Gazette Of The United States, & Philadelphia Daily Advertiser

Translated from the Leyden Gazette.

Extract of a letter from Berne, of the 16th of March.

"We have passed ten days of disorder, of agony, and confusion. The 2d of March in the morning, news was received of the attack of the French upon Soleure: It might be said to cause more joy than consternation, while we were animated with ardor to repel a foreign invasion: Nothing but anxiety for the combat appeared: but in the afternoon, on the news of the reduction of Soleure and Fribourg, that first effervescence abated. There was entered into, a new negociation, which came to nothing, and served only to waste precious time, to sow distrust, and to reverse the arrangements which the first orders had established. In the first combat, on the 3d of March, before Aarberg, the troops of Berne and those of Zurich had at first repulsed the French: but this success was of very short duration: harmony no longer existed: whilst some of the officers wished to act offensively, others gave orders to their men to hold themselves simply on the defensive, These different and contradictory orders of the officers inspired into the soldiers suspicions of treachery, and cruelly exasperated them against their officers.

On the 4th at 6 o'clock in the morning, the old government abdicated: the provisional government was appointed and established. During the day, a great number of troops entered the city: the soldiers breathed nothing but vengeance against those whom they called traitors: they wished to be led against the French: they complained loudly of the council of two hundred, which had so suddenly checked their activity, and of those of their officers who had appeared to them to be partakers of their conduct.

At the gates of the city, colonel Ryhiner, colonel Stehlin, and captain Weiss, were killed by their men. Many others shared presently the same fate. According to popular report, the general D'Erlach was also miserably massacred by his troops; and his chateau threatened with conflagration. In fine, in the afternoon, the provisional government was enabled to get some control over the popular movement, and to distract its effects, by sending a part of the troops to the bridge of Gummenen, and another to Graubholz. The 5th of March in the morning the alarm was beat throughout the whole city: every man hastened to put himself in a state of defence; the army of Italy approached our walls. Our situation was cruel: fear, rage, despair, uncertainty, distrust,—every passion reigned in turns; and sometimes all at once; the tocsin sounded; and the men, boiling with an ill attempered courage ran through the city, to excite the people to arms. In another quarter the fugitives announced that their corps had been attacked at 6 in the morning; that it had cost the lives of many men on both sides; and that the post must soon be surrendered. Towards the hour of ten, the cannonade of the post of Graubholz was heard. During this, they were resolved to keep up their resistance, when all of a sudden, and whilst the unhappy peasants still made resistance, the flying artillery of the French came and presented itself before the town and pointed its cannon.—

While every thing was terror, wise men saw that no other course remained than to surrender: they prevailed, and they obtained a capitulation. Instantly the white flag was hoisted; and the drum announced through the city the capitulation at 1 o'clock. all the Bernese forces defiled. They had nine flags with their cannons. Order reigned until the French troops were distributed into quarters. The black Hussars entered into the houses, demanded the money, watches, &c. Without the city, the troops committed numberless excesses. The 6th, in the morning, all the inhabitants of the city were disarmed. The councillor Herbert, one of those who had the most obstinately opposed every concession to the demands of France, killed himself in despair with a pistol The 7th, the army of Italy (that of general Brune) took up their encampment to a very great number, in the city. In the night we beheld the conflagration of two houses: the villages of Kuntz, Bemps, Wangen and Gatz, were completely pillaged.The same day part of the army of the Rhine, (that of general Schauenbourg) entered itself in the villages which environ the city, The 8th, in the morning. the army of the Rhine quitted us, to go to Soleure, and its environs, on wait new orders: to make up for this deliverance, the army of Italy entered the city to the number of ten thousand men, The same day, the Tree of Liberty was planted on the place of the Hotel de ville: a great crowd of people collected there, men and women, all carrying the green cockade (the same colour with that of the Helvetic republic) by order of general Brune. The new colours were hoisted during this ceremony by those just released from prison, where they had been confined for mal-practices The general Brune, mounted in the tribune, addressed a discourse to the people, in which he assured them, "that the moment of tempest was passed; that calm and tranquility were about to revive; that the natural rights of man Liberty and Equality were established; that the people were about to be delivered from the oppression of their great men. &c." At the close of this discourse, were heard the cries of Vive la Republique! Vive le general Brune, la Grande Nation!&c In descending from the common hall, the procession made a tour round the Tree: general Brune and Mr. Frisching laid the first stones of its consolidation."