paffage to the troops of Ruffia. It was not to be expected that the imperial minifter's anfwer to the remonftrance against the march of the Ruffians into Germany fhould be fatisfactory to the French negociators to whom it was quite apparent, that the head of the empire was as unwilling as the diet at Ratisbon was unable to bring the point in question to a speedy and friendly conclufion.

The Ruffian troops, commanded by the renowned general Suarrow, in number fixty thoufand, and marching in four divifions, of fifteen thousand each, having halted for fome time at Olmutz, and Biltz, in Moravia, arrived at Brunn about the middle of December. The infantry were arranged in the Pruffian uniform, and in fine condition. The Coffacks were accoutred in the Turkish style. They wore long beards, and coats of all colours. Befides the Turkish lance and fabre, they had piftols and carabines flung to their girdles. The arrival of fo decided and formidable an enemy, to the French republic, was a pleafing and animating fight to the court of Vienna, the Auftrians, and all the partizans of Auftria. The emperor and emprefs, the palatine of Hungary, the duke of Saxe Tefchen, prince Ferdinand of Wirtemberg, prince Efterhazy, the Kuffian amballader count Razamoufky, and other perfons of high diftinction, attended by the firft regiment of imperial horfe-guards, were prefent at a review, which was welcoming the Ruffians, on the twenty-feventh of December; and admired the quick evolutions and rapid movements of the infantry, and the dexterity and eafe with which the Coffacks managed their little, but

hardy and fpirited horfes. The open countenance fhewn to the Ruffians, by the imperial court, was confidered as a declaration of war against the French republic.

The fortrefs of Ehrenbritftein, held in clofe blockade by the French, who made no fcruple of breaking a ftipulation in the armiftice, for the admiffion of a regular fupply of provifions, fo long defended by its natural ftrength, the conftancy of the garrifon, and the military fkill of its commander, colonel Faber, at length furrendered, January, 1799. The French found, in Ebrenbritstein, an immenfe quantity of ftores, confifting of 192 pieces of artillery, about 100,000 balls, bombs, and grenades; a million of cartridges; about 450,000 weight of powder; 5,000 mufkets, and other articles in equal profufion. Thofe alone were wanting, which were neceffary for life. The blockade of this place commenced in April, 1797: fo that it was among the longeft in modern' hiftory. By the reduction of this place, the French became masters of the two banks of the Rhine, from Schaff-haufen to Duffeldorf. The poffeffion of thefe places, with that of Mayence, already noticed, opened to them the provinces of Franconia, Hefle, and Weftphalia. the fame time, the French troops. that were ftationed between Cologne and Mayence, along the left of the Rhine, repalling that river, were joined by thofe who had formed the blockade of Ebrenbritstein, on the left.

At

While the note of the French plenipotentiaries, refpecting the march of the Ruffians, was under the confideration of the diet, at Ratifbon, the French miniers at Raftadt,

declared

declared to the deputies of the empire, on the thirty-first of January, that they had orders neither to receive nor remit any note in any of the points of the negociation, til they had received a categorical and fatisfactory answer to that which they had remitted, on the second of January, relative to the fame fubject. In the mean time the Ruffians continued to advance. The emperor of Germany assembled his troops on the river Lech. And the French army, having, as already observed, re-croffed the Rhine, penetrated into Suabia, under the command of general Jourdan. Official information of this invafion, was, on the first of March, 1799, communicated to count Metternich, by the French plenipotentiaries, at Raftadt; who remitted to him, by order of the directory, the following proclamation, figned by the prefident, and dated the twentieth of February, 1799: "The troops of his majefty the emperor, king of Hungary and Bohemia, in contempt of the convention concluded at Raftadt, the eleventh of Frimaire, (December the firft, 1797), anno. 6, have repaffed the river Inn, and have quitted the hereditary ftates. This movement is connected with the march of the Ruffians, who declare aloud, that they are coming to attack the French republic, and who are already in the dominions of the emperor.

Ever faithful to its engagements, always animated with the fincereft defire of maintaining peace, and ever difpofed to attribute the fame fentiments to his majefty the empeTor, the French government has demanded of him a fatisfactory decla-ration, refpecting the march of the Ruffian troops, and the paffage

which has been granted to them. The emperor, however, has remained filent. The executive directory, therefore, finds itself compelled, by the abfolute neceffity of felf-defence, and the obligation impofed on all governments to provide for their fafety, to command the French armies to take those pofitions which the exifting circum, ftances require. But, at the fame time, it declares, that its with for peace is unalterable: and, the mo ment that his majefty the emperor fhall announce, by an amicable declaration, that the Ruffians have evacuated his territories, and that his troops have returned to the pofitions regulated by the convention, at Raftadt, the French armies fhall also re-enter their former limits.”

This proclamation was accompanied by an addrefs from general Jourdan, to his army, on their entrance into Germany. It was dated, February the twenty-eighth, and was conceived in the fame fpirit with that of the proclamation, as far as it related to political objects. It alfo enjoined the ftricteft military difcipline under the fevereft penalties. The French minifters, in a note which they remitted at the fame time to count Metternich, fignified, that they were authorized to declare, that the march of the army ought not to be confidered in any other light than that of a precaution neceffitated by circumftances; that the defire of peace, on the part of the French government, continued to be ardent and fincere; and that the directory perfifted in the inten tion of concluding peace, with the empire, on the fuppofition always, that the empire would declare itfelf against the march of the Ruf fans.

The deputation of the empire having taken the proclamation, together with the note of the French minifters, and the address to the army, into confideration, came to a determination, that all these pieces fhould be fent to the general diet of the empire, at Ratisbon; that it fhould be obferved to the diet, at the fame time, that the majority of the deputation was convinced, that after this note, the diet ought to be perfuaded how urgent it was, that the deputation fhould be invested with full powers, to give an answer to the note of the French legation, of the fecond of January, (concerning the march of the Ruffians,) in order to resume the negociations which had been fo long fufpended; that the prefent fubject of deliberation fhould be remitted, as ufual, to the commiflary of his imperial majefty; that he fhould be requested to impart to the French minifters, the decifion of the deputation, and to exprefs its ardent defire of concurring, in all poffible efforts, for a speedy and lafting peace. The imperial commiffary was not influenced by the fame pacific difpofitions. By a note, tranfmitted the fourth of March, he informed the deputies, that the imperial commiffion could not approve the conclufum, fince,

from the actual fituation of affairs, their anfwer fhould have been reftrained to the fimple acknowledgement of their having received the French minifter's note, and communicated it to the general diet; and that all farther declaration fhould have been fufpended till the ulterior decifion of the emperor and empire, agreeably to a former conclufum of the deputation. The views that dictated this note of the imperial minifters, could not be misunderstood. But a prelude to the renewal of war, ftill lefs equivocal, was exhibited foon thereafter, in the expulfion of Bacher and Alquier the firft, the French refident at Ratifbon; the fecond, the French ambassador at Munich. On the fourteenth of March, they were ordered to quit thofe towns within the space of twenty-four hours, and to retire within the French advanced pofts. The expulfion of thefe ministers was not effected without oppofition on the part of certain members of the diet, as well as that of the elector of Bavaria: but, as the order was accompanied by military force, Bacher and Alquier were under the neceflity of obeying the requi. fition.

VOL. XLI.

CHAP.