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murs. And Infurre&tions.-Particularly at Cairo.-This, with the others, fubdued.-A general Amnesty-Mourad Bey defeated, with great Lofs.--And forced to retreat to the Mountains.-The French, under the Command of Deffaix, in Possession of the best Part of Upper Egypt.

THE year 1799 exhibited a ftrange picture of the world turned upside down the fublime Porte at war with France, and in confederacy with Ruffia and Great Britain; the Turkish banners united with-thofe of Ruffia and Auftria; a nation of professed philofophers fraternizing, or attempting to fraternize with the votaries of Mahomet; the Roman catholic religion, with inftitutions therewith connected, perfecuted by a power formerly one of its main fupports, but, on the other hand, patronized by fovereign princes, fons of churches heretofore its zealous adverfaries; * a great and illuftrious nation, once fo highly diftinguished by a devotion to the Romith faith, as well as political power, valour, and a fenfe of honour, in clofe alliance with infidels, and the murderers of a royal family, connected with their own, by ties of blood, by political treaties and interefts, and a long intercourfe of mutual and courtly politenefs. Nor was the fituation of the Spaniards lefs whimsical than it was deplorable. They, dreaded the power of their ally; and their only fafety lay in the victories of their enemies.

The destruction of the French fleet, which cut off Buonaparte from any certain and effectual fupport from France, or any of her conquered and dependent ftates, left him in fuch an ifolated state, as thofe in which great commanders in

former times, when war was lefs complicated than now, have voluntarily precipitated themfelves, by burning their own fhips, in order to fhew their troops that there was no retreat, and that they must perifh or conquer. In this new and trying fituation, his conduct became an object of more intereft and curiofity, with ingenious minds, than ever it had been, in the most rapid carreer of his fuccefs and victory. The circumstances in which he was now placed were univerfally admitted to be pregnant with danger. Attention was every where awake to the measures and contrivances that would be fuggefted by genius and fcience, or to the refolution that might be prompted by despair.

But, in order that a tolerably juft idea may be formed of both the advantages and difadvantages under which the invading army laboured in Egypt, the enemies they had to encounter, and the means that prefented themfelves for encountering them, it may be neceffary to recall to the minds of fome of our readers, a view of the prefent ftate of that ancient and celebrated country.

It was not with the Mammalukes and Arabs alone, that the French general had to contend, but with the climate, endemial diftempers, and the ufual perfidy of barbarians, united with the malignity of a proud and illiberal fuperftition. On the other hand, as there were certain

* The diflike of the Greek church to the Pope's and the Western church, was formerly fo great, that one of their patriarchs declared publicly, to a Romish legate, that he would rather fee a turban, than the pope's tiara, on the great altar of Constantinople.

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common principles and paffions which united great numbers of the natives and others in hoftility to Buonaparte, fo there were circumftances alfo which divided them against one another; while the common weakness of human nature, prevailing over fentiments of religion and duty, fubjected them to various arts of corruption, and thus tended naturally to draw them over to the fide of the most powerful party.

Egypt is commonly reckoned to be about 500 miles in length, and 160 in breadth. The borders of the Nile, from Abyffinia to Grand Cairo, form a narrow valley, which, with lefler vallies or openings into the hilly country, and the deferts on either fide, is called the Upper, and the whole country watered by the Nile from thence downward, the Lower Egypt. The two grand branches of the Nile, which part at Grand Cairo, together with the Mediterranean, into which they fall, form a triangle, called the Delta, of which the ocean is the bafe, the two branches of the Nile the fides, and Cairo the apex, or head. A great portion of this part of Egypt, being enriched by the overflowing of the Nile, is extremely fertile. No country in the world is more plenteoufly ftored than Egypt with corn, rice, flesh, fifli, fugar, fruits, vegetables, and oil. The Delta produces oranges, lemons, figs, dates, - almonds, and plantains in the greateft abundance. The extent of this famous country, that is, of the part of it now inhabited, does not seem, at first fight, to correfpond with the defcriptions which have been left by the ancients of its twenty thoufand towns and cities, feveral millions of inhabitants, and armies

kept by its ancient kings of three hundred thousand men, executing the pyramids, the labyrinths, the grottos of Thebes, the lake Moeris, vaft canals, obelisks, temples, and pompous palaces. But although the reports by travellers, of Egypt, being even at this day a moft delicious garden be unanimously reprobated, by all the French who have fpoken or written on the subject, finee their late expedition thither, the moft intelligent and obfervant admit, that the extent to which the happy influence and dominion of the Nile, by means of induftry and art, may have been carried in times paft, and yet carried in times to come, very much farther than at prefent, from the banks of the river over the arid defart. As a heavy counter-balance to these natural advantages, except in our winter, and the latter part of the autumnal months, the heat of the climate is oppreffive to all who are not accuftomed to it. The winds are

fometimes of fuch extreme heat and aridity, that their influence proves mortal. During the time these last, the ftreets are deferted, and the inhabitants almoft blinded by drifts of fand, fo fubtle, that they infinuate themfelves into the clofeft apartments: fo, that from this enemy there is no fuch thing as a perfectly fecure retreat. The vermin that infeft this land, to ftrangers particularly, is intolerable. And, in addition to all thefe evils, it is frequently vifited by the plague.

Since Egypt fell under the domihion of the Turks, it has been oftenfibly governed by a pacha, or, as we pronounce the word, bashaw, who refided at Grand Cairo: but whofe authority, for a long time paft, has been more nominal than [B2]

real.

real. The bashaw was, in fact, little more than a fign and memorial of the refpect formerly paid, and ftill profeffed, by all Muffelmen, to the eldeft fon of the prophet Under Under the bashaw there were inferior governors, under various defignations, in the different provinces, but the power of the fword was in the hands of the Mammalukes. A fmall number of Janiffaries indeed was retained at Cairo, and a few other places in the fervice of the Porte, of which they held landed poffeffions, in return for their fervice. In Up. per Egypt, there were fome Arabs who paid tribute to the grand fignior, or made presents to the bafhaw: and in the Lower Egypt, there were fome villages in the poffeflion of fheicks. But the real government or fovereignty of Egypt was poffeffed by the Mammalukes, originally foldiers of fortune, but who paid very little regard to the conditions on which they held their power and property. They came originally from the mountainous countries, between the Black Sea and Caucafus, and their armies were ftill recruited by boys from thofe countries, and other youth, the children of Chriftian flaves brought for fale to Grand Cairo. The laws of Mahomet enjoin great compaffion and tendernefs for flaves, and nothing is confidered as more pleafing and meritorious in the fight of God than their total emancipation. The condition of the young flaves, who fell into the hands of the Mammalukes, was certainly among the gentleft lots of flavery. It was the road to fortune. They were brought up by the Mammalukes in the fame manner as their own children, and came, in time, to be almoft confidered as

fuch: nor did the circumstance of their having ever been in a state of flavery preclude them from any degree of preferment, even that of bey, which was the chief; who was chofen freely by a plurality of voices in a full council of officers: fo that the beys, elevated to power, neither by the accident of birth, nor the particular favour of any fovereign prince, but in fome degree at leaft, if not chiefly, by their own merit, were, for the most part, men of fuperior talents and unquestionable courage, The Mammalukes were all of them brave, even to excefs. In the battle of the Pyramids, the flue of which gave the French a footing in Egypt, and of which fome notice has been taken in the last volume of this work, they had the temerity to rush in between the compacted and fquare battalions of the French army; and there meet their fate. They, to a man, refufed quarter, and fought to the laft, fometimes when defperately and mortally wounded. They were accuftomed, from their earliest years, to a dextrous-management of the fineft and moft fpirited horfes in the world. They were armed with fwords and piftols, mufkets, and lances. Their wealth and ftate difplayed in their arms, drefs, and equipage. Their habitations and houfehold furniture were wretched. It was their manner inceffantly to wheel round about an enemy in his front, flank, and rear, and to retreat as he advanced, unless they perceived an advantage, or were under a neceffity of coming to clofe action, while another divifion of them hung upon his rear, and endeavoured to furround and cut off detached parties, wherever they could find an opening. The gene

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ral fpirit of their warfare, like that of the ancient Scythians and the Arabs, was, to cut off fupplies, and harafs and destroy their enemy by repeated attacks, according to opportunities. But in different circumftances, their courage, as might be expected, was more or lefs impetuous and daring.

The beys were not all of them,, without exception, of Chriftian origin, as has been commonly fuppofed. Of late years the annual number of flaves from Georgia, Mingrelia, and Circaffia, has been greatly diminished. In 1762, five of the beys were of Mahometan defcent and from the caufe juft mentioned, the proportion of the Mahometan to what we may call the Chriftian beys, has probably become greater.

The number of the beys, originally four-and-twenty, by the encroachments of the more powerful over the weaker, had been reduced, it is faid, to eighteen or twenty but on that point the accounts vary. They had frequent quarrels with one another, but these did not lead to fuch ferious and obftinate contefts as has been imagined. They did not draw the whole of their refources, whether of actual poffeffion or credit, and many thousands of unoffending people, into the vortex of protracted war, but quickly fettled their difputes by pitched encounters; in which they were accompanied and joined by the fmall corps of their refpective bodyguards. When the combat was over, the conqueror returned immediately to the capital, where moft of the bafhaws refided. The vanquished party returned alfo thither, in a few days thereafter. If he fell in battle, another bey was chosen in his stead; and there was

an end of the matter. So that on the whole the difputes among the Mammalukes were not of fuch an in→ veterate nature, as to prevent a ready union against a common enemy.

There were about 10,000 Mam malukes clothed in one uniform, and which were at the difpofal of government; or rather that of the Beys, who seem to have confidered themfelves as forming, in fome refpects, a kind of republic. But, befides thefe, each Mammaluke kept on foot, or could eafily raife bodies of men among his own vaffals.

There were in Egypt, befides the military and predominant cafte of the Mammalukes, a great number of Arabs, Jews, Greeks, and Cophts, who were Chriftians, and the defcendents of the ancient Egyptians. The Bedouin Arabs were attached to the Mahometan faith, and hostile to ftrangers: but neither abfolutely proof against the power of money, nor the ufual influence of a career of victory amongst barbarians.

The

After his firft fucceffes, the reduction of Alexandria, Rofetta, Damietta, and Cairo, and, above all, the battle of the Pyramids, there was ground for hope, that many of the Arabs might be drawn over to the fide of the conqueror. Jews, as ufual, were at the service of the best paymaster; not to make any account of the refentment they must have felt at the treatment they received from the Turks and other Muffelmen. The Greeks and the Cophts, though greatly humbled in their minds, as in their fortunes, and the latter debafed almoft to brutality, by a long feries of tyranny and oppreffion, might yet be rouzed by kinder treatment, and better profpects, to a fenfe of natural dignity and freedom. The clouded profpects of Buonaparte were therefore, on the [B3]

whole,

whole, brightened up by gleams of hope, fufficient to call the powers of his inventive and active mind into` full exertion.

The land-forces on board Buonaparte's fleet, when he took poffeffion of Malta, infantry, artillery, and cavalry, amounted to near 40,000. Four thoufand were left to garrifon that island; but, in return, fome thousands of the Maltese failors and foldiers joined him, as volunteers, in his expedition to Egypt. And the battle of Aboukir, which ruined the fleet, contributed to reinforce the army. To the 36,000 that remained, after leaving a garrifon in Malta, he added the volunteers of that place, under the defignation of the Maltefe legion; and the mariners, who escaped from the wrecks of the fleet, to the number of 2 or 3,000, under that of the nautical legion. There were, on board the fhips of the line, frigates, and other veffels of war, in the port of Alexandria, about 4,000 men. The crews of the tranfports amounted to 2,000, and thofe of a flotilla, equipped on the Nile, to 1,500. So that there still remained, at the difpofal of the French commander, a force, land and marine, of near 50,000 men. The land force was difpofed along the courfe of the Nile, as far as Salachier, at the entrance of the defert. Here a ftrong fort was raifed with great expedition. The old castle of Cairo commanding that great city, whofe population has been calculated at 400,000, was repaired, or rather rebuilt and ftrengthened, according to the rules of modern fortification. Redoubts were caft up in other places; and the entrance into the harbour of Alexandria was defended by formidable batteries, raifed, on the

appearance of the British fleet, with wonderful celerity.

The

The firft care of the general was to provide for the fupport of his troops, and the prefervation of their health. The Egyptians, by nature a foft and timid race, were naturally ftruck, after the arrival of the French, with terror. They fhut themselves up in their own houses, and concealed whatever they had fit for being used as food. So that for feveral days the French were forced to fubfift on their own naval ftores. But when the apprehenfions of the natives were removed, by the good difcipline of the French, the markets of Alexandria were fupplied with all forts of provifions, in the greatest abundance. Delta was fully fufficient to fupply all neceffaries, which could be conveyed to the French magazines, hy the Nile, or by canals. The old canal that conveyed the waters of the Nile to Alexandria, with other canals, were cleared and repaired. Wind-mills were conftructed for the grinding of corn, the only mills known to the natives being handmills, and here and there mills wrought by oxen. The want of wine was found capable of being fupplied by a fpirit extracted from dates. And the Egyptian inftitute, formed on the plan of that of France, had it in charge, from the commanderin-chief, to inquire whether Egypt did not furnifh a fubftitute for hops for the making of beer. At Alexandria, and Grand Cairo, boards were inftituted for inquiring into the bett means for the prevention of contagious difiempers, and in general for preferving the health of the feamen and foldiers: among the firft fruits of which was the cleaning of thete and other cities from many impuri

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