tenfive powers. An armiftice was immediately concluded between Championet, and, on the part of Naples, the prince of Milliano. The principal conditions of this were, the furrender of Capua, with all its ftores and artillery; the poffeffion, by the French army, of the country as far as Acerra, before Naples; Benevento, and a tract from thence to the Adriatic, to ferve as a line of demarcation; the evacuation of the Neapolitan ports, by the fhips of hoftile powers; and the payment of ten millions of livres. This treaty was to be ratified by the refpective governments of the contracting parties: and, in cafe of its rejection by either government, no hoftilities were to take place till after three days notice. -The armiftice was concluded and figned, on the twenty-first day of January, 1799. The Neapolitans evacuated Capua on the next, and proceeded to Naples. They were, on the twenty-third, fucceeded by a French garrison. The reft of the French army encamped without the city. Championet, difembarraffed from a formidable oppofition in front, cleared the country of infurgents in his rear. The French directory, quickly informed, and before the arrival of any official difpatches, of the armiftice between Championet, and the government of Naples, was fo highly diffatisfied with it, that a letter, by their orders, and in their name, was written to Championet, in the most levere and infulting terms.* But when Championet had explained the reafons of his conduct, and which were altogether irrefragable, that letter was retracted. By the time that the armiftice was concluded, the king of the two Sicilies, with the royal family, had been for fome days, after a tempel tuous voyage, fafely landed in Palermo. It was not without much reluctance that the king quitted the feat of his government. Artifices were used by the party who urged his retreat, in order to bend him to fubmiffion; fuch as pretended confpiracies and popular infurrections. At length, having created the prince Pignatelli viceroy, he embarked on board the Britifh fhips, commanded by lord Nelson, during the night of the first of Jannary, with his court, accompanied by the British, Auftrian, and Ruffian ambafladors. For the tranquillity of the city, a civic guard was formed: the officers of which were taken equally from the claffes of the nobles and pri vate citizens. Large fums of money, as well as arms, were diftributed among the Lazzoroni, for the purpofe of retaining and en couraging their wonted loyalty. At Caferta, which Championet had now made his head-quarters, he received intelligence of the left wing of the army, which had been embarraffed, on all hands, by infurgents, as had been fufpected, in the provinces of the Arbruzzo, Duhefme, after the reduction of Pefcara, extended his line to Ortoną. According to what has already been briefly stated, it was the wifh of the ruling? faction of the directory to facrifice Championet and his army to a fecret treaty with the king of Naples On this point we have not learnt any thing that can be confidered asi certain. It appears, that an animofity had been conceived by the directory against Championet on other accounts than his ignorant counter-action of their fecret defigns, if fuch really existed, in favour of the courts of Vienna and Naples. and and Lanciano, and then directed lity and generofity of the French ariny, began to declare their intentions more openly. General Lemoine was now fent to Paris, to receive inftructions from the direc tory, refpecting the nature and form of government to be given to the Neopolitans. The crifis expected, was precipitated by the following circumftance. A French agent had been fent from the general, under a fafe conduct, to Naples, to hasten the payment of the money agreed on by the treaty. He was received very cordially by the viceroy: but his vifit and the object of his million were no fooner known, than a violent fermentation was excited among the Neapolitans. The French agent was in danger of alfaffination, but faved by the French party. An individual of this party was killed. Some abetted the deed of the aflaffins, others were eager to avenge the victim. his march towards Popoli. After From this moment the two parties, the royalifts and revolutionifts, were at open war. The Lazzaroni, who were in the royal intereft, took poffeffion of all the arms; and, forming themselves into bands, ran through the ftreets, invoking the names of the king, and St. Januarius. General Mack was noted as a traitor, and the remains of the army which he commanded, as jacobins, corrupted by French gold. Even the viceroy was become an object of fufpicion, and, apprehenfive of the danger that awaited him from both fides, prudently withdrew to his barge, which lay in the bay, and fet fail for Sicily. The foldiers, terrified by the numbers and the menaces of the Lazzaroni, deferted to the French ranks, and in two days the Neapolitan army was quite diforganized and annihilated. Ge[L4] néral neral Mack, abandoned to the capricious fury of the Lazzaroni, demanded an afylum from Championet: but his danger became fo imminent, that he arrived at Caferta on the heels of the officer whom he had fent to afk for protection. Championet received Mack with kindness, and gave him a paflport and efcort to accompany him to Milan. Here, however, he was arrefted, by order of the directory, as a prifoner of war: an act to which Championet was not in anywife acceflary, and which he reprobated with great indignation. The Lazzaroni, exafperated at the escape of their prey, collected themselves into a body, and rushed, like madmen, on the French advanced pofts, at Ponte Rotto, routed the advanced guards, and penetrated even to the line. Numbers of the ragged multitude were killed, and difperfed. The ret returned to their flations. Previoufly to this attack, they had made themfelves mafters of Caftel-Nuovo, and of the fort of Camina, and had proclaimed, that they were going to exterminate the French, and their partizans, the jacobins, Under pretence of learching for thofe difaffected perfons, they had begun to break open the houfes of the inhabitants, and to commit various depredations. Naples was about to be given up to every kind of horror, when the young prince of Molliterno, of a family which had confiderable weight with the people, mingling with the Lazzaroni, perfuaded them to choofe him for their general. The prince, in concert with the reigning authorities of the city, had begun to re-establith order, and to enter into negociation with the French general, when the Lazza roni, informed of his defigns, revolted againft their chief, and renewed their pillage. Thofe whom they confidered, or pretended to confider as jacobins, were the objects of their fury, as their property was of their rapacity. Among the victims of their capricious fury, was Zurlo, comptroller of finances; the duke Della Torre, with his brother, Clement Filomarino, whom they maflacred and burnt: though neither of thefe noblemen had ever been fignalized for what was called patriotiim; and that the duke was diftinguished only by his love of the arts, and by multiplied acts of beneficence. There was a celebrated clock and watchmaker, one Villoliani, who was much about the duke. This man, who was a great patriot, was of courfe obnoxious to the Lazzaroni, who, not finding him at home, went in fearch of him to the duke's palace. Miffing their intended victim, they wreaked their fury on his patrons. The only means that remained to Molliterno and his friends for faving the city, were, to feize on the forts, and to call the French to their affiftance. They gained polfeffion of the caftle of St. Elmo; intelligence of which was the signal to Championet to commence an attack, on which he had already refolved, and in which he was juftified by the rupture, on the part of the Lazzaroni, of the armistice. The divifion under general Dufreine, lately the right commanded by Macdonald, encamped on two lines before Averfa. The vanguard was poffed at Melito, and within gun-fhot of Naples. The divifion of Duhefme marched from Acerra, and, after difperfing an enormous mats of armed pea fants, fants, encamped on two lines to the left of Naples. Thefe lines were ftrengthened by a brigade from Benevento. This brigade was attacked by a hand of five or fix thoufand peafants; who, unacquainted with the ftratagems of war, fell into an ambufcade, near the Caudine Forks, (the pot where the Romans were made to pafs under the yoke of the Samnites.) and the greater part of them deftroyed. Such detachments were made from the different pofts in the country around Naples, as could be fpared, for a time, from the important fervice of quelling infurrections, and crushing bands of infurgents. On the day following, the twenty third of January, 1799, thefe two divifions, which were charged with the attack of Naples, drew nearer to the town and gained the heights. Two battalions, in order to establish a correspondence of fignals with Fort St. Elmo, took poffeflion of Capo-di-monte. The first grand divifion placed their centre between Capo-di-Chino, and Poggio-Reale. The ground to the left of the city was occupied by the left divifion, and joined to the right by a brigade under general Rufca. The artillery, under general Eble, was fo difpofed as to give it the command of the city. Every thing was ready for the allault. Naples was on the point of being given up to all the horrors of a form, and the impatient foldier waiting for the figual of attack. Championet till hesitated. He was anxious to prevent fo great and unneceflary a waste of life, and addreffed a proclamation to that effect, by the chief of a fquadron, to the magiftrates of the city. But Na ples had now no magiftrates. Such of the inhabitants as had not taken up arms, had fhut themfelves up in their houfes, or concealed themfelves from the fury of the Lazzaroni, who, to the number of fixty thoufand, had worn to defend themselves to the laft. The meffenger of Championet was received by a volicy of mufketry. A ball broke the pommel of his faddle ; and, on his attempting to make them underftand the general's propofition, another volley forced him. to retreat. Championet, imagining that the exhibition of his forces would have induced the Lazzaroni to come to fome compromife, had determined to defer the attack to next day. But the Lazzaroui, during the night, made feveral fallies, and kept up fo terrible a fire, that the general lost all hopes of gaining them by any other means than thofe of force. Orders were given for the two battalions on Capo-di-Monte, to march in the filence of the night, to join the patriots in St. Elmo, from whom information had just been received that they waited the fignal of the French to open their fire on the city; to announce their arrival by the junction of their columns with thofe of the patriots: when the citadel was to open a general difcharge of all its artillery; and on which, general Eble, allo, was to open all his batteries. The whole army, investing the city, were to rush forward, and bear down every thing that oppofed them. Columns, armed with torches, were to carry fire and defolation wherever they fhould be able to penetrate. The Lazzaroni, drawn up in columns, fuftained, or rather anticipated the attack with aftonishing ad dref drefs and courage. When repulfed, they returned again to the charge, and feveral times repulfed the French in their turn. At length they were forced to vield fome ground, of which they difputed every foot, with part of their artillery. The French became the mafters of feveral streets. The Lazzaroni were harraffed and prefied, but not vanquished. Night overtook the combatants, but the fire was ftill continued. The French troops, overcome with fatigue, divided themselves into two equal portions. The one kept up the fight, whilft the other lay down to rest amidst corpfes and ruins. At the dawn of the day the fury of the combatants redoubled, and final victory was yet | uncertain. Championet, in order to bring the ftruggle to an ilue, gave orders to force the paffages to Caftel-Nuovo, and the forts Del Cannina, with the bayonet, and to penetrate into, and turn the quarter of the Lazzaroni. A divifion was ordered to march into the heart of the city, and take poffeffion of the palace and another to form a junction with the garrifon of St. Elmo, who had already gained certain quarters of Naples. From the exhausted state of both parties, a momentary ceffation took place from mutual flaughter. In this interval, Championet spoke to fome of the inhabitants who had crept forth from their houfes, and gave them affurances of protection. He profefied profound refpect for St. Januarius, to whom he put up fervent ejaculatory prayers for the prefervation of human lives, and reftoration of tranquillity to the unhappy city of Naples. The report of the general's refpect for St. Januarius was carried into the ranks of the Lazzaroni. The cry of Fivent les Français, vive la republique, began to be heard. A guard of honour was ftationed at the church of the tutelary apoftle. The confign was, Refpect for Januarius. The general paid his homage at the fhrine of the faint twice. His converfion flew throughout the city like lightning. Numbers of the Lazzaroni crowded round him as he rode on horfeback through the streets or fquares, and killed his boots. The avenues, to the church of St. Januarius, were filled with Lazzaroni and other inhabitants of Naples. One of the chiefs of the Lazzaroni, placing himfelf at the head of the French, harrangued his terrible foldiers, ordering them to cease their fire and ground their arms. He was heard refpectfully and obeyed. A fost of general joy fucceeded to the voice of mourning and the faricks of defpair. The war was ended, and peace reftored. Thus it was the fortune of the French, in this campaign, to make allies of their enemies on the field of battle. A part of the regular troops had gone over to them with general Mack, before their entrance into Naples. •The Lazzaroni, who had hitherto been the moft ftrenuous defenders of the royal caufe, were now as loud in their vociferations for the new fyftem, and began to evince the fincerity of their converfion, by the ardour of their zeal, by proceeding to pillage the royal palace, and the houfes of thofe who had been attached to the court. This demonftration of true profelytifm was immediately reprefled by Championet; who, having taken pollestion of all the forts, and encamped his army on the heights around Naples, appointed Dufrefie com mander |