192] ANNUAL REGISTER, 1800. 



every hazard, to pass the carriages 

 through the suburb. Ever3Mneans 

 was used, by setting out in the dark, 

 and by spreading litter along the 

 way, to deaden the sound, and pre- 

 vent suspicion in the garrison; yet, 

 these precautions did not prevent 

 theAustrians from discovering their 

 design, and the men were fired 

 upon and killed by every discharge. 

 At length, Buonaparte ordered a 

 cannon to be raised, and placed 

 upon the top of the church, which 

 so eiFcctually battered the tower 

 over the gate, that the garrison, 

 fearing a second assault, surrendered 

 at discretion. 



A passage was now opened to 

 the republican army, which expe- 

 rienced no farther obstruction until 

 it reached Ivrea, a town betwixt 

 Aosta and Turin, from both which 

 places it is distant about eight 

 leagues ; and whither the army pro- 

 ceeded as soon as the soldiers had 

 refreshed themselves with the pro- 

 visions found in Fort De Barre — 

 This place was escaladed and taken, 

 with fourteen pieces of cannon, on 

 the twenty-third of May, by a di- 

 vision under general Boudet, before 

 the main army reached it. 



Buonaparte, in stead of continuing 

 his course southwards, to Turin, 

 turned off to Romagno, eastwards, 

 having received intelligence of a 

 force collected thereof six thousand 

 men, partly composed of Austrian 

 troops, which he had driven before 

 him, and a number drawn from 

 Turin. This body had taken a po- 

 sition at Romagno, and was in- 

 trenched behind the Sesia, a deep 

 and rapid river. They appeared 

 to be ignorant as well of the strength 

 of the French army, as that it had 

 Buonaparte with it, and treated its 

 designs with contempt, '.but were 



the next day convinced of theiruiis- 

 take, when general Lannes forced 

 their entrenchments, and cut them 

 to pieces, notwithstanding their ca- 

 valry made some shew of resistance. 



On the twenty-sixth of May, 

 Buonaparte gave orders for two di- 

 visions to march towards Turin, 

 whilst his van-guard bore upon 

 Chiusella and the Po. This was 

 done in order to deceive the Aus- 

 trians, who thereupon crossed that 

 river, and took a position on the 

 right bank. Whilst the attention 

 of the Austrians was taken up with 

 this manoeuvre, general Murat, at 

 the head of a division of cavalry, 

 entered Vercelli the next day, on 

 the road to Milan. Other divisions, 

 about the same time, took possession 

 of Suza and Brunette, and Ariolo. 



TheAustrianSjfinding themselves 

 not in sufficient force to defend 

 Milan, against the republican army, 

 evacuated that city on the second of 

 June, after a slight opposition; and 

 it appears that the French were well 

 received by the inhabitants, who 

 were already revolutionized. 



After some short stay at Milan, 

 the van-guard of the ai'my marched 

 and took possession of Pavia, on the 

 fifth of .lune, on which day Genoa 

 surrendered to the allies ; and on 

 which very day orders were sent to 

 general Otto to raise the siege. At 

 Pavia, the republican army found 

 considerable magazines, and five 

 hundred pieces of cannon, with a 

 large quantity of ammunition. 



During this time, general Melas 

 was at Turin, and the greatest part 

 of his army in the Genoese terri- 

 tory, a position which he preserved 

 too long ; perhaps, partly owing to 

 orders he had received from Vien- 

 na, and partly to his ignorance of 

 Buonaparte's real strength. To 



II 



