art, was not slow to profit by
the departure of the Austrian Commander-in-chief: he, being informed of
Buonaparte's descent, forthwith resumed the offensive, re-crossed the
Var, and carried Vintimiglia at the point of the bayonet. Pursuing his
advantage, Suchet obtained the mastery, first of the defile of Braus,
and then of that of Tende, and at length re-occupied his old position at
Melagno, whence his advanced guard pushed on as far as Savona.

The garrison of Genoa, meantime, had been holding out gallantly.
Massena for some time kept possession of the semicircular chain of
heights on the land side, and was thus enabled to obtain provisions,
despite the 40,000 Austrians under General Ott who lay watching him, and
the English fleet under Lord Keith which completely blockaded the shore.
A great effort made to dislodge him from the heights on the 3rd of April
had failed. But by degrees the superiority of numbers proved too much
for him, and being shut at last within the walls--where, to increase all
his difficulties, a great part of the population was violently hostile
to the French cause--his sufferings from want of provisions, and the
necessity of constant watchfulness and daily skirmishes, began to be
severe. In his sorties, Massena had for the most part the advantage; and
never in the whole war was the heroism of the French soldiery more
brilliantly displayed than during this siege.[36] The news of the
expedition of Napoleon at length penetrated to the beleaguered garrison,
and the expectation of relief gave them from day to day new courage to
hold out. But day passed after day without any deliverer making his
appearance, and the scarcity of food rendered it almost impossible to
keep the inhabitants from rising _en masse_ to throw open the gates. The
English, meanwhile, anchored closer to the city, and having cut out the
vessels which guarded the entrance of the harbour, were bombarding the
French quarters at their pleasure. Everything eatable, not excepting the
shoes and knapsacks of the soldiers, had been devoured, ere Massena at
length listened to the proposal of a conference with General Ott and
Lord Keith. If the French general's necessities were urgent, the English
admiral's desire to get possession of Genoa, ere Buonaparte could make
further progress, was not less vehement. Lord Keith frankly told
Massena, that his gallantry had been such that no terms could be too
good for him. The word _capitulation_ Was omit