Alexandria advertiser and commercial intelligencer. [volume] (Alexandria [Va.]) 1800-1803, 1802-12-03

Tx t2t WIN gGl-Na
vigorous and the young. The old and the
infrm eagerly awaited thernielyes ct the
opportunity Of Offering up their grey hairs
at the altar Of freedom and their conntry,
and even the female forgot the tears 10
natural and graceful TO her fex, 10 dieoy
the hde of her parents, her hulband, her
children, or her lover. Oh iacred and
fubIine devotion. Oh favage warfare -
Bat the triumph Of guilt was complete,
and the heroic band was at length over.
powered. All the dear recollettiens, all
the monuments Of n~atioral glory, that
fwell, expand, and invigorate the heart,
were defroyej. The monument TO lell,
and the little chapel erected to comnemo-
rate the victory of Moraf, were dsa'oy-
ed deftroyed too, Ito complete The MI
ferry Of the fcene) on the Anniversary OF
the day on which the battle of Morat had
been gained 3zz years before.
Bur it was not the fabyertioa OF the Oil
garcby of Berne, it was not the conqueR OF
the great Cantons, that could crafty the
revolutionary or military views Of France.
The i~nyaion of the little cantons p@relent-
ed the fame lcene of crime and Of courage.
The p~ealants quilted their cabins and their
cattle to range themfelves under the ban
ners OF their country-they fought with
the courage of defpair, and fell nobly re-
filing their opprefors. They died de
Tending the frontiers Of their territory,
and ~reflling the violation Of their hort-
hold goods aud their homes. Their at
friphted aoeks fed to the deterts tae
glaciers refounded with the cries Of or
phans periihirg with hunger, and the
fonrces of tile Rhine, the Rhone, and the
AIDA, bore the tears Of difconlolate and
defpairing widows to the. mott difant
fcas.
We pats over the events, equally af-
Hiaing and di(gueing, that completed the
navery Of the Swifs, and gorged the mi.
litary and revolutionary appetite OF their
| oppreiIors. The c~onquef} of the little can
tons opered to the French the paaage to
ST. Gothard and new path TO the Milan
eie enabled them TO attack the Griions
on the (outh-wea, and TO make thsmielves
matters of the valleys that opened to them
the profpea Of Italy and the Tyroleie.
That the commiilion of crimes lhould
ever be fuAered TO be profitable Or advan-
tageous to the authors Of them, IS one OF
thofe diffpenfations, the reaions for which,
our finite understandings may be unable
20 develope. but which our humanity may
be permitted to deplore. The poheilon
Of Switzerland gave the French a connec-
tion and a contact productive OF the mott
, deciGve benefits TO their military opera
tions. Three armies aaed with the promp-
titude and unity Of one, and 70 admirably
were they enabled to concert and conduit
operations, that an attack could be made
with certainty at the fame hour in Ger
many and in Italy, on the Rhine and on
the Pc, on the dige and the Danube. No
fenfe Of injuaiceno compuDauous Witt
ings," could prevail upon the Frensh TO
fufer the Swiis to return TO the former
neutrality. The fubverfon Of the Di.
reaoral, and the fubRitution Of the Con
fular Government, brought little s%llevis-
ton to their mifery. To the humble IN
treaty made by Switzerland, a reply was
returned, that France could not permit her
to re(ume her neutrality during the con-
tinuance Of the war; in other words, Che
would permit her to be neatfal when no
other Power continued hottie.
The peace at length relieved Swifzer-
land from the burden ola foreign force, and
France has relinquilhed the poaefion OF
her territories -he has left a Defart where
Che found an Eden-fhe has left nifery
and coniuGon, where ihe found virtne and
indepenaeace. The feeds of revolution and
anarchy have been almoa as productive in
the foil Of Fclvesia as they have been IN
49, r,-a,. E,il NJ France. C0nnttutiODs