ANDREOSSY  ,

ANTOINE-FRANCOIS, COUNT (1761-1828), French soldier and diplomatist, was born at Castelnaudary, in Languedoc, on the 6th of March 1761 . He was of Italian extraction, and his ancestor Francois Andreossy (1633-1688) had been concerned with Riquet in the construction of the Languedoc Canal in 1669 . He had a brilliant career at the school of artillery at Metz, obtained his commission in 1781, and became captain in 1788 . On the outbreak of the Revolution he adopted its principles . He, saw active service on the Rhine in 1794 and in Italy in 1795, and in the campaign of 1796-97 was employed in engineer duties with the Army of Italy . He became chef de brigade in December 1796 and general of brigade in 1798, in which year he accompanies Bonaparte to Egypt . He served in the Egyptian campaign with distinction, and was selected as one of Napoleon's companions on his return to Europe . Andreossy took part in the coup d'etat of the 18th of Brumaire, and on the 6th of January 1800 was made general of division . Of particular importance was his term of office as ambassador to England during the short peace which followed the treaties of Amiens and Luneville . It had been shown (Coquille, Napoleon and England, 1904) that Andreossy repeatedly warned Napoleon that the British government desired to maintain peace but must be treated with consideration . His advice, however, was disregarded . When Napoleon became emperor he made Andreossy inspector-general of artillery and a count of the empire .

In the

war of 18o5 Andreossy was employed on the headquarters staff of Napoleon . From 18o8 to 1809 he was French ambassador at Vienna, where he displayed a hostility to Austria which was in marked contrast to his friendliness to England in 1802-1803 . In the war of 1809, Andreossy was military governor of Vienna during the French occupation . In 1812 he was sent by Napoleon as ambassador to Constantinople, where he carried on the policy initiated by Sebastian . In 1814 he was recalled by Louis XVIII . Andreossy now retired into private life, till the escape of his former master from Elba once again called him forth . In 1826 he was elected to the Academic des Sciences, and in the following year was deputy for the department of the Aude . His numerous works included the following:—on artillery (with which arm he was most intimately connected throughout his military career), Quelques idees relatives a l'usage de l'artillerie clans l'attaque et . . . la defense des places (Metz) ; Essai sur le tir des projectiles creux (Paris, 1826); and on military history, Campagne sur le Main et la Rednitz de l'armee gallo-batave (Paris, 18o2); Operations des pontonniers en Italic . . . 1795-1796 (Paris, 1843) . He also wrote scientific memoirs on the mouth of the Black Sea (1818-1819); on certain Egyptian lakes (during his stay in Egypt); and in particular the history of the Languedoc Canal (Histoire du canal du Midi, 2nd ed., Paris, 1804), the chief credit of which he claimed for his ancestor .

Andreossy died at

Montauban in 1828 . See Marion, Notice necrologique sur le Lt.-General Comte Andreossy .