In fpeaking of the points which the plenipotentiaries of the enemy proposed for separate difcuffion in their first conference with the English ambaffador, his majefty ftyles them" at once frivolous and offensive, none of them productive of any folid advantage to France, but all calculated to raise new obstacles in the way of peace." Doubtless all demands, juft or unjust, made by an enemy in the course of any negotiation, may, in a general fense, be regarded as raising new obstacles in the way of peace. But how the requifition of the French republic to the king of Great Britain, to defift from the vain and foolish affumption of the title of King of France, could, in any rational sense, be confidered as offenfive, or even as frivolous, is not easy to divine; and still lefs how the restoration of the ships taken at Toulon, or the renunciation of a mortgage on their revenues, should not be productive of solid advantage to France. The royal declaration concludes with the affertion, highly laudable in itself, and no lefs acceptable to the public," that, though his majesty's wishes and endeavours to restore peace to his fubjects had proved fruitless, his fentiments remain unaltered. He looks with anxious expectation to the moment when the government of France may shew a disposition and spirit in any way correfponding to his own."

Amid the civil commotions which agitated France at this period, the fathers of the Gallican church, who had conformed to the fevere injunctions of the conftitution on ecclefiaftical points, had ventured once more to assemble, in order to deliberate on a mode or plan of conciliation, to repair and cement fuch genuine parts of this facred edifice as had been shattered by the rude and favage hand of perfecuting power. The past and prefent ftate of the church was laid before this venerable body. Amongst other lamentable inftances of apoftacy were mentioned the marriages of twelve bifhops; twelve others had abdicated their feats; eight had perifhed on the fcaffold; one, the bishop

of

of Dol, who had acted in a military capacity, had been fhot as a rebel;" and of the emigrant bishops forty had died in foreign countries. After attempting to re-organize the administration of the church, the next folicitude of these bishops was to call back their brethren who had wandered from the fold. The general anfwers given by the incivic clergy were comprised in a few words; fuch as "wolves," "forfwearers," "intruders," " robbers," "heretics," "scismatics," according to the report of Grégoire, conftitutional bishop of Blois, who alone, as he declares, had the patience to read over the enormous collection of three thousand pacquets laid before the fynod.

The first acts of this council were, the publication of a fynodical letter to the paftors and to the faithful, on the means of establishing religious peace; and another addreffed to the bishops and pricfts refident in France, who had separated from the national communion. It was propofed that a general oblivion fhould cover all former diffenfions, and that the acknowledged tenets of the Chriftian church fhould alone be the prescribed articles of belief, whatever might have been their opinions on the questions which had divided the church of France. Amongft these articles the council numbered the grand pofitions---that the POPE is the visible head of the church on earth; that he poffeffes thereby the primacy of honor and jurifdiction; and that all Christians are bound implicitly to receive the dogmas promulgated by the catholic and univerfal church, and to condemn all the errors which it has profcribed.

Although the French government did not, and, according to the acknowledged principles of toleration, could not, interpose to prevent the deliberations and acts of an affembly which cautiously restrained its proceedings within the limits

of

Had the bishop of Dol been reclaimed as a fon of the church by the father of the faithful, his coat of mail might, agreeably to a famous historical anecdote, have been tranfmitted to the holy pontiff with the question fubjoined, "Say whether this be thy fon's coat or no?"

of the law and constitution, they regarded nevertheless those proceedings with a jealous eye; and, with a view of counter-acting the latent fanaticism of the vulgar religion, the Directory gave great encouragement to a new fect, recently established under the name of Theophilanthropists; one of the members of the directorial board, La Réveillière Lepaux, declaring himself openly a patron and protector of it. These religionists, rejecting all revelation, confined their worship to one supreme being: and, gradually increafing in number, they at length took poffeffion, by permiffion of the municipalities, of very many of the public churches -occupied, alfo, at other hours of the fame day, by the Catholics and the offering of the wheaten ear and the bouquet of flowers to the divinity, as prefcribed by the elegant though already fuperftitious ritual of the new fect, was preceded, or followed, by the mystic and sumptuous rites of the Romish church.

From the period of the fignature of the preliminaries of Leoben, general Buonaparte had been deeply engaged in regulating the interior or political concerns of Italy. Conferences had long fince been opened at the village of Campo Formio, near Udina, with the plenipotentiaries of the emperor, with a view to a definitive treaty, which was at length concluded on the 17th of October, 1797. By the terms of this treaty the former preliminary articles were confirmed, but with the addition of a new one, which excited great astonishment and indignation in Europe. This was the ceffion, by France, to his Imperial majesty of the city of Venice, and the whole of the Venetian territory eastward of the Adige; and a line paffing through the Lake de' Guarda, including that part of Iftria, Dalmatia, &c. formerly belonging to the Venetian republic:--the valuable islands in the Levant, Corfu, Zante, Cephalenia, &c. being allotted, in this divifion of spoils, to France. Those who were attached to the antient régime were exasperated at the diffolution of the regular and long-established govern

ment

ment of Venice, and scandalized at the facility and even eagerness with which the emperor, who had entered into the war as the champion of civil and focial order, and the defender of the political relations of Europe against the common destroyer, grasped at his share of the golden spoil This was a transaction which admitted of no gloss, and exhibited itself to the perception of all as an act of unprincipled and profligate rapacity.*---On the other hand, France had made voluntary and prodigal profeffions of protection and fraternity to all those nations which fuffered under oppreffion, and were defirous to embrace the bleffings of liberty. Instead of acting in a manner correfpondent to her profeffions, and re-constructing the fallen government of the Venetians on principles of juftice and equity, she now treacherously transferred to the Austrian defpotism a people over whom she poffeffed no other right or power excepting that which always appertains to the strongest. The Venetians themselves were struck with consternation at this unlooked-for proceeding. Not only had the inhabitants of the Venetian ftates indulged the idea of exchanging their oligarchical regimen for the blessings of a free government, but they had actually named, under the fanction of the French general, in almost every commune, provifionary authorities, and taken every ftep for the formation of a republic founded on equal rights. It was therefore with bursts of indignation and despair that they heard of that article of the definitive treaty which configned them to Auftria; and it was faid that general Buonaparte himfelf yielded with great reluctance to the facrifice, and only

in

• "The coalefced powers," fays Mr. Burke," were easily taught to flide back into their old habitual school of politics, and to confider the flames that were confuming France as an happy occafion for pillaging the goods, and carrying off the materials, of their neighbour's house."

REGICIDE PEACE.'

To accufe the coalefced powers of fliding back into their old habits feems unjust—it does not appear that they ever relinquished them.

in obedience to the pofitive orders of the Directory, who could not be fuppofed regardful of those facred rights in other communities which they had with unhallowed and parricidal hands well-nigh extinguished in their own.

By a fecret but important article of the treaty of Campo Formio, the archbishopric of Saltzburg, with some adjoining districts of Bavaria, making the river Inn the boundary on that fide of the Auftrian territory, was also allotted to the emperor ;---all which tract of country, as well as his Venetian acquifitions, were fo conveniently fituated, and coalefced fo well with the general mass of the Imperial dominions, as to form much more than a compenfation for the remote and infulated provinces which he had loft.

The treaty of Campo Formio being concluded with the emperor only, as king of Hungary and Bohemia, the pacification of the empire with the French republic was referred to a congrefs to be held at Raftadt. The organization of the new Cifalpine republic, agreeably to the model of France, was by this time completed, and all places of truft and dignity filled according to the recommendation of general Buonaparte, who made, at the inftalment of the executive government, an able and eloquent fpeech, exhorting them, "now they had attained to liberty, to conduct themselves in fuch a manner as to become worthy of their high destiny, in making only wife and moderate laws, and executing them with force and energy, by favoring the diffusion of knowledge, and refpecting the rights of conscience." The new and friendless monarch of Sardinia was ftill left in nominal poffeffion of Piedmont, at the price of entering into a strict alliance, offenfive and defenfive, with France.---At the latter end of November general Buonaparte left Italy; and, taking his journey through Berne and Raftadt, receiving everywhere the highest honors, this extraordinary perfonage arrived at Paris near the end of the year, leaving the commiffioners, Treilhard and

Bonnier,