fet fail from Deal, with their army and fleet, and joined lord Duncan, in the north-feas. The weather being uncommonly formy, for that feafon of the year, they encountered great difficulties and danger in their voyage, and were, unexpectedly long before they arrived at its conclufion. The firft object was two-fold; to effect a landing in Holland, and to receive or take poffeffion of the Dutch fhips in the Texel. On Wednesday, the twenty-first of Auguft, they came in fight of the Dutch coaft, and had made a great preparation to land on the twenty-fecond. But, by a heavy gale of wind, they were forced out to fea. On Saturday, the twenty-fourth, they were again in fight of the Texel; but the weather was too fqually, and the furf too high, to attempt a landing, and it did not abate till Monday morning, the twenty-fixth. That day they came to anchor near the fhore of the Helder, a ftrong point, in the northern extremity of the main land of Holland, that commands the Mars-Diep, the narrow channel which joins the Zuyder-fea with the German ocean, between the continent and the island of the Texel, and which is the principal paffage of Amfterdam. There they made preparations for effecting a landing the next morning. At day-light, on the twenty-feventh, they began to difembark. The enemy had aflembled a numerous body of infantry, cavalry, and artillery, and were pofted at Calantf oge to the right of the Helder, but did not oppose the landing of the firft divifion, waiting in hopes of attacking them before they could be fupported by the reft of the troops. Admiral Mitchel, with very

great fkill and ability, covered the landing of the troops, which fit Ralph fuperintended with equal intrepidity and vigour. Both the army and navy acted with the most perfect unanimity, infpired by mutual confidence, famenets of with, and the moft thorough reliance on the courage, profeffional knowledge, and wifdom, of their refpective leaders. In the marine language of admiral Mitchel, they pulled heartily together. When the firft divifion was landed, under lieutenant-general fir James Pultney, the enemy attacked the right flank. The pofition of the troops was on a ridge of fand-hills, that ftretch along the coaft from north to fouth. The Eritifh had no where fufficient ground on the right to form more than a battalion in line; yet, as fir Ralph obferves, the pofition, though fingular, was not, in our fituation, difadvantageous, having neither cavalry nor artillery. The conteft was arduous, and the lofs was confiderable; but the courage and perfeverance of the British troops, at length compelled the enemy to retire to a pofition fix miles distant. Our lofs amounted to about five hundred. Sir James Pultney, who greatly diftinguifhed himfelf by his activity and bravery, received a wound in the arm, which obliged him to quit the field. As the enemy ftill retained poffeffion of the Helder, with a garrifon of near two thousand men, the troops being now all landed, it was determined to attack it the next morning. The Dutch fleet, in the Mars Diep, got under weigh; the garrifon was withdrawn, and two regiments, commanded by major-general Moore, and the marquis of Huntley, on the twenty-eighth, took poffeffion of the

Helder,

Helder. The firft fuccefs of this day was principally owing to genral Coote's brigade, commanded by colonel Macdonald, who, inftead of waiting the attacks of the enemy, advanced on every occafion to meet them. In a fituation where the fmalleft piece of ground could not be loft without danger, this conduct was the best that could be purfued. Lord Duncan, naval commanderin-chief, in the north fea, was off the Texel during an engagement, in which both his public and private affections were ftrongly interefted. His fon, a lieutenant in the guards, a youth of nineteen, was in the heat of the battle.

By this time a re-enforcement had arrived of five thousand men. And the British army, the precaution being taken to firengthen the fortifications of the Helder, prepared to proceed in a foutherly direction.

both of the additional British and Ruffian troops, fir Ralph continued at Helder, while, in the mean time, the ifland of the Texel was taken poffeffion of by our fleets. The French and Batavian forces, twenty-five thousand strong, under the command of general Brune, occupied a ftrong pofition between the Helder and Alkmaer. The numbers and the ftrength of their pofition determined fir Ralph to continue on the defenfive until the arrival of the powerful reinforcements, which he, with certainty, expected. The enemy, confident in their numbers, September the tenth, ventured an attack, and a very obftinate engagement enfued, in which they were repulfed, with the lofs of one thoufand five hundred men, killed, wounded, or taken prifoners, while our lofs amounted to two hundred. The enemy retired to Alkmaer. His royal highnefs landed in Holland on the thirteenth of September; and foon after feven thoufand Ruffians, from Revel, and the third embȧrkation, confifting of about feven thousand British troops, and ten thoufand Ruffians, joined the army. The army now confifted of nearly thirty-five thousand men, including feventeen thousand Ruffians, and was deemed fufficiently ftrong for offenfive operations. A general attack was refolved on by his highnefs; and, on the nineteenth, every arrangement was made. The army advanced in four columns, extending from the right to the left coast. The column, to the extremity of the right, confifted chiefly of the Ruffians, in twelve battalions, affifted by the feventh light-dragoons, and general Manners's brigade, was commanded by the Ruffian lieu

men.

tenant

teenth of June, thus reftored the fituation of which he had been de-, prived a few months before by their predeceffors.

The plans of general Joubert, who joined the army of Italy in the beginning of Auguft, were marially deranged by the rapid determination of the two fieges, of Alexandria and Mantua, even to the extinction, in a great mealure, of his hopes. He was in want, befides, of time to reorganize his army; to difcipline the body, lately joined, of confcripts, or new men of the laft requifition; to receive fresh fuccours; and, above all, to avail himfelf of a divifion intended to have been made by the army of the Alps, formed in Dauphiny and Savoy, by general Championet.

In addition to thefe difappointments, 20,000 men were, by the means juft mentioned, on the point of being added to the active body of troops, under general Suwarrow. It was of great confequence to the republicans to prevent the junction of fo confiderable a force; and this reinforcement had not left Mantua before Joubert determined to act on the offenfive, and hazard a battle, in order to relieve Tortona.

The French force amounted to about 40,000 men; the combined army was more confiderable; and, befides the fuperiority of the latter in point of numbers, they were choicer troops, better difciplined, and flushed with recent victories. Joubert trufted with no fmall reliance on his former good fortune, and hoped, by the attack, to feparate the two armies.

Joubert had, a few days before, advanced his left wing from MiJefimo, had crofled the Bormida, and difiodged general Bellegarde

from Aqui, and taken a pofition at Orba, in the plain of Alexandria. Thefe movements had left marshal Suwarrow no room to doubt what were Joubert's intentions: the field-marhal therefore concentrated his forces, and marched, on the thirteenth of Auguft, towards the enemy, who had then penetrated to Novi.

The republican army, on the fifteenth, prepared to offer battle, being drawn up, in their encampment, upon the heights, terminating the extenfive plain of Piedmont, which form a ridge or chain of hills bebind the city of Novi, and which, though not very high, yet, from their fudden rife, make the afcent of great difficulty. Notwithstanding the firength of this advantageous fituation, Suwarrow, by whom difficulties were not regarded as obftacles, when his plan was once formed, refolved upon engaging Joubert in this pofition, the next morning at the hour of five, being the fixteenth of Auguft.

The republicans received the attack of the imperial troops with their ufual firmnefs and intrepidity, and drove back their centre and right wing three feveral times. The French appeared to be immoveable in their pofition, and fuftained with equal valour repeated charges, in fo much that at noon they confidered the day as their own. The lofs of the combined army, particularly on the part of the Ruffians, exceeded that of the French, until their right wing began to give way. This wing of the republican army was commanded by Moreau, who had lately been appointed to the command of an army forming in Alface, but who, from a fingular attachment to Joubert, remained with him as 'a volunteer,

volunteer, fubmitting to at under his orders. The French, failing of fupport from this fide, could not prevent general Melas, who molt opportunely, and fortunately for the fuccefs of the day, came up at the head of fixteen battalions of Auftrian infantry, from turning their fank, and purfing his advantage. Joubert, having received a mortal wound, had by this time quitted the command, which now devolved on Moreau. The troops difcouraged, through the want of their leader, fell into diforder, about two o'clock, and the victorious army got poffeffion of the hilly ground. The republicans then began to retreat with precipitation, and were purfued by the whole line. The lofs in killed and wounded on both fides was great. On the fide of the, French, eight thoufand men were killed, and four thousand made prifoners. Thirty pieces of cannon, and fifty-feven tumbrils, fell into the hands of the allics, in confequence of this victory. The imperialifts paid dear for this victory by the lofs of feven thousand men, killed, wounded, or loft. Thefe loft, did not exceed fix hundred. The Ruffians gave no quarter.

The object of general Joubert was to raise the fiege of Tortona, and to that end he was to have made an attack, on the fixteenth; in which defign he was anticipated by the great vigilance of the fieldmarthal. The republic commander, having received a mufket ball in his right fide, did not furvive the defeat of his army more than two hours.

Thus fell Joubert, regretted by the army, and all his countrymen, except the javobins, who alone re-` fufed to do juftice to his memory, on account of the independence of his fpirit, and his attachment to the conflitution.

There cannot exift a doubt but the news of this victory was received' at Vienna with all the fentiments which fuch brilliant fuccefs merited; but it is obfervable, that the Court' Gazette is remarkably cool in its mention of the part which the Ruffians contributed towards the glory of the day. The fignal conduct and bravery of the field-marhal, who commanded them, certainly deferved fome ftronger acknowledgements than are therein to be found, of the victory of the fixteenth of Auguft.

As foon as the republicans had recovered from the confternation, occafioned by this defeat, they took their pofitions nearly in the line they had before occupied. Suwarrow pursued a plan for difpofiefling them of their fituation, and forcing the paffages to Genoa, either by the way of the Bochetta, or by the eaftern river, or, as it is fometimes called, the river of the Leyant ; towards effecting which general Klenau had made fome progress; the field marthal's ultimate defign be ing to furround and form the fiege of Coni.

the

The Auftrians, by the departure of marhal Suwarrow, on eleventh of September,* for Switzerland, left to conclude the campaign in Italy, without the aid of their Ruffian allies, maintained their

fuperiority over the French in three feveral attacks. The firft was made on the twenty-fecond of September, by prince Victor de Rohan, on general Thureau, who defended the vale of Domo Doffola, and was obliged to quit it, and re-afcend the mountains; the fecond, was made, on the twenty-fourth, upon general Kray, leading a detachment towards Aofta, when he repulfed and drove the enemy into the higher valley; the third happened the fame day, whence prince Lichenftein diflodged him, and took Pignerole.

Befides these advantages, a victory was gained, by the Auftrians, over the French, in the plains of Stura, when marshal Melas, affifted by general Kray, beat twelve thoufand French, encamped there, and obliged them to retire to Coni.

After this last victory, the French undertook nothing to the disturbance of the upper Piedmont. Far from indicating any defign of that kind, Championet, now commander-in-chief of the two armies of Italy and the Alps, removed his head-quarters, about the end of November, back to Final; not, however, entirely leaving his former pofition on the Apennines, whereby he could protect and watch Genoa and Coni.

On the twenty-ninth and thirtieth of September, commodore Trow bridge took poffeffion of Corneto, Tolfa, and Civita Vecchia, which he had blockaded with two fhips of war; at the fame time that general Bonricard, in the fervice of the king of Naples, entered Rome; which a few French and fome Romans, headed by the prince, Borghefe and St. Croce had defended, for fix weeks, against the Neapolitan ge

neral Rodio. By a capitulation, be, tween the French general Garnier and commodore Trowbridge, the prifoners, about five thoufand, taken in different garrifons, were, by the capitulation, to be fent either to France or Corfica, as might be judged most convenient.

On the fourth and fifth of No vember, the Auftrians difplayed, under general Melas, a signal piece of good judgement and military kill, which was attended with all its merited fuccefs. By this the French army was prevented from penetrating into Piedmont, in order to raise the feige of Coni, when it fhould be undertaken, and efta blish their winter quarters in that country; an object to them of confiderable importance. The evacua tion of Mondovi, and other posts, was miftaken, by general Championnet, for a retreat; he therefore advanced as in purfuit; but, on the contrary, was met by general Melas, when an engagement took place, in which the French loft four thou fand three hundred men taken pri foners, befides a very confiderable number in killed and wounded. The French likewife failed in another attempt, which was to cut off the communication with Turin. General Kray attacked them in the neighbourhood of Alexandria, and made one thousand prifoners. In thefe battles the Auftrians loft two thoufand killed and wounded.

This fignal victory prepared the way for the fiege of Coni. General Championet affembled his whole force at Mondovi, and upon the mountains as far as Monafterlo, in which pofitions it was not poffible to befiege Coni, a fortrefs which had fuftained many attacks without falling; as, befides its difficulty of ap

proach