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Nov. 25. At Glasgow, Mr Moses Gardner, surgeon, Charlotte-Street.

At Bannockburn, aged 27, Mr Andrew Thomson, accountant in the Bank of Scotland's office, Stirling.

-At Edinburgh, Mrs Isobel Cochrane, relict of the late Mr James Taylor, Mound Place. -Mr John Weir, schoolmaster in Polwarth, in the 70th year of his age.

- At Edinburgh, Mary Rooke Gera, infant daughter of Sir James Riddell, Baronet.

26. At Edinburgh, Charles, youngest son of Charles Tawse, Esq. W. S.

27. At London, Hardin Burnley, Esq. aged 83, father-in-law of Joseph Hume, Esq. M. P.

-At St Germain-en-laye, near Paris, the Duke of Fitz-James, Lieutenant-General in the army of France, and a descendant of King James II. of England, from an illegitimate branch.

79.

28. David Miller, Esq. of Pow, Fifeshire, aged

-At the manse of Skene, the Rev. Jas. Hogg, D. D., in the 72d year of his age, and 47th of his ministry, the last 37 of which he had the pastoral charge of the parish of Skene.

- At Laurieston, Mrs Halkerston, of Carskerdo. At Foyers House, Inverness-shire, Mrs Fraser, of Foyers.

-The Right Hon. Lord Milford, Lord Lieute nant of Pembrokeshire, and late Member for that county. His Lordship was in the 85th year of his age.

At Edinburgh, Mr John Low, writer, son of the late Rev. John Low, minister of the United Associate Congregation, Biggar.

29. At the manse of Premnay, the Rev. James Douglas, in the 78th year of his age, and the 51st of his ministry.

30. At Glasgow, the Rev. J. Mackenzie, minister of the Gorbals Gaelic chapel.

-At his house in Islandmagee, in the 85th year of his age, the Rev. William Holmes, minister of the Associate Presbyterian Congregation of Bally

easton.

Dec. 1. At the Water of Leith, Mrs Janet Stewart, in the 81st year of her age.

-At Cowes, Mr John Maynard, R. N. in the 90th year of his age; he was at the taking of Quebec with General Wolfe, in the year 1755, and often even latterly spoke of the fall of that heroic officer with feelings of regret.

-At the manse of Pettinain, Mrs Mary Lockhart, wife of the Rev. George Dickson.

2. At Alloa, John Jameson, Esq. Sheriff-clerk of Clackmannanshire.

-At Hutton Hall, the seat of her grandfather, Robert Johnstone, Esq. Catherine Hester, only daughter of the Rev. A. Scott, rector of Egre

mont.

-At Glendaruel House, Miss Campbell, of Glendaruel.

3. Mr Archibald Roxburgh, merchant, Glasgow. 4. At her house, York Place, Edinburgh, Mrs Hay Mudie.

At Lathallan, Major John Lumsdaine, of Lathallan and Blanerne.

5. At Edinburgh, Mr Andrew Henderson, of the house of Sir William Forbes and Co.

At Cargen, the Lady of William Stothert, Esq. of Cargen.

6. At Castle Douglas, Mr James Begg, schoolmaster of that parish.

At Feddal House, Perthshire, in the 83d year of his age, Robert Graham Burden, Esq. of Feddal and Auchingarich.

-At Louth, Mr J. Gray, shoemaker, aged 55. The cause of his death was rather singular: a few days before, he with a penknife accidentally made in his thumb a very slight incision, of which he

took no notice: it is supposed, that whilst he was making use of some vitriolic acid, the pungent liquor came in contact with the wound, and caused so violent an inflammation as in a short time to terminate his existence.

Dec. 7. At Leith, Mr John Macleod, brewer there.

-At Edinburgh, Thomas Ireland, Esq. of Upper Urquhart, Fifeshire.

7. At Irvine, John Peebles, Esq. late Captain 42d regiment, in the 85th year of his age.

8. At Aberdeen, in the 63d year of his age, the Rev. John Gordon, Roman Catholic clergyman there.

Aged 70, the Right Hon. Thomas Steele, formerly one of the Representatives in Parliament for Chichester.

-At East Kilspindie, Captain David Lauder, Perthshire militia.

10. At London, in the 63d year of his age, Sir Eyre Coote, of West Park, Hants. -At Edinburgh, Alex. Dick, Esq. accountant. Near London, Lumsdaine Alves, Esq. Navy Pay Office.

At Edinburgh, Mr George Peel Lys, only surviving son of Thomas Lys, Esq. of London. 10. At Glasgow, Mr John Taylor, manufacturer. 12. At Edinburgh, Miss Jean Clark, daughter of the late Gilbert Clark, Esq.

15. At Leith, in the 58th year of his age, the Rev. Robert Culbertson, minister of the gospel, and pastor of the Associate Congregation, St Andrew's-Street.

14. At Clifton, Miss Harriet Buchan, eldest daughter of the late George Buchan, Esq. of Kelloe, Berwickshire.

-At Morton mains, Dumfries-shire, very suddenly, George Welsh, Esq. aged 74.

15. At the Mansion House, Greenock, Mrs Thomas Crawford, in the 78th year of her age. - In the 80th year of her age, her Serene Highness the Princess Dowager of Lippe.

16. At Edinburgh, aged 23, Christian, eldest daughter of Mr Orr, S.S.C.

17. At Midmar Castle, James Mansfield, Esq. of Midmar.

At Glasgow, Janet, fifth daughter of Captain John Cameron, Reshipole, Argyllshire.

19. At London, the wife of Mr Bennett, Secre tary of Lloyd's, after a few days illness. She survived the death of her second daughter, Emma Frances, who was in her 16th year, only ten days. 20. At Edinburgh, Mrs Wm. Tennant, junior. - At Falkirk, Mr Charles Alexander, in the 84th year of his age.

21. At Kirkcudbright, Mrs Helen Miller, relict of John Miller, in Kirkcudbright, in the 101st year of her age, and 69th of her widowhood.

22. At Kirkcudbright, in the 85d year of her age, Miss Thomson, daughter of the late David Thomson, Esq. of Ingliston.

21. At Duncrieff, Dr John Rogerson, of Wamphray, first physician to the Emperor of Russia. Lately. At her house, 74, Queen-Street, Edinburgh, Miss Agnes Hunter, daughter of the late James Hunter, Esq. banker in Ayr.

Lately. In Sandwich workhouse, two of the oldest inmates-Samuel Gimber, aged 100, many years landlord of the King's head, Sandwich; and Mrs Bridges, aged 100.

At Kowal, in the province of Mosovica, in Poland, an ecclesiastic of the name of Bujalski, at the very advanced age of 114 years.

In the West Indies, aged 59, Captain Arthur Richards, late of the Queensberry Arms inn, Annan.

In London, aged 32, Eliza, widow of General Keith Macalister, late of Wimpole Street, Cavendish Square, and Toresdale Castle, Argyleshire.

J. Ruthven & Son, Printers, Edinburgh,

THE

EDINBURGH MAGAZINE,

AND

LITERARY MISCELLANY.

FEBRUARY 1824.

NAPOLEON'S CAMPAIGNS.
No. II.

In our former article, we laid before our readers some account of the plan adopted by Napoleon, on being appointed to the chief command of the Army of Italy, for turning the Alps, penetrating into Italy by Savona, Cadibona, Carcari, and the Bormida, and thus separating the Sardinian and Austrian Armies; of the series of brilliant actions at Montenotte, Millesimo, Dego, and Mondovi, by which the enemy's line of operations was intersected, and the first great object of the campaign attained; and of the armistice of Cherasco, by which the King of Sardinia was detached from the coalition, the fortresses of Coni, Tortona, and Ceva, occupied by the French, the line of communication with Paris shortened by one-half, and the "Porter of the Alps" placed at the mercy of the Republic.

This armistice being concluded, it became a subject of deliberation whether to advance, and how far. A great advantage had undoubtedly been gained in separating the Piedmontese from the Austrian Army, and restoring the communications with France: but it was argued that the French Government might refuse the negociations proposed; that

it would be dangerous to pass the Ticino, without securing the rear that, should the army advance, and suffer a defeat, the Court of Turin, which was ruled by nobles and priests, the implacable foes of the Republic, would seize the opportunity to revenge itself for its present humiliation; that Genoa, governed by an oligarchy equally hostile to democratical principles, was likewise an object of much anxiety; that it was necessary to determine whether the army should stop after passing the Ticino, or whether it should pursue the same bold and hazardous system, and pass the Adda, the Oglio, the Mincio, the Adige, the Brenta, the Piave, the Tagliamento, and the Isonzo; that it was highly imprudent to leave a numerous and hostile population in the rear; that, in order to proceed rapidly, it was necessary to proceed deliberately, and form points of support in every country; and that, by advancing into the Venetian territory, the Republic of Venice, which had 50,000 men at its disposal, would be compelled to declare for the enemy.

To all this it was answered, that the French Army should profit by victory; that it ought only to halt

In terms of this armistice, the King of Sardinia sent Count Revel to Paris, to treat for a definitive peace, which was concluded and signed on the 15th of May 1796. By this treaty, the fortresses of Alessandria and Coni were surrendered to the Army of Italy; Suza, la Brunette, and Exilles, were demolished, and the Alps opened. The humiliation of his Sardinian Majesty was complete. He had now no fortified points except Fort Bard and Turin; while the French had acquired points d'appui and grand depôts of artillery, to form battering trains, and besiege the capital itself, should he violate the terms of the treaty.

VOL. XIV.

R

on the best line of defence against the Austrian Armies, which would speedily debouch from the Tyrol and Friuli; that this line was the Adige, which covers all the valleys of the Po, cuts off lower and middle Italy, and insulates the fortified city of Mantua, which might probably be taken before the Austrians could recover from the shock of so many consecutive reverses, and be in a situation to succour it; that, on the Adige, it would be easy to provide for the expences of the army, because the burthen would be divided among the population of Piedmont, Lombardy, the Legations of Bologna and Ferrara, and the Duchies of Parma and Modena; that as to Venice declaring war against France, the effectual way to prevent her was to carry the war, in a few days, into the midst of her states, before she could be prepared for such an event, and had time to form resolutions and levy troops; that, should the army remain on the right bank of the Ticino, the Austrians would force that Republic to make common cause with them; that the King of Sardinia was no longer formidable, his militia being disbanded, and the affairs of his country in the worst possible state; that all his remaining forces hardly amounted to 18,000 men, who were dispersed through a great number of towns, and were scarcely sufficient to maintain internal tranquillity, as the number of malecontents was daily increasing; that the Court of Vienna would be highly dissatisfied with that of Turin, for having despaired of the common cause, upon the first reverse of fortune; that there was nothing to fear from the oligarchs of Genoa, the best guarantee of whose conduct consisted in the immense profits they made by their neutrality; that the French Army, on reaching the Adige, would command all the states of the House of Austria in Italy, and all those of the Pope, on this side of the Appenines, and would be in a situation to proclaim the principles of li

berty, and to excite Italian patriotism against foreign domination; and that the word Italiam! Italiam! proclaimed at Milan, Bologna, and Verona, would produce a magical effect; but were it pronounced on the right bank of the Ticino, the Italians would say, "Why do you not advance?”

It will be instantly recognised, that the person who so powerfully combated the arguments of those who, astonished at their own success, proposed to stop short, and endeavour to secure what had been already gained, was Napoleon. With that acuteness and comprehension of mind, which, to ordinary observers, assumes the character of actual prescience, and is one of the distinguishing attributes of high genius, he foresaw the advantages that would result from preserving the lead he had so boldly taken with such inferior numbers, and had full confidence, both in the bravery of the troops he commanded, and in the ascendancy of his own talents and fortune. He accordingly resolved to advance.

Beaulieu had retreated, in consternation, beyond the Po, with the intention of defending the passage of that river opposite Valenza, and, should it be forced, of disputing successively the passage of the Sesia and of the Ticino. With this view he stationed his troops on the left bank of the Cogna, at the camp of Valeggio, where he was reinforced by a reserve of ten battalions, which made his army equal to that of the French. A number of circumstances confirmed him in the belief that the French would attempt the passage at that point. In the beginning of May, when the gates of the fortresses of Coni, Tortona, and Mantua, were opened to the French, Massena marched with his division to Alessandria, where he captured a great quantity of stores belonging to the Austrian Army, and immediately pushed forward parties in the direction of Valenza. This seemed to corroborate the inference which had been drawn from the article in the

* In the concluding part of the armistice of Cherasco, an article had been inserted, prescribing the surrender of Valenza to the French, which seemed to designate that place as the point where they meant to attempt the passage of the Po. This supposition, however, had only been suffered to appear in a mysterious manner, for a reason which the reader will immediately discover,

armistice of Cherasco, stipulating the surrender of Valenza. About the same time, Augereau broke up from Alba, and encamped at the mouth of the Scrivia. Serrurier repaired to Tortona, where Laharpe had pre viously arrived by the Acqui road, and where the grenadiers of the army, to the number of 3500 men, had assembled. With this corps d'élite, the cavalry, and twenty-four pieces of cannon, Napoleon advanced by forced marches on Placenza, in order to effect the passage of the Po at that place, instead of Valenza, where Beaulieu was preparing to dispute it. The instant the intended operation was unmasked, all the French divisions broke up from their respective positions, and marched with all possible speed on Plazenza. At nine o'clock in the morning of the 7th of May Napoleon arrived before the town, and proceeded to the banks of the river, where he remained till the passage was effected, and the van on the opposite bank. Colonel Lannes passed first with 900 grenadiers, and met with some resistance from two squadrons of the enemy's hussars, who were soon put to flight. In the night of the 7th the whole army arrived, and on the 9th the bridge was completed. By these admirable dispositions Beaulieu was outwitted, the passage of this important river sur prised, and one of the most critical and difficult operations of war performed, without loss, at the point most advantageous for the future operations of the French Army.

During the night of the 7th Lip tay's division of the Austrian Army arrived at Fiombio, one league from the bridge of Placenza; and on the afternoon of the 8th it was discovered that the steeples and houses of the village were embattled and filled with troops, and that cannon were planted on the roads. As the enemy might receive great reinforcements, and as it would have been extremely hazardous to be com⚫ pelled to give battle with a large and

rapid river in the rear, it obviously became of the utmost importance to dislodge him from Fiombio. Accordingly Napoleon made instant dispositions for that purpose; and, in an hour, the village was carried, and the Austrian division which de fended it routed, with the loss of their cannon, a considerable number of prisoners, and some standards. The wrecks of this corps threw themselves into Pizzighettone, which they reached with the utmost difficulty, being closely pursued by Laharpe with the grenadiers, who, after halting within half cannon-shot of the fortress, executed a retrograde movement, in order to place himself in advance of Codogno, and to cover the roads to Pavia and Lodi. From the prisoners taken at Fiombio it had been ascertained that Beaulieu was on his march to encamp with his army behind that village; and it was therefore possible that some of his corps, not knowing what had taken place in the afternoon, might advance to Codogno to take up their quarters there. The troops were instructed accordingly; and during the night Massena passed the Po, and placed himself in reserve at the head of the bridge, to support La harpe in case of need. What Napoleon had foreseen actually took place. Notwithstanding the secrecy and rapidity with which the troops had marched from Tortona to Pla-. cenza, Beaulieu had received information of the movement, and lost no time in putting all his troops in march, in hopes of arriving opposite Placenza in time to prevent the passage of the river by the French, who, he knew, had no pontoons. One of the regiments of cavalry, in advance of the column in which Beaulieu was, presented itself at General Laharpe's outposts, on the Pavia road, and gave the alarm there. The bivouacs were speedily under arms; but after a few discharges †, the enemy, afraid of being caught in flagranti delicto,

The Po is very rapid at Placenza, and about 250 toises in breadth.

+ On this occasion a melancholy circumstance occurred. Laharpe, followed by a piquet and several officers, went forward to ascertain what was the meaning of this attack, and to interrogate in person the inhabitants of the first farm-houses on the road. From these he learned, as above, that the alarm had been occasioned by a regiment of cavalry, which was ignorant that the French had passed the Po, and

disappeared; Beaulieu was once more out-generalled.

On entering the states of Parma, Napoleon received, at the passage of the Trebbia, envoys from the Duke of Parma, requesting peace, and his protection. This Prince was of little political importance, and as the French had no time to undertake the administration of his territory, they fell upon the simple and effectual device of selling their protection at the highest possible price. By an armistice, signed on the morning of the 9th at Placenza, the Duke was to pay two millions (of francs) in money, furnish the magazines of the army with a specified quantity of wheat, hay, &c.; supply 1600 horses for the cavalry and artillery, defray the expences of all the military routes and hospitals which should be established in his states, and contribute twenty pictures, to be chosen by French Commissioners, for the Museum at Paris *.

On the 10th the French army moved from Casal-Pusterlengo on Lodi, where Beaulieu had effected the junction of Sebottendorf's and Roselmini's divisions, and had directed Colli and Wukassowich on Milan and Cassano. By inspecting a map, it will be seen, that the fate of these last corps depended on rapidity of marching, and that they might be cut off from the Oglio and made prisoners. Within a league of Casal, however, the French army

fell in with a strong rear-guard of Austrian grenadiers, posted in an advantageous position, defending the Lodi road. In order to dislodge this body, it became necessary to manoeuvre, which was performed by the French troops with the confidence and ardour inspired by victory. The enemy, aware of the importance of maintaining his ground, and, if possible, checking or retarding the advance of the French, defended himself with the utmost obstinacy; but at length his ranks fell into confusion, and he was hotly pursued even into the town of Lodi, the French soldiers entering pell-mell with the fugitives. The latter, however, rallied behind the line of battle, which Beaulieu had taken upon the left bank of the Adda. The Austrian General then unmasked from twenty-five to thirty pieces of cannon, in order to defend the bridge of the Adda; and the French immediately opposed to him a like number. The Austrian line was composed of 12,000 infantry, and 4000 cavalry, which, with the 10,000 who were retreating on Cassano, the 8000 who had been beaten at Fiombio, and the remains of whom had retreated (as we have seen) to Pizzighettone, and the 2000 who garrisoned the Castle of Milan, made up between 35,000 and 36,000 men, being all that now remained of the Austrian Army.

In this situation Napoleon formed

also that it had turned to the left, in the direction of Lodi. Laharpe then returned towards the camp, not by the road by which the soldiers had seen him set out, but by a by-path. The troops being on the alert, received their General with a brisk fire of musketry, and "Laharpe fell dead, pierced with the bullets of his own soldiers." The following is Napoleon's account of this brave soldier. "He was a Swiss of the Canton of Vand. His hatred of the government of Berne had exposed him to persecutions, from which he had sought an asylum in France. He was an officer of distinguished bravery; a grenadier both in stature and in courage; he commanded his troops skilfully, and was much beloved by them, though of an unquiet temper. It was remarked, that during the action of Fiombio, throughout the evening preceding his death, he had seemed very absent and dejected; giving no orders, appearing, as it were, deprived of his usual faculties, and entirely overwhelmed by ▲ FATAL PRESENTIMENT. The news of this melancholy event reached head-quarters at four in the morning. Berthier was instantly sent to this division of the vanguard, and found the troops in the greatest affliction."

This was the first instance in which the French imposed contributions of works of art for the adornment of the gallery of the Louvre. Among the twenty pictures selected by the French Commissioners was the famous St. Jerome. The Duke offered two millions of francs to be allowed to keep this picture, and the army-agents were decidedly in favour of accepting the money; but Napoleon would not lister to the proposal. "There would very soon (he said) be nothing left out of the two millions proposed, whilst the possession of such a masterpiece by the city of Paris would be ornamental to the capital, and would produce other chefs-d'œuvre of art."

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