of Ville Affranchie. Many hundreds of its citizens were dragged to the scaffold, on account of their alledged treasonable resistance to the convention. The victorious party, wearied by the slow operation of the guillotine, at last destroyed their prisoners in multitudes, by firing grape-shot upon them, under the direction of Collot d'Herbois. Such, indeed, was the unrelenting character of the sanguinary Mountain, that they not only encouraged the destruction of multitudes, but declared, that "terror was with them the order of the day."

In the end of July, general Carteaux was sent against Marseilles. In the beginning of August he gained some successes over the advanced fœderalist troops. On the 24th, he took the town of Aix, and the Marseillois submitted. But the leading people of the city of Toulon entered into a negociation, and submitted to the British admiral, lord Hood, under condition that he should preserve the town and shipping for Louis XVII. and under the stipulation that he should assist in restoring the constitution of 1789. The siege of Toulon, after having been thus surrendered to the English, was commenced by general Carteaux in the beginning of September; it continued, without much vigour, during that and the whole of the succeeding month. Neapolitan, Spanish, and English, troops, were brought by sea to assist in its defence. In the beginning of November, Carteaux was removed to the command of the army in Italy, and general Dugommier succeeded him. The English general O'Hara arrived with reinforcements from Gibraltar, and took upon him the command of the town. On the 30th of November, the garrison made a powerful sally to destroy some batteries that were erecting upon heights which commanded the city. The French were surprized, and driven from their object; but, elated by the facility of their conquest, the allied troops rushed forward in pursuit of the flying enemy, and were unexpectedly met by a strong French force that was drawn out to protect the fugitives. O'Hara

now

now headed a battalion from the city to endeavour to bring off his troops; but he was wounded in the arm, and taken prisoner; but the total loss of the allies, in this sortie, was estimated at nearly one thousand men. The French now mustered in full force around Toulon, and prepared for the attack. It was begun on the 19th of December, in the morning, and was chiefly directed against Fort Mulgrave, defended by the British. This fort was protected by an entrenched camp, thirteen pieces of cannon, thirty-six and twenty-four pounders, five mortars, and three thousand troops. Such was the ardour of the assault, that it was carried in an hour, and the whole garrison was destroyed or taken. The allies, finding it impossible to defend the place, embarked their troops, after having set fire to the arsenal and some ships. Sir Sydney Smith undertook the dangerous task of burning the store-houses and ships, amidst a continued firing from the enemy on shore. A " rapid ignition" took place, but they were unable to extend it to the vessels that were nearest the town. A scene of confusion ensued, such as has not been known in the history of modern wars. Crowds of people, of every rank, age, and sex, hurried on-board the ships, to avoid the vengeance of their enraged countrymen. Some of the inhabitants began to fire upon their late allies; others, in despair, were seen plunging into the sea, making a vain effort to reach the ships; or putting an end, at once, to their own existence upon the shore. Thirty-one ships of the line were found by the British at Toulon; thirteen were left behind; ten were burnt; four had been previously sent to the French ports of Brest and Rochefort, with five thousand republicans who could not be trusted; and Great Britain finally obtained by this expedition three ships of the line, four frigates, and as many sloops. After the English and the allies had retreated from Toulon, the French, in the style of bombast and falsehood, said, that "the English, took it like cowards, and quitted it like poltroons."

It is said that general Dugommier expressed in council an opinion that it was utterly impossible to recover Toulon, unless a most competent engineer could be found to manage and direct the immense artillery to be employed against it. Such a person was found in Napoleon Bonaparte, a Corsican by birth, who had served as a lieutenant in the regiment of La Fere. Having fled from the troubles that prevailed in his native country, he now offered his services, and was employed by the deputy Barras, on the recommendation of his countryman Salicetti. The whole direction of the artillery was committed to his superintendance; he reconnoitred the works; erected batteries in proper situations; and by his efforts drove the allies from the shores of France. On the 24th of December, it was decreed, in the convention, that the army at Toulon had deserved well of their country; and that the name of Toulon should be suppressed, and be called in future Port de la Montagne. grand festival was celebrated at Paris on the 30th, in consequence of the recapture of Toulon; when all the members of the convention attended, and went in procession from the gardens of the Palais Nationale to the Champs de Mars.

A

CHAPTER V.

THE HISTORY OF THE LIFE OF NAPOLEON BONAPARTE, FROM HIS BIRTH TILL THE RE-TAKING

OF TOULON.

HE history of the early lives of great men, whe

THE

ther they be statesmen or warriors, have been condemned by some, as totally uninteresting; and extolled by others, as necessary to render the biographical accounts of their lives complete. But a circumstantial narrative of the school-day transactions of such a person as Bonaparte, will be perused with interest, and afford a species of serious reflection to those who mean

to