have not escaped this cenfure; and one of the wifeft of them is faid to have fuffered feverely, and to have loft great power and proverty, by incurring it. Under fuch a mode of government, it is probable that the Corficans had frequent and fufficient caufes of complaint.

It was the peculiar unhappiness of the inhabitants of this ifland, that they were in all ages a prey to foreigners; doomed to feel the iron hand of oppreffion from every comer, they never seem to have had a fixed or permanent government of their own. This continual ftate of oppreffion depended in a great meafare upon their central fitua. tion; in a manner furrounded by great, warlike, and powerful nations.

This ifland, after a continued feries of revolutions, if paffing from the hands of one tyrant to another may be called fo, was at length granted by one of the popes to the republic of Pifa, which was then a very confiderable maritime state. In the long wars which enfued between this republic and that of Genoa, Corfica was a particular object of their contention; and, after a tedious truggle, was conquered by the Genoefe about the beginning of the fourteenth century. The conduct of the Genoefe in the government of this ifland, feems in general to have been cruel, arbitrary, and impolitic. So large a number of nobles, who looked upon themselves as joint monarchs of an island, which increafed their vanity by having the name of a kingdom, wanted each, in his own individual perfon, to fhew fome extraordinary exertion of power,

that might perpetuate his fame as a fovereign. Senfible alfo of their own weakness, their councils were guided by continual fear and diftruft; so that their fyftem seemed to be rather to keep the island defolate and barbarous, in hope of fecurity in the poffeffion, than to fuffer any improvement that could make it beneficial either to the natives or themselves.

The Corficans were far from being paffive during this long course of oppreffion. In the 16th century they carried on a bloody and defperate war, which continued feveral years, and in which they were very near fucceeding against the Genoefe; and when at laft they were overcome, they offered to fubmit themselves to the Turks, rather than return under the yoke of their old masters.

The prefent troubles began about the year 1729: it is true, there have been fome intervals of tranquillity, but they were only of a fhort continuance, and peace has never fince been thoroughly eftablished in the island. The Genoefe, after feveral encounters, finding their own force infufficient to reduce the malecontents, were obliged to call in an imperial army under General Wach tendonck to their affiftance; but this army being alfo unable to reduce the Corficans, a stronger was obliged to be brought in under the command of the Prince of Wirtemburgh. The Corficans, unable to refift fo fuperior a force, were obliged to come into a treaty under the emperor's guarrantee. The gaining of this point is faid to have coft the Genoefe thirty millions of French livres: the troubles arofe from the cruel treatment of [C] 2

a poor

a poor woman, for a fingle paolo, about five pence English, which was her fhare of a tax that he was unable to pay.

The peace was but of fhort du. ration: Soon after the departure of the imperial troops, the Genoefe are faid to have broke through every article of the treaty, 1734. and hoftilities were again renewed with as much rage as ever. The Genoefe, now left to their own ftrength, carried on the war with little fuccefs; there was a great deal of blood fpilt, and much mifchief done, but no effectual fervice performed; and while the country was continually wafted by both parties, its mountainous nature greatly befriended the natives. At this time Giafferi, who was the chief of the Corficans in both thefe infurrections, chofe for his colleague, Giacinto Paoli, father to the prefent General of that nation,

The Genoefe were greatly embarraffed; they hired a body of Swifs and Grifons, who, from the mountainous nature of their country, they thought might have been fitter for the Corfican fervice than their own troops. They alfo publifhed an indemnity to all their affaffins and outlaws of every fort, upon condition that they would fight the battles of the republic in Corfica.

It was during thefe tranfactions, that the famous Theodore Baron

Newhoff arrived in the 1736. ifland, and was declared king of it. The hiftory of this adventurer is well known. After about eight months enjoy ment of his royalty, being feized with a confcioufnefs of the fatal dangers which would probably at

tend the detection of his falfehoods, and the impofition he had put upon the people, he prudently withdrew from his kingdom, under pretence of going to haften the fuccours which he had fo long promifed.

The republic of Genoa was at length obliged to enter into a treaty with France, to reduce the Corficans to obedience. It was in vain that the malecontents remonftrated to his moft Chriftian majefty, againft the cruelty and injuftice of this procedure; a detachment of French troops were fent to Cor. March, fica, under the command 1738. of the Count de Boisseaux. Though thefe troops did a great deal of mifchief in the island, yet they were infufficient to fubdue the invincible fpirit of the iflanders. Upon this the French court fent, the following year, the Marquis de Mallebois at the head of a confiderable army to reduce them entirely to obedience..

This general executed the defigns of his court effectually; the Corficans were every where overpowered, and laughter, ruin, and deftruction were. fpread through every part of the inland. He cut down the ftanding corn, the vines, and the olives, fet fire to the vil lages, hanged numbers of monks and others who were moft forward in the revolt, and fpread fuch terror and defolation in every quarter, that the natives were once more obliged to fubmit to their ancient bondage. The unprecedented and terrible flaughter which had been committed, with the dread of ftill greater vengeance from fo formidable a nation as France, effaced every idea but that of immediate fafety. The

two

two generals, Giafferi and Paoli, were obliged to quit the inland, to which they never returned; they retired to Naples, where they got regiments, and spent the remainder of their lives.

Among many other propofais which the republic of Genoa made at this time to France, one was, to affign over a great number of the inhabitants of Corfica, who were to be fent to people the diftant French colonies: upon which a French writer remarks, "that the Genoefe would have been fatisfied to be fovereigns of the bare rocks of Corfica, without fubjects." The French troops be1741. ing at length withdrawn from Corfica, the fpirit of the inhabitants began again to appear in its full vigour. They had been obliged to deliver up their arms by the laft capitulation; their exiled countrymen, in the different towns of Italy, fupplied them with fome; they ftript the Genoefe foldiers of others, which they were not very willing to ufe, but which were afterwards effectually employed against themselves.

No fpirit was ever more general than that which appeared in this infurrection; men, women, and young boys, and even the clergy, bore arms. They elected two new chiefs, under the title of protectors; and having foon overrun the open country, they then befieged and took the capital city of Corte, together with its ftrong caftle. A defultory kind of war has been carried on, with fome intermiffions, ever fince.

In the year 1745, the English, as allies to the King of Sardinia, fent fome men of war, who bombarded and took the cities of Baf

tia and San Fiorenza, which they delivered up to the Corficans. They however loft thefe cities foon after, in confequence of the diffentions produced by the ambition and difagreement of their leaders and principal men. In the year 1746, they fent porpofals to the British embaffador, at Turin, to put themfelves under the protection of the crown of Great Britain; which propofals it appears were not accepted. In 1753, their leader Gaffori was affaffinated by fome ruffians, who were fuppofed to be fet on by the republic, as they had penfions allowed them in its territories.

During thefe tranfactions, Giacinto Paoli led a retired life in Naples; his whole time was devoted to the education of his fon Pafcal, whofe genius and difpofition' were fo happy that no part of it was mifpent. The father feemed to have a pre-fentiment of what his fon would arrive at; the courfe of education he prefcribed was calculated to form a prince and a legiflator; and the young man made fo excellent an use of the inftructions which he received, that he became the admiration of strangers, as well as of his countrymen.

The Corficans, tired of the continual diffenfions among their prin. cipal men, and of the confequent evils that attended them; charmed befides with the character and manners of young Paoli, fent a deputation to invite him to Corfica, and to offer him the fupreme government of the island. This offer was gladly ac- $755. cepted.

There was much to be reformed in Corfica: all forms of legal justice [C] 3

had

had been long laid afide; he found neither fubordination, difcipline, nor union, amongst the people; all feuds and difputes were terminated by affaffinations, every one of which begot a number of new ones; the people, trained up in continual war, defpifed agriculture, and every fpecies of industry; in a word, Paoli feemed in many inftances to have more difficulties to contend with, than the legiflators of the moft early ages.

The happiness of his genius, and the reverence that was paid to his virtues, enabled him however to triumph over all these difficulties. His perfuafion and example had fuch force in forming the people, that he foon drove the Genoefe to the remoteft corners of the island; nor had they any fecurity but in the few fortified towns which they poffeffed upon the feacoaft. He then attended to the civil part of the adminiftration, in which he fhewed fuch abilities and conftancy, as were little to be expected in fo young a man. He new modelled the government; but instead of taking advantage of the influence which he had on the people, to eftablish a tyranny, he founded a democracy. He formed a great council of the nation, by which every perfon in it was reprefented by two members for every parish, who were elected annually. He formed good laws, and had them ftrictly executed; fo that, in a little time, he almoft entirely eradicated the practice of affaffination, as well as many other enormities.

He made many other regulations, which, if he purfues the fame virtuous courfe in which he fet out, will perpetuate his name

with great honour to pofterity. He established an univerfity at Corte; he had proper fchools fixed in all the villages in the kingdom; and by these means he opened the minds of the Corficans, and gradually prepared them for the reception of laws.

In the mean time, the republic of Genoa finding herfelf incapable of defending the few fortified places which remained in her hands, entered into a negociation with France; in confequence of which the latter fent fix battalions to fecure them, according to treaty, for four years. Thefe troops were reftrained, by the conditions, from acting offenfively against the Corficans.

1764.

This measure having, in a great degree, circumfcribed Paoli's operations by land, it alfo ferved to direct his activity to another fphere. He had for fome time paft taken great pains to form fomething like a marine force; he now attended to it with greater diligence, and was fo fuccefsful as greatly to incommode the Genoefe trade, as well as their conveyance of troops and ftores, &c. to Corfica. In the courfe of this year, he formed a fuccefsful defign, which was as unexpected by his enemies, as it was furprifing to the reft of Europe.

The Ifland of Capraja, on the coaft of Tufcany, belonged to the Genoefe; it is about fix miles in length, and from two to three broad; it is very rocky and mountainous, but fertile in vines, of which it produces a great quantity. The inhabitants are computed to be about 3000, and the men are faid to be the best failors