Buonaparte attended him during the voyage: he escaped from an English squadron of seven ships. On 16th October he landed safely at Frejus, in Provence, and proceeding to Paris, was every where received on the route with enthusiasm; and, upon his arrival, the chiefs of all the factions implored his powerful succour.

The dissolution of the Directorial government had been long planned; and the execution of the scheme, with the rank of first magistrate of the Republic, had been successively offered to Moreau and Joubert. The former was dismayed at the magnitude and peril of the enterprize. Joubert, a zealous republican, declined it upon principle. Buonaparte was less scrupulous; he zealously entered into the conspiracy; and so great was the abhorrence in which the Directorial administration was held, that there was hardly a man in France who did not secretly long for its overthrow.

The first measure adopted, was to appoint a private meeting of a part of the Council of Ancients, to whom an outline of the intended revolution had been communicated November 9th, 1799, (and who nominated Buonaparte commandant of the armed force of Paris ;) and resolving to adjourn to St. Cloud, confided to him the execution of their mandate. The first use he made of his new appointment, was to invest the garden of the Thuilleries with a strong body of troops; and his next, to compel the resignation of those of the Directory who would not co-operate with him. The Council of Five Hundred had a stormy discussion under the presidency of Lucien Buonaparte, who, taking advantage of the tumult, adjourned the assembly. At night strong patroles of troops paraded in the public squares and streets of Paris. Curiosity and hope predominated in the minds of the multitude. A revolution was evidently preparing, but the situation of the country was such that it was hailed as a blessing. At length, on the memorable 10th November, the troops took possession of all the avenues leading to St. Cloud at a very early hour. The Council of Five Hundred, in which were many Jacobins, commenced their deliberations. The influence of the conspirators over this

assembly was inconsiderable, but few of the members were acquainted with the real motives of this extraordinary session. Accordingly many propositions were made and carried directly adverse to their designs; amongst others, an oath was tendered to each member, of fidelity to the constitution. Alarmed and irritated, Buonaparte repaired to the Council of Ancients, and addressed them with considerable vehemence. He subsequently entered the council room of the Assembly, accompanied by a few grenadiers, all unarmed. His presence increased the tumult to phrensy. In vain did Lucien attempt to exert his authority as president. The danger of his brother increased momentarily, and he was only rescued from immediate death by the grenadiers, who finally carried him out of the saloon. When Napoleon had withdrawn, several members proposed to outlaw both him and Lucien, and the situation of the latter became so perilous, that Buonaparte, after haranguing the soldiers, and receiving their assurances of fidelity and attachment, caused the door of the saloon to be opened, and rescued his brother, who immediately repaired to the Council of Ancients.

And now the last scene of this singular drama took place. Napoleon, availing himself of the outrage offered to his own person, gave the division a command to clear the councilroom, which was accordingly occupied in a moment by soldiers with their fixed bayonets. The pas de charge was beat; and after some vain efforts on the part of certain members to convert the troops, they precipitated themselves out of the windows: their situation was rendered more painful and ridiculous by the scorn and abhorrence of the spectators below, who beheld them tumbling over each other in their endeavours to escape. The Council of Ancients, apprized of these events, appointed a temporary commission of three members, who were to replace the Directory. In the evening this assembly again met; a decree was passed in the Council of Five Hundred, designating the names of the new consular committee, as it was termed, namely, Buonaparte, Sieyes, and Roger Ducas; degrading from the station of members of the council

those persons who had most furiously opposed and threatened Napoleon; and appointing a committee of twenty-five members of its own body, in conjunction with an equal number of delegates from the Council of Ancients, who were to represent the two councils, and in concert with the consular committee, to prepare and digest a new plan of government. In this decree the Council of Ancients readily concurred, and a proclamation was issued, wherein the inherent vices, of the old constitution, and the ruinous effects of those vices were strongly and truly stated; and a flattering picture drawn of the millennium which was to follow, under the auspices of the consular government. Thus the edifice of the Directorial power crumbled into ruins without one struggle (excepting that in the Council of Five Hundred) being made for its support; it fell without exciting the slightest sympathy, because it deserved none.

It cannot be fairly denied that although the administration became essentially military, and therefore in its principle and system of action, despotic; the most valuable portion of the liberties of the French nation, namely, security for persons and property, seemed to be better defended under the new than under the former régime.

Buonaparte, having out-manoeuvred his colleagues, was nominated Chief Consul; with Cambaceres and Le Brun as second and third consuls. The new constitution was at length promulgated; the whole executive authority was vested in the First Consul, his companions in office possessing only a consulate voice. Such was the position of affairs in the French capital.

In Egypt, Kleber, the general whom Buonaparte had left in command of the army, had obtained considerable advantage over the enemy, and the conquest of that country was in a fair way of being achieved, when, in the midst of the most flattering anticipations, the French general was assassinated by an Arab. Menou, the renegado, succeeded to the command; discontent prevailed among the officers, and insubordination among the soldiers. Thus the army was vanquished by its intestine divisions, before its destiny was sealed by the British

expedition. But we must now proceed to give some account of the memorable campaign of 1800.

The French army in Germany, strongly reinforced, was entrusted to Moreau. An army of reserve was stationed at Dijon, provisionally commanded by Berthier. Its destination was kept a profound secret. So happily was its station selected, that it long remained a matter of speculation whether it would proceed to Germany, Italy, or be amalgamated by detachments, with the armies already serving in those countries. The announcement that it was to be commanded by the Chief Consul, attached to its movements a degree of importance, which rendered the operations and successes of the other armies matters of comparatively trivial moment. At length the veil of mystery was partially withdrawn, and Buonaparte, having arranged every thing at Paris, set out in the beginning of May to join the army, which had proceeded to Geneva.

It is here material to observe, that the Austrian troops in Italy were divided into two powerful columns, one of which menaced the southern frontier of France, under the victorious General Melas, the other, commanded by General Otto, prosecuted the siege of Genoa. The position of the French army, supposing it could proceed in a right line to the southward, enabled it to interpose between these columns, and presented the chance of attacking either of them singly, with superior forces. To accomplish this object, the Chief Consul directed the army to advance to the mountain of St. Bernard, scale that rugged height, and descend into the plains of Lombardy, by a route never attempted by an army, at least in modern times. The passage of the mountain being happily accomplished, the army proceeded towards Piedmont. Aoste, a considerable town in the debouchés of the Alps, surrendered; the fortress of Bard offered a much more formidable resistance; its situation rendering it almost impregnable. This obstacle surmounted, several towns of more or less importance were captured, among which was Romagna, which contained abundant supplies of provisions and military stores. Buonaparte here, by a mas

terly feint, completely deceived the Austrian generals. Whilst two divisions of his force menaced Turin, the remainder proceeded to the eastward, on the road to Milan, and were thus enabled to effect a junction with a division of the French army in Germany, amounting to nearly 20,000 men, which the manoeuvres of Moreau had enabled him to detach to the succour of the First Consul. By this separation of his troops Napoleon was enabled to distract the attention of the Austrian commander, keep him in ignorance of his designs, get possession of the Austrian magazines on the line of the Po, and by a bold and decisive march, interpose his army between Melas and his communication; and oblige the latter to contend, not for victory alone, but for the common necessaries of life, wherewith to subsist his troops. Murat commanded the cavalry, and pushed forward on the road to Milan; his approach to which was facilitated by the precipitate retreat of the Austrians from the fortress of Novarra; the only place of strength between the French army and the point it desired to attain.

Having overcome several obstacles which impeded the accomplishment of his object, Murat crossed the river Tessino at Voltegio, and expelled the enemy from the opposite shore; he was soon followed by the Chief Consul; and the road to Milan being entirely cleared, Buonaparte entered that city, where he was received with great demonstrations of respect by the people. For his popularity on this occasion, however, he seems to have been indebted less to his own merits than the detestation in which the Austrian Government was held. Hence the favours shown to him by the Milanese. Hence the augmentation of his army with the flower of the Cisalpine youth.

Having refreshed his troops by a sojourn of seven days in Milan, and issued proclamations in his usual style to the inhabitants and to the army, Buonaparte resumed the labours of the campaign. The line of march he pursued described a crescent, extending over the country to the east and southward of Milan, and enabling him to capture the Austrian magazines accumulated in Pavia and Placentia. In the neighbourhood of the latter city, at Montebello, a hard contest