ABSTRACT
In 1796, Lombardy, with the whole of northern Italy, received a constitution modelled on republican forms, administered by all the native talent it possessed; and Milan was declared the capital of the Cisalpine Republic. On the elevation of Bonaparte to the imperial throne, Lombardy found itself betrayed; and the gorgeous appellation of Kingdom of Italy did not compensate for the loss of that liberty which was not the less cherished because it was new. But under each successive change, Lombardy in general, and more particularly Milan, continued in a course of considerable improvement. It was crowded to suffocation by the peasantry from all parts of Lombardy, who, grouped in families, were seated in permanent ecstasy, gazing with delight upon the mighty fabric, traditionally familiar to them, though now haply seen for the first time.
