786 
ENGL 
Military incidents, ami attendant negociations, render 
this period important in the hiftory of the continent; but 
as thofe events come more properly under the refpeftive 
heads or titles of thole countries to which they particu¬ 
larly appertain, we (hall in this place only take a flight 
furvey of them. While general Hoche was afting with 
vigour and fuccefs againft the royalifts of La Vendee, 
whofe chiefs, Stofllet and Charette, were put to death as 
rebels, Napoleone Bonaparte carried into the Italian dates 
the terror of the French arms. He engaged the Auftrians 
at Montenotte, and, with the aid of Berthier and MafTena, 
put them to a total rout. He alfo obtained another vic¬ 
tory, of which the Piedmontefe felt the bitter effefts. In 
a third conflict, he met with fimilar fuccefs. Mondovi 
and other towns were reduced by his aftive troops ; and 
the king of Sardinia was fo difcouraged, that, to procure 
a ceffation of hoftilities, he delivered up fome of his prin¬ 
cipal fortrelfes to the victorious army. A peace was foon 
concluded between him and the French, to whom he 
ceded the duchy of Savoy and county of Nice. The dukes 
of Parma and Modena, and the king of Naples, alfo pur- 
chafed an armiflice ; and treaties of pacification with thofe 
princes followed. Advancing to Lodi, the French en¬ 
countered general Beaulieu ; but they were oppofed by 
fuch (trenuous efforts, and fo tremendous a fire, that vic¬ 
tory feemed to promife itfelf to the Auftrian battalions. 
At length, however, the bridge was forced, and the re¬ 
publican army bore down all before it. By this victory 
Bonaparte gained poffeflion of the greater part of the 
Milanefe ; and, after having quelled an infurreftion of the 
new fubjetts of France at Pavia, he alarmed the pope by 
an invafion of his territories. After thus difproving his 
infallibity, he granted the favour of a truce to the pon¬ 
tiff, and proceeded to cover the fiege of Mantua. The 
Auftrians, under the command of general Wurmfer, now 
obtained fome advantages over his troops, and compelled 
him to raife the fiege ; but he foon retaliated with fupe- 
rior effeft. He prevailed in the moll obftinate conflicts, 
and eventually conftrained Wurmfer to take refuge within 
the fortifications of Mantua. On the banks of the Bren- 
ta, Bonaparte was nearly defeated by Alvinzi; and, at 
Arcole, he was involved in the greateft danger; but he 
finally difiodged the foe, and after great lofs had been 
luftained on both (ides, he completely triumphed over the 
empire of ancient Rome. 
The campaign of 1796, in Germany, was opened with 
Tliccefs on the part of the French, who, led by Jourdan 
and Kleber, gained the battle of Altenkirchen. The re- 
? ublicans were lefs fortunate in an engagement near the 
,ahn ; but, proceeding to the Mayne, they reduced 
Franckfort, Wurtzburg, and fome other confiderable 
towns. In the autumn, they were defeated in feveral ac¬ 
tions, and obliged to recrofs the Rhine with marks of dif- 
gface. Moreau, who commanded on the Upper Rhine, 
took the fort of Kchl, and made great progrefs in the 
enemy’s country. At Rhenchen he put the Auftrians to 
flight: at Raftadt he was alfo victorious. He compelled 
the duke of Wirtemberg to relinquifti all oppofition to 
the French caufe, and to fue to the directory for peace, 
which was granted both to him and the margrave of 
Baden. He penetrated to the Bavarian capital, and ex¬ 
acted large contributions from theeleftor, with whom 
lie agreed to a truce. Finding that the emperor was 
marching againft him with augmented forces, he com¬ 
menced a retreat, which he executed with great (kill and 
extraordinary judgment. He wasexpofed to various dif¬ 
ficulties.and frequent attacks ; but he furmounted every 
obftacle, and continued his perilous retreat from the Lech 
to the Rhine, expiring alike the admiration of his afto- 
niflted adverfaries. 
In conformity with the intimations his Britannic ma- 
jefty had given of a defire of reltoring the bleffings of 
peace, he made dignified propolitions for negociatory 
conferences j and the French directory, after various 
1 
AND. 
fubterfuges and evafions, agreed to the propofal, but dfd 
not in the mean time negleCt the progrefs of hoftility, as 
preparations were ordered for a defeent on the coaft of 
Ireland. While preparations were thus going on for vi¬ 
gorous hoftility, lord Malmfbury (formerly fir James 
Harris) was engaged at Paris in the talk of negociation 
with M. Delacroix, the French minifter. When he had 
propofed that a general principle fhould be eftablifhed, 
as the bafis of definitive agreement, it was long evaded 
by his diplomatic adverfary ; and, when the directory af- 
fented to its adoption, there was no in'ention of obferving 
the promife. Its purport was, that compenfation (hould 
be made to France by proportional reftitutions of conqueft 
for thofe arrangements to which ftie might be defired to 
confent, in order to fatisfy the juft pretentions of the al¬ 
lies of Great Britain, and to preferve the political ba¬ 
lance of Europe. In conformity with this principle, 
lord Malmfbury required, That the emperor fnould be re- 
inftated in the full poffeflion of his dominions ; that peace 
fhould be fettled with the Germanic body on a bafis 
which might not injure or weaken the general fafety of 
Europe ; that the Jiatus ante bellum (hould, as far as prac¬ 
ticability would allow, take place in Italy ; and that 
Ruflia and Portugal fhould enjoy the benefit of the ne¬ 
gociation, if they were fo inclined. On thefe conditions 
the king promifed to reftore all the territories w hich his 
arftiies had taken from the French fince the beginning of 
the war. With regard to the Dutch, he would not en¬ 
gage for the reftitution of conquefts, unlefs the political' 
fituation in which they flood before the war fhould be re- 
eftablifhed. 
Some of thefe terms were declared by M. Delacroix ter 
be inadmiffible, as they would unreafonably diminifh that 
degree of power to which France, in confideration of the 
increafing ftrength of other European dates, was fairly 
entitled ; and he particularly oppofed the disjunction of 
the Netherlands from the French dominions. On this 
demand lord Malmfbury peremptorily infilled, though he 
hinted that France might be allowed to retain a part of 
her German conquefts, befides Savoy and Nice. After a 
long conference on thefe points, he received a note, re¬ 
quiring the delivery of an ultimatum within twenty-four 
hours. He remonftrated againft this arbitrary preclufion 
of deliberate negociation, and requefted a contre-projet on 
the part of the directory, that the propofals of both par¬ 
ties might be fairly weighed, and mutually difeufted with 
conciliatory candour. This reafonable requeft was an- 
fwered, December 19, 1796, by a determined refufal of 
reftoring any country which had been conftitutionally an¬ 
nexed to the republic ; accompanied with an order for 
his departure from Paris within two days, and his expe. 
ditious retreat from the French territories. This infult 
was qualified by alleging that his part in the negociation 
was merely paffive, as he was obliged to fend, on every 
occafion, for the advice of his court, and that a negocia¬ 
tion might eafily be carried on by the channel of couriers. 
While the people lamented the failure of the negocia¬ 
tion, they were pleafed at the ill fuccefs of the French 
fcheme of invafion. Seventeen (hips of the line, and 
many fmaller veffels, failed from the coaft of France, 
with an army exceeding eighteen thoufand men. An ap¬ 
plication had been made to the diredory by the repub¬ 
lican fociety of United Iriihmen, whofe agents repre- 
fented in perfuafive terms the probability of a general in¬ 
furreftion againft the government. Deluded by this ex¬ 
aggeration, the French Cent out their fleet, and intruded 
Hoche with the command of the troops. A part ot the 
armament caft anchor in Bantry-bay, and remained there 
for fome days, without an attempt to invade the country. 
Having waited in vain for the reft of the fleet, the (hips 
failed away. Others afterwards made their appearance ; 
but the violence of the wind prevented that rendezvous 
which was neceffary for the fuccefs of a defeent; and the 
continuance of ftormy weather defeated the views of the 
enemy, 
