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Buonaparte, no doubt, knew how to eftimate the fpirit of the Porte, which, under the difadvantages of ignorance, anarchy, and the torpor of old age, would have, perhaps, come to fome accommodation with the invaders of Egypt, rather than hazard an appeal to arms, if the divan had not been encouraged and fpirited up, by the victory obtained over the French fleet, near Aboukir, to form an alliance, offenfive and defenfive, with the English and Ruffians.

Buonaparte, fufpecting that fuch an alliance would be formed, and that, in this cafe, a combined operation would take place against Egypt (an attack on the fide of Syria, and an attack by fea), refolved to march into Syria, chaftife Ghezzar, and deftroy the preparations made for an expedition against Egypt, rather than wait and receive the combined attack apprehended on the coafts of that country.

This plan of military operations, our readers may probably recollect, is exactly in the fame fpirit with the mafterly and bold conduct of Buonaparte, during the blockade and fiege of Mantua, in 1796, when he marched rapidly against an Auftrian army, which had turned the lake of Garda, and was intended to form a junction with general Wurmfer. If the French army, which covered the fiege, had waited their approach, and given them battle near Mantua, a fortie from the garrifon might have, probably, decided the action in favour of the Auftrians; there

fore, Buonaparte, with his covering army, advanced to a very confiderable distance, northward, beat the Auftrian army, and returned, and carried the fiege of Mantua.

It was the intention of Buonaparte, if the Porte fhould ftill remain quiet, in the midst of all this invafion and interference in the Turkish dominion and government, after he had driven Ghezzar from his government of Acre, to have complimented the grand feignior with the nomination of a new bafhaw: a determination, it may be obferved, by the way, which leads to a very probable conjecture, that he entertained fome ideas of extending the power and influence of the republic, under a fhew of homage and respect for the fublime Porte, in the fame manner that the English Eaft-India company feized and kept poffeffion of different territories, in the name of the mogul. In Afia, a few victories often lead to extenfive dominion and empire. If fuccefs fhould attend his arms in Syria, the glory of his name, by attracting, as ufual, numerous warlike, but barbarous tribes, to a victorious ftandard, might prepare the way for his march to Conftantinople, and even Vienna, In the defign, declared by Buonaparte, of anticipating a ftorm ready to fall on Egypt, there is nothing improbable; and it appears to be pretty certain, that the end in view was not limited, as was fuppofed by fir Sidney Smith,* to the treasures amaffed by Ghezzar Bashaw.

Buonaparte having, by a proper difpofition of his troops, and other

* In his letter to rear-admiral Blanket, commanding the British fquadron in the Red Sea; and to John Wilson, efq. appointed, by the governor and council of Bombay, agent to the East-India company.

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precautions

precautions of a political nature, provided for the internal quiet of Egypt, as well as fecurity against incurfions by the Arabs of the defart, towards the end of January, 1798, gave orders to general Almeyrus to embark provifions and ftores, for the army of Syria, to be conveyed, by the lake of Menzales, to the port of Tinch, and from thence to be carried, by land, to the village of Cathich. The artillery, that had been employed in the fiege of Alexandria, was put on board three frigates, which were to cruize off Jaffa, and to maintain a communication with the army. Camels and mules were provided with extraordinary expedition, at Cairo, for carrying the light artillery, ammunition, and provifions, of which, the most bulky, as well as the most neceffary article, was water. The army was parted into four divifions: one under general Kleber, one under general Regnier, one under general Bon, and one under general Lannes. The cavalry was commanded by general Mourat, the artillery by general Dommartin, and the engineers by general Caffarelli.* A junction was formed, on the fourth of February, 1799, between the divifions of Kleber, and the advanced guard of

Regnier, under the command of general Grange, at Cathich; from whence they proceeded to Larissa, otherwife called El-Arisch, a village pleasantly fituated on the river Peneus, and the feat of a Greek archbifhop, as well as of mofques for the votaries of the Mahomedan religion. El-Arifch was carried, by general le Grand, with the bayonet. The barbarous Arnautes and Maugrabins, who defended it, took refuge in the fortrefs, but with fuch precipitation, that, in barricading the gates, they fhut out two hundred men, who were put to the fword, or made prisoners.

Scarcely was the blockade of ElArifch begun, by Regnier's divifion, when a reinforcement of infantry and cavalry, efcorting a convoy of provifions for the defenders of El-Arisch, appeared in fight of that village, and encamped on a rifing ground, covered by a very deep ravine. At that moment, general Kleber came up with the advanced guard of his divifion. General Regnier communicated to him the defign he had formed, of turning the ravine, and furprising the camp of the Mammalukes in the night. Kleber entirely approved this project. The attack was made, and fucceeded. The camp was carried, and the

The effective force of the army, destined for the Syrian expedition, is thus ftated by general Berthier:

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corps of Mammaluke cavalry cut in pieces, or taken. A number of horfes, camels, flores, and provifions, and the whole of the convoy, fell into the hands of the French. Two beys were killed on the field of battle. The two other divifions of the army, with the artillery, formed their junction a few days thereafter. Buonaparte, himfelf, with his etat-major, and a strong guard, who had fet out, from Cairo on the tenth, arrived at El-Arifch on the feventeenth of February. In his march acrofs the defart, he loft feveral men and a number of horses, through bad provifions, and the want of water, as well as by the attacks of the Arabs, who never ceased to harass him.

The main army, thus affembled, took a pofition before El-Arifch, on the eighteenth of February. Buonaparte ordered one of the towers of the caftle to be cannonaded, and, a breach being foon made, he fummoned the place to furrender. The garrifon was compofed of Arnautes and Maugrabins, all rude barbarians, without leaders, uninformed in any of the principles of war acknowledged by civilized nations. Their anfwer was, that they were willing to come out of the fort, with their arms and baggage, as it was their wish to go to Acre. Buonaparte, anxious to fpare the effufion of his foldiers' blood, delayed the affault. But at length, on the twentieth of February, the garrifon furrendered, on condition of being permitted to retire to Baydat, by the defart. A number of the Maugrabins entered into the French fervice.

On the twenty-fourth of February, the head-quarters of the army marched to Kan-jounefs, the first

village of Palestine, as they got outof the defart, and from whence they difcovered the cultivated plains of Gaza.

The French army had now fuccecded in traverfing eighty leagues of the moft dry and barren part of the defart: for, the inhabitants of El-Arifch, as well as thofe of Cathich, enjoy only a few fpots of cultured ground, and a few palmtrees near their wells: all around is a dry and burning fand. The afpect of the plains of Gaza was the more pleafing and recreating to the fight, that they appeared bordered by mountains, which rendered the profpect fimilar to that of European countries, without having the tirefome monotony of Egyptian plains, and of thole parching fands which uniformly fill the air with an annoying, infufferable duft,

Abdallah Bashaw, with a thoufand cavalry, and fifty thoufand Naploufians, lay encamped in the heights of Korfum. After haraffing the French army, attempting to take it in flank, and to entangle it in the mountains, he was beat back, forced to raife his camp, during the night of the twenty-fourth, and fell back upon Gaza; against which place the French proceeded to march on the twenty-fifth of February. The fortrefs of Gaza being evacuated by the enemy, was taken poffeffion of by the French, without refiftance. In Gaza, they found a very feafonable fupply of provifions and military ftores. The inhabitants having gone out, to meet Buonaparte, the city was treated in a friendly manner.

On the twenty-ninth of February, the main army began to move towards Jaffa (the ancient Joppa), a fea-port on the coaft of Paleftine,

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between which and Damietta, along the fea-coaft, the whole is defart and wild. Here, pilgrims pay for permiffion to vifit the Holy Land. This city is furrounded by a wall, without a ditch, and defended by ftrong towers, provided with cannon. Trenches were opened, bat, teries were erected, and a practical breach was made in the wall. Notwithstanding two defperate forties, and every exertion on the part of the garrifon, about four thousand ftrong, the principal tower was taken, and the greater part of the brave garrifon was put to the fword: with a view, no doubt, of ftriking terror into other parts of Palestine, and wherever Buonaparte might direct his march. About three hundred Egyptians, who escaped from the affault, were fent back into Egypt, and reforted to their families. The French found, in the towers of Joppa, ten pieces of cannon, and about twenty indifferent fiege - pieces, either iron or brafs.

Buonaparte, having made himfelf mafter of the towers of Joppa, ordered the inhabitants to be spared. About fifteen fmall trading veffels were found in the harbour. The conqueft of Jaffa, according to the report of fir Sidney Smith, coft the French above one thoufand men. Buonaparte then formed a divan, compofed of the principal Turks of the town. He alfo gave orders for taking every neceffary measure for the defence of the place. Jaffa proved a fituation of the higheft importance to the army: it became the port, and the entrepot, of every thing that was to come from Damietta and Alexandria. From Jaffa, Buonaparte wrote the following

letter to Ghezzar Bafhaw, dated the ninth of March:

"Since my arrival in Egypt, I feveral times informed you, that I had no defign to make war against you; and that my only object was to expel the Mammalukes. You returned no answer to the overture which I made you. I announced, that I defired that you would drive Ibrahim Bey from the frontiers of Egypt; but, inftead of that, you fent troops to Gaza: you formed there large magazines, and gave out, that you intended to march against Egypt. You, indeed, began to put this plan in execution; and you threw two thousand of your troops into the fortrefs Arisch, which is only fix miles from the frontiers of Egypt. I was obliged, then, to depart from Cairo, to direct, in perfon, the war which you feemed to invite. The districts of Gaza, Ramley, and Jaffa, are already in my power. I have treated with generofity fuch of your troops as furrendered at difcretion, but I have been fevere towards thofe who violated the rights of war. In a few days, I fhall march against Acre. But why should I go, to deprive an old man, with whom I am not acquainted, of the few remaining years of his life! What are a few miles more of territory, in comparison of those which I have already conquered! And, as God grants me victory, I will, like him, he clement and merciful, not only towards the people, but towards the great. You have no folid reafon for being my enemy, fince you were that of the Mammalukes. Your government is feparated from that of Egypt by the diftricts of Gaza, Ramley, and impassable

marches.

marches. Become my friend, be the enemy of the Mammalukes and the English, and I will do you as much good as I have done you hurt; and I can fill do you more. Send me a fhort answer, by fome perfon invested with full powers, that I may know your views. He needs only to prefent himself to my advanced guard, with a white flag; and I have given orders, to my staff, to fend you a pass of safety, which you will find here annexed. On the twenty-first of March, I fhall march against Acre; I muft, therefore, have an anfwer before that day."

The verbal answer of Ghezzar was, "I have not written to you, because I am refolved to hold no communication with you. You may march against Acre when you please. I fhall be prepared for you, and will bury myself in the ruins of the place, rather than let it fall into your hands."

The army marched to Zetta, under the tower of which it paffed the night. On the fixteenth, they encamped at Sabarieu, after extricating themselves from the narrow paffes of mount Carmel, on the plains of Acre. A divifion of the army, under general Kleber, marched against Caiffa, which the enemy abandoned at their approach. On the feventeenth, late in the evening, they arrived at the mouth of the little river of Acre, which is at the distance of about fifteen hundred fathoms from the fortress. The night was employed in conftructing a bridge, over which the whole army paffed, at break of day, on the eighteenth.

The city of Acre (anciently called Accho by the Hebrews and

Phænicians, and afterwards Ptolemais by the Greeks) was, by the French, called St. Jean d'Acre, on account of its being the refidence of the knights of Jerufalem, which they defended against the Saracens. It is the laft and moft fouthern city on the Phoenician coaft. It was a confiderable place, fo early as the Ifraelitifh judges, fince we find that the tribe of Afher could not drive out its inhabitants. After being in the poffeffion of the emperor Claudius, it fell into the hands of the Turks and Arabs, who kept it till the holy war, when it was retaken by the Chriftians, in the year 1104. The Turks took it a fecond time, under Saladin. It was wrefted from them a second time, in 1191, by Guy, king of Jeru falem, Richard I. king of England, and Philip, king of France. It was then given to the knights of St. John, who held it, about one hundred years, with great bravery. But a difpute, concerning the poffeffion of it, among the Christians themselves, gave an opportunity to fultan Melech Seraf, with an army of one hundred and fifty thousand men, to reduce it again under the Ottoman yoke, in the year 1291. The greater part of the inhabitants fled, for refuge, to the ifland of Cyprus. Acre was immediately entered and plundered by the Turks, who made a horrible flaughter of those who remained in the city, rafed its fortifications to the ground, and destroyed all its noble edifices, as if they could never take fufficient revenge upon it, for all the blood it had coft them, or fufficiently prevent fuch flaughters for the future. It was in this city that our Edward I. then a prince,

received

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