STATE PAPERS. 



703 



and her comniission-trade with the 

 continent, was capable of preserving 

 her from ruin. The former is now 

 destroyed ; and as England, besides 

 throwing a thousand obstacles in the 

 AFay of exportation, likewise seized 

 every opportunity of sending her 

 commodities into her own ports as 

 contraband, his imperial and royal 

 majesty, whose dominions surround 

 Liguria, found himself necessitated 

 to adopt a system for the whole of 

 those frontiers, which, vhile it pre- 

 Tented the importation of English 

 commodities into the departments of 

 France, likewise cut olt all commu- 

 nication between Liguria and the 

 continent, and consequently put a 

 stop to the only trade which En- 

 gland had left the republic. — Alarm- 

 ed at a situation which could not 

 fail, in a short time, to involve her 

 in utter ruin, Genoa was long con- 

 vinced that she had no other re- 

 source than to unite herself more 

 closely with France. She daily re- 

 nounced, from necessity, a portion 

 of her independence, and was pro- 

 tected only by a corps of French 

 troops, for which she had applied. 

 hy the depredations of the Barbary 

 corsairs that hovered about the is- 

 land of Caprea, in order the better 

 to molest her trade, she was, at 

 length, compelled to cede that island 

 to France.— Genoa, unable to equip 

 vessels for the protection of her 

 coasts, possessing dock -yards and 

 magazines, unserviceable in her ex- 

 hausted state, having merchant ves- 

 sels, which her marine and lier Hag 

 were incapable of protecting, and 

 which were obliged to sail under 

 t'lat of another power, to escape 

 the privateers, Genoa could no Ion. 

 ger procure bread for her numerous 

 population, depending for subsis- 

 tence on maritime cnterprizes and 



the industry that prevails in her 

 ports. — Not being in a condition to 

 carry on, in a direct manner, the 

 war in which England had involved 

 her, she could do no more than send 

 her seamen on board the French 

 squadrons, and ituplore the French 

 government to make use in France 

 of her labourers, for whom she could 

 not lind employment. In perpetual 

 apprehension of civd commotions 

 from the discontent of parties, oa 

 account of the general poverty, 

 which was continually increasing, 

 and the imbecility of the govern- 

 ment, which could not firmly estab- 

 lish itself, she wa-; persuaded of the 

 necessity of forming a corps of gens 

 d'armes, to be commanded by 

 French officers. — Thus the union of 

 Genoa was imperceptibly effected 

 by her situation. This measure 

 was desired by her inhabitants. 

 Nothing more was therefore neces- 

 sary than that it should be taken 

 into consideration by those parts of 

 the government which sutfercd the 

 most from this state of uncertainty, 

 the expences and burthens of which 

 rendered the condition of Liguria 

 still more oppressive. Hence pro- 

 ceeded the sudden enthusiasm, the 

 eager zeal, of the people of Genoa, 

 to subscribe to the wish lor an in- 

 corporation ; when the senate, after 

 mature con^ideration, thought it 

 their duty to propose it, and re- 

 garded that as the favourable mo- 

 ment, in which his imperial and 

 royal majesty could behold, with 

 his own eyes, the distresses of a 

 country to which arms had restored 

 its independence, but which, in spite 

 of all its efforts, could noi again re- 

 cover its former prosperity. — As 

 Piedmont, Parma, and Placenza, by 

 which Liguria is encompassed, form, 

 a part of the dominions of his ma- 



jesty; 



