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Rome; when general Buonaparte received a letter written by the pope in his own hand, and conceived in the following terms:

"DEAR SON,

"Health and Apoftolical Benediction. "Defirous of terminating, in an amicable manner, our actual differences with the French republic, by the withdrawing the troops which you command, we fend and depute towards you, as our plenipotentiaries, two ecclefiaftics, -the cardinal Mattei, who is perfectly known to you, and his lordship of Galeppi; together with two feculars, the duke Don Lewis Brafchi, our nephew, and the marquis Camilli Maffini; who are clothed with our full powers to concert with you, to promise and subscribe such conditions as we hope fhall be just and reasonable; obliging ourselves, on our faith and word, to approve and ratify them in fpecial form, in order that they may at all times be valid and inviolable. Secure in the sentiments of good will which you have manifefted towards us, we have abftained from all removal from Rome, by which you will be perfuaded of our great confidence in you. We conclude with affuring you of our highest esteem, and in giving you our paternal apoftolic benediction.-Given at St. Peter's of Rome, February 12, 1797, the 22d year of our pontificate.

PIUS."

In confequence of this letter a treaty of peace was immediately figned at Tolentino, on terms more tolerable than could well be expected, confidering the relative fituation of both parties. The pope confented to withdraw every adhe fion, &c. given by him to the powers coalefced against France; to fuffer no fhips of war or privateers belonging to the enemy to enter his ports; to renounce all right to Avignon and the Venaissin, and also to the legations of Bologna, Ferrara, and the Romagna; and the French to poffefs all the immunities of the most favored nation. His holinefs alfo agreed to pay thirty millions of livres, as the price of peace within two months; and all the manufcripts, pic

tures,

tures, ftatues, &c. ftipulated for at the period of the armiftice, to be immediately delivered: likewise to set at liberty all who were confined in Rome on account of their political opinions; and the city and citadel of Ancóna to remain in poffeffion of the French till a general peace.

On figning the articles, general Buonaparte wrote a polite answer to the pope's letter, in which he affured his holiness of the esteem and perfect veneration he had for his perfon; hoping that the French republic would approve itself one of the trueft friends of Rome."

In the progrefs of his march, general Buonaparte, finding himself near the celebrated mountain which comprises the whole territory of the ancient republic of St. Marino, was seized with the noble enthusiasm of displaying in the most flattering and confpicuous manner the respect which was due to this genuine remnant of the sons of freedom. The ambassador Monge, deputed by the French general, told the chiefs of this obfcure but happy community, that he came in the name of the French people to affure the ancient republic of St. Marino of their inviolable friendship. He entered into a concise history of the principal events of the revolution, and fignified the glorious fuccefs with which their efforts had been crowned. After complimenting them for the afylum afforded to liberty within their walls, during the centuries when it seemed banished from the rest of Europe, the ambaffador intimated, that if it was the wifh of the government of St. Marino to enlarge the limits of their territory, the French republic would gladly embrace the occafion to give them the most solid proofs of their good will. The reply of this small but virtuous and unambitious state was fuch as to afford a leffon both of political and moral wisdom to all the nations of Chriftendom.-" We place," faid they, "citizen ambassador, in the number of the most glorious epochas that have diftinguished the annals of our freedom, the day of your miffion to our republic. Your republic

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republic not only conquers its enemies by the force of its arms, but fills its friends with amazement at the generosity of its proceedings. The love of our liberty makes us feel the worth of the magnanimous exertions of a great people afpiring to recover their own. Those exertions have furpaffed all expectation. Your nation, fingle against the reft of Europe, has afforded the world an aftonishing example of what that energy can achieve which is produced by the fertiment of LIBERTY.-Your army, marching in the steps of Hannibal, and furpaffing by its deeds whatever is most wonderful in antiquity, led on by a hero who unites to every virtue the powers of the most distinguished genius, has caft a glance on a corner of the globe where a remnant of the fons of Liberty fled for refuge, and where is found rather the plainnefs of Spartan manners than the elegance of Athens. You know, citizen ambaffador, that the fimpli city of our customs, the deep fentiment we cherish of liberty, are the only inheritance which has been transmitted to us by our fathers: this we have been able to preserve untouched amidst the political convulfions which have taken place in the fucceffion of many revolving ages, and which neither ambition nor hatred have been able to destroy. Return then to the hero who has fent you: Carry back to him the free homage not only of that admiration which we share with the whole world, but alfo of our gratitude: Tell him that the republic of St. Marino, fatisfied with its mediocrity, fears to accept of his generous offer of enlarging its territory, which might, in the end, prove injurious to its liberty."

Here then is a striking and instructive instance of a community enjoying in grateful contentment their beloved and enviable freedom while a thousand years have rolled away, and who, fatisfied with the peaceful poffeffion of their native mountain, refufe to hearken to the most tempting offers of an enlargement of their dominion. What a contrast to the wicked and abfurd policy of those Christian countries

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which, great in riches, in extent of territory and population, place their chief glory in subjecting to their tyrannical yoke the fartheft regions of the globe, whofe weak and unoffending inhabitants could never have afforded the slightest pretext for inflicting upon them these atrocious injuries, and who have no knowledge of their conquerors, but in the character and capacity of oppreffors, plunderers, and affaffins.

- Scarcely had the peace with the pope been figned and ratified, when the attention of the French general was recalled to the northern parts of Italy, where the Auftrians had again affembled in great force. General Alvinzi was now difmiffed from his command, and the archduke Charles, the idol of the German foldiery, placed at the head of the Imperial armies with full powers; and the court of Vienna, after its repeated difappointments, ftill flattered itself with the hopes that the deliverer of the empire, the hero of Kehl, and the conqueror of Jourdain, would be able to diffolve the charm by which victory feemed bound to the car of Buonaparte. The archduke carried with him very powerful reinforcements from the banks of the Rhine; and the French government likewife detached from their forces in that quarter a very large divifion under general Bernadotte; fo that the flower both of the Auftrian and French armies were now affembled at the foot of the Noric Alps, to decide a quarrel which had begun near the fhores of the German Ocean.

Since the defeat of the gallant but unfortunate Alvinzi at Rivoli, the French had occupied the right fide of the Piava, from its fource in the Alps to its embouchure in the Adriatic. The Auftrians, marching from all parts, gradually formed on the oppofite fhore, and fome skirmishes had already taken place between the advanced posts, when Buonaparte returned from the unlaurelled triumphs of the papal war to the grand scene of military operation. The divifions under Maffena and Serrurier having paffed the Piava,

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the archduke fell back on Belluno, and continued retreating till he had repassed the Tagliamento, the banks of which deep and rapid stream the Austrians had fo førtified, from the mountains to the Adriatic, as to render the farther progrefs of the French army extremely hazardous. Here, therefore, general Buonaparte thought it expedient to pause; and, contrary to his apparent custom, cautiously to deliberate before he ventured to pass this bulwark of the Austrian dominions. On the 16th of March (1797), all the neceffary difpofitions being made, general Buonaparte, depending upon the co-operation of general Joubert on the fide of the Tyrol, and taking his advantage of the lowness of the waters of the Tagliamento, in confequence of the froft which still arrested the torrents ufually flowing into that river from the Glaciers and the Upper Alps, determined to make what may be regarded as one of the boldest efforts of the Italian war. General Duphot first threw himfelf into the river at the head of a brigade of light infantry, supported by Bernadotte, Murat, and feveral other brave officers, and, having gained the oppofite fhore, the whole army gradually formed in fpite of various fieree charges from the Auftrian cavalry. The Auftrians, aftonished and difconcerted, made comparatively but a feeble refiftance. The village where the archduke had established his headquarters being vigorously attacked, that prince was com pelled haftily to withdraw his troops under cover of the night, and continued his march till he reached the gorges of the mountains which bound the Venetian territory; leaving part of his artillery, and the towns of Palma Nuova, Udine, and the furrounding country, to the mercy of the conqueror. Buonaparte was not deceived in his expectations from Joubert. That officer was inftructed to penetrate through the Tyrol into Carinthia, afcending up the Adige, and following the course of that river to Brixen; then to proceed to the head of the Drave. He was oppofed in his progress by general Laudohn, related to the great marefchal

Laudohn,

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