the foulest murderer that ever suffered by the hand of the executioner, has infinitely less guilt upon his soul than the statesman who concluded this treaty, and the monarch who sanctioned and confirmed it. A desperate and glorious resistance was made; but it was in vain; no power interposed in behalf of these injured islanders, and the French poured in as many troops as were required. They offered to confirm Paoli in the supreme authority, only on condition that he would hold it under their government. His answer was, that "the rocks which surrounded him should melt away before he would betray a cause which he held in common with the poorest Corsican." This people then set a price upon his head. During two campaigns he kept them at bay: they overpowered him at length: he was driven to the shore, and, having escaped on ship-board, took refuge in England. It is said that Lord Shelburne resigned his seat in the cabinet, because the ministry looked on, without attempting to prevent France from succeeding in this abominable and important act of aggrandizement. In one respect, however, our country acted as became her. Paoli was welcomed with the honours which he deserved, a pension of £1200 was immediately granted him; and provision was liberally made for his elder brother and his nephew.

About twenty years Paoli remained in England, enjoying the friendship of the wise, and the admiration of the good. But when the French Revolution began, it seemed as if the restoration of Corsica was at hand. The whole country, as if animated by one spirit, rose and demanded liberty; and the national assembly passed a decree, recog

nising the island as a department of France, and therefore entitled to all the privileges of the new French constitution. This satisfied the Corsicans, which it ought not to have done; and Paoli, in whom the ardour of youth was passed, seeing that his countrymen were contented, and believing that they were about to enjoy a state of freedom, naturally wished to return to his native country. He resigned his pension in the year 1790, and appeared at the bar of the assembly with the Corsican deputies, when they took the oath of fidelity to France. But the course of events in France soon dispelled those hopes of a new and better order of things, which Paoli, in common with so many of the friends of humankind, had indulged: and perceiving, after the execution of the king, that a civil war was about to ensue, of which no man could foresee the issue, he prepared to break the connexion between Corsica and the French republic. The convention suspecting such a design, and perhaps occasioning it by their suspicions, ordered him to their bar. That way, he well knew, led to the guillotine; and, returning a respectful answer, he declared that he would never be found wanting in his duty, but pleaded age and infirmity as a reason for disobeying the summons. second order was more summary: and the French troops, who were in Corsica, aided by those of the natives, who were either influenced by hereditary party feelings, or who were sincere in jacobinism, took the field against him. But the people were with him. He repaired to Corte, the capital of the island, and was again invested with the authority which he had held in the noonday of his

Their

fame.
as a rebel, and set a price upon his head.
not the first time that France had proscribed Paoli.
Paoli now opened a correspondence with Lord
Hood, promising, if the English would make an
attack upon St. Fiorenzo from the sea, he would,
at the same time, attack it by land. This promise
he was unable to perform: and Commodore Lin-
zee, who, in reliance upon it, was sent upon this
service, was repulsed with some loss. Lord Hood,
who had now been compelled to evacuate Toulon,
suspected Paoli of intentionally deceiving him.
This was an injurious suspicion. Shortly after-
ward he despatched Lieutenant-Colonel (afterward
Sir John) Moore and Major Koehler to confer with
him upon a plan of operations. Sir Gilbert Elliot
accompanied them: and it was agreed, that, in
consideration of the succours, both military and
naval, which his Britannic majesty should afford
for the purpose of expelling the French, the island
of Corsica should be delivered into the immediate
possession of his majesty, and bind itself to acqui-
esce in any settlement he might approve of con-
cerning its government and its future relation with
Great Britain. While this negotiation was going
on, Nelson cruized off the island with a small
squadron, to prevent the enemy from throwing in
supplies. Close to St. Fiorenzo the French had
a storehouse of flour, near their only mill: he
watched an opportunity, and landed one hundred
and twenty men, who threw the flour into the sea,
burnt the mill, and re-embarked before one thou-
sand men, who were sent against him, could occa-
sion them the loss of a single man. While he

The convention upon this denounced him
It was

exerted himself thus, keeping out all supplies, intercepting despatches, attacking their out-posts and forts, and cutting out vessels from the bay,a species of warfare which depresses the spirit of an enemy even more than it injures them, because of the sense of individual superiority which it indicates in the assailants,―troops were landed, and St. Fiorenzo was besieged. The French, finding themselves unable to maintain their post, sunk one of their frigates, burnt another, and retreated to Bastia. Lord Hood submitted to General Dundas, who commanded the land forces, a plan for the reduction of this place: the general declined cooperating, thinking the attempt impracticable, without a reinforcement of two thousand men, which he expected from Gibraltar. Upon this Lord Hood determined to reduce it with the naval force under his command; and leaving part of his fleet off Toulon, he came with the rest to Bastia.

He showed a proper sense of respect for Nelson's services, and of confidence in his talents, by taking care not to bring with him any older captain. A few days before their arrival, Nelson had had what he called a brush with the enemy. "If I had had with me five hundred troops," he said, "to a certainty I should have stormed the town; and I believe it might have been carried. Armies go so slow, that seamen think they never mean to get forward but I dare say they act on a surer principle, although we seldom fail." During this partial action our army appeared upon the heights; and having reconnoitred the place, returned to St. Fiorenzo. "What the general could have seen to make a retreat necessary," said Nelson, "I

cannot comprehend. A thousand men would certainly take Bastia; with five hundred and Agamemnon I would attempt it. My seamen are now what British seamen ought to be-almost invincible. They really mind shot no more than peas." General Dundas had not the same confidence. "After mature consideration," he said in a letter to Lord Hood," and a personal inspection for several days of all circumstances, local as well as others, I consider the siege of Bastia, with our present means and force, to be a most visionary and rash attempt: such as no officer would be justified in undertaking." Lord Hood replied, that nothing would be more gratifying to his feelings than to have the whole responsibility upon himself; and that he was ready and willing to undertake the reduction of the place at his own risk, with the force and means at present there. General d'Aubant, who succeeded at this time to the command of the army, coincided in opinion with his predecessor, and did not think it right to furnish his lordship with a single soldier, cannon, or any stores. Lord Hood could only obtain a few artillery-men; and ordering on board that part of the troops who, having been embarked as marines, were borne on the ship's books as part of their respective complements, he began the siege with eleven hundred and eighty-three soldiers, artillerymen, and marines, and two hundred and fifty sailors. "We are but few," said Nelson, “but of the right sort; our general at St. Fiorenzo not giving us one of the five regiments he has there lying idle."

These men were landed on the 4th of April,