made on the frontiers of Spain. Nothing could stand before them. Notwithstanding 60,000 Spanish troops, fortified by art and nature, amidst what appeared almost impregnable mountains, defended the strongest passes, the whole province of Catalonia, in a very short time, submitted to the conquerors.-This soon brought Spain to forsake her allies, with precipitation;-accept terms of peace dictated by French councils ;-and become tributary to, and an ally of the French republic, against those powers, with whom she had been fighting, side by side, from the beginning of the war.

During the winter of 1795, every thing favoured the invasion of Holland-Early in January, the rivers, canals, and lakes, were frozen up-The Waal was entirely fast, which had not happened for fourteen years past.

The republican armies, taking advantage of present circumstances, advanced, to the number of 70,000 men, notwithstanding the severest frosts and deepest snows.

The great defence of the United Provinces, arising from the power of inundating the country when they pleased, was lost, and within a fortnight, the victorious enemy took possession of Amsterdam, without much opposition. All the other towns followed of course, and many of the shipping, bound up by the frost, fell into the power of the French army. In short, all the provinces became revolutionized, and tributaries to the Sans-culottes of France. By these astonishing and unheard of successes, the revolutionary government of France, added to their citizens and dependents, a population of near fourteen millions of souls, with the territory which they inhabited, directed by the lowest subjects of the late monarchy, and with armies commanded by old sergeants, and generals formed from lawyers, comedians, and even common soldiers.

Germany began to grow weary of the war, and to talk of peace. Tuscany began the work, and entered into treaty with the republicans, who also expressed a desire to hearken to propositions from other powers, for stopping the effusion of human blood.

But Great Britain and Austria determined to carry on the war, and the emperor, with the aid of a loan of six millions sterling, received from the former, continued the campaign with near 200,000 men.

All their efforts, however, were in vain. They were beaten at all points, and the French, flushed with such repeated and unexpected victories, determined to carry the war into the very heart of the Austrian dominions, and if possible to proceed to the gates of Vienna.

Since Robertspierre's fall, and even during the year 1796, the ferocious conduct of the rulers of this unhappy nation became rather more moderate towards their own citizens who had thus far weathered the storm raised by Robertspierre. They found themselves despised, by the surrounding nations, as a horde of atheists and infidels, and thought it time to endeavour to wipe off, in some small degree, the indelible stain of a few years past. Thus, beyond the conception of human sagacity, does God manifest his truth, his omniscience, his power, and glory, and often in a way incomprehensible to mortals. The convention, in the latter end of March, in this year, took it into their heads to pass a decree for the free toleration of all religions, and to put a stop to persecution, on account of a man's religious belief. This was the first measure that had a tendency to revive the hopes of the pious; and became a great consolation to the few precious souls yet left, who were mourning, in private, the sins of the nation. By these astonishing conquests

and victories, a useful lesson was taught to the most powerful monarchs, not to depend too much on their best disciplined armies, who were thus beaten by the lowest dregs of the people, when united.

But the fury of the war yet continued. In consequence of the resolutions, before mentioned, the years 1796 and 1797 saw the war, which had so long raged in the French and Austrian Flanders, in a great measure translated into Italy, where the army under General Buonaparte, a Corsican by birth, overrun those fertile countries, against all the defence made by the Austrian troops (some of the best in the world) fighting pro aris & focis, so that, by the end of 1797, Buonaparte had completely conquered and revolutionized almost every part of that famous country, once the mistress of the world, and had advanced almost to the gates of Vienna. The horrors committed in the Milanese, Genoa, Modena, in Tuscany, Rome, and Venice, in these campaigns, are not to be described.

The Pope was now threatened with destruction, even in his ancient city, seated on seven hills; but by a timely submission (to those whom he had so often anathematised) under the most humiliating terms of giving up the principal curosities of that ancient city, in token of his respectful acknowledgment of the terrible nation, he was, for the present, permitted to retain the original limits of his jurisdiction, viz. 1600 furlongs from the city; giving up all the fine and fertile patrimony of St. Peter, commonly called the desmesnes of the Church, which were now formed into a new republic, at the will of the conquerors.

Venice, with her fleet and arsenals, shared the fate of the rest of Italy, and though not subdued by force of

arms, was among the number of those who were completely so, under the pretence of peace, and by the subtile arts of those champions of freedom, who, with the fascinating sounds of liberty and equality, accomplished what the bravest generals and well disciplined armies, had often attempted in vain.*

But though the French principles and politics thus overcame this once valiant people, yet they allege, in their excuse, that they were imposed upon by the satellites and missionaries of the French philosophy. These

* Alexander's pretence for invading the dominions of Abisares, king of that part of India, beyond the river Hydaspes, who had never done him the least injury, was "to civilize mankind." So the Spaniards murdered the inoffensive Mexicans by thousands, for the good of their souls.

The famous Wm. Pitt, secretary of state to the king of Great Britain, in a speech delivered in the house of commons, Sd Feb. 1800, says, on speaking of Buonaparte" His entrance into Lombardy was announced by a solemn proclamation, issued on the 27th April, 1796, which terminated with these words-" Nations of Italy, the French army is come to break your chains."-Would it not have been candid of him to have said, Nations of Italy, the French army is come to plunder you !

"The French are the friends of the people, in every country; your religion, your property, your customs, shall be respected.” This is followed by a second proclamation, dated from Milan, 20th May, in these terms-" Respect for property and personal security; respect for the religion of countries; these are the sentiments of the government of the French republic, and of the army of Italy. The French, victorious, consider the nations of Lombardy as their brothers." In testimony of this fraternity, and to fulfil the solemn pledge of respecting property, this very proclamation imposed on the Milanese a provisional contribution to the amount of twenty millions of livres, or nearly one million sterling; and successive exactions were afterwards levied, on that single state, to the amount, in the whole, of nearly six millions sterling. Thus did this government emphatically "by peace destroy many.”

had been previously sent among them, and had debauched the morals and destroyed the principles of their citizens at large, by the false, but fair promises of freedom and deliverance from the tyranny of their great men; so that, instead of enemies, they were received as their guardian angels. But, when once in possession, the mask was thrown off, and these heralds of peace could not refrain from their established principle of rapine and plunder. At first, indeed they entered the Venetian republic, with the most solemn declarations, confirming the expectations of the people by public assurances, "that they came to free a virtuous people from servitude, and to give them peace, with full and perfect liberty." But no sooner were they received as deliverers, and the great friends of the human race, than they considered themselves as entitled to the property, the government, and even to the persons of the inhabitants.

They did, without hesitation, on the final settlement of their disputes, undertake to barter away the city, and great part of its territory, with the citizens, to Austria, an absolute monarch, whose government and principles, they had so loudly reprobated as a curse to human nature. This they did as a consideration for Belgium, and other provinces, wrested from that unfortunate emperor; while the French took the Venetian fleet and arsenals, and added them to their own naval forces.

In a letter from a person in the city at the time, we have a feeling account of the proceedings of those sticklers for universal liberty and equality. "The French," says this eminent person, "who, in virtue of a solemn compact made with us, in time of profound peace, were received at Venice, as the men who brought with them the ill applied term of liberty, have, at length, thrown us