Sweden and Austria had already entered inte these views; however, no intention was manifested on the part of these powers to proceed to hostilities, until an attempt to attain, by negotiation, the objects of the concerted alliance had proved abortive; on the contrary, a Russian envoy (Baron Novosiltzoff) was nominated to negotiate with France, and had actually proceeded to Berlin, on his way to Paris, when the intelligence arrived of the annexation of Genoa to the French empire. Under this change of circumstances, he applied to his court for fresh instructions: the result was his immediate recal. But, before his departure, be addressed a note, dated he the 10th of July, to Baron Hardenberg, the Prussian minister, which was communicated by him to M. la Forêt, the French resident at Berlin, explaining the cause of the interruption of his mission.

This was a signal to Austria formally to become a member of the league, and accordingly a treaty to that effect was signed on the 9th of August, by her plenipotentiary at St. Petersburgh.

About the same period, a note was addressed, by the Austrian ambassador at Paris, to the French minister for foreign affairs, expressive of the anxious desire of his court to concur with the courts of London and St. Petersburgh, in their endeavours to promote a general pacification, when the overtures to be made to the French government, by M. Novosiltzoff, were suddenly broken off, by the changes recently made in the condition of the republics of Genoa and Lucca. That these events still further urged the court of Vienna to recommend the renewal of measures of conciliation, in which she was willing to lend her most earnest assistance.

In reply to this note, it was observed, by M. Talleyrand, that, from the conduct of England and Russia, little hopes could be entertained of the sincerity of their pacific intentions; that Austria had it in her power to compel them to have recourse to what they professed; for neither of those powers could act with effect against France, without the co-operations of Austria or Prussia, and that the latter was the steady ally of France. It was asked, what reliance could be placed in these professions of Austria, when she continued to maintain an army of 72,000 men in Italy, whilst France had only 50,000 in that country, 15,000 of whom were stationed at the extremity of the kingdom of Naples? He then adverted

to the military preparations on foot in Poland, and in Italy, the evident result of combined operations. In this state of things, what other course had the Emperor of the French to adopt, than to anticipate his enemies? But if Austria would issue a declaration similar to that made by Prussia, and reduce her army in Italy and the Tyrol, and reduce her military force to the peace establishment, peace with England must ensue; the crowns of France and Italy should be separated for ever, and Europe would be indebted to the wisdom of Austria for her tranquillity and security; but a contrary conduct would precipitate Europe into a situation which could not be foreseen or calculated.

This was followed by another note from the French minister for foreign affairs, to the Austrian ambassador at Paris, wherein the former topics were repeated, terminating with the demand,

"That the twenty-one regiments which had been sent to the German and Italian Tyrol should be withdrawn, and that those troops only should remain in the said provinces which were there six months before.

"That the camp fortifications should be discontinued, including those at Venice.

"That the troops in Stíría, in Carinthia, in Friuli, and the Venetian territory, be reduced to the numbers at which they stood six months be

fore. And

"That Austria declare to England her unshaken determination to preserve an exact neutrality."

On the 31st of August, a declaration was officially made, by the Russian ambassador at Vienna, the material substance of which was, that in compliance with the Austrian court, his majesty, the Emperor of all the Russias, had resolved to accede to the request of renewing the negotiation for peace, which had been broken off, by the recal of M. Novosiltzoff, as soon as the head of the French government should assent thereto. And, as a measure of precaution, to cause two armies of 50,000 men each, to march to the Danube, in order to give weight to the negotiations, solemnly declaring, that it was his imperial majesty's intention to recal those troops as soon as the so much desired security of all the states of Europe should be obtained.

To this succeeded a second note, from the court of Vienna to the French government, which was transmitted on the 3d of September, declaring, that "that power had no other view than that of maintaining peace and friendship with France, and of securing the general tranquillity of the continent; that the maintenance of peace did not consist solely in a forbearance from any positive attack; that it required the fulfilment of those treaties upon which peace had been founded.

"The peace existing between Austria and France originated with the treaty of Luneville; that treaty guaranteed the independence of the Italian, Helvetic, and Batavian republics; Austria had to complain that these stipulations were violated; that the maintenance of general tranquillity required, that each power should confine itself within its own frontiers, and respect the rights of other nations, whether weak or strong: in fine, France sets herself up as an arbitress to regulate the common interests of nations, and wishes to exclude every other state from taking any part in the maintenance of general tranquillity and the balance of power.

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The emperor had never ceased to demand the execution of the before-mentioned stipulations however, the Emperor Napoleon, notwithstanding his frequent and solemn assurances, in his character of president of the Italian republic, that he was far from entertaining any plans for further aggrandisement, or of infringement on the independence of the Italian states, thought proper to assume the title of King of Italy, and to accompany this measure with threats and military preparations.

"This did not prevent the court of Austria from concurring in the pacific overtures made by Russia and England, but at the very moment when the requisite passports were transmitted to the negociator for that purpose, fresh attacks were made on the political existence of other independent states in Italy-an encampment of 30,000 men, in the plain of Marengo, was speedily followed by another of 40,000 on the frontiers of the Tyrol and the Austrian Venetian provinces. "His majesty thus found himself under the necessity of providing, without delay, for his own safety. This was the cause of his present armament. The emperor armed not with hostile views; he armed not to operate a diversion against a landing in England; he armed for the maintenance of the peace existing between him and France, for those stipulations without which this peace would become illusory, and to attain that just equipoise which is calculated to secure the balance and permanent tranquillity of Europe."

This paper concluded with a declaration, that Austria was ready to enter into a negotiation, in conjunction with Russia, for maintaining the peace of the continent on the most moderate terms compatible with the general tranquillity and security; that whatever should be the issue of the negotiations, even should hostilities commence, they pledged themselves to abstain from every interference with the internal concerns of France, or to alter the state of the existing relations in the German empire, and to defend, to the utmost of their power, the integrity of the Ottoman Porte. And, finally, that the sentiments

of England were conformable to those expressed BOOK VI. in the above paper.

1805.

Bonaparte, who had till now apparently devoted CHAP. VII. his entire attention to the maturing of his projects for the invasion of Great Britain, immediately, upon the receipt of this note, which was sufficiently explanatory of the intentions of Austria, resolved to march, without delay, his whole military force, in order to disperse and destroy the combination which he perceived was formed against him. Promptitude in his operations he considered the more necessary, inasmuch as the Russian troops, which were intended to co-operate in favor of Austria, had not yet passed their own frontier.

His first step was to reinforce his army in Italy; he then dismantled his flotilla at Boulogne; caused the major part of his troops in Holland and in Hanover, to march, by the most rapid movements and the most direct routes, to meet the Austrians, who were collected on the Danube, and 60,000 men were decreed to be raised, by conscription, to recruit the armies.

These measures were accompanied by a note, presented by the French minister to the diet of Ratisbon, stating, that the conduct of Austria menaced a new war; that that power had extended her territory on the right side of the Pavia, and made acquisitions in Swabia, subsequently to the treaty of Luneville, which had materially altered the relative situation of the neighbouring states of Germany; that the debt of Venice had remained undischarged, contrary to the spirit and the letter of the treaties of Campo Formio and of Luneville, and that the people of Milan and Mantua had, contrary to formal stipulations, been denied justice to their demands; that Austria had recognized the right of blockade arrogated by England; that the French emperor had evacuated Switzerland, and had kept in Italy only a sufficient number of troops to maintain the positions which they occupied at the extremity of the peninsula, in order to protect the commerce of the Levant, and to insure an object of compensation which might determine England and Russia to evacuate Corfu. That his operations had been solely directed to the re-establishment of the equilibrium of commerce, and the equal right of all flags upon the sea. For this purpose, he had collected his forces upon the borders of the ocean, far distant from the Austrian frontiers, and had employed all the resources of his empire to construct fleets, to form his marine and improve his ports; that, at this moment, Austria rose from a state of repose, placed her forces on the war establishment, sent one army into the states of Italy, and another into the Tyrol, made new levies of cavalry, formed magazines, strengthened her fortresses, terrified, by her preparations, the people of Bavaria, Swabia, and of Switzerland, and manifested an intention of making a diversion

CHAP. VII.

1.805.

BOOK VI, favorable to England, and more injurious to France than would be a direct campaign, and an open declaration of war. Austria professed that she had no hostile intention against France:against whom then were these preparations directed? Were they against the Swiss? Were they against Bavaria? Or were they directed against the German empire itself? His majesty the Emperor of the French declared, that he would consider as a formal declaration of war against himself, every aggression against the German body, and especially against Bavaria; he would never separate the interests of his empire from those of the princes of Germany who were attached to him.

To this note Austria replied," that, so far from causing any interruption to a general peace, that she had offered her mediation, which had been refused by France, but that France wished not for peace, for that situation was not peace, but more destructive than actual war, in which a single power, already too formidable by its greatness, continued alone armed, and was prevented by no opposition from occupying with its troops, and oppressing and subjecting one independent state after another.

"To put an end to this state of things was the true object of the arming on the part of Austria and Russia, and that the two courts were ready to prove the disinterestedness of their views, by entering into any negotiation founded on principles of justice and moderation, and that it became the more necessary to take active measures of precaution, as, from certain indications, it was apparent, that several princes of the frontier circles had been encouraged by France to take up arms against their emperor and co-estate, and to this end, that new engagements had been entered into inimical to those existing."

A rupture now became inevitable, and several powers placed themselves in an attitude to meet hostilities. Bavaria, of whom strong suspicions were entertained, was summoned to incorporate her troops with the Austrian army, and the latter in full force passed the Inn early in the month of September, and endeavoured to enforce this command.

It must be acknowledged, that the Austrians acted with little circumspection towards Bavaria:

heavy exactions were made upon the country, the paper money of Vienna was forced into circulation at its nominal value, whilst it had fallen to a great discount at home. These proceedings were attempted to be justified on the ground of political necessity.

The Elector immediately retired from Munich to Wurtzburgh, and the Bavarian troops effected a retreat into Franconia.

On this intelligence, Bonaparte prepared to place himself at the head of his armies, which were already advanced upon their march; but, prior to his departure, he repaired, on the 23d of September, to the senate-house, and caused to be read to that body, an exposition of the comparative conduct of France and Austria, since the conclusion of the peace of Luneville, His earnest desire to have preserved the peace of the continent was therein expressed; the charges against England and Austria particularly were reiterated; and after observing upon the invasion of the Bavarian territories, it concluded with a solemn declaration, "that the Emperor of the French would never lay down his arms, until he had obtained full and entire satisfaction, and complete security, as well for his own estates as for those of his allies."

At this sitting, the senate passed a decree for raising 80,000 additional conscripts. Bonaparte then informed the senators "that he was about to place himself at the head of his army, in order to succour his allies; that the war had already commenced, by the invasion of Bavaria, the Elector of which had actually been driven from his ter ritories." He exhorted the French people to support their Emperor in the present unprovoked war, and concluded his address in the following words:---" Frenchmen, your Emperor will do his duty, my soldiers will do theirs, you will do yours."

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Bonaparte, having appointed his brother Joseph to superintend the government during his absence, set out from Paris on the 24th of September, to place himself at the head of the army, and arrived at Strasburgh on the 26th: he was accompanied by the Empress Josephine, Marshal Berthier, and a numerous suite. On his arrival, he was received by the mayor of that town with the usual com pliments.

1805.

BOOK VI. bubl, Attingen, and Donawert. Marshal Soult, with his corps, took the route from Ochringen, CHAP VIII. Absgemund, Aalen, and Nordlingen. Marshal Ney, with his corps, marched from Stutgardt, and proceeded by Eppingen, Wissenstein, and Nahum; and Marshal Lasnes' corps broke up from Louisbourgh, and took the route by Plutershausen, Aalen, and Oedlingen. The position of the French army on the 4th of October, was as follows:-Marshal Bernadotte and the Bavarians were at Weisenburg, Marshal Davoust at Attingen, on the river Reinitz, Marshal Soult at Donawert, Marshal Ney at Kesingen, Marshal Lasnes at Nereshein, and Murat, with his cavalry, on the borders of the Danube.

On the other hand, the Austrian army, consisting of between eighty and ninety thousand men, under the command of General Mack, had advanced to the defiles of the Black Forest, apparently with the intention of preventing the French army from penetrating. They had thrown up fortifications on the river Iller, and were strengthening Memmingen and Ulm; but all these measures of precaution were of little avail, as the French army had taken a rout not suspected by their adversaries, and were already in the rear of the Austrians.

A division of Marshal Soult's corps had, by a forced march, made themselves master of a bridge at Donawert, which was defended by the regiment of Colloredo, after the loss of a few men. The next morning, at day-break, Murat arrived there with his dragoons, passed the bridge, which he had caused to be repaired, and, in conjunction with the cavalry commanded by General Walther, advanced towards the Lech, where he forced the enemy, who were there posted, to retreat with some loss; Murat remained that night at Rain.

On the 6th, Marshal Soult, with the two divisions of Vandamme and Le Grand, marched towards Augsburgh, while General St. Hilaire, with his division, advanced to the same point, by the left bank of the Danube. On the same morning, Prince Murat, at the head of the divisions of cavalry commanded by the Generals Beaumont, Klein, and Bensouty, in the view of cutting off the communication between Ulm and Augsburgh, on his arrival at Wertingen, encountered a considerable body of the enemy's infantry, supported by four squadrons of Albert's cuirassiers. Marshal Lasnes, who, with the division of Oudinot, followed these corps of cavalry, succeeded in defeating and making the greatest part of this portion of the Austrian army prisoners, together with their artillery and baggage. The loss of the Austrians, upon this occasion, was eight standards, the whole of their cannon, two lieutenant-colonels, six majors, sixty officers of inferior rank, and four thousand rank and file.

On the same day, Marshal Davoust arrived at Neuburg, and likewise General Marmont with his

corps, and Bernadotte and the Bavarians had advanced to Aichstettin.

Marshal Soult, after having put to flight a body of Austrians, which had retreated to Aicha, entered Augsburgh on the 7th, with the divisions of Vandamme, St. Hilaire, and Le Grand.

Davoust, who had passed the Danube at Neuburg, arrived on the evening of the 7th at Aicha with his three divisions. Marmont, with the divisions of Boudet, Gruchy, and the Batavians under General Dumonceau, had taken a position between Aicha and Augsburgh.

Bernadotte, with the Bavarian army under Generals de Roy and Verden, had taken possession of Ingolstadt; and the imperial guard, commanded by Marshal Bessieres, together with the division of cuirassiers, under General Hautpoult, arrived at Augsburgh.

By this time Murat, with Klein's, Beaumont's, and Bensouty's divisions of cavalry, had occupied the village of Zusinershausen, to intercept the road from Ulm to Augsburgh. Lasnes, with the divisions of Oudinot and Suchet, took post at the same village on the same day. Here Bonaparte reviewed the troops, and testified his satisfaction at their conduct at the battle of Wertingen, and distributed marks of honor to two dragoons, who had particularly distinguished themselves on that occasion.

The action of Wertingen was shortly after followed by one at Guntzburgh. Marshal Ney, who with the divisions of Malher, Dupont, and Loison, the dismounted dragoons of Baraguay d'Hilliers, and the division of Gazen, having reascended the Danube, attacked the enemy in their position at Grünberg, succeeded in passing the river at Guntzburgh, notwithstanding a gallant resistance on the part of the Austrians, who had advanced from Ulm to that place, with the view of collecting a sufficient force to act offensively. This force occupied Guntzburgh, rested with its right on the village of Limpach, and its left on Keisersburgh, and was in possession of the bridges on the Danube as far as Leipheim. A small corps which had passed the river, had, as already stated, been driven back with loss. The French pursued their advantages, and attacked the bridges, which were defended with some obstinacy. The division under General Malher at length overcame the principal obstacle, by making themselves master of the bridge and causeway leading to Guntzburgh. The Archduke Ferdinand made a brave attempt to defend this post, but was finally forced to abandon it; and he retreated to Ulm, with the loss of nearly 3,000 men, and the greatest part of his cannon. The assailants suffered considerably from the grape-shot of the Austrians; however, they were amply recompensed by the possession of a fine military position.