saries, that they no longer considered themselves safe in holding their public deliberations in the Ducal Palace, and therefore changed their place of meeting every evening, from one private palace to another. The night before they abdicated the Government, that wretched imbécile, the Doge, Manin, was heard to say, at the conversazione of the Senator Damula, "I am sorry for those poor creatures who will be deprived of their bread by this misfortune; but as for us, we shall all be as well off as ever!"

O! had there been but a Dandolo, a Foscari, a Tron, or any other man of spirit among the Senators, the white livered cowardly Doge would have lost his head for his pusillanimity-the seat of government would have been changed as it formerly had been, to one of the Grecian Islands, and the Government would never have consented to have made so miserable, so disgraceful an exit !

To give my readers a correct notion of the extent of the treachery and corruption that prevailed, and of the degeneracy of some of the leading members of the Senate, I will here introduce some striking facts.

The Cavalier Condolmier, the High Admiral, who had the command of a fleet of observa

tion, consisting of small vessels, to protect the entrance of the Lagunes, and who had, for some months, been detained at the mouth of the Adriatic, one day took it into his head to invite the Government and the public, to be present at a grand naval manœuvre of all the ships in the harbour under his command. The day at length arrived; when Venice, and the whole Terra Firma, would have proved a rich field for the active exertions of our nimble fingered gentry of London; since nearly all the inhabitants had quitted their houses, in order to be present at the wonderful exploits of this Nelson of the Venetian Lagunes. The roads from Treviso, Padua, and along the banks of the Brenta, were thronged with travellers, on foot and on horseback, in carriages and in carts. The lakes were covered with gondolas, peotti, open boats, burchielli, barges from Padua, gallere, &c. &c. &c.

When the Rear Admiral shewed himself in his full uniform, scraping and bowing to the anxious spectators, as a mountebank does while selling his vile nostrums, he commenced the farce, by ordering the signals to be given. This was accordingly done; but every one of them remained unanswered. Up and down ran boys and men, from one mast and shrowd to another;

but all to no purpose. An apology was made, and the ill success was attributed to want of practice. The Admiral then made signals to another vessel, but with the like success. After firing and making tokens for more than an hour, like men shooting at dead fish, and after exhausting speaking trumpets, tearing sails, and casting anchors; after having, in short, failed both to right and left, the poor Admiral was assailed in front, by all those who were disappointed. Night, however, coming to his assistance, the charlatan contrived to make his escape, in a whole skin: and thus ended this memorable day, as it had commenced-in smoke!

Such were the valorous saviours of their country, who remained to protect the Lagunes, and to hail all persons who passed their vessels, whether coming to, or going from Venice! When the fatal day at length arrived, and the revolution had actually taken place, most of the respectable inhabitants fled to the Terra Firma, from the plunder and confusion that were its inevitable consequences; but which, to but which, to say the truth, was nothing, in comparison with what it might have been, and what it actually had been, in every other place, on similar distressing

1

occasions.

The sailors in these guard ships were from Dalmatia, commonly called Sclavonians, and active votaries to the nimble-fingered Mercury. Fortunate was it for Venice, that these fellows were, at the time, absent from the city. A gondola that happened to be passing, was boarded by them, and asked, "What was going on at Venice ?" "Oh, horrible!" answered some of the passengers; they are robbing and plundering the houses in all directions." "Jesu Maria, have mercy upon us!" exclaimed these honest Sclavonian tars, "let us go instantly, and get a watch or two a-piece, and a little plate and linen, to take home to our dear wives and children!"

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CHAPTER XX.

VENICE.

Proofs of the Determination of the Venetian Republic to maintain a strict Neutrality......Proposition made to it by the British Government......General Acton proposes an Italian League...... ....Falsehood of Buonaparte's Charges against the Republic...... Conduct of Francesco Pesaro after the Sale of Venice to the Austrians......Anecdotes of the great Francesco Foscari, Prince Kaunitz, and the Empress Maria Theresa ...... Of the Count de Vergennes and his impenetrable Cypher ......And of Lewis the Sixteenth, and General La Fayette.

As a proof that the Venetian Republic had no intention whatever of taking any part against the French, it will be only necessary for me to state, that Lavizzari, when he was Venetian resident at the Court of Great Britain, sent to his government a proposition made by the British cabinet, offering a certain number of ships to protect the Venetian territories in the Adriatic, besides a considerable sum of money, wherewith to raise an additional number of auxiliaries, if necessary. This proffer the Republic thought fit to decline. The proposition was first made in the year 1793. It was afterwards twice re