boat, from the coaft of Wales, or by the way of Scotland. The inftructions from general Hoche to colonel Tate, are a curious fpecimen of that combination of revolutionary principles with ftratagems of war, by which the French government, but particularly by the former, confidently hoped to fubdue the world.

The directory, it be may prefumed, were not untouched by the predominant paffion of the French nation: but what is at leaft equally certain, they feized the genius of their countrymen, and availed themfelves of every circumftance, for the purpose of diverting their inquiries and ardent imaginations, from their own conduct, which could fo ill bear too clole investigation, and abforbed all cenforious obfervation in the general paffion for military glory. There was a party, and that not the leaft numerous, in France, confifting of people wearied and fick of revolution and war, and that breathed evidently after the return of order and peace. But there is no nation, of any extent, in which public affairs are conducted, in general, by a plurality of voices, and least of all in times of tumult and change, when the most active and daring boldly affuming the reins of government, give the law to the unrefifting multitude, and make them the inftruments of their authority. The rulers of France drawing half the nation into the vortex of their power, by employments, hopes, and fears, perpetuated the fyftem of domineering, at once, over their own nation, and their neighbours, by feeding the flame of revolution with the hope of plunder. The guillotine was laid afide: but con

fifcations were continued at home and abroad; the laft of power and fpoliation trampling on the rights of individuals, and thofe of nations. The directory, elated with the accomplishment of their defigns on Savoy, Italy, Switzerland, Belgium, and Holland, conceived others of ftill greater maguitude, and made little doubt but exploits and conquefts would be atchieved before the clofe of 1798, by the fleets and armies of France, which would exceed thofe of the foregoing years, and place it in a fituation to exact an unrefifting fubmiffion to all the conditions which it should think proper to prescribe. If the attempts that had been made on the coafts of the British ifles, had, through the perfidy, as the French faid, of the ocean, failed fuccefs, the ground had been reconnoitred, and thefe precurfory expeditions would, by and by, be followed by others, on a different fcale. Meanwhile the French (hips and foldiers were not idle. whole, the genius of the modern Rome was gaining an afcendency, by rapid advances over that of the modern Carthage, tottering now on the brink of ruin, and which would foon receive a deep wound in one of her most vital parts.

of

On the

On the twelfth of April, 1798, when the men of letters and science, that were to accompany Buonaparte in the expedition from Toulon, took their leave of the directory, the elder Eschafferaux, chairman of the committee that had been appointed to confider and make a report on a fcheme, projected by citizen Wadftrom, for establishments in Sierra Leone and Boula ma, on the coaft of Africa, read a discourse on that project, and coJonization

lonization in general, Egypt was fo clearly pointed out as a conqueft worthy of the fublimeft views of the republic, that there were few but confidered that country as the object of the Toulon expedition. No No doubt but fettlements at the two places above-mentioned, though fubjected to many difadvantages and expofed to many dangers, might be of ufe to the French republic, in fome refpects. But, it was by a general view and combination of all poffible advantages, that the founder of a colony ought to be directed; and it was chiefly by the circumftance of its local fituation that the French should be guided in its deliberations on the fubject, whether and how far it might co-operate for its establish ment and fupport. The orator, having pointed out the principal circumftances, by which a state should be determined in the choice of a fite for a coleny, proceeded to defcribe the unrivalled prerogatives of the grand ifthmus of Egypt,*without, however, admitting any other right to take exclufive poffeffion of any country, for colonization, or to affume any other predominancy than what was the natural refult of fuperior genius and induftry, to the promotion of which, the French nation, whether as fpeculators for themselves or the public, ought to bend all their efforts; and, following the progreffive courfe of opportunities, means, and national power, to feize and proclaim the moment when it would be proper for the French republic to lay the foundations of a new colony.

This difcourfe exhibits a very juft, fpecimen of the ridiculous and, it would feem, unneceffary impudence with which the French philofophers, pretending ftill to do homage to natural law and the rights of nations, lay claim to a right of dictating to other nations in confequence of fuperior abilities. It is, indeed, a mockery of all morality.

When the news arrived of the reduction of Malta, the directory, confidering Egypt as already in their grafp, began, more directly, to avow, in their moft confidential circles, the truth, to the communication of which to the public the difcourfe of Eschafferaux was a prelude, at the fame time that Talleyrand was amufing the Turkish ambaffador, as before obferved, with declarations, that the expedition of Buonaparte had no other object than that island. In the newspapers, in their pay, there were daily obfervations on the importance of Malta, confidered, in itfelf, as the means of preferving the republic from the probable defigns of its enemies, and as a stepping-ftone for farther conquefts. "The Maltefe (they stated) now to be confidered as French, ferve on board our fleets, and betake themselves to the trade of pirates, and do infinite mifchief to the English commerce in the Levant.

The communication with our islands, heretofore those of Venice, will be affured. If Malta had fallen into the hands of the Ruffians, the English, or the Auftrians, all of whom wifhed eagerly to have it, the advantages of thofe ifles

ters.

9

might

might have been nearly loft to us. In Malta we may establish immenfe arfenals, and the low price of labour will enable us to carry on the bufinefs of fhip-building there, at a much eafier rate than at Toulon. In fine, Malta is the Cape of Good Hope of the Mediterranean.

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At length, intelligence was received, that the French army had landed in Egypt, and were in poffeffion of Alexandria, Rofetta, and Grand Cairo. A meffage was fent from the directory to the council of five hundred, on the fourteenth of September, communicating this intelligence, with a brief account of the most important particulars, prefaced by a statement of the reasons that had induced the directory to fend an expedition to Egypt, a country belonging to their ally, the grand feignior, and that without à declaration of war. The fpirit and purport of the ftatements, now fet forth in vindication of their conduct, was to the fame effect with the apologies already made by their agent to the Turkish govern ment. The Porte had been unable to reduce the rebellious beys, who tyrannized over the French in Egypt, to fubmiffion to its government. Its remonstrances, and even menaces, in favour of the French, had been wholly in vain. The French were actually held by the beys as prifoners and flaves, in Egypt. It was time for the French to do juftice to themfelves, and avenge, at once, their own caufe and that of the Porte. The grand feignior had no caufe to be offended. The landing and fuccefs of Buonaparte, in Egypt, was not a matter of regret to the Sublime Porte but of felf-congratulation. As to the point of the expedition

being fet on foot without a previ ous declaration of war; to whom fhould fuch a declaration have been made? To the Ottoman Porte? The republic was very far fron harbouring any defign to attack that ancient ally of France, or imputing to that power an oppreffion of which it was the victim. Should the declaration have been made to the beys? It was impoffible that their authority fhould be at all recognized. States proceed directly to punith robbers, without any previ ous declaration of war against them. But farther, in this attack on the beys was it not, in reality, England that was aimed at? The Porte would now, through the hands of the triumphant French, reap thofe immenfe advantages of which they had fo long been deprived. Now, at length, for the good of the whole world, Egypt would become the richeft in all the natural productions of any in the univerfe, the centre of an immenfe commerce, and, above all, it was the most formidable poft that could have been taken for humbling the odious power and ufurped commerce of the English, in the East Indies.

The directory, in this meffage, did not hesitate to indulge a degree of boafting and exultation. This memorable event had been long thought of, and, indeed, foreseen by the fmall circle of men to whom ideas that combine utility with glory are familiar. The world, however, in general, continued to confider the poffeffion and colonization of Egypt, by the French, as a chimerical project. The realization of the ftupendous prodigy was referved, for the prefent æra and for the French republic. These fentiments and obfervations of the di

rectory

rectory were not deemed, by their countrymen, to exceed the bounds of modefty. They cordially fympathized with them in their fulleft extent; and, while they afcribed this, as every thing profperous and great, to the towering genius of the French people, they did not withhold their hearty approbation and applaufe from government any more than from their fleets and armies.

While the joy, at the fuccefs of the grand Toulon expedition, was fresh and at its fulleft height, a general and continued rumour of the great naval victory obtained by the English, at Aboukir, pervaded the whole coaft of the Mediterra nean, and spred, like lightning, into every part of Europe. It was not long before the certainty of this report was confirmed by official difpatches, French as well as English. The ruin of their fleet and the dangerous pofition of their beft generals and troops made a lively impreffion on the French government and nation, and threw them, for a moment, into profound confternation. But apprehenfion and difmay were foon fucceeded by rage and a thoufand varied expreffions of revenge, and even affected contempt of the difafter that had befallen them. This momentary check they confidered as a certain prelude to victories and triumphs, greater than ever: fo that, in fact, it was a real advantage.

In the council of five hundred, on the nineteenth of September, Briot introduced a fpeech on the prefent state of the nation, in the following manner: "While our bafe and cowardly enemies affect an immoderate joy at a momentary check, and endeavour, by means

of perfidious negociation, to pro« duce a change in our refulations, and the trumpet is juft going to found the fignal for combat, the legiflature muft not remain cold and indifferent, nor permit the glory of the republic, in the eyes of foreign nations, to remain problematical. Hiftory will be aftonished at the moderation and magnanimity of the republic, which, in the midft of victories, holds out to its vanquifhed enemies the olive-branch of peace. In contrast with these dignified features, fhe will hold up the perfidioufnefs of our enemies in negociation and their bafeness in action. Vanquished nations! we will follow the example of that imperial people which dragged, in triumph, the princes whom they had overthrown in battle." After not a little more in this ftrain, the orator proceeded. "A fortunate chance has favoured the enemy;and this reverfe has given fadnefs to the fouls of fome republicans! Does the English flag, then, fly at Charleroi and Condé? Are the English in poffeffion of Toulon ? But they are powerful at fea--very well-we, being the mafters of the continent, will thut them out from every harbour. Some talk of reverfes. Weak and foolish people! learn to know republicans. The ground on which Hannibal was encamped fold, at Rome, for more than that around it. Behold the English, trembling on the couft of Coromandel, and ready to throw themselves into the gulph of Bengal at the approach of the hero that carries liberty to the people whom they hold in bondage." Briot concluded his difcourfe by moving for a committee to draw up the legislative meafures that it would

be