SS2 - F R A 
conduct of the garvifbn; and that, for every gun that 
thould be fired from the cattle, a man fiiould be put to 
death. It cannot well be imagined that the Neapolitan 
officers would have acted in this vehement manner, had 
they not expedled countenance and fupport from the im¬ 
mediate co-operation of Au(Irian troops, In their hopes 
from this quarter, however, they were completely difap- 
pointed. Mindful of her recent calamities, Aitftria feems 
flill to have expected more from negociation than from 
war, and the territory of Naples foon fell into the hands 
of the French. Such was the di faff eft ion or cowardice of 
the Neapolitan troops, that they were beaten by one-fourth 
of their number in different engagements, atl'erni, Porto 
Fermo, Civita Caftellana, Otvicoli, and Caivi. The di- 
vifion commanded by general Mack was incapable of ral¬ 
lying after the firft defeat, and withdrew in ciforder to¬ 
wards the frontiers of Naples. Mack being joined, by 
count Roger de Dumas, a brave and intelligent emigrant, 
retired behind Capua, while the king of Naples quitted 
Rome in fifteen days after his triumphal entry, and Cham- 
pionnet re-entered the city, December 16, 179S. 
The republican army inftanlly prepared to take advan¬ 
tage of the terror pf the Neapolitans, and, having com¬ 
pelled them to quit the Roman territory, purfued them 
to their own. The right wing, under Macdonald, Ma- 
thiew, and Rey, advanced in different directions. The 
latter, being joined by the younger Kellermann, prefented 
himfelf with lefs titan three thoufand men before Gaeta, 
a fortified town (ituated on a peninfula, defended by four 
thoufand Neapolitans, victualled for a whole year, plen¬ 
tifully fupplied with ammunition, and having the advan¬ 
tage of an open fea, either for Succour or efcape; yet, 
with all thefe advantages, the place furrendered at difere- 
tion on the firing of the firft (hot. Rey now joined Cham- 
pionnet and Macdonald under the walls of Capua, where 
they fummoned Mack to furrender. Having received a 
negative anfwer, Cbampionnet attacked the works, but 
was repulfed with confiderable lofs. At length the left 
wing of the French under Le Moine and Dnhem, after 
feveral fucceffes, alfo joined Cbampionnet before Capua. 
General Serrurier, at the fame time advancing from 
Modena, entered Lucca, where lie levied a contribution 
of two millions, (97,500!.) and was proceeding to Leg¬ 
horn; but the Neapolitans having quitted it, and the 
French not choofing to renew the quarrel with the empe¬ 
ror of Germany, whole interefts were infeparably connect¬ 
ed with thofe of the grand-duke of Tufcany, he was or¬ 
dered to march back. 
The defence of Capua was now the only remaining re- 
fource of Naples. The king, difheartened by the bafenefs 
of his troops, and alarmed at the near approach of the 
French, had, on the 16th of December, taken refuge 
on-board lord Nelfon’s fleet, after caufing the maritime 
arfenals, and all the fhips of war which he could not bring 
away, to be burnt. After experiencing all the horrors 
of an exterminating warfare, and feeing prince Albert his 
ion, who was in his feventh year, expire with fatigue, 
he thought himfelf fortunate in landing fafe at Palermo, 
on the 27th. 
General Mack, having collected the fcattered remains 
of his army, flill outnumbered the French, and kept them 
in check by the excellence of his polition, occupying an 
entrenched camp in the plain of Calerta, with the Vul- 
turno in front, and protected by Capua, which defends 
the palfage of the river. The French general, in the 
mean while, found himfelf in a very critical lituation : he 
fuftained a confiderable check on the 8th of January 1799, 
in an attempt upon Capua, and was deftitute of artillery 
for a regular flege ; the infurreCtion of armed peafants 
from Abruzzo to Naples inceffantly haraffed him, and 
cut off his communications; general Rufca had been made 
prifoner by them; Rey was affaflinated by a woman at 
Gaeta ; and the troops, without tents or fuflenance, were 
perifliing with cold before Capua. From this ftate of al- 
moff inevitable ruin, prince Pignatelli, who, on the de* 
N C E. 
parture of the king li3d affirmed the regency Under the 
title of captain-general of the kingdom, relieved them. 
He had long been folicitinga peace ; and, when the French 
were on the verge of defpair, lie agreed, as the price of 
a fufpenfion of arms, to deliver into their hands Capua, 
which was the key of Naples, with its magazines and 
ftores, and all the artillery of Mack’s intrenched camp. 
Fie alfo agreed to yield up tiie whole country from the 
Mediterranean to the mouth of the Ofanto, to (hut the 
ports of the kingdom againfl the enemies of France, to 
pay ten miliions of livres; (437,500!.) and fend an am- 
baffador to Paris to treat for a definitive peace. General 
Mack, the officers of his ftaff, and his whole army, were 
like wife furrendered to the French. 
In the city of Naples there had long exifled a body of 
perfons under the denomination of Lazzaroni , or beggars, 
amounting to the incredible number of from thirty to forty 
thoufand men, who lived in idlen fs, fubfifting by cha¬ 
rity, or by fuch fliifts as obcafionally occurred to them. 
One of their 1110ft ufual means was by menacing the ftate 
with an infurreCtion, in cafe their wants were not inflantly 
fupplied; which ufually drew from a feeble adminiftra- 
tion liberal diftributions of money and provifions. On 
the prefer.t occafion they demonftrated abundance of loy¬ 
alty ; but the king had thought fit to avoid entrufting his 
fafety to fuch defenders. During the' confufion which 
followed the flight of the court, and the approach of the 
French army, the Lazzaroni became formidable, and put 
themfelves in martial array, requefting prince Miiitorni 
to lead them againfl the common enemy; but he attempted 
in vain to reftrain them. They declared implacable hof- 
tility againfl the French, and all the advilers of the ar- 
miftice. They broke open the priforis, put to death all 
who were confined on account of political offences, and 
fpread themfelves over the city in Search of thofe perfons 
whom they confidered as favourable to the invaders, whom 
they murdered, and burnt the houfes of the difaffeCted. 
An attempt was-made by a confiderable body of the in¬ 
habitants, who thought themfelves in the greateft danger, 
to relift their fury by fortifying tiie convent of the Ce- 
leftins, and retiring thither; but the Lazzaroni, after en¬ 
countering the fire of cannon and of mulketry, fucceeded 
in ftorming the place, and deftroyed all who had taken 
refuge there. Their power and their fury were now 
equally boundlefs, and the city became in many quarters 
a feene of maffacre and pillage. Prince Miiitorni, there¬ 
fore, went to Capua, and requefted Championnet to refeue 
Naples from utter ruin by occupying it with his army. 
For this purpofe it was agreed, that a column of French 
troops fhouid fecretly advance by a circuitous march, and 
fuddenly enter tiie city from the oppefite quarter. But 
before this plan could be executed, the Lazzaroni had 
adopted the daring refclution of attacking the French 
within the fortifications of Capua. Accordingly two- 
thirds of them marched out upon this enterprise, and 
fpent the 19th and 20th of January in attempting to take 
Capua by affault. Multitudes of them now periflied by 
the artillery of the place ; for the French, to favour the 
capture of Naples by the party that had been fent for 
that purpofe, avoided making any fally, and remained 
upon the defenfive. The Lazzaroni before Capua, how¬ 
ever, having learned on the 21ft that a French column 
had marched towards Naples, fuddenly returned to the 
afliftance of their brethren in the capital. They were 
clofely purfued by the French; but they had leifure, ne- 
verthelefs, to barricade the ftreets, and to form them¬ 
felves into parties for the defence of different quarters. 
A dreadful and fanguinary conteft now eufued, which 
lafted from the morning of the 22d to rhe evening of the 
23d of January. The Lazzaroni, with fome peafants 
who had joined them, difputed obftinately every Spot of 
ground ; and by the energy which they difplayed, caft a 
Severe reproach upon the feeble and unfkilful govern, 
ment, which had not been able to direCt in a better man¬ 
ner the invincible courage of fuch men. At length, af¬ 
ter 
