54G 
N A P 
than preparations for a&ive hoftilities were begun by the 
government of Naples. Levies of Neapolitans were or¬ 
dered. Horfes and waggons, nece’fl'ary for the advance of 
the army, were provided. Magazines were colle&ed, and 
every demon!!ration was given by the court of Naples, 
that, if not confulted before the expedition was under¬ 
taken, the plan of operations, whatever it was, had now 
its hearty approbation and fupport. 
It was not: long before the court of Naples was made 
fen'fible of the full extent of its imprudence. On the 
morning after the fignature of the peace of Prefburg, 
Bonaparte ifi'iied a proclamation from his head quarters 
at Vienna, declaring “ the Neapolitan dynafiy had ceafed 
to reign,” and denouncing vengeance again!! the reign¬ 
ing family, in terms that left no hope of pardon or ac¬ 
commodation. (See the article France, vol. vii. p. 886.) 
Hardly is ad this threatening proclamation reached Naples, 
when the allies, who had brought the Neapolitan govern¬ 
ment into thefe difficulties, fet the fir!! example of flight, 
and abandoned to their fate the royal perfonages whom 
they had fo inexcufably involved in ruin. A courier ar¬ 
rived at Naples, w ith orders from the emperor Alexander 
for the Ruffian troops to re-embark and return to Corfu. 
The retreat of the Ruffians led neceffiirily to that of the 
Engiifh. Had the Ruffians remained, who formed the 
greater part of the allied army, there is a ftrong pofition on 
the road from Rome to Naples, having the mountains of 
Abruzzo on the right, and the Ganigliano on the left, 
which might have been maintained again!! the French. 
But, after the departure of the Ruffians, the Engiifh were 
too few in number for fo extenfive a line of defence, and 
therefore fir James Craig determined on retiring with his 
troops to Sicily, without waiting for the arrival of the 
enemy. This refolution, which feems, indeed, the only 
reafonable plan left him to adopt, he carried into execu¬ 
tion without delay, and thus fecured Sicily from the 
French, which had he attempted without fuccefs, the 
defence of Naples muft have fallen into their hands with¬ 
out refiftance. This hafly retreat of fir James Craig feems 
to have excited murmurs among his foldiers, who, with 
the fpirit natural to Britifli troops, were indignant at the 
appearance of flying before an enemy, diliant from them 
many hundred miles. It W'as ilill lefs acceptable to the 
court of Naples, which was unwilling to abandon its ca¬ 
pital, and too w'eak, without affiftance, to attempt its 
defence. But, the Britifli general, difregarding the mur¬ 
murs of the one, and remonftrances of the other, perfifled 
in his refolution ; and, being convinced that Naples could 
not be defended with the forces under his command, he 
wifely determined not to expofe his troops to the confe- 
quences of their ardour and inexperience, nor to facrifice 
them to the wild and extravagant projedls of the court of 
Naples. 
In the mean time a French army, under the command 
of Jofeph Bonaparte, afiifted by Maffena, Regnier, and 
other generals of reputation, was advancing towards 
Naples; and on the 9th of February its head-quarters 
were at Ferentino, on the frontiers of that kingdom. 
From this place a proclamation was iffued by Jofeph Bo¬ 
naparte, threatening the court of Naples with the fevereft 
vengeance for its breach of faith, and violation of the 
treaty of Portici; but promifing to the people, that, if 
they fubmitted to the French arms, their religion, laws, 
and property, fhould be refpe6!ed. See this proclamation 
at length under the article France, vol. vii. p. 888, 9. 
Having pafled the frontiers of the kingdom, the French 
advanced in three divifions. The right, commanded by 
Regnier, marched to Gaeta without oppofition, and fum- 
moned the prince of Hefle Philiplthal, the governor of 
that place, to furrender, offering him honourable terms 
of capitulation, and warning him of the inefficacy of re¬ 
fiftance. The anfwer of the prince of Hefle was a deter¬ 
mined refufal to capitulate; on which the French at¬ 
tacked and carried the redoubt of St. Andre, defended by 
L £ S. 
ten pieces of cannon; but loft in (he attach general Gigny, 
an excellent officer, much lamented by their army. The 
centre divifion, under the comman4 of Maffiena, met with 
no refiftance in its march to Naples, papua’Surrendered 
on the 12th of February ; and on the 15th joffiph Ilona* 
parte entered Naples, the garnlbn leift in that city’ancj in 
the neighbouring forts having previoufly capitulated. 
Next day he went publicly to miffs, which was celebrated 
by cardinal Rufro, archbiffiop of Naples ; and, to dffplay 
his devotion in a manner more gratifying to the populace, 
he prelented a diamond necklace as an offering to St. Ja- 
nuarius, the tutelary faint of Naples. 
The unfortunate king of Naples had left his capital on 
the 23d of January, 1806, to ffeek refuge, a fecond time, 
at Palermo ; and the queen had followed his example. 
Part of the Neapolitan army accompanied the king and 
queen in their flight; and.a number of perlons, connefted 
with the court, or obnoxious to the French, madje their 
efcape along with them. Though the king had been al¬ 
ways a favourite with the populace, no effort was made to 
detain him, nor difpofition fhown, as on a former occafion, 
to arm in his defence. The queen, was detefted by all 
ranks of people, and no fentiment but exultation at¬ 
tended her flight. Her meddling, intriguing character 
muft ever have prevented her from acquiring popularity; 
but, to have drawn upon her the univerfal abhorrence of 
her fubjefts, it was neceflary that file fliould have dif- 
played inch a vindi&ive temper, and filed fuch a profufion 
of blood, as had marked her return from her former exile. 
There was hardly a noble or refpeftable family in Naples 
which had not to lament fome viflim facrificed on that 
occafion to her refentment; and fuch was the impreflion 
left in their minds of her cruel, unrelenting character, 
that, when file failed from Naples, there was but one wi!h 
in the city, that !he might never return to it. 
The duke of Calabria, heir-apparent of Naples, to 
whom the king his father, before his departure, had dele¬ 
gated the regency of the kingdom during his own ab- 
fence, remained at Naples till the 7th of February. But, 
having tried in vain to open a negociation with the French, 
he abandoned the city on their approach, and retired, 
with a body of troops, to Calabria, where general Damas, 
a French emigrant in the Neapolitan fervice, was at the 
head of a confiderable force, endeavouring to organize a 
levy en majje, for the defence of that part of the king¬ 
dom. The activity of the French, however, left the Nea¬ 
politan generals but a fliort time to complete their prepa¬ 
rations. General Regnier was called from before Gaeta, 
and fent after the fugitives with part of the army which 
had entered Naples. No Hand feems to have been made 
by the Neapolitan generals till they reached the frontiers 
of Calabria; but, having taken a ftrong pofition at Lago 
Negro, they determined to wait there the approach of the 
enemy. An aftion enfued, in which the Neapolitans, 
after attempting in vain to defend the paflage of a fmall 
rivulet, were driven with great lofs from their pofition. 
This aftion, which feems to have been obftinately dif- 
puted on the part of the Neapolitans, wasfought on the 
6th of March. On the two following days Regnier con¬ 
tinued to advance, driving fmall parties of the Neapolitans 
before him, and on the 9th he attacked their army in its 
entrenched pofition at Campo Tenefe. According to the 
French accounts, the Neapolitans behaved moft fhame- 
fully on this occafion. They are faid to have fled at the 
firft on-fet, abandoned their cannon and baggage, and about 
2000 prifoners, to the enemy ; and to have difperfed after 
the battle fo completely, that general Damas was unable, 
in his flight, to collebt together more than 900 infantry 
and 50 horfes. The battle of Campo Tenefe, if it de- 
ferve the name, put an end for the prefent to the war in 
Calabria. Regnier advanced to Neggis at the extremity 
of the peninfula, and placed a French garrifon in the fort 
of Scylla. Another divifion of the Frenqh army marched, 
without oppofition, to Tarcnto, and took poffeffion of 
3 •, that 
