1798.

BOOK III. take advantage of a deep ditch that was in the way, to defend themselves from the enemy's caCHAP. VI. valry, and conceal their movements towards the Nile. The divisions rapidly advanced; the mamelukes attacked the platoons, and unmasked forty pieces of bad artillery; but the divisions rushed forward, so that the mamelukes could not re-load their guns. The camp and the village of Ernbabé were carried by the bayonet. Fifteen hundred mameluke cavalry, and as many peasants, whose retreat was cut off, occupied a position behind a ditch that communicated with the Nile; these brave men would not surrender, and were all either put to the sword or drowned in the Nile.

Mourad Bey, who commanded upon this occasion, on perceiving the village of Ernbabé carried, thought proper to retreat, leaving behind him 400 camels, forty pieces of cannon, baggage, and provisions. The divisions of Generals Desaix and Reignier had already forced his cavalry to fall back: the army pursued the mamelukes; and the French, after marching and fighting nineteen hours, occupied a position at Ghazah. Never was the superiority of disciplined courage over ill-directed valor more sensibly felt than at this time.

This victory, obtained with the loss of ten men killed, and about thirty wounded, presented a rich spoil for the invaders, who seized on many fine Arabian horses, superbly caparisoned, and found all the purses of the vanquished filled with gold; which amply compensated the soldiers for the excessive fatigues they had suffered. During fifteen days, their nourishment was a few vege tables without bread; the provisions found in the camp, therefore, afforded them an agreeable en

tertainment.

"

On the 23d of July the principal inhabitants of Cairo offered to deliver up the city to Bonaparte, who received them at Ghazah; they asked protection for the city, and engaged for its submission. The French general declared, he wished to remain in friendship with the Egyptian people and the Ottoman Porte, and assured them that the customs and religion of the country should be scrupulously respected. They returned to Cairo with a detachment under the command of a French officer. The French troops, notwithstanding, committed excesses; the mansion of Mourad Bey having been pillaged and burnt.

Mourad Bey took refuge in Upper Egypt, while his colleague, Ibrahim Bey, fled towards Syria. Bonaparte removed his head-quarters to Cairo: the divisions of Generals Regnier and Menou were stationed at Old Cairo; those of Bon and Kleber at Boulac; a corps of observation was placed on the route of Syria; and the division of Desaix occupied an entrenched position

about three leagues in front of Ernbabé, on the route to Upper Egypt. As soon as the French general obtained the confidence of the cheiks and principal families, he organised a provisional government. For the first time, since the days of Mahomet, a deliberative assembly was formed by musselmen representatives. All the principal cheiks, throughout the fourteen provinces of Egypt, who had not exhibited a marked enmity to the invaders, were summoned to meet in the capital; and deputies selected from these constituted a convention, over which Berthollet and Mouge, the former a chemist and the latter a mathematician, assisted as commissioners on the part of France; while Abdallah Kerkaori, an Arabian prince, exercised the functions of president. The members of this divan were permitted to wear turbans, which distinguished them from other chiefs, while over their shoulders were extended tri-colored shawls, descending to their heels.

The French general sent his dispatches to Alexandria and to Paris; and, it being customary with him to convey the rarities of Egypt to the Museum at Paris, he ordered the mamelukes, whom he had taken prisoners, to be transported in his first collection of natural curiosities. Ac-" cordingly, a letter was written to Admiral Brueys, accompanied by twelve mamelukes, named, whom he wished to be sent to France by the first opportunity. Bonaparte informed the admiral, that, after almost incredible hardships, he was at length quiet in Cairo; and desired him not to be uneasy about the subsistence of his men, the country being rich in provisions almost beyond imagination; he urged him to dispatch the cou rier he sent in a frigate, to land wherever he thought proper; and said, that he had dist patched, by the Nile, a prodigious quantity of provisions, to pay for the freight of the transports.

Bonaparte also wrote to General Kleber, telling him there was a very excellent mint at Cairo, and desiring him to get back all the ingots he had given to the merchants, in lieu of which he promised them wheat and rice, of which he had im mense quantities: these ingots were plunder, taken at Malta, which had been left with Gene ral Kleber at Alexandria, to pay the transports to serve in the expedition.

General Kleber was occupied in procuring supplies and providing for the sick; both which duties were attended with great difficulty, as water was obliged to be supplied from Rosetta. The commissary of the marine, and those employed in the victualling service, complained of the pains and trouble it cost to do the most trifling thing. Kleber laid these obstacles to the hostility of the new divan, and, in a fit of anger, caused

the old Cheriff, Coraim, to be sent a prisoner on board the Orient; but the commissary, in a letter to Admiral Brueys, declared, that it was owing to not finding scherms (lighters) enough at Rosetta to convey water and provisions to sup

ply the fleet; until the 29th of July only five of BOOK IN. those vessels could be had, and the demand of the fleet could not be supplied until more could CHAP. VI. be procured from Damietta. Such was the 1798. wretched state of the French army in Egypt.

THE destination of the French fleet, by which the conquest of Malta and Egypt was effected, had long attracted the attention of all Europe, and particularly of England; but, though many vague conjectures were afloat before the object of the armament was ascertained, the number and rates of the ships employed upon the occasion were well known. Indeed the distracted state of Ireland did not permit England to detach a fleet for the purpose of blocking up Toulon, and preventing the French from leaving that port; positive instructions, however, were sent to Lord St. Vincent, then stationed off Cadiz, to select a sufficient number of line-of-battle ships for a pursuit, the nomination of which was entirely left to his lordship's choice; but the name of the commander, to whose discretion they were to be entrusted, was particularly specified: this was the enterprising Rear-admiral Nelson, who was already in the Mediterranean, having a flying squadron under his command, with his flag hoisted on board the Vanguard; but this force was by no means sufficient to cope with so powerful an armament as that under Brueys, the French admiral. Ten sail were at length detached, under Captain Trowbridge, as soon as the arrival of a reinforcement from the Channel fleet enabled Lord St. Vincent to spare them; and, when these had joined, Rear-admiral Nelson determined to proceed in quest of the enemy.

Having repaired to the neighbourhood of Naples, for the purpose of obtaining information, he afterwards directed his course to Sicily, and there, for the first time, heard of the surrender of Malta. He immediately took on board expert pilots, and was the first commander who ever passed the Straits of Messina with a fleet of men of war,

After staying only a week, the rear-admiral heard that the French had left Malta; he then steered for Candia, and, being assured that they were destined for Egypt, he sailed thither, and arrived at the mouth of the Nile three days before

Bonaparte. After consulting with the English consul, he supposed his former information to be false, and repaired to Rhodes, having actually passed Bonaparte's fleet in the fog, as they were lying to for the convoy. He returned to Sicily, passe and, in the bay of Syracuse, procured supplies of every kind for his squadron.

In the course of a few days the English admiral again went in search of the French expedition, and, being informed that it had arrived in Egypt some time before, he once more steered for Alexandria, and, as he approached the coast, saw the object of his desire. The position occupied by the French was in the very place where the famous combat between Augustus Cæsar and Mark Anthony, nineteen hundred years since, decided the empire of the world. History must again record a matter almost as important-a naval battle between the fleets of two of the most powerful states of the civilized world, on which depended their maritime superiority, the immediate renewal of the war on the continent of Europe, and the eventual possession of Egypt.

When Admiral Brueys disembarked the troops under his convoy, he arrived, on the 7th of July, in the bay of Aboukir, forming a line of battle, his headmost ship being as close as possible to a shoal to the north-west, the rest of the fleet forming a curve along the line of deep water, flanked by a number of gun-boats, and, on an island in the van, by a battery of shells and mortars. Thus defended, the French admiral waited till the 31st of July, trusting too much, we presume, to his own strength, because he had abundant time to have taken shelter in Corfu or Malta, which was the earnest but fruitless recommendation of General Bonaparte.

The British fleet hove in sight on the 1st of August, and Admiral Nelson, on a near approach, determined on a manoeuvre never before hazarded by any commander, and which, perhaps, was only justified by the known coolness of the veteran

and leeward; but, as the English fleet advanced for that purpose, the Culloden struck on the northern shore of the Bequier Island, and remained unserviceable: this circumstance, instead of proving fatally disastrous, contributed to the preservation of two other vessels, she having served as a beacon or strand-mark to the Alexander and Leander, then in her wake, which consequently avoided the danger. Captain Foley, in the Goliath, which took the lead, having been followed by the Zealous, the Orion, and the Theseus, notwithstanding they were assailed by the batteries on shore, and the gun-boats stationed on the flank, attacked the van ships of the French in succession as they came up, and then pushed in between their line of battle and the land; while the Vanguard, with the admiral's flag on board, and the signal for close action still flying, kept on the outside, and came to anchor exactly opposite to the Spartiate. In the mean time the Minotaur was opposed to the Aquilou, the Defence to the Souverain Peuple, and the Swiftsure of 74 to the Franklin of 80; but the most unequal part of the contest was reserved for Captain Darby, of the Bellerophon, who had to oppose the commander-in-chief, in the Orient; but he was soon assisted by Capt. Ball, of the Alexander, who assumed such a position as enabled him to annoy, though not to silence, the tremendous batteries of their antagonist. Soon after this, the Leander, which, from her inferiority, could not be considered as appertaining to the line of battle, anchored in a most judicious station, by placing a spring upon her cable, and opening a well-directed fire on the Franklin and Le Souverain Peuple, (which she would not have been able to contend with, had they not been previously engaged,) contributed greatly to the general success.

Such was the masterly disposition of the British fleet, which had thus doubled upon and engaged with only half of the enemy's, while the remainder was obliged to remain inactive, that the project, though daring, proved fortunate, particu larly as the yards and rigging of the adverse ships were frequently entangled together, whereby the English seamen were able to display their usual superiority in close fight. Although some of the van struck, the fate of the engagement remained as yet undecided; for those in the rear were untouched, and the Orient, which still con tinued to pour forth successive broadsides from all her decks, seemed to prove a match for her adversaries: however, a little after uine, she was perceived to be on fire, and, in about an hour after, blew up with a terrible explosion, the force of which was so great, as to shatter her upper works to pieces, aud endanger the safety of the English vessels. Notwithstanding this awful spectacle, the action did not cease until day-light;

and even then, after a short interval, it was resumed, as several vessels of force still displayed the French flag, nor did it terminate until about noon, when the victory was complete.

The result of this memorable engagement was that out of a fleet of thirteen sail, the admiral, of 120 guns, and the Timoleon, of 74, were burnt, while two 80-gun ships, the Franklin and Tonnant, and seven of 74, were captured. Two ves sels of the line, the Guillaume Tell and the Généreux, put to sea during the general confusion, and, with two frigates, found means to escape, notwithstanding the Zealous was sent in pursuit of them; but they did not long remain in possession of the enemy, having been seized soon after: thus the whole of the armament was either taken, sunk, or burnt.

The French, as imagined, lost about 6000 men; the English had 218 killed and 677 wounded, the largest portion of whom belonged to the Bellerophon, the Vanguard, and the Majestic. One officer ouly was killed, Captain Westcott, who fell early in the action, and was succeeded by Lieutenant Cuthbert, who continued the fight with great gallantry. The intrepid Nelson was wounded in the head, and carried off the deck, while Captain Berry, who took his place, evinced the same courage.

Achard, a lieutenant de vaisseau, in his aecount of this action, condemned the conduet of the French commander, and asserted,

1. That Le Guerrier was originally moored close to the bank, in five fathoms and a half; but was ordered to move forward, notwithstanding the representations of the captain.

2. That the crews of the headmost ships were all desirous to fire the moment that the leading vessels of the English were within half-cannon shot; but that the commanders refused until a signal for that purpose should be made by the admiral; in consequence of which, the enemy were permitted to choose their position at leisure.

3. That instead of holding a council of war, or making preparations for defence, a distribution of rice actually took place among the ships, notwithstanding the English were in sight from two to six, when the action commenced: and,

4. That the utmost confusion was visible on board the admiral's ship, which was set on fire, not by the enemy's guns, but by mere carelessness, several casks of linseed-oil having been left on the deck.

This account, however, neither corresponds with the report of the English officers, who affirmed that the fire of L'Orient was incessant and tremendous, nor with Achard's former assertion, that previously to the bursting out of the flames, the Bellerophon was about to strike to her. The

French commander appears to have been inde- BOOK II, fensible;

1. In omitting to strengthen his flanks, by means of the two Venetian men of war then lying useless in the old harbour of Alexandria, which would have presented a more formidable bulwark than the batteries on the little island and the gun, boats, which indeed annoyed, but never once in terrupted the evolutions of the British squadron. And

2. In forgetting to moor his fleet in such a manner as to tail on the shoals, and thus prevent the antagonist from doubling upon and getting between them and the land.

It was, however, unjust, as well as illiberal, to blame the French admiral after his death; par+ ticularly as it had been stated by Brueys, that be detained the fleet to gratify the wishes of the com mander-in-chief; and, probably, it was to atone for this, that Bonaparte wrote a letter of kindness and condolence to Madame Brueys.

As soon as the news of this naval victory reached England, bonfires and illuminations de clared the joy of the public; and the king and both houses of parliament bestowed marks of fa vor on the fleet. His majesty conferred the dig nity of a baron of Great Britain, with a pension of 30007. per annum, on the admiral, who was ac cordingly called up to the house of peers, by the style and dignity of Baron Nelson of the Nile. The captains E. Berry and T. B. Thompson received the honor of knighthood, and the other commanders were presented with gold medals.

The Turkish sultan, in consequence of this joyful event, transmitted to Admiral Nelson a superb diamond chelengk, or plume of triumph, taken from one of the imperial turbans, and a sable fur with broad sleeves; also a purse of 2000 sequins, to be distributed among the wounded. A much larger sum, however, was raised for the widows and children of those who perished in the action, by public subscription. The king of Naples, at a later period, conferred upon the English admiral the title of Duke of Bronte, with an estate in Sicily.

Admiral Gantheaume, who had escaped from the Orient during the conflagration, by getting into a boat which was under her counter, in his account said, "that the whole of their van was often raked, and the smoke so thick, that with difficulty they could distinguish the different movements; that in about an hour after the action had commenced, the admiral was wounded twice, and soon after killed on the quarter-deck; that while they were briskly firing from the lower deck guns, they found the quarter-deck on fire, which spread so rapidly, that all was soon in flames; their pumps and sockets were destroyed; the flames increased, and made an alarming pro

CHAP. VIL

1798.

1798.

BOOK III. gress; they had lost their main and mizen masts, and the fire rapidly spread; both captains were CHAP. VII. wounded, but the scuttles were ordered to be opened, and every one to quit the ship. At day break several ships were discovered in possession of the enemy; two which ran aground were at tacked, and obliged to strike; four set their sails and stood out to sea; the Timoleon ran ashore, and was set fire to by her crew, to prevent her falling into the enemy's hands. He details the accounts (he added) from memory, not being able to preserve a memorandum of any description. During this time Tallien was at Rosetta, and in a letter to Barras the director, he said, "Consternation has overwhelmed us all. I set out tomorrow for Cairo, to carry the news to Bonaparte. It will shock him the more, as he had no idea of its happening. He will find resources in himself to prevent the disaster being fatal to the army which he commands."

The intelligence of this astonishing disaster threw the whole French army into consternation, excepting Bonaparte, who knew the ill effects of giving way to apprehension. He congratulated the army on their safe landing, and would not allow that the object of his expedition was frustrated. "To England," he was pleased to say, "is decreed the empire of the sea-to France that of the land." In allusion to the rash determination of the French admiral, to await the arrival of the British squadron, he observed-" If in this fatal act he had his faults, he has expiated them by a glorious death."

Great events were produced by Lord Nelson's victory, the effect of which became most evident at Radstadt. The deputation of the empire had already agreed to a plan of indemnities; by means of which no less than forty-four of the secular and ecclesiastical states were to make immense sacrifices to obtain peace; and the Rhine, in consequence of a secret article of the treaty of Campo Formio, was to be the common boundary between France and Germany: but the attack on Switzerland and Rome, and the impolitic expedition of Bonaparte into Egypt, joined to the opposition experienced by him there, and, above all, the recent destruction of the French navy, rendered a new contest on the continent unavoid

able.

The cabinet of Vienna was also determined to try the fortune of a new war, and accordingly, under pretence of maintaining the integrity of the empire, evinced the most unequivocal marks of hostility. The Ottoman Porte, too, which had lately exhibited great jealousy at seeing Istria and Dalmatia occupied by the imperial troops, now evinced its displeasure at the late unqualified aggression on the part of "a man of the name of Bonaparte, calling himself a French general, aud

who, in that capacity, had made war on the Turkish province of Egypt."-"Some of his emissaries," as added in this memorial, “have pretended to persuade the inhabitants of that country, that they have been sent by Mahomet to give them perfect liberty and happiness, and render their religion the sovereign religion on earth; but the people have answered, that Mahomet does not authorize injustice."

Nine days after, September 11, a formal manifesto was published, in which the Ottoman court called all Europe to witness, that, notwithstanding the frequent invitations of the combined powers, the most rigorous neutrality had been persevered in on its part, although great offence had been given, by the dispersion of seditious papers and the employment of secret agents, with a view of stirring up the inhabitants of Natolia and the Morea, as well as those of the islands of the Archipelago, to revolt. Having stated the various subterfuges recurred to by French ministers, for the purpose of concealing or palliating their injustice, this manifesto added, " that, contrary to the rights of nations, and in violation of the ties subsisting between the two courts, an army, in a manner altogether unprecedented, and like a band of pirates, had suddenly invaded Egypt, the most precious among the provinces of the Ottoman Porte; of which they took forcible possession, at a time when they had experienced nothing but the sincerest demonstrations of friendship." That country "being the portal of the two venerable cities Mecca and Medina," it was observed, "that to wage war upon this occasion, was become a precept of religion incumbent upon all mussulmen;" and it was intimated, towards the conclusion," that the French ambassador and all his retinue had been sent to the Seven Towers, where they were to be detained as hostages."

An imperial decree was published at Constantinople, September 1, declaring the deposition of the grand vizier, Mehemed Pacha, who, as asserted," had not observed the instructions given him, to attend to the defence of the Ottoman dominions: so that, in the dark himself with respect to the evil designs of those brutish infidels, the French, he did not in good time apprize the inhabitants of Egypt thereof. When the unhappy tidings from thence came to our imperial ear, a full month after that insufferable event came to pass, such was our grief and concern, that, we take God to witness! it drew tears from our eyes, and deprived us of sleep and rest. We have, therefore, immediately deposed him from the office of grand vizier, and have appointed in his place Youssouf Pacha, governor of Erzerum. Now, it being incumbent upon all true believers to combat those faithless brutes, the French; and it being a positive duty for our imperial per