ofae, to difperfe the multitude that was every moment increafing. He was furioufly attacked, and mortally wounded. Not a few of Lis men were killed. The reft carried back the general to his quarters, where he died in a few hours thereafter. The alarm being given, the whole of the French were immediately under arms. The gene. rl gave orders for a battalion to march against the grand mofque, where the Turks were affémbled, to the number of eight or ten thouford. They were fummoned, but decidedly refused to furrender. The tadel then fired on the city, partilarly the grand mofque, into which there fell feveral bombs, exciting terror and defpair. Other battalions were fent against the other mofques, in the avenues and approaches to which the Turks were attacked, and driven back into the mofques. The doors of these were forced by the French, who made a dreadful flaughter. But the Muffilmen, though defeated, were not set conquered. The place of the lain was fupplied by new combatants, and the content was prolonged. This was a terrible day, and Karcely was that which followed lefs bloody. Not a Turk who was armed with fo much as a club, or a fione, cfcaped with life. The Turks, on their part, affaffinated every individual, or fmall party of French, whom they found in the ftreets. They burft into the houfes of the Frei-ch, and plundered them; and, if any European domeftics were found, they were put to the fword. Some traces of the infurrection remained till the twenty-third of Oc,"tober: towards the evening of which the city began to refume the appearof tranquillity. The lofs of the VOL. XII.

infurgents was calculated, by the French, at five or fix thousand men: that of the French themselves, in killed and wounded, was ftated by them not to have exceed a hundred, in killed and wounded. And this lofs, it was alfo ftated, was owing to a fhower of heavy ftones thrown on the French, from the tops of houfes. In this affair the Greeks, at Cairo, took a decided and active part on the fide of the French. Some of them took up arms in their caufe, while its flue was yet dubious: a greater number, after it was decided, were active in the difcovery of fugitives. All the prifoners, whom they brought to the different military ftations in Cairo, and who were found guilty on evidence, we may prefume not very fcrupulous, were put to death. The difguifed Mammalukes, conformably to a former decree, underwent the fame fate. Several parties of the infurgents retaining their arms, endeavoured to efcape death by a precipate flight; but thefe unfortunate men were affailed by double terrors. While they were purlued by general Danourt, at the head of a body of cavalry, they were met in front by the Arabs of the defart, who are equally hoftile to all strangers, Turks, Europeans, and Egyptians, and fometimes parties of their own nation; all ftrangers not of their own tribe. They are always on horfeback, and live in the midst of the defart. Their ferocity is equal to the wretched life they lead, expofed for whole days to the burning heat of the fun, without a drop of water to drink. They are perfilious, and, maintaining a conftant ftruggle for the maintenance of their own exiftence, are bat little fufceptible of humanity and compaffion for others. [C]

They

They prefent the most hideous picture of barbarians that can be conceived. The unhappy fugitives from Cairo, hemmed in between fuch enemies, and the avenging French, had no retreat. The fate of the whole was ruin, flavery, or death. Buonaparte, having inflicted fevere, though in his circumftances perhaps not unneceffary, punishment, published an amnefty to all peaceable people, and held the fame language of conciliation, and affected confidence, as ufual. While the infurrection was brewing at Cairo, the French arms were employed in the fuppreffion of plots of lefs moment, and in fubduing open refiftance in other places. Scarce a day paffed without fome fkirmishing between the French and Arabs. At Sombat, capital of a diftrict of Gambia, the inhabitants affaffinated a detachment of French,, confifting of one half of a demibrigade, and a part of a regiment of dragoons. On the thirteenth of September, the village, by orders of the generals Dugua and Verdier, was burned. About the fame time there was an engagement at Mitcamar, between the Arabs and the troops under general Murat, in which the former were completely routed. On the night between the fifteenth and fixteenth of September, the French garrifon of Damietta was attacked by a number of Arabs, joined by infurgents from feveral neighbouring provinces. The generals Vial and Andreoffi attacked them in their turn, at their head-quarters in the village of Schouarra, fituated within cannon fhot of Damielta. The Arabs, to the number, as ftated by the French, of about ten thousand, were ranged in one

8

line, extending from the Nile to the lake Menzales. The number of the French did not exceed five hundred. Fifteen hundred of the Arabs were killed or drowned, in the inundation of the river, and in the lake. The village Schouarra was taken, and committed to the flames. Columns of light troops fcouring the country, between Damietta and Manfoura, punished the chiefs of the revolt. On the feventh of October the divifion of the French, under general Deffaix, who, having driven the Mammalukes before, had pafled fome weeks in the neighbourhood of the cataracts, in fearch of the ruins of Thebes, defeated Mourad Bey, at Sediman, in Fayoum, a province of Upper Egypt. The French had been greatly haraffed on their march by the troops of the bey, who endeavoured to Araiten the quarters of the French, and cut off their provifions. At day break they found themselves in front of the army of the bey, five or fix thousand strong, composed of nearly an equal number of Mammalukes and Arabs, and a corps of infantry, which guarded the entrenchments of Sediman ; where there were placed four pieces of cannon; general Deffaix formed his infantry into a fquare battalion, which he flanked with two finall divifions of two hundred horsemen each. The Mammalukes and Arabs, after long hefitation, formed their refolution, and charged a small platoon on the right, commanded by captain Valette, with horrible cries, and the greatest valour; and, at the fame time, the rear of the fquare. They were every where received by the French with the greatest

coolnefs.

coolness. The chaffeurs, compofing the platoon, prefented their bayonets, and referved their fire till the enemy were within ten paces. The barbarian cavalry were no lefs intripid. They advanced impetuoufly in front of the French ranks. After firing, and throwing their piftols and mufkets at the beads of the French, they rufhed on into close action with their fpears and fabres. Some of them, whole horses were killed under them, crept along upon their bellies, in order to be under the bayonets, and cut the legs of their enemies. But all was in vain: they were obliged to fly. The French, notwithstanding the fire of the four pieces of cannon, which was the more to be dreaded, that their ranks were deep, advanced to Sediman; and the entrench

ment, cannon, and baggage were immediately in their poffeffion. On the fide of the united forces of the Mammalukes and Arabs, three beys were killed, two wounded, and four hundred of the flower of his troops killed on the spot. The lofs of the French was, by them ftated, to be thirty-fix killed, and ninety-fix wounded.

Here, as well as at the battle of the the Pyramids, the foldiers made a confiderable booty. There was not a Mammaluke on whom they did not find from three to five hundred louis. Mourad Bey retreated to the gorges of the mountains of Tajain-raft, to take care of his wounded, and recruit his army. And thus Deffaix was left in poffeffion of the beft part of Upper Egypt.

the invaders, by their genuine importance, and alfo by that air of fovereign power which they carried to the imaginations of the humbled Mufle!men. Yet many circumftances of alarm continued to agitate the mind of Buonaparte. The extenfion of the French arms extended alfo the fphere of hoftility and refiftance to their power. Ghezzar Oglou, the bafhaw of St. John d'Acre, had assembled a great force, the deftination of which, in the prefent circumftances, could not be do btful, The bathaw of Damafcus, too, was in motion. Multitudes of Arabs might be induced to join the enemies of the French. The appearance of a great force in Egypt, or on its confines, might awaken the courage, with the refentment of the inhabitants, and overturn an authority not yet confirmed by the lapfe of time, the abatement of prejudices, and the change of habits. While thefe dangers were threatened in the east, farther attacks were to be apprehended, and new combinations, against the French in Lurope.

Among the hips which lay in the harbour of Alexandria, at the arrival of the French, was a large vefiel, belonging to the Turkish government, of that kind called caravals, fent to bring home the annual tribute. It was the time when the Turkifh fhips of commerce ufually fet fail from Egypt; and the caraval received orders from government to return, with the other vessels, to Conftantinople. Buonaparte allured the captain of the veffel of the friendship of the French; defired that he would bear witnefs at home, that the Turkifh, as well as the French flag, was flying at Alexandria; and, giv

ing him a prefent, gave him in charge, as a paffenger, citizen Beauchamp, with difpatches to the Porte, containing affurances of the fincere defire of the French nation to live with the Porte on the ufual terms of friendship. At the fame time he ftated, in the letter, the grounds of complaint which he had againft the bathaw, Ghezzar, who had given a cordial reception to Ibrahim Bey, with about a thousand Mammalukes, after he had been driven out of Egypt into Syria. Finally, he flated, that the punishment which he might find it neceffary to inflict on that bashaw, ought not to give the Porte any uneafinefs. Buonaparte, foreseeing every. thing that would tend to give offence to the Porte, had already difpatched an officer to Ghezzar, by fea, with a letter, affuring him that the French nation was defirous to live at peace, and preferve friendfhip with the grand feignior. But he infifted that Ghezzar should difmifs Ibrahim, with his MammaJukes. Ghezzar, who, in his military preparations, had acted by orders from the Porte, made no answer to this letter from Buonaparte, but fent back the officer who carried it, and put the French at Acre into irons.

The spirit and fubftance of these difpatches, from Buonaparte, very emphatically mark the advanced decline and degradation of the Turkifh empire. Such infolence and contempt, however, one would imagine, muft have tended rather to provoke the refentment and revenge of the Turks, under all their political weakness, fiill retaining a proud and haughty fpirit, than to conciliate even the appearance of acquiefcence and connivance. Yet [C3]

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