208 



ANNUAL REGISTER, 1809. 



they gave way, and were all either 

 cut to pieces,or obliged tofleeacross 

 the Danube, ilatisbon was taken ; 

 the Austrian garrison was either 

 cut to pieces, or taken prisoners, 

 or saved themselves by flight. The 

 archduke, when he found the cur- 

 rent of war running strongly 

 against the Austrians on the right 

 bank of the Danube, and was un- 

 der the necessity of passing over 

 to the left, sent a strong corps 

 under general Hiller to the Inn, 

 to join the other troops to be as- 

 sembled for the protection of Vien- 

 na ; it was expected by the arch- 

 duke to rejoin the corps under Hil- 

 ler at Lintz. The French, how- 

 ever, by the rapidity of their move- 

 ments got there before them. 



Buonaparte, following the course 

 of the Danube, advanced rapidly 

 towards Vienna ; before which he 

 appeared on the 10th of May. For 

 upwards of a century the fortifica- 

 tions of this city had been neg- 

 lected ; and by various means, 

 chiefly the improvement and em- 

 bellishment of the place, rendered 

 useless. In the city, properly so 

 called, there were not more than 

 80,000 people. In the suburbs, 

 which were composed of eight di- 

 visions, the number of inhabitants 

 was computed to be 220,000. The 

 city was defended by about 3 or 

 4,000 regular troops, as many 

 armed citizens, and a few batta- 

 lions of the land-wehr, the whole 

 under the command of the arch- 

 duke Maximilian. There was for 

 about twenty-four hours some show 

 of a pretty determined spirit of re- 

 sistance. But when the French 

 had dislodged the Austrians from 

 the islands adjacent, and threat- 

 ened to cut off all communication 

 with the left bank, it was thought 



prudent to surrender the city ; but 

 not, however, till the regular troops 

 had effected their retreat by the 

 bridge of Tabor, to which, their re- 

 treat being accomplished they set 

 fire. The emperor of Austria, 

 after the misfortunes that had be- 

 fallen the army of the archduke 

 Charles, and the rapid advance of 

 the French, left his capital, and re- 

 tired to Znaim in Moravia. 



Buonaparte, who, after any 

 great victory or advantage always 

 assumed a religious tone, and 

 who was abundantly sensible that 

 the nation was not conquered by 

 the reduction of the capital, while 

 their will was not subdued, ad- 

 dressed a proclamation to the 

 Hungarians, in which he expressly 

 attributed his victories over the 

 emperor Francis to the interference 

 of a particular providence ; and 

 represented them as punishments 

 inflicted on that monarch for 

 his perfidy and ingratitude in 

 again taking up arms against the 

 man to whom he had been thrice 

 indebted for iiis crown. He re- 

 minded them of the glory of their 

 ancestors, and the blessings of in- 

 dependence. He who had broken 

 the linksof bondage that had united 

 them to the house of Austria re- 

 quired no other return than that 

 they should become an indepen- 

 dent nation, and choose a king 

 from among themselves; and he 

 gave them a pretty broad hint 

 that he wished and expected tlieir 

 choice to fall on himself. " Ani- 

 mated," said he, " by the spirit 

 of your ancestors, assemble, as 

 they were wont to do on the 

 plains of Racos, and choose your 

 sovereign. Let me know the re- 

 sult, and my power shall support 

 your choice against all opposi- 

 tion." 



