them an armistice, and appointed Milan as the place of conference.  The deputies arrived at Milan on the . . .  A negotiation commenced to re-establish harmony between the Governments.  However, anarchy, with all its horrors, afflicted the city of Venice.  Ten thousand Sclavonians threatened to pillage the shops.  Bonaparte acquiesced in the proposition submitted by the deputies, who promised to verify the loss which had been sustained by pillage.

Bonaparte also addressed a manifesto to the Doge, which appeared in all the public papers.  It contained fifteen articles of complaint, and was followed by a decree ordering the French Minister to leave Venice, the Venetian agents to leave Lombard, and the Lion of St. Mark to be pulled down in all the Continental territories of Venice.

The General-in-Chief now openly manifested his resolution of marching on Paris; and this disposition, which was well known in the army, was soon communicated to Vienna.  At this period a letter from the Emperor Francis ii. to his brother, the Grand Duke of Tuscany, was intercepted by Bonaparte.  I translated the letter, which proved to him that Francis ii. was acquainted with his project.  He likewise saw with pleasure the assurances which the Emperor gave his brother of his love of peace, as well as the wavering of the imperial resolves, and the incertitude respecting the fate of the Italian princes, which the Emperor easily perceived to depend on Bonaparte.  The Emperor’s letter was as follows:—­

My dear brother—­I punctually received your third letter, containing a description of your unhappy and delicate situation.  You may be assured that I perceive it as clearly as you do yourself; and I pity you the more because, in truth, I do not know what advice to give you.  You are, like me, the victim of the former inactivity of the princes of Italy, who ought, at once, to have acted with all their united forces, while I still possessed Mantua.  If Bonaparte’s project be, as I learn, to establish republics in Italy, this is likely to end in spreading republicanism over the whole country.  I have already commenced negotiations for peace, and the preliminaries are ratified.  If the French observe them as strictly as I do, and will do, then your situation will be improved; but already the French are beginning to disregard them.  The principal problem which remains to be solved is, whether the French Directory approve of Bonaparte’s proceedings, and whether the latter, as appears by some papers distributed through his army, is not disposed to revolt against his country, which also seems to be probable, from his severe conduct towards Switzerland, notwithstanding the assurances of the Directory, that he had been ordered to leave the country untouched.  If this should be the case, new and innumerable difficulties may arise.  Under these circumstances I can, at present, advise nothing; for, as to myself, it is