The Sun.
London, England, 1808-11-24 00:00:00

OF ThE

CAMPAIGN OF BUONA PA RTE IN ITALY,

IN THE YEARS 1796 AND 1797.

OF THE SEIZURE OF THE PROPERTY OF THE CHURCH,

AND OF THE ROBBERY OF THE MOUNTS OF PIETY.

We have seen that BUONAPARTE, on his entrance
into Italy, promised the natives " friendship and
fraternity :" he also promised to deliver them from
what he called " the yoke of the Austrians," and to
procure theirs a liberty of which he was pleased to
suppose them deprived. He not only promised them
this, but he solemnly engaged himself to the per-
formance of it ; since a Proclamation of a Com-
mander in Chief is a sacred word, which he cannot
violate, without disgracing himself, and compromis-
ing the Nation in whose name he speaks.

Let us now see, Ivlat species of happiness Buo-
NAPARTE showered upon his new " brothers and
friends." He closely followed, in every instance,
the fraudulent and perfidious steps of the first Re-
volutionists of France. These miscreants, to flatter
the Nation which they pretended to enrich, had de-
clared all the property of- the Churcl► " National Pro-
perty ;" but very soon afterwards, all this National
property, instead of turning to the general advan-
tage, fell into the hands of a few favoured individuals,
who purchased it at an insignificant price.
BUONAPARTE, iu lik6'manner, declared in Italy, .
that the effeas of the Church were " National Ef-
fedts," and, as had already happened in France, these
National effeC.ts were partly disposed of; but, with
this difference, that in France, these effeas were sold
to Frenchmen who were enriched by them; while, in
Italy, they were not purchased by Italians, but were
thrown almost entirely into the hands of Frenchmen,
who thus exhausted the Country. BUONAPARTE
r!ized on a prodigious quantity himself, his satellites
followed his example, and the " National Effects"
of Italy became, with few exceptions, the prey of

strangers!
The Bishoprics, the Chapters, the Monastries
were all despoiled, and this robbery was the more
odious, because, generally speaking, the Churches in
Italy are by no means tich, and it is impossible to
break in upon their revenues without affe&ing the
means of divine worship, and the subsistence of the
'Ministers of Religion. But, no matter ! BUONA-
VARTE, a destroyer by rapacity, and by a contempt
of Religion, seized upon these effeets, and, in his
quality of Corsican, bad the malignant satisfa&ion.of
plundering the Italians ! . •
But BLIONTAPeiRTE did not confine himself to
pillaging the property of the Church and of the
Ivionastri.ts : he also laid hi> hands on the Mounts of
Piety, general or for lending money on 'pledges.
very one knows that in. Italy, these Mounts of
Piety were established for the advantage of the Poor,
and, on this account, are truly sacred : but, besides
this, a great number of private persons, and 'even of
CoMmunities, .placed their cipit9is in them, and
sometimes the whole of "their fortune. 'neve was
not the slightest pretext for plundering these esta-
blishments : they turned to the advantage of the Na-
tion, and of private families; they had therefore been
constantly resPeEled, and,'amidst every kind of pro-
peaty, that of the Mounts of Piety had always 'been
considered as the most solid. But what property is
sacred for.BuoNArAnTE ? He plundered then,
.these
depositaries, without being moved either by the re-
mo:lstraneei of" the different towns, the cries.of in-
dividuals, or the despair of a number of families who
were about to be.reduced by it to the must deplor-
able indigence ! Every thing was seized ; and he
who had soletnuly pro raised to resi)eet property,
committed a national robbery of the roost atrocious
kind, and which viol-ai,ed in the highest degree the
rights of soei:d Government !

One exception, however, BUONAPARTEIdde
it was in favotir of the Mount of Piety at Irnora.
Th,-.! Bishop of :h.} icity o as Cardinal CIIIARAMONTE,
at p!vsent Pope, under the name of Pilis VII. He
s ishect to avert the.blOW- WhiCh:threaten'el his dio
cesans : he went, tlkrefor:c.•,,,t to Buol: AP Arcr 4, whom
he ha.d il/4-Teived into.hisTalare with-4very mark of
distin4iorr, and besought hit not to ruin the Mount
of Piety of 1, nola. BUONAS-ARTE rejeCted his prayer
with a sneer c the virtuous prelate persisted for the
interest of his look, he pre'ssed him, he _conjured
him, not to 'nth% so deep a wound; finally, be
iew himself at 1\ is feet, and' refuSed to rise till he
lid' obtained this ft .your. He obtained it at length,
but—hear me to tht • concIusion.•—BUONAPARTE re-
ceived in exchange,. and took for Itimse!,7, all the
plate which was in Episcopal • Pala-ce of Imola,'
and this was not a ;Mall quantity. He took also
the jewels, crosses, a nd diamonds which the Cardi-
nal had in the Epi!,i opal Chapel: He -took away
every thing which •c,:ti .Id-be taken .; and, in contempt
of the.)holy laWs of 110 he left bare. and un-
furnished a palace Nu Rich be bad found richly pro-
vided with every titrt ,; at the moment of his arNd
recount this fa& with pleasure, -because it
proves a noble soul i n the Bishop of Imola, who

ramorned the plander of his diocese by the sactifie

of his own.property,; and evinces, at the same time,
a base and atrocious soul in the Republican General,
who, d'etermined to ipillao some one before his de-
parture, rigicliy,and entirely despoiled a Man venera-
ble for his high plnce, no less than his goodness,
who had treated him with the most noble, the most
generous hospitality ! ! If it be thus that BuoNA-
k
PARTS does good actions, let the reader judge of the
nature of his crimes.

It will be a subje& of astonishment, perhaps,
how the Italians, naturally warm and quick of feel-
ing, could suffer their ChurcheS to be thus
legiously pillaged—they, in whom a respe6t for re-
ligion is deeply implanted; how they could tran-
quilly permit their property of every kind io be
seized before their eyes, without making the slight-
est resistance. Was not here a motive to contend
with perseverance, with obstinacy,' for the two
objects most dear to man, pro axis et locis ?

And, in truth, this seems altogether astonishing;
but the wonder will cease, when we know that
BUONAPARTE, to prevent the possibility of resistance,
bad taker' the most tyrannical and perfidious pre-
cautions. This odious hypocrite, this pretended re-
store' of the liberty of Italy, began by disarming all
the. inhabitants ! An order was given, and this order
was general and rigorous ; so rigorous, indeed, that
the pain of death was pronounced against every man
who did not surrender his ai."s. It was given, and
literally executed; and a number of persons who
were desirous either of retaining valuable arms, or
of providing a means of defence against therobbers,
were murdered with the most unrelenting cruelty,
Human nature shudders at the recital of such an un-
paralleled degree of oppression ; but the fa& itself is
not the less certain. " Arms," says JUVENAL,
" are never wanting to those who have been de-
spoiled of every thing else."
spoliatis arma supersunt !
But, in the present instance, this resource, in con-
sequence of the infernal forecast of BUONAPARTE,
absolutely' f'ailed them. 'Two classes of men only
were now to be found inltaly the first, composed
of armed robbers, indulged in every excess, every
species of violence, without fear; these had BUONA-
PARTE at their head. The second, composed of
vietims to their rapacity, entirely disarmed, could
only oppose to the most ferocious and general rob-
bery, a deep, but impotent despair !
And it is by step' like these; that this cowardly,
perfidious, and blood-thirsty Corsican, has obtained
the summit of human grandeur.

END OF THE FIRST PART.

To becontinued.]

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TEI SUN.

SULAM QUIS DICSISZ TALSUM-AUDSAT

L o ND 0 N,

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 24, 1308.

It is with flinch regret that we inform our Readers
that intelligence of an unfavonrable nature has been,
received from Spain. General .BLAKE, we are sorry
to say, has sustained a defeat, in consequence of which
the French were enabledt.oniake possession of Burgos
and were advancing towards Valladolid, with the in-
tention 'of proceeding towards Madrid. No details
have reached this Country upon which any reliance
can be place'd respeaing, the defeat of General
BLAKE, but of the fiik?t we fear:there is no doubt.
AithoUgh we.deeply lament that the Enemy should
haire obtained these advantages over the gallant- Spa-
niards, yet we are far fiom considering them as de-
cisive of the contest. The British Troops have not
yet come into ataion. Aeinfortemen's are advan-
cing towards the Armies from all parts of Spain,
and we entertain the most sanguine hopes that be-
fore many weeks have elapsed, the French will have
reason to regret the temerity which induced them to
advance so far.

WE this"morning received Spanish Papers to the
19th inst. from which we have made the fullowing
extraets :

COKUNNA, Nov. 18.—We have no material news
at present. The French have re-entered Burgos,
but it is hoped er this they have been obliged to
withdraW from thence, as the army of Estreniadura
was advancing thither.

The -Galithans will not allow that BLAKE has
been superseded, but that he has been removed to
the command of CASTANOS'S army, who is named
Ceirialander in Chief.

• Since writing the above, mooning have been re-
ceived; which state, that a division of: 41)00 SI Oriish
. ,
'troops, compcing a part of the artny of EStremadura,
which was advancing from Madrid, fell in with the
french detachment wlhich had been at Burgos,
three leagues- beyond that -oily, and experienced a