136 
and property should be respected. 
Having passed the frontiers of the 
kingdom, the French advanced in 
three divisions. The right com- 
manded ‘by Regnier, marched to 
Gaeta without opposition, and 
summoned the prince of Hesse Phi- 
lipsthadt, the governor of that 
place to surrender, offering him 
honourable terms of capitulation, 
and warning him of the inefficacy 
, of resistance. ‘The answer of the 
prince of Hesse was a determinate 
refusal to capitulate ; on which the 
French attacked and carried the 
redoubt of St. André, defended by 
ten picces of cannon, but lost in 
the attack general Gigny, an ex. 
cellent officer, much lamented by 
their army. The centre division, 
uader the command of Massena, 
met with no resistance in its march 
to Naples. Capua surrendered on 
the 12th of February, and on the 
15th, Joseph Bonaparte entered 
Naples, the garrison left in that 
city and in the neighbouring forts 
having previously capitulated. Next 
day, he went publicly to mass, 
_which was celebrated by cardinal 
Ruffo, archbishop of Naples; and 
to display his devotion in a manner 
more gratifying to the populace, he 
' presented adiamond necklace, as an 
offering to Saint Januarius, the tu- 
telary saint of Naples. 
‘The unfortunate king of Naples 
had left his capital: on the 23d of 
January, to seek refuge, a second 
time, at Palermo; and the queen 
had followed his example. Part of 
the Neapolitan army accompanied 
the king and queen in their flight, 
and a number of persons, connect- 
ed with the court, orobnoxious to 
the French, mate their escape along 
with them. Though the king had 
been always a favourite with the 
ANNUAL REGISTER, 1806. 
populace, noeflart was madc to de- 
tain him, nor disposition shewn, as 
on a former occasion, to arm in his 
defence. The queen was detested 
by all ranks of people, and no sen- 
timent, but exultation, attended her 
flight. Her meddling, intriguing, 
character must ever have prevented 
her from acquiring popularity ; but 
to have drawn upon her the univer- 
sal abhorrence of her subjects, it 
was necessary that she should have 
displayed such a vindictive temper, 
and shed such a profusion of blood, 
as had marked her return from her 
former exile. There was hardly a 
noble or respectable family in Na- 
ples, which had not to lament some © 
victim sacrificed on that occasion 
to her resentment; and such was 
the impression left in their minds, 
of her cruel, unrelenting character, 
that, when she sailed from Naples, 
there was but one wish in the city, 
that she might never return to it. 
The duke of Calabria, heir ap- 
parent of Naples, to whom the 
king his father, before his depar- 
ture, had delegated the regency of 
the kingdom, during his own ab- 
sence, remained at Naples till the 
7th of February. But, having tried 
in vain to open a negociation with 
the French, he abandoned the city 
on their approach, and retired, with © 
a body of troops, to Calabria, 
where general Damas, a French e-. 
migrant in the Neapolitan service, 
was at the head of a considerable 
force, endeayouring to organize a 
levy en masse, for the defence of 
that part of the kingdom. The ac- 
tivity of the French, however, left 
the Neapolitan generals but a short 
time’ to complete their prepara-~ 
tions. General Regnier was called 
from before Gaeta, and sent after 
the fugitives with part of the army 
‘i ae pooni which 
