With regard to the direction of this corps, and its combined operations with the Pruffian troops, the emperor of Ruffia was to arrange thefe with the king of Pruffia, and the arrangement to be made was to be communicated to his Britannic majefty, in order that, by fuch a concert between the high allies, the military operations against the enemy might be made with the greater fuccefs, and that the object propofed might be the more easily afcertained. His Britannic majef ty, on his part, engaged to furnish pecuniary fuccours: 225 0002 fterling, for the firft and most urgent expenses; of which 75,000l. was to be paid as foon as the troops fhould have paffed the Ruffian frontier; and that the other two moieties, of a like fum each, fhould be paid at the expiration of two fucceffive periods, of three months each, thereafter. He agreed also to furnish to the Ruffian emperor a fubfidy of 75,000l. per month, to be computed from the day on which the corps of troops, above-mentioned, thould pafs the Ruffian frontiers. This fubfidy was to be paid at the commencement of each month, and, being destined for the appointments and maintenance of the troops, it was to be continued during the space of twelve months, unless peace fhould be made fooner. Within that space of time, the contracting parties were to come to an understanding, whether, in cafe the war fhould not be terminated, the fubfidy above-mentioned fhould be continued. The contracting parties engaged not to make either peace or armiftice without including each other: but if, through any unforefeen events, his Britannic majefty fhould be under the neceflity of

terminating the war, and thereby of difcontinuing the fubfidy, before the expiration of the twelve months above ftipulated, he engaged, in that cale, to pay three months advance of the fubfidy agreed on, reckoning from the day on which the information fhould be received by the general commanding the Ruffian troops. In like manner,

if any aggreffion on Ruffia fhould take place, by which the emperor fhould be obliged to recall his army into his own dominions, the fubfidy fhould, in fuch case, be paid up only to the day on which the army fhould re-enter the territory of Ruffia. This treaty was to be confidered as provifional and its execution not to take place until the king of Pruffia fhould be determined to turn his forces against the common enemy. But, in cafe of his not doing fo, the contracting parties reserved to themselves the right and the power to take, for the good of their affairs, and the fuccefs of the falutary end they might have in view, other mealures analogous to the times and circumftances, and to agree then on those which, in fuch a cafe, they fhould judge to be moft neceffary. The emperor of all the Ruffias, nevertheless, in order to give a ftill more ftriking proof of his fincere difpofitions, and of his defire to be, as much as poffible, ufeful to his allies, promised, even during the courfe of the negociation with his Pruffian majefty and before its termination, to put the corps of forty-five thoufand men on fuch a. footing that they might be immediately employed wherever, according to a previous concert amongst the allies, the utility of the common caufe might require.

The

The zeal of the emperor Paul, in the common caufe of crowned heads, was also manifefted in a declaration of war against Spain, in a manifefto, dated the fifteenth of July, 1799; in which, as well as in the manifefto to the German empire, the mind and views of the empezor, at that time, appear to be difplayed unequivocally and with fincerity. "Among the fmall number of European powers (faid he) who, in external appearance, feemed to be attached to the French monarchy, but who, in reality, are only repreffed by the dread of thofe rulers whom God hath abandoned, none has more evidently betrayed that dread, or that pufillanimous fubmiffion, than Spain: not, in deed, by affording them, hitherto, any effectual fuccours or 'co-operation, but by the actual preparations which he is now making. FruitJefs have been all our efforts, and they were as forcible as it was pofible to make, to reconduct that power into the true path of honour and glory, and to unite with us. We declare war against the king of Spain; and we confequently give orders for fequeftrating and confifcating all the Spanish merchant-fhips which are at prefent in our ports; and we likewife charge all our commanders, both by fea and land, to treat as enemies the fubjects of his Spanish majefty, wherever they may meet with them." His imperial majefty, in the fame temper and tone, laid an embargo on the Hamburgh fhips in the Rufian ports; and, in a menacing attitude, attempted to draw off not only that fall, yet important, republic, but Sweden, Denmark, and even Prufa, from their fyftem of neutrality to the fide of coalition.

While his Ruffian majesty exerted his whole authority and influence to rouze a general attack on the French republic, he received into his friendship and protection those who had fuffered from its tyranny and oppreffion. To Lewis XVIII. as he was called by his adherents and his court, he gave an afylum in the capital of Courland. He received a number of emigrant French nobles into his military fervice: and, above all, he extended his protection and munificent patronage to the difperfed and ejected knights of Malta. The grand

bailiff, the grand crofs, and other diftinguifhed members of this order, affembled at St. Petersburgh, in . October, 1798, elected the emperor grand mafter of their order. His majefy, who is faid to have folicited, accepted this dignity, and exercifed its prerogatives, in comferring, with great pomp and folemnity, the order itlelf, as well as its different degrees, titles, and of fices, on various perfons of diftinction. Count Litta, envoy-extraordinary from the pope, and the prince Serra Capriola, envoy from Naples, were honoured with the grand crofs. A new inftitution, under the name of a grand priory, was established at Petersburgh, in favour of the knights of Malta, and endowed with an annual revenue of 216,000 rubles. This was to ferve as a refidence and rallying place for all the knights. The motives, affigned by his imperial majefty for this act of munificence, were a regard to the common caufe of Chriftianity and Chriftendom, to which the illuftrious knights of Malta had been fo eminently fubfervient, to preferve that order, and to enable them to recover the pof

feffions

Teffions that had been ravished from them by injuftice and violence; and to add a new incitement to the loyalty and bravery of the Ruffian nobles, by the hope of being admitted, in confequence of fignalized merit, into the illuftrious fraternity of the knights of St. John of Jerufalem. But, from this order no perfon of noble defcent, and otherwife properly qualified, according to the rules of the order, of any country in Christendom, was to be interdicted. To the ancient and ftanding laws of the order, his majefty added a number of regulations refpecting his own new foundation.

The ukafe for this establishment was accompanied by a proclamation, declaring that any gentleman, of any Chriftian country, duly qualified, might be received as a knight of St. John, in the imperial refidence of St. Petersburgh, and refide there in that character, and enjoy the emperor's particular favour and protection.

"We flatter ourselves (fays his majefty) that, having through Divine Providence and hereditary right come to the imperial throne of our ancestors, we have it in our power to protect, maintain, and even increase and extend, the fplendour of an order fo ancient and renowned among the orders of chivalry, convinced that, by fuch a conduct, we shall render an important service to the univerfe! The laws and regulations of this order infpire a love of virtue, form good morals, ftrengthen the bonds of fubordination, and prefent a powerful remedy against the prefest mania for innovation, and the unbridled licentioufnefs of thinking. In fine, this order is an engine for aug

menting the power, fecurity, and glory, of ftates.".

The emperor, in February, 1799, fent a note to all the foreign minifters refident at Petersburgh, requesting them to make known, to their relpective courts, that he had accepted the title of "Grand master of the fovereign order of St. John of Jerufalem," of which St. Peterfburgh was henceforth to be the feat and chief refidence. Orders were also iffued to the ministers of Ruffia, not to receive any letters, addreffed to his imperial majesty, in which the title of " Grand master of the fovereign order of St. John of Jerufalem" fhould be omitted.

On this new inftitution, for the prefervation of an ancient order, though its patron and head was neither unmarried nor a catholic, the aged, infirm, and unfortunate pope, Pius VI. in the monaftery of Caffien, near Florence, bestowed his approbation, fanction, and paternal and apoftolical benediction, on the fifth of November, 1798. This account of the new grand priory at St. Petersburgh, would have been altogether difproportionate to the scale of this narrative, if fubfequent events and pretenfions, recently brought forth, had not given them much importance.

The emperor of Ruffia, with the difpofitions, and under the engagements, above mentioned, made war on France by fea and land. A Ruffian fquadron, of twelve fail of the line, was fent to co-operate with the British fleets, in the German Ocean, off the coaft of Britain ; and another, on the twenty-fifth of Auguft, 1799, appeared in the canal of Conftantinople, where it was joined by a Turkish fquadron. The combined fleet, confifting of

twelve fhips of the line and fixteen frigates, befides galleys, gun-boats, and tranfports, with twelve thoufand men, failed through the Dardanelles into the Mediterranean. Their first operation was an attack on the newly-created French departments in the Ægean and Adriatic Seas. Cerigo, the ancient Cy therea, an ifland belonging to the Venetians, but ceded to the French by the treaty of Campo - Formio, was taken, after a flight refiftance, on the twelfth of October. Zante and Cephalonia were abandoned by the French on the nineteenth of that month. And from thence, on the fifth of November, they proceeded to blockade the canal of the ifland of Corfu in the town and fortrefs of which ifland, the works of which, conftructed by the celebrated general Schulenberg, had been kept in excellent order by the Venetians, and lately ftrengthened by the French, there was a confiderable garrifon, and ample ftores and provifions. This place was taken, by the united Turkish and Ruffian forces, on the firft of March. The town and forts of Corfu, with the artillery, ammunition, flores, provifions, and all other public effects, were given up to the allied troops. The French garrison were to be conveyed to Toulon, in veffels furnished by the combined fquadron, and at the expense of the faid fquadron, on their word of honour, not to bear arms, for eighteen months, againft his majefty the grand feignior, his majefty the emperor of all the Raffias, or against their allies, the king of England, the king of the two Sicilies, and the prefent allies of the two empires. The French general, with the principal officers, and their fa

5

milies, had it in their option, to ge either to Toulon or to Ancona, The commanders of the allied fquadron declared, that every individual, of whatever religion or nation, as well as all the inhabitants of the town and land of Corfu, fhould be refpected in their perfons and property; that they fhould not be profecuted, molefted, or pursued, on account of the political opinions which they might have held, or for their actions, or for the employments which they might have filled under the French government, up to the date of the capitulation. if any of them chofe to depart with all their property, they might do so. The fick, who could not accompany the garrifon, were to be treated in the fame manner as the Turks and Ruffians, at the expense of the said powers, and, alfo, when cured, to be fent to Toulon. The French general was permitted to leave, at Corfu, an officer, with a sum of fix thoufand livres, to be expended for the comfort and benefit of his

countrymen; and alfo the necessary number of officers of health, to prepare drugs, and take care of the fick. The garrifon, the officers, and thofe employed in a civil or military capacity, were to receive, as well on fhore as on board the veffels, the fame number of rations that were allowed to them, according to their rank, in conformity to the French laws, until their debarkation at Toulon or Ancona. The fhips of war and tranfports, which fhould be employed in conveying the French either to Toulon or Ancona, were not to make any prizes, either in going or returning; and the commiffary-general engaged, in the name of the French government, to caufe the faid veffels to be

respected

refpected by the French fhips and veffels, and to guarantee their return to Corfu, in like manner as the Turkish and Ruffian admirals respectively promised, in the name of their courts, to caufe all the French, comprised in the prefent capitulation, to be conveyed to the deftination agreed on. The French general and his staff were to have a Ruffian guard of honour, until their embarkation. The French garrifon marched out of all the pufts which they had occupied, with all military honours, at the time and place agreed on, the officers, civil and military, retaining their arms: on which the town and fortrefs of Corfu paffed, of courfe, into the poffeffion of the allied forces.

In this capitulation, there was nothing of that Afiatic barbarity which the friends of the French revolution affected to apprehend, from the acceffion to the coalition of Turks and Ruffians. It is not poffible that any convention could have been made on fairer terms, with greater regard to juftice, humanity, and the niceft fenfe of ho nour. In perusing this capitulation, we entertain a momentary wonder, that the horrors of mutual war fhould at all exist between nations capable of thinking and acting so generously as well as juftly undoubtedly, they would much feldomer take place, were princes and politicians governed in their councils by fimilar fentiments. The wifdom of the capitulation was equal to its humanity. Its moderation and juftice ftood in direct oppofition and contraft with the domineering and rapacious paffions of the republic, which obliged the conquered ftates to pafs under the VOL. XLI.

yoke and to wear the chains impos fed by the conquerors.

The union of Ruffia with Tur key increased the power of the latter, not only by an acceffion of force, but much more by re-animating the courage, and infufing new energy into the Ottoman councils and nation. The appearance of the combined Turkish and Ruffian fleet and land - forces, on the western coaft of Turkey in Europe, gave force and effect to ftrict orders, from Conftantinople, to all the agents of the Turkish government in that quarter, to use the most vigorous means for quafhing the intrigues of the French, and repreffing all tendency to rebellion. The bafhaw of Janina, who had fhewn fome fymptoms of difregard to the firmans of the Porte, on fundry occafions, and who had begun, as was believed, to listen to certain overtures from the French, took a decided and active part on the fide of that government which it was his duty to fupport. With the fidious cunning of a barbarian, he drew the French generals, Rola and Salcette (though the former, it is faid, had taken for a wife one of his daughters), into a conference with fome of his emiffaries, who pretended a disposition, on the part of the baflaw, to go over to the French; during which, they were arrested, with certain other inferior officers who attended them, and kept in confinement. The French, in the different pofts formerly held by the Venetians, which they occupied on the coaft of Dalmatia, were either killed, in cafes of the leaft refiftance, or taken prisoners, This was a more important advantage than the reduction of the [G]

per

illands;