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care to provide against that misfortune; that grain and bifcuit were already arrived to answer that purpofe, and that he could affure them from the promises he had received, that they fhould want neither arms, ammunition, or money.

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In the mean time Count de Vaux arrived in Corfica, and took upon him the command in chief of the French forces; fifteen new battalions were alfo embarked at Toulon, and landed in the island in the beginning of April. As the court of France had now reafon to be certain of its fuccefs in this enterprize, the new commander in chief had directions to treat the Corficans in general, but more particularly the prifoners that fhould fall into his hands, with the greatest lenity, thereby to give a favourable idea of the French government, as well as of the humanity of the nation in general.

The French forces now amounted to above thirty thousand men; and in the beginning of May the whole island feemed to be in motion. Count de Vaux, at the head of the army, advanced towards the centre of the island, and penetrated as far as Roftino; at the fame time the French detachments at Calvi and Ajaccio took the field, and interfecting the country, carried on their operations in fuch a manner, as finally to effect a junction with Count de Vaux. Several engagements, of which we have very imperfect accounts, happened in the neighbourhood of Roftino, within three or four fucceffive days, between the French and Corficans. In the first of these the Corficans were faid to have greatly the ad

vantage, and that the French fuffered a very confiderable lofs. In the third they were however totally difperfed and defeated, and a very great flaughter made. It is faid that one of the chiefs, in the height of the action, went over with eight hundred men to the French, and that they immediately turned their arms upon their countrymen, who were ftruck with fuch a panic at this treachery, that they threw away their arms, and that a general massacre and rout fucceeded.

May 21.

Every hope was now over, and the French over-run the country without oppofition. The capital city of Corte, notwithstanding the ftrength of its fituation, approachable only by defiles, which a small number of men might have defended against an army, whether by treachery, or from the terror with which the people were seized, was furrendered without the leaft defence. As it was imagined that this place could not have been taken without the loss of a great number of men, the French general threatened to burn the city, and put the garrifon to the fword if they made any refiftance; by this threat affording a plaufible pretence for intimidation, if not produced in reality. Ifola Rofa, and every other place of any confequence in the ifland, were reduced in the fame manner, and most of the principal chiefs fubmitted, and gave hostages for their fidelity.

In the mean time the unfortunate Paoli retired, with fuch followers as ftill continued faithful, to the pieve of Vivario, where they were continually haraffed and pur

fued

fued by the French. At length being reduced to 537 men, they were intirely furrounded by a body of four thousand of the enemy. In this defperate fituation he affembled his followers, and told them, "That they were now reduced to that dreadful extremity, that nothing remained by continuing in their native country, but the fad alternative of death or flavery that they were unhappily witneffes to that deplorable event, which neither a war of thirty years, the rancorous malice of the Genoefe, nor the forces of feveral great powers, were able to bring about, at laft effected by the power of gold alone. That their unfortunate countrymen, deceived and led away by their corrupted chiefs, were going themselves to embrace the chains that were forging for them. That their once happy conftitution was now totally overthrown, most of their friends either killed or made prifoners, and themselves referved, only to have the misfortune to fee and weep over the ruin of their country.' He afked, whether any of them would, to lengthen out a fhort remnant of wretched life, become flaves to injuftice and oppreflon? and cried out in an exclamation, My dear friends let us reject with fcorn fo fhameful a thought." He declared, "That neither the gold, nor the fplendid offers of France, had power to tempt him to difhonour; and he trufted, that the fuccefs of their arms had not made him contemptible. That after the imputation of being conquered, there was nothing fo eftimable as a glorious death. He then told them that there was no time to be

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loft, and called upon them with great energy, either to force their way fword in hand through the ranks of their enemies, and wait in a diftant land, in the hope of happier times, for an opportunity to avenge the wrongs of their country, or elfe to terminate their honourable career, the fhort remains of life, by dying gloriously as they had lived.

The chief then tenderly embraced the brave affociates of his fortune, and having made the neceffary preparations to cut their way through the French troops the fame night, they happily effected their purpofe with equal fuccefs and refolution. Paoli then lay concealed for two days in the ruins of a convent by the fea fide, from whence, with feveral of his friends and companions, he got on board an English fhip at Porto Vecchio, and was landJune 16. ed fafely two days after at Leghorn.

The reception which the Corfican chief met with in Leghorn, carried more the appearance of a triumph, than the marks of a flight; all the Englifh fhips in the harbour dif layed their colours, and difcharged their artillery, and though it rained exceflively, im men'e crowds of people of all ranks ran down to the water de to behold his landing, and received nim with the loudest acclamations. The general went directly to the house of sir John Dick the English conful, where fome gentlemen of the fame nation, who had before visited him in Corlica, attended to receive him. His brother, Clement Paoli, with about three hundred other fugitives, among whom were feveral

of

of the moft noted chiefs, were land ed a few days after from another English fhip:

Notwithstanding every method used by the French to prevent it, and to conciliate the minds of the people, there has been a great and continual emigration from the island ever fince the conqueft. The Italian princes have received the fugitives with great hofpitality. The grand duke of Tufcany affigned lands to fuch of them as chofe to fettle in his dominions. Great numbers of them have entered into the king of Sardinia's fervice, who gives them particular encouragement, and a great many families are gone to Minorca. Wherever they appeared, they were beheld with pity, admiration, and regard; and the brave ftruggle they made, in defence of their liberty, procured them refpect in governments, where the term is fcarcely

known.

gard to the new form of govern

ment.

In the mean time the French king took every measure to annex Corfica irrevocably to his kingdom. To this purpose the fovereign council of that ifland was totally fuppreffed, and a new one created, which is to confift of magiftrates to be prefented to, and approved of, by the parliament of Provence. The king alfo decreed, that the ifiand of Corfica fhould for the future be confidered as included in, and a member of the Gallican church, and the pope, in pursuance of this refolution, granted an indulto to the king for the nomination of feven churches in that ifland, which was declared a part of the king's domains, and a director-general accordingly appointed for that office.

To gratify the people, and attach them to the French intereft, the king ordered a new body of Though the French over-run the troops to be formed, and to be callifland upon the departure of Paoli, ed the Corfican legion, which was feveral of the chiefs who refufed to be compofed intirely of natives to accept the amnefty they of of that ifland. Nothing could be fered, retired to the moft inaccef- more alluring to a poor and milifible places with their parties, where tary people, long inured to arms, they continued to be very trouble- and ufed to the liberty that attends fome to them. Among others, the fuch a life, and deftitute of trade, celebrated Carlo Sallicetti did them manufactures, and other means of fo much mifchief, that Count de employment, than fuch an inftitu. Vaux was not afhamed to fet a price tion. The commiffions would have by proclamation, of five hundred provided for the younger brothers Louis d'ors upon his head. An and poorer part of the nobility, affembly of the principal inhabi- and even the French pay of the tants of the island common foldiers would be no triJune 28. however held at Corte, vial confideration, in a very poor where they ratified the oaths and and a very cheap country. Nothing fubmiffions which most of them can however fhew the general abs had already made, and received horrence and deteflation with which the orders that were given in re- the Corficans regard the French

was

government fo ftrongly, as that this defign was obliged to be laid afide after most of the commiffions were paffed, because they could not find, in the whole ifland, above three hundred men that would inlift in their fervice.

This antipathy operating upon the ferocity of the people, has fhewn itself in actions of the most inhuman and barbarous nature. A continued and regular courfe of affaffination has been carriedon againft the French all over the island, to which a number of officers, and fome of confiderable rank, have been victims. This favage rage was fo prevalent, that the feveret punishments have scarcely been able to reftrain it.

The unhealthinefs of the climate caused a prodigious mortality among the French foldiers, and as foon as the reduction of the island was thoroughly completed, twentytwo battalions, in a very weak and broken condition, were reimbarked for Toulon. It appears by a return of the French troops that were employed in Corfica, which is faid to be authentic, and to have been delivered to the minister on the 23d of Auguft, that the lofs fuftained in killed and wounded to that time, amounted to 10,721; of which number 4324, including 539 officers, were killed. And it appears by the fame return, that there died in the hofpitals 5949 men; fo that the total lofs of the French troops amounted to 10,273 men, befides the recovered wounded, a great number of whom muft have been rendered unfit for fervice, and 795 fick, who at that time lay in the hofpitals. This lofs was the greater, as the best re

giments in France were felected for this fervice. It was befides computed that this expedition coft France eighteen millions of livres in money.

become an

At this price did France purchafe the reduction of Corfica, a price that fufficiently fhews the high eftimation in which it regarded the poffeffion of that ifland. An acquifition, which, fimply in itfelf, may not be confidered, as immediately of very great value to the poffeffor, but which in its future confequences, in regard to feveral other powers, may object of the higheft importance. It is evident from the difficulties which the French encountered, and the loffes they fuftained, without any other oppofition than the fingle virtue of the natives, that this attempt might have been eafily rendered abortive; and that nothing but the moft unaccountable fupinenefs, in ftates that were not only interested in the prefervation of this ifland, but much more in preventing any new acceffion of power or dominion to France, could have given it even a probability of fuccefs. The late defection of many of the Corfican chiefs from the interefts of their country, being the natural effect of despair on finding themselves totally abandoned, when all public hope being at an end, individuals endeavoured only to provide for personal emolument or fecurity.

While France was effecting a foreign conqueft, the ftate of its domeftic affairs gave fufficient evidence, that nothing lefs than a very valuable compenfation could authorize a prefent waste of treafure. Its Eaft India company, which

had

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had long made a great figure, and feemed, within a very few years, to have bid fair for a monopoly of trade and power in that part of the world, became now totally ruined and bankrupt. The king immediately fufpended their exclufive privileges, and laid the trade to the eaft open to all his fubjects. In the mean time the company's affairs have been put into the hands of the miniftry, who have hitherto ineffectually endeavoured to adjuft and fettle them. Many fchemes have been formed, both for reftoring the old company, and for the establifhment of a new one, all of which have been attended with fuch difficulties, as to prove equally ineffeaual. Nor has the laying of the trade open been attended with the fuccefs that was expected, the merchants being very flow and backward in that undertaking; though the king, to encourage them to embark in it, lent fome of his own fhips to convey their commodities to that part of the world. The garrifons and civil eftablishments in the Eaft Indies, are however fupported on their ufual footing by the king.

furvivorship in the tontines, is an act not more alarming in its nature, than it is cruel in its confequences, which will be attended by the ruin of feveral thousand individuals. This meafure, which did not take place till the clofe of the year, and which will probably be in fome degree ftill reftricted in its effects with regard to foreigners, will become more fully the fubjec of our future difcuffion. It is however evident from thefe circumftances, that the commerce, well as the finances of this nation, are in a very embarraffed condition, and that the effects of the late war ftill lie very heavy upon them.

There have been alfo a continued courfe of bankruptcies, fome for immenfe fums of money, all over the kingdom. One of these failures, at Marseilles, was for the, amazing fum of twenty millions of livres. The late defperate manœuvre of the minifter, which ftrikes at the root of all national faith and credit, by reducing the intereft on the public funds to onehalf, without allowing an alternative of withdrawing their money to the creditors, and at the fame time taking away the benefit of

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We have formerly taken notice of the difputes that fubfifted between the king and the parliament of Britany, as well as of the confequent diffolution of that body, and the banishment of its members. This measure had caufed the most univerfal diffatisfaction throughout the kingdom, and had produced a great number of the moft fpirited remonstrances from the other parliaments to the king. Though thefe remonftrances had proved ineffectual, the king thought proper this year, apparently of his own motion, to fend July 9. the duke de Duras to Britany to re-establish to re-establish that parliament, and to recall the exiled members, A measure, no doubt, which has given great and general fatisfaction.

Great disturbances have happened this year in the French colony of St. Domingo, between the government and the inhabitants. We have not been able to collect many particulars of thefe difputes,

but

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