neral, to Barras'
assistance. The result was the revolution of Fructidor.

Late on the 3rd of September, Barras, Rewbell and Larevelliere,
announced the discovery of a great royalist conspiracy. Barthelemy was
arrested; Carnot just succeeded in escaping. Next morning Augereau
with 2,000 men surrounded the assembly, arrested Pichegru and several
leading members, and prevented the other members from meeting.
Meanwhile small groups of supporters of Barras from the two Councils
came together and proceeded to transact business. On the 5th, the 19th
of Fructidor, decrees were passed by the usurping bodies; they provided
for the deportation of Carnot, Barthelemy, Pichegru and others; they
arbitrarily annulled a number of elections; they ordered all returned
_emigres_ to leave France; they repealed a recent law in favour of
liberty of worship, and they placed the press under strict Government
control. On the next day two new Directors were chosen from the
successful faction, Merlin de Douai and Francois de Neufchateau.

The Fructidorians now controlled the situation, led by Tallien,
Chenier, Jourdan in the Councils. Many officials were removed and
{251} replaced by their adherents. Priests were severely repressed,
thousands being imprisoned. Military tribunals were formed to deal
with _emigres_, and, in the course of the next two years, sent nearly
200 to the firing party.

Six weeks after Fructidor, on the 17th of October, the long struggle
between France and Austria was concluded by the treaty of Campo Formio,
signed by Bonaparte and Cobenzl. Austria ceded the Netherlands to
France; her Lombard province was incorporated in the newly formed
Cisalpine Republic, which she recognised; all the left bank of the
Rhine from Bale was ceded to France; Austria took Venice; and a
congress was to meet at Rastatt to consider territorial readjustments
within the Empire.

After Fructidor and Campo Formio matters proceeded more quietly for
awhile, the close of the year being marked by only two incidents that
need be recorded here, one the departure of Sieyes as ambassador to
Berlin, the other the triumphant return of Bonaparte from Italy, and
the ovations which the Parisian public gave him. But meanwhile, even
with the Councils packed, the Directors were once more in difficulties,
for the financial situation was {252} getting worse and worse, and the
venality, extravagance and incapacity of the Government seemed likely
to resul