nuel, who had
been forced to abdicate his continental possessions, to return to Turin.
Everywhere the Italian people rose against the French. Suvorov designed
to crush Moreau and Macdonald separately, to cross the Alps, and restore
the French monarchy. He was thwarted by the Austrian court. Thugut
disapproved of the proposed restoration of the King of Sardinia, for he
was set on the aggrandisement of Austria at the expense of Piedmont. The
tsar aimed at the re-establishment of the old order in Europe, the
emperor at the increase of his own dominions. Suvorov, though indignant
at Austrian opposition, turned to the work immediately before him, and
inflicted a crushing defeat on Macdonald at the Trebbia on June 19.
Macdonald made a rapid retreat, and finally led his shattered army to
Genoa. A new French army was defeated by Suvorov at Novi on August 15,
its commander, Joubert, falling early in the battle.

The English government approved of the emperor's designs on Piedmont,
for under a strong power the country would be a barrier to French
aggression,[301] and as the difference of policy between Austria and
Russia hindered the progress of the war, devised a plan for bringing
them into accord as regards operations. Suvorov, after completing the
conquest of Italy, was to enter Switzerland and prosecute his intended
invasion of France; the Austrians were to remain in occupation of
Piedmont and enter France by Savoy, while the archduke was to act on the
Rhine where his presence would forward a scheme for an invasion of
Holland by England and Russia. During the spring and summer the archduke
had been struggling with Massena in Switzerland without making much
progress, though in August the French evacuated the Grisons country.
Shortly before he left for the upper Rhine he was joined by a new
Russian army under Korsakov. After his departure Massena utterly
defeated Korsakov and his Austrian allies near Zurich on September 26.
When, then, Suvorov had, in spite of great hardships, led his army over
the St. Gothard, he found his whole plan of campaign overset and his
position seriously endangered by Korsakov's defeat. He abandoned the
campaign, and at the head of only 25,000 men of the 70,000 sent by the
tsar to the war, retired into Germany. In the Mediterranean, Corfu, the
other Venetian islands, and several important posts were captured by the
combined Russian and Turkish squadrons. Valetta was closely besieged
under Nelson's dir