514 
GERMANY. 
tlioiifand men, fell on the firft divifion near Bobbio, in 
order to open a pafTage to Genoa. Tiie firft divifion, 
under gener.il Miolis, was foon repulfed, and compelled 
to fall hack to Quinto, where they rallied and made a 
fuccefsful Hand for the defence of the city; the.fecond, 
commanded by general Gazan, thought ju'oper to retire 
behind the Scrivia; and although the tliird divifion 
luccecded in throwing a reinforcement into Savona, 
they could neither fave Vado, nor prevent the entire 
reparation of a detachment under Such.ct, from the 
army of Genoa. 
The 7tli of April proved more aufpicious to the 
j French. The imperialifts having gained pofiefiion of 
Alonte Ja.ccio, lighted up feveral fires in the night, and 
lounded ihe toefins in all the adjacent country, in order 
to alarm the inhabitants of Genoa. Malfena perceived 
the danger that might refult from fuch ;m artifice, and 
refolved.to perform ibme exploit in fight of the Ge- 
noefe, in order to do away the imprellions vvliich had 
been made upon their minds by the firlt advantages of 
the Auilrians. Accordingly he gave orders for an im¬ 
mediate attack on that' part of the imperial army ; and 
]iis meafures were fo well concerted with generals Mio¬ 
lis, Darnaud, Hedtor, Pelitot, and others, that the 
Auftrians were defeated with the lofs of fifteen hundred 
prifoners, befides a contiderable number in killed and 
w'ounded. On the fame day, the fecond divifion of the 
French army retook Cazeila, Rongo-di-Fornari, and Sa- 
vigone; and the third divifion refiored the line from 
Voraggio to Campani. The following day was taken 
up, on both fides, in general and particular difpofitions 
of the forces. The difpofitions that refpedfed the firfi: 
divifion, under general Miolis, were exprefsly defigned 
for defending the apjiroaches to the city of Genoa; and 
the commandant of marine was inllruftcd to follow, as 
lar as pofiiblc, the movement projeCfed by the com¬ 
mander-in-chief, in order to defend the tranfports from 
the fmall craft of the Englilh. 
It has been juftly obl'erved, that this was not the 
blockade of a fingle place abandoned to itielf, but it 
was the right wing of the French army of Italy com- 
p'letely cut oft', which, while it maintained its own 
ground, gave time to the left wdngand the centre to fet 
themfelves in motion, and to undertake fome decifive 
enterprize. The imperialifts, ftrong as they' were^ had 
not tlie m.eans of carrying on a fiege in form, unlcfs they 
fliould borrow artillery from the Englifti ; and it muft 
certainly liavc been a difficult matter, had that expe¬ 
dient been adopted, to convert the Britifh guns, mounted 
for marine fervice, into battering cannon. Tlte nature 
of the ground divided the whole of the attack into two 
feparate parts, by the courfe of the Bifagno. The 
forts Diamant and I’Eperon covered the line of defence 
on the left; and on the right it was fupported by tlte 
fort of Richelieu, and five counter-forts, which are at¬ 
tached to it on the prolongation of the eminence. Maf- 
fena having made all the difpofitions which feemed to 
promife a temporary fecurity to Genoa, projected a 
grand movement, by which he defigned to blockade Sa¬ 
vona, retake Vado, and re-ellablifh his communication 
with general Suchef. 
Early on the morning of the 9th of April, the French 
received intelligence that the Auftrians were pouring 
down from all quarters on Genoa. Maflena, however, 
made no alteration in his divifion, but continued to 
make the inofl vigorous exertions for the execution of 
his plan ; in purftiance of which hehaftened to eftablilh 
111.-, head-quarters at Cogoletto: general Soult was to 
have been at Safello in the evening, but an unexpeffed 
movement of the imperialifts retarded his march, and 
lam. him under the iieceflity of fecuring his communi¬ 
cation with Genoa. Next morning general Melas ad¬ 
vanced againft Malfena with three bodies of his army: 
tile divifion on ii;e right conlifted of the brigades of 
Lauennan, Buify, and Sticker, commanded by count 
4 
de Palfy ; the centre was compofed of the brigades of 
Bellegarde and Beautano, under the orders of general 
Bellegarde ; and the left divifion confifted of four 
Auftrian regiments, under the count St. Julian. Mean¬ 
while the French general Gazau took a pofition on the 
road leading to Pouzonne; and general Poinfot pre¬ 
pared to attack, o,n the heights of Safello, the Auftrian 
rear-guard, which was bearing on Verneria. 
Poinfot executed his projetl with fuch impetuofity, 
that he cut off part of the regiment of Deutclimeifter, 
and took three pieces of cannon, with two hundred 
thoufand cartridges and fix hundred prifoners. But a 
divifion of twelve hundred men under general Gar- 
danne were attacked by the imperialifts, and compelled 
to retire after a fanguinary conflict. Meanwhile gene- 
ral Soult had gained feveral advantages, and eft’ed'ted a 
junction witli Frefiinet, coirynander of the fmall body 
who followed Maffena on the coaft. In an engagement 
wliich preceded this junftion, the Auftrians ioft feveral 
offiGers of, rank, and upwards of a thoufand prifoners. 
7 'he Frenchi, however, had no caufe of exultation; for 
th.eir lois was equal to that of their enemies, and their 
money and provifions had fufi'ered fuch a fenfible dimi¬ 
nution, that tlicy were at length obliged to retire towarda 
Genoa, and the forts with which it was environed. 
During the fifteen day.s that the defence of Genoa was 
maintained by oft'enlive operations, Malfena loft fuch a 
prodigious number of men, th.at he clearly perceived 
nothing more was to be expedfed from the force of his 
arms. He therefore refolvcd to fortify liimfelf in his 
pofitions, to difeover lome means of fubfiftence, and to 
exercife the ftrldteft economy in the ufe of fuch as yet 
remained. By means of fome velfcls which hadefcaped 
the vigilance of the Englilh fleet, he fent letters to Cor- 
fica and Marfeilles, and about the fame time he gained 
intelligence of the march of the army of referve under 
Bonaparte. This news rekindled the enthufiaftic ar¬ 
dour of Ills troops, and encouraged liiin ftill to hold 
out, even under his accumulated misforlunes. 
On the 30tli of April, r.Ia(fen:r relblved to make a- 
vigorous erf'ort, with his corps of referve, to force the 
Auftrians from their advanced pofitions. In this at¬ 
tempt he fiicceeded ; but it was at the expence of a fe- 
ries of defperate actions, in wiiich the combatants, 
being too near each other to make ule of mufketry, had 
recoiirfe to their bayonets, and even to ftones. Aftera 
molt prodigious elfulion of blood on both fides, the 
Frencli took feveral thoufand prifoners, and burnt all 
the fcaling-ladders which had been deftined for the ef- 
calade of Genoa and the adjacent forts. At the fame 
time general Soult made hiinfelf nuifter of the poft of 
Deux-Freres, and completed the defeat of the inipe- 
rialifts on that line. 
Thefe deftruCtivc combats, however, procured no fo- 
lid advantages to the republicans; but on the contrary 
augmented tlieir misfortunes, by inereafing the number 
of prifoners, while they were driven to extremities for 
want of provifion. The army of Bonaparte was at too 
great a diftance to afi'ord any relief to Mafi'ena ; the 
city of Savona had fur rendered to the Auftrians ; and 
the bombardment of Genoa, by the Englilh fleet, over¬ 
whelmed the inhabitants with fuch terror, that a gene¬ 
ral infurreCfion was hourly apprehended. At length, 
on the 4th of June, about feven o’clock in the evening,. 
Malfena ligned the treaty for tlie evacuation t^ Cenoa, 
or. the moft honourable terms, and the Auftrians took 
polfeflion of the city. 
The French army under Bonaparte now advanced ta 
the plain of Marengo, where the preparations on the 
fide of the Auftrians I'eemed to be decifive for battle. 
At tl'.is place both the French and imperialifts exhi¬ 
bited extraordinary Ikill and refolution ; and the en. 
gagenient was fupported on both fides with fuch afto- 
nilhing firmnefs, that the balance of victory longconti. 
nued 10 waver, and the commanders of both parties 
^ were 
