t St. James's, there could (said the pasquinade) be no fair
pretext for refusing. Some other trifles of the same character might be
noticed; but the true answer to Mr. Pitt was the campaign of Marengo.

Buonaparte rejoiced cordially in the result of his informal negotiation.
It was his policy, even more clearly than it had been that of his
predecessors, to buy security at home by battle and victory abroad. The
national pride had been deeply wounded during his absence; and something
must be done in Europe, worthy of the days of Lodi, and Rivoli, and
Tagliamento, ere he could hope to be seated firmly on his _throne_. On
receiving the answer of the British minister, he said to Talleyrand
(rubbing his hands, as was his custom when much pleased), "it could not
have been more favourable." On the same day, the 7th of January (just
three days after the date of Lord Grenville's note), the First Consul
issued his edict for the formation of an army of reserve, consisting of
all the veterans who had ever served, and a new levy of 30,000
conscripts.

At this time France had four armies on her frontiers: that of the North,
under Brune, watched the partisans of the House of Orange in Holland,
and guarded those coasts against any new invasion from England; the
defeat of the Duke of York had enabled the government to reduce its
strength considerably. The second was the army of the Danube, under
Jourdan, which, after the defeat at Stockach, had been obliged to repass
the Rhine. The third, under Massena, styled the army of Helvetia, had
been compelled in the preceding campaign to evacuate great part of
Switzerland; but, gaining the battle of Zurich against the Russians, now
re-occupied the whole of that republic. The fourth was that broken
remnant which still called itself the "army of Italy." After the
disastrous conflict of Genola it had rallied in disorder on the Apennine
and the heights of Genoa, where the spirit of the troops was already so
much injured, that whole battalions deserted _en masse_, and retired
behind the Var. Their distress, in truth, was extreme; for they had lost
all means of communication with the valley of the Po, and the English
fleet effectually blockaded the whole coasts both of Provence and
Liguria; so that, pent up among barren rocks, they suffered the
hardships and privations of a beleaguered garrison.

The Chief Consul sent Massena to assume the command of the "army of
Italy"; and issued, on that occasion,