38S FRANCE. 



so decisive was his victory, that general Serruier and three thousand 

 men were taken prisoners, and Milan opened its gates to the con- 

 querors on the 30ih. Peschiera was taken on the 6th of May, and, 

 on the 10th, Pizzigethone surrendered to general Kray : on the 12th 

 the Austrians entered Bologna, and took twelve hundred prisoners ;' 

 and on the 23d they took possession of Ferrara. In Piedmont, the 

 French, notwithstanding the efforts of Moreau, Macdonald, and Jou- 

 bert, beheld themselves successively deprived of all their strong 

 holds. The Austrians entered Turin on the 27th of May, and the 

 citadel surrendered on the 20th of June. Mantua, after a short siege 

 for so strong a place, surrendered on the 30th of July ; the city of 

 Alessandria on the same day ; and such was the success of the cam- 

 paign, that the French were obliged to abandon the whole of Italy ; 

 Genoa, and a small portion of the adjoining tei*ritory, only excepted. 

 On the 25th of August a desperate battle was fought between the 

 French and the Austrians and Russians at Novi, to the territory of 

 Genoa, in which the French are supposed to have lost not less than 

 ten thousand men ; but this victory was purchased with a loss nearly 

 as great on the part of the allies. 



On the side of Switzerland, the affairs of the republic at first wore 

 a less disastrous aspect ; Massena having obtained some slight 

 advantages. These, however, were soon counterbalanced by events 

 more favourable to the allies ; the French general being obliged to 

 abandon Zurich, which was immediately occupied, by the Austrian 

 troops under Hotze. 



Italy being now rescued from the power of the French, it was 

 resolved that Suwarrow should proceed with his army to Switzerland, 

 to drive the French back into their own territories, and enter France : 

 whei'e he was to endeavour to re-establish the fallen monarchy. The 

 directory were now convinced of their danger, and made every exer- 

 tion to reinforce their armies in Switzerland, and the most active pre- 

 parations for a vigorous defence. General Massena, who command- 

 ed the republican army in that country, displayed great military 

 genius, and evinced uncommon abilities in all his enterprises. Know- 

 ing that if Suwarrow effected a junction with the troops already 

 acting against him, he must.be inevitably overpowered, he determin- 

 ed to attack the latter; and in a variety of actions, during four whole 

 days between the 14th and 20th of September, repeatedly defeated 

 the Austrian and Russian armies ; many thousands being killed and 

 taken prisoners, among the former of which was the brave Austrian 

 general Hotze. 



Suwarrow, in consequence, on his arrival in Switzerland, found it 

 impossible to join his defeated and dispirited allies ; his plans were 

 all rendered abortive ; he was under the necessity of immediately 

 withdrawing into Germany ; and during his retreat over mountains 

 covered with snow, and through roads nearly impassable, he suffered 

 as much loss as could have ensued alter a signal defeat. 



On the 13th of October, Bonaparte, having found means to escape 

 from Egypt, and elude the vigilance of the British cruisers, arrived 

 in France, accompanied by general Berthier and some other officers. 

 The recent losses which the republic had sustained, and the -im- 

 minent danger which threatened its very existence, had greatly 

 weakened the authority of the directory, and prepared the way for the 

 total alteration of the constitution and government which had pro- 

 bably been projected by the abbe Sieyes, and which the popularity 



