IV. The chicks, cadis, and imans, fhall continue to exercife their refpective functions: each inhabitant fhall remain in his houfe; and prayers fall continue as ufual: every one fhall return thanks to God for the deftruction of the Mammalukes. Glory to the fultan; glory to the French army, his friend! curfes to the Mammalukes; and happiness to the people of Egypt!" To the fame effect, but with the brevity of a conqueror, Buonaparte, after he was mafter of Cairo, addreffed the bafhaw and the people of Cairo. He confirmed, when mafter of Egypt, by means of the fignal victory which his army had gained, his former declaration, to preferve to the bashaw of the grand feignior his revenues and appointment; and begged of him to aflure the Porte that it would fuffer no kind of lofs, and that he would take care that it should continue to receive the tribute heretofore paid to it. Buonaparte not only declared himfelf a difciple and friend to Mahomet, but, by means of his emillaries, as well as no obfcure hints in meflages and letters to different parties of Muffelmen, infinuated, that he was acquainted with their inward thoughts and defigns, and endeavoured to propagate a perfuafion that he had been actually and exprefly commiffioned, by the prophet, to refift, repel, and overthrow, the tyranny of the beys, to reform certain errors and abuses, and to promote juftice, mercy, and piety; the great ends of the Mahometan and only religion. He was careful to pay homage, on every occafion, to the prophet. By his defire, and according to his example, the French officers and foldiers were in the habit of allifting at the great feftivals and ceremonies in honour of the prophet. The whole army took the tone of outward refpect for Ismaulism. In a few days after the reduction of Cairo, accompanied by feveral of his principal officers and feveral members of the Egyptian inftitute, he went to fee the grand pyramid, called Cheops; in the interior of which he was attended by feveral muftis and imans. In a curious and interefting converfation, which took place between himself and thofe religious characters, on this occafion, Buonaparte fuftained his part fo well as to imprefs on their minds, at once, a refpect for his own understanding and knowledge, and an idea, at least for a time, that he entertained a respect for the faith of Muffelmen. Having faluted the ftrangers and fat down with them, in their manner, on the ground, he faid, "God is great, and his works are marvellous. Here is a great work accomplished by the hands of man. What end had he in view who conftructed this pyramid?” One of the priests anfwered, “It is the work of a great king of Egypt, called Cheops, who withed that his afhes might not be disturbed by facrilegious intrufions." "Cyrus, the Great," replied Buonaparte, "gave orders, that his inanimate body fhould be expofed to the open air, on purpose that it might be the more eafily and completely diffolved, and be re-united to the natural clements. Dont you think that he did much better? What think you? one of the muftis bowing his head faid, "Glory to God to whom all glory is due." Buonaparte added, Honour to Allah," (who was the * caliph that gave orders for the opening of this pyramid, and disturbing the afhes of the dead. The mufti and imans made anfwer, "According to fome, Mahomet, the commander of the faithful, who reigned, many centuries ago, at Bagdad; but, according to others, Haroth al Refchid, who fancied, that he fhould find treasures in it; but when those whom he had fent had entered this apartment, as the tradition is, they found nothing but mummies, with the following infcription on the wall, written in letters of gold, "The impious commit iniquity without fear, but not without remorse." Buonaparte, applied a proverb, well known to the perfons with whom he now converfed, "The bread that is taken by violence fills the mouth of the robber with gravel." It was not only in Epypt that Buonaparte laboured to propagate a belief of his attachment to Muffelmen and the Sublime Porte. He fent letters, to this end, to different agents of France, in different parts of the Turkish empire, and one written, in Arabic, to the fhereef of Mecca, to whom he entrusted another to their friend, Tippo Sultan. This letter was received at Judata, early, firft of July, 1799, and thence forwarded to the Holy City. But Buonaparte, who poffeed much difcernment, was at great pains to ftudy characters, and who varied his tone according to that of the perfons whom he addreed, feemed to confider the hierophant of Mecca rather as a political prince, concerned for the profperity of his place and people, than as a devotee to the religion of Mahomet; he told him, that every thing was quiet at Cairo and Suez, and between thofe places, and peace established among the inhabitants; not a fingle Mainmaluke oppreffor, he faid, remained in the country, and the inhabitants, without dread or fear, employed themselves in weaving, cultivating the ground, and other trades, as formerly. The duties on merchandize were now the fame as they were prior to their being raised by the Mammalukes; the merchants had every ailiftance granted them; and the road between Suez and Cairo was open and fafe. He therefore requested of the fhereef to affure the merchants of his country, that they might bring their goods to Suez and fell them without dread or apprehenfion, and might purchafe, in exchange for them, fuch articles as they might with. The It is impoffible to afcertain the degrees of faith that was repofed in different places, and by different perfons, in the religious profeffions of Buonaparte. Perhaps they were wavering, and different at different times in the fame perfons. prefence and authority of Buonaparte, and his literary ftaff, if we may borrow a metaphor from arms to arts, as well as military, no doubt, detracted fomewhat from the compliments which were paid to him, and them, by the mufti and imans with whom they met and converfed, as he had done before, with the priests at Rome, on fundry occafions: yet they might probably be impreffed with a temporary conviction of his fincerity, until they *The ancient Egyptians believed that the foul never wholly forfook the body, while any part of it nung, or was held together. compared compared his profeffions with that fpirit of domination, and worldly intereft and advantage, which appeared in the tenor of his conduct. A like obfervation may be made on certain teftimonials which were given in favour of the French general, by Muffelmen, and others, particularly a letter from the notables of Cairo, on the arrival of Buonaparte, to the fhereef of Mecca, giving an account of his refpect for the law of the prophet. There was more fincerity probably in a hymn, compofed by the mufti of the Cophts, and chaunted in the grand mosque of Cairo, on the twenty third of July, in celebration of the arrival of Buonaparte in that city; who, at the command and under the protection of Allah, had come at the head of the brave warriors of the weft, to fuccour the oppreffed, and drive out the beys with their Mamana lukes. It is conceived in the most beautiful ftyle of eaftern fimplicity, and gives no mean idea of either the fentiments of the mufti of the Cophts, or his tafte in compofi tion. That the expreffions of refpect for the French general-in-chief were not always voluntary and fincere, were it a matter that needed any proof, would be placed, beyond doubt, by the conduct and fate of Koraim, thereef of Alexandria, who, after fwearing fidelity, with the mufti and principal fheicks of the to the French city of Alexandria, republic, was convicted of treafon * able correfpondence with the Mammalukes, and, on the fixth of September, condemned and executed. His head, with a label of his crime, was carried through the fireets. This act of feverity was fitted indeed to infpire terror: but the perfidy of Koraim would easily be forgiven by Muffelmen, while his death might be followed by the ufual confequences of martyrdom. The talk undertaken by Beonaparte, to amalgamate the prejudices of the Mahometans with the pretenfions of the French, was difficult almost beyond example, and even more arduous than that of Mahomet. The plan pursued by Mahomet was great, but fimple. The fpirit of it the inftruments was terror: ΟΙ means of executing it, great and fimple alfo; God, war, and fate. It was a more complicated, and a nicer undertaking to mingle terror with reafoning, the rights of man with the privileges or rather prerogatives of Muffelmen, and the fubmiffion of the followers, to ftrangers, at beft only dubious friends to the prophet. Of the manner in which. Buonaparte fet about to accomplish that defign, fome idea may be formed, from a view of a French feaft at Cairo, on the twenty-third of September, the anniverary of the French republic. On the fetting of the fun, September twenty-fecond, the feaft was announced by three falutes of artillery. The commencement of the feaft was proclaimed at fun rifing The fignatures of thefe to the declaration of fidelity fhew how natural it is for all religionifis (except, perhaps, the ancient polytheins) to affect heavenly-mindedness and an indifference to the things of this world: the peer Suleiman, mutti of Maliki; the poor Ibrahim el Boarge, chief of the Sect Hamfte; the poor Mikoned ei Meffira; the poor Ahmed, &c. The titles bestowed on Chriftian prelates did not arife immediately from fentiments of religion, but from the dignity and confequence accruing to them from fecutar poteffens. the the next morning, by three difcharges from the whole of the artillery; that of all the different divifions of the army; that of the park; and that of the marine, or flotilla, on the Nile. Immediately the generale was beaten through the whole city, and all the troops, in the higheft order, appeared under arms, in the place of Elbecquier. In this place a circle had been traced of two hundred fathoms diameter, of which the circumference was formed by one hundred and five columns, decorated with three-coloured flags, bearing the names of all the departments. Thefe pillars were united by a double row of garlands, emblematical of the unity and indivifibility of all the parts of the French republic. One of the entries into the circle was decorated by a triumphal arch, on which was pourtrayed the battle of the Pyramids: the other by a portico, above which were placed feveral Arabic icriptions. Of these there was one as follows: "There is no God but one God, and Mahomet is his prophet." In the middle of the circle, there was raised an obelisk of granite, of the height of feventy feet. On one of its faces was engraven, in letters of gold, To the French republic, ann.7: on that oppofite to it, To the expul fion of the Mammalukes, ann. 6. On the collaterial fides, these two infcriptions were tranflated into Arabic. The pedestal of the obelifk was embellished with bas reliefs; on the adjoining ground, feven altars in the ancient ftyle, intermixed with candlesticks, fupported trophies of arms, furmounted with three-coloured flags, and civic crowns. In the centre of each of thefe trophies, there was a lift of those brave men, of each divifion, who fell in the act of delivering Egypt from the yoke of the Mammalukes. As foon as all the troops had af fembled, and were drawn up on the place of becquier, the commander-in-chief, accompanied by his ftaff officers, the generals of divifions, the commillary-general, the commiffaries of war, and of civil adminiftrations, artifts and men of science, the kiaya, or Turkish officer, next in anthoiity to the bafhaw, the emir Hadji, and the members of the divan, (of which we half presently give fome account) both of Cairo and the provinces. The commander-in-chief, with his fuite, feated themfelves on the platform that ran round the obelifk. Superb carpets covered the mount on which it food. The mufic of the different demigrades ftruck up warlike marches, and patriotic airs, and fongs of victory. The troops, after going through their exercifes with great readiness and precifion, came and arranged themselves around the obelisk; when a proclamation, by the com mander-in-chief, for the difcipline of the army, and the good govern ment and well being of Egypt was read aloud, by the adjutant-general. It was liftened to with the moį profound filence, and followed by repeated cries of vive la republique. A hymn was performed at the or cheftra, and the troops filed off, in perfect order, before the general-inchief, who returned with his com pany to his quarters, The whole of this company, with feveral Turkish officers and Arabian chiefs, who had come up during the exhibition, were invited to dinner at the general's houfe; where a fumptuous table was provided, of one hundred hundred and fifty covers. The French colours were united with the Turkish, the cap of liberty was placed by the fide of the crefcent, and the rights of man by the Koran. The gaiety of the French was tempered with the gravity of the Turks. The Muffelmen were left to their own choice of meats and drinks, and expreffed great fatisfaction with the attentions that were fhewn them. After dinner, feveral toafts were drank. The commander-in-chief gave, for a toast, To the three hundredth year of the French republic. One of his aides-de-camp, To the legislative bodies, and the executive directory. Mongé, prefident of the Egyptian inftitute, To the perfection of the human underflanding, and the advancement of knowledge. General Berthier, To the expulfion of the Mammalukes, and the profperity of the people of Egypt. Other toafts were given, but thefe were the chief. Each toast was received with unanimous plaudits, and fuitable airs of mufic. Patriotic couplets, fung by the foldiery, concluded this civic feast. At four o'clock, foot and horfe races began, and the prizes were adjudged to the victors, who were borne in triumph around the circus. At the clofe of the day, the whole of the circumference of this was illuminated in the most brilliant manner. The pillars, the intermediate garlands, and the triumphal arches were hung with chryftal lamps, which produced the happieft effect. At eight o'clock, there was a beautiful difplay of fire-works, accompanied, at different intervals, by difcharges of mufquetry and artillery. A confiderable number of Turkish ladies enjoyed the fpectacle from the windows and tops of the houses that furrounded the place of Elbecquier. The intent of this entertainment, it will readily be perceived, was, to imprefs the minds of the Egyptians with a fenfe of the power, art, and magnificence of the French nation, and of their refpect for Muffelmen, and good-will towards all the Egyptians. Nor was it by profeffions alone, that Buonaparte ftudied to gain the attachment and confidence of the people among whom, according to his own phrafe, the French had come to dwell, but by actions. In order to please the people, and difpel their apprehenfions of fome unknown impending calamities; the opening of the canal of Cairo, was this year accompanied by even greater ceremony and pomp than ufual. On this occafion the general diftributed confiderable fums, in alms, among the poor, and gave an entertainment to the notables of Cairo. In like manner he gave a confiderable fum for defraying the expenfe of a magnificent feaft, in honour of the birth-day of the prophet. Having, on that occafion, declared himfelf the protector of all religions, he received, from the Muffelmen, the name of Ali Buonaparte. But the overt-act, by which he moft fignally difplayed regard to the grand feignior, the head of Muflelmen on earth, was his permitting all the Turkish vessels in Alexandria, as well as all neutral veffels, either to remain or fet fail for their refpective deftinations, at their pleafure, and fetting free and fending to Conftantinople, on board those vessels, with a letter to the grand vizier, fraught with many profeffions of regard and even fubordination to the Porte, the Turkifh flaves, in number of three hundred, whom he had found at Malta. |