they defeated a party of French that endeavoured to cut off their retreat. They alfo attempted to furprize Oletta, where they were repulfed, and obliged to retire to Mariana with confiderable lofs. At Barbaggio they were more fuccefsful, but the confequences were fatal. This place was garrifoned by five companies of French Feb. 14. foot, who being attacked in the night by a body of Corficans, were obliged to furrender; two companies were made prifoners of war, and the other three were allowed to retire to St. Fiorenzo, on condition of not acting hoftilely against the Corficans for a year. The Corficans imprudently loitered in this place, though it was not tenable, and was in the vicinity of the French principal force. Count de Marbeuf being informed of this error, difpatched troops from different quarters to feize upon all the defiles, and cut off the poffibility of a retreat. The Corficans fought defperately, but having loft above half their men, the remainder were obliged to furrender, without their being able to gain any other ftipulation in their favour, than that they fhould not be fent into France. Mr. Colonna, a noted Corfican chief, with above two hundred men, were taken prifoners upon this occafion. Mr. de Marbeuf being pleafed with the gallant defence they had made, politely told the Corsican chief that general Paoli would fuftain a great lofs by his being taken; to which the other with great magnanimity replied, "That every village in his country produced men of fuperior abilities and courage to himfelf, which he hoped Mr. Marbeuf would foon be fenfible of.”

Such was the spirit which at this time actuated the Corficans, and which appeared upon another occafion in a very extraordinary degree. At an affembly of the regency held at Corte, it was agreed, that the ecclefiaftics of the country fhould be required to unite and take up arms in the common cause, as a measure that would greatly encourage the people, and promote their ardor in it. The priests, far from hefitating at this extraordinary requifition, immediately declared their readiness to hazard, or even lofe their lives in the defence of their native country, and five hundred of them accordingly enlifted in its fervice.

The affair of Barbaggio feems however to have thrown a damp upon the enterprizing fpirit of the Corficans. The French had a little before furprized the town of Orminio, in which they took 12 large field pieces, 800 mufquets, 700 barrels of powder, befides great quantities of grain, and a large fum of money. This was a lofs not eafily retrieved by the Corficans, if at all to be fupplied, and which must have had a confiderable effect upon their operations, independent of the dejection that attends ill fortune. The effect of the French negociations, and the influence which they had acquired among the chiefs, began in fome degree to appear, and added to that languor and backwardnefs, which before was only the effect of defpondency. To remove thefe impreffions, and revive the fpirit of the people, general Paoli at a meeting of the chiefs informed them, that as he had forefeen that no harveft was to be hoped for in the prefent year, he had taken

care to provide against that misfortune; that grain and biscuit were already arrived to answer that purpofe, and that he could affure them, from the promises he had received, that they should want neither arms, ammunition, or money.

In the mean time Count de Vaux arrived in Corfica, and took upon him the command in chief of the French forces; fifteen new battalions were also embarked at Toulon, and landed in the island in the beginning of April. As the court of France had now reafon to be certain of its fuccefs in this enterprize, the new commander in chief had directions to treat the Corficans in general, but more particularly the prifoners that hould fall into his hands, with the greatest lenity, thereby to give a favourable idea of the French government, as well as of the humanity of the nation in general.

The French forces now amounted to above thirty thoufand men ; and in the beginning of May the whole island feemed to be in motion. Count de Vaux, at the head of the army, advanced towards the centre of the island, and penetrated as far as Roftino; at the fame time the French detachments at Calvi and Ajaccio took the field, and interfecting the country, carried on their operations in fuch a manner, as finally to effect a junction with Count de Vaux. Several engagements, of which we have very imperfect accounts, happened in the neighbourhood of Roftino, within three or four fucceffive days, between the French and Corficans. In the first of thefe the Corficans were faid to have greatly the ad

vantage, and that the French fuffered a very confiderable lofs. In the third they were however totally difperfed and defeated, and a very great flaughter made. It is faid that one of the chiefs, in the height of the action, went over with eight hundred men to the French, and that they immediately turned their arms upon their country men, who were ftruck with fuch a panic at this treachery, that they threw away their arms, and that a general massacre and rout fucceeded.

Every hope was now over, and the French over-run the country without oppofition. The capital city of Corte, notwithstanding the ftrength of its fituation, approachable only by defiles, which a small number of men might have defended against an army, whether by treachery, or from the terror with which the people May 21. were feized, was furrendered without the leaft defence. As it was imagined that this place could not have been taken, without the lofs of a great number of men, the French general threatened to burn the city, and put the garrifon to the fword if they made any refiftance; by this threat affording a plaufible pretence for intimidation, if not produced in reality. Ifola Rofa, and every other place of any confequence in the ifland, were reduced in the fame manner, and most of the principal chiefs fubmitted, and gave hoftages for their fidelity.

In the mean time the unfortunate Paoli retired, with fuch followers as ftill continued faithful, to the pieve of Vivario, where they were continually harraffed and pur

fued

fued by the French. At length being reduced to 537 men, they were intirely furrounded by a body of four thousand of the enemy. In this defperate fituation he affembled his followers, and told them, "That they were now reduced to that dreadful extremity, that nothing remained by continuing in their native country, but the fad alternative of death or flavery; that they were unhappily witneffes to that deplorable event, which neither a war of thirty years, the rancorous malice of the Genoese, nor the forces of feveral great powers, were able to bring about, at last effected by the power of gold alone. That their unfortunate countrymen, deceived and led away by their corrupted chiefs, were going themselves to embrace the chains that were forging for them. That their once happy constitution was now totally overthrown, most of their friends either killed or made prifoners, and themselves referved, only to have the misfortune to fee, and weep over the ruin of their country.' He asked, whether any of them would, to lengthen out a fhort remnant of wretched life, become flaves to injustice and oppreffion? and cried out in an exclamation, My dear friends, let us reject with fcorn fo fhameful a thought." He declared, "That neither the gold, nor the fplendid offers of France, had power to tempt him to difhonour; and he trufted, that the fuccefs of their arms had not made him contemptible. That after the imputation of being conquered, there was nothing fo eftimable as 2 glorious death. He then told them that there was no time to be

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loft, and called upon them with great energy, either to force their way fword in hand through the ranks of their enemies, and wait in a diftant land, in the hope of happier times, for an opportunity to avenge the wrongs of their country, or elfe to terminate their honourable career, the short remains of life, by dying gloriously as they had lived.

The chief then tenderly em braced the brave affociates of his fortune, and having made the neceffary preparations to cut their way through the French troops the fame night, they happily effected their purpose with equal fuccefs and refolution. Paoli then lay concealed for two days in the ruins of a convent by the fea fide, from whence, with feveral of his friends and companions, he got on board an English fhip at Porto Vecchio, and was landJune 16. ed fafely two days after at Leghorn.

The reception which the Corfican chief met with in Leghorn, carried more the appearance of a triumph, than the marks of a flight; all the English ships in the harbour difplayed their colours, and difcharged their artillery, and though it rained exceffively, immenfe crowds of people of all ranks ran down to the water fide to behold his landing, and received him with the loudest acclamations. The general went directly to the house of Sir John Dick the English conful, where fome gentlemen of the fame nation, who had before vifited him in Corfica, attended to receive him. His brother, Clement Paoli, with about three hundred other fugitives, among whom were several

of

ment.

Notwithstanding every method ufed by the French to prevent it, and to conciliate the minds of the people, there has been a great and continual emigration from the island ever fince the conqueft. The Italian princes have received the fugitives with great hofpitality. The grand duke of Tufcany affigned lands to fuch of them as chose to fettle in his dominions. Great numbers of them have entered into the king of Sardinia's fervice, who gives them particular encouragement, and a great many families are gone to Minorca. Wherever they appeared, they were beheld with pity, admiration, and regard; and the brave struggle they made in defence of their liberty, procured them refpect in governments where the term is scarcely known.

Though the French over-run the ifland upon the departure of Paoli, feveral of the chiefs who refused to accept of the amnesty they offered, retired to the most inacceffible places with their parties, where they continued to be very troublefome to them. Among others, the celebrated Carlo Sallicetti did them fo much mischief, that Count de Vaux was not ashamed to set a price by proclamation, of five hundred Louis d'Ors upon his head. An affembly of the principal inhabitants of the island was June 28. however held at Corte, where they ratified the oaths and fubmiffions which most of them had already made, and received the orders that were given in re

In the mean time the French king took every measure to annex Corfica irrevocably to his kingdom.

To this purpofe the fovereign council of that ifland was totally fuppreffed, and a new one created, which is to confift of magiftrates to be prefented to, and approved of, by the parliament of Provence. The king alfo decreed, that the island of Corfica 1hould for the future be confidered as included in, and a member of the Gallican church, and the pope, in pursuance of this refolution, granted an indulto to the king for the nomination of seven churches in that island, which was declared a part of the king's domains, and a director general accordingly appointed for that office.

To gratify the people, and attach them to the French interest, the king ordered a new body of troops to be formed, and to be called the Corfican legion, which was to be compofed intirely of natives of that island. Nothing could be more alluring to a poor and military people, long inured to arms, and used to the liberty that attends fuch a life, and destitute of trade, manufactures, and other means of employment, than fuch an inftitution. The commiffions would have provided for the younger brothers and poorer part of the nobility, and even the French pay of the common foldiers, would be no trivial confideration, in a very poor and a very cheap country. Nothing can however fhew the general abhorrence and deteftation with which the Corficans regard the French

govern

government fo ftrongly, as that this defign was obliged to be laid afide after most of the commiffions were paffed, because they could not find, in the whole island, above three hundred men that would inlift in their fervice.

This antipathy operating upon the ferocity of the people, has fhewn itself in actions of the moft inhuman and barbarous nature. A continued and regular courfe of affaffination has been carried on against the French all over the island, to which a number of officers, and fome of confiderable rank, have been victims. This favage rage was fo prevalent, that the feverest punishments have scarcely been able to restrain it.

The unhealthiness of the climate caufed a prodigious mortality among the French foldiers, and as foon as the reduction of the island was thoroughly completed, twentwo battalions, in a very weak and broken condition, were reimbarked for Toulon. It appears by a return of the French troops that were employed in Corfica, which is faid to be authentic, and to have been delivered to the minifter on the 23d of Auguft, that the lofs fuftained in killed and wounded to that time, amounted to 10,721; of which number 4324, including 539 officers, were killed. And it appears by the fame return, that there died in the hofpitals 5949 men; fo that the total lofs of the. French troops amounted to 10,273 men, befides the recovered wounded, a great number of whom muft have been rendered unfit for fervice, and 795 fick, who at that time lay in the hofpitals. This lofs was the greater, as the best re

giments in France were felected for this fervice. It was befides computed that this expedition coft France eighteen millions of livres in money.

At this price did France purchafe the reduction of Corfica, a price that fufficiently fhews the high eftimation in which it regarded the poffeffion of that ifland. An acquifition, which, fimply in itself, may not be confidered, as immediately of very great value to the poffeffor, but which in its future confequences, in regard to several other powers, may become an object of the higheft importance. It is evident from the difficulties which the French encountered, and the loffes they sustained, without any other oppofition than the fingle virtue of the natives, that this attempt might have been eafily rendered abortive; and that nothing but the most unaccountable fupinenefs, in ftates that were not only interested in the prefervation of this ifland, but much more in preventing any new acceffion of power or dominion to France, could have given it even a probability of fuccefs. The late defection of many of the Corfican chiefs from the interefts of their country, being the natural effect of defpair on finding themselves totally abandoned, when all public hope being at an end, individuals endeavoured only to provide for personal emolument or fecurity.

While France was effecting a foreign conqueft, the ftate of its domeftic affais gave fufficient evidence, that nothing less than a very valuable compenfation could authorize a prefent waste of treafure. Its East-India company, which

had