The Worthington advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1874-1908, 1895-07-11
THE FALL OF VENICE.
Compile to Humiliation Of the Proud
Oligarchy by Eonaparte.
Tho French Conqueror Declared tbs An
habitants . Miserable, Cowardly reo-
pie, Unfit for Liberty - Occu.E
pancy by the French. .

it's best it WIGS dark and rcmorse1ess;
with the disappearance of its vigor its
despOtisn had become somewhat
milder, but even yet no common man
might draw the veil from its rlysteri-
Gus, irresponsible councils and iivs. \
few hundred families administered
the country Is ttcy did their private
estates. AL Intelligence, al libarty. I'll
personal ;:,d>i>>i2dcnce. were rc;,re!;srl
by such sy:i->:>l. The more cnliglt-
ened tro:a the i7;:iaiana, many oven in
the city. had fit th> Influences Of the
time, and had long Been uneasy under
their government. however smoothly 1t
seemed to BE- running. #
Now chat the earth was quakicg Ut.
der the march Of Eonaparte's troops,
shat government was not only helpless,
but it actually grew contcmptible in it's
panic. There was, indeed, the most
urgent necessity FOR change, The
senate had a powerful fleet, three
thousand lativc troops, and eleven
thousand iclercenarics; but they struck
only Il single futile blow on their own
account, permitting rash captain to
open Ere from tt..!c Cunboats against the
French vanguard when it appeared
But immediately. as if in fear Of their
own 1cn1erity. they dispatched an EN-
bassy to learn ::lc will Of the approach
ing general. That his dealings might be
merciful. they tried the plan of Modc1la,
and offered Bonupartc u brite OF seven
million francs: but, as il the case Of Mo
dena, h. refused. Next day. the grand
council having been summoned, it was
determined Ivy Yearly unanimous
vote Of the patrivians (six hundred AMI
ninety to twenty-one' that they would
remodel their institutions en- demo-
cratic lines. 81
Not for 4 moment did Lallclnont aud
Villctard. the two French agents, in
ter1nit their revolutionary agitation in
the town. Disorders grew more fire.
quent. and uncertainty both paralyzcd
and disintcgrated the patrician partv.
A week later the government virtually
abdicated. Two utter strangers ap-
peared in q theatrical way at it's doors
and suggested in writing to the great
council that to appcase the spirit of the
times they sl,oull plant the liberty
tree on the Place of St. Mark and
speedily accctlc to ali the propositions
for lioeraliziug Venice which the popu
lar temper seemed to demand. Such
were the terror and disorganization Of
the aristocracy that instead of punish
ing the intrusion by death, according
to the traditions of their merciless pro-
cedure, they took measures to carry
out the suggestion. The fleet was dis
mantled and the army disbanded. -
By the end of the month the revolu-
ton was virtually accomplished for a.
rising of their supporters having been
mistaken by the great council, in its
pusillanimous terror, for rebellion of
their antagonists, they decreed the alb
clifton of all existing institutions, and,
after hastily organizing a provisional
government, disbanded. Four thou
sand French soldiers occupied the
town, and an ostensible treaty was
made between the new republic Of
Venice and that of France. r.,
This treaty was really nothing but q
pronunciamento of Bonaparte. He
decreed general amnesty to all Of
tenders except the commanders of Fort
Luco, who had recently fred on the
French vessel. He also guaranteed
the public debt, and promised to oc-
cupy the city only as long as the public
order required it. By a series of secret
articles Venice was to accept the stipu-
lation of Leoben in>regard to territory,
pay an indemnity of six million francs,
and furnish three ships of the line and
two frigates, while, in pursuance of
the general policy of the French repub-
lie, experts were to select twenty pic
lures from her galleries and five hun
dred manuscripts from her libraries. =
Whatever was the understanding of
those who signed these crushing con-
ditions, the city was never again
treated by any European power as an
independent state. Soon afterwards q
French expedition was dispatched to
occupy her island possessions in the
Levant. The arrangements had been
carefully prepared during the very
time when the provisional government
believed itself to be paying the price Of
it's new liberties. And earlier still-on
May ~, three days before the abdica-
ton of the aristocracy-Bonaparte had
already offered to Austria the entire
republic in its proposed form as an ex-$
change for the German lands on the:
left bank OF the Rhine. #s
Writing to the directory on that day,
he declared that Venice, which had
been in q decline ever since 1.-THE dis
covery of the Cape Good Hope and tho
rise of Trieste and Ancona, can with
difficulty survive the blows we have
Just given her. This miserable, coward
ly people, unfit for liberty, and With
out land or water-it seems natural to
me that we SHOULD hand them over to
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 Goth letter to his friends
of the Venetian provis ional govern
ment had assured them that he would
do all in his power to confirm their
liberties, and that he earnestly desired