Reply of Louis XVIII. on the 13th April, to the Notification fent to him by the Senate of Venice, to remove as foon as poffible from the Venetian Territories.

1.

·LE

ET the golden book be brought me in which the names of my family are infcribed, that I may strike mine out with

my own hand.

2. Let the armour be delivered to me which my ancestor Henry IV. prefented to the Republic, as a token of friendship.

The above conditions not having been complied with, Louis XVIII. fent the following note to the governor of Verona.

What I have demanded is a duty I owe to myself, and I do not forget that I am King of France.

The Count immediately fet off for the Condean army.

General Hoche to the Executive Directory.

Head-quarters, Loudiac, 30th Germinal. THE pofture of affairs in La Vendée is at this time highly fatisfactory. In Morbihan four-fifths of the contributions and of the forced loan are paid in, either in grain or fpecie; the refidue is in courfe of payment. It appears that the fame activity is exerted on the northern coafts. The commandant there acquaints mè that he has already fent to St. Brieux 60,000 livres in fpecie, arifing from the contributions of Loudiac alone. May the departments that know the Chouans only by name execute it with equal celerity, and I may fay with equal zeal.

(Signed)

L. HOCHE.

Letter from General Colli, Commander in Chief of the Army of the King of Sardinia, to the General in Chief of the French Army in Italy.

HA

AVING been informed that his Majefty the King of Sardinia has fent plenipotentiary minifters to Genoa, to negotiate a peace under the mediation of the Spanish court, the interests of humanity demand, in my opinion, General, that during these negotiations, hoftilities fhould be fufpended on both fides.

I therefore propose to you a suspension of arms, either unlimited or for a certain time, as you fhall think proper, with a view of preventing the ufelefs effufion of human blood." 25th April.

(Signed)

COLLI.

Answer

Anfwer of the General in Chief of the Army in Italy, to General Colli, Commander in Chief of the Army of the King of Sardinia.

Sir,

THE executive directory has referved to itfelf the right of treating for peace. The plenipotentiaries of the King, your mafter, must therefore either proceed to Paris, or wait at Genoa the arrival of the commiffioners which government may think fit to fend thither.

Both the moral and military pofition of the two armies renders an unconditional fufpenfion of arms utterly impoffible. Although, for my own part, I am well convinced that government feels dif pofed to grant your King juft and reasonable conditions for peace; yet I cannot, on the fcore of mere fuppofition, ftop my march. There remains, however, one means for obtaining your end, which is, according to your own choice, to furrender up to me two of the three fortreffes of Coni, Aleffandria, and Tortona. We may then, without further hoftilities, wait the iffue of nego tiations which are on foot. This propofition is very moderate; the mutual interefts which fhould unite Piedmont and the French Republic, make one defire moft anxiously that your country may be preferved from the misfortunes with which it is threatened. BUONAPARTE.

(Signed)

Second Letter from General Colli to the General in Chief of the French Army in Italy.

I

HAVE communicated to the court of Sardinia, General, the contents of your anfwer to my letter; and the King, defirous that by a fufpenfion of arms the ufelefs effufion of human blood may be prevented, has authorifed me to declare that he confents to furrender up to you the fortreffes of Coni and Tortona during the negotiations which are to be fet on foot, and in fuch a manneras fhall be agreed on; and in cafe that by reafon of the difficulties. which might arife from the prefent pofition of the combined army, it fhould not be poffible to deliver into your poffeffion the fortrefs of Tortona, his Majefty offers the fortrefs of Defnout in its place. Thefe two fortreffes excepted, every thing is to remain in ftatu que with regard to the country occupied by the refpective armies, without their being permitted to pafs the limits that shall be agreed upon. 26th April.

(Signed)

COLLI.

Addrefs

Addrefs of Buonaparte, Commander in Chief of the Army in Italy, to his Brothers in Arms, dated from the Head-quarters at Cherafco, 7th Florcal-April 26.

Soldiers,

You have in fifteen days gained fix victories, taken 21 stand of colours, 55 pieces of cannon, several strong places, and conquered the richest part of Piedmont; you have taken 1500 prifoners, and killed or wounded more than 10,000 men. You have till now been fighting for barren rocks, rendered famous by your courage, but useless to your country. This day you are rendered equal, by your fervices, to the conquering army of Holland and the Rhine. Deftitute of every thing, you have overcome all things; you have gained battles without cannon, paffed rivers without bridges, performed forced marches without fhoes, without brandy, and often without bread, The republican phalanxes, the foldiers of liberty, were alone capable of enduring what you have gone through. Soldiers! you fhall receive the reward of it. Your grateful country will owe you part of its prosperity: and, if, conquerors of Toulon, you prefaged the immortal campaign of 1793, your decifive victories prefage one ftill more fplendid.

The two armies which had the audacity to attack you, fled trembling before you; those perverse men who sported at your misery, and amufed their thoughts with the triumphs of your enemies, are confounded and terrified. But, faldiers, we must not diffemble, that you have done nothing, fince there remains ftill more for you to do. Neither Turin nor Milan are yours. The ashes of the conquerors of the Tarquins are yet fullied by the affaffin of Baffeville.

You were, at the commencement of the campaign, deftitute of every thing; you are now abundantly supplied. The magazines taken from your enemies are numerous; the artillery for the fervice of the campaign is arrived.

Soldiers, the country has a right to expect great actions from you; justify its expectations. The greatest obftacles are certainly removed; but you have great battles to gain, cities to take, rivers to pass. Is there among you one whofe courage is foftened? Is there one who would prefer to return over the fummits of the Appenines and the Alps? No! It is not among the conquerors of Montenotte, of Millefimo, of Dego, and Mondovi-all burn to carry afar the glory of the French-all would humble thofe haughty kings who dare meditate to impofe chains upon us-all with to dictate a glorious peace which may indemnify the country for the immenfe facrifices the has made-all are defirous upon their return to their homes, to have it in their power with pride to say, "I belonged to the conquering army of Italy."

Friends,

Friends, I have promifed you this conqueft; but there is one condition which you must fwear to fulfil, which is to respect the people to be delivered by you, to reprefs the horrible pillages committed by wretches excited to it by our enemies; without that you will not be the deliverers of the people, you will become their fcourge, you will become the difhonour of Frenchmen. They will difclaim you, your victories, your courage, your fuccefs, the blood of our brethren flain in battle-all will be loft, even honour and glory itself.

Though myfelf and the generals who poffefs your confidence may blush to command an army undifciplined, unbridled, who knew no law but force, yet invefted with the national authority, ftrengthened by juftice and the law, I fhall know how to make thofe fmall number of men, divefted of courage and feeling, refpe&t the laws of humanity which they tread under their feet. I will not fuffer robbers to fully your laurels. I will have the regulations I have adopted executed with rigour. Pillagers fhall be fhot without mercy. Already I have had reafon to remark with fatisfaction, the eagerness the foldiers of the army have fhewn to execute thefe orders.

Italians, the French army comes to break afunder your chains. The French are the friends of all people. Come before them with confidence; your property, religion, and cuftoins fhall be respected. We wage not war with you as enemies in general; we only defire it with the tyrants who opprefs you.

(Signed)

BUONAPARTE.

Letter from General Baran Kray, giving Notice of the Termination of the Armistice on the Rhine, to the Commandant-General of the French advanced Poft.

General,

HIS Royal Highnefs Archduke Charles, general in chief of the

Imperial army, and the army of the Empire on the Lower Rhine, has acquainted me, that, much as it was the wifh of his Imperial Majefty to prevent the fufferings of humanity from another campaign, the difinclination of the French directory on that head force him to fupprefs his pacific fentiments, and to have again recourfe to arms to terminate an unfortunate war, which entirely militates against his feelings. Agreeably to this, I have the honour to acquaint you that the officer who carries this letter, has orders to remain with you till after the expiration of ten days after his arrival at your advanced pofts, according to the ftipulation of the armistice; and that the armiftice fhall be at an end the moment in which this period expires. You will have the goodnefs to atteft the arrival of the officer, and to acquaint me of having received

that notice.

May 21, 1796.
VOL. III.-PART ii.

Papers relative to Neutral Powers.

AMERICA.

Legation of Philadelphia.
Foreign Relations.

Private Correfpondence of the Minifter on Politics.

Philadelphia, the 10th Brumaire, third year of the French Republic, one and indivifible, (O&.31,1794)

Jofeph Fauchet, Minifter Plenipotentiary of the French Republic, to the United States, to the Commiffioner of Foreign Relations.*

Citizen,

1. THE measures which prudence prefcribes to me to take, with refpect to my colleagues, have ftill prefided in the digeftion of the difpatches figned by them, which treat of the infurrection of the weitern countries, and of the repreffive means adopted by the government. I have allowed them to be confined to the giving of a faithful, but naked recital of events; the reflections therein contained scarcely exceed the conclufions eafily deducible from the character affumed by the public prints. I have reserved myself to give you, as far as I am able, a key to the facts detailed in our reports. When it comes in queftion to explain, either by conjecture or by certain data, the fecret views of a foreign government, it would be imprudent to run the rifque of indifcretions, and to give one's felf up to men whofe known partiality to that government, and fimilitude of paffions and interefts with its chiefs, might lead to confequences the iffue of which is incalculable. Befides the precious confeflions of Mr. Randolph alone throw a fatisfactory light upon every thing that comes to pafs. Thefe I have not as yet communicated to my colleagues. The motives already mentioned lead to this referve, and ftill lefs permit me to open my felf to them at the present moment. I fhall then endeavour, citizen,

It has been thought neceffary to publish this intercepted Letter of M. Fauchet, and fome extracts from his political difpatches, in this collection of State Papers. Mr. Randolph has published a long juftification of his conduct.