difarmed and affaflinated. On 
all the great roads from Mantua to 
ANNUAL REGISTER, 
L797: 
Legnano, from Caffano to Verona, 
we had more than two hundred men 
aflafinated.—9. Two French bat- 
talions, wifhing to join the army, 
met at Chiari with a divifion of the 
Venetian army, which attempted to 
oppofe their paflage: an obftinate 
conflict took place, and our brave 
foldiers cut a paflage for themfelves,. 
by putting thefe perfidious enemies 
to the rout.—10. At Valeggio there 
was another battle; at Deflengaro 
another. The French were every- 
where the weakeft in numbers; but 
they know well that the number 
of the enemy’s battalions is never 
eounted when they are compofed 
only of affaflins.—11. The fecond 
fea{t in Eafter, at the ringing of the 
bell, all the French were affaffinated 
in Verona. Neither the fick in the 
hofpitals were refpected, nor thofe 
who, in a ftate of convalefcence, 
were walking in the ftreets, and 
were thrown into the Adige, where 
they died, pierced with a thoufand 
wounds from ftilettoes. More than 
four hundred French were affaflin- 
ated.—12. For a week the Vene- 
tian army befieged the three caftles 
of Verona. Fhe cannen which 
were placed on the battery were: 
carried at the point of the bayonet. 
The town was fet on fire, and the 
moveable column that arrived in 
the interim, put thefe cowards to 
complete rout, by taking three 
thoufand of the enemy prifoners, 
among whom were. feveral Vene- 
tian generals.—13. The houfe of 
the French conful to Zante was 
burnt in Dalmatia.—14. A Vene- 
tian fhip of wartook an Auftrian 
convoy under its protection, and 
fired feveral fhot at the corvette Ja 
Brune.—15. The Liberateur d’Italie,.. 
a veflel of the Republic, with only 
three or four {mall pieces of can- 
non, 
