The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1804-10-18 00:00:00

TOUR

MU/MGR THE ITALIAN RIPTELIC, ADD THE
NEWLY Aiquiplo TLARITORILa or PRANCE, TO
HOLLAND.

A very intelligent English Gentleman, just are
rived in town from the Continent, has favoured us
witb the particulars of his journey through these
interesting countries. Our limits will no: admit of
our submitting to our readers the whole of this cu-
rious detail, or of the ingenious observations with
which it is every where interspersed. The account
is the result of accurate personal observations, made
she ing the last three months, by a Gentleman who
had access to every authentic source of informatien.
As the faits reined may therefore be relied upon.
and will serve to elucidate the general system of
French policy, with resped to the dependencies of
that Empire, as well as the gross oppression with
which the unfortunate States in alliance, er other-
wise conneeted with France, are treated by the mi-
litary tyrants established among them, we shall
' give an abstraft of this interesting relation :
Early in July last, the Gentleman, to whom we
are indebted for this account, left Florence, and vi-
sited Boodogne, Ferrara, and Venice. From Ve-
nice he proceeded to Milan through Verona and
Brescia. That pertaf the Duchy of Verona, ehich
lies on the left Bank of the Adige, and belongs to
the Italian Republic, is far superior to the Austrian
part, both in population and the advantages of
commerce, though subjed to a regular imposition
of forty per cent. on property, to occasional mili-
tary contributions, and the forced loans exalted by
the Government at Milan. The decree of the
President Bonaparte, of the 20th of February,
1803, declaring Verona a free port, admitting all
articles that may be legally imported, duty free,
hes improved the commerce of the city very mate-
rially but all articles, in their transit through tl.e
- Xepublic, are subjed to the ordinary duties. Tee
great Amphitheatre is still preserved with the
greatest care and veneration by the Veronese, and
dramatic pieces are still represented there in the
• *pen air.
Milan, the seat of the present Government, was
formerly the Archeucel residence, hue though now
-essentially more miserable, presents a more hustling
scene than uuder the former regime. Number-,
both French and Italians, who have enriched them-
selves with the spoils of Italy, have chasen this
city for 'their abode. An increase of population,
of luasry, and of equipages, which last are of a
very inferior and shabby quelite, has ersitA.eluently
taken place. There are scarce any French troops
in Milan, except a detachment of cavalry ; Jour-
Nlarshel of the Empire, resides in the ri-de yard
• Archduke's Palace, and keeps up the pomp of a
petty King, with two pieces of artillery and a party
of horse guards at his door. The native inhabit-
ants of this city suffer the roost grievous oppres-
sions. They are sabjed to the same tar s, contri-
butions, ane leans, as the other sabjefs of the
Republic, whilst their trade with Switzerland •
almost wholly annihilated by the heavy duties on
got .s. and they have scarce any with the rest of
the will I except iu their silks, and in the • . e
produce, :hey get from Leghorn. Public
credit is entire destroyed, and all classes of the
• peeple are releced to the last extremity. Tee Vire
President, Melee is much esteemed as a good and
welaiteentionei man. He has frequently, being a
martyr to the gout, sreicited permission to retire
front his office. withouteifeet; but his French triteps
and measures are inveterately detested by the Isle
lanese. who delight in exclaiming violently against
both, whenever they can do it with safety.
'Turin, the capital of Piedmont, formerly the re-
sidence of les Sardinian Majesty, the seat of re-
finemelit, luxury, and politeness, is now as tame,
dull, and insipid, as any provincial town of Its y
or France. Abdallah Manta, who commands there,
tales with the most despotic swav, and is execrated
by all the inhabitants. His extravagance, in keep-
ing up a kind of eastern magnificence, has led bim
into enormous expences. He is raid to be in debt
to the mercers, jee tilers, and other trades people, to
sloe amount nisi: millions of hares, for no bill of
his has been paid since his appoiniment to the chief
command at 'Feria. The following anecdote may
give some idea of the mildness of the administration
of Government in the conquered provinces, as well
us of the scrupulous regard toilet/ire in the Imperial
Cabinet. Menou's poulterer, to whom be owed above
40,000 Gyres, after many fruitless attempts to pro-
cure payment of even part of his debt, contrived, by
uncommon perseverance, last spring, to obtain a
interview with the General. Ile found
re gsticsetn:l,l on being ordered into the dining saloon,
wita lct Etat-Major, in one of his daily revels, im-
enerseJ in inebrietv, and wit! leg on a Turkish sofa!
llena.le a very affeaing appeal to the feelings of the
General, concerning the ruin which would ine-
vitably fall on him, if not paid some of his money.
•A drunken laugh succeeded his representation, when
lawn coolly replied, Mea axe, he roes
t, t'oa va our, payer. lie was instantly taken
• an adjoining room, tied up by the heels by a
plc of Memeltikes, and severely bastinadoed
in presence of elennu and his °titers ; after which
be was precipitated from the window, and killed on
the spot. The Mayor of the city had sufficient spirit
to transmit a pr.:, a yield of the farts to the Grand
Judge Regnicr, at Paris, but no answer had been
received to it so late as August last.
Geneva, the once independent and respeetable
seat of civil and religious freedom, is now a duced
I die rank of a French town, and governed by a
. An astoniehina alteration has been effefted
by the Revolution, and there is scarcely a family in
it that has not to lament the loss of some members,
during the massacres that had at one time or other
prevailed there. Their beautiful promenade has
been deserted in consequence of the fusillades that I
took place there, and the inhabitants preserve still
so much of their independence, that the military
officers, and the persons conneeted with the Govern-
mint. are exeludeel from the convivial meetings cf
the men, as well as from the society of the females.
Foreigners, however, and pnticularly English, arc
cherished with great cordiality.
Switzerland, except on the side of Germane, is
surrouneee by France, and the I:al'an Republic.
The total prehibition of some of its mannfaettires,
the heavy
_duties imposed on others, the rate of ex-
change on foreign specie pas eng into Switserland,
and the prohibition of the impartation of French
mussy, are so severely le:, and will eventually se

completely pot a stop to their commerce, that to
save the nation from ruin, they will have no alter-
native but that of applying to be incorporated with
the French -Empire, the Government of which will,
no doubt, on the occasion, secnre its benignity in
accepting the vassalage of an enlarged enslaved na.
tion. The only change Strasburgh has undergone,
since the fabrication of the plat against the life of
the Corsican, consists in the general prevalence of
suspicion, and the superior aetivity of the
under an Irish Prefed, named Shea. No traveller
can escape annoyance, however regular and corm&
his passports may be. The unfortunate Duke
D'Enghien was treated most inhumanely (hiring
his short confinement in the .citadel there. On bra
departure, he applied twice to the attending officer
for perrnis,ion to take a favourite dog ir.to the car.
riage with him, without any answer; he then flung
his purse to one of the snldiers, and pointing to the
dog, desired him to lift him into the carriage, when
the officer brutally kicked the dog away, and un-
feelingly shut the carriage don-. The Prince, nn
this, betrayed the first evident emotion, looked for a
moment through the window of the carriage at hi,
dog, and then with composure reclined hack in his
seat. This anecdote was universally known at Stras-
burgh, where the murder of the Duke is spoken of
with the greatest horror, as well as that of Pichegru.
From Strasburgh our tourist proceeded to Mentz,
where great preparath; its were making for the recep-
tion of the Emperor. and thence through Criblenta
and Cologne, in each of which cities the greatest
aftivitv prevailed in arranging the relics for the
inspedion of Bonaparte, who has a childish fend.
ness for such trifles, and the Constituted Authori-
ties, with the eiv'e Guard of Honour, were con-
stantly in attendance to receive his Majesty without
the gates, lest they should he taken by surprise.—
This was also the case at Juliens, which was orna-
mented with triumphal arches
On the 4th of September he arrived at Aix-la-
Chapelle, and as the Emperor had arrived there
befiae him, he found a difficulty in procuring
a single roam for thirty-six livres a n'ght. As
the Emperor was expeded to visit the Theatre in
the evening, nor traveller made every effort to ob-
tain a seat in the parterre (pit). and at length sa-
ceeded with some difficulty. The house was ex-
tremely crowded. The Austrian, Neapolitan, and
Portuguese Ambassadors occupied the box on the
right of the Imperial one. Though his Majesty was
expeded with much impatience, he did not arrive
till after the farce had begun. During the anxious
expedation of the audience. Monsieur Eugenie Beau.
harnnis entered the Imperial box, when inst nitly the
whole en op any, Ambassadors aed all, started on
their feet, nut of respel to his Majesty, whom they
supposed to be arrived; at length, when all hopes of
his arrival were given up, an officer rushed into the
patterre, and called 's Rnoierritr." The audience
immediately stood up, and Bonaparte came forward,
smiled, and bowed several times to the audience
amide• the clapping of hands, and cries of Vi e
...mtperrm,. The applauses procee'led exclusively
front military men, and some persons of interior
description in the pit. The Empress arrived soon
alter, and the same anplauses were repeated An
odor then interriiir,,J the perftrmance, by calling
upon the company to c-lehrate the happy event,
ov;rwhelmed with joy all the inhabitants of
Aix-la Chapelle. The music instantly struck up,
and one of the pelf enters sang three verses of a
song, which was highly applauded by the same de-
scription of persons as greeted their Majesties ar-
rival. The first verse containe I the most falsome
adulation of the Emperor, and the third was re-
plete with the most scurrilous abuse of the English.
Nat an individual in the boxes applauded, thou et
etch verse was repeated, exce"r the Portnertese
Ambtssador, who WAS sever-le animadverted upon
at the Baths nest day, for his cnntlud. When the
Emperor withdrew, the people in the parterre rushed
towards the toor to get a sight of him as he passed
down the stairs, but the door was 'cntred and
gnarded by soldiers, and the eager multitude was
disappointed.

Our tourist had another opportunity of seeing
the Emperor at a gala given by the city of Aix-la-
Chapelle, in honour of the Emperor's arrival, to
which be had received an invit Lion from the Mayer.
A canopy was prepared at the head of the saloon
for the Imperial family and Court, with a platham
underneath, elevated about a foot above the level
of the floor. About midnilht the Empress arrived,
and. ten minutes after her Imperial Consort was an-
nounced by the sound of trumpets, and received
with the loud ri:as of the military. He entered by
a private door, which had been pierced in the side
of the canopy, and bowed successively to the as.
sembly and the Foreign Ministers. He staid about
half an hour, and the Empress an hnur. Bona-
parte was plainly dressed, the Empress magnifi-
cently. The diamon Is on her head and neck were
said to be w..rth aOO,OOO !lyres. The Emperor,
together with his officers, and numbers besides,
wore the Cross of the Legion of Honour. He en-
deavoured to appear chearful on his first entrance,
but he soon relaxed into the austerity of a man
watchful for his personal preservation. His cell-
stant apprehensions have given him a habit of start.
ing whenever any body approaches him, and his
piercing eyes are constantly rolling about, as if to
observe every thing that passes near him. there is
something ghastly in his rapid transitions, from an
air of affeaed cheerfulness to the cloomy physi-
ognomy of the wretch a prey to a thousand anxie-
ties and cares.

During his purney through France, our tourist
bad opportunities of conversing with persons of all
ranks, civil am! military, and found them univer•
sally, at bottom, disuaisfied with their tyrant's
measures. '1 he Emperor's gteat security is derived
from the number of partisans he has created, by the
disposal of lucrative places and military commands.

Tuesday the Tfistinguisbed Estate of Barton
Pynsent, in Somersetshire. was brought to the ham-
mer, at Garntway% Coffee-hoase, and sold, in dif-
f.aent lots, for 43,1551. It will, surely, be needless
to mention this property as the legacy of Sir Wil-
liam Pynsent to tie late Earl of Chatham, in testi-
funny of his reg,.trd for the eharaaer and service:of
that states".an. Lady Chatham enjoyed it during
her liie, and it has now passed away to a new Class
of popriewrs: an example of the extreme folly, as
well at injustice of tito..-1, who deprive their heirs of
their natural rights, from thelnutless vanity of re-
arding pYVlic virtue with-private property.

COURSE OF EXCIIANGI

kaistirMans 3B 2 9 U.
Dim. at Ei„ht 37 7
Rutt.-nl.l•n C. V.. 11 191 91(1.
11.insburgli 35 5 91U.
.Itnna 9) 6 21U.
Pan. 1 da)%.Lita 53 9
V It.. 2l 10 :U.
'
'la Vapor I
Dint.
Paper
D•tto
flil`aoa
Le(hoin
Gen•.. 4)1
Dublin on London (Oct.
Belf‘.4 nn London (Oct. 9)
Belfaaton Dublin (ditto)...