D

URING the first months that followed the constitution settied in France towards the conclusion of 1795, the chief care of the government was to render it respectable, and to impress the minds of men with a persuasion, that this great change was calculated for the benefit of the nation. It was not difficult, indeed, to persuade the public that any system was preferable to that certainty which had occasioned so many confusions. From this consideration, people at large willingly acquiesced in the new arrangements, especially as they promised to restore internal peace, by arming government with such extensive power, to prevent the breaking out of disturbances. But the means to which chiefly the directory trusted for the stability of their power was, to keep alive that martial spirit which had pervaded, with so amazing an efficacy, the whole mass of the French nation, and enabled it to perform feats of arms, of which

no records afforded any precedent in their history. As these successes were attributed to that enthusiasm which animated them in the cause of their country, and to the hatred which they professed for monarchy, it was the business of their rulers to perpetuate such a disposition, by affording it support and aliment; and this they saw would most effectually be done, by representing the enmity borne to France as unextinguished, and that notwithstanding several of its enemies had openly laid down their arms, and agreed to conditions of peace, their rancour was still the same. They had desisted from hostilities, it was said, only from compulsion, after repeated defeats, and from the dread which they felt, that unless they complied with the requisitions prescribed by a victorous and invincible enemy, justly exasperated at their unprovoked aggression, he might give the fuller loose to a revenge, which they were not able to resist.

In order therefore to imprint the deeper in the minds of those adversaries, whom they had already so much humbled, the terror with which they were already inspired, the heads of the republic judged it expedient to extend the influence of their victorious arms, as far as fortune seemed inclined to favour them, and to compel their remaining foes to accept of the humiliating terms they had imposed upon the others, by reducing them to the like distress.

From ideas of this kind flowed the lofty language spoken upon all occasions, both by the directory and the two councils. As two-thirds of these were precisely the same men who had governed France under the name of a convention, during the three preceding years, it was not to be expected that their dispositions would alter with their new appellation; and the other third, though not altogether so violent in their conduct, were influenced by those republican principles, with out which no man could be reputed a true Frenchman, and which, in truth, were indispensible to procure an individual either esteem or advancement in any post, civil or military.

Another view, it may be presumed, that stimulated the members of the directory, who were all men of tried parts and courage, was the desire of proving to their countrymen the superiority of individuals placed at the head of the state, purely on account of their abilities, to persons promoted through favour, or the adventitious circum stances of birth and family.

But a motive still more cogent, both with them and the nation at large, was the earnest desire to re

pair the losses sustained, towards the close of the preceding campaign, on the borders of the Rhire. These losses happening so shortly after their prodigious successes in the low countries, and in Holland, had shewn that their enemies, however frequently defeated, had not decreased in valour; and that, when well commanded, they were still a match for all the enthusiasm of the French.

It was chiefly to recover this superiority of military prowess, that the directory was solicitous to place the numerous armies of the republic on the most formidable footing. They had maintained, in the campaign of 1794, a contest with the bravest veterans in Europe, and had proved more than equal to them. By the same reason it might be expected, that, the same spirit animating them, they would renew their victorious career, which appeared suspended, through unfore seen causes, rather than terminated by a turn of fortune in favour of their enemies.

It was however necessary to make a shew of pacific inclinations, without which both their own people and foreign states would be justly authorised to accuse them of a wanton and lawless ambition, and more intent to gratify their private thirst of false glory, at the expence of their country, than studious to restore the blessings of peace, now become the earnest wish of all parties.

While the rulers of the republic were thus employed, the allied powers were no less occupied in preparing for the renewal of hostilities, little hoping that any sincere efforts for the obtaining of peace were likely to proceed from the

French;

French; and convinced, that until they should experience farther reverses, hey would still continue inflexible in the determination they hdmnly formed, to annex their acquistions in the low countries, and on the left-side of the Rhine, irrevocably to the dominions of the republic.

A resolution of this nature precluded at once all ideas of peace. The retention of those fertile and spacious provinces could not be submitted to without an evident alteration of the political system of Europe, of which France would possess a controul, that would perpetually disturb the peace, if not endanger the safety of all its neighbours.

The possession of Belgium by the various branches of the Austrian family, during more than three centuries, had so far habituated the inhabitants to their domination, that, no withstanding the oppressions they had occasionally exercised over them, they still retained a willing Dess to return to their obedience, provided they could have been secured in the enjoyment of their ancient customs and liberties.

The Austrian ministry was duly sensible of this disposition, and preserved, of course, the hope of recovering, by some fortunate casualty, this richest portion of its inherit ance. The British ministry was no less bent on the restoration of the Austrian Netherlands to their former owner. The accession of such immense and valuable territories to France, in so close a proximity, and almost in sight of the shores of this island, was an object of serious alarm, and called up the attention of all men who reflected on the testless character of the Freneb,

their inveteracy to this country, and their readiness to engage in any attempt to its detriment, especially at the present period, when they were stimulated by the most violent resentment at the interference of the British ministry in the affairs of their country, and itsen deavours to restore the monarchy they had solemnly proscribed.

In this conflict of adverse projects, both the republic and its enemies were equally anxious however to appear inclined to peace, conformably to the loudly-expressed wishes of their respective people, and, in truth, of all the people in Europe, who, either directly or indirectly, felt themselves involved in the ruinous consequences of this fatal contest.

The French, in the mean time, having, by the dint of negociations, as well as of their arms, brought some of the principal members of the coalition into their own terms, flattered themselves with the expectation of becoming equally successful with the others, and held out language promissory of equitable conditions, in order to allure them

to treat.

Basle, a city of note, in Switzerland, was now become the centre of political transactions between the different powers, whose diplomatic agents had fixed upon it as the most convenient place of residence, on account of its situation between the Belligerent parties, in a country allowed to be neutral. The principal negociator, on the part of the French, was the celebrated citizen Barthelemy, at that time in high credit with the directory, for the services he had rendered the government of France, in the treaties that had been confided to his ma

nagement,

nagement, and the issue of which had been so advantageous to the republic.

To this gentleman application was made, on the eighth of March, by Mr. Wickham, the British envoy to the Swiss Cantons, in order to sound the real dispositions of the French government. The object in communicating the propositions directed to the French agent, was, to ascertain, by his answer, whether the directory were desirous to negociate with Great Britain, and its allies, on moderate and honourable conditions, and would agree to the meeting of a congress for this purpose, and whether, at the same time, it would specify the conditions on which it would treat, or point out any other method of treating.

The answer received from M. Barthelemy, in the name of the directory, was, that it felt the sincerest desire to terminate the war on such conditions as France could reasonably accept, and which were specified in the answer; but one of these positively insisted on the retention of the Austrian dominions in the low countries; assigning, as a reason, their formal annexation to the republic, by a constitutional decree that could not be revoked.

A reply, founded upon an argument, which proved no more than a decided resolution never to part with these acquisitions, without alleging in fact any other motive than their will, displayed an arrogance in the directory, in the opinion of their enemies, that instantly put a stop to all farther attempts to negociate. No alternative, it was now said, remained to these but to yield unconditionally to their de mands, or to try the fortune of Were this to prove adverse,

arms.

they could hardly insist upon more mortifying terms, nor the allies be more disgraced.

The directory seemed at this pe- i riod resolutely determined to act with a high hand, and to set all the enemies of the republic at defiance. It intimated to the magistracy of Basle, that a rumour was spread, si purporting a design in that city and canton to favour the irruption of the imperialists through its territories, and that a great part of the a helvetic body concurred in this design; which was a manifest infraction of the neutrality they had engaged to observe between France and its aggressors. An explanation was demanded in so haughty and peremptory a style, that the regency of Basle felt itselt highly offended, and returned so spirited an answer to the directory, that they dispatched another message much more severe than the first, requiring an immediate explanation of the rumour in question, and accompanied with menacing insinuations in case all hostile intentions were not disavowed. The cantons were so deeply involved in this business, that being unwilling to come to a formal rupture with so formidable an antagʊnist as the French republic, they judged it prudent to give them the completest assurance of their determination to preserve the strictest neutrality. A minister of an ac-" ceptable character was deputed to Paris: this was Mr. Ochs, a gentleman of principles favourable to⚫ the revolution. He settled all differences to the satisfaction of both parties; and Switzerland was dehivered from apprehensions of hostility.

This transaction took place towards the end of March and be

ginning

ginning of April, when the French were preparing for the ensuing campaign, and seemed resolved to pursue the most active and vigorous measures against the remaining members of the coalition.

The directory had three objects in contemplation; an invasion of Germany, another of Italy, and the complete reduction of domestic-in

surgents.

Of these last it entertained the greatest apprehension, from the desperate resolution they had hitherto displayed, and the unyielding perseverance with which they continued to oppose the repeated attempts to reduce them. The severity exercised towards all who were suspected of favouring them, instead of relaxing the attachment of their adherents, served, on the contrary, to increase it; and the unshaken fidelity they observed in concealing those designs and plans of the insurgents to which they were privy, and in which they co-operated with unabated zeal, assisted and animated their resistance to a degree that seldom failed to enable them to recover from their defeats and losses, and to take the field with fresh courage and resources.

Previously then to the great enterprizes meditated against Italy and Germany, the directory thought it indispensible to clear France of its internal enemies. Their connections with the most formidable and dan gerous rivals of France, the English, made it evident, that while the royal party subsisted unsubdued, it would probably, as it had done in the preceding year, throw such embarrassments in the military operations, intended against foreign enemies, as would clog and impede the plans proposed; and, aided by the fleets and forces of England, tie up the

hands of government from those exertions, without which the war on the frontiers of France could not be carried on with any decisive success, and must probably be protracted in such a manner as might afford time and opportunities to the foe of recovering from his past disasters, and regaining the ground he had lost.

Fully determined to remain chiefly, if not entirely, on the defensive, until the interior of France should be wholly pacified, or the opponents of the republic effectually disabled, the directory pitched upon one of the ablest men in the commonwealth to carry this resolve into execution. This was the cele brated general Hoche, whose military talents and successes were at that time inferior to those of no officer in the French service. He was invested with the chief command in the departments that were in a state of insurrection; and, happily for his employers, acquitted himself, in a short space of time, to their highest satisfaction.

The resistance of the insurgents was not conducted on their former plan: they had, as it were, consumed that stock of zeal and devotion to the royal cause, which had produced such amasing effects, and rendered them so long the terror of the republican armies. The pacification concluded with the government of France by Charette, and the other chiefs of the insur gents, had deprived him in a great measure of the influence which he, with a number of resolute leaders, had exercised over them: and when they determined to excite another insurrection, they found an alteration in the disposition of the commonalty, that soon made it apparent how

feeble