Laudohn, over whom Joubert obtained several advantages, compelling him to retreat to Inspruck, while Joubert took poffeffion of Brixen, where the Auftrians had large magazines. Another divifion, under general Maffena, alfo paffing the Tagliamento near its fource, continued its march among the mountains, with much difficulty from the nature of the country, and refiftance from the enemy, to the fources of the Drave. The main body of the French army had by this time entered the Auftrian Frioul-the garrison of Gradisca furrendering themselves prifoners of war. Triefte, the chief town of Carniola, and the whole province of Iftria bordering on the Adriatic, fubmitted to the arms of the republic. The head-quarters of the archduke were now removed to Clagenfurt, the capital of Carinthia, to which the generals Buonaparte and Maffena preffed forward in different directions,-the latter defeating in his progress a large divifion of the Austrian army on the fummit of the vaft mountains which impend over the town of Tarwis. The battle was fought, according to the expreffion of the French commander, above the clouds,-the fnow covering the ground to a great depth.

General Joubert was at this time ftill entangled in the Tyrolian Alps; but, defifting from his pursuit of Laudohn, he paffed the fummit of the range of mountains dividing the Tyrol from the duchy of Carinthia, and, continuing his march along the Drave, joined the generals Buonaparte and Maffena at Clagenfurt; whence prince Charles, at the near approach of the French, had made his farther retreat. The republicans were now in poffeffion of all the Auftrian territory on the Italian fide of the Alps, of the Tyrol, of the provinces of Carniola, Carinthia, and Iftria, on the Ger man fide. Having, after an unexampled series of triumphs, attained to this fummit of profperity, the French general exhibited an extraordinary instance of moderation and good policy, in making a direct overture for peace, in a letter addreffed (March 31) to the archduke, and expreffed in

terms

terms the most open, frank, and generous, highly deserving of historic commemoration. "Brave foldiers," fays the French commander, " make war, but defire peace. Has not the war lafted fix years? Have we not committed evils enough against suffering humanity?—Europe, who had taken up arms against the French republic, has laid them down. Your nation alone remains, and the fixth campaign is announced under the moft portentous aufpices. Is there no hope then of accommodation? Is it effential to the interefts or gratifying to the paffions of a nation, far removed from the theatre of war, that we fhould continue to murder each other? Do not imagine, gallant general, that I wish to infinuate that you cannot fave your country by force of arms; but, with refpect to myself, if the overture which I now have the honor to make to you could be the means of fparing the life of a fingle man, I should prize more highly the civic crown to which my interference would entitle me, than the melancholy glory which would refult from the most brilliant military exploits." The archduke returned a polite though fomewhat cool reply to this remarkable letter, importing, "that he neither conceived it his part to enter into any difcuffion of the principles upon which the war was carried on, nor was he furnithed by the emperor with any powers to conclude a treaty of peace."

Upon receiving this answer, general Buonaparte again put his troops in motion. On the 2d of April general

After a

Mafiena, with the advanced guard, attacked the archduke in the defiles between Freifach and Neumark. bloody conflict the Auftrians retired, leaving the field covered with dead. On the 4th, another partial engagement took place at Hunfmark, where the French maintained again their wonted fuperiority. The French general now continued his march; and the Auftrians retreating across the Muhr, the enemy took poffeffion of the town of Judenburg in the principality of Styria, fituated on that river.

They

They were now 120 miles only from Vienna, which, by the rapid approach of the French, was thrown into the utmost confternation. Some thousands of men were employed in raising new works for the defence of the city. A general enrolment took place, in which the noble and the peasant were alike included, and precautions were taken to remove. the public treasure and archives of the archduchy into Hungary. The advanced pofts of the French army had already left Judenburg far in the rear; and the general informed the Directory in his difpatches, "that he hoped, at the head of 20,000 grenadiers, to plant, in a few days, the standard of the French republic in the capital of his Imperial majesty."

But notwithstanding the flattering profpects before him, there were present to his mind confiderations of great moment, which might well cause the French commander to pause in his career of victory. Intelligence was just received that the brave and hardy Tyrolefe peafantry had, as on former occafions, rifen in a mass, and, under the active and fpirited conduct of general Laudohn, had recovered Botfen and Brixen, whence the French troops, left for the defence of the Tyrol, had been driven with lofs. General Alvinzi was advancing by Fiuma and Triefte into the Frioul, and a great army was gradually forming in the rear of the French. There was also good reason to believe that the republic of Venice, which had been ever secretly inimical to France, waited only a favourable opportunity of joining the Auftrians avowedly and openly. The conquering army, though full of spirit and courage, was much diminished in number, deftitute of heavy artillery for fieges, and utterly incompetent to retain poffeffion of the numerous provinces it had fubdued. General Buonaparte, in the height of his fucceffes, began to feel that he was in the midst of an enemy's country; and, as he advanced, the peafantry of Carinthia and Carniola would, in all probability, follow the example of the Tyrolians-the different proclamations of liberty

which he had published from time to time having produced no fenfible effect. His communication with France, and even with Italy, separated as that country was now from him by a tremendous barrier of mountains, must be given up. He had no expectation of fupport from any quarter; and the army he commanded was manifeftly unequal to the mighty task of subverting the Austrian empire. Even should he fucceed in the doubtful enterprise of making himself master of Vienna, defended as it ftill was by the lofty Styrian hills rifing from the banks of the Muhr, and by a brave and patriotic army commanded by a gallant prince, beloved and revered by his country, formidable notwithstanding his loffes, and whose defeats were not like those of Arcole and Rivoli, he would even then fee before him an almost interminable length of territory ;-to the north, Bohemia; to the fouth, Hungary; and, to the eaft, the vast provinces of Auftrian Poland. Armies would rife up on every fide; his forces would be haraffed, diminished, and difpirited, by inceffant action; and he might at last deem himself fortunate to escape, like his celebrated predecessor, mareschal Belleifle, after penetrating into the centre of the Austrian dominions, with the fhattered remnant of his troops, back into his own country. In this state of things it was no doubt with great fatisfaction that general Buonaparte received, through the medium of general Bellegarde, a dispatch from the court of Vienna, propofing a fufpenfion of arms for ten days. To this propofition he immediately acceded; and within that term preliminaries of peace were figned (April 18, 1797,) at Leoben in Styria.

The articles of this famous treaty contained a direct ceffion of the Auftrian Netherlands to France; they allowed the free navigation of the Rhine, and recognised the inde pendence of the newly-erected Italian republics. Thus was England alone, of all the powers engaged in the confederacy

deracy against France, left to carry on that ruinous, unjuk, and hopeless conteft.*

A manifefto, published April 9, pending the negotiation, was addreffed from Leoben, by general Buonaparte, to the doge and fenate of Venice, complaining of the hostile disposition which that government had uniformly fhewn towards the French, and demanding inftant fatisfaction for the injuries they had sustained. It was particularly alleged against them, that marshal Beaulieu had been received in their territory with every mark of kindness after his fucceffive defeats in the campaign of 1796, and even suffered to take poffeffion of the fortress of Peschiera on the Lake of Guarda. The repeated disasters of the Austrians at length, it is afferted, awakened the Venetian senate from its dream of the eventual fuccefs of the coalition: it was perceived that general Buonaparte would not be made the dupe of their infidious policy; and, dreading to be involved in the general deftruction which threatened the remaining defpotic governments of Italy, the fenate fought with eagerness fome favorable opportunity of joining their forces with those of the emperor for the extermination of the invaders The retreat of the archduke, and the march of the French towards the capital of the Auftrian dominions, feemed to be the precise moment, when, without risk or danger, they might aim a decisive blow. General Buonaparte was nevertheless well informed of the perfidious intentions of the senate, but hoped that the forces which he had left in Lombardy, under general Augereau, would be fufficient to over-awe the Venetian government. But when the news arrived of general Laudohn's

While the armies and navies of England have been given to Mr. Pitt," fays a celebrated writer," without restriction, and its treasures poured out at his feet, his unprofperous prudence has produced all the effects of the blindeft temerity, and finally left this country nothing but her own naked force to oppofe the imminent danger of falling under the dominion of France."

BURKE's Third Letter.