would be eafy to force Pruffia and the empire to fubmit to what had been agreed on between Auftria and France. By command of the directory, Neufchateau rejected the latter propofition, but entered into the difcution of other propofals, the first of which was, "that, the ceffion of Bavaria, ftipulated in the fecret articles of Campo Formio, feemed to meet with great obftacles, even in regard to the guarantee promifed by the directory, Auftria would, for the prefent, defift from this ceffion, on the condition that fuch parts of the borders of Bavaria, and the upper Palatinate, as were neceffary for the conveniency and fafety of the Auftrian frontiers, be ceded to Auftria, together with Saltzburg, Palau, and Betchtoldfgaden, and all the poffeffions, without exception, formerly belonging to the Venetian republic." This being allo rejected, the count offered a fecond propofition, wherein "he demanded, once more, the ceffion of the remainder of the ancient Venetian dominions, together with the three Roman legations, and the duchy and fortrels of Mantua. The treaty of Bafle to be refcinded; and neither Pruffia nor the houfe of Orange to receive any indemnification in Germany: on which condition, Auftria engaged alfo to relinquifh her claim of being indemnified by a part of the German territory." This being alfo declared to be inadmiffible, a variety of other propofitions were made, in none of which, the ceffion to Auftria, of all the Venetian territories, and the duchy of Mantua, was forgotten. But after the negociations had been continued for fix months, Neufchateau was directed to confine

1

his negociation, to the fole point of fatisfaction, for the infult offered to Bernadotte, and to declare, that, as all the propofitions made on the part of the imperial court, tended merely to aggrandize Auftria, at the expenfe of other powers, unles count Cobentzel could and would agree to give the promifed fatisfaction, the conferences at Seltz thould be broken off which, as the count declined all fatisfaction of any kind, they were accordingly.

com

After the French minifters had notified, to the deputation of the empire, that they fhould depart in three days from Raftadt, the baron d'Albini, one of the imperial minifters, wrote to the colonel Barbaczy, commanding the cordon of the Auftrian advanced pofts, demanding efcorts for the deputies of the empire, who were ready to depart, and fafe conduct for the French plenipotentiaries. The mander, in a note dated at Gernbach, the twenty-eighth of April, faid that, as it did not accord with military plans, to tolerate citizens of the French republic, in countries poffeffed by the imperial and royal army, they fhould not take it ill if the circumflances of the war, forced him to fignify to them to quit the territory of Gernbach and the army in the pace of twentyfour hours. At the fame moment, four hundred huflars, entered Raltadt, and took poffeffion of the pofts and gates of the town, with an order to fuffer no perfon to enter in, or go out. At night, in the evening of the twenty ninth, the French minifters were in their carriages: but on coming to the gate of the town, they were furprized to find the paffage refufed them. But at length permiflion was ob

tained

tained to leave the town with two huffars for an escort. The gate being opened, the minifters began their route, but the two huffars remained in the town: it was then nine in the evening. At about five hundred paces from the gate, a troop of huffars on foot as well as on horfeback, burft out from a wood that kirted the road, and furrounded the firft carriage, in which was Jean Debrie with his wife and children. Thinking it was fome patrole to vifit his pafsport, he held it out at the window, mentioning his name and quality. He was immediately dragged out of his carriage, and fell, covered with blood from ftrokes of fabres, which he received on his arms, head, and fhoulders: but he was ftill able to crawl unobferved into the ditch, on the fide of the road. In the fecond carriage were Jean Debrie's fecretary and valet de chambre, who cried out that they were domeftics. They were ordered to alight, and received a few blows, but no other harm was done them. Their carriage was pillaged. In the third carriage was Bonnier alone. They afked in French if he was the minifter Bonnier? On his - anfwering in the affirmative, a huffar opened the door of the carriage, took him by the collar, dragged him out of the carriage, and cut off his hand, head, and

armis.

His carriage was likewife pillaged. The fourth carriage was Rofentiel, the fecretary of legation, who fecing, by the light of a flambean, what was paffing, faved himfelf by jumping out of his carriage, and got clear off. In the fifth carriage was the minifter Robert Jott and his wife. The huffars had fome ftruggle with this victim to get him

3

out of the carriage; his wife holding him ftrongly locked in her arms, They murdered him in this pofition, cutting off the back part of his head with a fabre. The huffars now went off: and the carriages, with the ladies and fervants, turned round and went to Raftadt; whither Rofenftiel alfo came about eleven the fame evening, and Jean Debrie, after paffing the night in the wood, the next morning.

The Pruffian minifters wrote im

mediately a letter to Barbaczy, to demand an efcort and fafeguard, more fure for what remained of the French legation. The commander expreffed his forrow for what had paffed. Jean Debrie, and the other French minifters, left Raftadt on the following day, under an Auftrian escort, and ftill ftronger efcort of the prince of Baden, accompanied by the Ligu rian minifter, who had followed them on the night of the 29th, but who, obferving what was paffing in front, efcaped back to Raftadt, leaving his carriage, which was pillaged, like that of the French minister's.

Various were the conjecturés refpecting the motives which could have urged this affaffination. However, the court of Vienna might have been inclined to overlook it, when committed, it is by no means credible that they could have been its inftigators. It appears to us, in general, to have fprung, like the infult to Bernadotte, from a popular and lively indignation, whether on the part of the Auftrians or French loyalifts, or both, at the arrogant pretenfions of a new and upftart government, which had cemented its power, by the bloodroyal of Auftria, as well as of

France,

this murder; which banners were to be carried at the head of each army; and that indemnities thould be given to the widows and children of the deceafed minifters." His imperial majefty, in an Aulic decree to the German diet, after expreffing the utmost abhorrence at the barbarous and atrocious deed, declared, “that an inquiry had been inftituted, according to the prefcription of the laws, and which was to be conducted with every degree of rigour, that the horrid at might be traced in all its circumftances, its authors and accomplices difcovered, and the imputation of the offence be properly fixed: and charged the diet to appoint deputies of their own to be prefent at the inquiry; thus, by giving its conjoint advice, to convince the whole impartial world, that both the emperor and empire were animated with the fame uniform fentiments, for the execution of the moft rigorous juftice." After a long examination, there did not appear fufficient evidence to bring home the charge and guilt of aflaflination to any party. Myftery ftill hangs about this dark tranfaction: which, like Gouwrie's confpiracy against James VI. of Scotland, may, perhaps, even for centuries, remain a fubject of curiofity and inveftigation, to antiquaries and hiftorians. Never thelefs, it excited a very lively fentiment of horror and refent ment throughout France, and diverted, for a moment, the public indignation, which was every where poured down on the directory, ou account of their profufion and ra pacity at home, and their neglect to recruit and ftrengthen their armies abroad. This fufpenfion and diverfion of the public attention [S]

France, and among its deputies to Raftadt, had fent the regicide, Jean Debrie, as well as the ruftic, Bonnier. Barbaczy, and another officer, Bourkhendt, were arrested, by orders of prince Charles, in order to undergo a trial by a court-martial: but, as it was afterwards declared, that the affaffins were not Austrians, bit French emigrants, under the aimed appearance of huflars, headel by one Danicou, this trial did not take place. The French government had not the fame candour or forbearance. For, whoever were the affaffins, or by whatever orders the affalination was committed, the court of Vienna was peremptorily charged with the murder, by the directory, who fent a meffage to the councils, with official notice of the event. The uncils adopted a refolution, the rincipal articles of which were, that this act should be denounced, in the the name of the French nation, to all good men, and to the governments of every country, as commanded by the cabinet of Vienna, and executed by its troops; that funeral folemnities fhould be performed in honour of the murdered deputies, throughout the republic; that the government, guilty of this affaffination, fhould be configned to the vengeance of rations, and the execrations of pofterity; that, in the place of itting, of every municipal adminiftration, in tribunals, fchools, and public eftablishments, an infcrip. Lon fhould be put up, ftating, that the Auftrian government had caufed this allaffination to be committed by its troops; that a banner fhould be fent to every army by fea or land, with an infcription provocative of tengeance against the Auftrians, for VOL. XLI.

and

and diffatisfaction, was probably the precife object that the directory had in view when they penned the piece juft quoted. Whether any Whether any thing very profperous or adverfe happened to the nation, it was fure, for a fhort time, to afford fome relief to the directory, by turning the keen edge of the French genius to fomething elfe than the former conduct of adminiftration. But, it would appear that, hafty and precipitate as the French are in giving way to their imaginations and paffions, the fentiment of horror and refentment, infpired by the accounts they received, with many comments and conjectures from their own countrymen, who had come from Rastadt, were not of long duration. Their paffion cooled, they began firft to doubt; and then, very probably, to difbelieve what had been fo peremptorily charged against the imperial cabinet. Certain it is, that it did not render the decrees, which had paffed eleven days before, for making the military confcription general, more popular or effective. It was, on the eighteenth of April, a few days before the final rupture of the negociation at Raftadt, that the French government, from a defire of exciting odium against the emperor, for his felfifh ambition and inattention to the interefts of the Germanic body, and alfo of augmenting the jealoufy entertained of the views of that prince, by the court of Berlin, publifhed a ftate paper, which they fiyled, "The Secret Articles and additional Convention of the Treaty of Campo Formio." By this agreement, his imperial majefty was to be affifted by the influence of France, in the acquifition of the archbishopric of

Saltzburgh and other territories. In return, the emperor confented to the ceffion of the left bank of the Rhine, and promised the eva cuation of Mentz, Manheim, and other confiderable towns and for trefles. From this political digref fion we return to military operas tions.

The French, in the outset of the prefent campaign, had not content ed themselves with tracing out a particular plan of each of their three armies; but combined every partial operation, fo as to direct the whole to the attainment of one common object. The cafe was

now the fame with the Auftrians, who, after victory had fuddenly enabled them to act on the offenfive in Germany and Italy, found themselves obliged to regulate each operation, giving the idea of a military manœuvre, in which the different corps, advancing depen dently on each other, would regulate, by their left, their march, and direction. A plan was combined between general Hotze and Belle garde, for a general attack on the country of the Grifons. General Bellegarde, after feveral engage ments, gained poffeffion of the upper and lower Engadine. On the firft of May, general Hotze, whofe army, reinforced by the archduke, consisted of more than 20,000 men, advanced through the valley of the Grifons against the fort of Lucienfteig, whilft another column marched towards the fame point by the defiles of Langwart; and other detachments, in order to keep the French in check upon all points, penetrated by correfponding vallies. General Hotze's plan was to attack Fort Lucienfteig, on twe fides at once, and thereby prevent