The Sun.
London, England, 1808-10-15 00:00:00

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I

• If tire reader would noW know what, after all,
were the troops 'with which the Wench engaged in
the second affair of Dego, we_ will, with the most
sacred regard to truth, lay before a military fad
which well deserves to be recounted. It was oily
with a sinle Austrian regiment that the-French had
to contend; this Was the regiment of Wokazowich,
composed of three battalions, and amounting, at the
utmost, to' three thousand men ! This regiment
was encamped at Ponzone, near Sabello, when it
received orders from D'ALLGENTLiAII to march in all
haste to succour Dego. It was D'AaGtwreAu's
intent, that it should set. out on the morning of the
14th, but his order, which was written after mid-
night, was dated on the 14th, and he had said,
without observing the mistake, that it should begin
its march the morning after.
It did not, . therefore, move till the 15th, and this
involuntary delay was fortunate for it. While on its
march, and winding round the mountain. in the
road from Ponione to Seigno, it met a peasant of
this latter place. The man slopped, and observing
that. the regiment was inelning towards Dego,
bluntly asked the first o;licer that.came up, where
be was matching ? " You have a great deal of cu-
riosity for a peasant," replied tine Officer, roughly.
" It is not curiosity," rejoined he, without being
disconcerted, -" that makes we ask, but a wish to
prevent you .from running into danger. As tar as I
can coujedure, yoa'are marching to Dego you are
ignorant, then, that it .surrendere&yesterday:even-
ing to the French." The Officer, quite astonished
at this intelligence,- eagerly demanded of the pea-
sant, how he acquired it. " Sir, said he, " you
see the spot. at the foot gf the mountain ; that is
Spigao, my country. It is scarcely an hour since I
left it : know,' then, that this morning, about three
hours before day, there arrived a body of ten thou-
sand men, who left Dego immediately after its sur-
render, on their road to Aequi : the inhabitants
of Spigno received orders .to supply them with
plenty of bread, of meat, .of rice, and of wine
they - have eaten and drank to the full and, be-
lieving the enemy to be at a distance, are all gone to

It may not be improper to
,transcribe this letter of the
mountebank Diredory to,the mountebank General.
66 It is satisfaaory to, the Dire&cry to see the choice
which they made of you to lead the ain't). of Italy to vidory,
justified by the laurels which you have just gathered.; .Ac.
cept, General, the tribute of national gratitude.. ,-P4.:sqrve it
more and more, and prove to all Europe, u Lieu,
by changing the field'of battle, has not changed hiS =pay .;
that, beaten in the North, he will continue to be so, by the
brave Army of Italy ; and that; wish such defenders, liKry
will triumph over the feeble etEarts of the enemies 'of the
Republic."

1 is nut easy to decide whether such jargon as this should
extite our m►rth or our indignation. These fivc. Dircdors„
the tilth and scum of the nation, had the sott sit vanity to
aMct. the majestic tone of the Senate and Vitiators of Rothe
But, in their mouth, this language was' sheer stupidity.--
They. mistook their arrogance for dignity, and struggled t•
hide their primitive meanness by brutality of.insolehce.

in:11 Biifa.;-no, winch only biK miles from Acqui,
arid, refreshing bis troops, returned to head-

qtilirter?•i; • -1
Ant why did he return ? Because he received- a
second tit-patch from D'AUGENTIAL7,WIIO had halted
at Sp •tto, to inform bun that thiisame.culumn, in-
~.steai advaneirig,-had:fillen back to take its first
-bec.inse a- go continued to defend itself
with te, utmost vigour.

But the paitizanS of France will say it is quite
itkrtain that BeAtiutn, with ids' seveti thousand
men, was defeated at Dego, 'sill' BUONAPARTg
mentions it, in express terms, to the Directory
No v, it is not pnsSible to believe that a Cut-nu-Linder
in Chief would transmit a fact of this nature to the
beads of the nation if it were not positively ascer-
tained. This objection would be valid in ordinary
tines, when ►he Generals are chosen out,of a class
of men .who respell truth as they do their honour,
but it is of no weight in a period of such mad con-
vulsion as this before us, when. the Generals were
seteaed from the most contemptible, odious, and
guilty of mankind. Is it then surprising that Ruo-
ISAPARTE, the criminal agent of a Government
supported enttrely by falsehood and crimes, should
have aspired to rival his masters in a daring contempt
of truth ?

But, resume they, the. Dire Tory was so con- ,
vinced of it, that they wrote a letter of felicitation
to BCTONAPARTE.* And where, and when, did ,
these Gentlemen learn that a letter of the Diredory
Was a passport to truth ? That five Cut-throats, op-
pressors of their country, should believe, or pretend
to believe, a falsehood, cannot, we presume, change
its nature. Besides, if BUONAPARTE was interest-
ed in having it believed that he had-beaten a cele-
brated General, -because it brought more glory to
the vidur, the Directors, on their part, were no less
interested in maintaining that their troops were con-
stantly superior to the best officers of the enemy,
since it. enabled them to keep the nation in a state of
stupid slavery, and encouraged the Conscripts to
join an army where laurels were gathered without-
intermission, and without-danger !