HISTORY OF EUROPE. 
_ pelling from it an enemy, whose in- 
_yasion they had not ventured to 
Oppose, or even dared to await.— 
a event had happened since their 
ight, to encourage them in so wild 
Bi unpromising an enterprize.— 
They had no foreign succour to 
reckon upon, nor prospect of any 
diversion of importance in their fa- 
-vour. To the efforts of their Nea- 
politan subjects alone, could they 
look for assistance ; but, to expect 
a prosperous issue to their attempts, 
without farther aid than their late 
subjects could afford, was to sup- 
pose, that Neapolitans fighting to 
sabvert their government, were more 
formidable than Neapolitans fight- 
Ing in its defence. Plans founded 
on such expectations, terminated as 
might have been foreseen. In some 
of the provinces of Naples, emis- 
saries from the court of Palermo 
were successful in exciting insurrec. 
tions against the French, and in all 
“they produced a spirit of restless- 
mess and insubordination, which 
gave to the new government great 
disquietude. But no permanent 
good resulted from these distur- 
bances, to compensate the present 
evils to which they Jed. Abruzzo 
and Calabria were delivered for a 
short time from the French: yoke. 
But, though the insurgents fought 
with unparalleled courage and in- 
trepidity, and were successful in 
any encounters, the numbers and 
e end; so that after a fruitless 
vaste of blood and perpetration of 
Ocities, on all sides, disgraceful 
to humanity, these provinces were 
again compelled to acknowledge Jo- 
seph Bonaparte for their sovereign. 
_ The provinces of Abruzzo, 
though naturally poor, are inhabit- 
ed by a more respectable and less 
indigent peasantry, than the other 
scipline of the French prevailed in ~ 
139 
parts of the kingdom of Naples.— 
The Jate government, which stood 
in awe of the Abruzzese, had been 
careful not to violate their privi- 
leges, nor in any sort to oppress 
them; and had, on the contrary, 
relieved them from some local taxes 
unfavorable to their industry. So 
easy isit for princes to gain the af- 
fections of their subjects, that these 
slight favours had kindled a lively 
spirit of loyalty and attachment to 
the exiled family in the breasts of 
the Abruzzese. When, therefore, 
a successful sally from Gaeta had 
enabled part of the garrison of that 
fortress to cut its way through the 
besieging army, and reach the moun- 
tains of Abruzzo, the flames of in- 
surrection spread rapidly over the © 
province. Little is known of the 
subsequent histery of thiswar. It 
appears, however, that Civitella del 
Tranto, in the further Abruzzo, was 
compelled, after a long resistance, 
to surrender to the French ; and 
that an unsuccessful attempt was 
made by the English to open a com- 
munication with the insurgents.— 
But, though destitute of foreign 
succour, such is the natural strength 
of the country, which is mountain- 
ous, and full of defiles and strong 
positions, that the Abrazzese, who 
had taken up arms, defended them. 
selves for many months against the 
French, and submitted at length on 
honourable terms of capitulation. 
Calabria isa mountainous, woody 
and unhealthy region, well adapted 
for defensive war. Its proximity 
to Sicily affords frequent and casy 
means of communicating with that 
island; and, when the theatre of 
hostilities, its extensive coast assures 
incalculable advantages to the party, 
who are masters atsea. The Ca- 
labrians were, indeed, but little ine. 
fluenced by sentiments of loyalty or 
attachment 
