HELVETIA. 
vigour, and more energetic decifion ; they hoped to 
conciliate France by partially adopting the plans of re¬ 
form fuggefted by the direflory ; and the fovereign 
council weakened the ancient fabric of their venerable 
conftitution, by convening fifty delegates to give advice 
in the prefent emergency and affift in new modelling 
the government. Thefe new afliftants appointed a com¬ 
mittee to frame within a year improvements in the con¬ 
ftitution conformable to the fpirit of the times ; but the 
people received the decree with indifference, the revo- 
lutionifts were not fatisfied, and government loft all re- 
fpedft by being confidered only as a provifional com¬ 
mittee. 
Berne foon afterwards relinquifhed its claims on the 
Pays de Vaud, and made overtures of conciliation to 
the directory and to Mengaud ; but, a peremptory mef- 
fage informed them that the proceedings of France had 
no other objedt than to overthrow a vicious and corrupt 
government, and fubftitute one more conformable to 
thofe of the Cifalpine and French republics, fuch a 
meafure being neceifary to their, fafety and tranquillity ; 
and required the eftablifhment of a provifional council, 
from which all the old magiftrates fliould be excluded. 
The government difpatched a million to general Brune, 
who had fucceeded Menard in commanding the French 
forces, deprecating the interference of a foreign power, 
and foliciting permiftion to make only a partial reform ; 
and the general expedting either inftrudtions or reinforce¬ 
ments, confented to an armiftice of fourteen days. In 
this awful interval, great ftruggl.es. were maintained by 
the two parties in Berne ; a propofition for a temporary 
didtatorffiip to be exercifed by the avoyer Steiguer and 
four others, which alone could fave the country, was 
rejected; but, as the clofe of the armiftice approached, 
and the defigns of France were better underftood, a 
greater portion of public fpirit was manifefted, the re- 
prefentation of Steiguer and general Erlach were attend¬ 
ed with greater effedt; twenty thoufaud militia were - 
enrolled, and religious ardour blended itfelf with the 
feelings of patriotifm. Great numbers who.deferted 
from the Pays de Vaud were incorporated in a regiment 
called the faithful legion ; the forces of Soleure and Fri- 
burg ranged themlelves under the ftandard of Berne ; 
and the command was entrufted to general Erlach, lord 
of Hindelbank and member of the fovereign council, a 
veteran diftinguiftied for Ikill and courage ; and, who 
had attained a high rank in the fervice of the king of 
France. Accompanied by eighty officers, he repaired 
to the fovereign council, and by his animated remon- 
ftrances procured unlimited powers, which he prepared 
to ufe for the benefit of his country. The combined 
forces under his command amounted to twenty thou- 
fand, judicioully ported, well acquainted with the coun¬ 
try, and eager to defend- it. They were oppofed by 
forty thoufand French ; but the ftate of their feelings, 
and the nature of their caufe, precluded from their 
minds every doubt refpetting the ultimate event. Er¬ 
lach had made mafterly difpofitions for an attack, and 
the whole country was ready to rife in his favour on the 
firft appearance of fuccefs; when, to his infinite mortifi¬ 
cation and aftonifhment, orders arrived from Berne revok¬ 
ing his full powers, and commanding him to fufpend hof- 
tilities, as a negociation was opened with general Brune. 
This fatal tergiverfation was owing to the fears of rhe 
temporifing party, and the intrigues of the French fac¬ 
tion, who feized the moment of Erlach’s departure to 
renew their machinations. Brune fent an adjutant on the 
27th of February, announcing the receipt of full jnftr.uc- 
tions from Paris, and requiring the government to fend 
deputies to eft'eft an immediate accommodation; his re- 
queft was complied with, and his Ultimatum was com. 
municated to the council, fie demanded the abdication 
of the magiftrates, the eftablilhment of a provifional 
regency; the formation of a new conftitution on the bafts 
of libeity and equality, and the releafe of all perfons ar» 
379 
refted for political opinions; the troops of Berne and 
the contingents were to be difmifled ; and, on the ful¬ 
filment of thefe conditions the French army would quit 
the territory of Swifterland, and never re-enter it, tinlefs 
fumimotud by the new government. 
After communicating thefe propofals, Brune and 
Mengaud inful ted the government with which they 
pretended to treat, and ftrove to excite difaffedtion 
among the people by proclamations of the moft infidi- 
. "ous tendency; but, although the terms of the ultima¬ 
tum fpread indignation among-all ranks, and the cla¬ 
mour of the people extorted from the council an order 
for general Erlach to execute his plan of attack,, the 
party of traitors had fufficient influence to procure the 
adoption of conciliatory expedients, and even a partial 
acceflion to the propofals of Brune. But thefe proffers, 
which demonftrated weaknefs, could not fatisfy the am¬ 
bition of France; the general, refilling to treat on any 
terms ffiort of abfolute fubmiffion, threatened to vilit 
the government of Berne with fome huflars and ,chaf- 
feurs, and fought tp animate his troops and difpirit and 
divide the people by a new proclamation, full of invec¬ 
tives againft the magiftracy of the canton and the go¬ 
vernment of Great Britain. Brune did not venture on 
thefe meafures till allured by his agents that the mili¬ 
tary force collected againft him was rather nominally 
than really formidable. During Erlach’s late journey 
to Berne, the friends of France had excited inftibordi- 
nation and jealoufy among the troops, by aflerting, that 
the government and their officers were in a compadt to 
betray them; a charge utterly falfe, but to which the 
preceding and fubfequent conduct of their rulers gave 
reat appearance of probability. Erlach had, with dif- 
culty, fucceeded in compofing thefe tumults, and ani¬ 
mated his troops by announcing his renewed powers to 
execute his original plan of attack, when the feeble go¬ 
vernment of Berne countermanded the order, and open¬ 
ed a new conference with. Brune. The foldiers, many 
of whom had actually marched to the attack, burnt 
with indignation ; they confidered the reports propa¬ 
gated by the French as undeniably proved ; great num¬ 
bers quitted their ftandards , and Erlach, obliged to 
aCt on the defenfive, awaited with folicitude the event 
of the negociations. Even the account of that event, 
through negligence or treachery, was withheld ; and 
when Brune, after rejecting the ultimatum of the coun¬ 
cil, advanced to the gates of Friburg, and, furprifed 
the important ports of Lengnau and Grange, the gene¬ 
rals were without concert, the officers knew not whom 
to obey, and Erlach only learned the renewal of hoftili- 
ties by the defeat of his right and left wings. 
Thefe events were produced by extraordinary circum- 
ftances. General Graffenreid, who commanded the 
right of the Swils ftationed at Buren, expediing to be. 
attacked on the expiration of the armiftice, made dif¬ 
pofitions for defence ; when an eftafette arrived from 
the French general Schawembourg, with information 
that plenipotentiaries from the cantons of Berne, So¬ 
leure, and Friburg, were arranging an accommodation 
with general Brune. Graffenreid, believing the intelli¬ 
gence, ordered his fubordinate officers at Lengnau and 
Grange to abftain from hoftilities ; but a council of offi¬ 
cers at the latter place, fufpedting deceit, confidered it 
moft prudent, even if negociations were renewed, not to 
place implicit confidence in French faith; but to re¬ 
main under arms. While they were debating on this 
fubject, a French officer taken near the advanced ports, 
was brought in, and declared that general Schawem¬ 
bourg had difpatched him to the poll of St. Jofeph, to 
prevent an attack which the French commander was in- 
ftrudted to make in that quarter at break of day ; ne- 
gociations having been renewed with the three cantons,, 
and an armiftice concluded. The Swifs generals, duped 
by thefe accounts, ordered their tioops, who were fa¬ 
tigued with eight days 5 incelfant dutyj into their can¬ 
tonments j 
