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confequences more and more remote, and to keep an eye not only on the affairs of one fociety of men but also on those of others. Curiofity is in proportion to intellectual improvement.

It may, we fear, appear at firft fight to our Readers, that we had loft fight of the truth of thefe obfervations, when, in drawing up the Hiftory of Europe for 1797, we devoted fo large a portion of our fpace to the affairs of Great Britain. But it will foon be perceived, that, the British hiftory for that year comprehends events more important to Europe, and, to the British nation, particularly, more ftriking and alarming than those of any year preceding it, fince the commencement of the Annual Register-" without were fightings, within were fears:" Not only the British conftitution trembled on the pivot of fortune, but the political balance of Europe. An extenfion of the British hiftory, beyond its ufual limits, was unavoidable.-To fwell this part of our Work, by copious accounts of parliamentary debates, with other domeftic tranfactions; and, on the other hand, by a proportionable reduction, to confine the history of all Europe befides, to onefifth, or even fixth, part of our narrative, would be

a great

a great faving of labour; and, indeed, an easy matter. But it is impoffible, that any intelligent and liberal mind should approve of such economy. Our Readers will do us the juftice to acknowledge, that our Annual volumes are not written on this plan: if, in the prefent, we have brought forward Great Britain, which, at all times, makes fo confpicuous a figure in the circle of civilization, still more prominently than usual, this conduct, by the clouded aspect of the political horizon, in our quarter, is abundantly justified.

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From a combination of caufes, to which we have been, at different times, compelled to allude, the publication of the Annual Regifter was every year more and more protracted: and the complaint was just, that it had become extremely dilatory, if not, as was apprehended by fome, uncertain. The publication of this Volume at this time, in which we have faithfully observed, and even fomewhat exceeded, the engagement we came under in our Volume for 1793, will, we truft, afford to our Readers an earnest of that affiduous zeal with which we endeavour to give them fatisfaction.

i

THE

ANNUAL REGISTER,

For the YEAR 1797.

THE

HISTORY

OF

EUROPE.

CHAP. I.

Comparative View of the Confederacy and the French Republic, at the Clofe of 1796.-Spain, drawn into an Alliance with France, declares War against England.-Conjoined Efforts of the French, Spanish, and Dutch, Fleets, for overthrowing the naval Domination of England.-War in Italy. -Capture of Mantua.-Political Conduct and military Preparations of the Court of Rome.-Letters from Buonaparte to the Cardinal Mattæi.The Cardinal's Anfwer.-The Court of Madrid refufes its Mediation, in Behalf of the Pope, with the French Republic.-Republican Party in Rome, and other Parts of the Ecclefiaftical States.-Buonaparte declares War again the Pope.-A French Army enters the Papal Dominions.The Papal Troops completely routed.-Buonaparte, by Promises and Threats, induces the Romans to fubmit to the French, without the Effufion of Blood.-Takes Poffeffion of several Provinces in the Ecclefiaftical States. Advances towards Rome.-Treaty of Peace with the Pope.

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HE rapid progrefs of the French arms, in 1796, produced different fenfations on the oppofite fides of the mountains. The Italian ftates and princes were ftruck with terror. But a fpirit of indignation and exertion was rouzed in Germany; where the tide of fortune, towards the end

of the year, was completely turned. On the termination of the armiftice, between the Auftrians and the French, in the month of May, in that year, the army of the Sambre and Meufe, under Jourdan, penetrated into Franconia; that of the Rhine and Moselle, under Moreau, into the heart of Germany,

and feemed on a quick march to Vienna. The authority of the archduke Charles, now commanderin-chief of the Auftrian armies on the Rhine, restrained diffentions and contests among general officers: his example infpired courage into every officer and foldier: and his courage, guided by cool deliberation, as well as prompt, decifion, in the very throat of danger and fate, was victorious.

Yet, on the whole, on weighing the profperous against the adverfe events of the year, the balance was greatly in favour of the French republic. Jourdan, though defeated in feveral engagements, by the young Auftrian hero, had been able to effect his retreat to Duffeldorf. And Moreau, who, for want of a third French army, was expofed on his flanks, to total excifion or capture, had made a masterly retreat, and conducted the main body of his army, through many dangers and conflicts, across the Rhine, into a fituation of fafety, within the French frontier. Thus, though the French were repulfed from Germany, the honour of their arms, even in that quarter, was unimpaired, while, in another, they were gloriously triumphant. The policy of France was not lefs fuccefsful. After detaching Pruffia and Spain from the confederacy, fhe had fucceeded, through dint of artifice and intrigue, in connecting herself with both of thefe powers by a clofe alliance. The former of these had not, indeed, publicly declared in its favour, but was well understood to be to intimately connected with the republic; that, in cafe of abfolute neceffity, no doubt was entertained of its determination to affift France to the tmoft of its capacity. The latter

having, in the year 1795, c cluded a peace with the repubi had afterwards entered into a alliance, defenfive and offenfive with it, that was explicitly levelled at Great Britain. This treaty, which took place in Auguft, 1796, was followed, in the commencement of October, by a formal declaration of war against England, and by the preparation of a formidable naval ftrength, to act in conjunction with that of France. In Italy, every prince and ftate was either in peace or confederacy with the French, the pope alone excepted; whofe fituation, however, was fuch, that he could not long defer fubmiffion to their own terms. Germany could not be reputed hoftile to France. Though certainly averfe to the entrance of its armies into the empire, yet the fecondary ranks of princes and 'ftates, of which it is compofed, were not diffatisfied at the humiliation of Auftria, of which they dreaded the power and pretenfions. Thefe were permanent, and had often endangered the liberties of Germany: whereas, the irruptions of the French could never be more than occafional and tranfitory. The precedents of former times had fhewn, that the politics of France, which muft continue the fame, whether it were a monarchy or a republic, would always aim at holding the balance between the head and the members of the empire. In the north of Europe, the two kingdoms of Denmark and Sweden were too confcious of the impending power of Ruffia, to lend themfelves to the depreffion of France, which they now confidered as neceflary to preferve the dominion of the Baltic equally divided between those three potentates.

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