accomplish this? He takes away our gentlemen and nobles, and supplies their place by English factors, and commercial adventurers. This minister proposes to you to give up the ancient inheritance of your country, to proclaim an utter incapacity to make laws for your own people; and is this no attack upon the honor and dignity of the kingdom? The thing which he proposes to buy, cannot be sold-LIBERTY! and his propositions are built upon nothing but your dishonor. I have heard of parliaments impeaching ministers, but here is a minister who impeaches parliament; nay, the parliamentary constitution itself; and he proposes to you to substitute the British parliament in your place; to destroy the body which restored your liberties; and to restore that body which destroyed them. Against such a proposition, were I expiring on the floor, I should beg to utter my last breath, and to record my dying testimony."

This brilliant declamation was answered, in a speech less eloquent than argumentative, by the new chancellor of the exchequer, Mr. Corry; and the debate was prolonged 'till ten o'clock the next morning, when there appeared to be 96 Totes only in favor of the amendment, to 138 who supported the address in the original form: majority, 42.

A message was delivered to each house of parliament on the 5th of February, from the lordlieutenant, intimating, that it was the king's desire that the resolutions passed by the British parliament should be submitted to the considera tion of the Irish legislature, and expressing a hope, that the grand object to which they had a reference, might be completed by the joint wisdom of the two parliaments, and the loyal concurrence of the people. On this interesting occasion, Lord Castlereagh, the secretary of state, arose, and gave a comprehensive view of the measure proposed, recommending it by arguments similar to those which had been employed by Mr. Pitt, and other advocates of the union in the British parliament, whilst the members of opposition contested these with equal ability.

The whole of this important business being concluded, Lord Castlereagh, on the 27th of March, moved an address to his majesty from the commons, declaring their approbation of the

1800.

resolutions transmitted to them," which they con- BOOK IV. sidered as wisely calculated to form the basis of a complete and entire union of the two legislatures; CHAP. I. that by those propositions they had been guided in their proceedings; and that the resolutions now offered were those articles, which, if approved by the lords and commons of Great Britain, they were ready to confirm and ratify, in order that the same might be established for ever by the mutual consent of both parliaments." This address having been agreed to by both houses, it was instantly transmitted to Britain by Lord. Cornwallis..

The Duke of Portland, on the 2d of April, in-formed the house of peers, by a message from the king, "That it was with the most sincere satisfaction his majesty found himself enabled to communicate to this house the joint address of his lords and commons of Ireland, laying before his majesty certain resolutions, which contain the terms proposed by them for an entire union between the two kingdoms. His majesty, therefore, earnestly recommended to the house to take all such further steps as might best tend to the speedy and complete execution of a work so happily begun, and so interesting to the security of his majesty's subjects, and to the general strength and prosperity of the British empire." After returning an address of thanks, the papers were fully investigated on the 21st, when Lord Hol-land delivered a very animated speech against the principle of the union; adverting to the solemn assurance of ministers, "That, however desirable in their judgments the union of the two countries might appear, it ought not to be ac-cepted, unless it were the pure and spontaneous offer of the parliament of Ireland, uninfluenced by corruption and menace." He appealed to the feelings of all, if intimidation and corruption had not been practised, for the purpose of securing a majority in both houses of the Irish parliament. The objections of Lord Holland were over-ruled, and the house went into a committee; the articles of the union, as drawn up by the Irish legislature, were distinctly discussed and agreed to, with very trifling alterations, and without any remarkable opposition. The royal assent was given to this important bill on the 2d of July.

at whose feet he threw himself, and in the intercession almost of despair, conjured him to let him mount one of the camels, describing what he had escaped from, and venting the most energetic maledictions on the commander-in-chief. The poor wretch, in the most piteous manner, assured General Kleber, that he would keep at a distance from the army, so that they should not be in any danger of catching his disorder. Kleber granted his request; the grenadier was saved and recovered, and was alive when the English landed under the brave Abercromby."

General Kleber felt much indignation that Bonaparte should try to dupe him and the French nation, by ascribing his departure to honorable motives. Kleber's letter, addressed to the directory, is an interesting picture of Egypt at the time of the desertion of Napoleon. He stated, that Bonaparte left that country for France without telling any person whatever; that he was to have met him at Rosetta the next day, but found only his dispatches; not knowing whether he had the good fortune to reach Toulon, he sent a copy of the letter, transferring to him the command of the army, and one to the grand vizier at Constantinople, though he knew that officer was already at Damascus. He told them that the army was reduced a full half, and that their want of military stores was no less alarming than the prodigious diminution of their numbers; that their attempt to establish a foundry had failed, and their powder manufactory kept no pace with their hopes, nor probably ever would; that the troops were naked, which was one of the greatest causes of the dysentery and the ophthalmia which so constantly prevailed: and that the medical men reported, that although the army was so diminished, their sick list was larger than the preceding year; that General Bonaparte had given orders for new clothing the army, but that the poverty of the finances caused this useful design to be postponed. He said, that a few months after their arrival, Bonaparte levied as heavy a military contribution as the country could support, and to repeat it at this time, would only lead to an insurrection; yet, with all this, Bonaparte left no money behind him, nor any thing capable of being turned into money; but that he left a debt of eleven millions, four of which was due as pay to the army; and that the Nile being very low, many provinces would claim the exemption, which he could not in justice object to; that the Mamelukes were dispersed, not destroyed; that Mourad Bey was in Upper Egypt with a numerous body of men; and Ibrahim Bey, at Ghazah, where also had arrived 30,000 men, part of the army of D'jezzar Pacha and the grand vizier; the latter of whom was encamped near Acre, and the English were masters of the Red Sea. Such was the situation in which Bonaparte had left him

CHAP. II.

1799.

to command the army. El-Arisch being a paltry BOOK IV. fort in the desert, the difficulty of victualling it would not allow its being garrisoned by more than 250 men, and that in a short time it must surrender without a shot being fired at it; that' the Arabs, who alone could furnish provisions in the desert, now kept away and concealed themselves. Alexandria, he observed, is not a fortress, but an entrenched camp, and could make but a feeble resistance. In this state he was at a loss what to do; he thought he should continue the negociations begun by Bonaparte, as by that means he would gain a little time; that he would propose the restitution of Egypt to the grand vizier, in the idea that the grand signior should appoint a pacha as before, and that his troops should remain in the country, and оссиру the strong holds, and collect the duties till the French made peace with England; he feared this would not be attended to; he was aware of the importance of Egypt, but that they wanted a navy; and peace with the Porte was the only way of getting rid of an enterprise no longer capable of attaining the object for which it was undertaken; that so far from home he could scarcely think of any thing but the safety and honor of the army he commanded; he sent an estimate of what they stood in need of, and a recapitulation of the debts left unpaid by Bonaparte; just as he was closing his dispatches, he added, he had received advice that fourteen or fifteen Turkish vessels were at anchor before Damietta, waiting for the fleet of the capoutan pacha, having on board from fifteen to twenty thousand men, besides which, there were 15,000 at Ghazah, and the grand vizier was marching from Damascus ; that he could not possibly get together more than 5000 men able to take the field against him, but that he would try his fortune if he did not gain time by negociation.

After stating the wants of the army, General Kleber particularised in his letter the estimate of debts owing by Bonaparte when he fled, which shewed he kept no faith with those he invaded, or those he led to invade them. The army was in arrears upwards of four millions of livres, and the total amounted to more than eleven millions. On their first arrival requisitions had been made in all the towns for the subsistence of the troops, which had never been paid for; and extraordinary contributions had been levied upon the tradesmen, merchants, &c. The effects of the Mamelukes were also seized; and their wives made to pay an extraordinary imposition. The eleven millions did not include what was due to the provinces for the supplies in kind, with which the troops were furnished during their march.

He concluded by observing, that as long as the army of Egypt was engaged in hostilities, there could be no foreign trade; nor could the receipts

BOOK IV. be possibly made to answer the that peace alone could place the CHAP. II. satisfactory footing.

1800.

expenses, and receipts on a

After leaving Egypt, Bonaparte shewed no intentions to induce the Parisians to think that the French arms were not quite victorious in that quarter, and that the British possessions in India would not shortly be annexed to France. So well did he dissemble any concern he might be supposed to have for his comrades, that he ordered a company of comedians to be sent to Egypt to entertain the deserted army. Those who were willing to go, were to send their applications to the commissary of the government. Fouché was ordered to put in requisition the women of the town at the Palais Royal. Near 600 females were assembled, to be sent to the army of the east, with the comedians. Little did the Frenchmen in Paris imagine that the army was threatened with destruction, at the time the first consul had conferred the command on Kleber.

A proclamation to the army of the east acquainted them with Bonaparte's new rank in the

state.

"THE CONSUL BONAPARTE TO THE ARMY OF THE

EAST.

"SOLDIERS,―The consuls of the republic often think on the army of the east.

"France knows all the influence of your conquests for the restoration of her commerce, and the civilization of the world.

"All Europe has her eyes fixed upon you. I, myself, am frequently in thought among you.

"In whatever situation the chances of war may place you, be always the soldiers of Rivoli and Aboukir, and you will be invincible.

"Repose in Kleber that unbounded confidence which you had in me; he deserves it.

"Soldiers! think on the day when you will

come back victorious to the sacred land; it will be a day of joy and glory for the whole nation.

(Signed) "BONAPARTE."

The army of Egypt, however, could not be cheered by vain promises: being entirely shut out from all communication with Europe, they stood in need of many implements of war. Notwithstanding the progress that had been made in mechanics and chemistry, the troops experienced a deficiency of fire-arms, gunpowder, and lead, which were but inadequately supplied by means of the manufactories of Cairo. In addition to this, the soldiers, unaccustomed to the food and climate of the country, were subject to frequent maladies, and while they all languished to return to their native land, numbers perished by fatigue, disease, and the sword of the enemy.

Notwithstanding some partial descents at Damietta and Cosseir had lately proved abortive,

and Mourad Bey was again overthrown, the grand vizier, solicitous of rescuing a favorite province from those who had obtained possession of it by force of arms and false pretences, had assembled a numerous, although undisciplined, army for this purpose, and the pachas were repairing to his standard from every part of Asiatic Turkey as far as Mount Caucasus.

The situation of Kleber, the commander-inchief, was exceedingly critical, the ports of Egypt being blockaded by the English, so as to prevent the arrival of succours from Europe. The plague had exhibited symptoms of unusual malignity, and within the space of a single year nearly one third of the republican army had been cut off. Kleber accordingly deemed himself at liberty to renew, or rather to continue, the negociations begun by his predecessor; on the express invitation of Commodore Sir Sidney Smith, who possessed the entire confidence of the Turkish government, he deputed two confidential persons (General Dessaix and citizen Poussielque) who repaired on board the Tigre, on purpose to settle the terms, in consequence of which Egypt was to be delivered up.

During these discussions, the Ottoman army appeared before the fortress of El-Arisch with fifty pieces of cannon; and the garrison, like the rest of the troops, discontented at their situation, and considering themselves abandoned, surrendered after an attack of seven days, carried on under the direction of an English officer (Colonel John Douglas) although General Regnier had marched at the head of a strong detachment, on purpose to raise the siege.

This unexpected event contributed greatly to the success of the treaty, which was at length concluded, Jan. 24, between General Dessaix and Poussielque, administrator-general of finance, plenipotentiaries on the part of the general-inchief, Kleber, and their excellencies Moustapha Reschid Effendi, Testudar, and Moustapha Rassiche Effendi, Reijou, plenipotentiaries on the part of his highness the supreme vizier. The conditions were highly favorable to both nations; for, while the French were allowed to return home with all the honors of war, Egypt, the object of contention, was to be restored to the Otteman Porte.

The treaty consisted of twenty-two articles; in which it was expressly stipulated, that there should be an armistice during three months, for the purpose of making necessary preparations for the embarkation of the army; that the forts of Cathié (Catich) and Salahié should be delivered up on the 10th day at farthest; that the town of Mansoura should be evacuated on the 15th day; Damietta and Belbeis, on the 20th; Suez, six days previous to the evacuation of Cairo, which was to be delivered up in forty days, or forty-five

at farthest; the other places situated on the eastern bank of the Nile, should be evacuated on the 10th day, and the Delta fifteen days after the evacuation of Cairo. The prisoners on each side were to be mutually restored, and none of the inhabitants to be molested on account of their connection with the French, to whom provisions were to be furnished, and 3000 purses advanced, on purpose to facilitate the object of the treaty. A purse is about 407. sterling; 3000 amounting to 120,0007. at a medium. It was also expressly agreed, that passports should be granted by the Sublime Porte as well as by Great Britain and Russia, and that nothing should be attempted against the army until its safe arrival in France.

Though this convention might have been productive of some good effects, as it would have stopped the effusion of human blood, and prevented an enormous expenditure of treasure, yet the British ministry, actuated by the apprehension of the consequences to be expected from the return of a disciplined army to Europe at this critical period, was determined to prevent it. Secret orders were, therefore, transmitted to Viceadmiral Lord Keith, who then commanded in the Mediterranean, disavowing the authority of Sir Sidney Smith, and enjoining him "not to consent, on any account, to the return of the French army to France, or to their capitulating in any other manner than jointly to the allied powers, whose forces were employed against them, and surrendering as prisoners of war."

These orders were afterwards revoked by a subsequent dispatch to Lord Keith, dated March 28, in which, after expressing his majesty's disapprobation of the terms entered into by the capitulation of El-Arisch, and declaring Captain Sir Sidney Smith not to be authorised, either to enter into or sanction any such agreement, the admiral received intimation, that "His majesty, from a scrupulous regard to the public faith, has judged it proper that his officers should abstain from any act inconsistent with the engagements to which Captain Sir Sidney Smith had erroneously given the sanction of his majesty's name."

Long before the receipts and even the date of these new orders, the war had been renewed. General Kleber having delivered up several places to the Turks, was, when acquainted that Lord Keith would not ratify the treaty, in a worse situation than when he began to negociate.

The grand vizier, adhering to the conditions of the treaty, demanded that the citadel of Cairo should be delivered up at the expiration of forty days, which was near approaching. This the French general peremptorily refused. By giving the only fortified place he held in Upper Egypt, and shutting himself in Alexandria, he would Boon have been forced to capitulate without terms. He determined to keep the power he held, and

up

the letter from Lord Keith was the reason he BOOK IV. gave his army for renewing hostilities. The English admiral stated his orders not to sanction CHAP. II. the treaty of El-Arisch, and informed General Kleber," that all ships met returning to France would be detained as prizes, and all on board be prisoners of war."

In the morning of the 20th of March, the French troops cannonaded the Turkish advanced posts at Maturia, two leagues from Cairo; their camp was at Heliopolis. The grand vizier advanced, the French being drawn up in two lines; some Janizaries charged the French with much bravery, but were obliged to retreat. The French were 15,000 strong, with cavalry and dromedaries. The Turks could muster 80,000 troops in a few hours. For the short time the battle lasted it was fought with great fury; but the skill of the small number set the large at defiance. A dreadful fire of artillery and musketry threw the Turks into confusion, while the enemy rushed on them; 40,000 men fled in every direction, and they could not be rallied.

As the Turkish commander was not secure in his camp, he was forced to abandon it, the French having advanced to cut off his retreat; they took nineteen pieces of cannon and much. camp equipage. The Turks lost about 8000 killed, besides wounded and prisoners. The people of Cairo favored the Turks, and the few French left in the city were put to death. This, most probably, would have induced Kleber to have demolished it, if it was not indispensable to him; with little difficulty he retook it, April 25, and aid it under a contribution of two millions of livres, which paid the arrears of the army, and enabled them to wait for the time of the usual imposts for the current expenses. The people,. surprised to see the vizier, the greatest man they knew, defeated, were satisfied that the endeavours of the Turks to get the country would be ineffectual; they looked on Egypt as the pro-. perty of the French, and began to have confidence in them.

Kleber, wishing to benefit by the good-will of the inhabitants in Cairo, prevailed on them to raise a corps of 500 men; these he trained to, arms and clothed in the French uniform, intend-. ing to augment them as circumstances should require. He likewise induced the Christians and. Mussulmen to enroll themselves in the demibrigades, where they would sooner learn the French discipline. These enrollments became frequent in Upper Egypt; one brigade soon recruited 300 men. Kleber raised a Greek legion, which amounted to near 1500 men.

There being great difficulty in procuring carriages when wanted, as the Arabs who let out their camels generally disappeared, Kleber hád a park of 500 camels, which, when the troops.

1800.