sense, were of loose morals, and so corrupt that they reflected contempt and abhorrence upon those who associated with them. Such were Catalani d'Azzia and the historian Pietro Colletta. The latter, being secretary to a military commission, by way of ingratiating himself with the minister, evinced the utmost degree of ferocity against the poor citizens brought before its bloody tribunal for the trial of political offences.

The two journeys of the King to Paris left me a great deal of leisure; but instead of giving myself up to the pleasures and dissipation of our capital, I devoted myself to the renewal of my interrupted studies. Under the direction of a learned young officer of engineers, I studied the art of military fortification, with which I was already to some extent acquainted. When alone, I read again and again the French military administration of the corps composing an army, which was a chaos, by the by; but I was extremely anxious to be well informed on this head, as I was bent upon obtaining the command of a regiment in Spain.

The King was on his return from Paris, and his military establishment went to meet him beyond Capua, and returned with him to Santa Leuci, where he addressed us all with his accustomed familiarity. Amongst other things, he informed us that it was Napoleon's intention shortly to visit Naples. He next proceeded to communicate his positive intention of landing in Sicily. This public announcement, however, we regarded as a mere threat to divert the attention of the English who were occupied by the war in Spain and Portugal. This threat was, however, far more serious than I had anticipated; and we were on the point of taking possession of Sicily.

VOL. I.

N

CHAPTER XVI.

1810-1811.

The King goes to Calabria, with the intention of threatening, or perhaps of executing an invasion in Sicily-Various occurrences which I witnessed during the four months that we were in that island-Our return to Naples-The remaining insurgents are entirely put down in the kingdom-Commission in Apulia entrusted to me by the King-I ask and obtain the command of a regiment and of the Neapolitan Brigade in Spain.

THE King gave orders that a great number of transports should be got together in the Strait. He added to these the few gun-boats at his disposal, even those styled in the country, Paranze, which carry only a single gun. He gave injunctions that numerous batteries should be erected between Reggio and Scylla, and that three divisions of French troops and one of Neapolitan infantry should be despatched in that direction. He made dispositions at the same time for the quartering of several bodies of cavalry at Seminara and Palmi, a distance of about four-and-twenty miles from Reggio. Before these various orders could be executed, he himself departed for Calabria attended by his military establishment. Unfortunately for us who were obliged to accompany him, he had received a small

droschki as a present from the Emperor of Russia. Although this carriage ran upon four wheels, it proceeded with the greatest rapidity upon roads impracticable to ordinary vehicles. By means of this conveyance, the King, without fatigue travelled from Castrovillari to Cosenza, a distance of forty miles, in a few hours, not a little to the injury of our poor horses. The King went to visit the old castle which commands Cosenza, and while I was standing with his other officers around him, I received so violent a kick on the back from his horse, that I fell senseless to the ground. The King ran to my assistance and recommended me warmly to the care of his private surgeon, who had me conveyed into the castle, and applied spirits of wine mixed with water to the injured part. The pain I endured was so violent, that I thought I should never be able to stand again. Every morning the King sent his chamberlain to inquire after my health; but after three days he departed accompanied by his suite, and I remained for a fortnight stretched upon my bed, reckoning the hours which passed in so painful a state. At length, I mounted my horse and rejoined the King at Monteleone, without awaiting my complete recovery.

The insurrection in Calabria was entirely quelled, and the few insurgents who still overran the country were considered as so many offenders proscribed by the laws. The proclamation of amnesties, from time to time put forth, and often on most inopportune occasions, and his well-known clemency were almost ineffectual. The National Guard, although supported by the whole army which threatened Sicily, was unable to put down the few hundred outlaws infesting the Calabrias. It was in vain that I protested to the King that the National Guard ought to be organized upon

another footing, but as he looked upon me as a man of the most democratic principles, he would not confide the charge of reorganizing it to me.

The King, his suite, and his troops, had now taken. up their position in the city of Scylla and its neighbourhood. The army was composed of three French divisions; of one Neapolitan, of small number, and of the royal foot guard, in all about twenty-two thousand men. There were likewise several bodies of cavalry between Palmi and Seminara.

One of our convoys had quitted Parma for Scylla: the King, who was placed in one of the batteries of the castle, was watching the attempts made by the enemy to capture some of our vessels. He suddenly issued orders that the gun-boats and the paranzas should bring the enemy to an engagement. The current being at that moment contrary, it was impossible to execute such orders with any degree of promptitude. As the King understood nothing at all about the theory of currents, he sent order upon order that the boats should proceed directly against the enemy. He kept on renewing these injunctions every instant by means of his officers, and when these failed him, through his chamberlains, and even his servants. There was a naval officer with him at the time, who seeing him in a fury at the delay interposed between his commands and their execution, had not the courage to inform him of his error. I had embarked with other officers in the gun-boats, and we narrowly escaped being made prisoners. We all put into a grotto near that shore upon which the guns of the enemy's ships were discharging their thunder. We had with us the brave French General De Riz, who was afterwards killed in the campaign of Russia, under the eyes of Joachim. The British were dreadfully

harassed by the incessant fire from our batteries, as well as from the guns of our fleet, which although in some disorder, fought with the utmost valour under the eyes of our new Charles XII. Joachim, being grand Admiral of France, conceived that he must be possessed of some maritime knowledge. Transports continued to arrive in spite of the English fleet from all parts of the coast of the kingdom opposite to Sicily. These vessels advanced under the protection of our gun-boats, and of the different batteries erected from time to time to protect the coast.

When we first arrived at Scylla, the English forces, both on land and water, destined for the defence of Sicily were of small importance, whilst we had vessels enough to enable us to land upon the nearest point of the island. We had four thousand men at our command, and as soon as they set foot on the island, our formidable batteries could keep up an alternate discharge with the forces on shore, and so enable us to transport our remaining troops in a space of four-and-twenty hours. Such an operation was both difficult and dangerous; but the King, who did not know what fear was, I am inclined to believe was not a free agent in this matter. According to what was then rumoured, as well as to what I myself observed, it was supposed that the French General, Gregnier, nominated by the Emperor chief of Joachim's staff, had received secret instructions not to permit an invasion, which would be attended with great risk. It is a certain fact, that not only Gregnier, but the other three Generals of the French divisions, one and all opposed the invasion of Sicily in the most strenuous manner, on the plea that were it not attended with success we should all perish or be taken prisoners. The great aim of Napoleon,