HISTORY OF EUROPE. 



137 



but be entirely disparted and sepa- 

 rated from it— and ample means 

 were allowed and provided for the 

 maintenance of the regal dignity — 

 the endowment of the qiiccfi — and 

 cver^ other cxpcncc incident to (he 

 high station the country had placed 

 in the hands of Napoleon, the first 

 of tiiat name, king of Italy. Ini- 

 mediately after the promnigation of 

 tliis body of laws, Prince Engene, 

 (Beaiihurnois) son in law to the 

 new monarch, was appointed vice- 

 roy — a new order of knighthood 

 Avas instituted, that of " the iron 

 crown," with considerable revenues 

 attached to it ; — and the organiza- 

 tion of the new kingdom was en- 

 tirel} arranged and completed. 



It may easily be believed, that 

 those powers of Europe, who were 

 disposed to maintain their indepen- 

 dence, considered this step of Bo- 

 naparte as an additional proof of 

 his I'jst of acquisition, and his determi- 

 nation, uj-'on every occasion, to con- 

 centrate in himself so large a share 

 of the dominion and power of the 

 continent, as would render it diffi- 

 cult for their whole united strength, 

 at a period not very remote, to re- 

 sist any further encroachment he 

 might meditate upon what yet re- 

 mained unsubdued by his arms in 

 Europe. But before it was possible 

 for the courts of Vienna, or St. 

 Petcrsburgh, to concert upon any 

 measure, whether of remonstrance 

 or resistance, to this late act of sig- 

 grcssion of iJonaparle against the 

 tranquillity of i'^uropc, for such it 

 could not but be considered, a fresh 

 instance of his insatiable policy 

 *truck too forcibly and immediate- 

 ly at the interests and freedom of 

 tin; powers of the continent, to ad- 

 mit of extenuation, or of any pallia- 

 tive measure, and which forced 



those powers to take steps, which 

 ended in a renewal of continental 

 war, and gave rise to circumstances 

 the most calamitous, and the most 

 unfortunate to the interests of maQ> 

 kind. 



It was observable that, at the ce- 

 remonial of the crowning Bona- 

 parte, the doge of the Ligurian 

 republic was present at Milan, 

 doubtless in order the better to pre- 

 pare himself for the part which, 

 in a few days, lie was called upon to 

 play. Hitherto, Bonaparte had 

 jnescrvedto Genoa, the once proud 

 rival of Venice for the empire of 

 the seas, and always the firm and 

 attached, indeed the natural ally of 

 France, an appearance of indepen- 

 dence, and, under the new constita- 

 tions of the Ligurian republic, had 

 condescended to consider and treat 

 Avith her as an independent state. 

 It is true, the new republic had 

 not much to boast of, either in the 

 terms or the result of the treaty, 

 which was concluded between her 

 and France, in the course of the 

 last year. For the liberty of sailing 

 under French colours, and a few 

 other as equivocal advantages, 

 Genoa had bound herself to furnish 

 France with (iOOO sailors, during 

 tlic continuance of the prcseiit war: 

 she likewise ceded her harbour, 

 dock-yards, arsenals, itc. to the 

 disposal of the French government; 

 and further engaged to construct 

 a bason, large enough to build and 

 equip ten sail of the line, at her 

 own expence ; the ships to he 

 built from her stores, solely for the 

 use of France ! — For these con- 

 cessions, her independence was to 

 be acknowledged and secured. 



But the tender mercies of the 

 French ruler were not to be of long 

 endurance. An extension of the 



same 



