S;;o . FRA 
forts,' having a Frenchman at their head, now ruffled into 
the palace, and demanded aid towards accomplitliing a 
revolution. Some French officers, and others who were 
with the ambafiador, nobly and generotifly propofed to 
drive the infurgents from the jurifdiCtion of the palace. 
Jofeph Bonaparte, however, conceiving that his autho¬ 
rity would be fufficient to accompli (It the obied in a 
peaceable manner, went out into the court to addrefs the 
multitude ; but was prevented by a difeharge of muf- 
quetry from th.e militaiy, who were firing within the ju- 
rifdiCtion of the palace. He now interpofed between the 
military and th.e infurgents ; and advanced elefe upon the 
fpldiers, io prevail with them to depart; but they re¬ 
mained in a menacing attitude, and prepared for another 
difeharge. Eager to prevent this, the French general 
Duphot, who was with the ambaffador, and was next day 
to have married his After, rudied into the ranks of the 
military, intreating them to detift. Here art officer of the 
pope’s troops difeharged his mufquet into the body of 
Duphot. Upon this, the ambafiador and his friends found 
it necefiary to make their efcape through a bye-way into 
the palace ; and on th.e enfiting morning at fix o’clock 
jofeph Bonaparte quitted Rome, deaf to all propofitions 
for explanation or apology. An account of the tranfac- 
fion was forwarded to France, and orders were imme¬ 
diately blued for general Berthier, who commanded in 
Italy, to revolutionife Rome, and give up the country to 
pillage. Berthier accordingly advanced to Rome by 
forced marches ; fummoned the caftle of St. Angelo, al¬ 
lowing only four hours for its evacuation by the papal 
troops; the conviCfs in the prifons were fet at liberty; 
the gates of the city were fecured by the French; the 
pope, th.e cardinals, and the whole people of Rome, were 
made prifoners at diferetion. The French general all’o 
detained prifoners in the palace of Monte Cavallo four 
cardinals, four princes, four prelates, and two bankers, as 
Ijoftages for the quiet of the city, and for the payment of 
certain contributions necefiary to relieve the wants of his 
followers. 
On the 15th of February 179S, Berthier made his tri¬ 
umphal entry into Rome ; and the tree of liberty being 
planted on the capitol, he pronounced an addrefs to the 
fhades of Cato, Pompey, Brutus, Cicero, and Hortenlius, 
which he concluded by alluring the Romans that they 
were about to refume their ancient grandeur and the vir¬ 
tues of their progenitors. As th.e means of acquiring 
thefe honourable diftinftions, a proclamation was iffued, 
declaring them a free and independent republic, under 
the fpecial protection of the French army. A provi- 
fional government was for the prefent acknowledged, as 
eftablifhed by the fovereign people ; and every authority 
or appointment emanating from the pope was to ceafe ; 
nor was he any longer to exercife any function. The 
French general Cervoni was charged with the care of the 
police, the fafety of the city, and the protection of the 
new government; and the territory of the Roman repub¬ 
lic was declared to comprehend all that remained under 
the temporal authority of the pope after the treaty of 
Camno Formio. Great however, was the barbarity and 
cruelty exerciled in the depofition and fubfequent treat¬ 
ment of the pope, Pius VI. At this period, the unfor¬ 
tunate reprefentative of St. Peter was in the eigluy-fecond 
year of his age ; and, during twenty-three years, he had 
exerciled in a blamelefs manner the fovereignty confided 
to him ; receiving ftrangers, and all thofe who reforted 
to Rome in purluit of claflical literature and fcience, with 
benevolent munificence and princely hofpitality. 
Whether retained by force, or deluded by promifes, 
the pope long continued, after the abrogation of his au¬ 
thority, a prifoner in his own palace. The French then 
ieized it for barracks, and confined the pope to his own 
rpoms, putting the feal of confifcation on all his effeCts. 
At length the unfortunate pontiff was removed from 
Rome to Sienna, where he w'as received by the Auguftinc 
monks, and lodged in their convent. The remaining. hii~ 
N C E. 
tory of Pius VI. exhibits only a continuation of cruelty 
and diftrefs. He was removed to many cities in Italy, 
and finally to Valence, where he terminated his days amid 
the horrors of infult, inhumanity, and unfeeling perfecu- 
tion. The dovvnfal of the papal government, by what¬ 
ever means effected, excited perhaps lefs fympathy than 
that of any other in Europe : the errors, the opprellions, 
the tyranny, of Rome over the whole Chriffian world, 
were remembered with bitternefs ; many rejoiced, through 
religious antipathy, in the overthrow of a church which 
they confidered as idolatrous, though attended with the 
immediate triumph of greater infidelity ; and many 
thought they faw in thefe events the accompliffirnent of 
prophecies, and the exhibition of figns promifed in the 
myftical parts of the Holy Scriptures. 
From the earlieft periods of the French revolution, 
the projeCt of fraternizing the government of Swifierland, 
had been a favourite topic with the party directed by 
Briflot. Theancient alliance of the cantons with France, 
the conffant employment of their belt tropps in the fer- 
vice of that nation, their hatred towards the houfes of 
Auftria and Savoy, the neutrality obferved during the 
mod critical periods of the war, the forbearance which 
followed the mafiacre of their troops in Auguft 1792, and 
treaties folemnly made and repeatedly ratified, were con- 
fiderations which influenced the directory to the refolu- 
tion of converting Swifierland into a fnbordinate republic. 
In executing this fcheme, they purpofed to divide the 
members of the Helvetic confederacy, by fomenting com¬ 
motions, and, by occupying the attention of the refpeCt- 
ive ftates, to prevent their refilling in one firm, compact, 
and united, body; and then to turn their whole force 
againff the canton of Berne, on the conqueft or fubmiffion 
of which depended the reduction of all Swifierland. This 
fervice was confided to generals Brune and Schavvenbourg, 
who, after wading through feenes of blood and carnage, 
accomplifhed, in 1798, the entire fubjugation of the Swifs 
cantons. The French generals acknowledge that the 
Swifs fought with unparalleled bravery, and that the 
fubjeClion of Berne was the confequence of a moft fan- 
guinary conteff, in which the militia, levied in a mafs and 
without experience, gave the ffrongeft proofs of courage 
and defpair. “ Many of thofe brave people,” faid tha 
French officer who delivered the Swifs fiandards to the 
directory, “ without any arms but feythes and clubs, 
placing themfelves at the mouths of the cannon, were 
mowed down with grape-fliot, and rejected the quarter 
which was offered them from humanity.” One glorious 
effort of magnanimity furpafies the memorable facrifice 
of the Spartans at Thermopylae. Eight hundred youths 
devoted themfelves to death ; overpowered by numbers, 
they refufed quarter; feven, who efcaped the firft car¬ 
nage, difdained to furvive their brothers in arms, and, 
rufiling into the ranks of their enemy, periffied under the 
ruins of their country. In thefe bloody conflicts, not only 
'the men difplayed unparalleled bravery, but even women 
ruffled into the heat of the battle, threw themfelves on 
the cannon of the enemy, and clung to the wheels-to pre¬ 
vent them from advancing. 
A treaty was at length concluded between the two 
countries, September 1798, by virtue of which, Geneva, 
Mulhaufen, Bienne, and the bifhopric of Bade, were an¬ 
nexed to France ; the remainder of the country, except 
the Grifons, was modelled into the Helvetic Republic, form¬ 
ing eighteen departments. The French gained, befides 
many other advantages, a military and commercial road 
through that-country into the fouth of Germany. 
While the fraternization of Swifierland was thus ef- 
fefting in Europe, the directory formed the grand project 
of extending their arms into Africa, for the regeneration 
of the fine and fertile vale of Egypt. When all was in 
readinefs, Bonaparte embarked with forty tbOufand of 
the troops that had fought in Italy. On the 9th of June 
1798, he arrived at the ifland of Malta and on the grand 
raafter refit fing to admit fo large a fleet into his ports to 
water. 
