little river of Acre, encamped upon an infulated eminence, that was near to, and parallel with the fea. On the twentieth, the trenches were opened, at about one hundred and fifty fathoms from the fortrefs.

A project for a general attack on Buonaparte, by fea and land, had been concerted between the Britifh and Turkish governments. A defcent was to be made, by the bafhaw Ghezzar, on the frontiers of Egypt, on the fide of the defart of Syria. Ghezzar was to be fupported by an army, which was to march across Afia minor, from Damafcus; and the combined operation of thefe armies, from Syria, was to be favoured by a diverfion, towards the mouth of the Nile, by Mourad Bey, who, though forced to retreat before the advances of the French, was yet in confiderable ftrength, and would be joined by bodies of Arabs. It was to direct the execution of this plan, and to contribute towards its execution, by maritime co-operation, that fir Sidney Smith had left Portfmouth in the preceding autumn, on board the Tigre, of eighty-four guns, and failed for the Levant, where he endeavoured to haften the preparations for this campaign in Egypt. Commodore Hood continued to block up the port of Alexandria, and the mouths of the Nile. He had experienced the impracticability of burning and deftroying the fleet of tranfports, and French frigates, without a debarkation of troops confiderable enough to attack Alexandria. Sir Sidney, informed of the first movements of Buonaparte, endeavoured to detain him, by making attempts on Alexandria, which he bombarded, with

out farther injury to the French than finking two transports.

In the mean time, Ghezzar fent timely notice, of the approach of Buonaparte, to fir Sidney Smith, on whom the command of the British naval force, in the Archipelago, had devolved, after the departure of commodore Trowbridge.

Sir Sidney, on the 7th of March, 1799, proceeded towards the coast of Syria, and, on the eleventh, arrived before Caiffa. On the fifteenth, he steered for St. John d'Acre, to concert measures with Ghezzar, having got the ftart of the enemy by two days, which he employed in making preparations for the defence of the place.

On the fixteenth, about eight in the evening, after a chace of three hours, the commodore, fir Sidney, took, off the cape of Carmel, the whole French flotilla, under the command of Eydoun, chief of divifion, laden with heavy cannon, ammunition, platforms, and other articles, neceflary for Buonaparte's army to undertake the fiege. This artillery, confifting of forty-four pieces, was immediately mounted on the ramparts of Acre, against the lines and batteries of the enemy, as well as on gun-veffels. The latter were employed with the greateft fuccefs, againft the enemy's fire. The nature of the ground, however, permitted the French te carry their trenches within half a mutket-fhot of the ditch of the place.

The French, on the thirtieth of March, having effected a breach in the wall, on the north-east part of the town, endeavoured to take it by aflault, but were vigorously repulfed by the garrifon, with confi

derable

derable lofs. The ditch was filled with dead bodies. The troops of Ghezzar afterwards made three faccelsful forties. The object of the laft was to destroy a mine, which the enemy had conftructed under the covered way, to the northward, in order to fill up the ditch, near the breach. The Englifh took charge of this enterprize; and, while two thoufand Turks took charge of the fortie, they jumped into the mine, and, finding that the works were not quite finished, tore down the fupports, and deftroyed the whole conftruction. After this, an uninterrupted fire was kept up, from the fortrets of Acre; the artillery being ferved by English and Turkish artillery men, who had fet out for Acre, from Conftantinople, on the fifth of March. These men were placed under the immediate command of colonel Phelippeaux, the chief engineer in the place, to whofe co cils, plans, and unwearied exer. tions, the fafety of Acre, and the important confequences that followed, were, by the most intelligent part of the Anglo-Turkish garfon, principally attributed. As the town of Acre ftands on a rectangular point of land, in the form of a fquare, of which two fides are washed by the fea, the British fhips, in the bay of Acre, were enabled to contribute the protection of their guns, to the garrifon, and to the working parties, detached from thofe fhips, who were employed in throwing up two ra

coun

velines, or half-moons. Thefe, taking the enemy's nearest approaches (advanced within ftone's caft, in flank), confiderably impeded his operations. The enemy having nearly made a lodgement on the crown of the glacis, and mined the tower forming the inward angle of the town-wall, which is compofed of curtains and fquare towers, after the manner of the twelftly century, Buonaparte, who had tranfported the cannon he found at Jaffa, and effected a breach on the fourteenth day of the fiege, altempted to form, but was repulled. Repeated affaults were equally unfuccesful.

It was judged to be the best mode of defence, by the garrifon, to make frequent forties, in order to keep the enemy on the defenfive, and to impede the progress of their covering-works.

Agreeably to the plan of operation already mentioned, and in the execution of which Ghezzar was very active, a number of Mamınalukes, who had followed Ibral im into Syria, the janillaries of Damafeus, troops from Aleppo, Maugrabins, and others, advanced with an intention of joining the Arabs and Naploufians (inhabiting the ancient Samaria), and attacking the French army at Acre, on one fide, while the troops of Ghezzar, fupported by the fire of the British hips, fhould attack them on the other. Neither a detachment of Kicber's divifion, under general Junot, which had taken poft at Na

zareth

zareth and Saffat, in order to watch and oppose the progrefs of the enemy, and cover the fiege of Acre, nor the remainder of that divifion, under Kleber himself, fent for his fupport, were found adequate to that object. General Junot, furrounded and attacked by nearly three thousand cavalry, was forced to fall back upon Caff-cana. Kleber had, on the eleventh of April, reached Sed-jarra, within four miles of Cana, when four thoufand Turkish and Arabian cavalry, fupported by four or five hundred foot, coming down from the hills, furrounded the French, and were preparing to charge them. Kleber attacked the village of Sed-jarra, and routed the Turkish cavalry, which fied acrofs the Jordan. But by this time, or within a day or two thereafter, the whole Syrian army, having paffed the Jordan, in different divifions, at the bridge of Jacob, and at that of El-mecana, encamped on the plains of Foul (the ancient Efdrefon), where they formed a junction with the Samaritans, or Naploufians. The united army amounted from fifteen thousand to eighteen thousand men, and (as was computed by the French generals), together with the armed inhabitants of the country, by whom, as is ufual in Afia, they had been joined in their march, and after their arrival in the plains of Fouli, to above forty thoufand. At the fame time, Simon, the commandant of the party of French at Saflat, had been obliged to retire within the fort, where he was attacked by the enemy, who attempted to carry the place, by fealing it. They were repulfed, with great lofs, but the French still held it in a flate of block ade, with very little of either am

munition or provifions. Buonaparte, informed of thefe circumftances, by general Kleber, who, at the fame time, intimated his intention of making an attempt to get behind, and furprize the enemy), immediately determined to attack at all points, and come to a decifive engagement with a multitude, by whom he might be attacked and haraffed, at their pleafure. He gave orders to Murat, general of brigade, to leave the encampment before Acre, with a thousand infantry and a regiment of cavalry, by forced marches, to feize pofleflion of Jacob's bridge, to fall on the befiegers of-Saffat, in rear, and, having railed the fiege of that place, to join general Kleber. This general, retarded by the difficulty of the roads, and the defiles through which he had to pass, could not reach the Syrian camp till about two hours after funrifing. The enemy, warned of his approach, by their advanced parties, from the heights of mount Hermon, was quickly on horfeback, and marched forward, as far as the village of Fouli, which they occupied with the Naploutian infantry, and two fmall pieces of cannon, carried on the backs of camels. Buonaparte, leaving only two divifions to keep the trenches, and carry on the fiege of Acre, with what remained of his cavalry, after detaching general Murat to Jacob's bridge, the divifion of Bon, and eight pieces of artillery, haftened to the relief of Kleber. Having marched from Acre on the fifteenth of April, he reached and took poft on the heights of Saffuria, in the evening of that day, and, on the next morning, at day-break, marched towards Fouli, along the Gorges

of

of the Samaritan mountains. From the last eminence that he had to pafs, he faw Efdrelon, or Fouli, and mount Tabor: and, at the foot of this mountain, general Kleber in clofe action with the enemy. The general had drawn up his men, in number two thoufand, upon fome ruins, where he had depofited his baggage, and where he maintained a reliftance to twenty thousand cavalry, by whom he was nearly furrounded. Buonaparte formed his troops into three fquare bodies, of which one was cavalry, and made proper difpofitions for turning the enemy, at a great distance, and cutting off their communication with their camp, as well as their retreat; and, with the affistance of general Marat, defiroying or overthrowing them in the Jordan. The cavalry, with two field-pieces, were fent to take the enemy's camp; the infantry proceeded to turn their army. When it had advanced within the difhance of half a league of Kleber, Buonaparte difpatched, for his fupport, the general Rampon, with a demi-brigade, and general Vial, with another, to cut off their retreat towards the mountains of Naploufia; while he himfelf ordered his foot-guides to lead him to the proper places, for intercepting their retreat to their magazines at Jenina. The enemy, thea, for the fir time, began to perceive, that the approaching orces were French men. Their great mals of cavalry was thrown into diforder. The difcharge of an eight-pounder anvanced the arrival of the French to Kleber, who, thus aflified, charged the Turkish cavalry with the bayonet, and attacked and carried the village of Fouli. The enesy, perceiving that they were cut

off, both from their magazines and camp, were ftruck with confternation. They threw themselves behind mount Tabor, and, having gained, during the night, the bridge of Gizel-mecana, retreated towards Damafcus, in great diforder, and with great lofs.

In the mean time, general Murat had furprized the fon of the general of Damafcus, at Jacob's bridge, had taken his camp, putting all, who had not fled, to the word, raifed the fiege of Saffat, and purfued and harafled the enemy's retreat for feveral leagues. Murat, having left a party to guard the poft of Jacob's bridge, and thrown provifions into the cafile of Saffat, on the feventeenth of April, took poffeffion of the fort, fituated on the lake of Tiberias, where he found a year's ammunition and provifions.

The column of cavalry, fent to attack the Syrian camp, under the command of the adjutant-general, le Turcq, had completely furprized it, taken five hundred camels, with tents, ftores, and provifions, killed a great number of men, and made two hundred and fifty prifoners. Buonaparte gave orders, that all that was found in the villages of Noures, Jenina, and Fouli, hould be deftroyed by fire and fword. After reproaching his Naploidian prifoners, for having taken up arms against him, without provocation, he refrained his vengeance, and promited them his protection, on the condition, of their remaining quietly, in fature, in their momntalus. The lots of the enemy, according to their reports, on their return to Damafons, excended £ve thousand nach. They could !carcely conceive, that, at the fame jurftare

of time, they had been beaten on a line of nine leagues. With military combinations, on plans of any extent, thofe barbarians are unacquainted: they are to be confidered indeed, not as warriors but as hordes of robbers.

General Kleber, with his divifion, pofied in diferent ftations, was left to guard the Jordan; Buonaparte, with the divifion under general Bon, and the cavalry under general Murat, returned to the camp at Acre.

New works were pushed with great vigour, on both fides. Fresh af faults were made by the befiegers and forties by the befieged. The French, on the twenty-eight of April, were encouraged by the arrival of three pieces of battering-artillery, 24pounders, brought to Jaffa by the frigates under the vice admiral Pernée, and fix pieces of eighteen, fent from Damietta; and, on the feventh of May, the English, by the appearance, in the bay of Acre, of a fleet of corvettes and tranfports, under the command of Hallan Bey.

The approach of this additional ftrength was the fignal to Buonaparte for a moft vigorous and perfevering affult, in hope to get poffeffion of the town, before the reenforcement to the garrifon could difembark. The gun-boats, being within grape diftance of the head of the attacking column, added to the Turkish mufketry, did great execution: fill, however, the enemy gained ground, made a lodgement on the fecond ftory of the north-caft tower, the upper part being entirely battered down, and the ruins of the ditch forming the afcent by which they mounted. Day-light, on the morning of the Light of May, difcovered the French

9

standard on the outer angle of the tower. The fire of the befieged was much flackened, in comparison with that of the befiegers, and the flanking fire of the former, from the ravelines, was become of lefs effect, that the enemy had covered themfelves in the lodgements beforementioned; and the approach to it, by two traveries, were now feen, compofed of fand-bags and the bodies of the dead built in with them, their bayonets only being vifible above them. Haflan Bay's troops were in the boats, but as yet only half way on the flore. This was a most critical point of the conteft; and an effort was neceflary to preferve the place, for a fhort time, till their arrival. Sir Sidney, therefore, landed the boats at the Mole, and took the crews, armed with pikes, up to the breach. The enthufiaftic gratitude of the Turks, men, women, and children, at the fight of fuch a reinforcement, at fuch a time, was not to be defcribed. Many troops returned, with the very opportune reinforcement, to the breach, which was defended by a few brave Turks, whofe most deftructive miffile weapons were heavy ftones: thefe, firiking the affailants on the head, overthrew the foremoft down the flope and impeded the progrefs of the reft. A fucceffion, however, afcended to the affault, the heap of ruins between the two parties ferving as a breastwork for both. The muzzles of their mutkets touched one another and the fpear-head of the standards were locked together. Ghezzar, hearing that the English were on the breach, quitted his fiation, where, according to the ancient Turkish cuftom, he was fitting tɑ reward fuch as thould bring him the

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