The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1895-06-07
THE FALL OF VENICE.
HUMILIATION OF THE PROUD OH
GARCtlY BY BONAPARTE.

Who Had Ruled With Such High Han d
Tho French Conqucror Declared The We
nctians Unfit For Liberty.
Since the days of Carthage no govern
,ncnt like that of the Venetian oligarchv
had existed on the earth. AS its best it
was dark and rcmorsclcss. With the dis.
appearance of its vigor its dcspotism had
become somewhat mildcr, but oven yet no
common man might draw tho veil from
its mysterious. irresponsible councils and
live. a few Hundred families administer
cd the country as they did their private es-
tatcs. All intelligence, all liberty, all per-
sonal independence, were rcprcsScd by such
n system. The more enlightened from tho
mainland, many even in tho city, had
felt the influences of tho time and had
long been uneasy under their government
however smoothly it seemed to DO running
Now that the earth was quaking under
the march of Bonaparto's troops that gov
crnment was not only helpless, but it nc
tually grew contemplate in its panic
There was indeed the most urgent ncccssi-
ty for q change. The senate had n power
full fleet, 5000 native troops and /, 900
mcrccnarcs, but they struck only ID sim
gle futile blow on their own account, per-
uniting rash captain to open fire from
the Sunboats against the French vanguard
when 1t appeared. But Immediately, as If
in fear of their own tcmcrity, they dis
patched an embassy to learn the will of
the approaching general. That his deal
inSs might he mcrciful they tried tho
plan of Modcna and offered Bonapartc n
bride of 5000, 600 francs: but, as in the
case of Modena, he refused. Next day,
the grand council having been summon
cd, it was determined by n nearly unani-
nous vote of tho patricians 600 to 21)
that they would remodel their institutions
on democratic lines. The pale and terri
fled dogc thought such surrender to be the
last hope of safety.
Not for moment did I4allcmont and
Nillctard, the two French agents, intcrmit
their revolutionary agitation in tho town.
Disorders grew more frequent, Nh unccr-
tainty both paralyzcd and dsintegratcd
the patrician party. A week later the gov
crnment virtually abdicatcd. Two utter
strangers appeared in theatrical way Mt
Its doors and suggested In writing to tho
great council that to appeasc the spirit Of
tho times they should plant the liberty
tree on the place of St. Mark and speedily
accedc to all the propositions for libcraliz-
ing Venice which the popular temper
seemed to demand. Such were the terror
and disorganization of the aristocracy that
instead of Furnishing the intrusion by
death, according to the traditions of their
mercilcss procedure, they took measures to
carry out the suggestion. The fleet was
dismantlcd and the army disbandcd.
by the end of the month the revolution
was virtually accomplished, for n rising of
their supporters having been mistaken by
the great council in its pusillanlmous ter
ror for n rebellion of their antagonists they
decreed the abolition of all existing insti-
buttons, and after hastily organizing n
provisional government disbandcd. Four
thousand French soldiers occupied tho
town, and an ostcnsiblc treaty was made
between the new republic of Venice and
that of France
This treaty was really nothing but
pronunciamcntO of Bonapartc He dccreed
a general amnesty to all offenders except
the commanders of Fort Luco, who had
recently fired on the French vessel He
also guaranteed the public debt and prom
iscd to occupy the city only as long as
tho public order required it, BY u series
of secret articles Venice was to accept the
stipulations of Lcoben in regard to terri
tory, pay an indemnity of &, 900, 900 francs
and furnish three ships of the limo and two
fri2atcs, while in pursuance of the general
policy of the French republic, experts
were to sclcct-20 pictures from her CALLER
les and 800 manuscripts from her libraries
Whatever was the understanding of
those who signed these crushing condi-
tions the city was never again treated by
any European power as an independent
state Soon aftcrwarl a French cxpcdi-
ton was dispatched to occupy her island
possessions in the Lcvant. The arrange
mcnts had been carefully prepared during
the very time when the provisional gov
eminent believed itself to be paying the
price of its new liberties. And earlier still
ON May 81, three days before the abdic;i-
ton of the aristocracy-Bo naparte had al
ready offered TO Austria the entire repub-
lie In its proposed form as an exchange for
the German lands on the left bank of the
Rhine.
Writing to tho directory on that day he
declared that Venice which had been in n
decline ever since 1.-THE discovery of the
Cape of Good Hope and the rise of Triest
and Ancona, can with difficulty survive
the blows we have just given her This
miserable cowardly people, unfit for lib
erty and without land or watcr-it seems
natural to me that we should hand them
over 10 those who have received their
mainland from us. We shall take all their
ships; we shall despoil their arsenal we
shall remove all their cannon; we shall
wreck their bank; we shall keep Corfu
and Ancona for ourselves"
On the 96th Il letter to his "fricnds" Of
tha Venetian provisional government had
assured them that he would do all In his
power To confirm their liberties, and that
he earnestly desired that Italy, ''now COW
cred with glory and free from every for
cign influence, should again appear on the
worlds stage and assert among the great
powers that station 20 which by nature,
position and destiny it was entitled" Or