FRA 
as a free and neutral (late, and fhould not afford'fuccour 
either to France or Spain. Pinef, the French deputy on 
miffion, rejected this propofition with difdain, irt'ued a de¬ 
cree for annulling the dates, and the French troops took 
poffeffon of Guetaria. The inhabitants were immediate¬ 
ly made to feel the oppreffion of Gallic domination; a 
guillotine was eredted in the new fquare of St. Sebaftian, 
all the nobles, priefts, and perlons of diftindtion in the pro¬ 
vince, were arretted; requidtions were rigidly enforced, the 
churches (hut up, and the miferable inhabitants obliged to 
quit their homes and feek a refuge in the interior of Spain. 
General Muller, from fome pique, now refigned his com¬ 
mand, univerfally regretted, and was fucceeded by gene¬ 
ral Moncey. The army was (hortly afterwards reinforced 
by dfteen battalions, part of the corps which had fought 
under the unfortunate Cudine. 
The valley of Roncevalles being occupied by twelve 
thoufand Spaniards, general Moncey formed a plan for 
furrounding them, and pudiing forward to make an impe¬ 
tuous attack on Pampeluna. His project appears to have 
been well conceived, but failed in its objedf, from an un¬ 
expected refidance, and fome miftakes by the commanders 
of different divifions. The Spaniards, though not fur- 
rounded, were defeated; their lofs is eftimated at fifteen 
hundred killed and prifoners ; that of the French at no 
more than five hundred : the frontiers of Euguy and Or- 
ba'icet were deftroyed, and the viCtors gained fifty pieces 
of cannon, and a large quantity of provifions and forage. 
After this encounter, Odtober 16, the French remained 
fome time inactive ; but at length prepared to attack 
Pampek^ia, though they were not fufficiently provided 
with rfeqiiifites for a fiege. As a preparatory meafure, 
general Macbot affailed the Spaniards at all points, on 
the 24th cff November, but met with an unexpected re- 
fiftance, which augured a defeat. Night clofed the en¬ 
gagement, and the Spaniards renewed the conteft the next 
day under the moft favourable aufpices; but a battalion 
of Bifcayans, detached from Zubiri, eroded the moun¬ 
tains, andTook them in the rear ; confufion and defeat 
enfued, more than fix hundred Spaniards were left dead 
on the field; no quarter was given; and the few who 
were accidentally made prifoners were, in purfua'nce of a 
decree of the convention, fhamefully murdered in cold 
blood. The inhabitants of Pampeluna, in confternation 
and defpair, now expeded every hour to fee their habita¬ 
tions deftroyed by the vidtors. But the French were not 
in a condition to purfue their fuccefs; their wants were 
multiplied by the number of their victories; they could 
not maintain their pofitions on the mountains; the roads 
were bad, provifions fiiort, and the foldiers, worn down 
with fading and fatigue, were rendered unhealthy by 
drinking corrofive waters. At length general Moncey re¬ 
treated to Tolofa, where he efiablifhed his winter quarters. 
The armies of the Alps and Italy had a career equally 
fuccefsful: the French being mailers of the county of 
Nice, refolved to wreft from the king of Sardinia the city 
of Oneglia, the only port through which he could com¬ 
municate with the Englifh, or with the ifiand of Sardinia. 
They advanced without hefitation to the attack of the de¬ 
filed port, on the 6th of April, 1794; and, having dif- 
lodged a body of troops ported on the heights of St. 
Agatha, the Sardinians in a panic abandoned Oneglia to 
its fate, and retired in diforder to the rtraits of the Ap- 
penines. Such was the terror excited by the French, that 
upwards of forty thoufand people abandoned their dwel¬ 
lings, and the republicans parted through many villages in 
the fertile valley of Oneglia, where no human being was 
Jo be found, except a few women, children, and old men. 
The Piedmontefe, intrenched on the highert Alps, were 
next attacked throughout their whole line ; general Bag- 
delonne advancing by Mount Valaifin, captured Little 
St. Bernard, and drove the Piedmontefe into Aorta, 011 
the river Doria. The centre of the French army now 
prepared to attack Mount Cenis, and took fort Mira- 
bouck, on the xitli of May, -which opened an eafy road 
N C E. 807 
to Pigr.erola, while a divjrton of three" thoufand men 
leized Oulx, mentioned by Catfar in his Commentaries 
under the name of OfceUum, and preffed forward to the 
walls of Exiles. General Bagdelonne put in execution 
his attack of Mount Cenis, on the 22d of May. The 
Piedmontefe defended themfelves with unufual firmnefV, 
hut were obliged to yield to the impetuous valour of the 
French, who charged them in all their ftrong holds with 
the bayonet, and thus drove them from the mountains,- 
feizing their fuperb train of artillery, equipages, and pro- 
virtons: they eftablirtied advanced ports' at Ferrieres and 
Novalefe, within two leagues of Suza; and the right 
wing, commanded by general Vaubois, parting the ftrait 
of l’Argentiere, poffeffed itfelf of the valley of Stura, and 
the port of Barricades, thus ertabiifliing a communication 
between the army of the Alps and that of Italy. 
Thus, at the period of Robefpiene’s overthrow', the 
French were matters of the fumniits of the Alps, in all 
parts accertible to man, as well in Savoy as the county of 
Nice. But ftill it was not eafy to penetrate into Pied¬ 
mont : if the attempt were made by the Col di Tende, it 
would be neceffary to take Coni or Suza, the difficulty of 
which was well known ; and the approaching feafon when 
the fnow would begin to fall, forbade the undertaking of 
a long fiege. If the effay was made by the Col d’Exiles, 
it would be no lefs hazardous and difficult; the repub¬ 
licans therefore determined to follow the line marked by 
the fea on the coaft of Ponente, to feize the marquifate 
of Finale, though it belonged to the Genoefe, and pene¬ 
trate into the heart of Piedmont by Mount Ferrat. This 
paffage, though apparently more eligible than the others, 
was not free from great difficulties ; and the emperor of 
Germany having lent confiderable reinforcements to the 
king of Sardinia, the French, though they made fome 
progrefs in their enterprife, found they could not pene¬ 
trate into Piedmont during the prefent campaign, and 
contented themfelves with prelerving their lofty conquefts 
in the Alps. 
Thefe fucceffes were crowned by the brilliant advan¬ 
tages which attended the armies of the North, and Sambre 
and Meufe, adting againff the allies in Flanders. During 
the career of vidtory already deferibed, general Moreau, 
on the 18th of July, 1794, captured the town of Nieu- 
port, garrifoned by Hanoverians; and, like a generous and 
manly foldier, lie had the virtue to rifle his life rather than 
tarnifh his fame by putting in execution the favage de¬ 
cree of the convention, which was, to give no quarter: 
lie did not, however, extend the fame humanity to leve- 
ral hundred emigrants, who, being found in the garrifon, 
were all put to death. Shortly afterwards he executed 
one of the boldeft enterprifes which dirtinguiihed the 
campaign : the French having relolved to befiegc Slays, 
it became neceffary to gain potficrtioii of the ifiand of Cad- 
fand, at which there was no way of arriving, but by>a 
canfeway, inundated on both Tides, and commanded by 
fourteen pieces of cannon, or by throwing a bridge over 
the ftrait of Cofchifche, which he could not ertedt for 
want of pontoons. He had no refources but a few boat?, 
in which fome of the troops puffed, while others even 
fwam acrofs; and, forming in the face of a fuperior ene¬ 
my, and of numerous batteries, he captured the ifiand,.. 
and took ninety pieces of cannon, a great quantity of am¬ 
munition, and two hundred prifoners. 
Meanwhile Sluys made a gallant refiftance; the French 
were encouraged, however, by the ftirrender of Quefnoy, 
which opened its gates, Auguft after aSpirited, though 
ineffedhial, oppolition. The French, eager to'ftrike ter¬ 
ror by means of the decree for giving no quarter, fule¬ 
moned tiie garrifon before they had time to make any re¬ 
gular approaches; but the valiant commander would not 
fubmit to the infamy of fuch a ftirrender, and in his offer 
of capitulation, only folicited the ufual terms for his brave 
followers, offering his own life as a facrifice to the rage 
of the vidlors. The convention, under the new fyttem, 
(for Robefpierre was now no more,) thought fit to re¬ 
turn nee 
