Page:Historyoffranc00yong.djvu/205

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rx.l TfJE GREAT REVOLUTION. i8i the treasure at Bern. Vaud was separated from Bern. The French went on to invade the Democratic Cantons, and changed the Confederation into a single common- wealth, which they called the Helvetic Republic. Geneva was now incorporated with France. In 1798 Joseph Buonaparte was sent as ambassador to Rome^with instruc- tions from the Directory to stir up insurrection~against the pope. French troops accordingly marched into the city, proclaimed a Ro7nan Republic, seized Pope Pius VI., now eighty years old, and dragged him to France, where he died at Valence on the 29th of August, 1799. A revolution was excited in Turin, and, on an accusation of correspondence with Vienna, 'Charles Emmanuel was deprived of Pied- mont, and forced to retire to Sardiniai However the victory of the English at the Nile seemed to waken a fresh spirit in Europe, and the Emperor Francis, and Paul, Emperor of Russia, entered into an alliance, and raised troops for the recovery of Italy, thus encouraging the King and Queen of the Two Sicilies to renounce their alliance with France. The Neapolitan army, commanded by an Austrian general, Mack, marched against the French in Rome. The French, being very few in number, retired northwards ; but when Mack followed them they com- pletely overthrew his army, and drove him back to Naples. The King g.nd Queen now fled to Sicily, under the pro- tection of the English fleet. Naples was turned into a Parthenopeaii Republic by the French, helped by its own citizens, while the Lazzarotii or mob of Naples tried to withstand them. But the armies of Austria and Russia now advanced against the French in Northern Italy. The French were beaten from point to point, forced to aban- don Naples and Rome, and finally overthrown by Marshal Suvaroffat Novi, not far from Alessandria. The cam- paign was the most disastrous that the republic had yet known, and if Suvarofif had been allowed to follow up his successes, he would probably have fought his way into France. But he was ordered into Switzerland, to help General Korsakoff near Zurich. Before Suvarofif could arrive, Korsakoff was crushed by the French general Massena, and the French Republic was saved from its dangers. An attack of the Russians and English on Holland came to nothings 19. Fall of the Directory, 1799. — Meanwhile at home there had been various changes of Directors, and each set had shewn themselves unable to manage these many wars.