m 



BONAPARTE, NA1-OLKON I. 



BONAl'AUTE. NAPOLEON I. 



77,1 



of war, unk those that were not fit for sea, and stripped the famoui 

 ute \nrft calUd llucintoro of all its ornaments and gold, ha departed 

 with the Kro, h g-irriton, and the next day the Austrian) entered 

 Venice. The Venetian senator Peiaro caine H imperial commissioner 

 to administer the oatiu. The Ule Doge Uinin while tendering lilt 

 oatii fell into a awoon, and died aoon alter. Thus ended the republic 

 of Venice, afar an exiatenoe of nearly fourteen centuries. With it 

 the only naval power of Italy became extinct, aud Italy loit the only 

 colonial which the *till pots**ed. 



During the MTeral month* that the nogociations for tlio peace 

 lasted, Bonaparte had time to effect other change* in Italy. He began 

 with Genoa, That republic ever sioco the time of Andrea Doria had 

 been governed by patrician*, but the patrician order was nut exclusive 

 aa at Venice, and new families were admitted into it from time to 

 time. A club of democrat* ecretly encouraged by Saliceti, Faipoult, 

 and other agent* of the French Directory, conspired against the senate, 

 and effected an insurrection. The lower classes of the people how- 

 ever ron in arm* against the democrat*, au<l routed them ; several 

 Frenchmen were also killed in the affray. Bonaparte immediately 

 wrote threatening letters to demand satisfaction, the arrest of eever.il 

 patrician's tho liberty of the prisoners, the disarming of the people, 

 and a change in the constitution of the republic. All this was clone ; 

 a sum of four million* of livren was paid by the principal nobles to 

 the Directory, the French placed a garrison within Genoa, aud a con- 

 stitution modelled upon that then existing in France, with councils of 

 eMcrs and juniors, a Directory, ic., was put in operation. The 

 people of the neighbouring valleys, who did not relish these novelties, 

 revolted, but were put down by the French troop*; and many of the 

 prisoners were tried by court-martial and shot. 



The king of Sardinia, by a treaty with the French Directory, 

 remained for the present in poesession of Piedmont. Insurrections 

 broke out in several town* of Piedmont, which Bonaparte however 

 openly discountenanced, professing, at the same time, a deep regard 

 for the House of Savoy. Uis letters to the Marquis of St. Harsan, 

 minister of the king, were made public, and the insurgents having 

 thus lost all hope of support from him, were easily subdued by the 

 king's troops, and many of them were executed. He however thought 

 proper to consolidate the Cisalpine republic, and to give it a constitu- 

 tion after tho model of France. The installation of the new 

 authorities took place at Milan on the 9th of July with great solemnity. 

 Boua|>arte appointed the members of the legislative committees, of 

 the Directory, the ministers, the magistrates, &c. His choice was 

 generally good ; it fell mostly upon men of steady character, attached 

 to order, men of property, men of science, or men who had distin- 

 guished themselves in their respective profession*. The republic con- 

 Mited of the Milanese and Mantuan territories, of that part of the 

 Venetian territory situated between the Adda and the Adige, of 

 Modena, Mas-a, and Carrara, nnd of the papal provinces of Bologna, 

 Ferrara, Ravenna, Faenaa, and Rimini, as far as the Rubicon. Tuscany, 

 Parma, Rome and Naplr* remained under their old prince*; all 

 however, with the exception of Naples, in complete subjection to 

 France. 



In all these important transaction*, Bonaparte acted almost as if he 

 were uncontrolled by any authority at home, aud often at variance 

 with toe suggestions of the French Directory, though he afterwards 

 obtained its sanction to all that he did. He was in fact the umpire of 

 Italy. He at the same time supported the power of the Directory in 

 France by offers of hi* service*, and addresses from hi* army, and he 

 ent Angereau to Paris, who tided with the Directory in the affair of 

 the 18th Fmctidor. Bonaparte however evinced on several occasions 

 bat an indifferent opinion of the Directory, calling it a government of 

 lawyer* and rhetoricians, unfit to rul over a great nation. He flatly 

 refused, after hi* first Italian victories, to divide his command with 

 Krllennan ; he strongly censured the policy of the Directory with the 

 Italian powers ; he signed the preliminaries of Leoben, and withdrew 

 hi* army from the hereditary states, without waiting for the Directory's 

 ratification. He insisted upon concluding peace with the emperor, aud 

 threatened to give in hi* resignation if not allowed to do so ; he made 

 that peace on his own conditions, though some of those were contrary 

 to the wisbe* expressed by the Directory, and in tho end the Directory 

 approved of all he had done. 



After the treaty of Campoformio, Bonaparte wa appointed minuter 

 plenipotentiary of the French republic at the congress of Rastadt for 

 tew settlement of the questions concerning the German empire. He 

 now took leave of Italy and of hit fine army, which bad become enthu- 

 siastically attached to him. His personal conduct while in Italy bad 

 been marked by frugality, regularity, and temperance. There i* no 

 evidence of hi* having shown himself personally fond of money ; he 

 had exact' <I millions, but it was to satisfy the craving of the Directory, 

 mod partly to rapport hi* army and to reward his friend*. 



On hi* way to Kantadt, Ifcinaparto went through Switzerland, where 

 he showed a haughty hostile hearing towards Born, and the other 

 aristocratic republics of that country. He did not utop long at 

 Kestadt, but proceeded to Paris, when he arrived in December 1797. 

 He was received with the greatest honour by the Directory : splendid 

 public festival* were given to the conqueror of Italy, aud writers, 

 poeU, and artist* vied with each other in celebrating his triumph*. 

 Great a* bis successes were, flattery contrived to outstrip truth. Ho 



however appeared distant aud reserved. He was appointed general- 

 in-chief of the ' Army of England,' but after a rapid inspection of the 

 French coast* and of tho troops stationed near them he returned to 

 Paris. The expedition of Egypt was then secretly contemplated by 

 Ule Directory. A project concerning that country was found in the 

 archive* among tho papers of the Duke de Cboiseul, minister of 

 Louis XV., and it was revived by the ministers of the Directory. The 

 Directory on their part were not sorry to remove from France a man 

 whose presence in Paris gave them uneasiness; and Bonaparte warmly 

 approved of a plan which opened to bis view the prospect of an inde- 

 pendent command, while visions of an eastern empire floated before 

 nu mind. He had in his composition something of a vague kiud of 

 enthusiasm of the imagination for remote countries and high-sounding 

 name*. At the same time he saw there was nothing at present in 

 Franco to satisfy his excited ambition, for he seems hardly to have 

 thought as yet of the possibility of his attaining supreme power. He 

 was still faithful to the republic, though he foresaw that its govern- 

 ment must undergo further changes. 



The expedition having been got ready, partly with the treasures 

 that the French seized at Bern in their invasion of Switzerland in 

 March 1798, in which Bonaparte took no active port, Bonaparte 

 repaired to Toulon, whence he soiled on board the admiral's ship 

 ' L'Oriint ' in the night of the 19th of May, while Nelson's blockading 

 fleet had been forced by violent winds to remove from that coast The 

 destination of the French fleet was kept a profound secret : 30,000 

 men, chiefly from the army of Italy, composed the laud foice. 



The fleet arrived before Malta on the 9th of June. The Order of 

 St. John of Jerusalem, as it was called, bad never acknowledged the 

 French republic, and was therefore considered at war with it. The 

 grand-master Hornpesch, a weak old man, made no preparations 

 against an attack ; yet the fortifications of La Valette were such that 

 they might have bullied tho whole power of the French fleet aud 

 army, even supposing that Bonaparte could have spared time for the 

 siege. But he was extremely anxious to pursue hi* way to Egypt, 

 expecting every moment to be overtaken by Nelson and the English 

 fleet, who having received information of his sailing from Toulon were 

 eagerly looking out for him. Every moment was therefore of value 

 to Bonaparte. With his usual boldne-s, he summoned the grand- 

 master to surrender on the llth, aud the grand-matter obeyed the 

 summons. It is well known that there were traitors among the 

 knights in high offices, who forced the grand-master to capitulate. A* 

 tho French general and his staff pasae.l through the triple line of 

 fortifications, General CafTarelli observed to Bonaparte that "it was 

 lucky there was some one withiu to open the massive gates to thm, 

 for had the place been altogether empty they would have found it, 

 rather difficult to get into it." After tho usual spoliation of tho 

 churches, the alberghi, and other establishments of the order, the 

 gold and silver of which wore melted into bars and taken on board 

 the French fleet, Bonaparte left a garrison at Malta under General 

 Vaubois, and embarked on the 19th for Egypt. As the French fleet 

 sailed by the island of Candia it passed near tho English fleet, which 

 having been at Alexandria, and hearing nothing of the French there, 

 was sailing Kick towards Syracuse. Deuon Bays the English were 

 seen by some of the French ships on the 20th, but the French were 

 not seen by Nelson's fleet, owing to the hazy weather. On the 'J'Jth 

 of June Bonaparte came in sight of Alexandria, and landed a few 

 miles from that city without any opposition. France was at peace 

 with tho Porte ; its charge* d'affaires (Ruffiu) wo* at Constantinople, and 

 the Turkish ambassador ( Ali-Effendi) was at Paris : the Turks of Egypt 

 therefore did not expect the invasion. When they saw the French 

 marching toward* Alexandria the garrison shut the gate* and prepared 

 for defence. The town however was easily taken; when Bonaparte 

 issued a proclamation to the inhabitants of Egypt, in which he told 

 them that he came as a friend of the Sultan to deliver them from the 

 oppression of the Mamelukes, and that he aud his soldier* respected 

 God, the Prophet, and the Koran. On the 7th of July the army 

 moved on towards Cairo. They were much annoyed on the rood by 

 f Mamelukes and Arabs, who watched for any stragglers that 

 fell out of the ranks, and immediately cut them down, without the 

 French being able to check them, as they hod no cavalry. At last, 

 after a harassing march, the French on the 21st arrived in sight of 

 the great pyramid*, and saw the whole Mameluke force under Mourad 

 and Ibrahim Bey* encamped before them at Embabeh. The Mame- 

 luke* formed a splendid cavalry of about 6000 men, besides the Arab 

 auxiliaries ; but their infantry, composed chiefly of Fellah*, was con- 

 temptible. The Mameluke* bad no idea of the resistance of which 

 squares of disciplined infantry are capable. They charged furiously, 

 aud for a moment disordered one of the French squares, but succeeded 

 no farther, having no guns to support them. The volleys of musketry 

 and grape shot made fearful havoc among them ; and after losing most 

 of their men in desperate attempt* to break the French ranks, the 

 remnant* of this brilliant cavalry retreated toward* Upper Egypt; 

 others crossed the Nile, and retreated toward* Syria. This was called 

 the battle of the Pyramid*, in which victory was cheaply bought over 

 a barbarian cavalry unacquainted with European tactics. Bonaparte 

 two days after entered Cairo without resistance, and assembled a divan 

 or council of the principal Turk* and Arab sheiks, who were to have 

 tho civil administration of tho country. He professed a determination 



