354 
be fupported ‘by a fquadron, confitting of 
two fail of the line, two. frigates, fix 
armed brigantines, a number of tran 
ports, - ‘&c,. It sie evidently the intereft 
of the Englifh nation to. have prevented: 
this acquifition on. the -part of France : 
but a jecreé underfianding appears at 
that time to have fubfiited between the 
two courts, and a fpinit of compliance 
aétually evinced itfelf on this occafion 
that cannot be accounted for on any ho- 
nourable principle. Lord Chatham did 
not at that humiliating period prefide in 
the councils .of the nation 5 yet we shave 
always underfteod, that the - late Mar- 
quis of Lantilewne (then Earl of Shel- 
burne). ebjected to the tamenefs, with 
which fuch an.infult was borne, -and that 
he actually refigned the important office 
then held by bin, in confequence of it. - 
Be this as it may, a furiotis war en- 
fued between France and Corfica; in, 
which numbers, military {cience, money, 
and difeipline, were.on one fide; and on. 
the other, an almoft unarmed multi- 
tude, enthufiafm, brav ery, and a good 
caule..-.- 
As the Corficans were unprovided with 
artillery, and even with: bayonets, and 
combatted_ individua! ly rather flea in 
regular. mafies, it would have | been high- 
ly ‘impolitic tor them to have. encountered. 
the French in the plain, and thus placed 
the fate of their country on the uiue of . 
a pitched battle. On the contrary, it 
was their, intereft to prolong the war, in 
order to give time for the intervention 
of the. neutral powers. Paoli, therefore, 
po fied his. troops.on the heights of ! Neb- 
bio, dela Croce, and St. Antonio, where 
they remained firm ; hoping, ina moun- 
tainoug warfare, ‘to be able to contend 
with lefS mequality than in the low coun- 
try. They were obliged, however, after 
repeated charges, 
veteran troops -of France,- who acted in 
concert, and poflefled a varicty >of ad- 
vantages. 
On this,- ‘the Seaton withdrew betaad 
the Guolo, but not until they had already 
exhibited fuch a fpecimen of their bravery, 
that, initead of purfuing the enemy, 
Chauvelin found it abfolutely-neceflary 
to draw reinforcements from his own 
coatt. +. 
In the courfe of a hort period, the tide 
_of war turned againit the invaders; and 
the Corficans; (who had hitherto aéted on 
the defenfive) at length became the af- 
failants:. Many ofiicers~ ditinguifhed 
themfelyes.on this occafion, particular ry 
Cc lemente Paoli, the elder brother of the 
- 
Memoirs of the late General Paolix .. - 
to. retire before the 
{March f, 
General. He was_a fingular. 
the fuperttitions of the. church, with a 
pailionate attachment.to the proteffion of 
arms, and led the fe of a-monk, when 
he did not aét in the capacity of a. war- 
rior. Perceiving that a contfiderable bedy 
. of French troops, with the ufual audacit# 
of that nation, hed penetrated into.the- 
Pieva, or difiriet of Catinca; he called on 
the natives to rife ina body ; ; and: having 
aflembled four or, five thoufand of them, 
he attacked the enemy, forced thé, pott of _= 
La Penia, obliged the foe to recrofs the . 
river, and. actually drove them before him -. 
to. Notre Dame dell’ Gr to. . But this was. 
not all, for no fooner had his fuccefs beer 
made senerally known, than the detached 
camp "ae St. Nicholas was attacked by 
multitudes of aid men, and General 
Grandmaifon, who corel there, 
was obliged © fall back to Oletta. The 
town of “Borgo was the next object, on 
which the conquerors fixed their atten- 
pe and although utterly unacquainted 
ith both the art and the means of at- 
are fortified iftations, they found 
means.to penetrate into the place, and 
‘make a-lodgement there. 
Qn this, ™M. de Chauy -elin, refalved to 
advance in perfon, with the main body of | 
the ariny, while Paoli, being encouraged 
by the recent conduét of bis troops, de- 
termined to give him battle. An ‘aétion 
accordingly took place on the 5th of 
September, 1768 ; for the French having 
advanced in three feparate columns, 
hoping 
the Car ficans, as ufual, laced themfelves. 
in anbufh, and, as they fired with all the 
courfe made a great flaughter. Of three 
hundred of the garrifon of Borgo, who 
fallied ont during the fight, one man only 
returned alive; “and that "place was. ac- 
cordingly obliged to furrender next day. 
After this, the French General retired 
, by means of a combined ees 
ent, to carry every thing before them 
fir. to Batiia, and then to Verfailles,. 
chagrined’ to ‘behold fome of the bett 
troops of France circumvented, defeated, 
and killed, by a hody of ‘arountaimeers, 
headed by a Gener al, who was acquain- 
ted with the theery of waralone, and had 
never, until now, beheld an engagement. 
The conciufion of the campaign of 1768, 
fo difgraceful to the French army, and fo 
honourable to its enemies, afforded a fair 
opportunity for the intervention of the. 
maritime powers. But as M. de Choifeui, 
at that time muinifter to Louis XV. was 
but too well acquainted with the difpo- 
diteon ay 
man, whe 
united the moft exemplary deference to 
‘certainty of ‘Aanerica riflemen, they of. . 
