ae” 
1800. ] 
Pao” | 
STATE OF PUBLIC AFFAIRS, 
In May, 1 800. 
FRANCE. 
“HE”campaign has opened in Italy by 
an important fuccefs on the fide of 
the Aultrians. Onthe 6thof April, Ge- 
neral Melas attacked the feveral polts oc- 
cupied by the French, to the northward 
and weftward of Savona and Vado, and 
drove them from the pofitions of Torre la 
de Buona, Monte Notte, and feveral others. 
Some of thefe pofts were ftrongly entrench- 
ed, and one of them defended by 300 men; 
but they were carried by the courage and 
conduct of the Auftrian troops, who appear 
to have acquired much honour this day. 
The French retired with precipitation on 
Vado and Savona, leaving their cannon and 
about 300 prifoners, among whom was a 
Chef de Brigade and feveral officers of 
diftinction. In the night between the 6th 
and 7th the troops evacuated Vado, having 
. deftroyed the ftores and {piked the cannon, 
and retired by fea towards Nice. Their 
number is fuppofed to have been between 
feven and eight hundred. ‘The Auftrians 
took poffeffion of the fort of Vado in the 
morning and found 17 pieces of heavy ar- 
tillery. General Melas immediately invefied 
Savona. Such is the account tranfmitted 
by Lord Minto. 
‘By the French papers, however, which 
were received on the 27th of April, official 
communications of avery interefiing nature 
fneet the public eye. They contain the 
account of the military trantactions of ten 
days, from the roth to the zoth of April. 
At the commencement of hoftilities Gene- 
ral Melas obtained thofe fuccefies which 
we have juft noticed ; but fince that period, 
the Auftrians were uniformly unfortunate, 
having been defeated with the lofs of eight. 
thoufand men in prifoners only, the amount 
of the killed and wounded could not be 
afcertained ; the French alfo gained ie- 
veral ftandards, and a quantity of artillery. 
The firft engagement was on the roth, 
when Maffena attacked the Auftrians at 
Salfeilo ; it continued the whole day, and 
on ‘the following he repulied them with 
great lofs. 
On the 13th, rath, and rsth, he tock 
4500 prifoners, feven ftandards, and fix 
pieces of cannon. General Souchet, in his 
official letter to the Firft Confel, goes on to 
relate anumber of other pentane. 3 among 
which was the taking the redoubt of Me- 
dagno, with goo prifoners, 12 of whom 
“were officers ; 1209 more, including a 
major and two ticutemant-colonels, were 
taken in the redoubt of Settepani, with 
one ftandard; while Suchet’s lofs, if we 
are to give him credit ‘* did not exceed 
120 wounded and 30 killed.’ He con- 
cludes with obferving, that they were pre- 
paring for a general and decilive attack. 
Maffena, by different mancevvres, had 
drawn the enemy into the valley of Albif- 
fola, where all who oppofed him were 
killed or taken prifoners. a 
Since this intelligence, accounts, have 
been again recened from Lord Minto, 
dated Vienna, April 29th, That it was 
General Melas’s intention to move forward 
againit Varagio on the 9th; but having 
learnt that the enemy, having received a 
reinforcement of 3000 men, "intended to 
make a vigorous defence in this advan- 
-tageous pofition, General Melas halted in 
confequence, and deferred the attack until 
the following day: the battle was bloody, 
a great number of men being killed on 
both fides, but at length the perfeverance 
of his Imperial Maietty’ s troops was fuc- 
cefsful ; feveral officers and about 200 
men were made prifoners ; among the 
former were fome belonging to the fuite of 
General Maffena, who had haftened in per- 
fon to the f{cene of a€tion, in the hope that 
his prefence would infpire his troops with 
additional courage. He Jed them repeat- 
edly to the charge ; but at length the enemy 
flying in diforder, was purfued as far as 
Invrea. That part of them which took 
the road leading along the fea-coatt fuffered 
coe siatly by the fire of the Tquadron of 
his Britannic Majetty. On another fide 
M. Le Comte de Hohenzollern attacked and 
carried the Bochetta on the gth, making 
200 prifoners, with fix picces of cannon. 
In the night between the 7th and 8th, 
General Kaim {urprifed the enemy's pofts 
at Mount Cenis, taking 2co prifoners and 
16 pieces of cannon, and eftablithed himfelf 
in that po Mitic Ns 
“Information has alfo been received from 
Vice Admiral Lord Keith, dated April the 
rsth, that the Guillaume ate having at- 
tempted to efcape from I Malta on the even- 
ing of the 2 29th of March, was intercepted 
ad captured the following morning by his 
Majetty’s fhips Lion, Foudroyant, ‘and Pe- 
nelope, 
ed Capt. Dixon’s account of the particu- 
lars of the action, has been obliged to 
take another opportunity cf ecommunica- 
ting them ; uP underftands that the ener my 
was completely dilmafted before fhe 
4 R.2 

His Lordflip, not-having receiy- 
ir uck 

