Thank you for visiting SNEWPapers!

Sign up free
Page thumbnail for The New Hampshire Gazette And Historical Chronicle
Foreign News November 22, 1771

The New Hampshire Gazette And Historical Chronicle

Portsmouth, Greenland, Rockingham County, New Hampshire

What is this article about?

A Corsican deputation arrived in Leghorn on July 18, 1768, en route to Vienna to propose the Emperor guarantee their treaty declaring the Grand Duke of Tuscany as King of Corsica, with annual tribute and mutual military support, amid ongoing resistance against French forces.

Clipping

OCR Quality

98% Excellent

Full Text

Translation of a letter from Leghorn, dated July 19th, to an Italian Merchant in London.

" Yesterday landed here, from three Sardinian Feluccas, a deputation-from the free Corsicans, of seven persons, with their attendants and baggage, who set out at Sun rise this Morning for Florence, and are immediately to proceed for Vienna with proposals to the Emperor to guarantee their treaty with the Grand Duke, whom they are ready immediately to declare King, and Hereditary Sovereign of all Corsica, with an annual tribute of eight hundred thousand sequins, to be levied and collected in whatever manner the General Assemblies of the deputies of the different pieces shall think proper. The Corsicans engage to support a constant body of regular troops, of six thousand men, to be annually recruited from their Militia, which is to consist of the male inhabitants of the whole Kingdom from the age of twenty to forty years, to be supplied with arms and ammunition at the expense of each piece ; that their Sovereign the Grand Duke shall maintain, in Corsica, nine battalions of infantry three troops of Hussars, a corps of artillery of 60 men, with three trains of light artillery ;---and that this military force shall be landed in Corsica within four months after the signing the treaty, which is acceded to even by all the Corsicans, now exposed to the barbarity of the French troops, of whom they are positive they have destroyed ten thousand within the last nine Months. Many they have destroyed by poisoning the wells and rivulets that supply their garrisons; their marksmen constantly kill the French officers; their horses are always hamstrung during the night, when they are at grass ; the hay ground is regularly burnt up by their countrymen ; their bridges of communication are no sooner finished than blown up ; their new roads are immediately rendered impassable by a small kind of mine,call'd a Fougasse, in which work the Corsican peasants are very expert ; for twenty of them can in one night. destroy what has employed a French battalion six weeks with infinite labour. They now declare, from the late examples of French courage, in their glorious victory over the French army, they have not the least dread of a hundred French battalions. Nothing but the savage barbarity of the French in stabbing the Corsican children, ravishing and then hanging their woman, putting their countrymen fit to the torture, and butchering them upon the rack----Marks of inhumanity unknown and unexperienced in any age---are, they trust, a sufficient apology with mankind for using some retaliation upon the unprovoked butchers of their infants, their parents, their wives, and themselves."

What sub-type of article is it?

Diplomatic Rebellion Or Revolt Political

What keywords are associated?

Corsican Deputation Leghorn Arrival Vienna Proposal Grand Duke King Corsica Treaty French Resistance Guerrilla Tactics

What entities or persons were involved?

Emperor Grand Duke

Where did it happen?

Corsica

Foreign News Details

Primary Location

Corsica

Event Date

July 19th

Key Persons

Emperor Grand Duke

Outcome

corsicans claim to have destroyed 10,000 french troops in the last nine months through guerrilla tactics; proposal for treaty guaranteeing grand duke as king of corsica with tribute and military forces.

Event Details

A deputation of seven free Corsicans landed in Leghorn from Sardinian feluccas, proceeding to Florence and Vienna to propose the Emperor guarantee their treaty with the Grand Duke, declaring him King and Hereditary Sovereign of Corsica with an annual tribute of 800,000 sequins. Corsicans to maintain 6,000 regular troops from militia; Grand Duke to station nine battalions of infantry, three troops of Hussars, and artillery in Corsica within four months. Corsicans describe ongoing resistance against French barbarity using poisoning, marksmanship, hamstringing horses, burning hay, blowing up bridges, and fougasse mines.

Are you sure?